MEGADETH will play a short acoustic set for around 50 contest winners chosen by Detroit, Michigan's WRIF 101.1 FM radio station. The performance will take place today (Thursday, February 9) at 3:00 p.m. EST backstage at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan and it will be streamed online at WRIF.com.
A short video clip of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson talking about today's acoustic set can be seen below. Also available is footage of MEGADETH's April 28, 2010 acoustic performance on the "Cual Es?" show at the Rock & Pop 95.9 studios in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Gigantour — the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH — is making its highly anticipated return for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine — kicked off on January 26 in Camden, New Jersey. Before wrapping February 28 in Denver, Colorado, the tour will make stops all across the U.S. and Canada, including a February 24 show in Los Angeles.
MEGADETH is among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Sunday, February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's tenth Grammy nomination is for its new single, "Public Enemy No. 1", off MEGADETH's latest album, "TH1RT3EN", which came out on November 1.
"Public Enemy No. 1" actually marks the second Grammy nomination for music from "TH1RT3EN", as the song "Sudden Death" was first unveiled in the 2010 video game "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" and received a "Best Metal Performance" nod.
Mike Bax of Lithium Magazine recently conducted an interview with MINISTRY mainman Al Jourgensen. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Lithium Magazine: I find it interesting a MINISTRY album has come out of a jam session centered on making a country album, Al.
Al: I know, right? It's kind of ironic, isn't it? But that's kind of the way it happened. Mike Scaccia (MINISTRY's lead guitarist) just kept pestering me and pestering me like, "Dude, these riffs are really cool. We've got to do this; you've got to write some lyrics". So I was like, "Okay!" and my health has gotten better since a couple years ago and I said, "Alright, I'll try it". It came out really well; the album is really good I think.
Lithium Magazine: I love "Relapse". I've played it through a few times, and I like the sound of all of it. I genuinely feel like that you're going out on a high point.
Al: Yeah, I'm not doing another after this. MINISTRY is a lot different than all the other side projects I do. MINISTRY is very labor intensive (laughs), there's a lot of thinking going on, whereas the other projects, we just get drunk and jam and figure it out later. It's like the BUCK SATAN record is completely mayhem. That's what's great about that; it kind of replaces REVCO for me in the sense of having a party atmosphere for music. Whereas MINISTRY is, like I said, labor intensive and a lot of thinking going and a lot of production, it's just too much, man. I can't sustain that for that long, but the other projects are just a gas.
Lithium Magazine: Good, that's cool. You've mentioned in other interviews that this is definitely the last nail in the coffin for MINISTRY as a band, so I feel pretty fortunate that you're coming back and you made another album. I've been a fan for a while.
Al: Well, thank you, and like I said I was roped into this; I didn't want to do it, but you can blame Mike Scaccia for this album. (laughs) He was all over my case, just cracking the whip, getting me to sing vocals and stuff. He really believed in the album and then when I hear the whole thing put together I'm like, "Wow, this is pretty good." But no more man, I'm serious. I know you've heard this from me before but that was for health reasons, this one I'm healthy, I can't do these kinds of intense albums anymore. I'd rather just jam and get drunk with a bunch of hillbillies.
Lithium Magazine: Lots of bands that have been in the music industry for thirty years have very little to say musically. They've been there and they've done that, but there are some bands in their triple decades that are pulling together some of their best material. KILLING JOKE, ANTHRAX and certainly MINISTRY's "Relapse" is now on that list as well.
Al: Yeah well, I think that to be honest with you, I think you get better with age; you just get less desire to record with age. It's like you just want this long national nightmare to be over, especially if your health is bad. In that sense, I think that you fine-tune, you auto-tune, you know what you're doing. For instance, Relapse is the fastest album I've ever done of any side project or MINISTRY or anything. We did it in three months, man. It was really great because you just know what to do. If you've been around the studio like I have, let's see, I think I have a total of thirty-nine albums out including live and greatest hits. You get used to the studio and you get really proficient at what you're doing. Of course, some of these bands release really great stuff later in their careers because they're used to the process. Some people may take it as, "Well, you may be used to the process so it might be the same as the old stuff", but this album certainly isn't. I've spent three albums bashing Bush (former American president George W. Bush) and "Relapse" is like half personal experience and half social commentary. It's more of a different beast, but still a lot of labor intensive work required to do Ministry albums as opposed to the other ones.
Lithium Magazine: So much of MINISTRY's material is rooted in negativity and anger, which must take its toll over the years. I would imagine this is a large part of why you're going to pack that band in and move on to the fun stuff.
Al: Well, I've got other stuff to do, man. Like I told you, MINISTRY is so labor intensive it's almost not worth it. This one was only because of Mike Scaccia, after that, I'm done; seriously done. It's not a joke, I'm not going to make a comeback later. I don't need the money, I'm done. I want to explore other things; I want to do a jazz soundtrack for the William Burroughs movie that's coming out (The author of "Naked Lunch", whom Jourgensen has collaborated with lyrically). I'm doing a country record and then I'm doing a blues record and then I'm calling it a day. I'm done with industrial. Seriously, my iPod collection at home has NO industrial music on it; it's strictly jazz, blues and country. That's kind of what I'm branching into.
Ex-METALLICA guitarist and current MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine joined his former bandmates on stage on December 10, 2011 for the fourth and final intimate show at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of METALLICA's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.
Mustaine, who was one of the original members of METALLICA, was fired from the band by drummer Lars Ulrich in 1983. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett and went on to form MEGADETH and achieve worldwide success on his own.
"I played four or five songs with them [at the Fillmore show] — just me, James [Hetfield], Lars, Robert [Trujillo] and Kirk was over on the side," Mustaine tells Chicago Sun-Times. "Kirk didn't look too happy about it, but I think he was a good sport.
"I think you can see from the way the guys lit up that it was mutually beneficial for everybody. We all expected something magical to happen, and it did. We were playing stuff off the first record that I'd written in my teenage years. It was a blast."
When asked if there is any chance of a future collaboration between him and the members of METALLICA, Mustaine said, "I would certainly look forward to another opportunity with those guys. The competition is done. I'd love to do a record with James, Lars and [MEGADETH bassist] Dave Ellefson, but I don't know if it’s in the cards. Maybe a single for charity or something."
According to The Pulse Of Radio, AEROSMITH producer Jack Douglas told Classic Rock magazine that he suggested recruiting author Stephen King to work with Steven Tyler on lyrics for the band's new album. Douglas said he threw his idea out there when he was asked by the record label if Tyler needed anyone to write with. Douglas explained, "They looked at me like I was crazy. I said, 'No, I'm serious. If there's anyone who's going to inspire him, it'd be Stephen King. Steven doesn't need melody — he needs someone who's going to inspire him as a wordsmith. I don't want a guy who's just writing hits right now.'"
The best-selling horror author is a huge rock 'n' roll fan and has even worked with John Mellencamp on a stage musical, but it's not known whether he has actually been approached by the AEROSMITH camp.
Douglas also said that AEROSMITH's first all-new album in over a decade, which is tentatively due out in May, "may take you back to places you used to know."
The band has recorded 15 songs with Douglas, who was behind the board for AEROSMITH classics like "Rocks" and "Toys In The Attic".
AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry recently revealed via Twitter that the band will embark on a U.S. tour in June. Tickets will go on sale in March. Exact cities and dates will be announced during the coming weeks.
In August 2011, RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli announced their decision to go their separate ways.
Due to legal reasons, Staropoli will continue under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, will make his future efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he will be joined by guitarist Dominique Leurquin, bassist Patrice Guers, and drummer Alex Holzwarth. A singer for the group has has yet to be announced.
LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY will release a new album entitled "Ascending To Infinity" on June 29 via Nuclear Blast.
Commented the band: "In some days, Dominique and Patrice will start recording their guitar and bass parts in a French studio. Dominique is actually rehearsing the parts and on Friday, will start recording the rhythmic guitar of half album and a couple of lead parts too. Meanwhile, Luca is working on the second step of the arrangement process for each song, finalizing the keyboard parts and creating the sound design elements in his private home studio in Trieste, Italy. From tomorrow, he will start recording the rhythmic and the main lead guitars, too."
Said Luca: "The last part of the arrangement process is very long and emotionally demanding, but is also the most satisfying, from an artistic point of view.
"I just finished working on the keyboard parts of the song 'Dark Fate Of Atlantis', and on the sound effects needed to give breath and life to the same song. I needed almost one week to complete the last phase of the arrangements for it, but this is the amazing step necessarily needed to turn a song from normal into 'cinematic.'
"After many days and an infinite mind-blowing search between intimate sounds and apocalyptic textures and effects, it is time for me to disconnect from that kind of spiritual experience and finally relax starting to record some guitar parts, ha ha. From tomorrow, I will have then two computers open in front of me: one to record the guitar and the second to bounce the first files for Sebastian, our studio engineer.
"Just to let you understand the amount of work necessary in this case: for a typical RHAPSODY song of around six minutes like 'Dark Fate Of Atlantis', I will need around 12 hours to originate the audio files that then will be used for the mix.
"If you want to know more about these aspects related with the composition and arrangement process, I will just be happy to inform you from our band's Facebook page in the next days."
In August 2011, RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli announced their decision to go their separate ways.
"Ascending To Infinity" track listing:
01. Quantum X 02. Ascending To Infinity 03. Dante’s Inferno 04. Excalibur 05. Tormento E Passione 06. Dark Fate Of Atlantis 07. Fantasia Gotica 08. Clash Of The Titans 09. Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall I. Alma Mundi II. Fatum Mortalis III. Ignis Divinus
The album will have a running time of around 65 minutes.
The limited-edition version of "Ascending To Infinity" will include two bonus tracks for 75 minutes of music, plus "many exclusive gifts," to be revealed very soon.
LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY will embark on the "Ascending To Infinity" headlining tour in the fall.
In a recent interview, Turilli stated about "Ascending To Infinity", "Honestly, this album is very important for me, Alex Holzwarth, Patrice and Dominique and personally it is the one I always dreamed to record. The basic composition process lasted around five months. In this period of time I worked at the rhythm of 12-14 hours per day and, while very hard because very demanding mentally and spiritually, this was one of the most rewarding sessions of composition of my whole life. It rarely happened I had so much fun playing the guitar, the keyboards or my beloved piano and creating original classical parts, cinematic interludes, orchestrations and all the rest. Now all the songs are ready and I am actually in the process of arranging everything. As you know, I don't hire external people to orchestrate the music, but I do all by myself writing the music for each section of the orchestra, the choirs etc. and this sometimes can be a very long and hard process stealing a lot of time and energy. I can not deny that this is a very ambitious album, because of the investment, artistic vision etc., and all the people working on it, Nuclear Blast included, are thinking the same. That's why in the upcoming months of intensive studio work I want to go on dedicating myself night and day to it, without thinking to anything else."
Regarding the change in the production team for the LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY album, Luca said, "After many years of work in Wolfsburg at the court of our friend Sascha Paeth, I decided to start this new artistic adventure with a different team of people. Sascha and the other friends of the Gate Studio (Miro, Olaf, Robert, Simon, etc.) are a winning team and their help in the past was really important for RHAPSODY. But it's since many years already that Alex and I took the productions in our hands becoming producers of our own albums, despite Sascha remaining always fundamental as engineer and mixer man. His mixes will remain legendary and our list of thanks will be never long enough for all the professional contribution he gave. All the years of work, fun and sufferance in the Gate studios of Wolfsburg will surely remain unforgettable and are carved in our heart. For LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY and the new band adventure I decided to change the studio and the main man behind the console. We are now recording the new album at the Backyard Studio of Kempten, Germany. Our new engineer and main mixer man is the same owner of the studio and his name is Sebastian Roeder, the person who worked for RHAPSODY OF FIRE in the last worldwide tour making real miracles while mixing our music live. Apart from being a talented engineer, he is a great person and he shares with us the love for this style of music. To resume, the new album will be produced by me as usual, while Sebastian will take care of the engineering, mixing and mastering process."
On the topic of the singer for LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY, Luca said, "As you can imagine, this will be one of the most important news to be given in the upcoming months, but for the moment we prefer to keep all top secret. Speaking about singers, please allow me to say a few words about Olaf Hayer, singer and talented voice of LUCA TURILLI, my old solo band. The truth is that, as many people could already imagine, I stopped my solo activity as LUCA TURILLI definitely, willing to dedicate myself to LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY at full time. That's why I want to publicly thank Olaf for the fundamental contribution he gave to our solo albums. All the three albums of the trilogy entered the charts establishing some important records and this was possible mainly because of my friend Olaf. Who knows?! Maybe sooner or later we'll still have the chance to work together. Never say never."
"Roots", a brand new song from Norwegian avantgarde metallers BORKNAGAR, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below (courtesy of Germany's Metal Hammer magazine). The track comes off the band's new album, "Urd", which will be released on March 26 in Europe and March 27 in North America via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (OPETH, PARADISE LOST, KATATONIA) in Örebro, Sweden.
Commented BORKNAGAR mastermind Øystein G. Brun: "In regards to the depth, diversity and magnitude of our new album, 'Urd', it almost feels painful to slice off just a tiny bit of the bloody roast for the very first official 'starter.' I would argue that each and every song on the new album stands on solid ground, but as usual with our music, the songs empower each other in the context of a full album. That said, 'Roots' is probably the song on the album that gives you the most representative impression of 'Urd'. Musically, it contains most of the elements that framework the musical universe of BORKNAGAR, and lyrically this song is gnawing on the very spine of our lyrical tradition."
He added, "Hope you enjoy this song, the first tiny glimpse into our new opus. The beast is about to be unleashed…"
The "Urd" artwork was designed by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco, who has not only already worked on BORKNAGAR's previous "Universal" release but also with artists such as SOULFLY, BELPHEGOR, EINHERJER and KEEP OF KALESSIN.
Commented Brun: "The cover and design for 'Urd' is spot on when it comes to portraying the very core of the band. This time around we wanted an earthly expression through our cover and general design to support and empower the main themes on the album. You can almost smell and feel the texture of the old Norse wooden carvings — still there is a sophisticated and eclectic approach to the expression that entwines perfectly into the music. Marcelo Vasco enhanced our ideas into brilliance, he painted the face of the beast that is about to be unleashed..."
"Urd" track listing:
01. Epochalypse 02. Roots 03. The Beauty Of Dead Cities 04. The Earthling 05. The Plains Of Memories 06. Mount Regency 07. Frostrite 08. The Winter Eclipse 09. In A Deeper World
Brun previously stated about the upcoming CD, "Our new album, 'Urd', was finished in mid December and all in all we spent about six months to record, produce and mix it. In the 'Bork-World' this isn't really long, but I can assure you that we have never before invested so much time, energy and effort into one single production. It has been a tough, yet inspiring ride.
"Since June 2011 I have constantly been working with this album, recording, editing and so forth — day and night. The same goes for my comrades. Never before have we made an album where everybody in the band has been so heavily involved and dedicated as this time around.
"'Urd' is surely the peak of our musical journey so far and we are extremely proud to have made this giant of an album! It's massive, it's emotional, it's fast, it's slow, it's epic, and it's progressive… all the ingredients that we have crafted our musical world on! And not to mention the 'golden threesome' on vocals (Vintersorg, Mr. Vortex and Lazare) really shines on this album… Do I need to say more?!"
Regarding where the album title fits in within BORKNAGAR's historical context, Øystein explained, "Our previous album was called 'Universal' and where should we go after an album title with such a magnitude? Well, we decided to head back home to earth. We really wanted to get back to the core of the band, where it all started - the admiration and pondering about nature and mankind's place therein. 'Urd' is the name of one of the norns that according to northern mythology stands under Yggdrasill and weaves the lifeline of mankind. 'Urd' is representing the past, while 'Verdande' is representing the present and 'Skuld' is representing the future. You might very well say that this is an ancient expression of what we today know as DNA. And I have always been very fascinated by the fact that parts and bits of our DNA actually derive from the very beginning of time. All living creatures are somewhat connected to the very first organic cell. That is some of the story behind the album title…"
BORKNAGAR 2012 is:
* Øystein G. Brun (Cronian, ex-Molested) – Clean and Electric Guitar * Vintersorg (VINTERSORG, FISSION) - Grim Vocals, Clean Vocals and Choirs * Lars A. Nedland (SOLEFALD, ex-CARPATHIAN FOREST) - Keyboards, Clean Vocals, Choirs * Jens F. Ryland (ICS VORTEX) - Lead Guitar * ICS Vortex (ex-DIMNMU BORGIR, ARCTURUS, ICS VORTEX) - Bass, Clean Vocals and Choirs
Drums and percussion on "Urd" were performed by David Kinkade (SOULFLY, ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION).
AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen has enlisted the talents of legendary screen actor Rutger Hauer as the narrator on Arjen's forthcoming solo album.
"This is a dream come true," says Arjen. "Rutger is not only one of my favorite actors, he also starred in my all-time favorite sci-fi movie, 'Blade Runner'."
Rutger also enjoyed the collaboration with Arjen, saying, "[Arjen] connected with me when he was working on his new album. Said he was a big fan and wanted to see if I could do the voiceover. This happened over just a few weeks and it was marvelous work, very creative. I hope you enjoy it".
A short video clip of Arjen and Rutger talking about their collaboration can be seen below.
Lucassen's as-yet-untitled new solo album is scheduled for release later this year via InsideOut Music.
A three-part video interview with vocalist Randy Blythe and guitarist Mark Morton of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD can be seen below.
LAMB OF GOD's new album, "Resolution", sold around 52,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Wrath", opened with around 68,000 units back in March 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. This figure was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by 2006's "Sacrament", which shifted around 63,000 units to debut at No. 8. It also represented almost double the amount of records sold by its predecessor, "Ashes Of The Wake", which premiered with 35,000 copies in September 2004.
"Resolution" was released in the U.S. via Epic and internationally through Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at various studios in Virginia and New York with producer Josh Wilbur, who worked on the band's last effort, 2009's "Wrath".
"Resolution" features 14 songs and comes in a digipack with artwork by longtime art director Ken Adams.
Los Angeles-based, female-fronted metallers HUNTRESS will release their debut album, "Spell Eater", on April 27 via Napalm Records.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Spell Eater 02. Senecide 03. Sleep and Death 04. Snow Witch 05. Eight of Swords 06. Aradia 07. Night Rape 08. Children 09. Terror 10. The Tower 11. The Dark
The official video for the CD's first single, "Eight Of Swords", can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Simon Chan of Artificial Army and was produced/engineered by Chris Rakestraw of Sunset Lodge Recording.
HUNTRESS vocalist Jill Janus told AOL's Noisecreep about the "Spell Eater" artwork, "The album cover captures the beauty and brutality of HUNTRESS. Vance Kelly is a warlock and he took our vision and created a magical illustration that breathes glory into the old crone. We contemplated having either a sultry sorceress or decrepit forest witch as our cover babe. Ultimately, the crone won because she is the true Huntress."
According to a press release, "HUNTRESS lead singer Jill Janus is an operatic banshee with an unparalleled four-octave range and lust for the occult. Born and raised in the Catskill Mountains of New York, she toured Europe as a teenage opera starlet. Upon her return to the States, Janus embraced Manhattan nightlife, creating Felliniesque cabarets and parties in a nihilistic club scene. Years later, Janus moved to Los Angeles and began the gestation period of HUNTRESS. In 2009 she met underground metal band PROFESSOR. The universe spread her legs and delivered HUNTRESS to Janus, combining former members of PROFESSOR, DARK BLACK and SKELETONWITCH."
HUNTRESS is:
Vocals: Jill Janus Lead Guitar: Blake Meahl Rhythm Guitar: Ian Alden Drums: Carl Wierzbicky Bass: Eric Harris
A six-year-old boy by the name of Jacob teamed up with the Melbourne, Florida-based two-piece post-hardcore band TERABRITE and smashed out "a brutal track" called "My First Hardcore Song" as a response to the recently released track from Juliet, an eight-year-old Brisbane, Australia girl. Check out the clip below.
Juliet became an Internet sensation after releasing her version of "My First Hardcore Song", a track about her pet fishes and dog.
According to Ninemsn, Juliet's mother Kristina Childs uploaded the video, which was put together by Queensland producer and family friend Rob Sharpe, on YouTube. The clip has since attracted nearly 20 million views.
Juliet's father, Steven Childs, is a musician in Australian rock band BRIGHT LIGHTS.
The music clip, filmed in a local park, opens with Juliet climbing trees and bashing at imaginary drums before shouting the opening lyrics, "Get your two step on!"
The original lineup of Texan thrash metal veterans RIGOR MORTIS — Mike Scaccia (guitar), Casey Orr (bass), Harden Harrison (drums), and Bruce Corbitt (vocals) — has entered the studio to begin layinig down its first new album since 1991's "Rigor Mortis Vs. The Earth". The band is recording at 13th Planet Studios in El Paso, Texas, home to MINISTRY and BUCK SATAN AND THE 666 SHOOTERS. Production duties are being handled by Sammy D'Ambruoso and MINISTRY mainman Al Jourgensen.
Commented Orr: "Expect a brutally fast, sick and twisted record. We're not fucking around."
The RIGOR MORTIS members have been feverishly writing new material in between other projects. Scaccia and Orr recently contributed songs to the upcoming MINISTRY record, "Relapse", and are gearing up for the "Defibrillatour" this summer. Corbitt has been busy touring with his band, WARBEAST, most recently in support of the mighty GWAR. Harrison was recently in the studio recording with his band MITRA.
The return of RIGOR MORTIS has been a long time coming. Though the band has reunited for a handful of shows over the last several years, schedules and personal lives just wouldn't allow for the time and commitment necessary for the band to properly reemerge with new material and a determination to take RIGOR to the next level.
RIGOR MORTIS lineup:
Mike Scaccia - Guitar Casey Orr - Bass/Vocals Harden Harrison - Drums Bruce Corbitt - Vocals
SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner will fill in for Charlie Benante at the following ANTHRAX shows:
Feb. 11 - Cordoba, Argentina - Cosquin Rock Feb. 13 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Malvinas
Benante and ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello (who is Charlie's nephew) missed several shows on ANTHRAX's recent North American tour in order to spend time with Charlie's mother, who was terminally ill. On February 4, Benante informed fans via his official web site that his mother passed away.
Jason Bittner joined ANTHRAX on stage on November 8, 2011 at Northern Lights in Clifton Park, New York to perform the ANTHRAX classic "Madhouse". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.
Bittner previously filled in on drums for ANTHRAX for two shows in January 2006 after Charlie Benante was forced to leave the tour early to attend to his wife Sandra, who gave birth to the couple's first child, Mia Charley Benante.
According to Bittner, ANTHRAX initially approached SLIPKNOT's Joey Jordison to fill in for Benante at the January 2006 shows before Bittner finally agreed to step in and do the dates himself.
Commented Bittner: "Charlie called me first [to see if I woud be available to do the shows], but my phone was off (I was sleeping) so they called Joey because they couldn't get through to me. But then Scott [Ian, ANTHRAX guitarist] got ahold of me later that morning."
Despite the fact that they have just launched a European headlining tour, progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have no intention of missing this weekend's 54th annual Grammy Awards, where they are nominated in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category for their song "On The Backs Of Angels". The band's keyboardist, Jordan Rudess, tells AOL's Noisecreep that he and his bandmates will jump into a plane immediately after a show at London's Wembley Arena Friday night, February 10, and head to Los Angeles where they will be met by their wives (and even a few kids) to take part in Sunday's big celebration.
"We are so excited," Jordan said. "The excitement we felt after first hearing the news of the nomination has never really worn off. We're just so proud of this new record ['A Dramatic Turn Of Events'] and how we managed to evolve after parting with [original drummer] Mike [Portnoy], that regardless of whether we win or not, we're just going to have a fun time in the moment. None of knows that to expect, this is sort of new to us, but we're excited about who we might meet at the event. For DREAM THEATER, this is really big deal and we just want to have a great time with each other and with our families and savor this honor of being nominated. And hey, if we win, that's just a bonus."
The nominees in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category are as follows:
* DREAM THEATER - "On The Backs Of Angels" * FOO FIGHTERS - White Limo" * MASTODON - "Curl Of The Burl" * MEGADETH - "Public Enemy No. 1" * SUM 41 - "Blood In My Eyes"
"We're ecstatic," James LaBrie, lead vocalist for DREAM THEATER, told Grammy.com. "Personally, I've already got the cleats on the bottom of my dress shoes so I can run up on the stage." He adds, "This is [about] getting a nod, getting the recognition from the industry itself [and] giving us a little bit more of a platform as far as public awareness."
To be eligible for nomination, an artist's work must have been released between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011.
Dave Castagno of Radio Screamer conducted an interview with RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer at the 2012 NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention that took place January 19-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.
"Infestation", the first studio record in 11 years from RATT, sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 30 on the Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on April 20, 2010 via Loud & Proud.
"Infestation" was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette (CHEVELLE, ALTER BRIDGE) at his Virginia studio, marking the first time the band has recorded outside of Los Angeles. The album is full of attitude and of reflection, cycling through a range of emotions. There are party anthems that RATT are known for alongside more contemplative, thoughtful tunes.
RATT is currently working on a new album for a tentative late summer release.
The Musician Network conducted an interview with legendary hard rock singer Paul Shortino, who has worked with such bands as ROUGH CUTT, QUIET RIOT, and, most recently, KING KOBRA, at the 2012 NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention that took place January 19-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.
Paul Shortino released "Chasing My Day", his collaboration with renowned producer Michael Voss (CASANOVA, SILVER), on June 26, 2009 via Metal Heaven.
Shortino is a vocal master in the tradition of Paul Rodgers and Robert Plant, two of his all-time heroes. Rich, expressive and bluesy, his intense lead vocals are delivered with the inspired fervor of a true rock 'n' roll believer. And that he is, as proved quite consistently over the last two decades with a diverse string of independent projects.
Shortino has been making music as long as he can remember, and has more than seen his fair share of the dramatic ups and downs of the industry. Having the chance to so memorably spoof the rock 'n' roll circus is priceless to him, albeit at the time he played Duke Fame, he was just coming into his own considerable spotlight.
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