AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry spoke to FoxNews.com's Fox411 about the new four-disc set, "Chimes Of Freedom", which simultaneously celebrates both 50 years of Bob Dylan and 50 years of the human-rights organization Amnesty International. Perry recorded "Man Of Peace" for the compilation, which features over 80 musicians across the generational and musical spectruym who have donated their time to support Amnesty International. The album is dedicated to people worldwide who are unjustly imprisoned or threatened for the peaceful expression of their beliefs. Check out the video report below.
When asked about how he went about the seemingly daunting task of covering a Dylan song, Perry told The Huffington Post, "I did it in the comfort of my home studio. Jack Douglas, who produced some of the earliest recordings that I've ever done, was there. And once you make the decision to try it, you've just got to go for it. Dylan's style of songwriting comes from such a long history of the traditional folk-blues — the songs are basically simple in their construction, so there's so much room for interpretation in there, by the performer, that the only thing you're really up against is Bob's performance of the song. Because the way he performs his music, it's so iconic that his versions become the song. So you kind of have to throw that out of your mind, and just see where it goes."
On the topic of how he selected the song to cover, Perry said, "I figured that everybody would go for the first electric record — with all those great songs that are on there — and I wanted to do something a little more...in my Dylan catalogue, the 'Infidels' record is one of my favorites, and on that record, 'Man Of Peace' is the one that comes to mind first. I know that this one's a little more esoteric, so it was like, 'This is the one I wanna do.' I didn't even ask about 'Rolling Stone' or 'Highway 61' — which would have been great for me with my slide playing, and that's right up my alley — and then there was 'Broke Down Engine', but that's really not a Bob Dylan song."
METALLICA will make a special announcement on Tuesday, February 7 at 11 a.m. Pacific Time.
A teaser video for the announcement can be seen below. The text in the clip reads, "You've seen them at festivals across the world. But you've never seen them… Tune in Tuesday, February 7 at 11 a.m. PST. Metallica.com."
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich hinted during the band's 30th-anniversary celebration in December that the group would make an announcement in January about a special interactive fan event to take place in June.
Ulrich recently told Rolling Stone that the band is "seven, eight songs" into the writing of its next album. Ulrich explained, "We do it in rounds. We come up with something, we leave it, go to the next thing, come up with something basic, leave it and circle back around." Guitarist Kirk Hammett added, "The stuff we're coming up with is more groove-oriented — a heavier version of what we were doing in the early '90s. If (2008 album) 'Death Magnetic' was a logical successor to (1988's) '...And Justice For All', the next album will be a heavier 'black album.' We're not going to the depths of complexity that we did for 'Death Magnetic'."
Ulrich added that the songs on the new disc — which will be produced once again by Rick Rubin — will be "shorter, more to-the-point."
Bassist Robert Trujillo told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he thought "Death Magnetic" paved the way for an even better next effort. "I have a feeling that this next record is gonna be really cool," he said. "'Death Magnetic', as great as it is, I think it's, to me it was like establishing ourselves as a creative team with this unit, and you know, also reuniting with that thrashy element which is apparent in a lot of the material."
METALLICA will play the "black album" — its 1991 self-titled fifth effort that has sold nearly 16 million copies — in its entirety at selected European festivals this summer.
As for another project — the recently announced 3D METALLICA movie — Ulrich shed some light on what the band has in mind. He said, "Imagine if you took (LED ZEPPELIN's (concert film) 'The Song Remains The Same', which is 75 percent concert, 25 percent other stuff, and flipped it around. And all the non-concert footage, instead of being about the band members, is a story that unfolds, set against the backdrop of the concert."
METALLICA's four-song EP called "Beyond Magnetic", which was made available digitally last month, was released as a physical CD on January 31 (one day earlier internationally). The effort consists of the quartet of previously unheard tracks that the band unveiled in concert in December during its 30th-anniversary celebration. All four tunes — "Hate Train", "Just A Bullet Away", "Hell And Back" and "Rebel Of Babylon" — were recorded during the sessions for the band's 2008 "Death Magnetic" album but left off the final track list.
Quality video footage of Swedish heavy metallers PORTRAIT performing on January 26 at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands can be seen below (courtesy of "letthedeathmetalflow").
PORTRAIT released its second full-length album, "Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae", in May 2011 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, UNANIMATED, DESTRÖYER 666) in Alvik, Sweden. The album features cover artwork by Tobias Forge of REPUGNANT/SUBVISION fame and a guest appearance by Kimmo Kuusniemi from the Finnish cult act SARCOFAGUS.
A landing page for "Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae", featuring pre-order options (CD and 2-gatefold LP) and a stream of the opening track, "Beast Of Fire", can be accessed at this location.
According to a press release, "Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae" "is an album transcending the most glorious moments of '80s heavy metal. . . You can only describe this album as the wet dream of any fan of heavy metal. [This] is metal in its purest form — relentless, energy-driven, complex, dark, catchy and HEAVY!"
Comments PORTRAIT guitarist Richard Lagergren: "The eight songs on 'Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae' constitutes PORTRAIT's by far darkest, hardest and most intense material to date.
"This album is an outburst of a long time of targeted hard work, an intense creative process and pure black magic. To hell and back and to hell again!
"To achieve the goals we had for this album, working with someone not being the obvious choice for our type of music proved to be just the right (or if you will, wrong) decision.
"'Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae' sounds like PORTRAIT was always meant to. It is hate, and it is love. And in many ways, it is our true debut album."
PORTRAIT guitarist Christian Lindell stated about the recordings: "Outside the walls danced the plague that is man its one-way dance, so blindly strutting about the path that leads to its ever-hungry end. Inside the fires burned and the cauldron bubbled, enhancing forever the fierce opus that is 'Crimen Laesae Majestatis Divinae'. A beastly support was present in the Necromorbus Studio, pointing us in the right directions all the way through those dark days in November. The songs could not have materialized in a more satisfying way than they have on this album. Prepare to get burnt to ash by its fires, swallowed by its darkness and forever trapped in its boundless abyss, in anguish trying to convince yourself that what you've gone through was only music. If this one doesn't kill you, you're already dead!"
PORTRAIT is:
Per Karlsson - Vocals Richard Lagergren -Guitar Christian Lindell - Guitar David Olofsson - Bass Anders Persson - Drums
Bård "Faust" Eithun (EMPEROR, BLOOD TSUNAMI, MONGO NINJA) and Tore Bratseth (a.k.a. Stud Bronson of THE BATALLION, OLD FUNERAL) have joined forces in a new project called STUDFAUST. They entered the studio in late November 2011 and the result was two dirty, firesparking tracks in the spirit of the old school of metal/punk. Music like this is rarely made nowadays with such authenticity and passion, and these veterans in the metal scene now show their musical muscles with a "piss-off" attitude.
Due on March 16 via Soulseller Records , this seven-inch single will most likely become a cult collector's item, with only 500 copies to be pressed.
Greece's Rock Overdose recently conducted an interview with British heavy metal singer Blaze Bayley (WOLFSBANE, ex-IRON MAIDEN). You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.
Interview (audio):
Bayley is currently at Fear Studio in Ravenna, Italy recording his new studio album, "The King Of Metal", for a spring release. A European headlining tour in support of the CD will kick off in early March in Belgium.
When asked about the recording process for "The King Of Metal", Blaze recently told Metal Shock Finland, "I don't like to spend a lot of time in the studio, I don't feel it's a very creative environment. I like to spend most of my time on an album in the writing process and the composing. I feel that's the bit that really counts. I'm always thinking of the audience, the fans and how I'm going to perform the songs live."
On the topic of what the new album will sound like, Blaze said, "It'll be a bit different to what I've done before because I'm producing it. There will be a lot of heavy metal, as you would expect from a Blaze Bayley album. We decided to have no rules; if we feel something is appropriate to sing or play, we will. It's all about the vibe and passion. I'm very hopeful it will turn out to be my best work."
Blaze has announced that he will be accompanied by the following musicians on his upcoming "King Of Metal" tour:
in support of the CD will kick off in early March in Belgium.
In a recent interview with Metal Blast, Bayley stated about "The King of Metal", "This album is a bit more back towards my classic metal style; it's closer to the 'Silicon Messiah' and 'Tenth Dimension' albums. Although I didn't plan it that way, this is how it has worked out. . . I've been working very closely with a young guitar player called Thomas Zwijsen, who has co-written most of the songs, and it has worked very well. Now, the title track, 'The King Of Metal', is dedicated to the fans, because they are the real kings of metal. Without the fans, there's no heavy metal, and I think that people trivialize that and even disrespect heavy metal fans, compared to fans of pop or jazz. I've called the album 'The King Of Metal' as a tribute to heavy metal fans, thanks to whom it has been possible for me to have such a wonderful career and spend my life as a professional singer."
Blaze last year parted ways with the rest of his band in order to pursue a career as a solo artist and the lead singer of WOLFSBANE. He explained the decision by saying that "the mental, financial and emotional strain of keeping the BLAZE BAYLEY band together has proven to be too much for me and has taken a terrible toll on my mental health. . . It has been an upsetting, frustrating and sad time because the BLAZE BAYLEY band will not be going on any more, but it is also for me a huge relief and a time to look forward."
A statement from former members of Blaze Bayley's solo band — David Bermudez (bass), Nico Bermudez (guitar) and Jay Walsh (guitar) — regarding the group's split can be found at this location.
AmbPirate of Capital Chaos conducted an interview with vocalist John Kevill of Los Angeles thrashers WARBRINGER when the band performed at The Boardwalk in Orangevale, California on January 20 as the support act for DEATH ANGEL. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is performance footage from the Sacramento concert.
As previously reported, longtime guitarist Adam Carroll left Los WARBRINGER. The band enlisted friend and talented young guitarist Andrew Bennett for the upcoming North American tour with ICED EARTH, with the hope that he may become a permanent member of the group.
Commented Carroll: "To all fans and friends, I, Adam Carroll, have officially quit WARBRINGER. I have financial issues at home that have to be addressed sooner than later. I hope you all can understand and respect my decision. It's been some of the best years of my life and I appreciate all the support you the fans have given us and continue to give. I will forever be part of the WARBRINGER family. Many thanks and until I see the rest of you again, keep the metal alive."
Added Bennett, "Last month I received a message from the guys, which basically stated that Adam was requesting to step out. As a result, they were searching for a possible replacement who could learn the material in time for the upcoming ICED EARTH and SYMPHONY X tour. I jumped at the opportunity and started learning some tracks. Around the beginning of this month I went down and jammed with the guys and the rest is history.
"I am eternally grateful to my friends in WARBRINGER for giving me the opportunity to play with them and I am very excited about what the future may hold. But one thing that I would like to make clear is that I don't view myself as Adam's replacement, as much as I view myself as filling the position instead of him. Adam's work with the band and time with them is not something that can be erased and I would just like to make it clear that I respect him greatly. He has left big shoes to fill and I have a lot of work ahead of me if I am going to honor his legacy with the band.
"I'm looking forward to interacting with, and playing for, the fans on the road! It's time to shred!"
WARBRINGER's third album, "Worlds Torn Asunder", sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 11 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.
WARBRINGER's sophomore CD, "Waking Into Nightmares", also opened with around 2,000 units back in May 2009 to debut at No. 14 on the Heatseekers chart.
"Worlds Torn Asunder" was produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (SUICIDE SILENCE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SYMPHONY X), and features artwork by Dan Seagrave, who designed WARBRINGER's previous album cover (in addition to art for bands such as ENTOMBED, SUFFOCATION and MORBID ANGEL).
According to NBCLosAngeles.com, a fight broke out between a woman dressed in Catwoman attire and an Ozzy Osbourne impersonator Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles. The incident happened outside the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, where people dress up and take pictures with tourists.
The Osbourne impersonator and a man dressed in an "Alien" mask were disrupting Catwoman from taking photos with visitors all day and seemed to be intoxicated.
Catwoman told the pair that she would pepper spray them if they didn't stop harassing her.
She said: "[The Ozzy impersonator] was antagonizing me to do so, so I did. I said, 'I'm giving you fair warning. If you do not get away from me I will spray you in the face.'"
Jose Mangin, host/producer MTV.com's web-only show "Headbangers Ball" (and program director/DJ on SiriusXM Octane and Liquid Metal), recently conducted an interview with Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT. You can now watch the chat below.
Guitarist Hank Shermann (MERCYFUL FATE) made his live debut with VOLBEAT on Thursday, January 26 at the opening show of this year's Gigantour at the Susquahana Bank Arena, in Camden, New Jersey. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
Shermann most recently shared the stage with METALLICA at one of four intimate shows which took place at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of METALLICA's 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.
"It's a true honor getting to work with Hank, whose guitar work has inspired all three bandmembers long before VOLBEAT was formed," VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen said in a statement. "I'm very thankful that Hank has the time to join us on Gigantour in his busy schedule."
The multi-artist Gigantour bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by Dave Mustaine of headliners MEGADETH — will wrap on February 28 in Denver, Colorado.
VOLBEAT recently parted ways with guitarist Thomas Bredahl, who had been a member of the band since 2006.
VOLBEAT last year released "Live From Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" via Vertigo/Universal on double DVD, Blu-ray, limited double DVD + audio CD, CD, digital download and VOD. The set includes footage from VOLBEAT's sold-out show in front of 10,000 fervent fans at the Forum in Copenhagen, to the House of Blues in Anaheim, California and the Rock Am Ring show in Germany. It's VOLBEAT conquering performance territory Stateside and across Europe, showing fans that the band is just as comfortable, charged and throttled in front of an audience as intimate as 1,100 or as vast as 80,000.
The second trailer for "Valentine", the new video from German female-fronted symphonic metallers XANDRIA, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Neverworld's End", which will be released via Napalm Records on the following dates:
Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Italy: February 24 Spain, Finland, Sweden: February 22 Rest of Europe: February 27 USA, Canada: March 6
The "Valentine" video will make its online debut on February 14.
"Neverworld's End" track listing:
01. A Prophecy Of Worlds To Fall 02. Valentine 03. Forevermore 05. Euphoria 04. Blood On My Hands 06. Soulcrusher 07. The Dream Is Still Alive 08. The Lost Elysion 09. Call Of The Wind 10. A Thousand Letters 11. Cursed 12. The Nomad's Crown 13. When The Mirror Cracks (bonus track)
Commented the band: "Although the title may indicate it, this is not a concept album, but there is an overall theme threading its way through most of the songs."
XANDRIA last year took part in the "Out Of The Dark" European tour with VAN CANTO, TRISTANIA, SERENITY and AMBERIAN DAWN.
XANDRIA in December 2010 announced the addition of singer Manuela Kraller to the group's ranks.
Commented Manuela: "My musical life started very late, at the age of 23. In a choir in Finland I discovered singing for me and since then it became my passion. I began to take classical singing lessons, sang in church and gospel choirs and soon I was asked to be a solo singer in choirs, at churchly and also at private occasions. But as I have grown up with metal and rock music I soon wanted to combine it with my classical background. So I started singing rock and metal songs with a friend and also wrote own songs for the first time. Soon after that I joined a metal band called NAGOR MAR (Switzerland) and I also became a singer in the German band HAGGARD, where I had great experiences on stage and on tour. And now a 'new age' has begun for me and I am very pleased to be the new singer of XANDRIA!"
XANDRIA performed several concerts in 2009 with the band's former frontwoman, Lisa Middelhauve, filling in.
XANDRIA in February 2011 parted ways with its singer of one year, Kerstin Bischof. The group stated at the time, "Due to occupational and private reasons, [Kerstin] wants to concentrate on her non-musical career in the future and cannot support XANDRIA the way it would be necessary."
Bischof joined XANDRIA in February 2009 as the replacement for Middelhauve, who left the band in May 2008 for "personal reasons." Lisa stated at the time, "My exit has nothing to do with dispute or controversy within the band. It was just time to split."
XANDRIA's fourth album, "Salomé - The Seventh Veil", was released in May 2007.
Marko Miranovic of Metal Sound magazine conducted an interview with singer Stu Block of American metallers ICED EARTH before the band's November 23, 2011 concert in Belgrade, Serbia. You can now watch the chat below.
ICED EARTH's video for the song "Anthem" was filmed on December 7, 2011 at Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany.
"We had a blast making that video," said guitarist/mainman Jon Schaffer. "I think the fans can see it on our faces. 'Anthem' captures the energy of our live shows, as well as the fun we're having together as a band."
Produced and directed by Kosch Fabian Film, "Anthem" is the second music video from ICED EARTH's new album, "Dystopia", which sold around 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 67 on The Billboard 200 chart.
ICED EARTH's previous CD, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", opened with 6,700 units in September 2008 to debut at No. 79.
ICED EARTH's 10th studio offering, "Dystopia", was released in Europe on October 17, 2011 and in the U.S. on October 18 via Century Media Records. Two bonus tracks were also recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.
Alternative pin-up and Bizarre cover star Amie Conradine conducted an interview with Jerry Only of the MISFITS ahead of the band's February 1 concert at London, England's O2 Islington Academy. You can now watch the chat below.
MISFITS' new album, "The Devil's Rain", sold 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 70 on The Billboard 200 chart.
In 1977, at the dawn of the punk movement the MISFITS set out to make an impression, and created a legacy that has truly withstood the test of time. Immortalizing black and white B horror films in their music, the MISFITS developed a ghoulish and totally unique persona of their own that s consistently evolved over the years, while remaining true to its roots. The band s iconic "Fiend Skull" logo has become a staple in pop culture and an instantly recognizable symbol worldwide. Bands across the spectrum of rock have covered their material, including METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE and countless others.
Boasting a massive catalog of music old and new, a new lineup (consistently helmed by founding member Jerry Only), and an influence felt around the world, the MISFITS return with their long-awaited, first full-length release of all-new, original material in nearly a decade!
Rooted in the horror and sci-fi themes their audience craves, "The Devil's Rain" showcases 16 fiendish, soon-to-be MISFITS classics including "Twilight Of The Dead", "Dark Shadows", "Curse of the Mummy's Hand" and the title track itself. Produced by Ed Stasium (whose credits include the RAMONES' "Road To Ruin" and "Too Tough to Die", as well as the MISFITS 1999 release "Famous Monsters"), the album showcases a jaw-dropping, two-panel front/back cover painting featuring the rebirth of the band's iconic Fiend mascot in an epic setting rendered by Arthur Suydam (known for his immensely popular work on the Marvel Zombies series, among others). The packaging, designed to emulate a CD sized gatefold LP, also features some incredible new MISFITS portraits shot by the legendary Mick Rock. Rock's imagery (which includes David Bowie, Iggy Pop, QUEEN, Debbie Harry, and the RAMONES, to name a few), has become part of the very fabric of rock and roll. Having also served as an on-set photographer for cult-movie classic "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", Rock lends a perfectly suited eye to view the band s surrealistic and highly theatrical persona.
"The Devil's Rain" is not just a continuation of a historic legacy, it's a total reboot ushering in a new era of terror. In a sense, it's the debut album from the legendary MISFITS of this decade.
Estonian death metallers NEOANDERTALS will release their new album, "Australopithecus", on February 17 via Kunaki, LLC. The follow-up to 2011's "Ebu Gogo Gutting The Child" was recorded in Otepää, Estonia in 2009 with original member Roland Seer behind the drum kit. Mixing and mastering was done in January by NEOANDERTALS mainman Rain Pohlak.
According to a press relese, "Australopithecus" "is something really different. Dedicated to lesser-known, simpler hominids, it is an instrumental record containing adventurous drumbeats and a fresh approach towards bass-heavy music."
"Australopithecus" track listing:
01. Australopithecus Robustus 02. No Control Over Fire 03. Nocturnal Creatures 04. Dead Hominids 05. Frugivorous 06. Extinction
The album cover is an oil painting of the skull of an Australopithecus (Paranthropus) robustus done by Rain Pohlak.
The song "Dead Hominids" is now available for streaming via www.neoandertals.com.
NEOANDERTALS was among the nominees in the "Metal" category at the 15th annual Estonian Music Awards (the Estonian equivalent to the Grammy Awards). The largest and oldest Estonian music awards show was held Thursday, February 2 at the Nokia Concert Hall in Tallinn, Estonia and was broadcast live on the Estonian channel TV3.
Former MEGADETH/KING DIAMOND guitarist Glen Drover has started the initial editing of songs for the next GLEN DROVER BAND album. He says, "We have a bunch of really cool material from Jim [Gilmour, keyboards], Paul [Yee, bass] and myself that I'm very excited about.
"This album will most likely continue down the same path of style as [last year's] 'Metalusion', but will also have more 'metal'-style songs this time around.
"The recording process should start within the next month or two, and hopefully have a new album ready sometime later in the year.. I'm also happy to say that Chris Sutherland is back on drums. We had some personal issues, which led to us deciding that we should part last summer, but just recently, Chris and I met up and had a nice talk (we both teach at MWI in Toronto) and seemed to have ironed out our issues and decided that we really need to get back together and carry on with the next album. It was very clear after seeing a lot of the video footage of the webcast DVD I was telling you about earlier, that we have a really good chemistry and want to forge ahead and see if we can move forward without anything get in our way this time around.
"As far as the recording process, we spent a long time on the last album, not necessarily working consistently on the album, but also doing a lot of reflecting on the songs, making sure the songs were going in the right direction, and would grow on us over a period of time, which they all did. We will probably continue with the same process, as it seemed to work great last time around.
"'Metalusion' is really one of the very few albums I have ever been a part of that I can say I enjoy from beginning to end. We are all very proud of that album indeed."
On September 25, 2011, Drover took part in a historic performance that was webcast worldwide as part of the "Live At Metalworks" series from Mississauga, Canada.
Footage of Drover and his band performing the song "Colors Of Infinity" during the webcast — which was seen by over 25,000 people in 64 countries — is available in the YouTube clip below.
Glen's "Live At Metalworks" performance will be released as a DVD in June year via Magna Carta.
Commented Drover: "As of yesterday, I finished proofing all of the video editing for the new GLEN DROVER BAND live DVD! This was the Magna Carta/Metalworks webcast that we played last summer, and I'm super happy with the end result! The DVD consists of the entire concert we did on September 25th, 2011, as well as a bonus clip we did for the song 'Mirage' after the event had finished. For fun, we also played a version [MEGADETH's] 'Symphony Of Destruction' with me singing it. Also, all of the mixing and mastering for audio was done in my recording studio, before being handed over for the synching process of audio and video."
Adrien Begrand of MSN's metal music section Headbang recently conducted an interview with drummer Tomas Haake of Swedish Swedish experimental extreme metallers MESHUGGAH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Headbang: When I interviewed you four years ago you mentioned how physically challenging the song "Bleed" was. Is there a song on "Koloss" that's been just as difficult to pull off?
Haake: Not technically. As far as stamina-wise, we haven't even tried to play "The Demon's Name is Surveillance" as a whole band. It's a quirky one for everyone, not just because it's challenging physically for me as a drummer and for them as guitar players, but also because of the waltz feel that song has, it's something a lot of people aren't very used to playing. Playing those 16 triplets every other bar you're leading by playing upward with the pick instead of downward, so it's a quirky song to play for that reason, and of course for pure stamina reasons. I hope we can pull it off live, but we haven't even tried to play the whole song through. We'll see. [laughs]
Headbang: Aside from the sheer immensity of the music, was there any reason you decided to use the title "Koloss"?
Haake: It's not so much like a theme, like you said it's kind of how the overall album is more towards something heavier than anything that we've ever done. We wanted something that had that sound to it, something monolithic, something huge. Also a few things that tied into that was the stress and anxiety that a few of us went through up until we started recording this album because of previous sessions where we felt we were doing things the wrong way. That lingers with you, you don't want to do the same mistakes again, you want to save the mental health of a few in the band as well, try to do things another way. So it felt like a colossal thing to get out of the hat this time, even though it went smoother in a lot of ways. Also once we knew what artwork we were using, because it's not artwork that was designed for this album, it was an existing piece of art by this Russian artist Luminokaya, we just fell in love with the piece and we found out it hadn't been used for anything, so we could buy the rights for it. Once we saw that, and we already had the title "Colossus", we had that song in there, we just felt like this creature on the cover looks like, is it a god, is it a devil, what is it? The work Koloss just fit for some reason.
Headbang: How did you find that artwork?
Haake: I don't even remember, I think I was just looking through random art online probably three or four years ago I saw this guy's art the first time. I got in contact with him, and initially he was supposed to do something for the album but we trailed off into other things and we didn't stay in touch for a while. I just took for granted that the piece had been used for something already, but when I finally asked him he said no, it was up for grabs. He's done a lot of additions and renditions and versions of it for the whole layout, so he's spent a lot of time on it too, and we're really stoked that we ended up using this art.
Headbang: Was it digitally made?
Haake: Yeah. It's a photoshop document of some 500 layers that took him nine months to create. [laughs] So there's a lot of detail. It's a shame you have to release things in CD format and not in the format of, like, a door. [laughs] There's so much detail. So once we print real posters of that stuff, there's so much detail you can keep zooming in and new things come up. It's quite a mind-blowing piece when you see it in full resolution, for sure.
Headbang: So do you intend to have that artwork sort of be a fold-out in the CD?
Haake: Yeah, that's the idea. It's going to be a fold-out poster, but I don't love the idea because you get the creases there, but at least you can get into the details more, so that's kind of what we're aiming to do.
A new three-and-a-half-minute video clip in which vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway of British/American grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH describes the concept of the band's new album, "Utilitarian", can be seen below.
NAPALM DEATH will release its 14th studio album (excluding the cover album "Leaders Not Followers"), "Utilitarian", on February 27 in Europe and February 28 in North America via the band's longtime partner, Century Media Records. The cover artwork (see below) perfectly fits the album's theme and was created by the Danish artist Frode Sylthe, who is also responsible for THE HAUNTED's "rEVOLVEr" artwork.
In anticipation of this release, the band has now launched an "Occupy Napalm"Facebook tab to show their support for the Occupy movement and to provide fans with the latest news about their politically-charged "Utilitarian". With downloadable Occupy-themed stencils and screensavers, plus a special video teaser for "Utilitarian" created by Mitch Harris (guitar, vocals), this Facebook tab is the place to go for everything NAPALM DEATH!
"Utilitarian" track listing
01. Circumspect 02. Errors In The Signals 03. Everyday Pox 04. Protection Racket 05. The Wolf I Feed 06. Quarantined 07. Fall On Their Swords 08. Collision Course 09. Orders Of Magnitude 10. Think Tank Trials 11. Blank Look About Face 12. Leper Colony 13. Nom De Guerre 14. Analysis Paralysis 15. Opposite Repellent 16. A Gag Reflex 17. Aim Without An Aim (bonus track) 18. Everything In Mono (bonus track)
Upon "Utilitarian"'s release, NAPALM DEATH's limited-edition "Analysis Paralysis" seen-inch EP will also be available for purchase at CM Distro in black and clear vinyl. Its B-side includes the exclusive track "Youth Offender", making this a very collectable piece for any diehard NAPALM DEATH fan.
Greenway explains the album title and concept: "After some deliberation, we have decided on 'Utilitarian' as the album title. We generally try to avoid generic titles, and this seemed to have a lot of scope to it. I won't explain the full meaning of utilitarianism here because it's an ethical theory, and as ethical theories go, the depth and debate around it is quite heavy at times. It has a certain 'morality' aspect to it and that isn't something that drives me, so I also certainly have issues with it."
"So, rather than just nail that straight to the mast, of course we wanted to put our own spin on it by suggesting that those (i.e. the utilitarian in us, perhaps) who try to challenge everything, or fight against conventions, well, we go through periods of real self-doubt where we wonder if we're really making a difference. I suppose the conclusion is that, for the sake of all our freedoms, you should never stop, as even the feeling of resistance is at least a signal to those who would like to entirely control and dominate us — meaning everything from our instinctive behavior to our human entitlement to walk the earth unprovoked.
"Regarding the album overall, the final creases should be ironed out fairly soon, and immediately after that, we thought it would be good to top it off with a few U.K. dates. We've been playing one new song ('Quarantined') out on a tour of Canada and it's been well received, so we hope to perhaps throw in another one for now. Either way, we'll be bouncing off the walls again near you very soon."
Fan-filmed video footage of NAPALM DEATH performing two new songs — "Analysis Paralysis" and "Quarantined" — on January 27 at the Vortex club in Siegen, Germany can be seen below.
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