Ozzy Osbourne and his family — wife/manager Sharon, son Jack and daughter Kelly — were interviewed on this past Friday's (February 5) edition of "The Ellen Degeneres Show". Watch video of their appearance below.
Ozzy's just-published memoir, "I Am Ozzy", debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times' hardcover non-fiction best-seller list this past weekend. The book was published on January 25 in the U.S., nearly two years after it was first expected to arrive. "I Am Ozzy" chronicles the legendary metal icon's life from his working-class beginnings in Birmingham, England to his initial fame with BLACK SABBATH to his massive solo career and forays into television.
Although the book delves into Ozzy's battles with drugs and tragedies such as the death of his guitarist Randy Rhoads, he told The Pulse of Radio what makes his memoir different from those of other rock stars. "Whenever you read a rock 'n' roll celebrity's book, it's always about the sex, the drugs, the rock 'n' roll and all the rest of it," he said. "My story is that the humor has kept my head above water from time to time. There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek stuff about it. Even with counting the tragedies that happened along the way, I tried to be a little bit light-hearted about it, you know?"
Ozzy recently completed a short book-signing tour to promote the release of "I Am Ozzy".
He is currently finishing up his new studio album, which was first called "Soul Sucka" but will now go out under a different title.
Ozzy also says that his long-running Ozzfest tour will be back this summer after a one-year hiatus.
SLAYER guitarist Kerry King attended a private Super Bowl party this past Sunday (February 7) at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York. Check out photos at this location.
SLAYER's track "Hate Worldwide" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Metal Performance" category. The award eventually went to British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST, who were honored for the track "Dissident Aggressor", from the band's 2009 live album "A Touch of Evil: Live".
SLAYER and MEGADETH have announced the new, confirmed routing for the "American Carnage" North American Tour, which will commence with the rescheduled "Canadian Carnage East" dates in Quebec City on Friday, July 23. SLAYER will then head to Europe for a run of festival dates, returning to kick off the "American Carnage" leg in Albany, NY on August 11.
"American Carnage" will play 26 dates across the United States and Eastern Canada up to the Labor Day weekend, ending in Portland, Oregon on September 4. TESTAMENT will be special guest on all shows. Tickets purchased for the "American Carnage" shows when they first went on sale late last year will be honored for these rescheduled dates.
Due to venue availability and other conflicts, the shows originally scheduled in El Paso, Houston, Nashville, Duluth, and Louisville cannot be rescheduled at this time, and ticket holders may obtain refunds at point of purchase. However, new cities have been added to the "American Carnage" itinerary, with dates now scheduled in Cleveland, Kansas City, San Diego, and Sacramento.
The "American Carnage" tour, originally scheduled to take place in January and February, had to be put on hold due to SLAYER's vocalist/bassist Tom Araya's ongoing, minimally-invasive treatments for what was diagnosed as a cervical radiculopathy, an occupational hazard for the rocker who is known for aggressively swinging his long mane of hair while performing. Right after the first of the year, Araya made the difficult decision to undergo a surgical procedure, called an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, a relatively routine practice with an excellent recovery rate. That surgery took place last month.
Sarjoo Devani of the Explicitly Intense web site recently conducted an interview with vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth of veteran New Jersey thrashers OVERKILL. The chat is now available for streaming using the audio player below.
OVERKILL kicked off its European tour this past Saturday night (February 6) at De Pul in Uden, The Netherlands. Support at the gig came from SUICIDAL ANGELS, SAVAGE MESSIAH and CRIPPER.
A number of high-quality photos from the show can be found at Metal-Experience.com.
OVERKILL's setlist was as follows:
01. The Green And Black 02. Rotten To The Core 03. Battle 04. Powersurge 05. Hello From The Gutter 06. Overkill 07. Ironbound 08. In Union We Stand 09. Bare Bones 10. Feel The Fire 11. Skull And Bones 12. Gasoline Dream 13. Bring Me The Night 14. Elimination
Encore:
15. Necroshine 16. Old School 17. Fuck You / Sonic Reducer
OVERKILL filmed a video for the song "Bring Me The Night" on January 9 in Brooklyn, New York with director Kevin Custer (HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, SUFFOCATION).
"Bring Me The Night" comes off OVERKILL's new album, "Ironbound", which is scheduled for release on February 9 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The CD, which will be issued in Europe on January 29, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was mixed by PAIN/HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren and is described in a press release as "a true thrasher-piece."
OVERKILL will embark on its 25th anniversary North American tour, dubbed Killfest 2010, in April/May 2010. The trek will span the length of the U.S., hitting spots in Canada, with one final show at New York City's Nokia Theater. Support on the tour will come from VADER, GOD DETHRONED, WARBRINGER, EVILE and WOE OF TYRANTS.
Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth interviewed by Explicitly Intense (click on player below to launch audio):
VintageRock.com conducted an interview with legendary rock bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, QUIET RIOT, DIO, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 14-17, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Watch the chat below.
A collector's edition of Rudy's book, "Off the Rails: Aboard the Crazy Train in the Blizzard of Ozz", was released in August 2008 via TooSmart! Publishing. According to Sarzo, "The new edition is beautiful and includes many more pictures throughout the book as well as a 16-page glossy spread of Ross Halfin photos from the beginning of our tour."
"Off the Rails" includes a first-person account from Rudy's personal day-by-day diary of events while touring with Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads in the early Eighties. The book was originally due in 2005 but was delayed after Sharon Osbourne allegedly applied pressure to have it pulled.
Scott "Wino" Weinrich (SAINT VITUS, THE OBSESSED, THE HIDDEN HAND, SHRINEBUILDER) was interviewed on this past weekend's (February 5-7) edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.
To see a full list of stations carrying the program and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.
David Pehling of KTVU.com recently conducted an interview with Weinrich. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
KTVU.com: You've had a particularly busy year between the WINO album, the SHRINEBUILDER debut and the SAINT VITUS live gigs. Is it a challenge keeping the different aspects of your career and life balanced with so much going on?
Weinrich: The SHRINEBUILDER thing is actually really fun for me in a couple of ways. First of all it's just different for me; This is a band where I'm not the sole lead singer. I've always been the singer in my bands. It's interesting because everybody writes, everybody contributes and everybody sings. To me that's just amazing. I've also never played in a two-guitar band before. It's pretty cool. As a matter of fact, I think it's one of the best times I've had in a band.
We just played a round of shows recently and it was a lot of fun. And that brings it home for me, because sometimes you can lose sight of why you do it and why you're in it when you start to have hardships and drudgery and are struggling. People were really receptive and I think the songs came together really well live. So that was cool.
The VITUS thing is kind of a surprise because — bottom line — I never expected in a million years we'd have this resurgence of heavy rock, you know? Did anybody see this coming? Super heavy rock is back in vogue right now. I'm not complaining. VITUS did its first reunion in 2003. We played one show in Chicago and one show in Germany [the With Full Force festival]. We almost sold out the venue in Chicago. It was just shy of 500 people. And I thought, "Wow, people really wanted to see VITUS." And then we did another round of shows [on the East Coast] recently and we were drawing that many people and more.
I'm starting to see all these young kids in VITUS shirts. I guess most of what I'm hearing from people is, "Hey, I never thought I'd get to see this band in my lifetime." And then the younger kids are saying, "I never thought I'd get to see this band." It's just amazing. I think it's really cool.
KTVU.com: It seems like all the SAINT VITUS concerts have focused on the classic era material since the initial reunion you did since 2003. Is there any talk about writing new material or recording together again?
Weinrich: We have and we are. We're writing some stuff right now. Everybody's pretty busy. I know I've been busy. The WINO band is pretty much on hiatus right now. So it looks like we'll be doing some recording in the near future. The bottom line is we would like to do a new record. There's talk about it. We've already been floating around a couple ideas. So yeah, somewhere down the line there will be a new VITUS record in the cards.
KTVU.com: Given that you're an accomplished guitarist, I've always thought it was unusual that you stuck with singing in SAINT VITUS. Was the idea to just stick to the template of power trio with vocalist that the band started with?
Weinrich: The thing about it is there were some logistics involved too. To me, I feel really comfortable just singing in SAINT VITUS and I think that it just ended up working out better. I played guitar on a couple of tunes back in the day. But for me to just sing seemed to be the way to go. And actually to be honest with you, I'm happy to do that because it's a change for me. So I can just focus on the vocals and I don't have to worry about anything else. Playing guitar is really intense, and then there are all the equipment and tuning issues. It's nice for me to have a breather where I can just focus on my singing.
When I first joined SAINT VITUS, I felt like that was when I really learned to sing. I no longer had a guitar to hide behind and I really had to focus on my voice and my delivery. My singing style developed and my technique got better. So I'm happy just to sing in this band. Chandler's the king of noise, so that's all we need.
Read the entire first part of the interview at KTVU.com.
Quality video footage of SAINT VITUS performing the song "Look Behind You" on January 29, 2010 at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, California can be viewed below.
Scott "Wino" Weinrich interviewed on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show (click on player below to launch audio):
German thrashers EXUMER will co-headline the Thrash Attack festival in Sofia, Bulgaria on April 1, 2010 with L.A. power thrashers SAVAGE GRACE. This will mark EXUMER's first time playing live in Bulgaria and the start of the band's "European Ignition Tour 2010".
EXUMER has not appeared live since last year's "5 Nights of Fire" mini-tour. This year's trek has a similarly intense routing, with the band set to play seven shows in Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and Norway within 10 days.
Commented vocalist Mem V. Stein: "We ended up on yet another whirlwind tour schedule where we play a bunch of countries in a short time. However, we have the opportunity to play in places we have never played before like Italy, Norway and Bulgaria.
"Last year's tour was a fantastic experience despite the hectic schedule and the overwhelmingly positive response from the fans proved us right. We are keeping the band intentionally off the road so our fans can treasure the EXUMER live experience. These European shows and few others in North and South America scheduled for later in the year will be all for 2010, making it special events for everyone involved."
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde has released the following statement regarding the departure of drummer Craig Nunenmacher:
"Craig Nunenmacher has resigned as BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's drummer. We are sorry to see him leave. We wish Craig well in his new endeavors and have the utmost love and respect for him."
Roadrunner Records recently re-signed BLACK LABEL SOCIETY exclusively for the European territory. The band's as-yet-untitled studio album is due for release this summer.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is preparing to enter Zakk's newly completed mountain-top recording studio to record its latest slab of uncompromising, unfiltered, and unrestrained rock and roll. Recording is slated to start later this month and with the new flexibility of having a studio literally outside his home, Wylde expects to deliver his best material yet. "With the home studio I have this flexibility when inspiration hits to lay down new ideas at anytime — day or night — for re-recording later," he says. "This freshness should prove inspiring — and some of these first takes might even make it on the album," he enthuses.
Zakk continues, "I'm ready to work with our BLACK LABEL brothers and sisters at Roadrunner in Europe! They share the same Strength, Determination, Merciless, Forever attitude as BLACK LABEL SOCIETY does so it only seems natural to continue working together!"
Zakk's new studio was built by Zack Fagan of Under The Wire, a Studio City, California-based company which specializes in the installation of commercial and private recording studios and post-production complexes.
E1 Music recently announced the addition of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to its rock and metal roster. The two-album deal covers North America exclusively.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's last studio album, "Shot to Hell" (2006), sold just under 32,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release — less than the 45,000 copies shifted by BLS's "Mafia" (Artemis) back in March 2005 — to land at position No. 21 on The Billboard 200 chart.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Skullage" DVD package sold 5,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on the Top Music Videos chart. Released April 21, 2009 in three different configurations — CD, DVD and CD/DVD — this collection features the best of Zakk Wylde & Co. This massive greatest hits package is chock-full of live material, music videos, interviews, and a vivid cross-section of brutal and introspective tracks, from amped-up blazers like "Fire It Up" and "Suicide Messiah" to raw power ballads like "In This River" and "Spoke In The Wheel".
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is managed by Bob Ringe at Survival Management.
POISON drummer Rikki Rockett will play percussion for his wife Melanie Martel this Thursday night (February 11) between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Salt Creek Grille in Valencia, California.
Rikki and Melanie welcomed their first child, Jude Aaron Rockett, on July 14, 2009. He weighed in at seven pounds, four ounces and measured 21 inches long.
POISON last year completed a tour with DEF LEPPARD and CHEAP TRICK.
Mongolian-Chinese folk-music act HANGGAI and German stoner SMOKE BLOW have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 5-7, 2010 in Wacken, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
1349 ALICE COOPER ARCH ENEMY AMORPHIS ATROCITY BROILERS CALIBAN CANDLEMASS CANNIBAL CORPSE CORVUS CORAX CRUCIFIED BARBARA DEBAUCHERY DEGRADEAD DELAIN DESPISED ICON DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER DIE KASSIERER EDGUY EQUILIBRIUM END OF GREEN ENDSTILLE ETERNAL LEGACY EVILE FIDDLER'S GREEN GHOST BRIGADE GOJIRA GRAVE DIGGER HACKNEYED HANGGAI HELLS BELLES IHSAHN ILL NINO IMMORTAL IMPERIUM DEKADENZ IRON MAIDEN KAMPFAR KATAKLYSM LAKE OF TEARS LETZTE INSTANZ MAROON METSATÖLL MÖTLEY CRÜE NIGHTMARE ORDEN OGAN ORPHANED LAND PRIMAL FEAR RAVEN SCHELMISH SECRETS OF THE MOON SLAYER SMOKE BLOW SÓLSTAFIR STRATOVARIUS SUICIDAL ANGELS THE DEVIL'S BLOOD THE OTHER TIAMAT TYR U.D.O. VARG VOIVOD W.A.S.P.
Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman will appear live on the February 10 edition of TVK's "Hamarancho" show in Japan. He is still on the promotion trail for his latest single, "Kiba". The song is the theme song for "Souten No Ken", which is currently the number one Pachinko machine in Japan.
Other upcoming TV appearances for Marty include NHK's "Ougon No Yougaku Live", NHK's "Necchu Yabanashi" as well as TV Tokyo's "Pirameki-no" and his regular Tuesday night "Space Shower Transporter" program.
Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman will appear on Nippon Television's hit morning show "Sukkiri" on January 13. The program airs from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and Friedman's segment will be shown at 9:30 a.m. The video for Marty's latest single, "Kiba", will air as well as footage of Friedman playing some "unusual" guitar and talking about a recent magazine article in Otona No Kagaku, which features him on the cover of its current issue.
"Kiba" was released on January 27 via Avex. According to CDJapan.co.jp, the limited-edition single, which is a collaboration with Andrew W.K., includes a sticker and a bonus DVD with promotional footage. A regular version of the single without the DVD is also available.
A video for the track can be viewed below.
In a recent chat with the webmaster of his official web site, Friedman stated about the single, "I could not be happier about it. [Andrew W.K.] is by far my favorite USA rock artist and I think we have made the ultimate mixture of our styles. The day I heard his first album, I said, 'Some day I'm definitely gonna work with that dude.' Since then he guested on two of my TV shows over here, and I joined him on stage at his Tokyo concert a couple years back. We got along instantly. But who wouldn't like the guy? He is about the friendliest, most positive and cooperative musician out there.
"The song is called 'Kiba', which means 'fang.' It came about when I was offered the opportunity to write the song that you will hear if you win the highest award on the most anticipated new Pachinko machine in Japan, 'Souten no Ken'. In Japan this is likely the avenue which exposes music to the greatest number of people as this game will be displayed in every Pachinko center in the entire country. Andrew really went way beyond the call of duty perfecting his Japanese pronunciation to the point where locals don't even know that it is a foreigner singing. It is truly an amazing vocal performance."
A short video message from Glenn Hughes (BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE) and Joe Bonamassa about BLACK COUNTRY, their new supergroup with Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian, can be viewed below.
BLACK COUNTRY takes its name from the industrial area in England from which Bonham and Hughes both hail. The band is currently in the studio with producer Kevin Shirley (BLACK CROWES, AEROSMITH, LED ZEPPELIN) cutting tracks for an upcoming album to be released in late 2010 or early 2011.
With Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER) on drums, Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, BILLY IDOL, ALICE COOPER) on keyboards, Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, TRAPEZE) on bass and vocals and Bonamassa on guitar and vocals, the band already has six tracks cut. The next recording session will take place in March and the band hopes to finish recording in early April. Shirley made the announcement on his web site: "So there it is folks — the cat is out the bag! This is BLACK COUNTRY. The songs are all original and what a lineup. They are all the very best players in the world, for my money!"
Shirley added, "Jason Bonham is a totally unique drummer and a supreme, yet oh-so-tasty powerhouse. Derek Sherinian is super versatile, and is playing mostly overdriven Hammond organ in this ensemble and is the color on the palette. Glenn Hughes plays bass and sings with a range very, very few can even get close to, and Joe Bonamassa, perhaps the best blues rock guitarist around, plays hard riffing guitar as well as adding his signature vocals alongside Glenn. You'll just have to wait — we're planning to get this out late summer, and it's promising to be phenomenal!"
Recently named "The Blues Rock Titan" by Guitar World magazine, Bonamassa's new solo album, "Black Rock", will be arriving March 23, 2010. Produced by Shirley, who has produced Bonamassa's last six solo albums, it will be released on Bonamassa's own J&R Adventures label.
NACHTMYSTIUM and AFFLICTION GATE have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Festung Open Air festival, set to take place May 22-23, 2010 at Glider Airfield in Renneritz, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AFFLICTION GATE (France) BAPHOMET'S BLOOD (Italy) DIE HARD (Sweden) GEHENNA (Norway) GOSPEL OF THE HORNS (Australia) KRYPTOS (India) NACHTMYSTIUM (USA) SAHG (Norway) TULUS (Norway) VOMITOR (Australia)
Dutch hardcore metallers BORN FROM PAIN have parted ways with drummer Roy Moonen and have replaced him with Igor Wouters (ex-BACKFIRE!). The band states, "We have been practicing together and came to the conclusion that we are all looking forward to touring and writing a new record together. We are very enthusiastic about the addition of Igor since he is a very talented drummer, songwriter and a good guy.
"Roy has decided that it is time for him to move on and broaden his horizons. He will be taking a break from heavy music and do different musical things."
Wouters will join BORN FROM PAIN from April onwards. Serch from THE SETUP will be helping BORN FROM PAIN out on drums during March.
BORN FROM PAIN's "Sons Of A Dying World" video can be viewed below. The track comes off the band's most recent album, "Survival", which was released in Europe on November 3, 2008 via Metal Blade Records. The CD is said to be "musically [as] uncompromising as ever with an own twist in groove, melody, heaviness and harshness. Lyrically, [it is] more than ever making a critical and uncompromising stand concerning the state of the world today."
The Pulse of Radio reports: CHICKENFOOT is already writing its second album, according to an interview with guitarist Joe Satriani at BestOfWNY.com. The rock supergroup, which also features RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith and former VAN HALEN members Sammy Hagar on vocals and Michael Anthony on bass, released its debut disc last June and ended up with a gold album. Although Smith is now back at work with the CHILI PEPPERS, Satriani said, "The four of us are all on the same page as far as this project goes, we're all committed to doing a CHICKENFOOT number two. As a matter of fact, Sammy and I have already begun the writing process together."
Satriani added, "The beauty of this band is the respect we have for one another's time and career aspirations. I'm getting set for the Experience Hendrix tour next month and writing for a new record, Sammy's busy doing a million things at once, Chad's back working with the CHILI PEPPERS and Mike's busy being Mike."
Meanwhile, taking over as lead singer of AEROSMITH is not one of the "million things" that Hagar is doing. Unnamed sources told Classic Rock magazine on "good authority" that Hagar was a candidate to temporarily replace Steven Tyler, but Hagar's manager John Carter told the magazine, "Good authority must mean The Enquirer because his LED ZEP gig conflicts with the AEROSMITH job . . . Seriously, Sam is very happy to be going into the studio with CHICKENFOOT to start the second album in April."
Recent reports in Classic Rock indicated that Billy Idol, Chris Cornell and Paul Rodgers had all been approached to fill in for Tyler, who is currently in rehab and mulling a contentious two-year break to pursue a solo project. The rest of AEROSMITH have said they'll hire a singer for touring until Tyler returns.
More than 38 bands will once again come together to celebrate rock at the fourth annual Rock On The Range, set for May 22 and 23 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The lineup includes first-timer "Rangers" ROB ZOMBIE, GODSMACK (in their first announced show of 2010), the return of LIMP BIZKIT and the festival solo debut of VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash. The two-day lineup for America's premiere destination rock festival includes some of the most rocking artists in music today. In addition, marking another first for Rock On The Range, Mistress Juliya of Fuse TV has signed on as the hostess and Mistress of Ceremonies for the event.
Sully Erna from GODSMACK says: "Fasten your seatbelts baby, here comes GODSMACK! I can't WAIT to get to Columbus for what will be the best Rock On The Range yet! GODSMACK is gonna kick some major *@%*!"
Del Williams, co-executive producer of the event for Right Arm Entertainment, explains: "We designed ROTR 2010 to be the biggest weekend of ROCK at an incredibly low ticket price for the fans affectionately referred to as the 'Rangers.' This year's line-up represents the most compelling mix of bands that we have ever had. GODSMACK is one of the most prolific active rock bands of all time, and the intrepid ROB ZOMBIE is an unrivaled performer. We are particularly excited about the return of LIMP BIZKIT, who have been tearing it up at European festivals. It is time for them to come back to America and remind people why they were at one time one of the biggest bands in the world."
"In four short years, this festival has become like no other in the United States," added Joe Litvag, co-executive producer of the festival for AEG Live. "We've been fortunate enough to create something that caters to a very specific music lover, and the fans have become truly rabid for it. Rock On The Range has become the summer destination for an entire nation of rock fans… It's amazing, really."
Two-day weekend festival passes start at just $99.50. A special pre-sale for Rock On The Range fans will start February 16 and for the first time, fans can buy their tickets this year via a layaway plan.
"The vision of Rock On The Range has always been to provide a premiere rock festival for a very affordable price," said Mark McCullers, President and General Manager of the Columbus Crew. "Each year we look for new ways to enhance the fans' experience. Two specific improvements for 2010 are an increased viewing area for our fans at the Jägermeister stage and a layaway plan as an additional payment option for our Rock On The Range fans."
Details of the layaway plan as well as VIP packages that include festival tickets, hotel accommodations and festival merchandise can be found at RockOnTheRange.com. All tickets go on sale February 20 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) via RockOnTheRange.com and Ticketmaster.com, all local Ticketmaster outlets and at the Crew Stadium box office.
The 2010 Rock On The Range lineup is as follows:
GODSMACK ROB ZOMBIE LIMP BIZKIT THREE DAYS GRACE SLASH SEETHER RISE AGAINST DEFTONES PAPA ROACH THEORY OF A DEADMAN MASTODON KILLSWITCH ENGAGE COHEED & CAMBRIA BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE PUDDLE OF MUDD FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH APOCALYPTICA DROWNING POOL HALESTORM SEVENDUST SKILLET MUSHROOMHEAD HELMET AIRBOURNE ANBERLIN COLD NONPOINT 2CENTS ADELITAS WAY SHAMAN'S HARVEST YEAR LONG DISASTER LIKE A STORM TADDY PORTER JANUS NOISE AUCTION
Former KISS and current GRAND FUNK RAILROAD guitarist Bruce Kulick hosted a release party for his long-awaited third solo album, "BK3", this past Saturday (February 6) at the Kiss Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
"My fans have been waiting a long time to hear 'BK3'," said Kulick, "so I wanted to hold an event that was open to all. The Kiss Coffeehouse is a very cool place and I'm very excited to be able to meet my fans, and celebrate the release of 'BK3' with them."
Watch a video report on the event below (courtesy of SCNow).
"BK3" was released in Europe on January 29 via Frontiers Records and in North America on February 2 through Twenty 4 Records/Rocket Science Ventures. The first single from the album was released on January 12. The track "Hand Of The King", featuring Nick Simmons (son of KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons), is a digital-only release available at all online music stores, including iTunes.
If you ever play Six Degrees of Bruce Kulick, the guitarist's résumé will keep you happily busy for hours. Having been tapped by artists as diverse as Meat Loaf and Kanye West, the veteran axeman's boundless creative energy permeates his third solo LP, "BK3". In the works for nearly six years and produced by Jeremy Rubolino, "BK3" delivers explosive hard rock arrangements and addictive pop melodies that honor both Kulick's singular past and bright future. And then there's the jaw-dropping guest list, boasting members of KISS, THE KNACK, TOTO, MÖTLEY CRÜE and more.
After getting his solo feet wet with 2001's "Audio Dog" and 2003's "Transformer", Kulick — the often unheralded driving force on 12 years of classic KISS records, from 1984's "Animalize" to 1992's "Revenge" — assembled his own rock 'n' roll dream team. The roster: KISS icon Gene Simmons and up-and-coming son Nick (each vocally appearing separately), longtime friend John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, Kulick's own UNION), KNACK mainman Doug Fieger, TOTO axe authoritarian Steve Lukather, EDGUY power metal stalwart Tobias Sammet and even current KISS drummer Eric Singer.
"BK3" track listing:
01. Fate 02. Ain't Gonna Die (featuring Gene Simmons) 03. No Friend Of Mine (featuring John Corabi) 04. Hand of the King (featuring Nick Simmons) 05. I'll Survive 06. Dirty Girl (featuring Doug Fieger) 07. Final Mile 08. I'm The Animal (featuring Tobias Sammet & Eric Singer) 09. And I Know 10. Between The Lines (featuring Steve Lukather) 11. Life
Fan-filmed video footage of former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno's February 5, 2010 concert in Panama City Beach, Florida can be viewed below (courtesy of "CuchulainTheCelt2003").
Di'Anno kicked off his U.S. tour on January 26 at Dingbatz in Clifton, New Jersey.
Support on the trek is coming from Pittsburgh traditional metallers ICARUS WITCH (who are also serving as Di'Anno's backing band for the tour).
Di'Anno's visa was approved by the U.S. State Department, making it possible for the singer to embark on his first U.S. tour in over 15 years.
Paul is among the scheduled presenters at the 21st Pollstar Concert Industry Awards, which will be held on February 17, 2010 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. This year's show is hosted by Kathleen Madigan — the comedian Lewis Black (a four-time host of the Pollstar Awards) describes as "the funniest woman in America."
When asked by Vue Weekly in a 2009 interview about the possibility of releasing a new studio album in the not-too-distant future, Di'Anno replied, "We did five new tracks in Germany [in 2008] — it's very industrialized — but we got in a bit of an argument with the record company and we told them to piss off, basically. So I kept them songs and a friend of mine in Salisbury down in Southwest England, handed me 16 pieces of music so I'm going to go away when I have a bit of time and see what I can come up with for that."
Bassist David Ellefson spoke exclusively with U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine about his return to MEGADETH after an eight-year absence.
"It literally happened over the weekend," he said. "And I can hardly believe it myself. There was clearly gonna be a change in the lineup, because James Lomenzo was leaving. Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH mainman] and I talked on the phone, and all the feuds, all the arguments we've been having over the years just melted away. It just goes to show what direct contact can achieve!"
Regarding how the whole thing came about, Ellefson said, "Obviously, I have no clue what happened within the band. But I got a text from Shawn [Drover, drums] and it just said, 'If ever there was a time for you and Dave to talk, now is it.' It's one of those messages you act on immediately. Typically of MEGADETH, things then happened big and fast.
"In all honesty, talking to Dave again was wonderful. It was the right thing at the right time, done in the right spirit."
Scott Alisoglu of Teeth Of The Divine (and BLABBERMOUTH.NET) recently conducted an interview with guitarist Gary Holt of veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrash metallers EXODUS. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Teeth Of The Divine: Let's talk about this DVD a little bit. Quite honestly, I think "Shovel Headed Tour Machine" is just plain fantastic.
Gary Holt: Yeah, it came out really good! It wasn't even an intentional DVD. We played Wacken and the show was so sick. I mean they film everything anyway and they give you the little watermarked sample and it was like, man, we really need to put this thing out, it's really killer! What a show! Then Rob [Dukes, vocals] had been chasing us around with a video camera for years. He's the sober guy in the band [laughs], so he's the one that's not going to leave it lying around and lose it [laughs]. He did all the editing for both discs with a guy named Craig Cefola. It just came out really good. I'm not one to like watching any of my own shit, I don't even listen to my own records when they're done, but I did watch this and I was laughing, crackin' up, and it was engaging and funny. I thought it was a little different than the typical heavy metal documentary and Rob did a great job.
Teeth Of The Divine: On "Let There be Blood", I was one of the reviewers that thought it was one of the few cases where a band actually bettered and did justice to the original work. At the end of the day, how split were fans and critics about the re-recording of "Bonded by Blood"?
Gary Holt: Well, you have three camps. You have one camp where they loved it, you have another camp where either they won't admit that they liked it because there is nothing not to like, but they're defensive about the debut and I understand that. That's OK. How can you get mad at someone who loves your first album so much that they consider it untouchable? It's like the Bible to them. Then you have the other camp of people who just hate us anyway [laughs]. That's the camp that I say fuck off to and I couldn't really care less. I even did an interview with this guy in Poland who is a good friend of mine and he didn't like it, so I kind of flipped the interview around and started interviewing him and asking him why. He said that Rob's vocal performance is too one-dimensional. I asked how many dimensions did Paul Baloff have on it? That's not a knock on Paul because it wasn't meant to have a second dimension; it was all out violent thrash. Then he says well that's true. Then I asked what would he think if Rob added a second or third dimension. And he said that he would have thought he was fuckin' with the original too much [laughs]. Exactly! Then he absolutely agreed that he just loved "Bonded by Blood" and didn't like the idea, but it had nothing to do with how we did it. I think we did it with all the energy and fire that it deserved. We didn't sterilize it, we didn't change the arrangements… The only thing different from the original is a couple of solos and the tuning. We have been tuning down since before Paul died. You get purists that say it's not EXODUS and Paul Baloff is rolling is rolling his grave and it's down-tuned. So is the live album, suckers! We all liked it. There is only one "Bonded by Blood" and it was never meant to replace it and I tell people that it's like a companion piece. There is a modern updating, the production, and I think as a result the songs still sound completely relevant. They sound current and strong and they don't sound dated one bit. It's not anything but a better production really. A couple of the faces have changed, but we didn't stick a power metal singer in there on "Strike of the Beast". We were just trying to show the world how we do these songs today, which is the best example of why we did it. It's a bit of homage to the original and this is how we play them now, this is how we send live, and if you don't like it that's fine. It wasn't meant to reinvent the wheel.
Teeth Of The Divine: As for the next album…
Gary Holt: "Exhibit B: The Human Condition". It's really, really sick. It's really different from the last one and it's really different from the two before. But it's 100 percent EXODUS. Out of the last three, this one is faster, but it's also a little more melodic, and it's also a little bit more old school. Some of Rob's vocal patterns are just so old school; it's killer. The production is a little more, let's say, less sterile. Not less sterile, but less digital perfection, more organic. It's really, really lively. There is by far more melody on it as well. Thematically, it's a little different. Musically, the intro to this album links to the outro of the last album and this one ends on a take from the intro to the last album. The two tie together really well. The last one centered a lot on religion and this one is, as the title says, about the human condition; cruelty, ignorance, and inhumanity and brutality. Just the things that man has shown to be so adept at doing. Nuclear Blast is chomping at the bit to get the album released. We're shooting for May 18th.
Metal Injection recently conducted an interview with ARCH ENEMY/CARCASS guitarist Michael Amott. The chat can now be viewed below.
In a recent interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Michael Amott stated about ARCH ENEMY's decision to re-record older material for the "The Root Of All Evil" album, "We started talking about doing something like this three, four years ago. The initial idea came from the fans really, they kept asking us if we'd ever consider re-recording some of the older material, this time with Angela [Gossow] on vocals. At first, I couldn't see the appeal of doing it, but as time passed and more and more people were asking about it, we decided to give it a shot, and I must say that it was a fun project. I found it quite refreshing to go in the studio and record the songs and make them sound fresh and exciting."
When asked how faithful the band wanted the "Root" CD to be to the original recordings, Amott said, "We weren't that concerned with staying 100 percent true to the original versions. These are new interpretations of the old songs. If anyone wants to hear the original recordings of the songs, they can listen to the old albums. We wanted to to give our favorites from those early albums an 'extreme makeover' and make them harder and tougher. We wanted the songs to sound like ARCH ENEMY right here and now, a worthy tribute to the first chapter in the band's history."
On the topic of when fans could expect to hear new ARCH ENEMY material, Amott said, "I've written four song ideas that we've been jamming on, and I know that the other guys have ideas as well and I look forward to hearing them. We don't typically write a lot on the road so the songwriting process will pick up once we get off the road, I hope. The idea is that we'll be continuing to write and arrange new material throughout 2010 and we plan go back in the studio again at the end of the year and see what we come up with. Ideally, we'd like to release a new ARCH ENEMY album in 2011. Our last album of new material, 'Rise Of The Tyrant', came out back in September 2007, so that'd be a good time in-between records. I'm very much looking forward to getting into the creative phase of writing and recording again."
AC/DC's Angus Young and Brian Johnson were asked by Triple M about the reports that they have ordered three oxygen tanks with masks for their dressing rooms at this week's concerts at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.
"We usually carry that just in case," Johnson said.
"Some of the gigs we've been doing have been 100 degrees on the stage and there is no air in the place, so you gotta usually get back and take a couple of gulps."
When LED ZEPPELIN was considering touring without Robert Plant, they auditioned Steven Tyler for the vocalist position, but AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry has revealed that the tryout didn't go so well. According to Classic Rock magazine, Jimmy Page told Joe that the rehearsals were "shambolic" since Steven didn't really know ZEP's catalog. However, last year, when Steven told VH1 Radio Networks' Dave Basner about his audition, he made it seem like he was very familiar with the band's songs.
"The kid in me was dying," Tyler told VH1 Radio Networks. "I got to sing every song from 'Black Dog' up and down and I'll never forget it as long as I live."
Nonetheless, Page felt "awkward" about the situation and said the guys in ZEP decided to pass on Steven. Tyler told VH1 Radio Networks about that decision, "I don't think a band like theirs needs a singer like me. They already had the best, they were the best, in fact, there is no genre for what LED ZEPPELIN is other than LED ZEPPELIN. I've already got AEROSMITH, I'm doing what I'm doing, Robert Plant's doing what he wants to do so I don't think there was really room for that.”
In the latest twist in the AEROSMITH/Steven Tyler saga, Perry says that Tyler has neither quit the band or been fired by AEROSMITH. Perry told Classic Rock magazine, "Steven hasn't quit the band, nor have we sacked him. We're taking the attitude that he's going on a vacation from AEROSMITH. While he's away working on other projects, the rest of us want to carry on playing live. So we will be bring another singer to make this happen."
He went on to say that any replacement would be hired for live dates until Tyler returns: "We're not daft enough to think we can replace Steven, and that's not our plan. But after 40 years of working together we just don't wanna stop. How long with Steven be away? He says it'll be two years, but I believe he'll be back a lot sooner. It may end up that we only do 10 shows with the new person!"
Perry says that he and the band realize that age is a tremendous factor in the professional decisions they make: "You realize you're not an immortal, and you don't have this 22-year-old feeling of 'this thing can go on forever,' and you know, 'I can do whatever I want, I can go for three nights without sleep and everything will be fine.' You start to realize that it's a very delicate thing, life is a delicate thing, and being able to perform at the top of your game is a delicate thing. And it's one of those changes, you know, that comes over. I'm still amazed that we can put on the kind of show that we put on. Every night could be our last."
According to Zero Tolerance, Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA will perform at the Le Boulevard des Jeunes Musiciens festival on May 16 in Casablanca, Morocco.
"A-Lex" — SEPULTURA's first LP to be recorded without either of the founding Cavalera brothers (Max and Igor; on guitar/vocals and drums, respectively) — is available in three versions: in a deluxe digipak with an embossed cover, in a regular jewel case and on a vinyl gatefold LP.
On "A-Lex", SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser and his three colleagues, Derrick Green (vocals), Paulo Jr. (bass) and new addition Jean Dollabella (drums), have dedicated themselves to Anthony Burgess's book "A Clockwork Orange", creating an awesome thrash metal opus around this timeless and exciting subject.
In a recent interview with Sonic Excess, Kisser stated about the band's 11th studio album, "I am very happy with 'A-Lex'. The album came out in January [2009] and we did two tours in Europe. We still want to go back there and a few other places we haven't been to yet. We played Argentina with IRON MAIDEN and it has just been a great tour. But I am very happy with the album; it was inspired by the film 'A Clockwork Orange' and an amazing book. We did a version of ninth symphony from Beethoven, so it was a great experience to record that album especially with a new drummer. This album has presented up with a lot of possibilities, we are thinking about playing the album with an orchestra."
When asked if SEPULTURA was worried that some people might not understand the progressive nature of "A-Lex", Andreas replied, "Not at all. For SEPULTURA this has become so common to bring something different. Of course, we lose and gain fans in doing that. If you put together all of our albums, they are all different. That is the way we are, always looking for something new. We cannot please everybody, that's impossible and hopefully we never will. I think it's good to have some criticism because that will show you stuff you don't see."
'Sup Magazine recently conducted an interview with with legendary BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
'Sup Magazine: How do you feel about heavy metal generally and the fractioning of [BLACK SABBATH] in the late '70s?
Ward: I could understand why [Ozzy Osbourne, vocals] was asked to leave. However, it's always been regrettable as far as I'm concerned. But I'm just one person in a four-person band. Behind the scenes and out of the public eye, there have been a lot of conversations and healing going on. There's been time to make up — make amends and put your best foot forward. I was with Oz last week where he was picking up an award. That shows that we're still a band, we're still bandmates and still friends. I've tried to maintain friendships with all the guys. Just a couple of weeks ago I was chatting to Geezer [Butler, bass] and I haven't spoken to Tony [Iommi, guitar] for a little while, but our conversations continue, we're all still pretty open minded to each other. We're all doing our own projects, but we're not cut off from each other in any way. Also the reunion that we started about ten years ago went very, very well. We've toured the world since 1999 as the original band. It was absolutely great. I loved it. I'd always hoped that the band could remain together and if anyone wanted to make their own albums or just take a break for a couple of years then they could, but that didn't really happen with BLACK SABBATH. Oz was asked to leave. And what he's gone on to do is phenomenal. He's huge in the U.S. and across the world. He's a huge recording artist as well as the TV show and a couple of movies. He's done incredibly well. All of us have done really well. We're all really involved in music still. In fact, that's why I'm a bit groggy today. I was in the studio until really late last night finishing some mixes of some stuff I'm going to put out.
'Sup Magazine: You did a lot of touring back then. I heard the shows could be quite violent. Is that true?
Ward: The audiences were very rowdy. Only a couple of years before — and I'll use CREAM, who are a great band, as an example — the audiences for them were still very subdued. They were mainly listening and then would stand up and applaud. If you look at a CREAM audience back then, there would be a couple of people getting their rocks off, but for the most part there would be a crowd intelligently listening to CREAM, and rightly so. But by the time we were performing as BLACK SABBATH, the audiences were changing. Even the audiences that listened to JIMI HENDRIX and major rock groups of the day had begun to change. Even our early audiences were very polite. It felt like playing in our living room. I remember the audiences changing in front of me. I remember that distinctly. The way they wore their clothes became different. We got a lot of leather jackets with studs. People's hair changed. The whole look was just a sublime move. I think that was from a lot encouragement from us, and of course Ozzy. He wasn't prepared to go into a room where people sat and applauded at the right place. We played loud and really aggressively. Ozzy refused to go on unless everybody got up. That's where all the profanity with the audience started too. It was another turning point. I'd never seen another band do it. It was a crossover point. It was where the fire started. People got up and danced in such a restricted space. I think that's why everybody started head banging, because there wasn't enough room. It was just fucking unbelievable to watch. Everybody just rocked from their torsos upwards. It was nothing to do with the feet. It spread like wildfire all over England and Europe. Everybody was just rocking out, but in a completely different way than they had to HENDRIX and CREAM and our contemporaries of the day. It was quite the sight to see.
'Sup Magazine: Things also got a bit darker in the '70s. You were just reflecting what was going on then.
Ward: Well, you're right. That was a large part of it. When we went to play in Berlin in 1969, there was a wall up. That was a reality. The Russian forces in and around Berlin outnumbered the Allied forces 35 to one, with tanks. The Iron Curtain was a two-hour flight from London. We were reflecting on our times in Aston, and Aston back then was dog rough. We were talking about our reality.
'Sup Magazine: There still is a sense of counter culture in there through "Sweet Leaf" and "Children Of The Grave" and other antiwar songs.
Ward: Well, we were pissed off, you know? "Sweet Leaf" is a very aggressive song when we do it live. "Sweet Leaf" and "Iron Man" were the rallying points for all the young men coming back from Vietnam. And when I think about it — to be quite honest with you — I start to cry because life is precious and I can still see the audiences when we played those songs. All the vets were up the front, so all we could see were the vets. When those songs came on, they were trying to get out of their wheelchairs. They came to hear those songs. We'd give them our all. They were men that didn't want to go to war. They were pushed into it and nobody thanked them when they came back.
As America embarks on a New Year full of resolutions to lose weight and make tough life changes, VH1 celebrates the new decade with a fresh season of "Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp". This season boasts a cast full of pop culture personalities ready to bare their bodies and souls as they dig in for the most grueling fitness program on television — designed to help them drop not only their flab, but also their emotional baggage. At the end of eight weeks, they will be lean, mean, "Fit Club" machines ready to face the world and show off their new hard bodies.
Battling the bulge this season are Sebastian Bach (former lead singer of SKID ROW), legendary R&B bad boy Bobby Brown, Jay McCarroll (winner of "Project Runway", Season 1), KayCee Stroh ("High School Musical"), dancer and choreographer Kevin Federline, former "Baywatch" babe Nicole Eggert, actress Shar Jackson ("Moesha"), and infamous "Bad Girl" Tanisha Thomas ("Bad Girls Club", Season 2). The cast will be broken into two teams, competing for $200,000 in cash and prizes and the individual celeb who drops the most weight will win $50,000 in prizes.
Driving the cast through the punishing and life-changing eight-week boot camp is "Celebrity Fit Club" veteran and U.S. Marine Corps Drill Instructor Harvey Walden IV (RET). Using Harvey's unique brand of "tough love," he will guide the celebs over walls, through the mud and past their own limitations as they realize their true potential for the first time. Also leading the cast through their journey is nutrition and diet expert, Dr. Ian Smith, who will change the way the celebs look at food and their eating habits. New to this season is life coach Rhonda Britten. Rhonda will spend one on one time with the celebs and help mentor them through the journey of shedding excess weight.
Eight weeks of mud, sweat and tears promise to deliver the most exciting and emotional season of "Celebrity Fit Club" yet. The challenges will be brutal, but in the end, the results will be amazing.
"Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp" is executive-produced by Jonas Larsen for ITV Studios. Jeff Olde, Jim Ackerman, Christian McLaughlin and Mike Riley are executive producers for VH1.
"Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp" premiered last night (Monday, February 8) on VH1.
It's been nearly 20 years since WILDSIDE played Sunset Boulevard but that will change Saturday February 27, 2010. The band will share the stage at the world-famous Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, California with fellow Strip veterans TUFF, along with special guests, Swedish imports VAINS of JENNA.
It was the summer of 1990 when YOUNG GUNNS last played that same Roxy Theatre as special guests to TUFF. A year later YOUNG GUNNS signed a major label deal with Capitol Records and changed their name to WILDSIDE. The band went on to release "Under the Influence" (Capitol, 1992) and the follow-up self-titled effort (TNT Records, 1995) before disbanding shortly after.
WILDSIDE lay relatively dormant over the last 15-plus years with the exception of their third release, "The Wasted Years" (RLS Records), in 2004. The band reformed at that time and played a handful of shows only to go back into hibernation with the exception of some digital releases. "The Essential" was made available in 2008 and "The Essential - Volume 2" in 2009. These can be found through outlets like Amazon and iTunes.
The band will return with four of the original five members still intact. Lead singer Drew Hanna, guitarist Brent Woods, bassist Marc Simon and drummer Jimmy D will be playing some of their classic tracks like "Hang On Lucy", "Hair of the Dog", "How Many Lies" and "Clock Strikes 12".
DEMONICA, the new project featuring MERCYFUL FATE guitarist Hank Shermann, will release its debut album, "Demonstrous", on February 26, 2010 via Massacre Records. The CD, which will be made available in Japan on February 17, was recorded in the Bay Area, the Rocky Mountains and Copenhagen (Denmark), and was mixed at Flatline Audio in Denver, Colorado with Dave Otero (CEPHALIC CARNAGE, MARTRIDEN, COBALT).
"Demonstrous" track listing:
01. Demon Class 02. Ghost Hunt 03. My Tongue 04. Luscious Damned 05. Below Zero 06. Alien Six 07. Palace Of Glass 08. Fast And Furious 09. Summoned 10. Astronomica
The track "Luscious Damned" is available for streaming on the DEMONICAMySpace page.
The artwork was created by Gustavo Sazes and can be viewed below.
"We are totally stoked how this turned out and can't wait to get it out there," says Hank. "These 10 songs are the most thrashy and brutal songs I have ever played."
"We chose Dave for his extra edge and experience working with some of the most grinding bands around. We wanted a different approach to the mix than the standard these days, [and] he really nailed it."
Locicero recently stated about his involvement with DEMONICA, "It's a blistering thrash record written by Hank and our vocalist, Klaus Hyr. Klaus sounds like a man of fire! He has been passionate about thrash for a long, long time. Evidently, so was Hank.
"When [Hank] approached me to play guitar on his record... of course, I said 'hell yes!' The next step was to get FORBIDDEN's drummer, Mark Hernandez, on board. Great move; Mark is awesome and really added a lot.
"It was a journey to make this album from start to finish. You have Hank and Klaus in Denmark; our bassist, Marc Grabowski, in Denver. Then Mark and myself living in the [San Francisco] Bay Area. That's a worldwide metal union!
"Anyhow, this record is simply crushing! Relentless from top to bottom and full of Bay Area attitude. I think all metal fans will dig it. I call it unmercyful thrash!!! There is a lot of great stuff."
Shermann will be interviewed by DJ Jet of Metal Messiah Radio on Tuesday, February 9 at 9 p.m. EST on "The Metal Magdalene with Jet". Hank will talk about DEMONICA, which also features members of FORBIDDEN, BATALLION and CORRUPTION, and he will touch upon what's going on with MERCYFUL FATE.
MUSICA DIABLO — the São Paulo, Brazil-based thrash metal project featuring SEPULTURA singer Derrick Green, guitarist André NM (NITROMINDS), bassist Ricardo Brigas, guitarist André Curci (KORZUS, THREAT) and drummer Edu Nicollini (NITROMINDS) — spent the month of January recording 11 songs for its debut album. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Live To Buy", "Twisted Hate", "Work Out" and "The Flame Of Anger".
Video footage from the recording sessions can be viewed below.
MUSICA DIABLO last year parted ways with drummer Marcão (AÇÃO DIRETA, DEAD FISH) and replaced him with Nicollini. The band also added a second guitarist in the shape of André Curci.
DEICIDE, MARDUK and VADER have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Rockharz Open Air festival, set to take place July 8-10 at Flugplatz in Ballenstedt/Harz, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
BLACK MESSIAH BURNING SKIES DARK AGE DEICIDE DELAIN DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER DORO EISBRECHER END OF GREEN ENSIFERUM EQUILIBRIUM EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS FEUERENGEL GERNOTSHAGEN HYPOCRISY KRYPTERIA MARDUK MONO INC OVERKILL RAGE SONATA ARCTICA SUBWAY TO SALLY THERION UNZUCHT VADER VAN CANTO VARG
German thrash metal veterans KREATOR have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records.
Commented guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza: "We're happy to anounce that KREATOR has just signed a new long-[term] deal with Nuclear Blast! Based on a friendship with Andy Siry (head of A&R of Nuclear Blast) that lasted for decades we will now finally join forces on a professional level! "Becoming a part of the Nuclear Blast family means a lot to us and together with the world's biggest metal label we will conquer the future!"
Added Andy Siry: "For me another 'thrash dream' has come true with the signing of Germany's finest and Europe's leading thrash legends KREATOR!!! I still remember the day when I heard 'Endless Pain' for the first time, I became a huge fan of the band. I have been following KREATOR through their career and I built up a very good friendship with Mille. The last years I have been working very hard to make it possible that KREATOR would join the Nuclear family. Together we are looking into a very bright future in which we will be leading KREATOR onwards to world domination!"
KREATOR filmed a video for the song "Destroy What Destroys You" during the band's October 17, 2009 show with EXODUS at Espacio Broadway in Santiago, Chile. The clip was directed by Chilean video artist Carlos Toro, who has previously worked with VADER, MERCENARY and LACRIMOSA.
Lyrically, the track is a homage to German protest singer Rio Reiser.
KREATOR drummer Ventor (real name: Jürgen Reil) sat out the band's recent tour dates due to "some personal issues." Filling in for him between September 11 in Moscow, Russia and October 31 in Sao Paulo, Brazil was Marco Minnemann, who is best known for his stints in NECROPHAGIST, ILLOGICIST and EPHEL DUATH.
Jürgen "Ventor" Reil recently opened a tattoo shop in Essen, Germany called Carnap Ink Corporation.
Some samples of Ventor's work can be found at this location.
KREATOR's new album, "Hordes Of Chaos", sold around 2,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 165 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at No. 7 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 was released in three different versions. The jewel case edition includes the ten regular album songs, and the deluxe version features an additional bonus DVD with an atmospheric making-of in super-8 quality courtesy of a Berlin filmmaker. As a third option, the ultra-deluxe version comes with a t-shirt, a worthwhile photo book and an extended version of the bonus DVD, as well as the CD.
The "Hordes Of Chaos" artwork was created once again by Joachim Luetke. Luetke designed the artwork for KREATOR's last album, "Enemy Of God", as well as past releases from bands like DIMMU BORGIR, ARCH ENEMY and RAGE.
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