ATLmetal.com conducted an interview with SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera before the band's March 9, 2010 concert in Atlanta, Georgia. Watch the chat below.
SOULFLY will film a video for the song "Rise Of The Fallen" during the band's March 17, 2010 live performance at the Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, New York. Directing the clip will be Dale "Rage" Resteghini, who has helmed over 550 music videos since 2003, including clips for such metal bands as MUDVAYNE, HATEBREED, ANTHRAX, and SHADOWS FALL. Rage has also directed videos for some of the biggest names in the hip hop world, including Lil Wayne, Diddy, Snoop Dog, and Ice Cube.
"Rise Of The Fallen" will appear on SOULFLY's seventh album, "Omen", which is scheduled for release on May 25 via Roadrunner Records.
SOULFLY is currently touring North America with PRONG, INCITE and ROTTING CORPSE.
"Omen" was recorded at Edge Of The Earth studios in Hollywood, California with co-producer Logan Mader (MACHINE HEAD, DIVINE HERESY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, GOJIRA, DEVILDRIVER) and it features guest appearances by THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN frontman Greg Puciato and PRONG mainman Tommy Victor.
Of the collaborations, guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera says, "The first one is a song with Tommy Victor from PRONG sharing vocals on a song called 'Lethal Injection'. The other is 'Rise of the Fallen', with shared vocals from Greg Puciato, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's singer. I also recorded two B-sides with both of my sons playing drums. Igor Cavalera plays on EXCEL's 'Your Life, My Life', and Zyon Cavalera plays on SEPULTURA's 'Refuse/Resist' cover."
"Omen" track listing:
01. Bloodbath & Beyond 02. Rise of the Fallen 03. Counter Sabotage 04. Jeffrey Dahmer 05. Lethal Injection 06. Great Depression 07. Mega-Doom 08. Kingdom 09. Off With Their Heads 10. Vulture Culture 11. Soulfly 7
Bonus / B-side tracks:
* Four Sticks (LED ZEPPELIN cover) * Refuse/Resist (SEPULTURA cover; feat. Max's son Zyon on drums) * Your Life, My Life (EXCEL cover; feat. Max's son Igor on drums)
Video footage of the reactivated Chicago cult metal band SLAUTER XSTROYES performing a brand new song, "Voodoo", on March 6, 2010 at the Up the Hammers Festival in Athens, Greece can be viewed below (courtesy of "resoundthehorn"). The track will appear on the group's new album, tentatively due late 2010/early 2011.
SLAUTER XSTROYES is:
Brent Sullivan - Bass Paul Kratky - Guitars Rik Kroll - Drums Steven Reimer Sr. - Vocals
Video footage of MEGADETH's March 12, 2010 concert at the Palace Theatre in Greensburg, Pennsylvania (approximately 30 minutes away from Pittsburgh) can be viewed below (courtesy of "digitallive").
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Set The World Afire 02. Wake Up Dead 03. In My Darkest Hour 04. Holy Wars...The Punishment Due 05. Hangar 18 06. Take No Prisoners 07. Five Magics 08. Poison Was The Cure 09. Lucretia 10. Tornado Of Souls 11. Dawn Patrol 12. Rust In Peace...Polaris 13. Head Crusher 14. Trust 15. Symphony Of Destruction ---------------------- 16. Peace Sells 17. Holy Wars - Reprise
MEGADETH kicked off its "Rust In Peace 20th Anniversary Tour" on March 1 at the Knitting Factory in Spokane, Washington.
Photos of the band's performance can be found at Live 'N Loud Magazine (all pictures by Joseph R. Scozzari).
MEGADETH recently commenced filming a video for the song "The Right To Go Insane" in South El Monte, California. The track comes off MEGADETH's latest album, "Endgame", which was recorded at Vic's Garage, the band's brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California. The CD was helmed by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and British producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD).
MEGADETH will take part in a meet-and-greet/signing session at Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center in Wheaton, Maryland in conjunction with Marshall Amps on Monday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m. While at the meet-and-greet, fans will have the opportunity to see MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's signature Marshall full stack.
Chuck Levin's Washington Music Center 11151 Veirs Mill Road Wheaton, MD 20902
DIGImmortalPhoto has uploaded quality video footage of HAIL! — the all-star band featuring bassist David Ellefson (ex-MEGADETH), guitarist Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA), vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and newly appointed chameleon drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER) — performing a cover version of the PANTERA classic "Mouth For War" on January 26 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City can be viewed below.
A review of the New York City show — including photos — can be found at NY Hard Rock Music Examiner (courtesy of Elliot Levin).
HAIL!'s setlist for the show was as follows:
01. Ace Of Spades (MOTÖRHEAD) 02. Territory (SEPULTURA) 03. Grinder (JUDAS PRIEST) 04. Stand Up And Shout (DIO) 05. Balls To The Wall (ACCEPT) 06. Mouth For War (PANTERA) 07. Walk (PANTERA) 08. Neon Knights (BLACK SABBATH) 09. Wrathchild (IRON MAIDEN) 10. Lights Out (UFO) * 11. Metal Church (METAL CHURCH) * 12. Green Manilishi (JUDAS PRIEST) * 13. Highway To Hell (AC/DC) ** 14. TNT (AC/DC) ** 15. Overkill (MOTÖRHEAD) **/*** 16. Cold Gin (KISS) *** 17. Got The Time (ANTHRAX) *** 18. Run To The Hills (IRON MAIDEN)
Encore:
19. The Four Horsemen (METALLICA) 20. Symptom Of The Universe (BLACK SABBATH) 21. South Of Heaven (SLAYER) 22. Refuse/Resist (SEPULTURA) 23. Whiplash (METALLICA)
Special Guests:
Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) - Guitar on * Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (OVERKILL) - Vocals on ** Frank Bello (ANTHRAX) - Bass on ***
California rockers TESLA will release a new live album, appropriately titled "Alive In Europe!", in Europe on April 23 via Frontiers Records.
The track listing for the effort is as follows:
01. Forever More 02. I Wanna Live 03. Modern Day Cowboy 04. Heaven's Trail 05. What A Shame 06. Shine Away 07. Love Song 08. What You Give 09. The Way It Is 10. Breakin' Fee 11. Hang Tough 12. So What! 13. Signs 14. Lil' Suzie 15. Into The Now
Audio samples of all 15 tracks that appear on the CD can be found at Amazon.co.uk.
In a recent interview with The Breakdown Room's Brian Heaton, TESLA bassist Brian Wheat that the band was working on two separate live albums — the first consisting of live recordings solely from TESLA's shows overseas, and the second featuring songs performed and recorded in the United States.
"I could have just done one big live record, but I wanted the European fans to have their own piece of TESLA," Wheat said. "We completely ignored them from 1991 to 2006, although we go there a lot now. I just wanted to say, 'Hey, look, this one is for you.'"
According to Wheat, "Alive In Europe!" was to be a more "hits-oriented" collection of songs, whereas its U.S. counterpart would likely focus on some of TESLA's more obscure cuts.
"There will be some overlap, but not much," Wheat said. "Americans got the DVD, 'Comin' Atacha Live 2008', and that had a lot of hits. So the American [live album] will have stuff we haven't played in a long time or played ever."
DEATH BREATH — the Swedish old-school death metal project featuring former ENTOMBED drummer and main songwriter Nicke Andersson (most recently the frontman of rock 'n' roll band THE HELLACOPTERS) — recently completed the fourth recording session for its new album at Deuce Recording Studios. Check out photos from the studio at this location. According to the group, "pretty much everything besides vocals are finished. [We'd] have to say that we've recorded our fastest and heaviest stuff so far!"
A unmixed version of a brand new DEATH BREATH track, "Obsessed By Sodomy", is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The song will appear on DEATH BREATH's new CD, due later in the year via Psychout/Black Lodge.
DEATH BREATH's latest EP, "Let It Stink", was released in the U.S. in August 2007 via Relapse Records.
"Let It Stink" featured four brand new songs as well as three covers by BATHORY ("Sacrifice"), G.B.H. ("Lycantrophy") and DISCHARGE ("Maimed And Slaughtered"). The CD version of "Let It Stink" contained a brand new version of the video for the song "Death Breath" as well as the original one.
According to the New York Post, an A-list crowd of Brazilian billionaires and supermodels rioted at 3 a.m. yesterday after waiting hours for GUNS N' ROSES to perform, and then learning Axl Rose and his band wouldn't play. The exclusive concert in a Sao Paulo club was hosted by Ana Beatriz Barros and fellow lingerie models. "The audience got angry and started to mount the stage, and fight and destroy everything," a source cited by the New York Post source said. "It was wild. There were fights everywhere, on the dance floor, in the bathrooms, outside the club. Crazy. I guess the free drinks didn't help."
A track-by-track breakdown of the new DARK TRANQUILLITY album, "We Are The Void", by the band's vocalist, Mikael Stanne, can be found on the MSN Music metal blog Headbäng. Stanne reveals that there are "several" fans of U.K. goth-rock band SISTERS OF MERCY among the members of DARK TRANQUILLITY, and owns up to being a major admirer of synth-pop band DEPECHE MODE. "Since I was 10 or so, I have been listening to them," he said. "Just saw them a couple of weeks ago and I am still amazed."
"We Are The Void", the ninth album from DARK TRANQUILLITY, was released in North America on March 9 via Century Media Records. The LP was made available in Europe as a CD, digital download and strictly limited-edition die-cut digipak featuring two bonus songs ("Stars Of Nothingness" and "To Where Fires Cannot Feed") and a bonus DVD that contains the following material:
01. Studio Report - The Making of The Void (produced by Anders Björler of THE HAUNTED) 02. Making Of "Shadow In Our Blood" video 03. ThereIn (Live In Milan) 04. Final Resistance (Live In Milan) 05. "Where Death Is Most Alive" DVD trailer
The drums for "We Are The Void" were recorded at bassist Daniel Antonsson's studio, while the remaining instruments were tracked at Martin Brändström's (electronics) newly renovated Rogue music facility. The mixing duties were once again handled by Tue Madsen (HALFORD, BEHEMOTH, KATAKLYSM, THE HAUNTED) at his Antfarm studio in Århus, Denmark.
"Shadow In Our Blood", the new video from DARK TRANQUILLITY, was created by Vasara Films (TURISAS, DRAGONFORCE) who also filmed and edited DARK TRANQUILLITY's live DVD, "Where Death Is Most Alive".
DARK TRANQUILLITY is currently on the road in the U.S. with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA.
DARK TRANQUILLITY will embark on a European headlining tour, dubbed "Where Death Is Most Alive Part II 2010", in September. Support on the trek will come from INSOMNIUM.
Michael "Whip" Wilton, legendary guitarist and founder of multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated band QUEENSRŸCHE, has made his official miniature guitar replicas available through Rat Pak Records' Whipwear web site.
The item is described in the following way: "Menacing, glowing skulls and stunning detail! Our signature Michael Wilton miniature model guitar is a great collectible and tribute to QUEENSRŸCHE. Stand included. Miniature replica is not a playable guitar."
The guitar comes with "American Soldier" guitar picks from Michael's personal collection!
Wilton is continuing work on his solo CD, which is tentatively due later in the year via Rat Pak Records and Century Media distribution.
Michael makes a guest appearance on a couple of songs on the new solo album from METAL CHURCH vocalist Ronny Munroe, entitled "The Fire Within".
QUEENSRŸCHE's twelfth studio LP, the epic concept album "American Soldier", was made available from Atco/Rhino in March 2009 for a suggested list price of $18.98 (CD) and $9.99 (digital). The ambitious album encompasses a dozen songs inspired by numerous interviews with veterans conducted by Geoff Tate, the group's singer and chief songwriter, who was intent on telling their story using their words. After speaking with soldiers who served in various conflicts — from World War II to Iraq — Tate turned their firsthand experiences from the frontlines into an unflinching musical examination of the life of a solider and the consequences of war.
The reunited original ELECTRIC BOYS lineup — Franco Santunione (guitar), Andy Christell (bass), Niklas Sigevall (drums) and Conny Bloom (guitar, vocals) — will perform its new album in its entirety before it is released on Sunday, March 21 at Rival in Stockholm, Sweden.
A sample of some of the demo tracks (recorded at Future Legends Studios) that will appear on the forthcoming CD can be heard in the YouTube clip below. The band says, "[the album] will contain stuff that both sounds familiar but also stuff that doesn't."
ELECTRIC BOYS last year released a 20-track "best-of" collection, titled "Now Dig This!", via Spinefarm Records. It features songs from the band's three studio albums, including "Psychedelic Eyes", "Mary In The Mystery World", "Groovus Maximus", "The Groover", "Rags To Riches", "Captain Of My Soul" plus a 2009 remix of "All Lips N' Hips", along of course with the original version, a longstanding staple of rock clubs around the world.
Formed in 1988, ELECTRIC BOYS achieved recognition around the known rock'n'roll world with signature hit single "All Lips N' Hips" plus a series of albums that tapped into the very essence of long-haired, leather-trousered, late-night cool.
Touring alongside bands such as THUNDER and MR. BIG, and drinking from the same well as rock legends like AEROSMITH, the band offered an alternative to the late '80s hair-metal scene, fusing hard rock and heavy funk to create an instantly recognizable style ("Groovus Maximus") built riff by riff on the sturdiest possible foundations, unswervingly provided by drummer Niklas Sigevall.
Lauded by the media, feted by the industry, respected by the top producers of the day (including Bob Rock) and supported by a genuinely international fanbase, the ELECTRIC BOYS — led into action by flamboyant frontman Conny Bloom, who has continued to play and record both under his own name and with SILVER GINGER 5 and HANOI ROCKS, as well as appearing in TV ads for Jameson Whiskey — consistently showed that the great rock'n'roll dream was available in many colours, and that the sitar did indeed have a serious part to play!
A new DEAD BEYOND BURIED track entitled "Funeral Of The Cursed Men" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song comes off the U.K. death metallers' second album, "Inheritors Of Hell", which will be released on April 5 through Siege Of Amida Records. The CD was recorded and a produced by the bandmembers themselves and was mastered by Tim Turan (BEHEMOTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE). The cover artwork was designed by Khaosart (MORBID ANGEL).
"Inheritors Of Hell" track listing:
01. Relentless Dead Machine 02. A King Amongst Slaves 03. Funeral Of The Cursed Men 04. Blood Soaked Earth 05. The Many Names Of Nothing 06. The Last War 07. Inheritors Of Hell 08. Transcendence Of Death 09. The Overcoming
DEAD BEYOND BURIED released its first album, "Condemned to Misery", in 2007 through Siege of Amida Records.
The band was main support for Swedish monsters INSISION on their U.K. tour in February.
HADES guitarist Dan Lorenzo will host the "Takeover" show at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 26 on 89.5 WSOU FM.
Seton Hall's popular heavy metal station has been running "Takeover" shows where listeners actually get to pick their choice of songs and speak for a half hour on the air.
"What music lover wouldn't want to be a program director, even if for only a half hour?" Lorenzo asked.
"From 1990 to 1994 my band NON-FICTION received tons of spins on WSOU (earning weeks at a time at the #1 slot), and that will always be a special time for me. WSOU will always have a place in my heart because of that."
Lorenzo added, "You know I had to play some CLUTCH and COC, but I, of course, look out for my friends too, so I played some OVERKILL and [HADES singer Alan Tecchio's new band] AUTUMN HOUR."
To listen to the show live via the Internet, go to www.wsou.net.
Jonathan Barnes of Evening Star reports: It was a concert that has gone down in Suffolk music legend — the night one of the biggest rock bands in the world played at a converted swimming pool.
But there are no official recordings of LED ZEPPELIN's gig at St Matthews Baths Hall in Ipswich in November 1971; only a handful of patched-together recordings from a small band of bootleggers.
So rock fan Vic Kemp could not believe his luck when he found a CD at a car boot sale featuring a recording of the whole concert.
"I was going through a stand of CDs at the car boot at Portman Road and the guy who was selling them said 'you might be interested in this,'" he said.
Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR have issued the following update:
"All songs for the TO/DIE/FOR's sixth album are composed. Songs are only waiting to be recorded. There is also gonna be a couple of songs which Jape [Perätalo; vocals] and Tonmi [Lillman; drums] did together in early '90s with their band called MARY-ANN.
"The 'Angelica' song, which is on TO/DIE/FOR's 'Epilogue From The Past' best of album will be fixed too. More low guitars and more 'balls' are gonna be there.
"Some songs are named but we have no name for the album yet.
"If the idea which we created lately will work (about how to handle money/labels, studio costs etc.) we can record the whole album in June/July I guess. But next days will tell us a lot so let's just fucking wait.
"Before that, Jape [Perätalo] will have studio session with [his other project] SUNDOWN SINDROME in Germany between April 28th to May 8th. SUNDOWN SINDROME's first album will be released also in 2010.
"The rest of year 2010 is gonna be busy!"
TO/DIE/FOR released a "best-of" collection, "Epilogue From The Past - Best Of", on January 27 via Spinefarm Records. Included on the set was the brand new song, "Angelica", which is slated to appear on the group's next studio album.
In December, TO/DIE/FOR uploaded a demo version of a new song, "Unknown III", to the band's MySpace page. The track is one of four cuts — alongside "Angelica", "My Hysteria" and "Sad" (working title) — which were used to procure new management and a record deal. Jape Perätalo previously stated that "most of the guitars [on the new album] will be played by Krisse. He is not a band member. He is doing this as a session musician and he is Tonmi's [Lillman; TO/DIE/FOR drummer] friend from Helsinki." He added, "We still do not know who will be TO/DIE/FOR guitarist in future, but now we have 'one' who could be."
TO/DIE/FOR played in Lebanon on November 13 at Forum De Beyrouth.
The band's lineup for the Lebanon concert was as follows:
Jape Perätalo - Vocals Tonmi Lillman - Drums Josey Strandman - Bass Toni Toikkanen - Guitar Mika Ahtiainen - Guitar
TO/DIE/FOR's fifth album, "Wounds Wide Open", was released in Finland in October 2006. The follow-up to 2005's "IV" was recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and by Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, and was mixed at Sweden's Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren (DIMMU BORGIR, CELTIC FROST).
Dave Bookman of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada alternative rock station 102.1 The Edge conducted an interview with former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash earlier this week when Slash was in town for the Canadian Music Week. Watch the chat in two parts below.
Slash has unveiled the lineup of his touring band, which will take to the road this spring in support of Slash's self-titled debut solo album. Joining previously announced vocalist Myles Kennedy from ALTER BRIDGE will be rhythm guitarist Bobby Schneck, who's toured with WEEZER and GREEN DAY, ALICE COOPER and VINCE NEIL drummer Brent Fitz, and BIG WRECK bass player Dave Henning. The band's first confirmed gig is at Ohio's Rock On The Range festival in May, with more dates to be confirmed soon.
Slash told The Pulse of Radio that he's really pleased to have Kennedy singing on the tour. "He was one of these sort of youngish rock singers that I wasn't real familiar with, who is probably one of the best, you know, young new rock 'n' roll singers around," he said. "There's actually two songs on the record that he did, and he can basically perform any other songs on the record, plus he knows how to do all the GUNS N' ROSES stuff. So it's worked out nicely."
Slash's solo album is due out on April 6.
The first single from the set, called "By The Sword", features vocals from WOLFMOTHER frontman Andrew Stockdale.
The guitarist uses a different guest vocalist on each track, including Fergie, M. Shadows, Kid Rock, Chris Cornell, Dave Grohl, Lemmy Kilmister, Iggy Pop and others.
George Pacheco of the Cape Cod Rock Music Examiner recently conducted an interview with SOULFLY/ex-SEPULTURA guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
On his death metal roots:
"Yeah, I'm still connected to that part of my career. I think there was a lot of great music came out of that, and I still write music based upon that — a lot of my riffs are still based on that era. I still feel a strong connection with stuff like DEATH, POSSESSED, CELTIC FROST and MASSACRE; I'll never let that die, and I know it'll always be a part of me, because writing fast, aggressive music never really went away, you know? That spirit is alive with SOULFLY."
On SOULFLY's musical progression over the years:
"Each one of my albums brings the certain place of mind I was in, and I'm proud of them all. 'Soulfly' had a lot of jam sessions, while 'Primitive' had a lot of guests, from Tom Araya to Corey Taylor and Sean Lennon. 'Soulfly III' and 'Prophecy' had more thrash things going on, which drove right into 'Dark Ages', 'Conquer' and now [on the new SOULFLY album] 'Omen'. I have very good memories of all of them, and they all represent every era of my life. Sure, we've came back to a more ‘metal' sound here with SOULFLY since 'Dark Ages', but I never backtrack, man. I don't compare the albums. I just look forward and do each album one at a time. I'm never looking back to the last one, or in the future towards the next."
On whether he has noticed his way of songwriting changing much over the years:
"It's the same, and has been for twenty years or so. Everything goes down to a four track and a drum machine, so most of the stuff which comes to the studio is 90 percent done; I write it at home, and translate it into the band form. We add bridges, solo sections, intros and outros, but the majority of the song is already written at home, which is the most important part, I think."
On working with former SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader on the production of "Omen" and the current SOULFLY lineup:
"Logan worked with me on the CAVALERA CONSPIRACY project, as well, so it went really well, man. He really got a great sound on the album; he's very talented, and just a great guy.
"The lineup we have now has actually been the most consistent, existing since 2003! I really like these guys. We get along real well, and are good friends. We all live in different parts of the U.S., so we see each other on tour, but stay separate most of the other time, which I think is good, because you're not connected to that person all of the time. I'm glad that this lineup has persevered, but if it changes, I'm still going to continue SOULFLY not matter what, man."
Video footage of SOULFLY performing a brand new song, "Lethal Injection" — featuring a special guest appearance on vocals by PRONG mainman Tommy Victor — on March 6, 2010 at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida can be viewed below.
Chris A. of Hardrock Haven recently conducted an interview with guitarist Warren DeMartini of Californian rockers RATT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Hardrock Haven: I would imagine the advances in technology over the past 10 years, not to mention the band's experience and maturity, were positives for recording [RATT's new album] "Infestation".
Warren DeMartini: It was very comfortable and very cool. We enjoyed the advances in recording technology and our production team were just the best. We really enjoyed the time savings that digital recording afforded us. I mean, we were able to knock out things in a week that used to take three weeks. We went into the studio with only one rule — we wanted our stuff to sound as authentic and real as possible. We had no time limits or restrictions other than that one rule because we wanted our stuff to be alive and filled with energy. We didn't want to put out some sterile stuff to save time. I mean, we used to record on tape and I remember cutting and pasting this reel-to-reel tape and it took forever. Today it's much more efficient and cost-effective. As for our recording process, we recorded all the tracks live in the studio. Two guitars, bass and drums, all of us in the room playing together. We wanted it to be very natural a sort of "what you hear on the record is what you get live."
Hardrock Haven: How would you say "Infestation" stacks up in comparison to RATT's earlier work?
Warren DeMartini: Again, we went into the studio with only one rule, that being try to play it in the studio like we'd play it live. We were looking for energy. "Out of the Cellar" is a very different kind of album than "Infestation" is. On "Out Of The Cellar" we laid the tracks down quickly hoping that we'd get a great take and we didn't spend a lot of time in the studio. On later albums we took a lot more time in the studio and experimented with sounds and recording but that's an entirely different animal. Overall, I think "Infestation" is a great record with tons of energy.
Hardrock Haven: I understand that playing the guitar comes relatively easy for you? Is that true and if so what do you chalk that up to? Do you practice playing at all?
Warren DeMartini: I do practice all the time. Once I got over the cliff of learning things, playing got easier and easier. But no, it wasn't like I was automatic. I failed on guitar a couple times over they years as I tried to take up the instrument. I remember wanting to play since as early as six or seven years old but I didn't think I could. I tried it a few years later and it was still alien to me and I just wasn't getting it. A few years later, I was involved in an accident and was bedridden for a month and a friend brought over a guitar to help me while away the time. That's when I started to figure it out. But yes, I do play all the time. I think it's fun to do and I'd be doing it as a hobby if I wasn't doing it professionally.
Video footage of legendary axeman Steve Vai talking about the origins of his Ibanez Universe seven-string guitar and introducing the 20th anniversary reissue can be viewed below.
In 1990, Ibanez released Steve Vai's signature seven-string electric guitar — the Universe. Following the release, Ibanez's new seven-string guitar spread with lightning speed to the guitarists who pursued new sound options and triggered their creation of new music.
In 2010, Ibanez celebrates the 20th anniversary of the seven-string guitar and milestone introduction of the Universe Signature model.
The Universe UV77RE 1990 Reissue Multicolor will be available in highly limited numbers. Each swirl finish on these guitars are unique and distinct from each other, and swirled by master swirl artist and original "ATD" swirler Darren Johansen.
The guitar features a five-piece maple/bubinga Wizard Jem neck and a basswood body with original heeljoint; 24 frets and rosewood board with disappearing pyramid inlays. Pickups are DiMarzio BLAZE II Neck, Middle and cosmo black hardware and a Lo-Pro Edge 7 bridge.
The guitar comes in a special silver-lined Ibanez Flight Case, along with a special printed high-quality poster and special certificate.
Furthermore, in 2010 Steve Vai's six-string signature model JEM series will achieve sales of 77,777 pieces since its release in 1987. Steve and Ibanez are planning a unique JEM design contest in the near future.
FATES WARNING/SLAVIOR drummer Mark Zonder has issued the following update:
"There are some cool things happening for me this year.
"As many of you know, I'm going back on the road with FATES WARNING for select dates in the U.S. and Europe starting this month.
"I'd like to thank all of you for your support of the band and me over the years. It's your love of the music that has kept FATES going for almost 30 years and it's reason why we can rock these great gigs this spring and summer.
"On the recording front, there is some new SLAVIOR material in the works for our second album, which will be finished by the fall.
"I've also re-launched my website — MarkZonder.com — with a new look and some new features, including a Facebook news feed from my new Facebook musician page. On this page you can find my music, discography, tour dates, news updates, photos and video.
"Speaking of videos, I've set up a YouTube channel where you can see instructional clips from my clinics, music videos and SLAVIOR live performance videos.
"MarkZonder.com also features information about my recording studio and how you can hire me to play on your album or song. It's an easy, professional and affordable way for you to get big sounding drum parts on your project no matter if it's pop or prog rock.
"I hope you'll check out my new web site and sign up on my new social networking pages to keep up to date with what's happening on the road and in the studio."
DOWN/ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo recently spoke to Rick Florino of Bloody-Disgusting.com about his favorite horror movies.
Anselmo's Top 11 favorite horror films:
01. The Spiral Staircase 02. Evil Dead 03. The Old Dark House 04. The Tombs of the Blind Dead 05. House By the Cemetary 06. Zombi 07. Don't Go in the House 08. House with the Laughing Windows 09. Don't Look Now 10. Horror Hotel 11. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage
To read Anselmo's comments on each one of his selections, go to this location.
Jane Stevenson of the QMI Agency conducted an interview with former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash earlier today (Friday, March 12) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On the reports about his former bandmate Axl Rose banning fans wearing Slash-related T-shirts and top hats from the current GUNS N' ROSES tour:
"I give him the benefit of the doubt.
"I hate to think someone would be that petty, so it might be more of a rumor.
"There is a little bit of infighting between fans now, too. There's like GUNS fans who support the Axl thing and then there's GUNS fans who support the Slash thing. And God knows where it originated.
"We (Slash and Rose) obviously haven't actually sat together and talked so there's definitely some bad blood there but at the same time it's been, you know, 15 years and I don't like to perpetuate the negative stuff because I don't really have the kind of harsh feelings for him that the media exaggerates."
On the sound of GUNS N' ROSES' long-awaited release, "Chinese Democracy", released after a near 15-year wait:
"I thought it was exactly what I thought it would sound like.
"It was very indicative of what I thought he would do. So it was absolutely no surprise. 'Cause we had sort of like the GUNS N' ROSES sound, which was just a straight-ahead rock band, and along the way Axl started to get very sort of techno, or had a lot of techno influences. And when I say that I mean like synthesizers and a lot of digital influence. And, of course, we sort of kept an old-school approach, and I think besides everything else musically, we sort of went off in different directions. And this record of Axl's is definitely very digital and very Pro Tools and very synthesized — whatever sounds are augmented by outside sources."
Colombia's Shock.com.co web site has uploaded video footage of METALLICA's March 10, 2010 press conference in Bogota during which the bandmembers were presented with a platinum plaque for the group's latest CD, "Death Magnetic", and a gold plaque for the "Orgullo, Pasión Y Gloria - Tres Noches En La Ciudad De México" DVD.
METALLICA's setlist for the March 10, 2010 concert in Bogota was as follows:
01. Creeping Death 02. For Whom The Bell Tolls 03. Ride The Lightning 04. Harvester Of Sorrow 05. Fade To Black 06. That Was Just Your Life 07. The End Of The Line 08. Sad But True 09. Broken, Beat and Scarred 10. Cyanide 11. One 12. Master Of Puppets 13. Blackened 14. Nothing Else Matters 15. Enter Sandman - - - - - - - - 16. Stone Cold Crazy 17. Hit The Lights 18. Seek and Destroy
As previously reported, violence and chaos broke out around Simon Bolivar Park in Bogota on Wednesday night as hundreds of fans tried to crash METALLICA's first concert in the South American country in 11 years. According to Colombia Reports, three people were stabbed, a policeman injured, and more than 50 people were arrested, while property was vandalized and destroyed.
A local radio report claimed that there were posts on Facebook before the show urging fans to crash the gig.
Heavy security blanketed the show itself, including 1,500 police officers, four tanks and several police trucks. Estimates of the paid crowd at the show varied between 20,000 and 70,000.
Norwegian melodic metallers THUNDERBOLT have entered the studio to begin recording their as-yet-untitled third CD for a late 2010 release. The band states, "Tony Johannessen is now putting on the vocal and we hope to mix the album late in April."
The forthcoming THUNDERBOLT LP will feature the following tracks:
01. Majestic Travesty 02. Fight 03. Land of the Living 04. Metal Tide 05. Black Horde 06. Special 07. Crime Of The Sentry 08. Dung Idols 09. The Moderators 10. Heel Run
In other news, THUNDERBOLT will be the main support for powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) on his upcoming European solo tour in September.
THUNDERBOLT's sophomore album, "Love and Destruction", was released in May 2006 via Massacre Records.
The band's debut LP, "Demons and Diamonds", came out in 2003.
Video footage of BEHEMOTH's March 10, 2010 concert at An Club in Athens, Greece can be viewed below (courtesy of "resoundthehorn").
According to Interia.pl and GazetaPrawna.pl, BEHEMOTH vocalist/guitarist Adam "Nergal" Darski was formally charged on Monday (March 8) for insulting Roman Catholics.
Darski made headlines in his native country in September 2007 when he reportedly called the Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" during a BEHEMOTH performance in Gdynia and tore up a copy of the Bible onstage.
After the incident, Ryszard Nowak, head of the All-Polish Committee for Defense Against Sects sued BEHEMOTH for promoting Satanism. Although a court expert witness on religious matters said that the act of destroying the Holy Bible could offend somebody's religious feelings (a criminal offense under Polish law), the case was discontinued because no one except Nowak accused BEHEMOTH of insulting their religious beliefs. (Under Polish law, there must be at least two formal complaints before a charge is laid. The previous complaint was made in 2008, and recently an unspecified number of other complaints had been filed.)
Nergal is pleading not guilty to the charge.
According to Metal As Fuck, in the first hearing, under cross examination, Darski stated what he does on stage is part of artistic license and it wasn't supposed to offend religious feelings. However, an expert on religious history and studies from Jagellonian University in Krakow stated that every copy of a bible could be considered a religious icon.
There was no judgment ruled against Darski in the first hearing, but now that a second complaint has been filed, the matter will be heard by the courts.
If found guilty, Darski faces up to 2 years in prison.
Legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) is currently receiving treatment for the early stages of stomach cancer, with which he was diagnosed last November. His wife/manager Wendy Dio (pictured below with Ronnie) has issued the following update on Ronnie's condition:
"Well, now it has been Ronnie's seventh chemo, another cat scan and another endoscopy, and the results are good. The main tumor has shrunk considerably, and our visits to Houston are now every three weeks instead of every two weeks.
"Ronnie and Vinny [Appice, HEAVEN & HELL drummer] went down to the studio to have a listen and see how the [upcoming HEAVEN & HELL] DVD is coming along, NOT to overdub anything as presumed by Hoss2112 or Shattered 73 on the Blabbermouth rants.
"I was very annoyed to read these comments, and if they were truly fans of Ronnie's, they would know #1) that Ronnie is a SINGER and does not need to overdub a live show, and #2) He would never cheat his fans by overdubbing a live DVD.
"I will not be showing these comments to Ronnie, as I know they would hurt and upset him as they did me. He has been going to the REHEARSAL studio to sing, not the recording studio!
"Ronnie's cousin Rock [David Feinstein] (from THE RODS, who used to be in ELF with him) flew in from New York to visit Ronnie for a week and they enjoyed spending some time together, going to the movies and taking walks, and Ronnie and Rock went to the studio to master Rock's new album, which Ronnie sings a track on. And Craig Goldy [DIO guitarist] will be coming over to start writing new songs with Ronnie next week. It will be great to see him again, as he has been away touring with the British band BUDGIE.
"That's all I can think of right now until the next update.
"God bless you all and we are still reading all the wonderful cards and letters."
In a previous online posting, Wendy Dio revealed that there are plans to release a 30th-anniversary BLACK SABBATH "Heaven And Hell" DVD sometime this year. The package is expected to include brand new interviews that Ronnie, Geezer Butler and Appice gave to Eddie Trunk — co-host of the VH1 Classic television program "That Metal Show" — on January 22, 2010 in Los Angeles, as well other extras.
According to a posting on the BLACK SABBATH fan site Black-Sabbath.com, fans can send get-well cards to Ronnie James Dio through the official fan club address:
Dio Fan Club 12400 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 624 Studio City, CA 91604
Additionally, if you'd like to send an email to Ronnie, you can do so via getwellronnie@black-sabbath.com. After a short time, Black-Sabbath.com webmaster Joe Siegler will print them out and pass them over to Wendy Dio.
Dio, 67, has performed with ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, and his own band DIO. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser "Hear 'n Aid". He is widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the "devil's horns" hand gesture in metal culture. He is currently involved with HEAVEN & HELL, a project which also includes guitarist Tony Iommi and other former BLACK SABBATH bandmates Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice. Their first studio album, "The Devil You Know", was released on April 28, 2009.
FU MANCHU drummer Scott Reeder has joined SOCIAL DISTORTION, the legendary punk rock band from Orange County, California. Reeder will sit behind the kit for SOCIAL DISTORTION's upcoming tour of South America.
Drummer Atom Willard left SOCIAL DISTORTION earlier this week in order to continue his work with ANGELS AND AIRWAVES.
For three decades, SOCIAL DISTORTION has pushed the envelope and expanded the idea of American punk rock by blending influences from the worlds of country, blues, folk and rockabilly with its own brand of hard-driving rock 'n' roll.
SOCIAL DISTORTION has released six full-length studio albums, two compilations, one live album and two DVDs. The band is currently writing, rehearsing and recording material for a brand new studio LP, which is due for release later this year.
SOCIAL DISTORTION's last studio album, "Sex, Love and Rock 'n' Roll", came out in 2004.
As Australian rockers AIRBOURNE get ready to release their sophomore album, "No Guts. No Glory.", Roadrunner Records checks in with brothers Joel (guitar, vocals) and Ryan O'Keeffe (drums) to find out what went into the writing and making of each track.
Check out part 2 below as they discuss tracks 7-13 from the album.
"No Guts. No Glory." is scheduled for release in Europe on March 8, in Canada on March 9 and in the U.S. on April 20 via Roadrunner Records.
AIRBOURNE traveled to the Windy City to record "No Guts. No Glory." with producer Johnny K, live and straight to analog tape. Like debut album "Runnin' Wild", "No Guts. No Glory." continues that good time vibe, but ultimately, according to drummer Ryan O'Keeffe, the record is about "standing up and going for it, and being a man. There's a tougher element to the album, so to speak." Instead of sleeping every night in a comfortable hotel room bed on the label's dime, the band actually slept in the studio, taking inspiration from Bruce Springsteen and his E STREET BAND, who were known to live in the studio until an album was completed.
AIRBOURNE will be spreading its rock 'n' roll seeds all across the U.S. this spring when it embarks on a full U.S. tour supporting BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE.
POISON and DEF LEPPARD are the subject of the March 12, 2010 "Ask Billboard" column of the online version of Billboard magazine. A fan wrote in asking who has totaled more record sales — DEF LEPPARD or POISON.
"The careers of [DEF LEPPARD and POISON] each predate the advent of Nielsen SoundScan sales data in 1991, but let's look at how each has sold since then," Gary Trust of Billboard.com writes in his response.
"POISON has sold 6,058,000 albums in the U.S. in that span. Its top seller is 1996's 'Greatest Hits 1986-1996', with 2,017,000.
"Since 1991, DEF LEPPARD has sold more than twice that of POISON: 16,566,000 albums. Its best-selling title in that period is also a best-of collection, 1995's 'Vault - Greatest Hits 1980-1995', with sales to date of 4,908,000.
"According to the Recording Industry of America (RIAA), DEF LEPPARD handily leads POISON in album sales, 35 to 14.5 million, sums which encompass the bands' entire careers."
Rev. James A. Rota II and Emily Burton of Los Angeles' FIREBALL MINISTRY were interviewed on the March 5-7 edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. The chat is now available for streaming using the audio player below.
To see a full list of stations carrying the program and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.
FIREBALL MINISTRY will release its self-titled fourth album on March 16 via Restricted Release. The follow-up to 2005's "Their Rock Is Not Our Rock" marks the group's first release without the support of a traditional label.
After an extended break where outside projects were allowed to flourish — Reverend James A. Rota II (guitar, vocals) with members of CLUTCH and CKY in THE COMPANY BAND and Johny Chow (bass) with Max and Igor Cavalera in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY — FIREBALL MINISTRY reconvened with its sights set on a more hands-on approach to its career via Restricted Release.
"A million bands are going through this right now, but we decided to take matters into our own hands," Rota says. "With the new technology available to us, we're able to get our music out in a much more hands-on kind of way."
For its new album, FIREBALL MINISTRY re-teamed with renowned producer/engineer Andrew Alekel (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FOO FIGHTERS) — whom they’d previously worked with on 2001's "FMEP" and 2003's "The Second Great Awakening".
"Fireball Ministry" was recorded at Grandmaster in Hollywood, with additional vocals tracked at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge.
During the recording process, the foursome shrugged off any preconceived notions. As a result, "Fireball Ministry" is a triumph of will from a band who knows exactly what they are... And exactly what they aren't. "Nobody looked at each other in the practice room and said, 'That riff doesn't sound like FIREBALL,'" explains Rota. "If a song is great, it's great. We wrote the songs we wanted to write and the record glows with this freedom."
The new songs flow effortlessly: the slight rustic twang that opens "Fallen Believers" is as meat and potatoes as it gets with a stomach-punch groove that drops from the speakers when it kicks in. "Butcher, Faker, Policy Maker" pulses with an anthemic verse stronger than most bands' choruses. "Thought it Out" is the best CHEAP TRICK song you haven't heard, filtered through the hard-driving FIREBALL engine.
"Fireball Ministry" track listing:
01. Hard Lines 02. Fallen Believers 03. Thought It Out 04. Followed By a Fall 05. Kick Back 06. Butcher, Faker, Policy Maker 07. End of Story 08. Common Enemy 09. Sleeping With Angels 10. In Their Own Right
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