Legendary singer and bassist Glenn Hughes (ex-DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) will release his autobiography, "The Life, Near Death, And Rebirth Of A Rock Star: Deep Purple And Beyond", later this year via Foruli Publications. The book, co-written with Joel McIver and featuring an introduction by METALLICA's Lars Ulrich, will appear in a luxury first edition complete with rare photos and an exclusive 10" vinyl EP, "The Life Of A Rock Star", featuring the following all-new recordings:
* "What Is A Woman's Role?" (TRAPEZE, written by Hughes) * "Holy Man" (DEEP PURPLE, written by Hughes, David Coverdale, Jon Lord) * "Dying To Live" (brand new acoustic Glenn Hughes track)
The EP was produced by Glenn Hughes and recorded by Jono Brown at Word of Mouth Recording in California in June 2010
Hughes performed all vocals, acoustic guitars. Jono Brown takes care of percussion on "What Is A Woman’s Role?"
To hear edited versions of all mentioned tracks, click on the player below.
Hughes said, "My autobiography is going to be a literary event. I've been working on this book for the last three years and you've never read anything like it. It's the true story of the Voice Of Rock, from my childhood via my career in TRAPEZE and DEEP PURPLE to my addiction and recovery. I'm now on top of the world as a solo artist and after so many years of sobriety, I can hardly believe that I survived. I spent a million dollars on cocaine and, when you've read this book, you won't believe it either."
"The Life, Near Death, And Rebirth Of A Rock Star: Deep Purple And Beyond" features contributions from Hughes' friend and comrade in DEEP PURPLE David Coverdale, his lifelong musical collaborator Tony Iommi of BLACK SABBATH and a host of others, including Angie Bowie, John Varvatos and the members of THE KLF (with whom Hughes scored a global hit in 1991).
The publisher, Foruli Publications, is a globally-recognized specialist in collectable, high-quality books.
On July 29, Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault conducted an interview with guitarist Scott Hedrick of Athens, Ohio extreme metallers SKELETONWITCH. You can now listen to the chat in two parts below.
SKELETONWITCH will take part in this year's edition of Ozzy's Osbourne's travelling festival, Ozzfest.
The band will appear on the second stage at Ozzfest along with former tour partners GOATWHORE and SAVIOURS and other acts, including DEVILDRIVER, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and KINGDOM OF SORROW.
"Crushed Beyond Dust", a track from SKELETONWTICH's critically acclaimed 2009 album "Breathing the Fire", is now available for download via the newly launched Rock Band Network.
Rock Band Network, announced in July 2009, is a ground-breaking initiative that gives musicians, publishers and record labels the ability to author their original recordings into gameplay files to promote and sell their music as playable Rock Band tracks through the Rock Band Network Music Store (RBN Store).
"Crushed Beyond Dust" can be purchased for play here. A free demo version can be downloaded at this location.
SKELETONWITCH's "Worship the Witch" 10-inch EP was recently released through Prosthetic Records.
Originally self-released released by the band as a follow-up to its first full-length, "At One With The Shadows", the four-song "Worship the Witch" EP has never been made available on vinyl — until now.
The artwork for "Worship the Witch" was reconfigured by John Baizley (KYLESA, BARONESS).
Here is the breakdown of the color ways and limitations on each:
* Black Wax - 400 Copies * Yellow Wax - 200 Copies * Blue Wax - 200 Copies * Green Wax - 100 Copies (sold out through pre-order) * Clear Wax- 100 Copies (available exclusively through the band)
Video footage of Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE, PEEPING TOM, TOMAHAWK) meeting the mayor of Milan, Italy, Letizia Moratti, can be viewed below. (Note: The chat often switches from Italian to English, as all parties involved are fluently bilingual.)
According to Musica Metal, this unusual meeting (Moratti is a right-wing politician with strong anti-immigration and anti-drug policies) took place on Sunday, July 25, a few hours before Patton's "Mondo Cane" symphonic project took the stage at the Arena Civica, accompanied by the Italian Philharmonic Orchestra, to perform covers of Italian pop classics from the Fities/Sixties.
When the mayor was introduced from the stage before the concert took place, she was heavily booed by the rock crowd, which sees her as a member of the "old, anti-rock" establishment.
Photos of the concert are available on Musica Metal.
PRESTO BALLET, the project led by ex-METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, has pulled out of its previously announced U.K. dates as the support act for John Jowitt's ARK. PRESTO BALLET says in a statement, "We have experienced some unexpected delays in recording our new album, and we feel that is where we need to focus our efforts right now. That said, the recording is rolling right along and we're still looking at a release date sometime later in the fall.
"We WILL be in the U.K. in the coming months; we're eyeing some early 2011 dates. More on all this will be posted in the coming weeks.
"Many thanks to ARK for being cool and understanding, and many thanks to the fans for your patience. We promise the new disc will be worth the wait!"
PRESTO BALLET's current lineup consists of Vanderhoof, former METAL CHURCH singer Ronny Munroe, drummer Bill Raymond, keyboardist Kerry Shacklett and bassist Bobby Ferkovich.
PRESTO BALLET released its second LP, "The Lost Art of Time Travel", in 2008 in the U.S. through ProgRock Records. PRESTO BALLET's music was previously described as "highly reminiscent of '70s prog rock, as the band was founded chiefly as a tribute to classic progressive bands such as YES and KANSAS. Their debut album, 'Peace Among the Ruins', was released in 2005 to general praise and considerable press. Critics consistently commented on the album's warm and organic sound, a feeling created through the use of analog recorders and vintage instruments, played with great skill and precision. The band used no drum machines, digital recorders or sequencers in the studio."
Orange County, California's AVENGED SEVENFOLD took part in an online chat with fans yesterday (Thursday, July 29) via Ustream. You can now watch the entire question-and-answer session below.
"Nightmare", the fifth album from AVENGED SEVENFOLD, is likely to sell between 160,000 and 175,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at the top of next week's The Billboard 200 chart, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on Tuesday (July 27).
AVENGED SEVENFOLD's self-titled fourth album sold 94,000 copies in its first week of release back in November 2007, nearly three times what its 2005 effort, "City of Evil", sold in its biggest week on the chart.
The official video for "Nightmare", the album's first single and title track, premiered on MTV2, MTV.com, and MTV2.com on July 17 and became the second most popular video on YouTube, racking up more than 1,280,865 views last week. The "lyric" video that premiered via YouTube has racked up three million views.
"Nightmare" has sold more than 145,000 digital singles and is currently at No. 3 on Mediabase's Active Rock radio chart.
"Nightmare" was completed after the death of drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, who passed away last December following an overdose of prescription drugs and alcohol. Guitarist Zacky Vengeance told The Pulse of Radio how the band got through the making of the record after losing their friend. "You know, you carry on knowing that there's something so much more important than yourself to deliver, to millions of fans across the world, to all your friends, and to yourself," he said. "To put out this piece of music that he helped write with us is extremely, extremely difficult and I don't wish it on anybody. But I think the end result is even that much more spectacular because it brought us all closer and we did, you know, him justice."
The band recruited DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy to play on the new album and all the band's 2010 tour dates.
Portnoy made his concert debut with the band on Sunday (July 25) as they played live for the first time since Sullivan's death at the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD will co-headline this summer's inaugural Uproar Festival tour with DISTURBED and STONE SOUR, beginning on August 17 in Minneapolis.
Swedish black metallers WATAIN have issued the following update:
"Due to reasons entirely out of the bands control, the promotor has decided to cancel the three shows in Mexico, meant to take place this weekend.
"We want to underline that this decision has nothing to do with WATAIN whatsoever. We were very much looking forward to perform these rituals upon Mexican soil.
"To all the WATAIN militias and supporters who have wrote us about the upcoming shows and who have been preparing for our arrival; your support will always be cherished and honored, we look forward to join forces with you again very soon."
WATAIN's fourth album, "Lawless Darkness", entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 26 and dropped to No. 37 the following week.
"Lawless Darkness" sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 42 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.
"Lawless Darkness" was released in Europe on June 7 in a limited three-panel digipack edition with die-cut and a cover of DEATH SS' "Chains of Death" as a bonus track.
"Reaping Death", the new CD single from WATAIN, which was exclusively distributed in Sweden via Sweden Rock Magazine, was certified gold in the band's home country on April 21 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. (Note: Each copy of the magazine sold in Sweden was counted towards the certification.)
WATAIN will embark on a European headlining tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from DESTROYER 666. A U.S. run with BEHEMOTH will follow in November.
Fan-filmed video footage of WATAIN's performance at this year's Sweden Rock Festival on June 12 can be viewed below.
THE SMASHING PUMPKINS raised over $80,000 (and counting, with a revised figure to follow) at their sold-out benefit concert Tuesday, July 27 at Chicago's Metro for Matthew Leone, bassist for Chicago band MADINA LAKE. The money will go to the ongoing medical care needed for the musician who last month was hospitalized with severe brain trauma after intervening to stop a woman he passed on the street from being beaten by her husband. Matthew — whose medical insurance had lapsed just two months prior to the incident — was taken to UIC Hospital for emergency brain surgery wherein a third of his skull was removed to alleviate swelling. He's currently in stable condition awaiting an additional brain surgery to reapply the removed portion of his skull.
"THE SMASHING PUMPKINS' benefit show at Metro Tuesday night was triumphant and tearful, inspiring and rousing, open-hearted and generous — as well as a stark reminder that sometimes it takes a village to get a crime victim adequate health care," wrote the Chicago Tribune. The event was attended by Chicago governor Pat Quinn, who proclaimed Tuesday "Matthew Leone Day" in Illinois and said, "We have a true American hero right here in Matthew Leone" (as noted in the Chicago Tribune piece).
"I was inspired by Matthew's courageous defense of a woman he didn't even know," said the PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan. "What pushed me to do the benefit for his medical fund was how much he is loved by close friends of mine who know him well. I spoke to his family at the benefit and they all said that it didn't surprise them at all that he did what he did to stop an injustice.
"I was blown away by the Chicago community coming together to put this benefit on so quickly," Corgan added about the event that was announced on July 20. "It put an emotional charge into our show that was unlike anything I've ever experienced. I was absolutely honored to be standing on the Metro stage, my musical home, showing our support for one of our own. It was a great night in the long, storied history of Chicago. And an epic show." As soon as the band finished playing "1979", Corgan pulled his guitar off his neck and auctioned it off to the crowd, selling it for 10,000.
Said Joe Shanahan, owner of Chicago's Metro: "This past Tuesday was one of my most memorable nights within Metro's walls — the outpouring of support and encouragement for a true hero, Matthew, was overwhelming. From Billy Corgan and THE SMASHING PUMPKINS' donation of their time and talent to the cause, to Governor Pat Quinn's proclamation of Matthew Leone Day, to the generosity of the crowd with their pocketbooks, the night embodied the love and solidarity of the Chicago music community for one of their own. Now, all of us at Metro pray for a quick recovery for Matthew and someday his own return to the Metro stage with MADINA LAKE."
Noted AOL's Spinner: "For the encore, the Metro staff and opener KILL HANNAH joined Corgan onstage to sing '1979'. [See video below.] After, the band closed with the distorted bliss of 'Gossamer', as their guitars thundered and strobes flashed. When their over two-hour set finished, a smiling Corgan and his band threw their commemorative drumsticks and guitar picks into the audience, capping a heartfelt tribute to Leone. 'You made this city proud tonight,' Corgan told the jovial crowd. 'Thanks for stepping up.'"
All proceeds from the raffle and concert will go to the Matthew Leone Fund at Sweet Relief.
Sweet Relief Musicians Fund is a non profit 501(c)(3) organization provides financial assistance to all types of career musicians who are struggling to make ends meet while facing illness, disability, or age-related problems.
Metro is the club where, on October 5, 1988, the PUMPKINS played their first show. They also chose the venue for a farewell concert on December 2, 2000, a four-hour-long show that featured 38 songs spanning the group's career at that time.
The PUMPKINS have a long history of supporting other Chicago musicians.
Vocalist Brock Lindow of Alaskan metallers 36 CRAZYFISTS will guest on this weekend's (July 30 - August 1) edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show.
To see a full list of stations carrying the program and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.
Full Metal Jackie began her radio career as a DJ at WSOU Pirate Radio, Seton Hall University's legendary metal station. Instantly addicted to the excitement of life behind the mic, she graduated Pirate Radio (and Seton Hall), to become an on-air personality at WHTG (Neptune, NJ), and later at WDHA (Dover, NJ).
Not content to limit her exposure to New Jersey, Jackie set her sights on bigger markets (and warmer climates!), making her way west to California's gold coast. Establishing herself in Los Angeles, she learned the business side of radio and promotions while working for one of the music industry's largest management companies. After a short stint as on-air host at San Diego's 94.9 KBZT, Jackie landed the opportunity she had been working toward since her early WSOU days: host and producer of her own (and L.A.'s only) commercial heavy metal radio show, "Chaos", on Indie 103.1. Working alongside other Indie 103.1 hosts such as Steve Jones (of the SEX PISTOLS), Henry Rollins and Dave Navarro, Jackie quickly brought "Chaos" to the station's forefront.
Today, Full Metal Jackie's show continues to air on Indie 103.1 every Sunday night from 8 to 10 p.m., and can be heard online at www.indie1031.com, as well as in syndicated markets around the country through Envision Radio.
Veteran German thrashers KREATOR will headline this year's edition of the Christmas Metal Festival, set to take place December 4, 2010 in Lichtenfels, Bavaria, Germany.
The billing is shaping up as follows:
KREATOR DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER HEAVEN SHALL BURN FINNTROLL EXODUS SAMAEL DEATH ANGEL EMIL BULLS SUICIDAL ANGELS UNDERTOW ROTTING CHRIST METSATÖLL NOTHNEGAL
Atlanta rap/metal pioneers STUCK MOJO will embark on the "Here Comes The Monster" European headlining tour in October/November. So far the following dates have been announced:
Lord Nelson - Vocals Rich Ward - Guitar Sean Delson - Bass Frank Fontsere - Drums
STUCK MOJO's latest album, "The Great Revival", was released in November 2008 via Napalm Records. The CD — which was mixed at producer Andy Sneap's (MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS) Backstage studio — was previously described by guitarist Rich Ward as " very heavy in spots and very mellow in spots. When it's angry, it's angry. When it's not, it's not. No politics, just songs about life and how our experiences have molded us. A record about friends, family, love, loss, success and failure. Any fan that has followed us over the years will not be super surprised as we have left a bread crumb trail over the last few years."
Dutch bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling (OBSCURA, PESTILENCE), known for his signature six-string fretless playing in progressive death metal, will emigrate from Holland to Italy (Rossiglione) due to "significant changes" in his private life. Thesseling, who currently resides in Amsterdam, emphasizes that his move will not affect his work with either OBSCURA or PESTILENCE and he's looking forward to new opportunities while in Italy, such as offering lessons at Nadir Music Studios.
Thesseling comments: "Besides touring and recording with both bands, I'm starting a collaboration with Nadir Music Studios (the SADIST headquarters) in Genoa, Italy, offering bass lessons and working on album productions. I feel very positive about this move and look forward to other future collaborations on Italian ground."
For further information on bass lessons, interested parties can contact Jeroen via his official web site, www.jeroenthesseling.com.
OBSCURA recently entered Woodshed Studio in southern Germany with engineer V. Santura (TRIPTYKON, DARK FORTRESS) to begin recording its new album for an early 2011 release via Relapse Records.
At A Loss Recordings will release the upcoming solo full-length from forward-thinking metal purveyor Bruce Lamont. The record is planned for a mid-fall release, with more details on the actual album to be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Most widely recognized for his saxophone and vocal work fronting Chicago mindwarp metallers YAKUZA, Bruce Lamont has also contributed to a plethora of other projects, including BLOODIEST (featuring members of 90 DAY MEN, STERLING), CIRCLE OF ANIMALS (with Sanford Parker of MINSK and THE HIGH CONFESSIONS), DECAYIST (with Blake Judd of NACHTMYSTIUM and TWILIGHT) and SICK GAZELLE (with Eric Block and Sanford Parker). He's also recorded with SIGH, EAST WEST BLAST TEST, MINSK, NACHTMYSTIUM, RABID RABBIT, POISON ARROWS, SECTARA, BRUTAL TRUTH and HEX MACHINE.
In July 2006 Lamont made his solo live debut, utilizing saxophones, guitar, voice, harp, percussion and looping effects. He's since performed alongside countless musicians, including Scott Kelly (NEUROSIS, SHRINEBUILDER), John Cale (VELVET UNDERGROUND), Toby Driver (KAYO DOT) and Daniel Higgs (LUNGFISH).
Reformed heavy metal legends ACCEPT have inked a Japanese deal with Universal. The band's new album, "Blood Of The Nations", will be released in Japan on September 4. According to a press release, the interest in the new CD by the Japanese media is "at an all-time high," and the first press representatives are on their way to ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann's home in Nashville, Tennessee to conduct face-to-face-interviews.
Commented Hoffmann: "Japan was our last missing component in the international marketplace, which we have completed now with Universal! They are the perfect partners for us over there.
"Japan has always been a terrific market for us. We had tremendous success there in the past, so we are very happy to come back to Japan after all these years.
"Rock music is still a big thing in Japan and every good rock band in the world has Japan on their wish list. We can see from our website that we have a lot of fans there.
"We are excited and looking forward to bring them our new album and our great live shows."
As previously reported, ACCEPT has been confirmed for the Loud Park 10 festival, set to take place October 16-17, 2010 at Saitama Super Arena, a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Saitama City, Japan.
"Blood Of The Nations" will be released on the following dates:
August 20: Europe (via Nuclear Blast) September 4: Japan (via Universal) September 14: North America (via Nuclear Blast)
"Blood Of The Nations" was recorded at Backstage Studio in Derbyshire, England with acclaimed British producer and SABBAT guitarist Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, MASTERPLAN). The CD — which marks the recording debut of the band's latest addition, vocalist Mark Tornillo (ex-TT QUICK) — contains the following 12 tracks:
01. Beat The Bastards 02. Teutonic Terror 03. The Abyss 04. Blood Of The Nations 05. Shades Of Death 06. Locked And Loaded 07. Kill The Pain 08. Rollin Thunder 09. Pandemic 10. New World Comin' 11. No Shelter 12. Bucketful Of Hate
The "Blood Of The Nations" cover artwork can be viewed below.
ACCEPT 2010 is:
Wolf Hoffmann: Guitar Peter Baltes: Bass Herman Frank: Guitar Mark Tornillo: Vocals Stefan Schwarzmann: Drums
Regarding Tornillo's addition to ACCEPT, Hoffmann previously said, "It all happened in minutes. Peter and I were working on some tunes in a studio in New Jersey. Somebody suggested we give this guy Mark a call to see if he would join us on vocals. So when he arrived we started jamming on some old ACCEPT tunes — just for fun. As soon as Mark started singing we looked at each other and realized the impossible just happened: we found a new voice for ACCEPT! The timing could not have been better! Now or never... We are re-energized and excited..."
According to IncGamers, Metalocalypse: Dethgame, the spin-off game from Adult Swim's gore-splattered animation about the adventures of DETHKLOK, the world's "most popular" death metal band, will no longer be happening.
The title was reportedly being developed for release on Xbox LIVE Arcade / PlayStation Network, but Adult Swim has confirmed to GamePro that "Cartoon Network Enterprise has indeed ended production on the previously-announced Metalocalypse: The Dethgame.
"The decision was made that the creative direction of the game would not live up to the high standards we had set for the project and we did not want to release a less-than-outstanding game."
Created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, "Metalocalypse" premiered on August 4, 2006 on Adult Swim. The television program centers around the melodic death metal band DETHKLOK and often portrays dark and macabre content, such as subjects dealing with violence, death, and the drawbacks of fame, but in an often ironic and humorous fashion. The show can be seen as both a celebration and parody of heavy metal culture. The music is written by guitarist/creator Brendon Small, is credited to the band, and is featured in most episodes including actual guitar-fingerings and other band-movements of the characters.
Surviving HEAVEN & HELL members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice played a very special tribute to their fallen bandmate, Ronnie James Dio, this past Saturday (July 24) at the High Voltage festival at Victoria Park in London, England. The musicians were joined by legendary former DEEP PURPLE and BLACK SABBATH man Glenn Hughes and Norwegian vocalist Jorn Lande, who sings for power metallers MASTERPLAN and has just released his own tribute to Ronnie.
The setlist was as follows (vocalist for each track listed in parenthesis):
01. The Mob Rules (Jorn Lande) 02. I (Jorn Lande) 03. Country Girl (Glenn Hughes) 04. Children Of The Sea (Glenn Hughes) 05. Turn Up The Night (Jorn Lande) 06. Voodoo (Jorn Lande) 07. Bible Black (Glenn Hughes) 08. Falling Off The Edge Of The World (Glenn Hughes) 09. Die Young (Jorn Lande) 10. Heaven And Hell (Jorn Lande, Glenn Hughes) 11. Neon Knights (Jorn Lande, Glenn Hughes, Philip Anselmo)
Check out a professional photo gallery from Express & Star.
Newly posted fan-filmed video footage can be viewed below. Additional clips are available here and here.
Proceeds from this performance will go to the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout" Cancer Fund.
Immediately following the High Voltage concert, Hughes revealed exclusively to Express & Star that there will be a Dio tribute album, "with some megastars," to raise funds for to the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up And Shout" Cancer Fund, as well as a major show in Los Angeles in March 2011.
Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's July 25, 2010 performance at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California as part of the band's current Queensrÿche Cabaret tour can be viewed below.
QUEENSRŸCHE's Queensrÿche Cabaret tour is being filmed for future DVD release. The trek, which kicked off last Thursday, was previously described by the group as "Teatro ZinZanni meets Cirque du Soleil, with the band performing their hits and never-heard-before selections accompanied by go-go dancers, burlesque dancers, drag queens, a juggler, ballet dancer, trapeze artist, a contortionist and others. Definitely a fun-filled evening like no other full of freaks and shrieks!"
In a recent interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, singer Geoff Tate stated about QUEENSRŸCHE's upcoming album, set for release in 2011, "It's a progression away from where we've been — into some new territories. [It's a] very modern approach to what we do — modernizing our sound a bit more. . . It's kind of a modern approach to song arrangement — utilizing different sound effects and sounds sources; playing the instruments in a different way than what we have before; really experimenting a lot with the structure of rhythm and bringing it into what's modern.
"Next year is our 30th anniversary. We've done a lot of different kinds of records at different times. We're definitely trying to make a record of the time, rather than something of a different time. How's that for vague?"
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.
French old-school death metallers AFFLICTION GATE have issued the following update:
"First of all, we finally decided to add our session live lead guitarist as an official member of the band now: Bobby (member of old-school thrash metal band HUNGRY JOHNNY) showed a real involvement, interest and dedication to AFFLICTION GATE so we came to the conclusion that he was the best for this job more than ever.
"We are working on new material to complete and release a mini-CD, including three brand new tracks (one of them being a collaboration with Rogga Johansson of PAGANIZER, BONE GNAWER, ex-EDGE OF SANITY, etc.) and a MASSACRE cover, 'Corpsegrinder'. This recording will also appear on a bonus seven-inch EP coming with the 'Aeon Of Nox...' limited LP version. It's a bit early to speak about a release date but we really hope that both MCD and LP+EP will be available for early 2011 both still on Metal Inquisition Records (Germany), of course.
"A slightly alternate version of 'The Worst Is Yet To Come' with some different arrangements might be recorded for a promo sampler of Metal Inquisition Records.
"The idea of an official video clip for the song 'Knights Of Scorn' is on hold. Not sure if it will ever happen, anyway, as it's not a priority at the moment. Time will tell...
"We have the immense privilege to announce that Rick Rozz (MANTAS, DEATH, MASSACRE, M.INC) agreed to guest on our upcoming recording later this year.
"It's just fucking awesome and unbelievable for us to have this death metal originator at our side whose work on milestones as [DEATH's] 'Leprosy' and [MASSACRE's] 'From Beyond' had such an impact on us as death metal fans back in the very early '90s and still today through our music! He will contribute with [solos] on one of our new tracks and on our infamous 'Corpsegrinder' [MASSACRE] cover version."
AFFLICTION GATE's debut album, "Aeon of Nox (From Darkness Comes Liberation)", was released last year via Metal Inquisition (the thrash/death metal division of No Colours Records).
The band's "Severance (Dead To This World)" EP came out in December 2008 through Forgotten Wisdom Productions.
James Lomenzo (pictured below; MEGADETH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, WHITE LION) has joined the touring lineup of LYNCH MOB for the remainder of the band's summer tour.
LYNCH MOB's current lineup is rounded out by George Lynch (guitar), Oni Logan (vocals) and Brian Tichy (drums; FOREIGNER, OZZY OSBOURNE, VELVET REVOLVER, WHITESNAKE).
LYNCH MOB tour dates:
Jul. 29 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ Jul. 30 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA Jul. 31 - The Filmore - New York, NY Aug. 01 - Crazy Donkey - Farmingdale, NY Aug. 02 - Eleanor Rigby's - Jermyn, PA Aug. 03 - House of Blues - Cleveland, OH Aug. 04 - Scatz NightClub - Middleton, WI Aug. 06 - Club Vegas - Salt Lake City, UT Aug. 07 - The New Oasis - Sparks, NV Aug. 08 - Tower Theater - Fresno, CA Aug. 11 - Studio Seven - Seattle, WA Aug. 12 - Dante's - Portland, OR Aug. 13 - Last Day Saloon - Santa Rosa, CA Aug. 14 - Sky City Amphitheater - Pueblo of Acoma, NM
Audio samples of all 13 songs that appear on LYNCH MOB's comeback album, "Smoke And Mirrors", are available for download at HeavyHarmonies.com (scroll down). The CD was released in Europe on September 18, 2009 (October 13, 2009 in the U.S.) via Frontiers Records.
LYNCH MOB's recording lineup on "Smoke And Mirrors" included Logan and Lynch alongside bassist Marco Mendoza (WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY) and drummer Scot Coogan (BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION, ACE FREHLEY).
Swedish folk metal band YGGDRASIL has issued the following update:
"YGGDRASIL has been keeping quiet for some time now but we are finally ready to share some news with you all!
"The writing of the new and third YGGDRASIL album is complete and the recording will commence in September. Expect nothing but the best!
"The new album is scheduled for an early 2011 release through Grand Master Music.
"The release date coincides with the 10-year anniversary of the band and we have something special planned to mark the occasion."
YGGDRASIL earlier in the year parted ways with the German record label Det Germanske Folket.
YGGDRASIL's latest album, "Vedergällning", came out in early 2009. The CD was recorded at Endarker Studios in Norrköping, Sweden with producer Magnus Devo Andersson (MARDUK bassist).
YGGDRASIL's debut album, "Kvällningsvindar över Nordrönt Land", was recorded in 2005 but didn't see the light of day until the end of 2007 via Det Germanske Folket.
Metalhead TV conducted an interview with ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell at the Romanian edition of the Sonisphere festival, which was held June 25-27, 2010 at ROMEXPO Exhibitions Centre in Bucharest. Watch the chat below.
ALICE IN CHAINS has chosen "Lesson Learned" as the next single from its latest album, "Black Gives Way To Blue" (Virgin/EMI), which was recently certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.
The gold certification is the latest in a long line of success stories surrounding the band and "Black Gives Way To Blue" dating back to last October, when the record entered The Billboard 200 at No. 5 with first-week sales exceeding 125,000 copies.
In addition to national television performances on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and "The Tonight Show", the quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, guitarist/vocalist William DuVall, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez) has supported the record with a string of sold-out international tours and recently announced that they'll be headlining BlackDiamondSkye, a monolithic triple bill featuring guest stars DEFTONES and MASTODON. The tour, produced by Live Nation, launches September 16 at the Charter One Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois.
Over the course of its remarkable career, ALICE IN CHAINS has garnered multiple Grammy nominations, sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, wrote and recorded 12 top 10 hit singles and had two No. 1 records on The Billboard 200 chart.
CTV.ca recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine about his soon-to-be-published autobiography, "Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir". A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
On his journey from a neglect-filled childhood, to the dangerous excesses of his rock n' roll lifestyle, to today's more sobering existence as a family man who has found God — a persona that doesn't quite jive with the typical metal archetype:
"I think in the beginning there were a lot of people who were very angry because they'd lost their guitar player, their singer, their frontman, their Dave Mustaine. (But) if you go back and look at all my lyrics now, there's a lot of God in it."
On METALLICA, the band he was booted from in 1983 due to his excessive drug and alcohol use:
[quote from book] "Without my songs and my solos — without my energy — I don't know that METALLICA ever would have become the band that it was."
On suffering through many problems, including a near career-ending arm-injury, the near-disintegration of his marriage, and several stints in rehab:
"Heroin was a terrible experience for us. It was part of my life for 13 years."
On how MEGADETH's back catalogue offers clues to the progress of their downward spiral:
"You can see where the different types of drugs changed, where the band changed. The heroin and the cocaine use, and the debauchery, and the fighting and the theft and stealing and robbing."
On how religion saved his life, protected his family and kept him going as a member of MEGADETH:
"When I got saved it wasn't about getting me saved. It was about me getting my life right with God, getting my family out of what looked liked extremely dire straits ... and just making a really good decision for once in my life."
On how he has no plans for stopping:
"I think that I'll be a musician for the rest of my days."
Vocalist James Jasta of Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED was interviewed on the July 23-25 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.
The new self-titled album from HATEBREED sold 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 37 on The Billboard 200 chart.
HATEBREED's last collection of new material, "Supremacy", opened with around 27,000 copies back in September 2006 to land at No. 31. This number was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Rise Of Brutality", which shifted more than 32,000 copies back in November 2003 to debut at No. 30.
HATEBREED's covers album, entitled "For The Lions", sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release back in May 2009 to debut at position No. 58 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"Hatebreed" was released in North America on September 29, 2009 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The effort was made available on CD, digital download, vinyl and special edition with a bonus 65-minute DVD.
"Hatebreed" was issued on Roadrunner in all other territories.
Pro-Mark Corporation conducted an interview with drummer Mike Portnoy of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER when the band opened for IRON MAIDEN in Houston, Texas on June 11, 2010. You can now watch the chat in three parts below.
DREAM THEATER supported IRON MAIDEN on a North American tour which kicked off on June 9 in Dallas, Texas and concluded on July 20 in Washington, D.C.
In a recent interview with Blistering.com, Portnoy stated about his band's decision to tour with IRON MAIDEN, "When you get the call from MAIDEN, you pack your bags, hit the road and go.
"It wasn't in our plans. We had planned on being off the road at this time, but when the opportunity arose, we took it.
"They are one of the few bands that formed the blueprint for DREAM THEATER.
"When me and John [Petrucci, guitars] and John [Myung, bass] formed the band, it was MAIDEN and RUSH. Those were the two bands that were our heroes; what we wanted DREAM THEATER to be.
"Even though we don't follow them today like we used to when we were kids, the fact will never change they were our heroes when we formed and one of the few that are a perfect match for us to open for."
On July 28, Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault conducted an interview with guitarist Phil Sgrosso of San Diego metallers AS I LAY DYING. You can now listen to the chat below.
AS I LAY DYING will take part in a signing session and meet-and-greet this Sunday, August 1 at 2:00 p.m. at the Hot Topic in the San Francisco Center (865 Market St.) in San Francisco, California.
Hot Topic members can purchase an AS I LAY DYING CD or T-shirt to receive a wristband to guarantee their spot in line.
To find out how to become a member, go to HotTopic.com.
AS I LAY DYING's latest album, "The Powerless Rise", sold 38,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart.
AS I LAY DYING' previous album, "An Ocean Between Us", opened with 39,500 units back in August 2007 to land at No. 8.
"The Powerless Rise" was released on May 11 via Metal Blade Records.
AS I LAY DYING's blistering first single, "Beyond Our Suffering", is now available for fans to play and download for FREE on Tap Tap Revenge 3 via the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Tap Tap Revenge is a popular music game in the tradition of Guitar Hero or Dance Dance Revolution that puts rhythmic skills to the test in all-new ways. Tap through the beats or shake left and right as the arrows fall. Download exclusive tracks or take on your friends head-to-head in Tap Tap Revenge's unique two-player mode.
On July 12, AS I LAY DYING launched the "Cool Tour" with UNDEROATH, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, BLESSTHEFALL, THE ACACIA STRAIN, ARCHITECTS, CANCER BATS, and WAR OF AGES. The nationwide trek will wrap in San Francisco on August 1.
Jimmy Christ of TrueCultHeavyMetal.com recently conducted an interview with vocalist Hansi Kürsch and guitarist André Olbrich of German power metallers BLIND GUARDIAN. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
TrueCultHeavyMetal.com: How are you feeling about the new album ["At The Edge Of Time"]?
Hansi: "We did some good promotional stuff, we've spoken to a lot of people so far and everyone has been very positive in getting back to us. We've had a very good feeling from the beginning of the songwriting period, which started with 'Sacred', the song for the computer game 'Sacred 2: Fallen Angel' and from that moment on we were constantly working on this stuff, and it developed in a very natural way so we never had the impression it could go wrong with that one. At the very end we just succeeded in producing something how we wanted it to sound."
TrueCultHeavyMetal.com: How long did it take?
Hansi: "It's difficult to say exactly, it took us like twelve months up to the production and then another six-to-twelve months after the production where the songwriting continues, so something like eighteen to 24 months."
TrueCultHeavyMetal.com: Do you worry that's a long time? Fans are able to access new music and change their tastes so quickly now.
Hansi: "You're right about that, it becomes more and more obvious. Still, we have a lot of very loyal and very dedicated fans who don't care too much about that issue. But there's no doubt that people are changing their minds quicker and moving to the next thing, but I think we're still in a safe haven because metal fans are slightly different and ever since, I don't know, [1995's] 'Imaginations From The Other Side', three or four years for touring and producing and composing an album is more or less the regular term we need. As long as you can come up with quality and provide something people would probably not expect, possibly even above their expactations, then you don't have to be afraid about that."
André Olbrich (guitar): "We always try, of course, to go one step further with our music, so we try to maybe catch, kind of, the zeitgeist, so that's important too. If you look now at what other bands do, the whole scene is going down, not just the metal scene but across the music industry, all sales went down. The bands don't have that much money anymore, and production on albums released in the last year has been really terrible sometimes, so they saved the money there, while we did the opposite. We provided an album which provided the best sound we have had on an album, so maybe this is another good point."
TrueCultHeavyMetal.com: Do you ever worry about the future?
Hansi: "No, that's not how we relate to the whole thing. We do have strong markets where we are more or less mainstream successful, we have the upcoming markets and, of course, there are the decreasing markets, but all in all we consider our music to be a long-term event for people. It was never that any of our albums sold for the first three months and just stopped selling, even [1998's] 'Nightfall In Middle Earth' and 'Imaginations...', they all keep selling in decent amounts so we've never really thought about that. But you have to be aware that there's a change and rearrange some things, as André mentioned, we do not save the money to have to a weaker production, but you spread your activities; you try to be more active in terms of merchandising, you try to be more active in terms of playing live, and all that keeps us in a very good situation, so it's not the biggest consideration, how to survive, and there's no question of going back to regular jobs."
André: "When we tour, there's always more people, on this last tour we're even going onto bigger venues."
Brendan Crabb of Utopia.com.au recently conducted an interview with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (HEALLYEAH, PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Utopia.com.au: You've already done some shows in support of [the new HELLYEAH album] "Stampede". How is the new material going over in the live environment?
Vinnie: Man, we had an opportunity to go out and tour for the record for the first time ever and the new songs went down really great, man. It's very nice to see the fans pick up on it as quick as they did. We just did a month-long tour in the United States and we just got back from Europe, where we did a month-long tour. Our record was never really officially released when we were there the first time around, so almost all the songs felt like new songs to the fans, but they really embraced us and it was great to be able go out and play the songs before the record came out.
Utopia.com.au: In what ways do you feel the new album is an improvement upon your self-titled debut?
Vinnie: Well, the first record was almost like an experiment. We had just got together and we didn't really quite know each other. We just had a lot of things in common as far as the music that we liked and we had a great chemistry, which enabled us to write some great songs. With the second record, we really came into it with a lot more confidence. After touring together, after really getting to know each other, after really getting to gel as a band, I think we really came into our own with this record. I think this record is definitely going to be the one that defines what HELLYEAH is all about.
Utopia.com.au: Was there anything new or anything of note that inspired the lyrics and the music on this album?
Vinnie: Just the fact that we really love playing with each other, we really enjoy each other's company. This band really is a band of brothers and we really do our best to put our best foot forward for each other. There's no egos involved in this band; we all can laugh at each other, we can all have a great time. I think lyrically, Chad [Gray, vocals] comes from a really personal place; you know, with MUDVAYNE he's always singing about things that are (about) different planets, different places, crazy stuff like that. With HELLYEAH he can really open up, be personal and sing songs that come from his heart, say things he's been wanting to get off his chest for years, that kind of stuff.
Utopia.com.au: You obviously went through some very difficult times five to six years ago. How close did you come to not playing music again and what about Hellyeah convinced you to make your return to it all?
Vinnie: Well, after being in a very dark place and really thinking that I was done with music, I got a letter from Dave Grohl [NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS]. He's been a friend for a long time and he just said that he'd been through something similar with Kurt [Cobain] and thought he was done with music, that eventually… he said that living without music would kill him... He was totally right. When I got the call asking if I'd be interested in being part of it, I knew at some point I was going to have to take a chance and see if I really wanted to do it again, you know? When they came down, we all met, we did a barbecue, we drank a lot of booze together and the next day we wrote our first song, which was "Nausea" on the first record. I knew (then) that's what I was supposed to be doing. I knew that was exactly what my brother wanted me to be doing and I had to carry on. So that's what happened.
Utopia.com.au: Any new bands that you've been enjoying lately?
Vinnie: Yeah, there's a lot, there's bands who have great new albums coming out. Ozzy's new album and AVENGED SEVENFOLD's new album with Mike Portnoy playing drums on it. The new STONE SOUR record I'm really looking forward to hearing, just got through doing dates with them over in Europe and they were awesome.
Utopia.com.au: Having been around the scene for more than 20 years, how strong do you feel heavy metal is globally now, compared to when PANTERA broke through?
Vinnie: I think it's still strong. I think in the middle '90s it was nothing but a pure lifestyle. I mean, people lived it, breathed it, loved it, no matter what. But today, with computers and the whole Internet world, it's… people don't quite have that same focus, you know? They're still there and they still love it, but it's not like what they live for every day. So it's a little bit different, but we just finished doing a run in the States, just finished playing over in Europe and the fans are just as rabid as they always have been, man.
Bassist Phil Kennemore of California rockers Y&T has been forced to leave the band's current U.S. tour in order to receive treatment for an injured back. His temporary replacement is Brad Lang (pictured below), who previously played with Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, FOREIGNER, DIO) in WAR & PEACE. According to Y&T, "[Brad] was gracious enough to step up to help us with less than 24-hours' notice. He's with us right now in Wisconsin, and is extremely proud and excited to be playing with Y&T and helping out for Phil."
Y&T's current lineup is rounded out by original guitarist/vocalist Dave Meniketti, along with longtime members John Nymann (guitar) and Mike Vanderhule (drums).
Y&T's first studio album in 13 years, "Facemelter", was released in Europe on May 21 via Frontiers Records.
As the title indicates, "Facemelter" is a hard-rockin', song-oriented album that lives up to its name: it captures the band's raw energy and tightness that they've become known for. Featuring heavy grooves, powerful guitars, and strong melodies, the band shows their versatility, delivering a range of high-energy rockers, mid-tempo head-bangers, modern rock grooves, majestic ballads, and signature Y&T rock anthems. To mark the return, the band engaged John Taylor Dismukes — the same artist who designed covers for Y&T's classic albums "Mean Streak", "Black Tiger" and "In Rock We Trust" — to create the amazing art of the new "Facemelter".
MÖTLEY CRÜE, RAMMSTEIN, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, Ronnie James Dio and late SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray were honored at the Relentless Energy Drink Kerrang! Awards 2010, which took place earlier tonight (Thursday, July 29) at the Brewery in East London, England.
Full list of winners:
* Best British Newcomer: RISE TO REMAIN * Best International Newcomer: TRASH TALK * Best Single (Presented By Red Stripe): YOU ME AT SIX - Liquid Conference * Best Video (Presented By Young Minds): BIFFY CLYRO - The Captain * Best Album: PARAMORE - Brand New Eyes * Best Live Band: BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE * Best International Band: 30 SECONDS TO MARS * Best British Band (Presented By Fender): BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE * No Half Measures Award (Presented By Relentless Energy Drink): FRANK TURNER * Classic Songwriter Award: LOSTPROPHETS * Kerrang! Inspiration Award (Presented By HMV): RAMMSTEIN * Kerrang! Services To Metal Award: Paul Gray (SLIPKNOT) * Kerrang! Icon Award (Presented By Orange Amplification): Ronnie James Dio * Kerrang! Hall Of Fame Award: MÖTLEY CRÜE
Michaels' new solo album, "Custom Built", sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 14 on The Billboard 200 chart.
In a recent interview with PopEater.com, Michaels stated about the CD, "For me, there's so many different songs I want people to hear ... I'm excited about the rootsy version of 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn', the new stuff. The theme song to my show is called 'Riding Against the Wind' ... and a cover of SUBLIME's 'What I Got'. That's one of my favorite songs; it just puts me in a great mood. I love hearing that song, so I busted it out live, and I thought I did a really respectful version of it. I wanted to keep some of what the song is, but I added some of my own lyrics and a cool breakdown to it. We played it live and it went over insane. It's been one of my favorite songs since the early '90s."
Michaels' new reality show, "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It", is planned for the fall. Footage for the first episode was shot on May 28 at a show in Biloxi, Mississippi.
SCARS ON BROADWAY — the collaboration between SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan — has partnered with popular music streaming service SoundCloud for a unique free download promotion. Fans can get a copy of the band's new song "Fucking" by simply sharing news of the download with their friends.
This is how it works: Fans visiting ArmageddonComeAlive.com will be asked to log in to their Facebook or Twitter account via the built-in interface. Once they have logged in to either social network, they will be prompted to post a text update containing a link back to ArmageddonComeAlive.com. Once the fan has agreed to share this message with their friends, the free song download will appear.
Thanks to SoundCloud, the band was able to custom-build this powerful "Share to Download" feature using tracks already on their SoundCloud account. In the spirit of sharing, SoundCloud will make this code available to any other users who'd like to do the same as SCARS ON BROADWAY.
SCARS ON BROADWAY will perform at Avalon in Los Angeles, California on Friday, August 20.
SCARS ON BROADWAY returned to the live stage on May 2 after a 17-month absence to play a headlining show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. The band debuted a new song, reportedly entitled "Talkin' Shit", and was joined for two tracks — "Cute Machines" and "They Say" — by SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian on third guitar.
Video footage of the performance can be viewed below.
In October 2008, Malakian announced via SCARS ON BROADWAY's web site that the band's headlining tour — which included an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" — was being cancelled, with no plans of rescheduling. Malakian cited his lack of enthusiasm and "his heart not being into touring" as the chief reasons behind the decision to call off the trek. "The music of SCARS will live on, but now is a time when aspects of my life need to be tended to," he said in a statement.
SCARS ON BROADWAY sold just under 24,000 copies of its self-titled debut album in the United States during its first week of release to debut at position No. 17 on The Billboard 200 chart. This number represented roughly 36 percent of the 66,000 opening tally registered by "Elect the Dead", the debut solo effort from SYSTEM OF A DOWN lead singer Serj Tankian, which came out in the fall of 2007 through the Warner Music Group.
"Scars On Broadway" has shifted around 84,000 copies in the United States since its July 29, 2008 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
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