Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick will be the special guest at the 2010 Cleveland KISS Expo, set to take place Sunday, March 28 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. (12 p.m. for VIP holders) at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South Independence in Independence, Ohio. Bruce will take part in a question-and-answer session and be available for photos and autographs throughout the day.
Holiday Inn Cleveland South Independence 6001 Rockside Road Independence, OH 44131
For hotel rooms, call 216-524-8050 and ask for the special KISS Expo rate. Cutoff for the special rate is February 26.
Commented Bruce: "I am very excited to announce my appearance at the Cleveland KISS Expo on March 28. I hope to share with you all exciting details of my 'BK3' release, which is available February 2 at all major chains (Best Buy, Walmart, FYE) and online at Amazon.com and iTunes and more. The new CD features Gene Simmons and his son Nick, Eric Singer and John Corabi and many other featured guests. I hope you enjoy the new CD and please come say hello in Cleveland. We will have a great time at the expo!"
THULCANDRA — the reactivated German black/death metal band featuring members of OBSCURA, DARK FORTRESS and HELFAHRT — has tapped Kristian Wåhlin (a.k.a. Necrolord; AT THE GATES, DISSECTION, EDGE OF SANITY, EMPEROR, DARK FUNERAL, SACRAMENTUM) to create the artwork for the group's new album, "Fallen Angels Dominion". The CD was recorded at Woodshed Studios with producers V. Santura and Steffen Kummerer for a 2010 release via Napalm Records. A full European tour will follow later this year.
THULCANDRA is:
Steffen Kummerer - Vocals, Guitar Sebastian Ludwig - Guitar Tobias Ludwig - Bass Seraph - Session Drums
THULCANDRA was founded back in 2003 by Steffen Kummerer (OBSCURA) and Jürgen Zintz with the intention of writing music in the vein of DISSECTION and UNANIMATED, the "old way of Swedish blackened death metal." When Jürgen committed suicide at the end of 2005, the band went on a hiatus. THULCANDRA was revived when the evil twins Tobias and Sebastian Ludwig, both known for their guitar and bass duties in the German pagan/black metal band HELFAHRT, joined the fold and Seraph of the mighty DARK FORTRESS stepped in as a session drummer.
For more information, visit the band's MySpace page.
"The World Is A Thorn", the new album from Seattle-based Christian metallers DEMON HUNTER, is scheduled for release on March 9. The band's fifth album follows the landmark documentary "45 Days", last year's "Live In Nashville" collection and a catalog of landmark releases that have made the band one of the most important in the genre.
"The World Is A Thorn" was produced by the band's longtime collaborator Aaron Sprinkle (ACCEPTANCE, ANBERLIN, THE ALMOST) and mixed by powerhouse producer Jason Suecof (ALL THAT REMAINS, TRIVIUM). It's a pairing emblematic of how skillfully DEMON HUNTER has always blended metallic might with melody.
"The World Is A Thorn" track listing:
01. Descending Upon Us 02. LifeWar 03. Collapsing 04. This Is The Line 05. Driving Nails 06. The World Is A Thorn 07. Tie This Around Your Neck 08. Just Breathe 09. Shallow Water 10. Feel As Though You Could 11. Blood In The Tears
The song "The World Is A Thorn" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
The deluxe-edition box includes:
* CD with two exclusive bonus tracks * DVD featuring the making of "The World Is A Thorn", and a live acoustic set * 20-page booklet with exclusive artwork, photos, and handwritten lyrics * Two fold-out posters featuring original artwork by metal visionary Dan Seagrave * Three photo cards * DEMON HUNTER handkerchief * Set of four buttons * Sticker
It's a well-worn cliche these days for a band to say their new album is "our heaviest but also our most melodic," but DEMON HUNTER delivers in spades with this release. Songs like "Descending Upon Us", "Lifewar" and the title track are by far the most aggressive of the band's career; "This is the Line" and "Collapsing" are a couple of the fist-pumping but still hard-driving anthems; and "Driving Nails" is one of two ballads on the album the likes of which their fans have come to both expect and cherish.
The album formally introduces guitarists Patrick Judge (who joined the band as a touring guitarist in 2008 and is now a full-time member) and Ryan Helm (of THE ASCENDICATE) with a new batch of songs written by co-founder and vocalist Ryan Clark. Yogi Watts returns with another jaw-dropping drum performance, backed up by longtime bass player Jonathan Dunn.
"The World Is A Thorn" is a definitive mission statement from a band at a creative apex, firing on all cylinders with awe-inspiring intensity.
"The album title refers to the often harmful and destructive world that we live in," explains Clark. "Most of the songs deal with the current state of the nation and the world as a whole. In particular, the lyrics take aim at the ideals of a Godless people and the depletion of our morals and values."
DEMON HUNTER has always been a Christian band and has represented their point of view strongly, despite the larger trend of watered down philosophies that straddle the line for popularity's sake. This stance has won them respect from fellow believers and opposite points of view alike.
"In this age it has seemingly become more and more detestable to be a Christian," Clark elaborates. "Our opinions on social and political issues are no longer tolerated as valid and we are commonly viewed as the enemy. Subjective truth, self-love, unrestricted perversion, the destruction of morality: these are the things that have ultimately brought us to a place of depression and madness.
"This album is the antithesis of the modern way of life."
"The World Is A Thorn" follows previous studio albums "Storm The Gates Of Hell" (2007), "The Triptych" (2005), "Summer Of Darkness" (2004) and "Demon Hunter" (2002), as well as the live album and three-disc CD/DVD set "45 Days", which have sold close to a combined half a million copies. It's an incredible feat for a band that has yet to venture from North America and has never toured regularly.
"Fading Away", the first video/single from "Storm The Gates Of Hell", has received over one million views on YouTube. That song, "Carry Me Down", "Undying", "One Thousand Apologies", "Not Ready to Die" and "Infected" — to name a few — have all been staples of Christian, college and speciality radio and featured continuously on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball" and Fuse. Ryan Clark was featured on the cover of Revolver in 2006 as part of their "Christian Metal" cover story and they are regularly a huge draw at festivals.
The "Hunters" in the "Blessed Resistance," as the band's most devoted fans are known, have championed the cause since day one and are making their voices heard throughout the underground.
DEMON HUNTER's level of commitment to the quality and presentation of their music is matched only by their attention of detail to their packaging and overall aesthetics. Ryan Clark's graphic design firm he co-owns with his brother Don (formerly of DEMON HUNTER), Invisible Creature, has racked up several Grammy nominations in the packaging category. The fans match that passion and dedication, proudly displaying the group's symbol on their social networking pages and tattooing it on their bodies.
"Sapari", the new video from Israeli progressive folk metal masters ORPHANED LAND, can be viewed below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep).
Commented ORPHANED LAND vocalist Kobi Farhi: "With the video clip, we are trying to reflect this inner search of a man and his spirit. The actor, Matti Atlas, was filmed in a room, sitting in a box, writing scared stuff. This is the exact way they used to sit and write in the old days in Yemen. He is writing… searching. At some point, he starts to freak out; to write on the walls, on his body, getting even possessed in a way. He is alone, confused, searching for answers and meaning, just as we all are.
"Sapari (means 'tell me' in Hebrew) is a 17th-century poem written by Sa'adia ben Amram, a jewish poet who lived in Yemen back then. The song is a duet between the poet and his soul. The poet seeks for his soul and asks her where is 'she.' The soul, described as a dove in the song, answers that she is at the high chamber, heavens, preparing herself to wear the shape of a human body.
"In a way, this song reflects the inner search that every human is going through. We are getting to know our self more and more each and every day, and our journey here is far from being easy."
ORPHANED LAND celebrated the release of its new album, "The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR", with a special "launch party" on February 4 at the Theatre Club in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
ORPHANED LAND will return to North America this March as direct support to SUIDAKRA. This tour is not to be missed as it's only hitting the following four cities:
March 08 - B.B. King Blues Club & Grill - New York, NY March 10 - Les Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QC March 13 - Wreck Room - Toronto, ON March 14 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
ORPHANED LAND's fourth album, "The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR", was released in Europe on January 25. Mixed by Steven Wilson (PORCUPINE TREE, OPETH), who is also responsible for several keyboard parts on the new CD, the effort — which is being made available in the U.S. on February 9 via Century Media Records — is a sophisticated concept album which takes ORPHANED LAND's unique brand of exotic, heavy music to soaring new heights in terms of complexity and catchiness.
The CD's artwork was created by Zen Two and Native.
The End Records, under exclusive license from Sony Music Entertainment Germany, has set an April 27 North American release date for "Truth Or Dare" from OOMPH!
With a career spanning 20 years and 12 albums provided by the original lineup, OOMPH! has remained an innovative driving force in the German rock scene. After their 20th anniversary in 2009, the band didn't think of taking it easy but instead began looking ahead towards the new decade.
What do you do when you've already reached the top on the ladder of success? Well, just start all over again — but elsewhere!
"Truth Or Dare" is OOMPH!'s greatest-hits collection and will feature re-recorded versions of the band's most popular songs performed in English.
Incorporating many styles of music such as metal, industrial, electronica, alternative, and goth to create their distinct sound, the band has dominated the charts in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the rest of Europe.
"Truth Or Dare" will mark the band's first full-length album recorded in English.
The first video for the release, "Ready Or Not (I'm Coming)", premiered on MySpace today. Watch it below.
"Truth Or Dare" track listing:
01. Ready Or Not (I'm Coming) 02. Burning Desire 03. Song Of Death 04. Labyrinth 05. Sandman 06. The Final Match 07. God Is A Popstar 08. Wake Up 09. Land Ahead (feat. WITHIN TEMPTATION's Sharon den Adel) 10. Sex Is Not Enough 11. Crucified 12. The Power Of Love 13. True Beauty Is So Painful 14. The First Time Always Hurts 15. Dream Here (With Me) 16. On Course
Swedish death metal supergroup BLOODBATH has confirmed its first-ever U.K. appearance at the 10th-anniversary edition of the Bloodstock festival, set to take place August 13-15, 2010 at Catton Hall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. The band has chosen Bloodstock as its debut U.K. performance, and its only show in Britain in 2010.
Says guitarist Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström: "A bloodbath over Bloodstock! What could be a better way to celebrate this mighty festival's 10th year anniversary! It will be our first time on U.K. soil and it will be happening on Friday the 13th, so it seems we get to kill two birds with one stone!"
BLOODBATH is:
* Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH) - Vocals * Martin "Axe" Axenrot (OPETH) - Drums * Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (KATATONIA) - Guitar * Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA) - Bass * Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson (ex-21 LUCIFERS, GENOCRUSH FEROX) – Guitar
Other new acts confirmed for Bloodstock are GORGOROTH and BLACK SPIDERS.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AMORPHIS ANDROMEDA BEHEMOTH BLACK SPIDERS BLOODBATH CANNIBAL CORPSE CHILDREN OF BODOM DEVIN TOWNSEND DORO DREAM EVIL FEAR FACTORY GOJIRA GORGOROTH GWAR HEAVEN & HELL KORPIKLAANI LEAVES' EYES OBITUARY RAGE ROSS THE BOSS SONATA ARCTICA SUFFOCATION
KORN, PAPA ROACH and HELLYEAH are among the confirmed bands for WJRR's Earthday Birthday 17: Almost Legal, set to take place Saturday, May 1, 2010 at Tinker Field in Orlando, Florida.
The festival billing is as follows:
KORN PAPA ROACH CHEVELLE HELLYEAH FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH HALESTORM TRIVIUM
You can grab discounted tickets right now on pre-sale at WJRR.com until February 11 at 12 a.m. using the special password "WJRR."
DROID singer James Eason has announced that he has left the band and is currently exploring other projects in the music world. His statement on his departure can be read below.
"I have spent the last 10-plus years in the band DROID so this is no easy decision for me.
"To make it simple, the past 10 years in DROID have had their great and memorable moments and their not-so-memorable moments.
"I have chosen to move on in positive direction... This being said, my #1 priority has and always will be to make music and give 100% commitment of myself to my music. Music is my #1 priority and always has been... I stand strong in my commitment.
"My #1 regret is that the DROID fans have had to wait soooooooooooooo long for a second record, and then receive this news.
Wherever I end up, I promise to make up for their super-long wait. You can count on that; I will always stay true to my word…
"I am looking for musicians who are driven, focused and hungry — these are the kinds of musicians I am looking for to play with as of now…
"Any interested musicians or bands please feel free to contact me; I can be reached at droidmetal@yahoo.com."
DROID's debut album was released in 2007 on Emotional Syphon Recordings, James "Munky" Shaffer of KORN's record label.
The Long Beach five-piece, consisting of Eason, guitarists Bruce Child and Jamie Teissere, bassist Ryan Burchfield and drummer Nick McWells, blended the syncopated, bludgeoning rhythm and riff assault of LAMB OF GOD with guttural HATEBREED-style screams for a volatile blend of metal. "We're aiming for a groove," Eason told Ruin magazine. "I'm a fan of real shred masters, but also bands with more of a groove like MASTODON. We're trying to fit our own little groove in there and stand out without having to copy everybody else. You don't really have to shred to be metal these days. You can shred with a groove too, and that's what we're going for."
GUNS N' ROSES has scheduled the following South American tour dates:
Mar. 07 - Brasília, Brazil - Ginásio Nilson Nelson Mar. 10 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Ginásio Jornalista Felipe Drumond (Mineirinho) Mar. 13 - São Paulo, Brazil - Palestra Itália Stadium Mar. 14 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Praça da Apoteose Mar. 16 - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Ginásio Gigantinho Mar. 18 - Montevideo, Uruguay - Estadio Centenario Mar. 20 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio River Plate Mar. 22 - Santiago, Chile - Club Hipico de Santiago Mar. 25 - Lima, Peru - La Explanada Sur del Estadio Monumental Mar. 30 - Bogotá, Colombia - Simón Bolívar Park Apr. 01 - Quito, Ecuador - Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa
GUNS N' ROSES completed a four-date tour of Asia in December and a Canadian tour earlier this month.
The band has not booked any U.S. dates yet.
GUNS N' ROSES' last world tour, in 2006 and 2007, took in 60 shows in 26 countries and was the band's first full tour since 1993.
In addition to sole original member Rose, the current lineup of the band includes guitarists DJ Ashba, Ron Thal and Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.
GUNS N' ROSES' latest album, "Chinese Democracy", was released in November 2008 as a Best Buy exclusive, 17 years after the last all-original GUNS sets, "Use Your Illusion I" and "II". The album was a commercial disappointment, selling less than one million copies in the U.S. (according to Nielsen SoundScan) despite the long wait.
Vocalist Burton C. Bell and guitarist Dino Cazares of FEAR FACTORY were recently interviewed by Andrew Haug of Triple J's "The Racket". Listen to the program in streaming audio at the Triple J web site: Windows Media, Real Media (NOTE: The first part of the FEAR FACTORY interview begins around the 41-minute mark). Check out the program's entire playlist at this location.
FEAR FACTORY will embark on a U.S. headling tour in late March. Support on the trek will come from WINDS OF PLAGUE, DIRGE WITHIN, PERIPHERY and, on select shows, DIVINE HERESY (the band featuring FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares). Exact cities and dates will be announced soon.
FEAR FACTORY's new album, "Mechanize", will be released in the U.S. on February 9, 2010 via Candlelight Records. The CD, which was co-produced by the band with Rhys Fulber (FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, PARADISE LOST), was recently mixed by Greg Reely (PARADISE LOST, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, SKINNY PUPPY).
FEAR FACTORY's current lineup — featuring original FF members Dino Cazares (guitar) and Burton C. Bell (vocals) alongside bassist Byron Stroud (who was credited on the last two FEAR FACTORY albums in addition to touring and recording with STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and ZIMMERS HOLE) and legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, TESTAMENT) — made its live debut on December 4, 2009 at Espaço Lux in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil.
U.K. thrashers ONSLAUGHT will take a break from the writing process for their new full-length album to play a few Swedish shows along with Mike Wead's BIBLEBLACK and SCAAR. The dates are as follows:
March 17 - Henriksberg - Gothenburg, Sweden March 18 - The Cave - Stockholm, Sweden March 19 - Deströyer - Sundsvall, Sweden March 20 - Maxim - Gavle, Sweden
ONSLAUGHT recorded its performance at the Damnation Festival on November 22, 2008 in Leeds, U.K. for a live CD, "Live Damnation", which was released on July 20, 2009 through Candlelight Records.
An e-card for the album can be accessed at this location.
ONSLAUGHT is currently writing material for the follow-up to 2007's "Killing Peace", tentatively due later this year.
"Killing Peace" was released in March 2007 via Candlelight Records. The CD was recorded at Backstage studio in Derbyshire, England with producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE).
Ozzy Osbourne and his family — wife/manager Sharon, son Jack and daughter Kelly — were interviewed on this past Friday's (February 5) edition of "The Ellen Degeneres Show". Watch video of their appearance below.
Ozzy's just-published memoir, "I Am Ozzy", debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times' hardcover non-fiction best-seller list this past weekend. The book was published on January 25 in the U.S., nearly two years after it was first expected to arrive. "I Am Ozzy" chronicles the legendary metal icon's life from his working-class beginnings in Birmingham, England to his initial fame with BLACK SABBATH to his massive solo career and forays into television.
Although the book delves into Ozzy's battles with drugs and tragedies such as the death of his guitarist Randy Rhoads, he told The Pulse of Radio what makes his memoir different from those of other rock stars. "Whenever you read a rock 'n' roll celebrity's book, it's always about the sex, the drugs, the rock 'n' roll and all the rest of it," he said. "My story is that the humor has kept my head above water from time to time. There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek stuff about it. Even with counting the tragedies that happened along the way, I tried to be a little bit light-hearted about it, you know?"
Ozzy recently completed a short book-signing tour to promote the release of "I Am Ozzy".
He is currently finishing up his new studio album, which was first called "Soul Sucka" but will now go out under a different title.
Ozzy also says that his long-running Ozzfest tour will be back this summer after a one-year hiatus.
SLAYER guitarist Kerry King attended a private Super Bowl party this past Sunday (February 7) at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York. Check out photos at this location.
SLAYER's track "Hate Worldwide" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Metal Performance" category. The award eventually went to British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST, who were honored for the track "Dissident Aggressor", from the band's 2009 live album "A Touch of Evil: Live".
SLAYER and MEGADETH have announced the new, confirmed routing for the "American Carnage" North American Tour, which will commence with the rescheduled "Canadian Carnage East" dates in Quebec City on Friday, July 23. SLAYER will then head to Europe for a run of festival dates, returning to kick off the "American Carnage" leg in Albany, NY on August 11.
"American Carnage" will play 26 dates across the United States and Eastern Canada up to the Labor Day weekend, ending in Portland, Oregon on September 4. TESTAMENT will be special guest on all shows. Tickets purchased for the "American Carnage" shows when they first went on sale late last year will be honored for these rescheduled dates.
Due to venue availability and other conflicts, the shows originally scheduled in El Paso, Houston, Nashville, Duluth, and Louisville cannot be rescheduled at this time, and ticket holders may obtain refunds at point of purchase. However, new cities have been added to the "American Carnage" itinerary, with dates now scheduled in Cleveland, Kansas City, San Diego, and Sacramento.
The "American Carnage" tour, originally scheduled to take place in January and February, had to be put on hold due to SLAYER's vocalist/bassist Tom Araya's ongoing, minimally-invasive treatments for what was diagnosed as a cervical radiculopathy, an occupational hazard for the rocker who is known for aggressively swinging his long mane of hair while performing. Right after the first of the year, Araya made the difficult decision to undergo a surgical procedure, called an anterior cervical discectomy with fusion, a relatively routine practice with an excellent recovery rate. That surgery took place last month.
Sarjoo Devani of the Explicitly Intense web site recently conducted an interview with vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth of veteran New Jersey thrashers OVERKILL. The chat is now available for streaming using the audio player below.
OVERKILL kicked off its European tour this past Saturday night (February 6) at De Pul in Uden, The Netherlands. Support at the gig came from SUICIDAL ANGELS, SAVAGE MESSIAH and CRIPPER.
A number of high-quality photos from the show can be found at Metal-Experience.com.
OVERKILL's setlist was as follows:
01. The Green And Black 02. Rotten To The Core 03. Battle 04. Powersurge 05. Hello From The Gutter 06. Overkill 07. Ironbound 08. In Union We Stand 09. Bare Bones 10. Feel The Fire 11. Skull And Bones 12. Gasoline Dream 13. Bring Me The Night 14. Elimination
Encore:
15. Necroshine 16. Old School 17. Fuck You / Sonic Reducer
OVERKILL filmed a video for the song "Bring Me The Night" on January 9 in Brooklyn, New York with director Kevin Custer (HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, SUFFOCATION).
"Bring Me The Night" comes off OVERKILL's new album, "Ironbound", which is scheduled for release on February 9 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The CD, which will be issued in Europe on January 29, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was mixed by PAIN/HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren and is described in a press release as "a true thrasher-piece."
OVERKILL will embark on its 25th anniversary North American tour, dubbed Killfest 2010, in April/May 2010. The trek will span the length of the U.S., hitting spots in Canada, with one final show at New York City's Nokia Theater. Support on the tour will come from VADER, GOD DETHRONED, WARBRINGER, EVILE and WOE OF TYRANTS.
Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth interviewed by Explicitly Intense (click on player below to launch audio):
VintageRock.com conducted an interview with legendary rock bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, QUIET RIOT, DIO, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT) at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 14-17, 2010 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Watch the chat below.
A collector's edition of Rudy's book, "Off the Rails: Aboard the Crazy Train in the Blizzard of Ozz", was released in August 2008 via TooSmart! Publishing. According to Sarzo, "The new edition is beautiful and includes many more pictures throughout the book as well as a 16-page glossy spread of Ross Halfin photos from the beginning of our tour."
"Off the Rails" includes a first-person account from Rudy's personal day-by-day diary of events while touring with Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads in the early Eighties. The book was originally due in 2005 but was delayed after Sharon Osbourne allegedly applied pressure to have it pulled.
Scott "Wino" Weinrich (SAINT VITUS, THE OBSESSED, THE HIDDEN HAND, SHRINEBUILDER) was interviewed on this past weekend's (February 5-7) edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.
To see a full list of stations carrying the program and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.
David Pehling of KTVU.com recently conducted an interview with Weinrich. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
KTVU.com: You've had a particularly busy year between the WINO album, the SHRINEBUILDER debut and the SAINT VITUS live gigs. Is it a challenge keeping the different aspects of your career and life balanced with so much going on?
Weinrich: The SHRINEBUILDER thing is actually really fun for me in a couple of ways. First of all it's just different for me; This is a band where I'm not the sole lead singer. I've always been the singer in my bands. It's interesting because everybody writes, everybody contributes and everybody sings. To me that's just amazing. I've also never played in a two-guitar band before. It's pretty cool. As a matter of fact, I think it's one of the best times I've had in a band.
We just played a round of shows recently and it was a lot of fun. And that brings it home for me, because sometimes you can lose sight of why you do it and why you're in it when you start to have hardships and drudgery and are struggling. People were really receptive and I think the songs came together really well live. So that was cool.
The VITUS thing is kind of a surprise because — bottom line — I never expected in a million years we'd have this resurgence of heavy rock, you know? Did anybody see this coming? Super heavy rock is back in vogue right now. I'm not complaining. VITUS did its first reunion in 2003. We played one show in Chicago and one show in Germany [the With Full Force festival]. We almost sold out the venue in Chicago. It was just shy of 500 people. And I thought, "Wow, people really wanted to see VITUS." And then we did another round of shows [on the East Coast] recently and we were drawing that many people and more.
I'm starting to see all these young kids in VITUS shirts. I guess most of what I'm hearing from people is, "Hey, I never thought I'd get to see this band in my lifetime." And then the younger kids are saying, "I never thought I'd get to see this band." It's just amazing. I think it's really cool.
KTVU.com: It seems like all the SAINT VITUS concerts have focused on the classic era material since the initial reunion you did since 2003. Is there any talk about writing new material or recording together again?
Weinrich: We have and we are. We're writing some stuff right now. Everybody's pretty busy. I know I've been busy. The WINO band is pretty much on hiatus right now. So it looks like we'll be doing some recording in the near future. The bottom line is we would like to do a new record. There's talk about it. We've already been floating around a couple ideas. So yeah, somewhere down the line there will be a new VITUS record in the cards.
KTVU.com: Given that you're an accomplished guitarist, I've always thought it was unusual that you stuck with singing in SAINT VITUS. Was the idea to just stick to the template of power trio with vocalist that the band started with?
Weinrich: The thing about it is there were some logistics involved too. To me, I feel really comfortable just singing in SAINT VITUS and I think that it just ended up working out better. I played guitar on a couple of tunes back in the day. But for me to just sing seemed to be the way to go. And actually to be honest with you, I'm happy to do that because it's a change for me. So I can just focus on the vocals and I don't have to worry about anything else. Playing guitar is really intense, and then there are all the equipment and tuning issues. It's nice for me to have a breather where I can just focus on my singing.
When I first joined SAINT VITUS, I felt like that was when I really learned to sing. I no longer had a guitar to hide behind and I really had to focus on my voice and my delivery. My singing style developed and my technique got better. So I'm happy just to sing in this band. Chandler's the king of noise, so that's all we need.
Read the entire first part of the interview at KTVU.com.
Quality video footage of SAINT VITUS performing the song "Look Behind You" on January 29, 2010 at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, California can be viewed below.
Scott "Wino" Weinrich interviewed on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show (click on player below to launch audio):
German thrashers EXUMER will co-headline the Thrash Attack festival in Sofia, Bulgaria on April 1, 2010 with L.A. power thrashers SAVAGE GRACE. This will mark EXUMER's first time playing live in Bulgaria and the start of the band's "European Ignition Tour 2010".
EXUMER has not appeared live since last year's "5 Nights of Fire" mini-tour. This year's trek has a similarly intense routing, with the band set to play seven shows in Bulgaria, Germany, Italy and Norway within 10 days.
Commented vocalist Mem V. Stein: "We ended up on yet another whirlwind tour schedule where we play a bunch of countries in a short time. However, we have the opportunity to play in places we have never played before like Italy, Norway and Bulgaria.
"Last year's tour was a fantastic experience despite the hectic schedule and the overwhelmingly positive response from the fans proved us right. We are keeping the band intentionally off the road so our fans can treasure the EXUMER live experience. These European shows and few others in North and South America scheduled for later in the year will be all for 2010, making it special events for everyone involved."
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde has released the following statement regarding the departure of drummer Craig Nunenmacher:
"Craig Nunenmacher has resigned as BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's drummer. We are sorry to see him leave. We wish Craig well in his new endeavors and have the utmost love and respect for him."
Roadrunner Records recently re-signed BLACK LABEL SOCIETY exclusively for the European territory. The band's as-yet-untitled studio album is due for release this summer.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is preparing to enter Zakk's newly completed mountain-top recording studio to record its latest slab of uncompromising, unfiltered, and unrestrained rock and roll. Recording is slated to start later this month and with the new flexibility of having a studio literally outside his home, Wylde expects to deliver his best material yet. "With the home studio I have this flexibility when inspiration hits to lay down new ideas at anytime — day or night — for re-recording later," he says. "This freshness should prove inspiring — and some of these first takes might even make it on the album," he enthuses.
Zakk continues, "I'm ready to work with our BLACK LABEL brothers and sisters at Roadrunner in Europe! They share the same Strength, Determination, Merciless, Forever attitude as BLACK LABEL SOCIETY does so it only seems natural to continue working together!"
Zakk's new studio was built by Zack Fagan of Under The Wire, a Studio City, California-based company which specializes in the installation of commercial and private recording studios and post-production complexes.
E1 Music recently announced the addition of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to its rock and metal roster. The two-album deal covers North America exclusively.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's last studio album, "Shot to Hell" (2006), sold just under 32,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release — less than the 45,000 copies shifted by BLS's "Mafia" (Artemis) back in March 2005 — to land at position No. 21 on The Billboard 200 chart.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Skullage" DVD package sold 5,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on the Top Music Videos chart. Released April 21, 2009 in three different configurations — CD, DVD and CD/DVD — this collection features the best of Zakk Wylde & Co. This massive greatest hits package is chock-full of live material, music videos, interviews, and a vivid cross-section of brutal and introspective tracks, from amped-up blazers like "Fire It Up" and "Suicide Messiah" to raw power ballads like "In This River" and "Spoke In The Wheel".
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is managed by Bob Ringe at Survival Management.
POISON drummer Rikki Rockett will play percussion for his wife Melanie Martel this Thursday night (February 11) between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. at Salt Creek Grille in Valencia, California.
Rikki and Melanie welcomed their first child, Jude Aaron Rockett, on July 14, 2009. He weighed in at seven pounds, four ounces and measured 21 inches long.
POISON last year completed a tour with DEF LEPPARD and CHEAP TRICK.
Mongolian-Chinese folk-music act HANGGAI and German stoner SMOKE BLOW have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 5-7, 2010 in Wacken, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
1349 ALICE COOPER ARCH ENEMY AMORPHIS ATROCITY BROILERS CALIBAN CANDLEMASS CANNIBAL CORPSE CORVUS CORAX CRUCIFIED BARBARA DEBAUCHERY DEGRADEAD DELAIN DESPISED ICON DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER DIE KASSIERER EDGUY EQUILIBRIUM END OF GREEN ENDSTILLE ETERNAL LEGACY EVILE FIDDLER'S GREEN GHOST BRIGADE GOJIRA GRAVE DIGGER HACKNEYED HANGGAI HELLS BELLES IHSAHN ILL NINO IMMORTAL IMPERIUM DEKADENZ IRON MAIDEN KAMPFAR KATAKLYSM LAKE OF TEARS LETZTE INSTANZ MAROON METSATÖLL MÖTLEY CRÜE NIGHTMARE ORDEN OGAN ORPHANED LAND PRIMAL FEAR RAVEN SCHELMISH SECRETS OF THE MOON SLAYER SMOKE BLOW SÓLSTAFIR STRATOVARIUS SUICIDAL ANGELS THE DEVIL'S BLOOD THE OTHER TIAMAT TYR U.D.O. VARG VOIVOD W.A.S.P.
Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman will appear live on the February 10 edition of TVK's "Hamarancho" show in Japan. He is still on the promotion trail for his latest single, "Kiba". The song is the theme song for "Souten No Ken", which is currently the number one Pachinko machine in Japan.
Other upcoming TV appearances for Marty include NHK's "Ougon No Yougaku Live", NHK's "Necchu Yabanashi" as well as TV Tokyo's "Pirameki-no" and his regular Tuesday night "Space Shower Transporter" program.
Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman will appear on Nippon Television's hit morning show "Sukkiri" on January 13. The program airs from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and Friedman's segment will be shown at 9:30 a.m. The video for Marty's latest single, "Kiba", will air as well as footage of Friedman playing some "unusual" guitar and talking about a recent magazine article in Otona No Kagaku, which features him on the cover of its current issue.
"Kiba" was released on January 27 via Avex. According to CDJapan.co.jp, the limited-edition single, which is a collaboration with Andrew W.K., includes a sticker and a bonus DVD with promotional footage. A regular version of the single without the DVD is also available.
A video for the track can be viewed below.
In a recent chat with the webmaster of his official web site, Friedman stated about the single, "I could not be happier about it. [Andrew W.K.] is by far my favorite USA rock artist and I think we have made the ultimate mixture of our styles. The day I heard his first album, I said, 'Some day I'm definitely gonna work with that dude.' Since then he guested on two of my TV shows over here, and I joined him on stage at his Tokyo concert a couple years back. We got along instantly. But who wouldn't like the guy? He is about the friendliest, most positive and cooperative musician out there.
"The song is called 'Kiba', which means 'fang.' It came about when I was offered the opportunity to write the song that you will hear if you win the highest award on the most anticipated new Pachinko machine in Japan, 'Souten no Ken'. In Japan this is likely the avenue which exposes music to the greatest number of people as this game will be displayed in every Pachinko center in the entire country. Andrew really went way beyond the call of duty perfecting his Japanese pronunciation to the point where locals don't even know that it is a foreigner singing. It is truly an amazing vocal performance."
A short video message from Glenn Hughes (BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE) and Joe Bonamassa about BLACK COUNTRY, their new supergroup with Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian, can be viewed below.
BLACK COUNTRY takes its name from the industrial area in England from which Bonham and Hughes both hail. The band is currently in the studio with producer Kevin Shirley (BLACK CROWES, AEROSMITH, LED ZEPPELIN) cutting tracks for an upcoming album to be released in late 2010 or early 2011.
With Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER) on drums, Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, BILLY IDOL, ALICE COOPER) on keyboards, Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, TRAPEZE) on bass and vocals and Bonamassa on guitar and vocals, the band already has six tracks cut. The next recording session will take place in March and the band hopes to finish recording in early April. Shirley made the announcement on his web site: "So there it is folks — the cat is out the bag! This is BLACK COUNTRY. The songs are all original and what a lineup. They are all the very best players in the world, for my money!"
Shirley added, "Jason Bonham is a totally unique drummer and a supreme, yet oh-so-tasty powerhouse. Derek Sherinian is super versatile, and is playing mostly overdriven Hammond organ in this ensemble and is the color on the palette. Glenn Hughes plays bass and sings with a range very, very few can even get close to, and Joe Bonamassa, perhaps the best blues rock guitarist around, plays hard riffing guitar as well as adding his signature vocals alongside Glenn. You'll just have to wait — we're planning to get this out late summer, and it's promising to be phenomenal!"
Recently named "The Blues Rock Titan" by Guitar World magazine, Bonamassa's new solo album, "Black Rock", will be arriving March 23, 2010. Produced by Shirley, who has produced Bonamassa's last six solo albums, it will be released on Bonamassa's own J&R Adventures label.
NACHTMYSTIUM and AFFLICTION GATE have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Festung Open Air festival, set to take place May 22-23, 2010 at Glider Airfield in Renneritz, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AFFLICTION GATE (France) BAPHOMET'S BLOOD (Italy) DIE HARD (Sweden) GEHENNA (Norway) GOSPEL OF THE HORNS (Australia) KRYPTOS (India) NACHTMYSTIUM (USA) SAHG (Norway) TULUS (Norway) VOMITOR (Australia)
Dutch hardcore metallers BORN FROM PAIN have parted ways with drummer Roy Moonen and have replaced him with Igor Wouters (ex-BACKFIRE!). The band states, "We have been practicing together and came to the conclusion that we are all looking forward to touring and writing a new record together. We are very enthusiastic about the addition of Igor since he is a very talented drummer, songwriter and a good guy.
"Roy has decided that it is time for him to move on and broaden his horizons. He will be taking a break from heavy music and do different musical things."
Wouters will join BORN FROM PAIN from April onwards. Serch from THE SETUP will be helping BORN FROM PAIN out on drums during March.
BORN FROM PAIN's "Sons Of A Dying World" video can be viewed below. The track comes off the band's most recent album, "Survival", which was released in Europe on November 3, 2008 via Metal Blade Records. The CD is said to be "musically [as] uncompromising as ever with an own twist in groove, melody, heaviness and harshness. Lyrically, [it is] more than ever making a critical and uncompromising stand concerning the state of the world today."
The Pulse of Radio reports: CHICKENFOOT is already writing its second album, according to an interview with guitarist Joe Satriani at BestOfWNY.com. The rock supergroup, which also features RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith and former VAN HALEN members Sammy Hagar on vocals and Michael Anthony on bass, released its debut disc last June and ended up with a gold album. Although Smith is now back at work with the CHILI PEPPERS, Satriani said, "The four of us are all on the same page as far as this project goes, we're all committed to doing a CHICKENFOOT number two. As a matter of fact, Sammy and I have already begun the writing process together."
Satriani added, "The beauty of this band is the respect we have for one another's time and career aspirations. I'm getting set for the Experience Hendrix tour next month and writing for a new record, Sammy's busy doing a million things at once, Chad's back working with the CHILI PEPPERS and Mike's busy being Mike."
Meanwhile, taking over as lead singer of AEROSMITH is not one of the "million things" that Hagar is doing. Unnamed sources told Classic Rock magazine on "good authority" that Hagar was a candidate to temporarily replace Steven Tyler, but Hagar's manager John Carter told the magazine, "Good authority must mean The Enquirer because his LED ZEP gig conflicts with the AEROSMITH job . . . Seriously, Sam is very happy to be going into the studio with CHICKENFOOT to start the second album in April."
Recent reports in Classic Rock indicated that Billy Idol, Chris Cornell and Paul Rodgers had all been approached to fill in for Tyler, who is currently in rehab and mulling a contentious two-year break to pursue a solo project. The rest of AEROSMITH have said they'll hire a singer for touring until Tyler returns.
More than 38 bands will once again come together to celebrate rock at the fourth annual Rock On The Range, set for May 22 and 23 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The lineup includes first-timer "Rangers" ROB ZOMBIE, GODSMACK (in their first announced show of 2010), the return of LIMP BIZKIT and the festival solo debut of VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash. The two-day lineup for America's premiere destination rock festival includes some of the most rocking artists in music today. In addition, marking another first for Rock On The Range, Mistress Juliya of Fuse TV has signed on as the hostess and Mistress of Ceremonies for the event.
Sully Erna from GODSMACK says: "Fasten your seatbelts baby, here comes GODSMACK! I can't WAIT to get to Columbus for what will be the best Rock On The Range yet! GODSMACK is gonna kick some major *@%*!"
Del Williams, co-executive producer of the event for Right Arm Entertainment, explains: "We designed ROTR 2010 to be the biggest weekend of ROCK at an incredibly low ticket price for the fans affectionately referred to as the 'Rangers.' This year's line-up represents the most compelling mix of bands that we have ever had. GODSMACK is one of the most prolific active rock bands of all time, and the intrepid ROB ZOMBIE is an unrivaled performer. We are particularly excited about the return of LIMP BIZKIT, who have been tearing it up at European festivals. It is time for them to come back to America and remind people why they were at one time one of the biggest bands in the world."
"In four short years, this festival has become like no other in the United States," added Joe Litvag, co-executive producer of the festival for AEG Live. "We've been fortunate enough to create something that caters to a very specific music lover, and the fans have become truly rabid for it. Rock On The Range has become the summer destination for an entire nation of rock fans… It's amazing, really."
Two-day weekend festival passes start at just $99.50. A special pre-sale for Rock On The Range fans will start February 16 and for the first time, fans can buy their tickets this year via a layaway plan.
"The vision of Rock On The Range has always been to provide a premiere rock festival for a very affordable price," said Mark McCullers, President and General Manager of the Columbus Crew. "Each year we look for new ways to enhance the fans' experience. Two specific improvements for 2010 are an increased viewing area for our fans at the Jägermeister stage and a layaway plan as an additional payment option for our Rock On The Range fans."
Details of the layaway plan as well as VIP packages that include festival tickets, hotel accommodations and festival merchandise can be found at RockOnTheRange.com. All tickets go on sale February 20 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) via RockOnTheRange.com and Ticketmaster.com, all local Ticketmaster outlets and at the Crew Stadium box office.
The 2010 Rock On The Range lineup is as follows:
GODSMACK ROB ZOMBIE LIMP BIZKIT THREE DAYS GRACE SLASH SEETHER RISE AGAINST DEFTONES PAPA ROACH THEORY OF A DEADMAN MASTODON KILLSWITCH ENGAGE COHEED & CAMBRIA BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE PUDDLE OF MUDD FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH APOCALYPTICA DROWNING POOL HALESTORM SEVENDUST SKILLET MUSHROOMHEAD HELMET AIRBOURNE ANBERLIN COLD NONPOINT 2CENTS ADELITAS WAY SHAMAN'S HARVEST YEAR LONG DISASTER LIKE A STORM TADDY PORTER JANUS NOISE AUCTION
Former KISS and current GRAND FUNK RAILROAD guitarist Bruce Kulick hosted a release party for his long-awaited third solo album, "BK3", this past Saturday (February 6) at the Kiss Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
"My fans have been waiting a long time to hear 'BK3'," said Kulick, "so I wanted to hold an event that was open to all. The Kiss Coffeehouse is a very cool place and I'm very excited to be able to meet my fans, and celebrate the release of 'BK3' with them."
Watch a video report on the event below (courtesy of SCNow).
"BK3" was released in Europe on January 29 via Frontiers Records and in North America on February 2 through Twenty 4 Records/Rocket Science Ventures. The first single from the album was released on January 12. The track "Hand Of The King", featuring Nick Simmons (son of KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons), is a digital-only release available at all online music stores, including iTunes.
If you ever play Six Degrees of Bruce Kulick, the guitarist's résumé will keep you happily busy for hours. Having been tapped by artists as diverse as Meat Loaf and Kanye West, the veteran axeman's boundless creative energy permeates his third solo LP, "BK3". In the works for nearly six years and produced by Jeremy Rubolino, "BK3" delivers explosive hard rock arrangements and addictive pop melodies that honor both Kulick's singular past and bright future. And then there's the jaw-dropping guest list, boasting members of KISS, THE KNACK, TOTO, MÖTLEY CRÜE and more.
After getting his solo feet wet with 2001's "Audio Dog" and 2003's "Transformer", Kulick — the often unheralded driving force on 12 years of classic KISS records, from 1984's "Animalize" to 1992's "Revenge" — assembled his own rock 'n' roll dream team. The roster: KISS icon Gene Simmons and up-and-coming son Nick (each vocally appearing separately), longtime friend John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, Kulick's own UNION), KNACK mainman Doug Fieger, TOTO axe authoritarian Steve Lukather, EDGUY power metal stalwart Tobias Sammet and even current KISS drummer Eric Singer.
"BK3" track listing:
01. Fate 02. Ain't Gonna Die (featuring Gene Simmons) 03. No Friend Of Mine (featuring John Corabi) 04. Hand of the King (featuring Nick Simmons) 05. I'll Survive 06. Dirty Girl (featuring Doug Fieger) 07. Final Mile 08. I'm The Animal (featuring Tobias Sammet & Eric Singer) 09. And I Know 10. Between The Lines (featuring Steve Lukather) 11. Life
Fan-filmed video footage of former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno's February 5, 2010 concert in Panama City Beach, Florida can be viewed below (courtesy of "CuchulainTheCelt2003").
Di'Anno kicked off his U.S. tour on January 26 at Dingbatz in Clifton, New Jersey.
Support on the trek is coming from Pittsburgh traditional metallers ICARUS WITCH (who are also serving as Di'Anno's backing band for the tour).
Di'Anno's visa was approved by the U.S. State Department, making it possible for the singer to embark on his first U.S. tour in over 15 years.
Paul is among the scheduled presenters at the 21st Pollstar Concert Industry Awards, which will be held on February 17, 2010 at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. This year's show is hosted by Kathleen Madigan — the comedian Lewis Black (a four-time host of the Pollstar Awards) describes as "the funniest woman in America."
When asked by Vue Weekly in a 2009 interview about the possibility of releasing a new studio album in the not-too-distant future, Di'Anno replied, "We did five new tracks in Germany [in 2008] — it's very industrialized — but we got in a bit of an argument with the record company and we told them to piss off, basically. So I kept them songs and a friend of mine in Salisbury down in Southwest England, handed me 16 pieces of music so I'm going to go away when I have a bit of time and see what I can come up with for that."
Bassist David Ellefson spoke exclusively with U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine about his return to MEGADETH after an eight-year absence.
"It literally happened over the weekend," he said. "And I can hardly believe it myself. There was clearly gonna be a change in the lineup, because James Lomenzo was leaving. Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH mainman] and I talked on the phone, and all the feuds, all the arguments we've been having over the years just melted away. It just goes to show what direct contact can achieve!"
Regarding how the whole thing came about, Ellefson said, "Obviously, I have no clue what happened within the band. But I got a text from Shawn [Drover, drums] and it just said, 'If ever there was a time for you and Dave to talk, now is it.' It's one of those messages you act on immediately. Typically of MEGADETH, things then happened big and fast.
"In all honesty, talking to Dave again was wonderful. It was the right thing at the right time, done in the right spirit."
Scott Alisoglu of Teeth Of The Divine (and BLABBERMOUTH.NET) recently conducted an interview with guitarist Gary Holt of veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrash metallers EXODUS. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Teeth Of The Divine: Let's talk about this DVD a little bit. Quite honestly, I think "Shovel Headed Tour Machine" is just plain fantastic.
Gary Holt: Yeah, it came out really good! It wasn't even an intentional DVD. We played Wacken and the show was so sick. I mean they film everything anyway and they give you the little watermarked sample and it was like, man, we really need to put this thing out, it's really killer! What a show! Then Rob [Dukes, vocals] had been chasing us around with a video camera for years. He's the sober guy in the band [laughs], so he's the one that's not going to leave it lying around and lose it [laughs]. He did all the editing for both discs with a guy named Craig Cefola. It just came out really good. I'm not one to like watching any of my own shit, I don't even listen to my own records when they're done, but I did watch this and I was laughing, crackin' up, and it was engaging and funny. I thought it was a little different than the typical heavy metal documentary and Rob did a great job.
Teeth Of The Divine: On "Let There be Blood", I was one of the reviewers that thought it was one of the few cases where a band actually bettered and did justice to the original work. At the end of the day, how split were fans and critics about the re-recording of "Bonded by Blood"?
Gary Holt: Well, you have three camps. You have one camp where they loved it, you have another camp where either they won't admit that they liked it because there is nothing not to like, but they're defensive about the debut and I understand that. That's OK. How can you get mad at someone who loves your first album so much that they consider it untouchable? It's like the Bible to them. Then you have the other camp of people who just hate us anyway [laughs]. That's the camp that I say fuck off to and I couldn't really care less. I even did an interview with this guy in Poland who is a good friend of mine and he didn't like it, so I kind of flipped the interview around and started interviewing him and asking him why. He said that Rob's vocal performance is too one-dimensional. I asked how many dimensions did Paul Baloff have on it? That's not a knock on Paul because it wasn't meant to have a second dimension; it was all out violent thrash. Then he says well that's true. Then I asked what would he think if Rob added a second or third dimension. And he said that he would have thought he was fuckin' with the original too much [laughs]. Exactly! Then he absolutely agreed that he just loved "Bonded by Blood" and didn't like the idea, but it had nothing to do with how we did it. I think we did it with all the energy and fire that it deserved. We didn't sterilize it, we didn't change the arrangements… The only thing different from the original is a couple of solos and the tuning. We have been tuning down since before Paul died. You get purists that say it's not EXODUS and Paul Baloff is rolling is rolling his grave and it's down-tuned. So is the live album, suckers! We all liked it. There is only one "Bonded by Blood" and it was never meant to replace it and I tell people that it's like a companion piece. There is a modern updating, the production, and I think as a result the songs still sound completely relevant. They sound current and strong and they don't sound dated one bit. It's not anything but a better production really. A couple of the faces have changed, but we didn't stick a power metal singer in there on "Strike of the Beast". We were just trying to show the world how we do these songs today, which is the best example of why we did it. It's a bit of homage to the original and this is how we play them now, this is how we send live, and if you don't like it that's fine. It wasn't meant to reinvent the wheel.
Teeth Of The Divine: As for the next album…
Gary Holt: "Exhibit B: The Human Condition". It's really, really sick. It's really different from the last one and it's really different from the two before. But it's 100 percent EXODUS. Out of the last three, this one is faster, but it's also a little more melodic, and it's also a little bit more old school. Some of Rob's vocal patterns are just so old school; it's killer. The production is a little more, let's say, less sterile. Not less sterile, but less digital perfection, more organic. It's really, really lively. There is by far more melody on it as well. Thematically, it's a little different. Musically, the intro to this album links to the outro of the last album and this one ends on a take from the intro to the last album. The two tie together really well. The last one centered a lot on religion and this one is, as the title says, about the human condition; cruelty, ignorance, and inhumanity and brutality. Just the things that man has shown to be so adept at doing. Nuclear Blast is chomping at the bit to get the album released. We're shooting for May 18th.
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