Keith Richards has written one of the best-selling rock memoirs of all time. The Rolling
Stones guitarist's book,Life, has sold over
one million copies since its release last year, equivalent to going
platinum in the music world.
Richards earned a huge payday for the book, raking in more than $7 million for
his advance. In addition to being a massive commercial success, Life also fared well with critics,
earning positive reviews nearly across the board.
People don't often use the term "world music"
anymore, but the first offering from Superheavy — Mick Jagger's collaboration with Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damian Marley and Indian
theatrical composer A.R. Rahman — is some pretty worldly stuff. Jagger really
goes for it, tasting every word he rolls out over the soul-splashed
roots-reggae groove, which is cut with a gorgeous fiddle melody strung between Nashville and Istanbul.
It's a summertime single built for every beach.
Brad Paisley surprised his full-house audience at London's O2 Arena on
Wednesday August 17 when he brought out special surprise guest Ronnie Wood
during the encore. They performed "Let the Good Times Roll" and
Brad's hit "Alcohol" with a little help from Darius Rucker.
According to The Press Association, IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce
Dickinson will fly around 200 passengers from Newark,
New Jersey to Reykjavik
for budget airline Iceland Express in what will mark one of the first
flights out of New York
following Hurricane Irene.
The singer is a qualified pilot and recently-appointed marketing director with
aircraft leasing firm Astraeus Airlines.
Dickinson flew IRON MAIDEN, its 60-member crew and 12 tons of equipment around the
world on the band's own customized Boeing 757, Ed Force One.
Ed Force One is named after MAIDEN's infamous mummy mascot "Eddie."
Dickinson told CNN.com in a 2007 interview, "Aviation's been kicking around
my family for as long as I can remember; my uncle was in the RAF. But I always
thought I was too stupid. I was useless at maths and majored in history at
university, so I thought history majors don't become pilots, let alone rock
stars. And then our drummer learned to fly so I said if a drummer can learn to
fly then anyone can."
He added, "I never dreamed I would end up flying an airliner. I ended up
flying IRON MAIDEN around on tour in a little eight-seat, pressurized,
twin-engine plane. Basically we were flying round all the world's major
airports, flew across the Atlantic and back,
which was quite an adventure. At the end I thought I really want to fly
something bigger, but I can't afford it — I can't buy my own 707. If I'm going
to do that I have to get a job."
On how the thrill of piloting a 757 compares to taking to the stage with MAIDEN:
"It's a different kind of buzz. Obviously you aren't leaping around the
flight deck yelling and screaming, but you have to manage situations... Flying
at 35,000 feet is an internal thing, really. Whereas 35,000 people, that's just
showing off."
On whether he will be hanging up his leopard-skin spandex forever:
"I could never contemplate giving up music. I have to say I've always been
interested in planes, the only difference is I started to fly the darn things
15 years ago. I don't see why I should give up either of them. People say 'Why
do you need a second job?' I say 'Why do you need to breathe?'
IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson will join JETHRO
TULL frontman Ian Anderson and Justin Hayward of the MOODY
BLUES on Saturday, December 10 for what is billed as "Canterbury
Rocks At Christmas" in the nave at the famed Canterbury Cathedral in
Kent, England as the church tries to raise money for a major conservation
project.
Last year Ian Anderson and friends performed a Christmas show with
special guest GregLake, and it was a resounding success, and this
year, Dickinson has been invited to
perform along with Hayward.
The 900-year-old Canterbury Cathedral, which is said to be one of the most
important sites in Britain's
Christian heritage, remains in need of urgent repairs, particularly to its
235-foot-high central tower, known as Bell Harry tower, its mediaeval stained
glass windows, and its 19th-century lead roof tiles. More than £10 million has
been raised in recent years but another £3 million a year must be found over
the next decade.
Having spent over forty successful years in the rock industry, Ian Anderson is the frontman, flautist and voice of the legendary band JETHRO TULL,
who have some 30 – odd albums to their credit and sales worldwide totaling more
than 60 million.
Considered widely as the man who introduced the flute to rock music, Anderson has also
received recognition as an accomplished solo artist with four diverse albums
under his belt along with acoustic and orchestral concerts throughout the
world.
Speaking about why he had chosen to play last year's Christmas gig, Ian
Anderson spoke of the importance of supporting Canterbury Cathedral.
"If our generation and the future generations don't do it, then it will be
lost," he said. "There is a real parallel regarding the preservation
of our great buildings, and the greater sense of conserving our world. We need
a huge change of thinking about the stewardship of our planet and all it
contains, both natural and man-made.
"Canterbury Cathedral is a place for life today. But it is also a place
for the future and, whether you are a Christian or not, it is a place which
should remain forever close to our hearts."
Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper"
Owens says that he "hates" the fact that guitarist and founding
member Kenneth "K.K." Downing is no longer part of the
legendary British heavy metal band but urges all metal fans to support the
group as it continues its "farewell" tour.
During an appearance on today's (Monday, August 29) edition of "Eddie
Trunk Live" on Sirius (channel 19) / XM Radio (channel
53), Owens was asked for his opinion about K.K.'s departure from JUDAS
PRIEST and the band's decision to carry on touring without Downing.
"I hate that K.K.'s not in the band," Tim said.
"I'm friends with all of them. I just saw Ken up in Manchester when DIO
DISCIPLES played there. We went and had some dinner, he hung out all night.
It was a great time."
He added, "Listen, I was in the band and Rob Halford wasn't there,
so I can't be the one to say, 'Well, it's not the same without somebody.'
That's not the case. But it does stink that Ken's not there. Because I
am friends with him and as a band, we did everything together — I mean, Glenn [Tipton] and Ian [Hill] and Scott [Travis],
we always did stuff together. I hope he'll be back and they'll get back at it.
But they're out there doing it. Ken's excited; he's at home, he's
enjoying his time off, he's having a good time at home. And the guys are out
there touring and all the metal fans should go support them."
Owens recorded two studio albums with JUDAS PRIEST — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before the band reunited with Halford in 2003.
Downing issued a statement in April regarding his departure from JUDAS
PRIEST in which he blamed his decision to leave on the fact that
"there has been an ongoing breakdown in (the) working relationship between
myself, elements of the band, and the band's management for some time.
Therefore I have decided to step down rather than to tour with negative
sentiments as I feel that this would be a deception to you, our cherished
fans."
Halford told French magazine Rock Hard, "K.K. leaving
was his own decision, for the reasons he made public on his web site. . . K.K. has his own life to live and we can't force him to do anything he doesn't want
to do."
Regarding Richie Faulkner's addition to JUDAS PRIEST, Tipton recently said, "Richie was recommended to us and we checked him out
online and I asked him up to the studio and said, 'Show me what you can do,'
and I just knew straight away he was the man for the job. The beauty about Richie is he's never tried to replace what Ken did. He does it in his own way
and that's the magic of it. Straight away we were all amazed at the
contradiction; that he can do his own thing but he really blends in and works
with PRIEST. We were all astonished by it."
Mick Wall writes rock books for grown-ups.
Don't believe me, just ask him.
Wall, who spent time early in his career writing rock books for sweaty,
teenage fan boys, doesn't do that anymore. Why? Because he likes the warts and
all. Wall wants to get to the truth.
There was a time when Wall wasn't always so worried about the truth.
Wall started freelance writing for the British music weekly Sounds in
1977. After that, he worked with punk bands at Step Forward Records and then
worked as a publicist for Journey, Dire Straits and Black Sabbath.
Following his publicity job and a stint as a dishwasher at a "posh burger
bar", according to his memoir, Paranoid: Black Days with Sabbath and other
Horror Stories, Wall got work in music journalism again writing features
for Sounds. Lured by the pleasures of an expense account, Wall left Sounds and went to work for Virgin Records to work in publicity again.
After he was fired for "wayward behavior", the editors at Sounds put
Wall to work again in 1983 on a new offshoot publication that would focus
strictly on heavy metal: Kerrang! Before long, Wall became the star
writer at Kerrang! from its beginning until 1991. While there, he
started writing rock biographies including books about Ozzy Osbourne, Ozzy
Osbourne: Diary of a Madman and Guns & Roses, Guns & Roses: The
Most Dangerous Band in the World.
Although he writes occasional pieces for British music monthly glossies Classic
Rock (which Wall edited from 1998 to 2004) and Metal Hammer, he's
now better known as one of rock's most talented biographers.
Besides writing the harrowing and hilarious drug memoir of his rock life, Paranoid:
Black Days with Sabbath and other Horror Stories; Wall has written biographies
on Iron Maiden, Iron Maiden: Run to the Hills, and Axl Rose, W.A.R.:
The Unauthorized Biography of W. Axl Rose as well as the definitive 2009
Led Zeppelin biography, When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led
Zeppelin. Wall's most recent book, released recently in the US, is the
Metallica biography Enter Night: A Biography of Metallica.
During the following e-mail interview, Wall sounds off on Metallica's
success in the aftermath of tragedy and band firings, spending time with his
family instead of globe trotting with excessive rock stars, his future projects
and what he thinks of Marillion these days.
After reading Enter Night, the reader comes away with personality
categories for each character. Cliff is the hero, moral center and savior—maybe
even the martyr for the band's success. Lars is the egotistical and calculating
businessman/leader. James is the ex-alcoholic loner with deep-rooted family
issues. Kirk was the talented nice guy that fit right in and never tried to
exert any leadership. And poor Jason. Jason was a guy who happened to play bass
with Metallica for 14 years. I actually felt sorry for Jason. Am I on the mark
with these assessments?
Broadly speaking, I would say that about sums it up. I hope the book is able
to color in those details a little, too. Cliff was only human and had his
faults. Lars is also great fun. James is kind and gentle. Kirk is smarter than
he looks. And Jason had one hell of a zillion-dollar ride. Would anyone even
know his name, if not for Metallica?
Cliff comes off as someone you had a lot of respect for. But do you think
Metallica would have been as successful, had he lived?
Metallica was already successful before Cliff died. The book addresses the
question of what turns their career might and might not have taken, had he
lived. Certainly it's the big sliding door moment of the band's career. A
tragedy that actually freed James and Lars to do their own thing.
You make subtle remarks in the book that Cliff would not have liked the
band moving on so fast with his replacement. I think you make fun of Kirk when
he tells you in an interview that Cliff would have wanted it that way. But
during one of Cliff's last interviews, doesn't he talk about Lars dying, and
then said the band would move on and keep on going?
I don't believe my remarks were subtle, actually. I believe what I say is
unequivocal. The band did not move on because "Cliff would have wanted it"
which is what they said at the time. They did so because what else could they
do? Guys like Lars and James who started the band before Cliff joined were
certainly not going to throw in the towel just as their career was really
taking off, even though they loved Cliff.
Like the Cliff question, do you think Metallica would have been as
successful if they kept Dave Mustaine in the band?
I think the fact that Dave Mustaine was fired allowed Metallica to become much
more focused. It allowed the same thing to happen to Dave for different
reasons. The result was two amazing bands, both hugely successful.
There have been other books on Metallica, including a pretty good one by Metal
Hammer writer Joel McIver. Did you write the book because you thought it
was time someone did a more comprehensive bio that was not so fan-based?
Obviously, you couldn't have written this book if it was authorized by the
band, right?
I didn't write the book for fans and I didn't write it for the band. I wrote
it like I write all my books—for those of us who like good books. The story of
Metallica is fascinating. Better than fiction. I felt it was time for a proper
literary biography that was written for grown ups.
I was surprised to learn little tidbits about the band in your book—
James fronting an L.A. glam band without a guitar to hide behind (I just can't
picture it); the band listening to Peter Gabriel and The Police on the tour bus
(Not very Metal Up Your Ass); and, most of all, Lars being such a terrible
drummer and taking lessons up to the time of Master of Puppets. Was
there anything that surprised you in your research?
Not really. You have to understand I first met them when they were kids,
nearly 30 years ago. The breadth of their musical interest was no surprise at
all. It's one of the main reasons they didn't end up as Slayer or Iron Maiden.
Overall though, everything about the story surprised me. The main thing
about my books is absolutely not to repeat what everyone else has said. To
really think about things. To talk to those that were there, helping make key
decisions, and to find out what was really going on, not what the fan writers
say happened.
It's all in the nuances. They have to tell their own story and as the
author, you have to pay attention and try and lay them (the stories) down even
when they don't initially seem to make sense to you.
Back to Jason. You almost wonder why they even hired him. He was good
enough on bass, but they didn't like him personally, they treated him horribly,
and they never had any intention of letting him into the creative process. Do
you think it would have been the same story for any bassist they would have
hired right after Cliff died?
No. It would have been completely different, for example, if (former Armored
Saint bassist) Joey Vera had joined, because they knew Joey and respected him
and his band. Jason was a fan who played Metallica covers. Simply not on the
same level.
What's the most important thing you want readers to take away from your
Metallica story?
The truth. Not the fairy story. For good or ill.
You do some writing for Classic Rock and Metal Hammer these
days, but today you are primarily known as rock biographer. I'm sure the pay is
much better, but do you miss traveling around the world with musicians for Kerrang! Does that style of music journalism even exist anymore?
I don't miss it at all. Things didn't change, I did. I'm a dad with young
kids and a gorgeous wife. I would rather be home with them, reading a book and
listening to anything but heavy metal.
I'm guessing that Peter Makowski was a big influence on you. For those
that don't know, could you tell us a little about one of the great unsung
British hard rock and metal journalists?
Pete was one of the great rock writers of the '70s. He was kind of like the UK's version of
Cameron Crowe. He started writing about Deep Purple and Zeppelin when he was
like, 15. I met him when I was 17 and he was about 20.
He was not an influence on my writing, per se, but if it hadn't been for
Pete I would have never become a music journalist. I was a speed dealer and he
was a writer for Sounds. I thought what he did sounded crummy, like
homework. Then he came round one night to score some speed because he was
leaving the next day for a trip with Lynyrd Skynyrd. The blinds fell from my
eyes. Pete remains one of my oldest friends.
I loved your memoir, Paranoid about your time working in the music
PR industry and in music journalism while hopelessly addicted to heroin. It's
sort of like Almost Famous meets Irving
Welsh. Why was some of the memoir actually fiction, and can you say how much of
it was fiction? And will there ever be a sequel?
I changed some names, squeezed together some events and characters, made
some shit up, but really, really, really, the whole thing is true. Truer than
true. There will be a sequel if anyone ever gives me money to write it.
Meanwhile, I'm working on a tangential novelette for Kindle called "Black
Summer", which is about the summer of 1983, when I finally got straight and a
met a devil woman from Hell who fucked my brains out literally and
figuratively, and when I was washing dishes and sleeping on floors, just before
joining Kerrang!
What is the next book you are working on?
A big fuck-off biography of AC/DC. For the same reasons I wrote the Metallica
and Led Zeppelin books. Only better. Seriously.
Finally, as a huge Marillion fan, I feel lucky to have a copy of the long
out of print, very hard to find Marillion fan bio you wrote in the '80s summing
up the Fish years, Market Square Heroes. Do you still listen to
Marillion today and what do you think of the Steve Hogarth-era material?
I don't listen to it, no. Though I still do play a Marillion on my weekly
radio show on rock radio FM in the UK.
I like the Hogarth era, some great stuff. But let's be honest, they really
fucked up when they split with Fish. I hear they might be getting back together
actually, though you didn't get that from me…
In what is sure to be one of the most talked-about alliances
of the year, New York
king of avant-rock Lou Reed has teamed up with best-selling hard rock
band METALLICA to record a brand-new album, entitled "Lulu",
which will be released by Warner Bros. Records on November 1, 2011. The
album was co-produced by Reed, METALLICA, Hal Willner —
who has produced albums for Reed, Marianne Faithfull, and Laurie
Anderson, among others — and Greg Fidelman. Fidelman also
mixed the record.
The idea for these two giants of modern music to work together was born after
the 25th anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame concerts in New York City in October
2009. METALLICA — singer/guitarist James Hetfield, drummer Lars
Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo —
played with Reed on VELVET UNDERGROUND classics "Sweet
Jane" and "White Light/White Heat". "We knew
from then that we were made for each other," Reed says.
After that triumphant performance, Reed suggested they all make a record
together. At first they planned to record an album of Reedfraven's older
material, what Ulrich describes as "some of Lou's lost
jewels — songs that he felt he'd like to give a second spin, and we could do
whatever it is we do to some of those songs." That idea "hung in the
air for a couple of months." Then, a week or two before that session was
to begin, "Lou called up and said, 'Listen, I have this other
idea.'"
That idea was to record a series of songs Reed had written for American
avant-garde theater director Robert Wilson and German theater group the Berliner
Ensemble's production of the "Lulu Plays", which premiered
in April at the Theatre am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin, founded by Bertolt Brecht.
The songs are inspired by German expressionist Frank Wedekind's early
20th century plays "Earth Spirit" and "Pandora's
Box", and were a rewrite of Edgar Allan Poe's "The
Raven", which emerged as a graphic novel on Fantagraphics Press.
"We were very interested in working with Lou," says Hetfield.
"I had these giant question marks: What's it going to be like? What's
going to happen? So it was great when he sent us the lyrics for the 'Lulu' body of work. It was something we could sink our teeth into. I could take off
my singer and lyricist hat and concentrate on the music part. These were very
potent lyrics, with a soundscape behind them for atmosphere. Lars and I
sat there with an acoustic and let this blank canvas take us where it needed to
go. It was a great gift, to be asked to stamp 'TALLICA on it. And that's
what we did."
"We had to bring 'Lulu' to life in a sophisticated way, using
rock," Reed says. "And the hardest power rock you could come
up with would have to be METALLICA. They live on that planet. We played
together, and I knew it: dream come true. This is the best thing I ever did.
And I did it with the best group I could possibly find. By definition,
everybody involved was honest. This has come into the world pure. We pushed as
far as we possibly could within the realms of reality."
"It's definitely not a METALLICA album, or a Lou Reed album," adds Hammett. "It's something else. It's a new animal,
a hybrid."
Songtitles set to appear on the CD:
* Junior Dad
* Little Dog
* Mistress Dread
* Pumping Blood
Ex-GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash and his wife Perla celebrated their 10th wedding
anniversary earlier tonight (Monday, August 29) by renewing their marriage vows
in Ibiza. Slash posted a message on his Facebook page which read, "Perla and I had a beautiful
ceremony. The reception is still going. It's been a really special evening.
Thanks to all the well-wishers."
The Hudsons have been married since
October 15, 2001 and have two sons named London and Cash. Slash filed for divorce from Perla last summer
but the couple reconciled two months later. Slash was married once
before to Renee Suran.
Around the time his second son was born, Slash told The Pulse Of
Radio that becoming a family man helped settle him down. "I never
actually was one of those guys that said I'm gonna be single forever and never
have children," he said. "I just never made plans for it, so when it
happened, it was, like, at the perfect time in my life. It's like, if it had
happened a second earlier, I couldn't have handled it, 'cause I was too out
there. Then when the kids came, it actually sort of secured me, more than
anything."
The couple recently put their Los
Angeles mansion up for sale with an asking price of
$9.5 million. The seven-bedroom, eight-bath property is in a gated community
where the neighbors include Paris Hilton, Charlie Sheen and Vanna
White.
Slash sold a number of personal possessions in March, including cars and
guitars, with a sizeable portion of the proceeds going to a charity for abused
and homeless adolescents.
The guitarist is also working on pre-production for his second solo album,
expected to be released in the spring of 2012.
THIN LIZZY has recruited guitarist Damon Johnson (ALICE COOPER, BROTHER CANE) to replace Richard Fortus on
the band's forthcoming U.S.
tour with JUDAS PRIEST. Fortus will be on the road with GUNS
N' ROSES for the remainder of the year.
Upon his appointment with THIN LIZZY, Damon said, "The music
of THIN LIZZY is the absolute biggest influence on my entire career; as
a guitarist, songwriter, singer and performer I've been performing LIZZY songs since I started playing in bars in Alabama
in 1987. To be even a small footnote on the list of great guitarists that have
been in the band over the years is one of the highest accolades of my life. I
am honored and beyond excited!!"
THIN LIZZY's current lineup features Phil Lynott-era LIZZY members Scott Gorham (guitar), Brian Downey (drums) and Darren
Wharton (keyboards), as well as former THE ALMIGHTY singer/guitarist Ricky Warwick, and bassist Marco Mendoza.
THIN LIZZY became one of rock's top bands during the 1970s, on the
strength of the hits "Jailbreak", "The Boys Are Back
In Town", "Dancing In The Moonlight" and "Waiting
For An Alibi", Lynott's poetic-yet-tough lyrics, and the highly
influential dual guitar attack of Gorham and whichever second guitarist
he was paired up with at the time (Brian Robertson, the late Gary
Moore, Snowy White, or John Sykes).
LIZZY split up in 1983, before Lynott passed away in 1986. However, LIZZY's stature has continued to grow over the years, as their songs
have been covered by a wide variety of artists, including METALLICA ("Whiskey
In The Jar"), SMASHING PUMPKINS ("Dancing In The
Moonlight"), BON JOVI ("The Boys Are Back In Town"), SADE ("Still In Love With You"), the FOO FIGHTERS ("Bad Reputation"), and MASTODON ("Emerald"),
among other rock bands.
DANZIG will release a greatest-hits compilation, "The
Essential Danzig", on October 25 via Sony
Legacy. The exact track listing for the collection has not yet been
revealed.
As previously reported, Glenn Danzig will play several shows in October
where he will perform a career-spanning set featuring songs from DANZIG, SAMHAIN and MISFITS with
none other than ex-MISFITS axeman Doyle Von Frankenstein joining Glenn on guitar for the MISFITS portion of the set.
When asked about the reports that he is recording an album of covers, Glenn said in a recent interview, "It's [got] lots of different stuff [on it].
Of course there's an Elvis [Presley] song on there, there's a BLACK
SABBATH cover… Then I took some old biker-movie theme songs and made them
all old punk-sounding or whatever… Just fucking around, really — just having a
good time taking songs and giving them a different life or a different dimension.
I just do what I feel like doing, as long as I don't just cover it, because
that's boring to me. I wanna take it and change it and give it some other kind
of thing. Otherwise just leave it alone."
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.
Escape Music has set an October 1 release date for MICHAEL
SCHENKER GROUP singer Gary John Barden's new solo album, "Eleventh
Hour".
Gary Barden belongs to THE voice of British hard rock. The first time Barden appeared in the scene was as part of the newly formed MSG (MICHAEL
SCHENKER GROUP) founded by the former SCORPIONS guitarist of the
same name. Their first collaboration resulted in the highly acclaimed album "The
Michael Schenker Group", which was released in 1980. Besides the great
songs and the great guitar output Barden's voice was one of the reasons
why this album became a huge success and allowed the band to hit the road in
Europe, Japan and the USA. Their
second album, "MSG", saw the light of day in 1981 and followed
an even more melodic direction than its predecessor. After the following world
tour, Barden was informed that he was no longer part of the band and
replacement was found soon in ex-RAINBOW singer Graham Bonnet. Chrysalis,
however, released a live disc recorded in Japan by the original MSG entitled "One Night At Budokan".
Searching for a new band, Barden started to write some songs with THIN
LIZZY guitarist Gary Moore which later on ended up on Moore's "Corridor
of Power" release. Their working period was short and so was the
collaboration between Bonnet and Schenker. Bonnet sang on
the 1982 record "Assault Attack", but BARDEN was back
with MSG for some live appearances including Reading Festival in
the same year and the 1983 record "Built to Destroy". The
label's pressure to steer more into a commercial direction made the band quit
business in 1984.
Barden moved on and found a new home in the business together with ex-THIN
LIZZY six-string Brian Robertson and the band STATETROOPER,
who put out their highly acclaimed self-titled debut album in 1987 and played a
couple of live shows in the following months. "Statetrooper" was reissued on CD by Escape Music.
After a long break, Barden returned to the scene with PRAYING MANTIS' "The Power of Ten" and the live album "Captured Alive
in Tokyo City" (1996). In 2000, Barden hit the road again for a
couple of live shows with COMPANY OF SNAKES and founded the band SILVER together with Michael Voss (CASANOVA) and Bernie Tormé (IAN
GILLAN). STATETROOPER finally reunited in 2004 and put out the
classy new record "The Calling".
The Escape Music album "Past & Present" marked the
first solo album by Gary Barden and offered a very personal collection
of new, exciting interpretations of some all-time MSG classics, a
selection of songs that both suited Gary Barden and MSG fans!
With his longtime pal Michael Voss (CASANOVA, BONFIRE) and
a couple of friends he went back to the roots to perform his bluesy smoky songs
that will touch your soul and are exemplified on the release "Agony and
the Xtasy". In 2007 the more rockier "Love and War" was released by Escape Music and it has been a long anticipated wait for
the next chapter.
Gary now
presents us with "Eleventh Hour", which features 11 tracks of
hard rock brilliance. These new songs are fresh and exciting and Gary has poured
his heart and soul into them. Once again Michael Voss is ever present
and the end result is just perfect. This is a hard-hitting rock album that
highlights what a great singer Gary is, his contribution to the British rock scene is just legendary.
"Eleventh Hour" track listing:
01. Baghdad
02. Fallen By The Wayside
03. Child Of Sorrow
04. What You Wanna Do
05. We Are Dead
06. All In
07. Blackmail
08. Shine A Light On Me
09. Easy Does It
10. Before The Eyes Of The World
11. Don't Take Me For A Loser
Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has
posted the following message on his Facebook page:
"I am numb, in shock and devastated to report that my home of 21 years, my
house featured on MTV 'Cribs', has been destroyed, condemned and deemed
uninhabitable due to the extreme flooding courtesy of Hurricane Irene.
"In the two decades I have lived in this home, there has never been a
single drop of water in the basement or anywhere else in the structure. Now
Irene has overflowed the reservoir adjacent to my house. The surging waters
have snapped the bridge in half next to my house and sent the bridge straight
into my garage, knocking the house off of its foundation. The basement that has
been dry for over two decades is now overflowing with water and I am not even
allowed to start pumping the water out due to fears of electrocution.
"Original SKID ROW and KISS fans, I have bad news for you.
Gone are irreplacable items, such as my KISS Gargoyles from the 1979
tour. KISS pinball machine. SKID ROW master tapes, video and
audio, concerts, master tapes from 'Oh Say Can You Scream', etc. Boxes
and boxes of one-of-a-kind SKID ROW memorabilia, from the first tour to
our last, all stuff I collected on the road that no one else had. I had a
library in the basement with every single magazine that had SKID ROW on
the cover. This library took up a big part of the basement. All of this is lost
now.
"We will salvage what we can, of course. But how I wish there was a reason
to do a box set or something before Hurricane Irene hit. Nobody cared. Now it's
too late.
"Don't know what you got till it's gone, indeed.
"The good news is that all my father's artwork, including the 16-foot 'Slave
To The Grind' mural, is all OK. My sons and friends moved all my dad's art
to the second level of the structure before Irene destroyed our home. My Silver
Age comic collection is all on the third level, with the David Bierk archives, which is a completely dry level. But we are not allowed into the
house yet to retrieve everything because the foundation has crumbled and the
house could conceivably collapse at any second. We are working with the police
and fire department to get the electricity turned off so no one gets
electrocuted entering the premises. As soon as the power is off, we will pump
out the basement and salvage what we can. Everything will be put into storage
and then it looks like we will level the house.
"This has really taught me that the best things in life are indeed 'free.'
What makes me happy is that my children and ex-wife are safe. My dad's art is
unharmed. No one got hurt. My scrapbooks of memories of my life are dry and
safe. The only things that are making me smile today is cranking BLACK VEIL
BRIDES' 'Set The World On Fire' CD over and over again. Texting Danny from ASKING ALEXANDRIA who may become my new roommate in L.A. Getting
texts from my girl Minnie [Gupta] in L.A. making sure I'm OK and
trying to cheer me up. My neighbours in New Jersey clamouring around my house, calling me,
offering help in any way they can. These things mean more to me than mere
posessions.
"I have been holding on to my house since December, when my divorce papers
were filed. I just could not let go of the only home I had ever known.
"Well, God has other plans for me it seems. He has made His decision for
me.
"My home has been taken away by an 'act of God.' I just think He is giving
me a much-needed push, is all.
"New Jersey,
thank you all so much for 25 years of rock 'n' roll. It's all over now.
"I will always love New Jersey,
but now there is literally nothing left for me here except memories of a past
life.
"Hello, Los Angeles.
Hello, New Life. Here i am. It's time for a new start.
"Like I have a choice."
Steve Mascord of Australia's Loud magazine recently conducted an interview with MONSTER
MAGNET mainman Dave Wyndorf. A few excerpts from the chat follow
below.
On his battle with sleeping-pill addiction:
"Benzodiazepine particular. It's not even a sleeping pill, really, it's
more like an anti-anxiety drug. Anything that's like Xanax, Ativan, anything
with a –pan in it, Diazepam. That's stuff than can really fuck you up, beyond
heroin, beyond coke and stuff. It's its own particular brand of devil.
"When you hear the term 'pillhead' — 'he's a pillhead' — that usually
means a person whose eyeballs are, like, up in their socket and they never make
sense. And not even the hardcore drug guys hang out with them. You know what I
mean? You're better off doing heroin. That stuff is so fucked up, it's like,
'God! How did I get involved in that stuff?'
"Be careful everybody! Don't take it on a regular basis! It puts the hooks
into you and it will make you have the brain and the nervous system of a
squirrel."
On MONSTER MAGNET's upcoming tour during which the band will perform its
1995 album, "Dopes To Infinity", in its entirety:
"I've been watching people do this album routine where they play an album
and I've always been interested because if I was a kid, I'd think that was the
coolest fucking thing ever, to see a band do an entire album in sequence. You
kinda want to do that. I finally talked to some people that I know who have
done that — I talked to Mark Arm from MUDHONEY, I talked to Josh [Homme] from QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and they said how much fun
they had doing it. I said, 'Alright, we're going in, we're doing it.'
"I picked 'Dopes' because 'Dopes' is not our biggest-selling
record but it's not our smallest-selling record either. It leaves me a chance
to do the biggest seller again if it's successful. I could go up to 'Powertrip',
which is the biggest-selling record, or I could go down to total
undergroundsville, which is 'Spine Of God', 'Superjudge' and
stuff like that. So this seemed a good place to start."
"I wrote all the stuff and I recorded it so I've already heard it, like, a
thousand times in my head. I don't lose any of that. I'm looking forward to
seeing how the stuff mutates live — because stuff always does.
"It's very in-tune. The vocals are very in-tune. I remember going crazy
because I wanted it be the opposite of 'Superjudge' which was wildly razor
sharp. This one, I wanted to be smooth and zoomy — and it was. It came out a
little bit too smooth at the time.
"Everything has to get roughed up. I think the material's going to be
better for it."
On the proposed Dave Wyndorf solo album:
"I would do a solo record except that every time I go out on tour for a
month, I end up going on tour for two years. Then it's time to make another MONSTER
MAGNET record. I'm strapped for time. I use all the heavy ones for the next MONSTER MAGNET record.
"I want to do this solo thing. I've got a lot of stuff in the can now. So
between this ... I'll possibly record the next MONSTER MAGNET record and
the solo album in pieces at the same time and then release the solo record
later.
"I want to work with a piano player and stuff. I want to be sure I lock
myself into a different (way of thinking). It's easy for me to pick up a guitar
and make it work. But it's going to sound the same. So I think I'm going to
hire a piano player. I'm gonna say, 'We're going to write some songs, I'm gonna
tell you to play all these pieces I wrote on guitar which I'm going to
translate to piano.' That will force me to work in a different sonic
sphere."
On the possibility of releasing a MONSTER MAGNET live album:
"We might do that, yeah. I don't know if we're going to record any in Australia,
that's a little bit close. But I think in Europe we're going to record the 'Dopes' thing several times and other stuff as well so hopefully in the next couple of
years, we'll have a nice collection of live stuff to release."
SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey
Taylor underwent corrective surgery yesterday (Saturday, August 27) at the Lasik
Of Nevada (formerly Lasik Nevada) to improve his eyesight. He
tweeted earlier today following the procedure, "My procedure went
EXCELLENT and I am now equipped with 20/10 vision! Thank you Dr. Rothman!
And thanks to Lasik Of Nevada!! X-ray vision!!!"
Taylor revealed in an August 12 interview on BLINK-182 bassist Mark
Hoppus' talk show on Fuse TV that he and VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS
N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan are writing songs together.
Although Taylor seemed close to becoming the new VELVET REVOLVER singer earlier this
year, that never came to pass. But Taylor explained that he's still in touch with McKagan, saying, "Me and Duff will probably do some stuff later. Me and him, we really hit it off, and we're
really close, and we started writing songs together, and we've got some really
good stuff. So, you never know. There might be a mystery supergroup out there —
me and Duff and some other weird people — making some weird music that
people are, like, 'What?! That's them?!' So, yeah, maybe. We'll see what
happens."
VELVET REVOLVER drummer Matt Sorum said not long ago that the band
demoed an album's worth of material with Taylor.
McKagan told MusicRadar.com that he thought Taylor was "the best voice of a
new generation. The best rock 'n' voice out there. He's got a lot of positive
energy. I'd be proud to do anything with him."
SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown"
Crahan has posted the following message on his Facebook page:
"I wanted to tell everyone straight from my mouth because you may have
heard it already anyway, but SLIPKNOT will be touring by next June in
America only, but that does not mean things will not change, and as they do, I
will, along with others, tell you, our family, first. No album yet because it
is too soon and there are no songs yet because the band needs to come together
to write this next one. I cannot wait to feel the ideas like choking on color. Everything
happens for a reason, so be ready."
SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor last week tweeted that he is
working on a new album with his other band, STONE SOUR, whose third
full-length effort, "Audio Secrecy", came out less than a year
ago.
SLIPKNOT recently completed a three-week European tour that was the
band's first run of dates since the death of bassist Paul Gray in May
2010.
The group concluded its three-week European tour on July 10 with a headlining
set at England's Sonisphere festival.
Taylor, who has been unsure of SLIPKNOT's future since Gray's
death, told Artisan News that "It's more about trying to figure out
what it means to me in this day and age. I mean, I know what the original music
means to me; it's something that I will always be proud of. I'm trying to
figure out what the next steps are. And without Paul, and the way that
the turmoil in the band is right now, it's gonna take some time. The tour went
really well that we just did, so that's a step in the right direction. But
there's still a lot of things that we've gotta work on before we can run back
in and be like, 'OK, let's do another album.' It's like, let's slow down a
little bit. It's here if we want it. But if we make the wrong choices for the
wrong reasons, then it could all [snaps fingers] go like that, and I don't
wanna be a part of that."
Radio Metal recently conducted an interview with
guitarist/vocalist Robb Flynn of San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE
HEAD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Radio Metal: For the third time in the row, you produced the album by
yourself. Do you think that you're the only one to be able to say how the music
has to sound like?
Robb: You know, we've used big name producers in the past — Ross
Robinson, Johnny K — and I've learned a ton from those guys and they
were great to work with. But a lot of times those guys have their own sound and
they put that sound onto whatever band they record with, and we didn't really
like that — that we suddenly had this different sound because of the producer
we worked with. So more out of necessity than anything, I did "Through
The Ashes Of Empires" (2004), and everybody was happy with the result.
And then I did "The Blackening" (2007), and everybody was
happy with the result. So the guys asked me to do it again, so I did it. You
know, I think that they trust my vision, and it's great to see that from where
you go it can pretty much stay true to the vision all the way to the end.
Radio Metal: With the huge success of "The Blackening",
we would have expected "Unto The Locust" to be in the same
vein, but it actually isn't. You've taken your music into new directions. Is it
important for you not to repeat yourselves and explore new things?
Robb: Very much so. We definitely did not want to write "The
Blackening 2". I mean, the whole last six months of the touring cycle
for that record, all that we've heard, every day, every interview, was
"How are you going to top 'The Blackening'?" You know, it was
a great, huge moment, and we're bigger than ever. One of the biggest metal
bands in the world. For us it was about challenging ourselves, and writing the
record that would allow "The Blackening" to be what it was,
and allow our new music to not get swallowed in the shadow of "The
Blackening". So we started challenging ourselves and we really pushed
ourselves as musicians and artists and we feel like we came up with a great
record that isn't like "The Blackening" but is like MACHINE
HEAD.
Radio Metal: This album features deeper contrasts in your singing than
ever before. The harsh vocals are sometimes even meaner, and your melodic
vocals haven't been that melodic in the past. Can we say that you were looking
for more challenge in your singing this time?
Robb: Yeah, for sure. We were looking for more challenge with
everything, you know, everybody in the band wanted to really push themselves.
Especially with the last record being the incredible success that it was, we
really felt like we just wanted to step up our game, and take our music to the
next level.
Radio Metal: One of the characteristics found in many bands the modern
metal scene is the contrast between harsh verses and melodic choruses. This is
actually something we partly find on some songs of "Unto The Locust".
Are you somehow interested or influenced by this modern metal scene?
Robb: We pioneered that. We were the first band to do that, and many
bands have copied that. We're just doing our thing. If you go back to "Burn
My Eyes" and listen to the song "Old", it's very
heavy verses and a melodic chorus, so that was well before the other bands. You
know, we saw long ago that many bands were starting to copy what we were doing,
starting to use the same amps that we were using, started to drop tune like we
do, started to follow that formula, and we had already made steps to stay ahead
of what other bands were doing. And we still do. We defined modern metal.
Jeff Paulick of Midwest thrashers LAZARUS A.D. filled in for KITTIE bassist Ivy Vujic at the Canadian band's
last-minute August 27, 2011 concert in Rochester, New York. Ivy had to miss
this show due to prior family arrangements.
A photo of KITTIE's performance — with Paulick on bass — can be
seen below.
KITTIE's sixth album, "I've Failed You", will be
released on August 30 via eOne Music. The CD was recorded at Beach
Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario, Canada.
The band once again worked with producer Siegfried "Siggy" Meier,
who helmed KITTIE's last CD, 2009's "In The Black".
Guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander previously stated about KITTIE's
new material, "We have been working exceptionally hard these cold winter
months, crafting what is to be our six full-length release, and our second for eOne.
In some cases these new songs are faster, darker and much more sinister than
our previous release. It contains some of the most difficult and personal
subject matter I have had the pleasure (or displeasure) of writing."
Vocalist Andy Biersack of Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL
BRIDES has revealed to Artisan News that the band will release a new
EP in early 2012 prior to entering the studio to begin recording a new
full-length CD. He said (see video below), "We're gonna be putting out an
EP, hopefully around the first of the year — just a couple of songs and some
stuff that we've been toying around with, some tracks from the last record that
didn't make it to the [last] record, kind of revamping some stuff. We just
wanna keep putting out material for all our fans."
BLACK VEIL BRIDES' sophomore album, "Set The World On Fire",
sold 23,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut
at position No. 17 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on
June 14 via Lava Music/Universal Republic Records.
BLACK VEIL BRIDES' first album, "We Stitch These Wounds",
opened with nearly 11,000 units to enter the chart at No. 36. The CD was
released on July 20, 2010 via Standby Records.
BLACK VEIL BRIDES singer Andy Biersack broke three ribs on June
18 after trying to jump onto a stage from a 15-foot balcony during the band's
concert at Hot Topic in Hollywood, California. Despite the injury,
the singer returned to the stage and finished the gig.
BLACK VEIL BRIDES is:
Andy Biersack (vocals)
Jake Pitts (guitar)
Jinxx (guitar)
Ashley Purdy (bass)
Christian "CC" Coma (drums)
Chicago's NOVEMBERS DOOM has parted ways with drummer Sasha Horn. The band
states, "For once this isn't your typical 'musical differences' excuse;
this is simply due to distance and Sasha's pursuit and focus in other
directions, it became clear to all of us, he was no longer able to contribute
the same dedication to NOVEMBERS DOOM as the rest of the band. We wish Sasha the best in his future endeavors.
"As for the future of NOVEMBERS DOOM, we are currently seeking to
fill this position. Anyone interested in this opportunity can contact us
through drummer@novembersdoom.com. Several projects are already in the works,
and [while] it's too soon for any formal announcements, we can assure you, NOVEMBERS
DOOM's best days are yet to come."
"What Could Have Been", the latest video from NOVEMBERS
DOOM, can be viewed below. The clip has a cinematic feel and was once again
helmed by Cage XXI Enterprises and director Tony Myles, who was
responsible for the band's "Autumn Reflection" and "A
Eulogy for the Living Lost" videos.
"What Could Have Been", which features a guest appearance by
Dutch singer Anneke Van Giersbergen (AGUA DE ANNIQUE, THE
GATHERING), comes off NOVEMBERS DOOM's eighth full-length album, "Aphotic",
which was released on May 10 via The End Records. The CD features other
special guests on several tracks: world-renowned violinist Rachel Barton
Pine (EARTHEN GRAVE) lends her talent on both "What Could
Have Been" and "The Dark Host"; finally, the man
behind the mixing board, Dan Swanö (NIGHTINGALE, EDGE OF
SANITY, BLOODBATH), adds his vocal touch to "Of Age and
Origin", also offering rare appearance of his mighty growl!
NOVEMBERS DOOM frontman Paul Kuhr says of the new album,
"One goal in NOVEMBERS DOOM is to never repeat ourselves. We aim to
constantly challenge our writing abilities to deliver something new each and every
time, while maintaining what we feel is our signature sound. We feel we've not
only accomplished that with 'Aphotic', but have pushed our creativity
into new musical territory. The result is quite possibly the most unique NOVEMBERS
DOOM release yet."
According to a press release, "Aphotic" "has its roots in
darkness and melancholic madness, reminiscent of the band's early doom roots
but bringing something new and modern to the listener."
"Aphotic" track listing:
01. The Dark Host
02. Harvest Scythe
03. Buried
04. What Could Have Been
05. Of Age and Origin - Part 1: A Violent Day
06. Of Age and Origin - Part 2: A Day of Joy
07. Six Sides
08. Shadow Play
NoiseArt Records has announced the signing of
long-running Australian thrashers MORTAL SIN. The band's new album, "Psychology
Of Death", will be released in Europe
on November 18 and will include the group's classic debut LP, "Mayhemic
Destruction", as a bonus disc in the limited digipak version. The
follow-up to 2007's "An Absence of Faith" was mixed with
producer/engineer Darren "jENK" Jenkins and marks the
recording debut of guitarist Ryan Huthnance, who replaced Mick
Sultana.
Commented the band: "MORTAL SIN are proud to announce we have
signed to NoiseArt/Rock The Nation for the release of our new
album, 'Psychology Of Death'.
"What we wanted to do was a simple thrash album.
"Sometimes you can get so caught up in the complexities of everything that
you forget about what thrash is all about. This time around we said we wanted
to go back to our roots, we were going to write an album like 'Mayhemic
Destruction' — simple old-school thrash!
"This is by far our fastest and heaviest album to date. We really wanted
to grab people by the balls with this one!"
Added NoiseArt Records: "We are more than happy to welcome such a
legendary band like MORTAL SIN to the NoiseArt family!
"Back in the glorious Eighties, MORTAL SIN had essentially formed
the thrash metal genre as we know it among other groups like METALLICA, ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and SLAYER, leaving a milestole album for the fans with 'Mayhemic
Destruction' in 1986 which has become a true classic! This album will be
released as a bonus CD with the limited digipak edition of the new output, 'Psychology
Of Death'.
"MORTAL SIN have lost nothing of their enormous energy whatsoever.
The new record is an intense and amazing masterpiece of thrash: aggressive,
fast, brilliant!
"We're very much looking forward to the release of the album and to be
working with MORTAL SIN in the future!"
"Psychology Of Death" track listing:
01. Psychology Of Death
02. Blood Of My Enemies
03. Paralysed
04. Burned Into Your Soul
05. Deny
06. Doomed To Annihilation
07. KingdomOf Pain
08. Down In The Pit
09. Hatred
Bonus CD "Mayhemic Destruction":
01. The Curse
02. Woman In Leather
03. Lebanon
04. Liar
05. Blood, Death, Hatred
06. Mortal Slaughter
07. Into The Fire
08. Mayhemic Destruction
Singer Mat Maurer stated back in March 2010 about the
creative process for the new CD, "We are notoriously slow writers, but
many of you who may have heard the new song 'Deny' that we have been
road-testing at our shows will agree that we could be onto something special
here.
"Like many thrash bands, we feel strongly about our thrash roots and want
to create an album of pure thrash. If we could combine KREATOR's 'Hordes
Of Chaos', TESTAMENT's 'The Formation Of Damnation' and OVERKILL's
newie 'Ironbound' into a huge melting pot, that would be the kind of
album we wanna make!!"
MORTAL SIN in 2009 released a live album, "Into the Inferno
(Live in Oslo)",
via Riot! Entertainment. The CD, which contains the group's March 2008 performance
in Oslo, Norway, was described by the band as "possibly the best live show MORTAL SIN have ever had recorded."
Once hailed as the next METALLICA, MORTAL SIN have become legends
in their home country Australia,
having been inducted into the Kerrang! Heavy Metal Hall of Fame in 2005
and being the only Australian band to have played with the big five of thrash — METALLICA, SLAYER, ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and TESTAMENT — on tours in Australia and overseas.
MORTAL SIN is:
Mat Maurer - Vocals
Andy Eftichiou - Bass
Luke Cook - Drums
Nathan Shea - Guitar
Ryan Huthnance - Guitar
Former BULLETBOYS drummer John Paul Giosa (a.k.a. Johnny G) was killed in a car accident on Sunday in Westchester, California
at the age of 42.
Giosa veered his black 1998 Volkswagen Beetle off the northbound San Diego (405) freeway
near Howard Hughes Parkway
for unknown reasons and struck a concrete overpass pillar at 4:04 a.m.,
according to California Highway Patrol.
Giosa died at the scene, and there was no one else in the car, according
to the CHP.
Alternative rock pioneers JANE'S ADDICTION were
forced to cancel their appearance at the Reading festival earlier tonight (Saturday, August 27) because frontman Perry
Farrell was suffering from a sore throat.
"Although Farrell was treated earlier in the day by top London physicians and had
his heart set on trying to perform under any circumstance, in the end he was
completely unable to produce any sound vocally," reads a statement issued
by the festival organizers. "JANE'S ADDICTION would like to deeply
apologize to the fans for any inconvenience."
It is not presently clear if JANE'S ADDICTION will perform at the Leeds festival tomorrow night (August 28).
JANE'S ADDICTION's new album "The Great Escape Artist",
will be released on October 4. For the CD, JANE'S ADDICTION joined
forces with producer Rich Costey (MUSE, FRANZ FERDINAND, INTERPOL),
with TV ON THE RADIO's Dave Sitek on the team. Sitek, best
known for his production work on TV ON THE RADIO, YEAH YEAH YEAHS and THE FOALS, is writing, programming, and playing bass on the album.
According to the Edmonton Journal, a University of Alberta
graduate student is writing her thesis on mosh pits for a degree in recreation
and leisure studies.
Gabby Riches, 25, a master's student in the faculty of physical
education, describes a mosh pit as a space in front of a stage where a group of
fans gather and form a tightly packed crowd. A heavy metal mosh pit involves
pushing, shoving and sometimes crowd surfing, whereas a punk mosh pit involves
more swinging, jumping and diving. The "circle pit" and the
"wall of death" are the two main types of mosh pit.
"Circle pits are most common in Europe.
Everyone runs in a circle, and forms sort of a doughnut shape," Riches
said.
"In the wall of death, two groups of people at either end of the floor run
at each other, collide and form sort of a solid pit."
Riches — who also runs a student group called "Heavy Metal On
Campus" (see video below) — described moshing as a social experience,
something not widely understood or even respected by some.
"People go into the mosh pit to show their appreciation for the band if
you know their music, or for playing your favorite songs," she said.
"It's also a way to build friendships. Afterwards, moshers affirm each
other with back-patting and hugs. Often they're the same people in the pit at
each concert, so a community is formed."
On unwritten rules of mosh-pit etiquette:
"Rules of etiquette include that if someone falls you pick them up right
away; not wearing spiked bands or jewelry that could injure others, and no
sexual contact. People look out for each other in the pit; we want people to
have a great experience."
On women in mosh pits:
"Women say they feel a sense of safety even though it's very physical and
very aggressive, because the etiquette is being maintained. Male moshers are
also very welcoming of having women in the mosh pit. Many men [I interviewed]
revealed that they are pleasantly surprised when they receive a solid hit from
a woman; it adds a different dynamic and challenge to the usually male
experience. And overall, metalheads are active in constructing a sense of
equality within the mosh pit."
AHOLA, the new "vital rock act" launched by Jarkko Ahola of the Finnish metal groups TERÄSBETONI and NORTHERN
KINGS, has announced the addition of guitarist Antti Karhumaa to the
group's ranks. According to AHOLA, "[Antti] has been an 'all-around
man' in music for several years now and teaches guitar techniques as a
profession. Antti ended up in AHOLA by his 'dobbelganger' Antti
Mäkelä [drums], who recommended him to [Jarkko]. Luckily he also
liked the songs very much that [Jarkko] had written for the band."
AHOLA's video of the song "Livin' The Dream" can be
seen below. The clip includes fan-filmed video footage from AHOLA's
first-ever concert on August 6, 2011, as well as backstage and rehearsal
footage.
According to a press release, AHOLA "has a suitable mix of past and
present — which is always an essential part of rock music. The band's musical
core consists of hit tunes, feeling and of course the skill to write and play
true and powerful rock music, wherein the authenticity and emotion are relevant,
leaving the vain posing to others."
Commented Ahola: "AHOLA is something I've been working on
for a long time.
"From the beginning I've written rock songs in English, but since being a
musician, you find yourself doing something you did never expect like singing
and playing in a huge act called TERÄSBETONI or participating a cool
project called NORTHERN KINGS. I guess that's part of the fascination!
"Anyway, still riff-based rock being the heart of my musical world, I
wanted to add some spice to the soup and do something that I wasn't so familiar
with: super tightness, speed… a flavor of punk rock, you might say."
He continued, "The way I want to see AHOLA's music is: songs are, I
dare say, approachable with catchy choruses but when giving the songs a deeper
thought, loaded with layers you can dig into. You can hear echoes from classic
rock of the '70s, alternative rock and metal of the '90s and last decade, pop
music in general, that punk rock I mentioned and… well, listen to
yourselves."
Swedish industrial goth metal band DEATHSTARS will
support RAMMSTEIN on the 2011 leg of the German band's "Made In Germany
1995-2011" tour.
Commented DEATHSTARS vocalist Andreas "Whiplasher
Bernadotte" Bergh: "It's, of course, a fantastic thing to go on tour
with a brilliant band like RAMMSTEIN.
"We are eager to hit the stages in Europe
to spread the raw dark power of DEATHSTARS. It's simply a great
package."
A complete list of dates can be found at this
location.
DEATHSTARS is currently in studio recording its new album for a 2012
release via Nuclear Blast Records. A single will precede the full-length
effort in late October.
"Night Electric Night", the third album from DEATHSTARS,
landed at position No. 51 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 CD,
which was mixed at Toytown studios in Stockholm,
Sweden with Stefan
Glaumann, was made available in Europe in
a deluxe package called "Gold Edition" featuring bonus tracks as well
as a bonus DVD featuring six video clips, "making-of" footage and
more. The "Gold Edition" was released as a digibook with new cover
artwork.
Cult British underground heavyweights AMEBIX recently
parted company with Alternative Tentacles Records after 26 years. The
band has decided to step up to the challenge of releasing its own work and has
founded Amebix Records in conjunction with Easyaction. They are releasing
the new album and back catalogue under the new label while Profane Existence will continue to manufacture and sell the band's work as high-quality vinyl
releases, with global distribution through Cargo Records.
AMEBIX's new album, "Sonic Mass", will be made
available on September 23 as a CD and gatefold vinyl LP, as well as a digital
download.
"Sonic Mass" track listing:
01. Days
02. Shield Wall
03. The Messenger
04. God Of The Grain
05. Visitation
06. Sonic Mass Part 1
07. Sonic Mass Part 2
08. Here Come The Wolf
09. The One
10. Knights Of The Black Sun
A new interview with AMEBIX about "Sonic Mass" can be
seen below.
AMEBIX recently released its first new material for almost 24 years. The
song is entitled "Knights Of The Black Sun" and was made
available on June 3. A limited-edition 12-inch vinyl single was issued on Amebix
Records, in conjunction with Profane Existence. The digital download
is available through Amebix Records/Easyaction.
An animation version of "Knights Of The Black Sun" can be seen
below. The video was created by the team of animator Andy Lefton and
director Fin McAteer. Lefton also made a follow-up interview with AMEBIX members Rob Miller and Stig C. Miller to give a
little more insight into the epic work that is the band's new album, "Sonic
Mass".
"Knights Of The Black Sun" was recorded at The Lodge
Studios in Northampton
and was engineered and produced by AMEBIX drummer Roy Mayorga (NAUSEA, SOULFLY, STONE SOUR). Singer/bassist Rob Miller (a.k.a. The
Baron) described the release in a recent interview as "a coming of age
for our music. This whole body of work has been not only about music, but also
art. This is going to surprise a lot of people."
Formed in the late Seventies and hailed as the godfathers of crust punk and extreme
metal, AMEBIX had long lain dormant until the addition of drummer Roy
Mayorga (NAUSEA, CRISIS, SOULFLY, STONE SOUR),
a DVD release, and a string of 2009 reunion shows reignited the flame. The
band's resurrection first resulted in the release of 2010's "Redux" EP, which features live and re-recorded versions of several of the band's
best-loved classics, including "Winter", "Chain
Reaction", and the immortal battle cry, "Arise!". The
songs were remixed by Mayorga and "Redux" is available
from Profane Existence on CD, 12-inch LP and digitally.
AMEBIX is:
Rob Miller: Vocals/Bass
Stig C. Miller: Guitars
Roy Mayorga: Drums/Keyboards/Mandolin
POISON singer Bret Michaels recently spoke to Billboard.com about his forthcoming solo album, "Get
Your Rock On", which he hopes to release sometime next year. The CD
will likely turn out to be a guest-studded affair that will feature DEF
LEPPARD's Joe Elliott and Phil Collen, Stevie Nicks,
possibly members of LYNYRD SKYNYRD and younger groups such as POP
EVIL and MY DARKEST DAYS.
"I'm in the process of doing it as we speak," Michaels told Billboard.com.
"When you're having other artists perform with you, it's about working with
their time schedule and a lot of taking care of some of the business before you
can enjoy the pleasure of just jamming together. I try to keep it pretty
organic. We have to make sure everyone's good with the timing and can get into
the studio to sing. But I think we're going to have a blast making this
record."
Michaels is hoping to have a first single — likely the title track,
featuring Elliott and Collen — out by the end of the year,
digitally if not on CD.
MR. DEATH — the Stockholm, Sweden-based
"straightforward, brutal, old-school death metal" band featuring Stefan
Lagergren (TREBLINKA, EXPULSION, VOLDET) on guitar, Alex
Stjärnfeldt (OCEANLIFT, EDWARD, DCLXVI) on guitar, Jonas
Ohlsson (VOID, MASSIVE) on drums, Jörgen "Juck"
Thullberg (TREBLINKA, TIAMAT, PHOTO PARADE) on bass,
and Jocke Lindström (DIGRESSION ASSASSINS) on vocals — will
release its second album, "Descending Through Ashes", on
September 25 in Europe and October 25 in North America via Agonia Records.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. To Armageddon
02. The Plague and the World it Made
03. Come Winter
04. Your Final Demise
05. Bloodfalls
06. From The Valley of Defilement
07. Another State of Decay
08. Stillborn in a Dying World
09. Descending Through Ashes
10. The Coiled
MR. DEATH's debut album, "Detached From Life", was
released on October 31, 2009 through Agonia. The CD was recorded at the
legendary Sunlight Studios with producer Tomas Skogsberg.
Because of Regain Records' current financial
situation, it will once again be necessary for the label to postpone the
release of "Under The Sign Of Hell 2011", the re-recording of GORGOROTH's
third album. According to GORGOROTH, "The master tapes were handed
over to Regain by the band in April this year, and so it is, of course,
very disappointing for the band that the label for the second time is not able
to meet the set release date. Therefore, to avoid this happening again, no new
release date will be given by the band until Regain can sort out their
problems and provide a new date with 100% certainty."
On "Under The Sign Of Hell 2011", Pest and Infernus repeat their roles as vocalist and guitarist/bassist, respectively, from the
original 1996 recording, while Tomas Asklund handles the drums.
The track listing is as follows:
01. Revelation of Doom
02. Krig
03. Funeral Procession
04. Profetens åpenbaring
05. Ødeleggelse og undergang
06. Blood Stains the Circle
07. The Rite of Infernal Invocation
08. The Devil Is Calling
GORGOROTH is continuing work on its new album of original material and
is planning to enter the studio later this year.
GORGOROTH's ninth album, "Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem
Trahunt", was released on October 21, 2009 in Europe
via Regain Records. The CD, which was made available in the U.S. on November 11, 2009, was recorded at Monolith
Studio and featured Infernus on guitar, OBITUARY's Frank
Watkins (a.k.a. Bøddel) on bass, Pest on vocals and Asklund on drums.
"Quantos Possunt ad Satanitatem Trahunt" was produced by Infernus and co-produced/engineered by Tomas Asklund. It was mastered at the Cutting
Room in Stockholm.
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