According to Realtor.com, legendary heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and his wife/manager Sharon have listed yet another property, putting their suburban Los Angeles estate on the market for $12,999.
The six-bed, 10-bath, 11,000-square-foot mansion boasts a re-design by interior designer to the stars Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, and was recently featured in Architectural Digest. The home, in the popular celebrity enclave of Hidden Hills, rests on a hill on the 2.25 acre estate, with city lights and mountain views. As you might expect given the listing price, the manse includes numerous luxury features: Travertine flooring, formal dining room, dressing area, formal entry room, maids quarters, gym, library, study, and a pool, among other amenities.
Check out photos at Realtor.com.
Ozzy and Sharon recently listed a Malibu beach house on the market for $10 million.
The 4,500-square-foot, three-story oceanfront residence has five bedrooms and five bathrooms, along with a library, office, hot tub, walk-in closets and a backyard with a view of the Pacific Ocean.
The couple bought the house in March of 2003 for $5.1 million and first placed it on the market in 2006 for $14 million, with the place going on and off sale several times since then.
It's also available for rent starting at $40,000 per month.
Novinite.com reports that heavy rock legends JUDAS PRIEST, WHITESNAKE, SAXON and SLADE are preparing for their July 8 gig at CSKA (Narodna Armiya) stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria as part of the Sofia Rocks 2011 festival.
According to information released by organizers Balkan Entertainment Company, WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale appears to have the most intriguing catering requirements, including not only fine Bulgarian wines, but also mineral volcanic water from Fiji, and an absolute ban on onions and broccoli in his otherwise vegetable-heavy diet. The members of JUDAS PRIEST, on the other hand, have requested to be supplied with plenty of chili and tabasco, as well as "unlimited quantities of chocolate."
German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS will perform rearrangements of their own hits accompanied by the German film orchestra Babelsberg at the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Classic Open Air 2011.
The Berlin Classic Open Air is a string of classical concerts that takes place every year during summer. Featuring a range of different performances, the program this year runs from July 7 to July 12 and includes Italian opera and operetta, German opera, and crossover productions that incorporate pop, rock, soul, and jazz.
The site of the Classic Open Air is Berlin's majestic Gendarmenmarkt. Built in the 17th century, this former marketplace is home to some of Germany's most stunning architecture and is rightly regarded as one of the most Europe's most beautiful squares. Among its treasures are the much-photographed twin churches of Franzoesischer Dom (French cathedral) and Deutscher Dom (German cathedral), and the splendid Konzerthaus, which is home to the Berlin Symphony Orchestra.
This cross-genre concert will be followed by a fireworks and lightshow extravaganza.
The SCORPIONS' current trek — in celebration of 40-plus years in music — has been a massive success in a soft touring economy, with the group filling many of the arenas they performed at in the United States and Canada.
"Sting In The Tail" sold 18,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart. This marks the band's highest chart debut in over 20 years. The CD also landed at No. 6 on the Rock Albums chart.
"Sting In The Tail" was released in North America on March 23, 2010 via Universal Music Enterprises. The CD was recorded at a studio in Hannover, Germany with Swedish producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen (the team behind THE RASMUS' "Dead Letters" CD).
Legendary singer and former VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman Lou Reed recently spoke to New York Magazine about his collaboration with METALLICA on songs he'd written for "Lulu", a theatrical production of stories by German author Frank Wedekind, which is currently running in Berlin.
When asked if there was any chance of him staging "Lulu" with the music he did with METALLICA, Reed said, "I don't think METALLICA wants to be a band on Broadway! [Chuckles.] They're metalheads. They're not going to do that. But the version of the 'Lulu' music I did with METALLICA is awe-inspiring. It's maybe the best thing done by anyone, ever. It could create another planetary system. I'm not joking, and I'm not being egotistical."
Regarding what the METALLICA version of the "Lulu" music sounds like, Reed said, "There are two stories 'Lulu''s based on, and I rewrote 'Lulu' from the get-go, taking the original plot — mostly Earth Spirit, not Pandora's Box — and followed it essentially from the point of view of Lulu and the various people who love her, until she gets involved with Jack The Ripper. The basics. So the METALLICA version will have absolutely all of that and more. It'll probably come out by November."
In a statement posted at METALLICA's official web site, the band wrote about its collaboration with Reed, "We are more than proud to announce that we have just completed recording a full-length album that is a collaboration with none other than the legendary Lou Reed. Ever since we had the pleasure of performing with Lou at the 25th anniversary of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at Madison Square Garden in October of 2009, we have been kicking around the idea of making a record together."
The statement added, "We have indeed been working at our home studio at [METALLICA headquarters in San Rafael, California] on and off over the last few months. In what would be lightning speed for a METALLICA-related project, we recorded ten songs during this time and while at this moment we're not exactly sure when you'll hear it, we're beyond excited to share with you that the recording sessions wrapped up last week."
Rolling Stone spoke with both Reed and members of METALLICA about the surprising announcement. Writer David Fricke described the disc as "a raging union of [Reed's] 1973 noir classic, 'Berlin', and METALLICA's '86 crusher, 'Master Of Puppets'." The songs were all written by Reed with extensive arrangement contributions by METALLICA.
Reed called the collaboration "a marriage made in heaven. I knew it from the first day we played together: 'Oh, man, this is perfection, right in front of me.'"
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said, "I don't think we've ever felt this free. There's nothing that's totally outside of the boundary for us, nothing that feels like 'Oh, what happens if we go there?'"
Frontman James Hetfield added, "Lars and I listened to [Reed's demos] and it was like, 'Wow, this is very different.' It was scary at first, because the music was so open. But then I thought, 'This could go anywhere.'"
Songtitles on the record include "Pumping Blood" and "Mistress Dread".
Reed does not have a record deal and METALLICA is no longer signed to Warner Music Group after completing their contract with 2008's "Death Magnetic", so it is not clear how or when they intend to release the yet-to-be-titled album.
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According to MusicWeek, Universal Music Publishing has extended its worldwide agreement with METALLICA to cover the band's back catalog and new material.
The major first started representing the band in 1988, and the deal excludes North America and Japan.
Universal Music Publishing president of Europe Paul Connolly said he was thrilled METALLICA was staying with the organization and added, "METALLICA are one of the biggest selling bands of all time and have created a phenomenal body of work during the last three decades."
Although METALLICA is currently completing work on a surprise collaborative album with Lou Reed, the band is also about to start writing songs for its 10th studio effort on its own. Producer Rick Rubin, who worked with the group for the first time on 2008's "Death Magnetic", told Billboard that he recently met with drummer Lars Ulrich and will return to San Francisco sometime in the next week or so to sit down with the whole band and "explore what the focus is going to be this time around."
Rubin offered a hint of how that initial meeting with the band will go: "I'll ask a lot of questions and we'll probably listen to some of the riffs they've been writing. And usually I'll hear something that will sort of indicate the direction and then we'll talk about it from there."
Rubin did not give a timetable for when he thought METALLICA might begin recording.
The band revealed last week that the "secret recording project" it was working on in May was a collaborative album with Reed, the legendary singer and former VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman.
The project had apparently been in the works since Reed and METALLICA performed together at the 25th anniversary of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at Madison Square Garden in October of 2009.
METALLICA has not indicated when or how the yet-to-be-titled album will be issued.
"Shockwaves Skull Sessions" podcast episode #49 is the second of a "riveting" three-episode "Big Four" special, featuring returning guest and esteemed U.K. metal author Joel McIver, Craig Locicero from San Francisco Bay Area thrash titans FORBIDDEN and metal veteran Michael Huntsman as they join host Bob Nalbandian on yet another heated discussion thrashing out a discography deliberation on the first few albums of METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX. This episode hones in on the early days of thrash metal.
Following the first U.S. "Big Four" concert in Indio, California on April 23, a second U.S. show featuring METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX has been confirmed for September 14 at the new version of the legendary Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York City.
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told RollingStone.com after the Indio show that an East Coast date was coming, along with possible gigs in the South and Midwest, although he doubted a full tour would happen.
The all-day event in Indio featured the so-called "big four" bands of the Eighties thrash metal scene performing together on a U.S. stage for the first time ever in their 30-year careers.
A series of similar shows last summer in Europe was wildly popular, leading to demand for a U.S. version. The "Big Four" package will also head back to Europe this July.
All four bands were presented with awards for sales of a hundred thousand copies of a "Big Four" live DVD which was released late last year.
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Lick Library is now shipping "Quick Licks In The Style Of Kerry King Thrash Metal Key: E Minor". This new guitar tuition DVD helps you learn the best Kerry King killer licks in easy to follow lessons, where you can practice along with the professional backing track included with the DVD.
Kerry King, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and co-founder of American thrash metal band SLAYER, has earned his reputation as one of thrash metal's premier guitarists by consistently delivering crushing riffs, ripping tones and staggering live performances. His guitar playing is often described as angular, focusing more on speed and chaos than on melody or typical metal style technical precision. He is known for making extensive use of the whammy bar, down tuned rhythms and a very heavy irregular vibrato.
Andy James has for some time been widely regarded as one of the U.K.'s rising stars in the realms of shred and metal guitar and more recently played Download festival with his band SACRED MOTHER TONGUE. His blistering technique is well suited to showing you how to develop the speed and instrumental prowess that defines the hardcore tempos of the aggressive Kerry King and SLAYER material.
In the "Quick Licks In The Style Of Kerry King Thrash Metal Key: E Minor" guitar tuition DVD, Andy James explores a series of licks and ideas that Kerry King has put into his solos over the years. After listening to Kerry's playing Andy has taken the gems of ideas and the techniques Kerry uses that makes up his playing to put together three minutes tracks that demonstrate how to string licks together and create a solo. Breaking everything down into small sections, and using the famous Lick Library split screen, these guitar lessons will help you develop techniques such a bending, alternate picking and tapping. Also included are backing tracks so you can practice everything you learn.
Lick Library also offer "Learn to Play Slayer" and "Slayer Jamtrax". To find out more about these and other products, visit www.licklibrary.com.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Fox has confirmed that AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson are set to return to the judges' table for season 11 of the popular Fox reality series "American Idol".
Despite Tyler's insistence that AEROSMITH would play the finale of the last season of "American Idol", AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry said in an online posting that the band was "never asked by producers" to perform at the event. He added that "Brad [Whitford, AEROSMITH guitarist had] a gig that night with [Experience Hendrix]. [It was] not logistically possible."
Perry did write that AEROSMITH is "looking forward to playing 'American Idol' next season when our new CD is out and we can prepare [for] a kick-ass show if they ask us."
According to Variety.com, Haley Joel Osment will star in "Wake The Dead", the modern-day horror movie co-produced by Slash through the former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist's horror film production company Slasher Films. b>Jay Russell ("Ladder 49") will helm the film based on the graphic novels by Steven Niles, with Osment playing Victor Franklin, a college student experimenting with reversing death.
Slash described "Wake The Dead" in an interview as "basically a modern, young Frankenstein story about a brilliant college student who's discovered how to animate dead tissue — but he's a teenager so he goes overboard."
The company has three other films in development, including "Nothing To Fear", about a town that sits on a gateway to hell; "Theorem", about a mathematician who figures out an equation for evil; and "The Other Kingdom", which is about a hospital struck by an epidemic that turns people into zombies.
Niles told the Los Angeles Times about working with Slash, "We want to recapture the quality of horror like they made them in the '70s, horror where you care about the characters and story . . . When (I) met with Slash we immediately connected on our love of horror and the way we wanted to see horror films made. I never dreamed in a million years I'd get to meet Slash, let alone work with him. I'm thrilled."
DANZIG's previously announced tour of South America, which was scheduled to take place in late July, has been canceled "due to complications with travel that were beyond anyone's control." According to a posting on the band's official web site, "DANZIG regret any inconvenience to their fans and promise to return as soon as possible."
In other news, a "Danzig Legacy" TV special is being filmed in Los Angeles this summer and is being directed by Mark Brooks (Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse"). More information will be released soon.
As previously reported, Glenn Danzig will headline Riot Fest on October 7 at Congress Theater in Chicago, Illinois and perform a career-spanning show featuring sets of DANZIG, SAMHAIN and MISFITS songs with none other than ex-MISFITS axeman Doyle Von Frankenstein joining Glenn on guitar for the MISFITS set.
Commented Michael Petryshyn, founder of Riot Fest: "Everyone in music has a band or a musician that changed them. For me, it is Glenn Danzig. I am in music because of DANZIG, SAMHAIN and the MISFITS. I remember being a ten-year-old when my friend handed me 'Danzig', and it blew me away. It was different… it was the first album for me, now looking back, where form matched content. Soon after, I found this entire wealth of music he wrote before 1988 and I became an even bigger fan. Musically, it opened my world to punk, metal and hardcore. To have Glenn perform his solo works, to go on stage with SAMHAIN for a set, and, lastly, to play MISFITS songs with Doyle will always be the one show I remember."
In a brand new interview with Broward-Palm Beach New Times, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke about CRÜE frontman Vince Neil's negative portrayal of Sixx in the singer's autobiography, "Tattoos & Tequila: To Hell and Back with One of Rock's Most Notorious Frontmen", which came out last year. When asked if he still feels closer to Vince than before, Sixx said, "I've always felt close with Vince. I honestly don't believe, you know? Vince didn't write his own book. The problem with ghost writers is that they get a piece, and the problem when they get a piece is that they want to create sensationalism because they sell books. What they don't realize is that internal relationships are more powerful than anything, so I just kind of laugh. Vince seemed not to have anything to do with it."
Regarding whether the members of MÖTLEY CRÜE have become better friends since the release of Sixx's "This Is Gonna Hurt: Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx" book (in which Sixx admits that none of the CRÜE members have been to each other's houses), Sixx said, "No, no. You know, it's like we're home, and we live together on the road for months at a time, and we go home, and I'm very, very, very regimented. I do seven shows in four days, a radio show, always doing photography, working on another book. Involved in MÖTLEY on a million different levels, as are the other guys. It doesn't so much... like let's get together for a barbecue. Sunday comes, and I'm like hanging out with my kids. I think there's a misconception that people think that rock bands hang out together all the time, but it's not unlike a lot of people: When you leave your job on Friday, do you go hang out at your boss' house on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday night after work? It's a little bit of folklore that you all hang together."
On page 78 of Neil's autobiography, excerpts from which are available on the Hachette Book Group web site, Neil wrote, "I don't think Nikki has changed much over the years. He still likes to portray himself as the Messiah. Everything is his. Everything is his idea. I'll look at him and think, 'Fuck! He just loves playing that persona.' And my sentiment is: 'I don't really care one way or the other. If he wants to be that, fine.' I do my job, and I fucking have fun. But in Nikki's world, he has to be known as the 'thinker,' or the 'creator;' He needs to be seen as Mr. All-Important. Nikki Sixx, tortured soul. Just like Tommy [Lee, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer], he's another one of those guys who just love the whole fame thing. He wouldn't have been with the tattoo artist Kat Von D if she wasn't famous. And [former 'Baywatch' actress] Donna D'Errico before her; she was a huge star at the time he married her. He just really likes to see his face in the paper. He
likes the press buzz. He likes being that guy from the band with famous girlfriends."
Neil didn't stop there.
"I mean, you should read the e-mails [Nikki] sends about MÖTLEY," Vince continues. "He goes, 'I've crunched the numbers, and we should do this...' And I'm like, 'What? Is he my fucking accountant now? I mean, what the fuck?' He makes these decisions for MÖTLEY CRÜE that I think are just stupid. I call him up and I'll be like, 'You're the worst businessman in the fucking world. You're a fucking idiot!' And he'll be like, 'How can you say that?' And I'll be like, 'Because you are a fucking idiot.' Just because something looks good on paper with your name on it doesn't mean it's going to work."
According to Robin Leach of the Las Vegas Sun, MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil will be honored with a "Lifetime Achievement In Rock 'N' Roll" award as part of the Vegas Rocks! Magazine Awards on August 21 in the main showroom of the Las Vegas Hilton.
Vegas Rocks! magazine publisher Sally Steele said, "We will be honoring Vince with the Lifetime Achievement in Rock 'N' Roll" award, and there is no one that deserves it more than Vince.
"Vince has done so much over the years for charity since he has lived here in Las Vegas and done so many events that has made this town buzz with excitement. It is especially a thrill to me personally to present this award to Vince, since I started this publication seven years ago to honor and glorify my favorite band MÖTLEY CRÜE.
"We are also planning on having a secret special guest present Vince's award to him with me, so stay tuned!"
More than 200 musicians are expected to attend the event, according to Leach.
Neil's latest solo album, "Tattoos & Tequila", sold 7,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 57 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was issued in Europe on June 4, 2010 via Frontiers Records and was made available in the U.S. on June 22, 2010 through Eleven Seven Music.
Neil recorded "Tattoos & Tequila" in the winter of 2009 with bassist Dana Strum and Jeff Blando (both of SLAUGHTER) and drummer Zoltan Chaney. The album includes two new songs — "Tattoos and Tequila" and "Another Bad Day", both produced by Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, OZZY OSBOURNE, DEF LEPPARD) — plus a selection of classic cuts from some of the rock giants that have influenced Vince Neil throughout his musical career. The cover songs were produced by Vince and Jack Blades (DAMN YANKEES, NIGHT RANGER).
In an interview with The News Tribune, Vince stated about the CD's title, "It's rock 'n' roll. That's it. It has nothing to do with MÖTLEY CRÜE. Tattoos and tequila is basically my life."
Sean Daly and Steve Spears of the St. Petersburg Times recently conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
St. Petersburg Times: Tell us about the 360 drum roller coaster you developed for this tour. Sounds insane.
Tommy: It's one of those things you absolutely have to see. You can watch YouTube videos all day long, but unless you come and see it live. . . . The idea starts with me, and we just kind of take it from there. It was time to take it to the next level. (Laughs) I'm gonna shoot myself out of an elephant's a-- next time. You know me, dude: full-on thrill seeker. Someone's gotta do it!
St. Petersburg Times: What do your groupies look like? Is it an all-ages affair?
Tommy: The ages are all over the place. We've been doing it 30 years, so you have people our age. And not to put them in the same sentence as a cheesy word like "groupies," but I see kids 10 years old. (Editor's note: He's not talking about groupies. He's talking about fans in general.) Some parents are bringing their kids. It's pretty cool to see such a wide variety of people coming to the show: all ages, all colors and sizes. It's dope.
St. Petersburg Times: You've repeatedly said you don't want to make albums anymore. Why is that?
Tommy: No one really buys records anymore. You can look at sales and do that math real quick. Unfortunately, it's fast food in the music industry. People don't ingest full records anymore. They buy song to song, something that blows their skirt up. For you to sit there and rip your hair out and put six, eight months into making a full record for someone to buy one song from, that is stupid.
St. Petersburg Times: That's kind of sad. Look at all the great albums you guys made. Look at "Dr. Feelgood".
Tommy: I don't know, dude. I don't think it's sad. I think it's actually cool. What it will do is force people to make better songs at a time, instead of making an album with nine shitty filler tracks and two good songs. I think it's nice. I think it's going to be wonderful, to tell you the truth.
Victoria Holdsworth of Leeds Music Scene conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL before the band's June 24 concert at Newcastle, England's O2 Academy. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Leeds Music Scene: How does it feel after the past 23 years to be finally receiving the recognition you deserve from the music world and not just your fans and peers?
Lips: [Lips takes a deep breath and pauses for a moment] It feels victorious! How would anybody feel? When you work at something your whole life, and then finally the doors open, you think, what have I been doing wrong? [laughs] OK, well maybe you don't ask yourself so much what has been going wrong but... [deep sigh] it's just incredibly rewarding and fulfilling. I'm not walking around all big-headed, and I haven't lost it. I am still quite blown away by it all! Most of the time I find myself having to pinch myself, 'cause sometimes I think I'm really not sure, ya know? [laughs] It's like I fell asleep and all my dreams are coming true, and I'm getting to meet all my favorite rock stars, and they all know me and they all wanna meet me, and shake my hand, and I'm here thinking, what has happened?? It is TOTALLY a dream come true! On every level! So how do I feel about it? I can't really put it into words. Appreciation is the best! Let's put it this way.
Nothing in life that you didn't work for has no value. If somebody just gives you a CD for free, it will probably just end up on your shelf, and you won't listen to it. If you have to pay for it, or you've had to work to go pay for it, you value it, and that's exactly the same scenario that I'm talking about. I've worked my whole life for these moments, so I don't kick it, I don't take it for granted, and I have a full on appreciation of what's going on, so I'm not gonna squander it. If I'm making money I'm certainly not gonna start blowing it! It took so long to get here, and I know how fleeting the music business and the whole entertainment world works, and I'm gonna hold onto every penny, and be very, very careful and conscientious of what I'm doing, so yeah, that's how I feel.
Leeds Music Scene: In the documentary, we saw a massive insight into your continued friendship with the other band members, through all the trouble and strife. What was it about that friendship that made you stick together so vehemently, and what was the hardest part for you to get through over the years?
Lips: It was having the same goals. It's just like a relationship. A marriage if you like. Relationships are relationships, basically the only difference is we're not having sex with each other. [laughs] On a mental level there are a lot of things that come together and that's just the way that it has worked. So having the same goals and aspirations and desires you stay in tune with each other and you run parallel and it's all good. The only places where we have fallouts is approach. You might have a different opinion on the way we approach the same problem, and that's where we're gonna have a difference of opinion, but it's still to get to the same goal.
Leeds Music Scene: The new album, "Juggernaut of Justice", which is a fitting title to your plight, is a bit of a smorgasbord of attitudes, rhythms and riffs, with some jazz metal thrown in their for good measure. What was the inspiration behind it?
Lips: Well, we were thinking like the "Metal On Metal" era, and we were looking to create an album that is filled with templates. What I mean by templates is you can take a song like "March of the Crabs" and say that became METALLICA and then you take a song like "666" and that became SLAYER, pick a song like "Stop Me" and that became BON JOVI, or RATT and they're all templates. You could build a whole band's repertoire around the sound of one song, and we made an effort to create another bunch of songs that did the same thing. This is the best example that we could come up with, for that type of song and each song is a unique little piece that is not really attached to any of the others, it's all unique! You can tell that they're all ANVIL, but they're very different from each other. It's like having a flower bed and you growing some chrysanthemums over here, and some daisies but they're all flowers! They're not all the same color and they're all
different, but together they make a wonderful looking garden! That's what we were looking to do.
"Iconoclast", the ninth studio album from North America's progressive metal masterminds SYMPHONY X, sold more than 7,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 76 on The Billboard 200 chart.
SYMPHONY X's previous CD, "Paradise Lost", opened with around 6,500 copies back in July 2007.
"Iconoclast" was released in Europe on June 17 and in North America on June 21 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Illustrator and film concept artist Warren Flanagan ("Watchmen", "The Incredible Hulk", "2012") is the talent behind the album artwork. He states, "The idea was to create imagery that was a little darker in tone to previous SYMPHONY X albums and to represent the overall theme of 'Iconoclast' into the artwork. The whole concept came from [SYMPHONY X guitarist] Mike [Romeo], who had a strong idea of what the cover should represent based off the music. I just ran with it. When the album's title was decided on, I focused the image based on the meaning of it. I also wanted to use the band's signature 'masks' but present them in a way that connected to the new album."
SYMPHONY X founder and lead guitarist Michael Romeo has the following to say about Flanagan's art: "We worked with Warren on the last CD, 'Paradise Lost', and have a good relationship with him. When I talk to Warren about artwork ideas, a lot of times we end up making comparisons to films and movies. With the new CD, 'Iconoclast', the music and lyrics have a darker mechanical/technological theme, and I remember us talking about scenes from films like 'The Matrix' and 'Terminator'. From there, we sent him some songtitles and lyrics (songs like 'Dehumanized', 'Bastards Of The Machine', 'Electric Messiah') and just let Warren run with the ball. He has a great imagination and style, and he totally gets what we are trying to convey with the music."
The track listing for the jewel-cased version of "Iconoclast" is:
01. Iconoclast
02. The End Of Innocence
03. Dehumanized
04. Bastards Of The Machine
05. Heretic
06. Children Of A Faceless God
07. Electric Messiah
08. Prometheus (I Am Alive)
09. When All Is Lost
The track listing for the 2-CD special edition digipak version of "Iconoclast" is:
CD 1:
01. Iconoclast
02. The End Of Innocence
03. Dehumanized
04. Bastards Of The Machine
05. Heretic
06. Children Of A Faceless God
07. When All Is Lost
CD 2:
01. Electric Messiah
02. Prometheus (I Am Alive)
03. Light Up The Night
04. The Lords Of Chaos
05. Reign In Madness
Beginning July 4, Las Vegas' "favorite" band SIN CITY SINNERS will be rocking the Crown Theater inside the Rio hotel in Las Vegas every Monday night until the end of the month. Each show will feature a special guest sitting in and jamming with the band.
July 04 - George Lynch of DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB
July 11 - Kip Winger of WINGER
July 18 - Bruce Kulick of KISS
July 25 - Phil Lewis of L.A. GUNS
Metal Hammer magazine will release MACHINE HEAD's next album, "Unto The Locust", in the U.K. with a special-edition fan pack. Complete with 132–page special issue with exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the making of the new album, extensive interviews with every member, never-before-seen historic shots from the band's personal collections, a guide to their custom rigs, and a diary of their massive Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour happening this summer, this is the ultimate companion to the long-awaited follow-up to "The Blackening", Metal Hammer's "album of the decade." And that's not all. This exclusive fan pack also includes a 100% official patch, sticker sheet and poster. This is your chance to be part of MACHINE HEAD history!
"This is gonna be fucking awesome! It's ridiculous," says MACHINE HEAD guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn of the venture. "I can't believe that there's going to be a magazine about us with a special edition of our new album. It's pretty mind-blowing, really. It's something really fuckin' cool for the fans, and it's something incredible for us, too. We're all really stoked on this new record and we can't wait for everyone to hear what we've been doing in the studio. Releasing it this way on newsstands (not just record stores) makes it way cooler!
"You guys know how to make magazines, man! People over here in the U.S. need to look at the U.K. and how you make magazines. You guys make people care about this stuff and you're real music fans. Get your niche and fuckin' ride it! People want cool shit and cool interviews. We're pumped about the whole idea."
Pre-order your copy of "Unto The Locust" at this location.
"Unto The Locust" will be made available in late September via MACHINE HEAD's longtime label Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at JingleTown Studios in Oakland, with frontman Robb Flynn producing, and it is sure to level anything and everything that happens upon its path.
MACHINE HEAD will prepare for the release of their new album by appearing on the main stage of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival for key dates, while headlining the Extreme Stage for others, this summer, which kicks off this July. This is the band's second tour of duty on Mayhem, as they appeared on the festival during its inaugural run in 2008.
An advance mix of the new MACHINE HEAD song "Locust" was released via iTunes on June 14 and will be included on an iTunes Mayhem digital sampler. Download cards for the digital sampler will be distributed at every date of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival so fans can redeem the song after being summarily kicked in the face by MACHINE HEAD's always devastating live show.
Flynn previously stated about the meaning of the song, "'Locust' is a metaphor. Locusts fly in a swarm, but they can't control which direction they fly; they float on the wind, they land, cause massive destruction, and then float away on the wind to leave you in the aftermath. The song is a metaphor for a type of person that sometimes comes into your life and has a similar effect."
Musically, the song is the essence of what MACHINE HEAD have been doing for nearly two decades. "It feels like the culmination of what we've been doing for the last 17 years: power grooves, patented MACHINE HEAD harmonics, crushing guitars and dark melodies, but taken to a new level," Flynn said. "It's a natural progression from [2007's] 'The Blackening', but different than anything on that record. In the past, when we debuted a new song, it was usually the fastest, thrashiest tune. This time we wanted to go with something just straight-up heavy."
The song is eight minutes in length, which is not unfamiliar territory for the band. Flynn even joked, "We still can't seem to write a damn song under six minutes. But MACHINE HEAD aren't writing music for the radio or MTV. This is for us. This is for the metalhead who let's music take him on a journey. This for the metalhead for whom music is the only thing that matters, to whom music is a savior. The music fan who's going to study every detail of the artwork, go online and find the lyrics and memorize every word, and let it take them away from their fucked up life for a while. It's for the music freak, who maybe just wants to get hammered, air-guitar and sing at the top of his lungs, and act like an friggin' idiot while starting a moshpit in their living room with reckless abandon. Because that's who wrote this song, and that is the only people we care about connecting with."
"Locust" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below (courtesy of Roadrunner Records).
[Note: This version of the song was mixed by Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, SADUS, TESTAMENT, NIGHT RANGER, VICIOUS RUMORS, HEATHEN, VILE, CATTLE DECAPITATION). The final mix will be handled by longtime MACHINE HEAD producer Colin Richardson (BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY, TRIVIUM).]
MACHINE HEAD will embark on a European headlining tour, dubbed "The Eighth Plague", in the fall. Support on the trek will come from BRING ME THE HORIZON, DEVILDRIVER and DARKEST HOUR.
Between frontman David Draiman's pure, powerhouse vocals and guitarist Dan Donegan's disciplined, often elegant guitar work, Disturbed bring the spectrum of heavy sounds. Now, the platinum-selling metal outfit is staring down a headlining stint on this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicks off in San Bernardino, California, on July 9. The tour also includes Megadeth, Machine Head, In Flames and more metal and hard rock players.
It's impossible to deny Donegan's influence on Disturbed's sound, as his serrated riffing pours out of the speakers. In this Gibson.com interview, Donegan talks about his early inspirations, how he gets that classic Disturbed tone and why the upcoming Mayhem tour will make Disturbed "hungry as a band."
Is there a particular player who inspired you to pick up guitar?
I can't really single out any player, but I liked going to concerts and the idea of being in a band where you see the impact four or five guys on stage have over thousands of people. So, that power and the scenario of the lead guitar just pummeling through the speakers were two things that caught my attention. Early on, I got into a lot of the classic metal players: Tony Iommi and Black Sabbath, the guitarists in Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Queensrÿche, Pantera. These bands all had great guitar players, so it definitely inspired me to go down that road.
What's the first song you ever mastered?
I don't know if I mastered it [laughs], but the first song where I really learned the riff was Dio, "Rainbow in the Dark." It was an easy, simple riff for me to learn. But, I mastered early Mötley Crüe songs, because the riffs were easy. I'm a self-taught player, so I started playing and teaching myself. It was a way for me to develop my ear. I think at one point, I knew every Mötley Crüe and Black Sabbath riff.
Disturbed have such a distinct, massive sound, and a lot of it has to do with your clear, heavy tone. What do you believe constitutes good guitar tone?
It's in your hand. It's in the way that you play. That, and the choice of tuning. A lot of metal guitar players have tuned down a lot lower, and that works for them and that's part of their sound. But for me, that gets kind of muddy and lost. I wanted definition. I wanted a chord to ring out and be heard. So, my tunings for most of the albums haven't gone lower than a Drop C tuning. I'm not saying I would never go lower than that. As long as there's still clarity and real definition, then I would entertain that idea. But I kind of grew up with that sound. All those classic metal bands I grew up listening to were the tunings I was playing, which is really why I always played with standard tuning or a half-step down. I learned that way, and I haven't really strayed from that way.
Congrats on Asylum being Disturbed's fourth consecutive #1 debut. Did you feel, as you were writing the album, it would do well?
To be honest, we felt that. We don't second-guess what it is that's working or what the fans or label or anybody else is expecting from us. We just write music for ourselves, and I think we stay true to ourselves and keep that mentality of how we were when we were a garage band, making music for ourselves. We made Sickness in our garage. [laughs] So, we're just fortunate that the songs and maybe the message and meanings behind them have connected with the fans. Every time we come out, we're not going to release an album unless we feel that we've made something that topped what we did last time. Even though each album may have a slightly different vibe and everyone can pick a different favorite here and there, we're not going to go into the studio and start recording unless we feel we have the body of work that's ready to be heard.
Would you say Asylum is a return to Disturbed's signature, earlier sound?
Some of it. A lot of it we don't really discuss in the writing process. We don't discuss where we want to go with it, because we want it to happen naturally. We can't just say, "This album needs to be heavier or darker." We know our background and what we enjoy. A lot of it is just pick up a guitar and start improvising and working on riffs, and once I get to the point where I'm ready to show it to the guys, then everybody starts putting their two cents in and putting their stamp on it, and it just kind of evolves from there. But we definitely had a little bit more of the old school vibe on some of it – just a little bit more attitude with the riffs. Starting out with "Asylum," the song itself is a throw back to old school. It's the longest song we've written, combining the intro that we added on the front of it. The instrumental piece was just more of an experimental thing; it just developed. It created a vibe, and we felt it was a
nice way to set up the song.
Do you have any playing tips for our readers?
I think that more and more you play, for me, it becomes part of the daily routine. You get up, brush your teeth, have breakfast and go through your routine on guitar. It's something I do on a daily basis, and my advice is just to keep playing. It's an endless instrument of ideas. Stylistically, I try to absorb as much as I can watching other bands and listening to other players, and I try to pick up little tricks here and there and constantly practice.
Do you have a quick Top 5 Favorite Rock Albums of All Time?
My answer could probably change on a daily basis, but I would say that I was always big into Soundgarden, so Badmotorfinger is definitely up there for me. Alice in Chains, Dirt. Black Sabbath, We Sold Our Soul for Rock 'n' Roll, mainly because that was a big inspirational one for me. Pantera, Vulgar Display of Power. Maybe Faith No More, The Real Thing. If I see you tomorrow and you ask me, I'll probably name five different ones, but right now, those are definitely up there for me.
Disturbed are headlining the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival in July and August, leading a lineup of Megadeth, Machine Head and so many others. Pumped?
Absolutely. It's a killer line up of bands, and we always love those tours, because you really have to step it up when you're surrounded by so many talented musicians. It makes you hungry as a band. And I like being pushed like that all the time. You don't want to be one of those bands who goes up there and just goes through the motions. I think when you're surrounded by that kind of talent, you can't be lazy. You have to step it up and make every time count, and it's a great feeling to be there. Just being a fan of music ourselves, to be able to watch some of those bands on a daily basis is awesome.
"Sounds Of A Playground Fading", the tenth album from Swedish metallers IN FLAMES, sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart.
IN FLAMES' previous CD, "A Sense of Purpose" (Koch) opened with 20,000 units to land at No. 28. This was slightly less than the opening tally of "Come Clarity" (Ferret), which shifted just under 24,000 copies in February 2006 to enter the chart at position No. 58.
"Sounds Of A Playground Fading" has registered the following first-week chart positions so far:
Germany: #1
Sweden: #2
Austria: #6
Norway: #10
Denmark: #25
USA: #27
France: #34
Belgium: #55
"Sounds Of A Playground Fading" was made available in the following formats in Europe:
* CD Jewelcase
* Special-edition CD+DVD (eight-panel digipak with pop-up feature + recording "Sounds Of A Playground Fading" DVD)
* Limited deluxe box set CD+DVD (eight-panel pop-up digipak and 32-page deluxe booklet + recording "Sounds Of A Playground Fading" DVD, black textile belt with white print and silver buckle with black IN FLAMES logo, set of 3 buttons, 1 jigsaw puzzle, 6 postcards) * 2-LP gatefold, 180gr vinyl
* Digital download
13 songs were laid down for the CD, which was recorded at the band's IF Studios in Gothenburg with engineer Roberto Laghi (HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, LOK, SONIC SYNDICATE).
"Sounds Of A Playground Fading" track listing:
01. Sounds Of A Playground Fading
02. Deliver Us
03. All For Me
04. The Puzzle
05. Fear Is The Weakness
06. Where The Dead Ships Dwell
07. The Attic
08. Darker Times
09. Ropes
10. Enter Tragedy
11. Jester's Door
12. A New Dawn
13. Liberation
The cover artwork was created by Dave Correia and can be viewed below.
The new issue of Germany's Rock Hard magazine — which came out on June 15 — includes a special IN FLAMES compilation featuring two brand new songs, "Deliver Us" and "Enter Tragedy", as well as six additional tracks (including two rare live songs) from the band's back catalogue.
IN FLAMES recently recruited Niclas Engelin from fellow Swedes ENGEL as the band's new second guitarist.
Multi-national thrashers NIGHTRAGE have set "Insidious" as the title of their fifth album, due on September 27 (one day earlier internationally) via Lifeforce Records. The CD features guest appearances by Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND), Tomas S. Englund (EVERGREY), Apollo Papathanasio (FIREWIND, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS), John K (BIOMECHANICAL) and the band's former frontman Tomas Lindberg (also known for his work with AT THE GATES, THE CROWN and LOCK UP). Lindberg appeared on the band's first two albums — 2003's "Sweet Vengeance" and 2005's "Descent Into Chaos" — before being replaced by Jimmie Strimell, who sang on 2007's "A New Disease Is Born".
Commented the band: "We recorded the music at Zero Gravity studios on Athens, Greece with our great friend Terry Nikas at the helm. He did a fantastic job and provided us with an amazing environment and atmosphere to make the best record possible.
"Antony [Hämäläinen] had the pleasure as well to work on the vocals in a very different setting with Ryan Butler at his Arcane Digital Recording studio in Arizona. Ryan has been assisting us with demo sessions since the last album and it felt very natural for us to try the final product with him. We then went to Studio Fredman located in Gothenburg, Sweden for the mix and master. Our longtime producer Fredrik Nordström and Henrik Udd worked long and hard to make the best out of what we gave them.
"We have recorded sixteen songs overall, and, as we promised before, our guest players actually need no introduction."
"Insidious" track listing:
01. So Far Away (intro)
02. Delirium Of The Fallen (w/ Apollo Papathanasio)
03. Insidious (w/ Tomas Lindberg)
04. Wrapped In Deceitful Dreams (w/ Gus G. and Tom S. Englund)
05. Hate Turns Black
06. Sham Piety (w/ Tomas Lindberg)
07. Cloaked In Wolf Skin
08. This World Is Coming To An End (w/ Tomas Lindberg, Apollo Papathanasio)
09. Utmost Ends Of Pain
10. Poignant Memories
11. Hush Of Night
12. Poisoned Pawn
13. Solar Eclipse (Prelude) (w/ John K)
14. Solar Corona (w/ Gus G. and Tom S. Englund)
15. Emblem Of Light (outro) (w/ John K)
Japanese bonus track and digital-only bonus:
16. Photograph (DEF LEPPARD cover; w/ Apollo Papathanasio)
Current NIGHTRAGE vocalist Antony Hämäläinen made his recording debut with the band on 2009's "Wearing A Martyr's Crown".
NIGHTRAGE is:
Antony Hämäläinen - Vocals
Marios Iliopoulos - Guitar
Olof Mörck - Guitar
Anders Hammer - Bass
Johan Nunez – Drums
LEPROUS, the Norwegian progressive/avant-garde metal band that recently signed a worldwide deal with InsideOut Music, has chosen surrealistic American artist Jeff Jordan to create the artwork for the group's upcoming album, "Bilateral".
Commented vocalist/keyboardist Einar Solberg: "We are proud to announce that we're collaborating with the surrealistic American painter Jeff Jordan and the Spanish designer Ritxi Ostariz for the artwork on our upcoming album. Jeff Jordan is probably best known from his work with THE MARS VOLTA, and his paintings are highly rated all over the world. Ritxi Ostariz did the artwork for our previous album 'Tall Poppy Syndrome' (released 2009 through Sensory Records) and, of course, we want him to be part of this new album. Ritxi, too, is a critically acclaimed designer, and in our opinion one of the very best in his field."
"Bilateral", which was skillfully mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street studios (OPETH, PAIN OF SALVATION, DEVIN TOWNSEND, SYMPHONY X) in Sweden, will be released on August 22 in Europe and August 23, in North America via InsideOut Music. According to a press release "Bilateral" "is set to musically redefine what it means to be progressive rock and/or metal, both for the devotees of the genre and the metal fans looking on from a safe distance."
LEPROUS is:
Einar Solberg - Synth/Vocals
Tor Oddmund Suhrke - Guitar
Øystein Landsverk - Guitar
Rein Blomquist - Bass
Tobias Ørnes Andersen - Drums
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/leprous2011cd.jpg
After a three-year hiatus, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's CRADLE TO GRAVE will play a comeback show on July 27 at The Redroom in Vancouver. The band's current lineup includes original members Greg Cavanagh (FALLEN DECADE), Denis "Sasquatch" Barthe (AGGRESSION) and Glenn Chisholm (BULLETS OVER BEAUTY) alongside Brian Langley (INFERNAL MAJESTY, TYRANTS BLOOD) and Shawn Hoskins (SCISSORTOOTH).
CRADLE TO GRAVE is currently working on the follow-up to the band's Devin Townsend-produced 2008 release "Texas Medicine".
"Long Live", the latest album from Georgia's THE CHARIOT, will be released on vinyl on August 2. The new 180-gram LP comes with exclusive silk-screened, hand-numbered jackets. Hot Topic will exclusively carry a white version of the vinyl with black spatters, numbered 1 through 1,000. The Good Fight Music store, the band (on tour), and your favorite local vinyl retailer will carry black with white spatters, numbered 1,001 through 2000. The vinyl will include a bonus track, "Music Of A Grateful Heart", previously available only on the limited-edition seven-inch version. The track will also be available on iTunes and all digital outlets as a single track. Fans can pre-order the LP now by itself, or in a special bundle that includes a THE CHARIOT t-shirt.
THE CHARIOT will hit the road this Friday as part of this year's Scream The Prayer Tour, also featuring NORMA JEAN, SLEEPING GIANT, WAR OF AGES, CLOSE YOUR EYES, TEXAS IN JULY, I THE BREATHER, THE GREAT COMMISSION, AS HELL RETREATS and SOVEREIGN STRENGTH.
Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) released "Deconstruction" and "Ghost" — the third and fourth in a series of albums to be made available under DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker — on June 21 (one day earlier internationally) via InsideOut Music.
First-week sales and chart positions in the U.S.:
* "Deconstruction":
Sales: 3,500
The Billboard 200 chart: #165
Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart: #5
* "Ghost":
Sales: 2,200
Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart: #12
"Deconstruction" and "Ghost" complete Devin's tetralogy album concept — a great journey through Townsend's different states of musical moods — which he started in 2009 with the albums "Addicted" (2009) and "Ki" (2009).
Townsend tapped Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH) to mix "Deconstruction". The sessions took place in late February at Fascination Street studio in Örebro, Sweden. The CD features guest appearances by a number of well-known metal musicians as well as two drummers — Ryan Van Poederooyen (TERROR SYNDROME, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND) for the "crushing stuff," and Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK, SCARVE, ABORTED) for the "inhuman stuff."
"Deconstruction" track listing:
01. Praise The Lowered (feat. Paul Kuhr of NOVEMBERS DOOM) (6:02)
02. Stand (Feat. Mikael Åkerfeldt) (9:36)
03. Juular (feat. Ihsahn) (3:46)
04. Planet Of The Apes (feat. Tommy Rogers) (10:59)
05. Sumeria (feat. Joe Duplantier, Paul Masvidal) (6:37)
06. The Mighty Masturbator (feat. Greg Puciato) (16:28)
07. Pandemic (feat. Floor Jansen) (3:29)
08. Deconstruction (feat. Oderus Urungus, Fredrik Thordenal) (9:27)
09. Poltergeist (4:25)
"Deconstruction" guest musicians:
* Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH, BLOODBATH)
* Ihsahn (EMPEROR)
* Tommy Rogers (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME)
* Joe Duplantier (GOJIRA)
* Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN)
* Floor Jansen (AFTER FOREVER, REVAMP)
* Oderus Urungus (GWAR)
* Paul Masvidal (CYNIC)
* Fredrik Thordendal (MESHUGGAH)
"Ghost" track listing:
01. Fly (4:15)
02. Heart Baby (5:55)
03. Feather (11:30)
04. Kawaii (2:52)
05. Ghost (6:24)
06. Blackberry (4:53)
07. Monsoon (4:37)
08. Dark Matters (1:57)
09. Texada (9:30)
10. Seams (4:04)
11. Infinite Ocean (8:01)
12. As You Were (8:47)
"Ritual", the latest studio album from the Detroit deathsters, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, sold 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 31 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Deflorate", opened with around 12,000 units to enter the chart at No. 43.
Commented vocalist Trevor Strnad; "We are beyond stoked at the first-week sales of 'Ritual'! We are completely and utterly blown away. We can't thank the fans enough for their incredible devotion to what we do… it means the world to us. We'll be out rocking some new tunes in your town very soon… come check it out!"
Released on June 21 via Metal Blade Records, "Ritual" is a collection of 12 tracks that see the band staying true to their sound and style while progressing in both writing and musicianship. Guitarist Ryan Knight has delivered truly searing leads that will without a doubt daze and lay waste the ears of both loyal BLACK DAHLIA diehards and burgeoning fans alike. Music for "Ritual" was recorded in early 2011 in Detroit, Michigan, with Mark Lewis (DEICIDE, UNEARTH) and the band producing. The vocal-recording sessions and mixing took place at Audiohammer in Sanford, Florida with Jason Suecof (BENEATH THE MASSACRE, JOB FOR A COWBOY, ALL THAT REMAINS) at the helm.
"Ritual" track listing:
01. A Shrine To Madness
02. Moonlight Equilibrium
03. On Stirring Seas Of Salted Blood
04. Conspiring With The Damned
05. The Window
06. Carbonized In Cruciform
07. Den Of The Picquerist
08. Malenchanments Of The Necrosphere
09. The Grave Robber's Work
10. The Raven
11. Great Burning Nullifier
12. Blood In The Ink
Canadian extreme metallers KATAKLYSM are nearly done with their highly successful world tour that has taken the band to the four corners of the world. The "Heaven's Venom" mania will continue this summer with the band's appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival this August. The band will headline the Brutal Assault festival in Czech Republic, perform at Metal Mean in Belgium, and play at the 20th anniversary of the Summer Breeze Open Air in Germany to an already sold-out audience of 30,000 metal fans!
In other news, KATAKLYSM recorded the single "The Iron Will" last week in Montreal, Canada with guitarist/producer Jean-Francois Dagenais. It will be mixed this fall by Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, BEHEMOTH, MNEMIC) in Denmark and will be released with a video clip on iTunes one month before the release of the documentary DVD "The Iron Will: 20 Years Determined", which depicts the ups and downs of the band's long, turbulent career... one that made KATAKLYSM one of today's top names in extreme music.
"The Iron Will" DVD will be released in the spring of 2012 and will include this year's live performance from the Summer Breeze festival.
The 20th-anniversary reissue of DEATH's legendary fourth album, "Human", sold 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release.
"Human" is the best-selling DEATH album of the SoundScan era, having shifted 95,000 copies in the United States since its October 1991 release.
The "Human" 20th-anniversary reissue was made available on June 21 in North America (June 27 internationally) via Relapse Records. The LP was entirely remixed by longtime DEATH producer Jim Morris and remastered by Alan Douches (MASTODON, CONVERGE, MISFITS). This special 20th-anniversary edition of the album will come complete with expanded packaging featuring liner notes from Morris as well as former DEATH/current CYNIC guitarist Paul Masvidal and over an hour of newly unearthed, previously unreleased early demo tracks.
"Human" is available on two- and three-disc sets as well as digitally.
Commented Morris (pictured below): "[This was] an awesome experience for me." He added, "We were contacted by Chuck Schuldiner's intellectual property lawyer, Eric Greif, the former manager of DEATH."
Added Eric Greif: "The former DEATH guys Paul Masvidal (guitar), Sean Reinert (drums) and Steve DiGiorgio (bass) are all 'ecstatic' about the prospect of a heavier mix, where all the instruments can be heard and modern technology utilized. Jim said he took into account everything he and Chuck agreed upon during the making of 'Symbolic' (1995) and 'The Sound Of Perseverance' (1998) as his guide for what he believed Chuck would want from such a remix. I myself am thrilled."
Disc 1: (classic remixed and remastered "Human" album)
01. Flattening Of Emotions
02. Suicide Machine
03. Together As One
04. Secret Face
05. Lack Of Comprehension
06. See Through Dreams
07. Cosmic Sea
08. Vacant Planets
09. God Of Thunder (Bonus Track)
Disc 2:
10. Flattening Of Emotions (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
11. Suicide Machine (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
12. Together As One (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
13. Secret Face (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
14. Secret Face - Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
15. Lack Of Comprehension (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
16. "Felt Good" - Studio Snippet
17. See Through Dreams (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
18. See Through Dreams - Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
19. Vacant Planets (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
20. Cosmic Sea (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
21. Cosmic Sea Part 2 (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
22. God Of Thunder (Basic Instrumental Studio Tracks)
23. Flattening Of Emotions ("Human" Demos)
24. Lack Of Comprehension ("Human" Demos)
25. Suicide Machine ("Human" Demos)
26. Together As One ("Human" Demos)
27. See Through Dreams ("Human" Demos)
28. Secret Face (Instrumental - "Human" Demos)
29. Vacant Planets (Instrumental - "Human" Demos)
Disc 3:
30. See Through Dreams (w/ Paul and Sean) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
31. See Through Dreams (Take 2) (w/ Paul and Sean) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
32. Secret Face (w/o Paul - 1/2 song) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
33. Secret Face (Take 2) (w/o Paul) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
34. Secret Face - Riffs (Rehearsal January, 1991)
35. Flattening Of Emotions (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
36. Lack Of Comprehension (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
37. Lack Of Comprehension (Take 2) (Riffs) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
38. Cosmic Sea (Riffs w/ Drum Machine) (Rehearsal January, 1991)
39. See Through Dreams (Rehearsal August, 1990)
40. Suicide Machine (Rehearsal August, 1990)
41. Together As One (Rehearsal August, 1990)
42. Suicide Machine (Drum & Bass Tracks)
43. Together As One (Drum & Bass Tracks)
44. Secret Face (Drum & Bass Tracks)
45. Lack Of Comprehension (Drum & Bass Tracks)
46. Vacant Planets (Drum & Bass Tracks)
47. Flattening Of Emotions (Drum & Bass Tracks)
48. See Through Dreams (Drum & Bass Tracks)
49. Cosmic Sea (Drum & Bass Tracks)
Grindcore progenitors NAPALM DEATH will embark on a Canadian tour in October. The dates are as follows:
Oct. 03 - Kingston, ON - Time TO Laugh
Oct. 04 - Peterborough, ON - Red Dog
Oct. 05 - Windsor, ON - Blind Dog
Oct. 06 - London, ON - Music Hall
Oct. 07 - Toronto, ON - WreckRoom
Oct. 08 - Sudbury, ON - Jubilee Hall
Oct. 09 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
Oct. 10 - [to be announced]
Oct. 11 - Moncton, NB - The Manhattan
Oct. 12 - Halifax, NS - The Seahorse
Oct. 13 - Rimouski, QC - Cactus
Oct. 14 - Trois Rivieres, QC - Trois Rivieres Metal Fest - Batissse Industrielle
Oct. 15 - [to be announced]
Oct. 16 - Thunder Bay, ON - Crocks
Oct. 17 - Winnipeg, MB - The Royal Albert
More shows will be added.
California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE will headline the Impericon Never Say Die! Tour 2011 with support from EMMURE, DEEZ NUTS, THE WORD ALIVE, OCEANO, THE HUMAN ABSTRACT and VANNA.
Commented SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Mark Heylmun: "The Impericon Never Say Die! Tour 2011 will be the most elaborate tour we have done in Europe, both visually and audibly. Be ready for a pummeling of the senses. We cannot wait to party with all the other bands and most importantly all of the rabid fans we have throughout Europe. This will be a tour to remember!"
Impericon Never Say Die! Tour 2011 dates:
Oct. 05 - Würzburg, Germany - Posthalle
Oct. 06 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2
Oct. 07 - Köln, Germany - Essigfabrik
Oct. 08 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix Zaal
Oct. 09 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy 2
Oct. 10 - Cardiff, UK - Solus, Cardiff University
Oct. 11 - Leeds, UK - University
Oct. 12 - London, UK - The Electric Ballroom
Oct. 13 - Paris, France - Cabaret Sauvage
Oct. 14 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
Oct. 15 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA
Oct. 16 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
Oct. 18 - Münster, Germany - Sputnikhalle
Oct. 19 - Esch, Luxemburg - Kulturfabrik
Oct. 20 - Prague, Czech Republic - Abaton
Oct. 21 - Kraków, Poland - Rotunda
Oct. 22 - Budapest, Hungary - Dürer Kert
Oct. 23 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
Oct. 24 - Cesena, Italy - Vidia Club
Oct. 25 - Zürich, Switzerland - Dynamo
Oct. 26 - Munich, Germany - Backstage Werk
Oct. 27 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
SUICIDE SILENCE's new album, "The Black Crown", is scheduled for release on July 12 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with heavyweight producer Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EVERY TIME I DIE, HATEBREED) and features guest appearances by KORN singer Jonathan Davis and SUFFOCATION frontman Frank Mullen.
SUICIDE SILENCE began filming a video for the song "You Only Live Once" on June 5. Vocalist Mitch Lucker commented, "This music video is going to be fucking insane!"
The cover artwork for "The Black Crown" was created by the Delaware-based freelance graphic designer and illustrator Ken "K3N" Adams, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/suicidedie.jpg
Stockholm, Sweden-based extreme metallers MACHINERY have called it quits. Guitarist/vocalist Michel Isberg states, "We've reached to a point where we asked ourselves: is it all worth it? And there are many reasons why we've reached for this conclusion! Some of them are too long and boring to even try to explain and some others that are beyond our control! However, we will form a new band, that doesn't have a label attached to itself, a history or a name yet. All in all, we feel quite good on the situation and look forward to create new music again! At the moment, nothing is decided yet, but stay tuned during this summer for the announcement of our new endeavors!"
"Cold", the latest video from MACHINERY, can be viewed below. The track comes off the band's sophomore album, "The Passing", which was released on April 28, 2008 via Regain Records. The CD was recorded in June 2007 at Black Lounge Studio with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY).
According to a press release, "The Passing" can be described as "an intense journey in epic and diverse metal. An album with great songs and an unique style that covers heavv, death, black and thrash metal! A perfect blend of what should truly appeal to every metalhead!"
"Kill On Command", the new album from Wisconsin death metallers JUNGLE ROT, sold 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. Released on June 21 via Victory Records, the CD landed at position No. 76 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
The Kenosha-based quartet has garnered a great and faithful following in the last 17 years due in large part to having a style more similar to the "Big Four" heavyweights rather than the typical CANNIBAL CORPSE and SUFFOCATION imitations that the underground extreme music scene is so oversaturated with. The style and approach JUNGLE ROT exposes the public to is one of efficiency and execution that has been perfected over the years. Touring with such notable acts as HATEBREED, DEICIDE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, GOATWHORE, VADER, and many others has solidified the band's place in metal history.
"We are all very happy to be a part of the Victory family," said guitarist and vocalist Dave Matrise. "'Kill On Command' is our eighth album, and it's by far our heaviest and most brutal to date. Our new drummer, Jesse Beahler, really took this new CD to the next level of heaviness.
"As always, there were ups and downs when making the record, but we do what we do best: keep fighting through all the bullshit that is dished out while being in a band, and in the end we came out with a killer new CD and a killer new label."
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