METALLICA Drummer Doesn't Rule Out Getting Into Movie Directing
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich is at the Cannes Film Festival in France, where he has done a couple of video interviews to talk about the band's movie, "Metallica Through The Never", which is due for release this fall. Ulrich is at the festival to help sell the film to international distributors.
Asked if he wants to follow in the footsteps of Rob Zombie and direct a movie, Ulrich told Getty Images Entertainment: "The biggest enemy I have is time. METALLICA in its 32nd year is busier and has more projects on the table and takes up more of my time than it ever has.
"I may do it," he continued. "I would love to do something. I have actually been offered the chance to both direct and produce as well as write and I've acted in a couple of films so I do what I can.
"METALLICA is the main thing in my life and I'm not going to turn my back on that."
Lars added that with METALLICA, you never know what they are going to do next and they never rule anything out.
"As a band we have an inbuilt fear of repetition or stagnation or irrelevance and we just like to throw ourselves into all this crazy shit all the time. Most of the time we never think about it until we're half way through," he added.
"Making a movie at this level has been a little overwhelming. In the music world, you get very used to controlling your environment and in the film world there is nothing to control… it's just like a complete clusterfuck… and there's a bizarre beauty in that."
The Pulse Of Radio asked METALLICA frontman James Hetfield aboutUlrich's trip to Cannes as well as the status of the movie itself. "Lars is there right now, and he's the biggest of all movie buffs in this group here for sure, so he's representing us over there right now," he said. "Film is not done; we're extremely close. There's editing, sounds, mixing, things like that that have to happen. It's pretty complex."
It is not clear whether buyers at Cannes will see an unfinished version of the movie or just selected clips or scenes from the IMAX 3D release.
"Metallica Through The Never" will open on IMAX screens in the U.S. on September 27, with a wider release following on October 4.
The movie stars Dane DeHaan has a member of the band's road crew who is sent on a mysterious mission while the group headlines a concert at an arena. The film is said to mix a conventional storyline with concert footage.
LAMB OF GOD Members Discuss Safety At Shows: 'You Need To Be Responsible For Your Own Actions'
Fuse conducted an interview with LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adlerand guitarist Mark Morton at this year's Rock On The Range festival, which took place May 17-19 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.
In the wake of LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe's recent acquittal after a fan death in the Czech Republic, Adler and Morton discussed safety at shows and emphasized how important it is for fans to have fun without getting hurt.
Chris: "Since I've been growing up, it's been a common practice — stage diving and stuff like that. And we just see more and more people getting hurt doing that kind of thing, and whether it's the band, the security, the barricades, the venue… whatever it is… there's so many random pieces to the puzzle that could end up with loss of life, which is what we had; it happened to us. So it's not that we wanna change the show — we can't just stop people from stage diving for the rest of eternity; it's not what we're trying to do. But I think that when you come into a show, you need to know that you need to be responsible for your own actions and you need to think about what you're doing."
Mark: "Based on that experience, I think it just underscores, probably for all of us, the need for everyone just to be safe at shows and to look out for each other. It's scary that there's situations that people can get hurt in. Randy mentions it on stage a little more, trying to keep everyone aware of it. We're all there to have a good time. It's about having fun; it's not about getting hurt, that's for sure."
A clip from the interview is available below.
You can watch the full chat tonight (Tuesday, May 21) at 8/7c on Fuse.
RED FANG To Release New Album In The Fall
RED FANG return this fall with their as-yet-untitled third studio album on Relapse Records. The Portland-based group is currently in the studio finishing the disc with the producer Chris Funk (DECEMBERISTS) and mixer Vance Powell (THE WHITE STRIPES, RACONTEURS, KINGS OF LEON). This same team worked on RED FANG's last album, "Murder The Mountains", tagged by NPR as "a sleeker style of riff-heavy metal" (April 2011) and Alternative Press magazine as "a near masterpiece of tangled tar pit riffs and whisky-and-bong-hit vocals" (April 2011).
Comments the band: "We're hyper excited about this new album. The basic tracks are like rabid monkeys we're wrangling at Type Foundry in our hometown of Portland. Producer Chris Funk has almost been amputated twice. Surprise guests abound! We're in the final moments before all systems are go on this sucker. Dig people!"
On Friday, May 24, RED FANG will head to the picturesque Gorge Amphitheater outside Seattle for their first festival appearance this year atSasquatch! The band will then hit the road for European trek through mid-July with festival stops at Sonisphere, Download, Hellfest, Reload,With Full Force and Eistenaflug, among others. Expect the group to announce a full U.S. run for late summer.
Formed in 2005, RED FANG — Bryan Giles (guitar/vocals), Aaron Beam(bass/vocals), David Sullivan (guitar), John Sherman (drums) — has two albums under their belts: their 2009 self-titled debut on Sargent House and 2011's "Murder The Mountains" on Relapse Records.
RED FANG quickly became known for its series of hilarious videos directed by Whitey McConnaughy (BAND OF HORSES, FLOGGING MOLLY,TURBONEGRO). Each clip was picked up by Reddit and went viral, garnering over 1 million+ views.
Photo credit: Whitey McConnaughy
JASON NEWSTED: 'I'm In Much Better Shape Than I Was At 37'
Pop-Break's Bill Bodkin recently conducted an interview with former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist and current NEWSTED frontman Jason Newsted. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Pop-Break: What is different about Jason Newsted — the musician, the man — since you last did a full tour or played with METALLICA.
Newsted: I'm in much better shape than I was at 37 and I'm about to turn 50. When I left METALLICA in 2001, I was on pills, James [Hetfield,METALLICA frontman] was drinking, the others were doing things they shouldn't … We were all mentally fucked. But it was "let's plow on and not take time to assess our mental health." With this band, we're taking the old avenue of taking the music to the people. I don't care if there's 5,000 people in the audience or 30 people, they are all getting their asses kicked! I've always felt that way to go bring the music to the people. But there's many new avenues I haven't been down or it's been a long time. I mean, I haven't been on a tour bus in 10 years since I was on the road with Ozzy. But there's also the technology, the social networking … I've tried to repel all of this for as long as I could. I've tried and still try to remain as analog as possible. But then I learn and discover that social networking is the way to connect with the people and rekindle my relationship with the fans. Change has made me adapt. Mike [Mushok,STAIND/NEWSTED guitarist] just came off the road with STAIND in October so he's been a big blessing in this, because he's helping me so much. I need that help, because with this band, it's all me. I'm the manager, the bassist, the investor, the singer, I'm micro-managing things, booking flights, hotels … all things I never had to undertake before. I was conditioned to have people handle this for me when I was in METALLICA. Now it's a humbling thing, but it's also exciting because I'm calling all the shots and I have more control and there's lots of new things to learn.
Pop-Break: Is it odd touring without a big production like Ozzy orMETALLICA and doing a more club-centric tour?
Newsted: The idea behind this first tour is to get warmed up because in June we're hitting 15 different countries playing with IRON MAIDEN andSLAYER. So that's a pretty big deal. This is the next phase of the band … we'll be second on the bill and we're there to take care of business. We don't have the LP out yet so we just have the EP and the live show, some video is getting out there on YouTube. It's a challenge to get people to respond to the new stuff, but they are definitely responding.
Pop-Break: Then you hit the road with Gigantour this summer. How do you feel about hooking up with [MEGADETH's Dave] Mustaine and this now-epic and popular tour?
Newsted: Dave and Dave [Mustaine and Ellefson] gave my old bandFLOTSAM AND JETSAM their first shows outside of Arizona when we opened for them back in 1985. So there's a definite camaraderie there with them. We're going to be on the bill early, but we'll be taking it to the people, for sure. It kinda reminds me of when METALLICA went on theMonsters Of Rock tour in 1988 and we played second before DOKKEN. [laughs] Man, he got pelted with a lot of shit on that tour. I mean, we were playing a take-no-prisoners 30-45-minute set each night. We weren't playing no fucking ballads and we didn't care who was headlining, we were bringing the show to the people.
Volbeat's latest album, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, has been getting some serious love on radio and on the active charts since its release last month. Frontman Michael Poulsen says that he's thrilled fans are enjoying the release, which was inspired by his love of the Old West.
"Lyrically…it was about time that something a little bit different happened, and I just started writing about these outlaws and gunslingers and shady ladies from the 1800s, because I could hear in the music I was writing that I was getting inspired by some of those old Western movies I'd been watching as a kid," he tells ABC News Radio. "Now is the right time to bring those characters to life and make that part of the whole Volbeat universe."
Poulsen adds that one of the biggest reasons for the band's successful new musical direction is the addition of former Anthrax guitarist Rob Caggiano, who officially joined Volbeat in February. "[Caggiano's] very tight, he's very solid and he definitely has his own touch when it comes to the solos, but style-wise, him and I fit perfectly," he explains. "It worked out really, really good, and I think you can definitely hear that on the record. It has a really good heavy dynamic, so I think he's an amazing guitar player."
Volbeat is currently on tour overseas, but the band will return to kick off the next leg of its North American tour with an appearance at the Shadow Hill Ranch Festival on August 24 in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin. Visit Volbeat.dk to view the full itinerary.
Jared Leto Says Love Lust Faith + Dreams Is a "New Chapter" for 30 Second to Mars
Frontman Jared Leto says he feels 30 Seconds to Mars' recently-released album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams, is the beginning of a new musical direction for the group.
"This album is a new chapter," he tells Rolling Stone. "It feels like a new band, like we let go a lot of the past. It's not just a rock record -- it's more expansive, it digs deeper. It gets a lot more involved."
Leto adds that he's happy with the band's new sound, which is "more focused and decisive" than the group's previous three albums. "I feel like we've made the best album of our lives, hands down, because we've learned a lot about who we were," he explains.
30 Seconds to Mars will be promoting Love Lust Faith + Dreams when the band drops by TBS' Conan on Wednesday night.
Rise Against Preview New Version of "Like the Angel" fromRPM 10
Rise Against is celebrating the tenth anniversary of their Revolutions Per Minute album by putting out special version of the release. Titled RPM 10, it includes a number of previously-unreleased demo versions. To give you a taste of the demo tracks, the band is offering a preview of an early version of their single "Like the Angel," which is currently streaming at RollingStone.com.
Frontman Tim McIlrath says he feels the demo version of the track helps to showcase that the song is more than just a political anthem. "While politics play an unapologetic role in what we do, they do not consume our entire artistic output," McIlrath tells Rolling Stone. "'Like the Angel' is an early example of the kind of songs that found their ways onto all of our records, and how we've always had one foot in politics and one foot in the personal. We loved heavy music but also songs that had a poppy or hooky side to them."
Here is the track list for RPM 10:
"Black Masks & Gasoline"
"Heaven Knows"
"Dead Ringer"
"Halfway There"
"Like the Angel"
"Voices Off Camera"
"Blood-Red, White & Blue"
"Broken English"
"Last Chance Blueprint"
"To the Core"
"Torches"
"Amber Changing"
"Black Masks & Gasoline" (demo)
"Heaven Knows" (demo)
"Halfway There"
"Like the Angel" (demo)
"Voices Off Camera" (demo)
"Blood-Red, White & Blue" (demo)
"Broken English" (demo)
"Last Chance Blueprint" (demo)
"Torches" (demo)
"Amber Changing" (demo)
Muse to Be Featured on World War Z Soundtrack?
Muse has hinted that they may be lending their talents to the soundtrack for the upcoming zombie horror flick, World War Z. On Tuesday, the group posted a six-second video on their YouTube channel that features the "S" in the band's name changing to a red "Z," along with the phrase, "There will be no warning." That phrase has been used to promote the film. World War Z, a big-screen adaptation of Max Brooks' novel of the same name, will arrive in theaters on June 21. It stars Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos and Matthew Fox.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN Bassist's 'Bad Judgment' Led To 'Misleading' Statements About Band's Future
SYSTEM OF A DOWN has released the following statement:
"Earlier today, Shavo [Odadjian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist] posted a few statements on his personal Facebook page that do not reflect the sentiments of SYSTEM OF A DOWN as a collective band. These were misleading statements that were made during a temporary state of bad judgment on his part alone. To be clear, the full band lineup of Serj[Tankian, vocals], Daron [Malakian, guitar/vocals], Shavo and John[Dolmayan, drums] will be performing all scheduled tour dates. With respect to new SOAD music, although we have not agreed on a timetable for a new album, we all believe that having the four of us do it together is the way to be true to the band and our fans."
SYSTEM OF A DOWN last released new music in 2005 on the"Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" albums, going on hiatus the following year.
The band reunited in 2011 for touring purposes and will spend the summer on a European festival circuit, while performing only one North American show in 2013 at California's famed Hollywood Bowl.
In a series of postings on his Facebook page, Shavo wrote: "OK... I'll come clean.. It's not us (meaning Daron [Malakian, guitar/vocals], John[Dolmayan, drums] or Shavo!!) It's Serj who doesn't want to do a new album!!!! So please stop harassing us about it!!! We are just waiting forSerj! Now he might hate me for exposing the truth, but I had to..
"Sorry, folks!!! We're trying to get a new album out, it's just not passingSerj's rules! Kinda funny, since we started the band and now he's holding us back!! I think we should should release another album again??? As for me.. I'm ready to release one with someone who wants to be the singer ofSYSTEM, not someone we have to beg to be a part of SYSTEM!!
"So with that in mind, what do you guys [think] we should do? Just remember, he's been holding us back for seven years so far. Wanna wait another 4-5 years? Or shall we release a record without Serj? You tell us.
"I don't want to make a record without him... but if he's not down? Should the three of us just sit and wait?? Not cool!!!!!!!! I want the fans from all over the world, including Brazil, to tell us what they think. No SYSTEM? OrSYSTEM with with a new singer who's just as good, if not better? PLUS new SYSTEM songs and tours???? Please give me your opinion, people!!! Is SYSTEM better with no singer or someone who is excited to be our new singer?? You decide.,. 'cause I'm confused!!!
"No diss to Serj. If he wants to be in the band, then he's welcome, but if he's not? What do you expect us three to do? We really want anotherSYSTEM record! Wish Serj was down, but if he's not, then I'm going ahead and making a SYSTEM record without him!!! I'm furious that he let us down like this, but we gotta do something to keep this great band alive!!! Agreed?"
Tankian last year had a message for SYSTEM OF A DOWN fans waiting for a new album: don't hold your breath. In an interview with Loudwire,Tankian explained, "We haven't made plans of recording the new record as of yet. When we do, everyone will know. We haven't really discussed another record as of now with any of the guys, really. It's something that, when it's the right time, we'll do it. Right now I'm busy with my own stuff and that's gonna take me a bit, but when it's the right time, everyone will know. I don't even want to say there's [a new SYSTEM album] coming because we haven't really talked about it."
Although rumors have circulated for years about animosity within the band, drummer John Dolmayan told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the members of SYSTEM are still friends. "I think a part of it is people like drama, you know. They look for it, and they want drama involved, they want SYSTEM to have problems. There's a lot of haters out there, let's face it, and as much as the fans really want the band to get together just so that they can see and enjoy the music again, there's also just as many people that would like to see us not getting along and, you know, no hope of reuniting."
Tankian told Loudwire that SYSTEM's recent tours have been a "blast," adding, "I think we've played better because of it. There was new excitement in playing together and all of the shows have been really great. Everyone's told us that we sound better than we did in 2006 when we left off, so I think it's great."
SYSTEM OF A DOWN Bassist Says Singer SERJ TANKIAN Is Holding The Band Back
SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian is "holding [the group] back" by being unwilling to make a new album with his bandmates, claims SYSTEMbassist Shavo Odadjian.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN last released new music in 2005 on the"Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" albums, going on hiatus the following year.
The band reunited in 2011 for touring purposes and will spend the summer on a European festival circuit, while performing only one North American show in 2013 at California's famed Hollywood Bowl.
In a series of postings on his Facebook page, Shavo wrote: "OK... I'll come clean.. It's not us (meaning Daron [Malakian, guitar/vocals], John[Dolmayan, drums] or Shavo!!) It's Serj who doesn't want to do a new album!!!! So please stop harassing us about it!!! We are just waiting forSerj! Now he might hate me for exposing the truth, but I had to..
"Sorry, folks!!! We're trying to get a new album out, it's just not passingSerj's rules! Kinda funny, since we started the band and now he's holding us back!! I think we should should release another album again??? As for me.. I'm ready to release one with someone who wants to be the singer ofSYSTEM, not someone we have to beg to be a part of SYSTEM!!
"So with that in mind, what do you guys [think] we should do? Just remember, he's been holding us back for seven years so far. Wanna wait another 4-5 years? Or shall we release a record without Serj? You tell us.
"I don't want to make a record without him... but if he's not down? Should the three of us just sit and wait?? Not cool!!!!!!!! I want the fans from all over the world, including Brazil, to tell us what they think. No SYSTEM? OrSYSTEM with with a new singer who's just as good, if not better? PLUS new SYSTEM songs and tours???? Please give me your opinion, people!!! Is SYSTEM better with no singer or someone who is excited to be our new singer?? You decide.,. 'cause I'm confused!!!
"No diss to Serj. If he wants to be in the band, then he's welcome, but if he's not? What do you expect us three to do? We really want anotherSYSTEM record! Wish Serj was down, but if he's not, then I'm going ahead and making a SYSTEM record without him!!! I'm furious that he let us down like this, but we gotta do something to keep this great band alive!!! Agreed?"
Tankian last year had a message for SYSTEM OF A DOWN fans waiting for a new album: don't hold your breath. In an interview with Loudwire,Tankian explained, "We haven't made plans of recording the new record as of yet. When we do, everyone will know. We haven't really discussed another record as of now with any of the guys, really. It's something that, when it's the right time, we'll do it. Right now I'm busy with my own stuff and that's gonna take me a bit, but when it's the right time, everyone will know. I don't even want to say there's [a new SYSTEM album] coming because we haven't really talked about it."
Although rumors have circulated for years about animosity within the band, drummer John Dolmayan told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the members of SYSTEM are still friends. "I think a part of it is people like drama, you know. They look for it, and they want drama involved, they want SYSTEM to have problems. There's a lot of haters out there, let's face it, and as much as the fans really want the band to get together just so that they can see and enjoy the music again, there's also just as many people that would like to see us not getting along and, you know, no hope of reuniting."
Tankian told Loudwire that SYSTEM's recent tours have been a "blast," adding, "I think we've played better because of it. There was new excitement in playing together and all of the shows have been really great. Everyone's told us that we sound better than we did in 2006 when we left off, so I think it's great."
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Stone Temple Pilots Offer Free Download of New Song Featuring Linkin Park's Chester Bennington
Stone Temple Pilots may be without a lead singer, but that hasn't stopped the group from making new music. They've partnered with Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington to create a new single, "Out of Time," which they debuted at an event on Los Angeles over the weekend. You can score a free download of the studio version of "Out of Time" at StoneTemplePilots.com.
"Chester has a one-of-a-kind voice that we've admired for a long time," said guitaristDean DeLeo in a statement. "We know Linkin Park will always be his priority, but we thought it would be cool to try something together. We managed to find the time to record a song and we're all really happy with the result."
Bennington adds that he was thrilled to get the chance to collaborate with Stone Temple Pilots on "Out of Time." "I've loved STP since I was 13 years old and they've had a huge influence on me," says Bennington. "When the opportunity came up to do something creative with them, I jumped at the chance. The guys in Linkin Park have been incredibly supportive of me undertaking this project while I've continued to work on new music with LP."
STP has yet to reveal if Bennington has recorded more music with them, or indeed if he'll take over for former frontman Scott Weiland, who was dismissed from the band in February.
Hear Foo Fighters Cover "Fortunate Son" with John Fogerty
John Fogerty has unveiled his collaboration with the Foo Fighters for his upcoming album, Wrote a Song for Everyone, which features new renditions of classic Creedence Clearwater Revival tracks. Fogerty and the Foos' version of the CCR's 1969 hit single "Fortunate Son" is now streaming at RollingStone.com. Wrote a Song for Everyone is set to arrive at all the usual outlets on Tuesday, May 28. In addition to the Foo Fighters, a number of other rock artists are featured on the release, including Kid Rock, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, and My Morning Jacket frontman Jim James.
Here's the complete track list for Wrote a Song for Everyone:
"Fortunate Son" (with Foo Fighters)
"Almost Saturday Night" (with Keith Urban)
"Lodi" (with Shane Fogerty & Tyler Fogerty)
"Mystic Highway"
"Wrote a Song for Everyone" (with Miranda Lambert featuring Tom Morello)
"Bad Moon Rising" (with Zac Brown Band)
"Long as I Can See the Light" (with My Morning Jacket)
"Born on the Bayou" (with Kid Rock)
"Train of Fools"
"Someday Never Comes" (with Dawes)
"Who'll Stop the Rain" (with Bob Seger)
"Hot Rod Heart" (with Brad Paisley)
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain" (with Alan Jackson)
"Proud Mary" (with Jennifer Hudson featuring Allen Toussaint and the Rebirth Brass Band)
Watch Queens of the Stone Age's Full Version of Animated Promo Film for ...Like Clockwork
Over the last two weeks, Queens of the Stone Age has been previewing new cuts from their upcoming album, ...Like Clockwork, in a series of short animated films created by U.K. artist Boneface. Now, the group is giving us the chance to see the entire series as one complete short film.
The 15-minute clip includes snippets of "I Appear Missing," "Kalopsia," "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" and "If I Had a Tail," as well as a full stream of the single "My God Is the Sun." The storyline follows a group of characters, whose violent exploits cause each of them to die gruesome deaths. The short film comes to an end when a giant, black-winged skull uses some magical powers to revive the fallen characters so it can levitate them into the sky and swallow them. ...Like Clockwork arrives in stores on June 4.
Coachella Announces Festival Dates for 2014; Advance Ticket Sale Begins on Friday
While the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival just wrapped up a little more than a month ago, producers for the event have already revealed their plans for 2014.
According to the festival's website, next year's event will span two weekends, April 11-13 and April 18-20, in Indio, California. While the lineup isn't expected to be announced until next year, advance passes for the 2014 installment of Coachella will go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
Bands who took the stage during last month's festival included Blur, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Modest Mouse, The xx, The Postal Service and Vampire Weekend.
BRIAN 'HEAD' WELCH On New KORN Album: 'The Choruses Are Just Huge'
Jon "Fatguy" Marté of the Alabama radio station WVNA-FM (105.5 FM) conducted an interview with KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch on May 17 at the Rock On The Range festival at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloudwidget below.
On how he is feeling about everything at the moment:
Welch: "I know that there's bombs that go off in life, and there'll be more to come in the future, but right now I'm riding this wave of just, 'Man, this is awesome.' Everything is going good. My daughter is doing great. Music's doing great. I'm back with my brothers, who I've been separated from almost ten years… eight years, you know. It's just… Not to sound all positive, you know, but it's just going good right now.
"I've learned how to deal with struggles, and so even when the struggles come, it's not a bad day; it's just, like, tomorrow's better."
On whether it's possible to have positivity in music:
Welch: "You're gonna be able to hear, like in the melodies and in the music, a lot of positive stuff going on with these new KORN songs. But that's me. And a lot of the other guys [in the band] have been going through a lot of positive stuff. But Jonathan [Davis, KORN singer], that poor guy just goes through hell on earth sometimes in his life. And he's been going through a lot of stuff the last couple of years, personally — like he's in a dryer tumbling around in circles; he's getting beat up — and so a lot of that's coming out in the record. He's really good at facing his pain head-on. You know, what's cool is the last… Since 2013, things have been going a lot of better for him, so I'm really glad. Ever since I got back, it seems like everyone's life is just on the right track. Not 'cause of me, obviously — it just turned out like that. But it's really good to see.Jonathan, he gets all of his passionate lyrics about life's circumstances, so he's got a lot to sing about on this album."
On what it feels like to be back on stage with KORN:
Welch: "I played one show so far, two nights ago, and it was just the most amazing, electric, just powerful feeling. I mean, the fan response to, like, just people having fun onstage; there's smiles even sometimes, goofing around. And then, about halfway through the set, I was, like… My body was, like, 'Dude, you haven't played an hour-and-a-half set in ten years.' My legs were starting to get all sore. 'Cause I played with LOVE & DEATH [Welch's other band], too, earlier in the night. So I'm, like, 'You've gotta be like a marathon runner to do this stuff.' So it was really kind of bittersweet. But the sweet was way better than the bitter, so who cares?!"
On KORN's forthcoming album:
Welch: "Dude, you could feel the realness in the music. It's true from inside of all of us, and Jonathan's lyrics and stuff. And the choruses? These are the best choruses. I love big choruses that people can just sing to. Yeah, the choruses are just huge, man. And it's really creepy, like withJonathan and all this stuff, and me and Munky's [KORN guitarist] stuff. I'm so happy with it. Everyone who still cares is gonna share what we're feeling right now."
MEGADETH: New Song 'Kingmaker' Available For Streaming
MEGADETH's new song "Kingmaker" can be streamed in the YouTubeclip below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Super Collider", which is scheduled for a June 4 release via MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).
"Super Collider" track listing:
01. Kingmaker
02. Super Collider
03. Burn!
04. Built For War
05. Off The Edge
06. Dance In The Rain
07. Beginning Of Sorrow
08. The Blackest Crow
09. Forget To Remember
10. Don't Turn Your Back…
11. Cold Sweat
The album will be available as a limited-edition CD with 3-D cover and bonus tracks, regular CD, regular LP, limited LP plus seven-inch vinyl and as a digital download.
In a recent interview with the "Shockwaves"/"HardRadio" podcast,Mustaine stated about "Kingmaker": "[That song] is about the epidemic we're having in our nation right now with hillbilly heroin, with everybody taking pain pills.
"It's no secret that I had surgery on my neck. I think that when I showed up at the 'Big Four' show [at the Yankee stadium in September 2011] with a neck brace on, people kind of figured out that there was something wrong with me. It turns out that I had a broken bone in my neck and a shard of my vertebrae got into my spinal cord and was causing me tremendous pain for a very long time. I had started taking pain pills and became chemically dependent on it.
"With my substance-abuse history, it was really hard for me to go from being an addict and an alcoholic and then getting set free from all that stuff. 'Cause I went to the whole twelve-step thing, which was really beneficial for me, but unfortunately, for me it wasn't an anonymous program; I would go in there and whatever I would say, people would talk about. So it really violated my anonymity. It's also a program that is based on God, but when I would talk about God in there, they would say, 'Ah, G.O.D. stands for Group Of Drunks.' And it's, like, 'No, it doesn't. Can't you spell, you retard? That's why you're in here.' But at the time, it was very influential in my life and very important and I respect it tremendously and I wish anybody who needs a twelve-step program will find one...
"The song 'Kingmaker' is about how people are running from their problems… And there's a lot of that on this particular record — just looking at, like, 'Here's what I've got. What are you gonna do with it?' It's talking a lot about this generation, how people, their lives are falling apart and they just take pills. Instead of sucking up and doing what I did and going and getting the surgery and getting off the medication, they'll continue to just trudge it out until the end of their life where they just take pills until their body is eaten… And the other thing that's part of that song is talking about how when you take these things how they make you feel different. Some people, they get into that 'cause they like the way it makes you feel, 'cause it makes you kind of feel warm and fuzzy. In the song, it talks about wanting to fly and being ten feet tall. Booze does that to some people. And this is just something that, I think, if there is a way that I can help educate a lot of our fans, especially the younger ones that still have their whole life ahead of them, it's not as glamorous as you think it is to go down that path of just checking it out and drugging yourself up and not facing reality…
"Part of what 'Kingmaker' means to me is that I am able to look back now on this whole episode of my life, being a slave to Big Pharma. You have no idea what a pain in the ass it was. In order to travel to go overseas, and I needed the medication with me, to know that if my backpack would have been stolen and my medication would have been gone, that I would have gone into serious withdrawals and been hospitalized and the tour would have been over. That kind of stuff; it's horrifying. And my heart goes out to the people that are stuck in that vicious circle and slavery to narcotics. Granted, you need it if you're in pain, but…"
As previously reported, MEGADETH will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Monday, June 17 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with MEGADETHby calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). The show will be streamed on the"Rockline" web site for two weeks beginning the afternoon after the live broadcast.
"Super Collider" is MEGADETH's first release since the band's recent split with Roadrunner Records.
VOLBEAT Frontman Talks 'Rock Allegiance Tour', Inspiration For 'Shady Ladies' Album
Artisan News recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Michael Poulsen of Danish/American metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT. You can now watch the chat below.
VOLBEAT will take part in this summer's Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance Tour alongside HIM, ALL THAT REMAINS and AIRBOURNE.
"The fans have made our North American visits thus far this year great fun and truly memorable," Poulsen said in a statement. "We are looking forward to headlining Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance festival tour this summer, and sharing the stage with HIM, ALL THAT REMAINS and AIRBOURNE."
VOLBEAT's fifth studio album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", sold 39,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 9 via Universal Republic
VOLBEAT has released the video for "Cape Of Our Hero", the first single from "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies". The song has just hit rock radio, while the clip tells the story of a young man who looks back at his youth and remembers his father as the most heroic figure in his life.Poulsen told The Pulse Of Radio that the song was very personal to him. "I lost my father four, five years ago and I believe that every man in this universe, you know, they have their heroes and most of us are looking at our dad as a big hero," he said. "And so, of course, I'm singing about a little boy who lost his father, and then at the same time he loses his belief in his superheroes."
Former ANTHRAX member Rob Caggiano, who was a producer on the new disc, recently joined the band as its new guitarist. He replaces guitarist Thomas Bredahl, who was given his walking papers in November 2011.
The new disc follows up 2010's "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven", which featured three No. 1 rock radio hits, "A Warrior's Call", "Still Counting"and "Heaven Nor Hell".
DAVE MUSTAINE: 'I Don't Say Things To Get A Reaction'
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was interviewed for the cover story in the June 2013 issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Hammer: Is there a tiny part of you that enjoys provocation?
Mustaine: No, I don't say things to get a reaction. The stuff that I write about is important to me. Some of the subjects on "Peace Sells…" are still relevant, particularly environmental issues. And the personal stuff is relevant. I've written songs about loss and pain — everyone goes through that so, no, I'm not being provocative. We actually have fun songs too. If you're pissed off, the title track on "Super Collider" or "Symphony Of Destruction" might make you feel better.
Metal Hammer: Your mischievous sense of humour and interview rhetoric seems like it has always bordered on the self-destructive?
Mustaine: Yeah, and it doesn't translate well, does it? Probably the biggest thing that has harmed my career is being misunderstood, but is it better to be understood or to understand? I understand much more now, so I'm less inclined to be preaching or complaining about being misquoted now. There are people who love me and people who don't, but everyone's entitled. I have love in my heart for both. I don't get mad about the people who dislike me. You can get obsessed with that. Someone doesn't like me? Tough shit for me!
Metal Hammer: You seem fairly approachable today.
Mustaine: I am approachable! But I have a terrible reputation. There was a guy who used to manage me, and when we had a falling out, I think he started rumours about me being difficult. But we became friends again, and reconciled. And that was all part of a process of reconciliation, including with METALLICA and [MEGADETH bassist David] Ellefson, too. And do you know what? When that happened, my injured arm and injured thumb started working again. Crazy, huh?
You can purchase a copy of the magazine at this location.
STP Join Forces With CHESTER BENNINGTON For Surprise Performance, Studio Recording
Fans attending KROQ's annual Weenie Roast in Irvine, California on Saturday, May 18 got a real surprise when STONE TEMPLE PILOTS took the stage unannounced, for a blistering set with Chester Bennington of LINKIN PARK as lead vocalist.
The crowd went wild as the band performed STP classics like "Sex Type Thing" and "Vasoline" and also debuted a brand new song, "Out Of Time" — the recording of which KROQ premiered immediately following the band's explosive 40-minute set.
When STONE TEMPLE PILOTS bandmembers Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeoand Eric Kretz began thinking of singers to accompany the new music they were working on, Bennington was at the top of the list. "Chesterhas a one-of-a-kind voice that we've admired for a long time," said Dean DeLeo. "We know LINKIN PARK will always be his priority, but we thought it would be cool to try something together. We managed to find the time to record a song and we're all really happy with the result."
"I've loved STP since I was 13 years old and they've had a huge influence on me," explained Bennington. "When the opportunity came up to do something creative with them, I jumped at the chance. The guys inLINKIN PARK have been incredibly supportive of me undertaking this project while I've continued to work on new music with LP."
STP officially fired Weiland in February after weeks of rumors about his status, issuing a terse statement that read, "STONE TEMPLE PILOTShave announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland." No further details have since revealed.
This was the second time that the band has parted ways with its often troubled frontman, following a split in 2002.
Weiland, who was about to launch a solo tour at the time of his dismissal, denied at first that he had been fired, saying that STONE TEMPLE PILOTSlegally could not exist or use that name without all four members of the group in the lineup.
He reiterated that view during an interview with a Nevada radio station, saying, "I started the band . . . there's things in place, like certain clauses that are in place that keep that from happening."
KORN Bassist On HEAD's Return: 'I Knew It Was Gonna Be How It Used To Be'
The Front Row Report conducted an interview with KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu on May 17 at the Rock On The Range festival at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. You can now watch the chat below.
KORN played its first full concert since 2005 with guitarist Brian "Head" Welch in the lineup on Wednesday night (May 15) in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, where the group kicked off a string of spring North American dates. Welch joined the group onstage for one song last year at theCarolina Rebellion festival, sparking rumors that more shows together and even a full reunion were in the pipeline. The band has also just finished recording its first studio set with Welch since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror".
Asked how he felt about the hitting the stage again with Welch for a full show after being apart for so long, Fieldy said: "[I felt] excitement. Excitement, but in a different way. Because a lot of times when I feel excited, I kind of feel nauseous; I don't really know what to do with it. But I was excited with contentment. I knew it was gonna be good, I knew it was gonna be how it used to be, so there was no insecurity in my being excited. So it was a different emotion than I've ever had."
Fieldy also spoke about the upcoming KORN album, due out in late summer, which will follow up 2011's "The Path Of Totality", a record that found the group experimenting with dubstep.
"I guess we were just going in knowing this time that we were gonna be doing what we do, what KORN does," the bassist said. "And it probably [turned out to be] the easiest [album to make], but the most challenging too. Because you've gotta just try to be ourselves and just do what we do. And it came out as probably the best KORN CD that we've ever done."
Wednesday night's 21-song set drew heavily from the band's early years.
KORN has used a variety of touring guitarists since Welch's departure, without ever permanently replacing him.
Welch left KORN in 2005 to embrace Christianity and embark on a solo career.
BLACK SABBATH: The Making Of '13' Album Cover
Behind-the-scenes video footage of the making of the cover artwork for"13", the first BLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together, can be seen below. The CD is due out June 11 onVertigo/Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's"Never Say Die!"
Details of the album's deluxe edition surfaced on April 19, with the band revealing that the eight-song effort will be accompanied by three bonus tracks called "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" and "Pariah".
Several versions of "13" are available for pre-order, including a standard CD, a double CD that includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio, a heavyweight vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve and a "Super Deluxe Box Set" containing the double CD, the vinyl album, an exclusive DVD documentary on the band's reunion, 13 photographic prints and hand-written lyrics.
"13" track listing:
01. End Of The Beginning (8:05)
02. God Is Dead? (8:52)
03. Loner (4:59)
04. Zeitgeist (4:37)
05. Age Of Reason (7:01)
06. Live Forever (4:46)
07. Damaged Soul (7:51)
08. Dear Father (7:20)
Deluxe-edition bonus tracks:
09. Methademic (5:57)
10. Peace Of Mind (3:40)
11. Pariah (5:34)
Total running time (with bonus tracks): 68 minutes, 42 seconds
The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.
Scott Kara of The New Zealand Herald has written a track-by-track review of "13". Check it out at this location.
Osbourne went on the BBC in England to discuss the band's new single,"God Is Dead?" and the inspiration behind the track. Ozzy explained, "I was in somebody's office and there was a magazine on a table and it just said, 'God Is Dead', and I suddenly thought about 9/11 and all these terrorist things and religion and how many people have died in the name of religion. When you think about the tragedy that's happened throughout time, it just came in my head. You'd think by now that their God would have stopped people dying in the name of, so I just starting thinking that people must be thinking, 'Where is God? God is dead' and it just hit me."
Ozzy added that the question mark at the end of the title is his way of showing that he's not sure about the answer himself, saying, "At the end of the thing, there's still a bit of hope because there I sing that I don't believe that God is dead. It's just a question of when you see so many dreadful people killing each other with bombs, and blowing the tube trains up and the World Trade Center."
Ozzy told an Australian radio station that "13" is "mind-blowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."
SABBATH kicked off its world tour in support of "13" on April 20 in Auckland.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
The Rolling Stones Joined by Dave Grohl at Anaheim Concert
The Rolling Stones on Saturday night welcomed another special guest to their 50 and Counting tour: Foo Fighters frontman DaveGrohl.
Grohl joined the Stones at their concert in Anaheim, California, sharing vocals with Mick Jagger on "Bitch," a track off the Stones' 1971 album Sticky Fingers.
The Foo Fighters' official Twitter feed spoiled the surprise earlier in the day, writing, "Hey So Cal...Guess who's making a guest appearance at the @RollingStones show in Anaheim tonight? Hint... it's Dave."
On Sunday, the band's Facebook page posted a link to fan-filmed video on YouTube of Grohl's appearance.
The collaboration came approximately one year after the Foo Fighters played with Jagger on the 2012 season finale of Saturday Night Live.
The Stones previously have invited Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani and Keith Urban onto the stage during their current tour.
Robin Finck Replaces Eric Avery as Nine Inch Nails Bassist
Nine Inch Nails has a new bassist. Frontman Trent Reznor has announced that longtime NIN collaborator Robin Finck will take over for former Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery, who left the group on Wednesday so he could focus on other projects.
"I am proud to announce that the tour lineup now includes the incredible Robin Finck," writes Reznor on NIN's Tumblr blog. "The addition of Robin to the mix of players I've assembled makes this band incredibly powerful and versatile. We are deep in the rehearsal process and it feels exciting and great to be back at this. Lots of information, surprises and sweat headed your way."
NIN's first concert -- featuring the new lineup of Reznor, Finck, ex-King Crimson guitaristAdrian Belew, Alessandro Cortini, and Telefon Tel Aviv's Josh Eustis and Ilan Rubin -- will be an appearance at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival on July 26. The group's first show in North America will be on August 2 at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, IL.
Queens of the Stone Age Finish Animated Promo Series with "My God Is the Sun" Video
Queens of the Stone Age has unveiled the final chapter of their creepy animated series to promote their upcoming album, ...Like Clockwork. The final installment wraps us all the storylines from the other short films, and serves as the video for the single "My God Is the Sun."
The four-minute clip begins with a giant, black-winged skull breaking out of the ground and floating toward the heavens. As the skull ascends, all of the characters who died in the previous films come back to life. The skull then uses some magical powers to levitate the newly-revived characters into the sky, where the skull proceeds to swallow them. The end of the clip shows the bandaged man in a suit to whom we were introduced in the "I Appear Missing" teaser getting thrown back to the ground in the same spot where we first met him. ...Like Clockwork arrives in stores on June 4. The album will feature a number of guest appearances, including Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Scissor Sisters vocalist Jake Shears, former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, pop icon Elton John, former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore, and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. In addition, the release will include two former QOTSA members: bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Joey Castillo.
Jared Leto Says 30 Second to Mars Isn't Just a Band, It's an "Art Project"
Frontman Jared Leto believes that 30 Seconds to Mars is much more than your average band. The singer says his group is dedicated to being creative both inside and outside the recording studio.
"We've always thought about 30 Seconds to Mars not just as a band but an art project," he tells MTV U.K. "A place where we would make music, we would make books, we would make art in general, short films, documentaries. I mean, really the music is the glue that binds it all together but it's certainly not just about the music."
30 Seconds to Mars is set to drop their fourth studio album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams, on Tuesday. Leto says the upcoming release was easier to make than their previous album,This Is War, mostly because they're no longer in trouble with record label EMI. "[Love Lust Faith + Dreams] is a very personal record," Leto explains. "It was a fun album to make because we weren't being sued for $30 million by our record company...so it was a different atmosphere."
EMI slapped 30 Seconds to Mars with the lawsuit when the band tried to leave the label in 2007.
Christian Fundamentalists Plan to Picket Late Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman's Memorial Celebration
It appears that the upcoming event to honor late Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman will have some unwelcome guests. On Thursday, the Westboro Baptist Church announced viaTwitter that they plan to picket Hanneman's memorial celebration, which is scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 23 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PT.
The controversial Christian fundamentalist church has become known for protesting at the funerals of everyone from U.S. soldiers to celebrities and high-profile musicians, including Michael Jackson and Black Sabbath frontman Ronnie James Dio.
Hanneman, who had been taking time off from Slayer since 2011 after contracting the flesh-eating infection necrotizing fasciitis from a spider bite, died at age 49 on May 2 of alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.
Stern Pinball, Inc., the world's leading maker of real pinball games and the AAMA 2012 Manufacturer Of The Year, last month announced the availability of the METALLICA pinball games. The newest addition to the iconic Stern collection of rock and roll machines honors one of the world's foremost rock bands. METALLICA's notoriously fast tempos and aggressive musicianship sets the tone for an exciting player experience.
Players will be able to bang their heads and their flippers to 12 classicMETALLICA hits, including "Master Of Puppets", "One" and "Fade To Black". Other action-packed game features include an electric chair, snake, grave marker and unparalleled magnetic action.
In the two-and-a-half-minute clip below, game designer John Borg takes us through one of the three METALLICA pinball machines.
Says METALLICA: "After years of playing on Kirk's [Hammett,METALLICA guitarist] machines at [the band's headquarters in San Rafael, California], we jumped at the idea when Stern Pinball came to us with some designs and ideas some time ago. Features will include an electric chair, snake, grave markers and lots of other bells and whistles along with art by our friend Dirty Donny."
The METALLICA game continues both the Stern Pinball and the Sternfamily tradition of producing quality pinball machines for young and old. The company traces its lineage to Philadelphia in the 1930s when Sam Stern entered the business of operating pinball games. Sam Sternsubsequently became part owner and president of Williams Manufacturing, a pioneer in the pinball industry, and passed his lifelong enthusiasm for the game and the business of pinball to his son Gary Stern, who founded Stern Pinball. Today pinball remains one of America's favorite pastimes.
The METALLICA pinball machine is available through authorized Sterndistributors and dealers.
To learn more about the METALLICA pinball game and Stern Pinball, visit www.sternpinball.com.
AS I LAY DYING Frontman TIM LAMBESIS: New Bail Review Hearing Set For Tomorrow
According to the San Diego Reader, a new bail review hearing for AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis will be conducted tomorrow, Friday May 17 at 1:30 p.m. in San Diego's North County Superior Courthouse before the Honorable Judge David Berry.
Lambesis was arrested on may 7 for allegedly hiring someone to kill his estranged wife. He was ordered held on $3 million bail during his arraignment hearing two days later and he faces nine years in state prison if convicted.
Prosecutors initially requested that Superior Court Judge Martin Staven setLambesis' bail at $20 million, saying the singer remains "substantially motivated to kill his wife."
Prosecutors allege Lambesis had twice told a man at a gym that he wanted his wife killed, then met with an undercover detective known as "Red", and gave the agent an envelope containing $1,000 in cash, photographs of his wife, and the security gate code to her house. He also allegedly told the agent the dates he would be with the couple's three adopted children, in order to give himself an alibi.
"When specifically asked do you want her dead, he said, 'Yes that's exactly what I want,'" Deputy District Attorney Claudia Grasso told the judge. "The victim now is terrified and living in seclusion."
Lambesis, who was originally booked into jail on suspicion of two felonies — conspiracy and murder-for-hire — was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and turn in his passport and was warned by the judge that, if he is released from jail, he must stay away from his immediate family. The conspiracy charge was dropped before Lambesis was arraigned.
"Tim never had the intention to harm his wife, absolutely not," defense attorney Anthony Salerno said on May 10. "This whole thing was a set-up by a scumbag snitch, and then law enforcement ran with it.
"None of this would ever have happened were it not for over-eager entrapment," the defense attorney added. "The investigators were over-reaching. They booked Tim for conspiracy to commit murder, but that didn't stick.
"Tim will have his day in court, and when he does, he will be exonerated because a jury will see that in his heart, Tim is a good, decent and Christian human being," Salerno said.
Lambesis' wife, Meggan, filed papers in September 2012 in San Diego Superior Court seeking a dissolution of the couple's marriage.
Salerno told Artisan News last week that he suspicious of the circumstances of Lambesis' arrest and believed Meggan's family could have been involved in setting him up. "Tim's wife's brother, I understand, is a San Diego Sheriff's deputy," he said. "I think I would be remiss if I didn't fully explore that, 'cause that is a litte bit… it's at the bare minimum very coincidental, and it may be more than that."
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Queens of the Stone Age Pick a Fight with Bikers in Animated Teaser for ...Like Clockwork Track
Queens of the Stone Age continue to unveil new installments of their creepy animated series to promote their upcoming album, ...Like Clockwork. The latest chapter features a snippet of another new cut, "If I Had a Tail."
The video's storyline follows a bloodthirsty driver who cruises around town killing people with her car and throwing Molotov cocktails at them. After decimating a group of bikers, a survivor from the attack chases the driver on his motorcycle and cripples her car with a rocket launcher. The clip ends with driver grabbing the biker's hand and igniting a self-destruct mechanism, which kills them both in a ball of fire. ...Like Clockwork arrives in stores on June 4.
Slayer Reveals Details for Jeff Hanneman Memorial Celebration
Slayer is giving fans the chance to say goodbye to founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died May 2 of alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.
In a posting on their Facebook page, Slayer reveals that a Jeff Hanneman Memorial Celebration will take place on Thursday, May 23 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles from 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. PT. The event will be free and open to fans of all ages on a first-come, first-in basis.
Hanneman, who had been taking time off from the band since 2011 for an unrelated medical condition, was 49.
Beck, Jack White, Linkin Park Up for MTV's O Music Awards
MTV's O Music Awards returns this year, and a number of rock acts have scored nominations. Beck is up for two awards, the most of any rock act. He'll be facing off against Jack White for the Analog Genius Award, while the video for his cover of David Bowie's "Sound and Vision" will compete with Linkin Park's "Lost in the Echo" video for Best Interactive Music Video.
Other notables who got nods include Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, who's up for the Digital Genius Award; Andrew W.K., who's in the running for Must Follow Artist on Twitter; and Bon Iver, who is up for the honor of Best Artist Instagram. In addition, 30 Seconds to Mars and All Time Low will be competing against each other for the Fan Army FTW award, which goes to the artists with the most devoted and socially-networked fans.
You'll be able to see who wins when the MTV O Music Awards streams live at OMusicAwards.com on June 19 at 7 p.m. ET.
JASON NEWSTED On Leaving METALLICA: I Had To Step Up And Make The Sacrifice For Everybody
Elliot Levin of NY Hard Rock Examiner recently conducted an interview with former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist and current NEWSTED frontman Jason Newsted. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
NY Hard Rock Examiner: Did you think about coming up with a band name, or did you plan on touring under your own name from the start?
Jason: This really kind of happened by happenstance. It wasn't a grand plan where I sat down and planned on doing any of this. I never planned on coming back out, especially on something with my name on it. I've been doing projects and my own things for a long time, VOIVOD andECHOBRAIN and PAPA WHEELIE, and different fun things to just get my own pace and my own rules. This started out as the same type of thing. I composed some songs, my wife had got me a new iPad and I got theGarage Band app and sat down with my guitar and just wrote a bunch of songs. One of the songs happened to be for her. We just got married about six months ago, and so I wrote her a song for our wedding. I asked my boys Jesus Mendez and Jessie Farnsworth, we've been playing together for about five years, just making our improv music. So I showed them the songs, asked them to play it with me, and we went in to record her song, which is this giant ballad thing, kind of like a "Fade To Black"kind of song, starts off all mellow and nice and ends up crazy at the end. So we played it, recorded it, I had a couple of other songs in my back pocket, we said, "Let's knock 'em out." We had a week in the studio so we just played everything, and those extra songs, a couple of them ended up being "Soldierhead" and "Godsnake", "King Of The Underdogs" and"Skyscraper". We did it for fun. A couple of folks from the oldMETALLICA camp, that had worked with METALLICA in the past, they got a hold of "Soldierhead" and played it for a couple of people and, like, three weeks after we had done it, people were calling me up saying, "What are we going to do with this? What's going to be the deal? We want to be your agent, we want to be your manager." And I'm like, that's not what I'm doing here. More and more it just came, I started drawing logos on napkins, and we got someone to master it for us, and it became this thing. Came out on iTunes and went to No. 1 and here we are four months later with a world tour at our feet and an LP completed and everything's just snowballing pretty magnificently.
NY Hard Rock Examiner: It really is. Have you heard any feedback from [METALLICA members] Kirk [Hammett] or James [Hetfield] or Lars[Ulrich] about the [NEWSTED] EP?
Jason: No. I don't even know if they know I have music going. We were at the [Revolver] Golden Gods together the other night, and one of the wives said to my wife that the reason they didn't say anything at the acceptance speech, or they didn't want pictures together, it's because they didn't want to interfere with my project. So, I guess, they had someknowledge of it. But their own world is their own world. I mean, it really is a microcosm, it really is a bubble. So I'm not really sure, to tell you the truth.
NY Hard Rock Examiner: I just watched an interview with [MEGADETHmainman] Dave Mustaine yesterday, and he said that your music sounds like just what he would've expected. Is that the kind of response you were hoping for from your peers?
Jason: That's awesome! That's a great quote. Yes, that's what I want to hear from people and that they understand how honest it is. That's really my main quest, retaining the purity of this music. There's too much bullshit, faking, pretending you can play through Pro Tools falseness that I don't want to be caught up or involved in. It's important to me to fly the flag of metal in its purest form. This is all about punk rock effort; let the music do the talking.
NY Hard Rock Examiner: I don't think anyone ever faulted you for leaving [METALLICA], especially once we saw "Some Kind Of Monster"and other details came out.
Jason: I had to be the one that stepped up and made the sacrifice for everybody. I had to be the one to grow some nuts, and say this is what's going to happen, and because I did what I did, they're more successful than they've ever been, they still set the standard, James is healthier than he's ever been in his entire life. I'm clear-eyed again, I'm off drugs, I'm 19 years old again. I got more years under my belt and I'm still the same fighting weight I was on any of my tours. It's just a matter of how you go about it. The calendar goes by, but that doesn't mean you gotta get old.
AS I LAY DYING Officially Pulls Out Of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE North American Tour
Due to the recent arrest of their lead singer Tim Lambesis, San Diego metallers AS I LAY DYING have canceled their participation in the upcoming KILLSWITCH ENGAGE North American headlining tour.
Says AS I LAY DYING in a statement: "In light of recent events, AS I LAY DYING will, unfortunately, not be taking part in the upcoming tour withKILLSWITCH ENGAGE. Given the circumstances, we feel that it is best for the band to be off the road while the current situation gets sorted. We'd like to thank all of our fans for their ongoing support at this difficult time."
Lambesis was arrested on may 7 for allegedly hiring someone to kill his estranged wife. He was ordered held on $3 million bail during his arraignment hearing last Thursday and he faces nine years in state prison if convicted.
Prosecutors initially requested that Superior Court Judge Martin Stavenset Lambesis' bail at $20 million, saying the singer remains "substantially motivated to kill his wife."
Lambesis was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and turn in his passport and was warned by the judge that, if he is released from jail, he must stay away from his immediate family.
Lambesis' wife, Meggan, filed papers in September 2012 in San Diego Superior Court seeking a dissolution of the couple's marriage.
BLACK SABBATH On 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation': Entire Episode Available Online
BLACK SABBATH made a rare television appearance when the band performed a new song on the season finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". The episode aired last night (Wednesday, May 15) onCBS-TV and can now be viewed in its entirety at CBS.com. The band world premiered a song called "End Of The Beginning" from their upcoming album "13". The episode's plot follows the CSI team as they investigate a series of murder that resemble the sins in "Dante's Inferno", with the trail leading the detectives played by Ted Danson andMarc Vann to attend a SABBATH concert.
"I'm not an actor," said SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne. "It's like a hurry-up-and-wait. When you see it on TV, it's all done, but when you're filming, there's a lot of stuff going on."
He added about the band's return to the spotlight: "It's been a long time, but the wait has been well worth it, 'cause the album is really good. I'm really pleased with the outcome.
"It's good fun and it's a good way of telling people that we're back together, you know?"
"13" is due out on June 11 and is the first SABBATH album in 35 years to feature Ozzy, bassist Geezer Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi.
Ozzy told an Australian radio station that the new album is "mindblowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."
The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.
"CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is nearing the end of its 13th season and regularly wins its time period with nearly 12 million viewers per episode.
It is also a global ratings hit, earning the International TV Audience Award for the "most-watched show in the world" for the third consecutive year and its fifth time in seven years.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Linkin Park to Headline Sixth Annual Sunset Strip Music Festival
Linkin Park will be the headliner for this year's Sunset Strip Music Festival, which takes place on August 3 on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, California.
"We started our career playing clubs on The Strip," said frontman Chester Bennington in a statement. "It's a thrill to be back where it all began, headlining this festival in our hometown."
Tickets for the event start at $79 and are on sale now at SunsetStrip.EventBrite.com. In addition, a limited number of front-row tickets for the event are currently on sale to members of Linkin Park's official fan club, LP Underground. A percentage of the proceeds raised by the festival will benefit Music for Relief, LP's non-profit organization that provides aid to those affected by natural disasters.
More acts for the festival will be announced in the coming weeks.
Bassist Eric Avery Quits Nine Inch Nails
Former Jane's Addiction bassist Eric Avery is now the former bassist for Nine Inch Nails. On Wednesday afternoon, Avery announced that he has decided to leave NIN to focus on other projects.
"It's with very mixed emotions I tell you all that I'm pulling out of NIN," said Avery in a post on his Facebook page. "[It has] been a tough call and I don't know if it's the right one. But I really want to focus on my musical life here in LA, on film work in particular."
Avery adds that another reason for his departure was that he "got overwhelmed" by the group's upcoming tour schedule. "I just got home from a year of heavy travel withGarbage, the idea of leaving town for another year and a half, and with all the intensity that Nails demands…fortunately my friend [frontman] Trent [Reznor] understands all this and appreciated my pulling the plug now instead of deep into 2013 and 14." A replacement for Avery has yet to be revealed.
NIN's first concert -- featuring the new lineup of Reznor, ex-King Crimson guitarist Adrian Belew, Alessandro Cortini and Telefon Tel Aviv's Josh Eustis and Ilan Rubin -- will be an appearance at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival on July 26.
Queens of the Stone Age Previews "Keep Your Eyes Peeled" in Animated Teaser for ...Like Clockwork
Just one day after unveiling a snippet of "I Appear Missing" in their creepy animated series to promote their upcoming album, ...Like Clockwork, Queens of the Stone Age is now offering a preview of another new track. The three-minute clip picks up where the band left off in the "I Appear Missing" album teaser, and features a snippet of a new cut, "Keep Your Eyes Peeled."
The video's storyline follows a sinister figure in a spiked mask as he heads to a seedy bar filled with other masked characters. The man then throws a coin into the jukebox and begins to fight the bar's patrons. While he manages to kill a few of the people, he's eventually outmatched by a muscular man in what appears to be a warthog mask. The bloody spiked-masked man is then thrown into an alley, where a car is racing toward him. ...Like Clockwork arrives in stores on June 4. The album will feature a number of guest appearances, including Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Scissor Sisters vocalist Jake Shears, former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, pop icon Elton John, former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore, and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. In addition, the release will include two former QOTSA members: bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Joey Castillo.
Great Gatsby Soundtrack Debuts at #2 on Billboard 200; Gets #1 Spot on Digital Albums Chart
Fans aren't just crazy about The Great Gatsby movie; they're also hungry for the film's music. The soundtrack, featuring acts like Jack White, Gotye, Florence + the Machine,The xx and Lana Del Rey, has debuted at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart with sales of 137,000 copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
While the compilation's first-week sales performance is impressive, it doesn't trump the initial success of the soundtrack for The Hunger Games. That album, which featured songs from The Decemberists and Arcade Fire, sold 175,000 copies and claimed the #1 spot on the tally in its first week.
In addition, The Great Gatsby soundtrack scored the top spot on Billboard's Digital Albums chart. The set racked up 119,000 downloads its first week out, making it the largest digital sales week for a soundtrack in the chart's history.
While a limited-edition deluxe version of the film's soundtrack was recently released on LPs made of platinum and gold through White's Third Man Records, a standard vinyl version of it will be available on June 11.
30 Seconds to Mars Run with a Cheetah in "The Race" Lyric Video
30 Seconds to Mars take us to Africa to experience what it's like to hunt for food in the new lyric video for "The Race," a cut from their upcoming fourth studio album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams.
The four-minute clip features the song's lyrics flashing across the screen, accompanied by slow-motion footage of a number of animals in the wild. The main storyline, however, focuses on a cheetah that's chasing a wildebeest. For the majority of the video, the large cat seems to running down the wildebeest, but once the cheetah gets too close, the wildebeest turns and begins to chase the cheetah.
"The Race is a song about the madness of love + life, the insanity of dreams, and about how -- at times -- prey can become the predator," says frontman Jared Leto in a statement. Love Lust Faith + Dreams will arrive in stores on Tuesday and features 12 new tracks. If you pre-order Love Lust Faith + Dreams now at iTunes, you'll score an immediate download of "Up in the Air."
Kings of Leon Members to Host Inaugural Music City Eats Festival in Nashville
Caleb and Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon have signed on to host a new food festival in their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Dubbed Music City Eats, the event will include national and local superstar chefs, local restaurant showcases, cooking demonstrations, wine, beer and spirits tastings, intimate panel discussions, and live music.
"We love food as much as music and believe that Nashville can be a foodie haven if given the proper exposure to all of our great chef friends, which is why we are putting this festival on," drummer Nathan Followill says in a statement.
For the live music portion of the festival, a new installment of the long-running series ofTom Petty tribute shows known as Petty Fest will take place during the event. The concert will be hosted by Kings of Leon and the Cabin Down Below Band, along with many other special guests who will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Music City Eats Festival will take place September 21-22 in downtown Nashville. Tickets for the event go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m. CT. To see the full lineup of events and to get your tickets, visit MusicCityEats.com.
Metallica Looking to Get International Distributor for 3D Film at Cannes Film Festival
Metallica already has plans for Through the Never to hit theaters in America this fall, but now they're bringing the 3D film to the Cannes Film Festival in the hopes of screening it overseas. According to Variety, the band has partnered with Exclusive Media to screen and shop the film at the fest so they can find an international distributor for it.
"After wading through multiple international distribution options for our film, we are excited to be partnering up with the folks at Exclusive Media, who we feel understand Metallica and understand our film better than anyone else," said drummer Lars Ulrich in a statement. "Throw in the cherry-on-top, launching our international sales with a couple of screenings at the film market during a little up-and-coming film festival in Cannes, and it feels like we're off to a pretty rockin' start." Through the Never will premiere exclusively at every IMAX theater across North America for a full week starting September 27. After the flick has its run in the IMAX theaters, it will expand into additional theaters starting October 4.
KORN's JONATHAN DAVIS: Upcoming CD Is 'By Far The Best Album We Have Ever Done'
KORN has completed work on its 11th studio CD and first with founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch back in the fold since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror". The band's lead singer, Jonathan Davis, writes onTwitter: "[This is] by far the best album we have ever done. [I am] so excited!!!"
Welch told Rolling Stone, "We knew we would have a blast playing together, because we love each other so much, but we really wanted to make sure the music felt right before we committed to making a whole album together. But since we got in the studio, everything just started pouring out, now I can't wait until our fans hear this stuff!"
Davis told The Pulse Of Radio he never felt completely comfortable without Welch in the group. "He's like my other half, you know," he said. "I got Munky here and I got, I always had Head there. It's always been missing something. I mean, we'd been doing fine, we've had guitar players come in and everything, but you know, there's that magic, you know what I mean?"
The band made Welch's return to the studio official with a new video posted online.
The new KORN set is due out in late summer and will follow up 2011's"The Path Of Totality", which found the group experimenting with dubstep.
The new record will feature four-fifths of the original KORN lineup, with only founding drummer David Silveria not on board.
KORN will kick off a world tour on May 15 in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. This will be Welch's first full run of dates with the band after playing one song with them last year at the Carolina Rebellion festival.
SHINEDOWN Singer: How I Lost 70 Pounds
Brent Smith, lead singer of the American hard rock band SHINEDOWN, discovered the Insanity workout with Shaun T. and lost 70 pounds.
In 2011, Smith weighed 222 pounds and was really out of shape. He made a decision to get in shape when he saw the Insanity infomercial late one night with Shaun T., Brent not only lost the excess weight but also went from 36% to 12% body fat and is now in the best shape of his life!
Smith has completed Insanity four or five times and has even encouraged fellow SHINEDOWN band members to "Dig Deep" when they're on tour with the Insanity workouts.
Smith is now trim and ready to go. He says he has been singing better than ever and he feels he's a better performer. The band is stronger than they have ever been.
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Smith opened up in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times about his four-year struggle with substance abuse that ended with him quitting cocaine, painkillers and alcohol and losing 70 pounds in the process. Smith said that the final straws were a warning from his girlfriend and an insult about his girth on national television. Smith explained, "I've toured for over 12 years, and for the first two records I was addicted to cocaine, OxyContin and alcohol. The coke and Oxy kept my weight down. But for the third album I quit the opiates and started to crave sugar. I was still drinking a lot of alcohol and started to pack on the pounds."
SHINEDOWN appeared on the "Today" show in 2009, where host Kathie Lee Gifford said, "At first I thought he was Meat Loaf."
Smith recalled, "It really stung. I'm a fan of Meat Loaf but she wasn't talking about a musical comparison. My heart kind of fell on the ground — it was like the performance didn't even matter."
Next was an ultimatum from his girlfriend, with Smith revealing, "Teresasat me down on the first of November last year and said, 'Listen to me, I love you and I'm not going anywhere, but this lifestyle that you're leading is not going to work."
Teresa sent Smith, who weighed 222 pounds at the time, to a trainer. He added, "I felt like I'd been in a death spiral, and I realized I needed to be healthy and strong for my family. I have a four-year-old boy, and he was a huge motivation, and so were the fans. I had an epiphany working out with my trainer that day, and I haven't had a drink since."
Smith's trainer cleaned up his diet and worked out a fitness program that he could do on the road. The singer said, "I look completely different on stage now. The stamina I have in my lungs is so much better. I don't have to wear a big jacket to cover the fat and get overheated. It's amazing how much clarity I have and how my body feels so much better — health is such a big part of who I am now."
SHINEDOWN's fourth album, "Amaryllis", came out last year and hit No. 4 on the Billboard chart.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Puddle of Mudd's Wes Scantlin Arrested for Suspected Domestic Violence
For the second time in two weeks, Wes Scantlin has found himself in the back of a police car. The Puddle of Mudd singer was arrested on Monday afternoon for allegedly roughing up his ex-wife, according to TMZ.
The gossip site says that authorities arrived at a business in West Hollywood, California around 3:30 p.m. after someone reported that Scantlin "shook his ex-wife and then tried to drag her by the arm or the shirt." After the police interviewed a number of witnesses and his ex-wife at the scene, they decided to arrest the singer for suspected domestic violence. One source tells TMZ that Scantlin was "extremely uncooperative" and "very mouthy" during his arrest. He is currently being held on $20,000 bail.
The incident occurred less than one week after the singer was arrested in Hollywood last Tuesday night after police discovered he had outstanding warrants.
Puddle of Mudd is scheduled to kick off a North American tour on June 14 at the Dakota Magic Casino in Hankinson, ND.
Queens of the Stone Age Previews New Track "Kalopsia" in Animated Teaser for ...Like Clockwork
Queens of the Stone Age has unveiled the next chapter in their creepy animated series to promote their upcoming album, ...Like Clockwork. The two-minute clip picks up where the band left off in the "I Appear Missing" album teaser, and features a snippet of new cut "Kalopsia," which they describe as "a condition where things appear more beautiful than they are."
The video's storyline follows a sinister figure in a clown mask as he walks the streets killing people and breaking windows. After removing his mask, the creature begins crying at the sight of a psychedelic teddy bear while another man in a mask advances towards him. ...Like Clockwork arrives in stores on June 4. The album will feature a number of guest appearances, including Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Scissor Sisters vocalist Jake Shears, former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, pop icon Elton John, former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore, and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. In addition, the release will include two former QOTSA members: bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Joey Castillo.
Billy Corgan Asks California Pizza Kitchen to Help End Practice of Dehorning Calves
Billy Corgan has teamed up with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to ask California Pizza Kitchen to join their fight to protect baby cows. The Smashing Pumpkins frontman has written a letter to CPK's president and CEO, G.J. Hart, asking the restaurant chain to insist that their dairy suppliers begin phasing out dehorning calves, a process that they feel causes unnecessary suffering.
"I have viewed the photos and watched PETA's investigative video of these [dehorning] procedures, and I was appalled to see young calves who struggled and writhed in pain as searing hot irons burned their heads," Corgan writes. "The industry has noted that the burns are so severe that they may damage the underlying bone. Other practices, which include using caustic chemicals to eat away at the horn-bud flesh via a chemical burn, are no better."
Corgan adds that CPK should demand that all their dairy suppliers begin to breed "naturally hornless" cattle, which will eliminate the need to dehorn calves.
POP EVIL: Entire New Album Available For Streaming
"Onyx", the new full-length album from Grand Rapids, Michigan hard rockers POP EVIL, can be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloudwidget below (courtesy of Loudwire).
Due on May 14, "Onyx" features the following track listing:
01. Goodbye My Friend
02. Deal With The Devil
03. Trenches
04. Torn To Pieces
05. Divide
06. Beautiful
07. Silence & Scars ?
08. Sick Sense
09. Fly Away
10. Behind Closed Doors ?
11. Welcome To Reality ?
12. Flawed
The message of the first single and video, "Trenches", applies to the world of art as well as the world of sports, the military, or anyone struggling with the economic downturn, like POP EVIL's home state of Michigan.
"It's about our battles," vocalist Leigh Kakaty says. "Not focusing on the things we can't control, if we really want to be a band that stands the test of time we have to write the music that connects. We have to dig our way out of the trenches."
During a slump in the music industry, POP EVIL is living proof that you can still make a living following your dreams. "It's a matter of time before rock and roll is in the forefront again and we want to be part of that," Kakatysays.
After three Top 5 songs at rock radio, a fourth in the Top 10, a half million digital singles sold and over 1,000 shows a few short years into their impressive career, POP EVIL's return with "Onyx" is a swaggering, fistÂpumping, ballÂbusting ride through American rock. The grandiose melody of the '70s, the danger of the '80s, the emotion of the '90s and the loudest of modern riffs all have a home in POP EVIL, who fashion a fresh sound that looks to the future through the prism of rock's past.
APOCALYPTICA: 'Psalm' Song Officially Released
Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA have decided to officially release"Psalm", a beautiful new song which APOCALYPTICA's Perttu Kivilaakso played during the band's most recent tour. In addition,APOCALYPTICA's Paavo Lötjönen has produced the atmospherically dense accompanying music video, which was filmed at the Sibelius Academy, where the band recorded its first album. Paavo took care of everything — from direction to post-production — during the making of the clip, which can be seen below.
For the first time in its career, APOCALYPTICA will go on tour with a classical orchestra. The collaboration with the prestigious Finnish Avanti! Orchestra will feature instrumentally performed APOCALYPTICA songs, specially arranged for the band, and the 25-piece orchestra. The long-cherished project will be premiering live in Finland in March 2014. Following the shows in Finland, the tour will proceed to Russia, Germany, Poland, Belarus and the Baltic states. Pre-sales for these unique live events will commence from May 23.
APOCALYPTICA's latest album, "7th Symphony", sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 31 on The Billboard 200 chart. The majority of the album was produced by Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, BAD RELIGION), with two other songs produced by Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, MOTÖRHEAD, PAPA ROACH).
METALLICA's JAMES HETFIELD Is 'Still Searching For The Ultimate Riff'
"MK Ondergrond" (meaning "Underground" in Afrikaans) conducted an interview with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield last month when the band returned to South Africa for three shows — one in Johannesburg and two in Cape Town. You can watch the chat below (Note: The intro is in Afrikaans, but the interview was conducted in English).
"MK Ondergrond" (Facebook page) is South Africa's first dedicated underground music variety show, hosted by a macabre crew of animated characters, featuring band interviews, video reviews, gig guides and the best in local and international underground music videos.
MK Ondergrond: So, here's an odd question to break the ice: without glam, or at least the hatred of glam, would thrash metal exist?
James Hetfield: Probably not. There was a giant hatred for that that fuled a lot of thrash. Maybe some know the story — METALLICA growing up in Los Angeles right in the heart of glam, right at the peak of glam and your MÖTLEY CRÜEs, your RATTs, your POISONs, your all that stuff was based in L.A. and we were the hated figure, but they were hated even more. We were thrown out of clubs because they thought we were punk rock.
MK Ondergrond: A lot of metal genres since glam have come and gone. Why do you think thrash itself has persevered so long and still packing out stadiums around the world?
James Hetfield: Well, whether it's packing our stadiums or being blasted in people's living rooms, it delivers a feeling, it delivers a connection to people who need it. It's that underground feeling. It's the black sheep of music. It's the thing that the misfits are attracted to. We're blessed enough to be playing it for 30-some-odd years, 32 years, and still connecting with people that don't fit in.
MK Ondergrond: You guys recently celebrated 30 years as beingMETALLICA. You even invited [former METALLICA members] Ron[McGovney] and Jason [Newsted] and Dave [Mustaine] on stage to jam with you guys. Is that the peak of the band's career or what else, what other milestones are left for METALLICA to achieve?
James Hetfield: 40 years. And hopefully there's no other band members we have to invite back up in that time. Those four nights at home were magic. I'd say, you know, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame thing was pretty important, but this was way cooler. This was our history, our fans, there were flags from all, you know, 42 different countries there playing with past members. Playing with people who inspired us. It was a great evening.
MK Ondergrond: So speaking of Jason, we read on the Internet the other day that he mentioned one of his biggest regrets not being inMETALLICA anymore is playing in places like South Africa. And Rob[Trujillo, current METALLICA bassist] also recently stated on the Internet that one of the big perks of being in METALLICA is coming to places like this. How important to you is playing shows off the beaten path?
James Hetfield: We're blessed to be able to go places that, I mean, half the world doesn't get to go to, or even more. Bands out there that are still stuck in a local scene, you know, we've got to see the world, you know, and this is a big part of the world. They're still places for us to go. We don't know where yet but I think China and, you know, a few other — Iran would be nice. Some places that don't want us or hate us we'd love to go there and play.
MK Ondergrond: This is the much serious question of this interview. Would you grow the '80s, '90s Hetfield mullet back for charity?
James Hetfield: Absolutely… If it would grow.
MK Ondergrond: How about [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich]?
James Hetfield: Would Lars grow the Hetfield mullet? Sure. Why not. He would love to.
MK Ondergrond: One of the big argument that have been raging recently is what if the "Big Four" shows that you guys put on [with MEGADETH,SLAYER and ANTHRAX], what if it was the "Big Five?" Was there ever a discussion like maybe we should make it five? Who do you think number five would have been?
James Hetfield: The "Big Four" name was not coined by us. It's been in the press for a long, long time and way back. So there's no limit to the number of big thrash bands that were respected in those days. I would say, personally, I would say EXODUS would be number five.
MK Ondergrond: So, in my honest scumbag journalistic opinion, listening back to the recent albums, "St. Anger" sounded like a band self-destructing, whereas "Death Magnetic" was more an album which resurrected the band METALLICA. Where's the fuel for album number ten going to come from?
James Hetfield: You mean we have to break up again to make a new record? The fuel will come from where it normally comes from: the will to do better, to do better than you've done before. Still searching for the ultimate riff, the ultimate guitar sound, the ultimate lyric, all of that stuff. It's a never-ending quest, you know, never satisfied. So that, as well as just enjoying and taking care of the life we have. We're pretty blessed.
MK Ondergrond: So let's be honest: if Rob was a smaller guy, would he have been hazed a bit more when he joined METALLICA?
James Hetfield: That's a good question. He is pretty beefy looking. He reminds me a lot of Tarzan, so I don't think we would've been messing with him.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
New Queens of the Stone Age Song, "Keep Your Eyes Peeled," Appears Online
Queens of the Stone Age are sharing another preview of material from their upcoming album, ...Like Clockwork. A stream of "Keep Your Eyes Peeled," which was performed during a session at Belgium's Studio Brussel last Wednesday, is now available online.
The performance is the third song to be leaked from that live set: streams of other new cuts, "I Sat by the Ocean" and "If I Had a Tail," surfaced online last week. ...Like Clockwork arrives in stores on June 4. The album will feature a number of guest appearances, including Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Scissor Sisters vocalist Jake Shears, former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, pop icon Elton John, former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore, and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. In addition, the release will include two former QOTSA members: bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Joey Castillo.
Five Finger Death Punch Talks "Surreal" Collaboration with Judas Priest's Rob Halford
Five Finger Death Punch is set to release "Lift Me Up," the first single from their upcoming fourth studio effort, which features vocals from Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford. While the band premiered the song with Halford during their appearance at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards ceremony earlier this month, it is set to arrive at all digital outlets on Tuesday.
"First and foremost, just to work alongside an icon like Rob Halford, THE Metal God, was absolutely surreal," said frontman Ivan Moody in a statement. "The song itself was originally written about overcoming everyday obstacles and less than perfect situations. Most of us weren't born with a silver spoon in our mouth but if life dealt you all the wrong cards, you still have to play. The song's intent is to inspire; if you play that hand right you might just come out on top anyway."
5FDP's upcoming release, The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, will be split into two volumes, which will be released at different times this year. The first installment arrives in stores on July 23, while the second will appear sometime in the fall.
Guitarist Wes Borland Says Limp Bizkit Has Finished "Most of the Music" for New Album
Ever since Limp Bizkit dropped their new single, "Ready to Go," last month, fans have been wondering when they will get their hands on the band's new album, Stampede of the Disco Elephants. Guitarist Wes Borland says that if all goes well, the group is hoping that will happen sometime in September.
"We're really trying to get it hammered out here," he tells Billboard.com. "We're done with most of the music, pretty much all the music. The lyrics and vocals are probably 30-percent done, and [frontman Fred Durst] is working as we speak, on tour."
Borland adds that the cuts on Stampede of the Disco Elephants sound "very live and sort of wild," and that fans can look forward to the band exploring new creative avenues on the album. "I think it's a little bit more, sort of playful, taking chances, a little less pop, structured type of stuff," he reveals. "I don't want to say it [sounds] younger, but maybe a little more carefree, musically, to where we don't over-think what we're doing."
30 Seconds to Mars to Preview New Album Tuesday Night at NYC Church
30 Seconds to Mars is choosing a novel venue to give fans a taste of their upcoming new album. The band will perform at St. Peter's Church in New York City on Tuesday night, previewing songs from their new album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams, which drops on May 21. Tuesday night's concert will be recorded for a special that will stream on VEVO at a later date.
In support of Love Lust Faith + Dreams, 30 Seconds to Mars will make the late-night talk show rounds the week of the album's release. Look for them to perform on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on the outdoor stage on May 21, and on Conan May 22.
AS I LAY DYING Frontman's Attorney Says TIM LAMBESIS Initially Faced Life Sentence
AS I LAY DYING frontman Tim Lambesis' attorney believes his client may have been the victim of a setup in connection with the singer's alleged attempt to hire someone to kill Lambesis' estranged wife.
Tim was arrested without incident on Tuesday (May 7) around 2 p.m. at aBarnes & Noble bookstore in Oceanside, California and was ordered held on $3 million bail during his arraignment hearing on Thursday. He faces nine years in state prison if convicted.
Prosecutors initially requested that Superior Court Judge Martin Stavenset Lambesis' bail at $20 million, saying the singer remains "substantially motivated to kill his wife."
Speaking to Artisan News (see video below), Tim's attorney, Anthony Salerno, revealed that Tim's charges were a lot heavier initially, with the potential consequences being life in jail.
"He was arrested for conspiracy to commit murder, which carries a life sentence, as well as being booked for soliciting murder," Salerno said. "I won't necessarily get too deep [in the details of] the law surrounding conspiracy, but I came to believe very strongly that there is absolutely no way that he could be even charged with conspiracy, much less convicted of it. [So] one of the first things I did was to reach out directly to the [district attorney] that was assigned to the case and had some conversations with her. And she, in fact, did decide for Tim not to be charged with conspiracy, which was a big victory, 'cause that took a potential life sentence off the table before he was even charged. That's something that jumped out at me right away — that I needed to do that early intervention — so we did that."
Salerno also said that Lambesis was originally being held without bail before the attorney was able to intervene.
"At the point Tim was first arrested, the Sheriff's Department asked for and received permission to hold him with no bail," he said. "They got that permission from a judge and I knew that that was well in excess of what the bail schedule in San Diego County calls for. So my next order of business was to try to see what we could do to get that bail… well, first of all, to get a bail, and then to get it set as low as possible. That, of course, was what the bail hearing was about [on Thursday]. I was a little bit disappointed; I thought the bail should have been much lower. The scheduled amount for the charge that he ultimately has now is just $250,000. And, in fact, the scheduled amount for even solicitation to commit murder is a million [dollars]; and the judge set it at three million. So I was a little disappointed that it was that high. On the other hand, the D.A. was asking that the bail continued to be set at no bail whatsoever, and then she said — [which] I thought [was] kind of over the top — that as a backup, it ought to be set at $20 million. I think the fact that an earlier judge had said 'no bail' kind of must have influenced our judge, and that's [why] he set the three million. So right now the gameplan is to try to work on getting Tim out at that three million or possibly to have it lowered."
The lawyer added that someone may have given false information aboutLambesis to authorities in order to "save his own skin."
"I would anticipate myself asking for quite a bit of additional discovery, particularly on this person I strongly suspect is a snitch and is an informant for the police and was really creating this whole scenario and sort of setting Tim up," he said. "I believe there's a good probability he may be a police informant. And that information is only available internally with the police department, or in this case the San Diego Sheriff's Department, and through the D.A.'s office, and that's something I'm gonna have to explore as well."
He added: "There's one other element to this, too, which is… I don't want to start to make accusations on this one unless I have some more information, but I will point out that Tim's wife's brother, I understand, is a San Diego Sheriff's deputy, and I think I would be remiss if I didn't fully explore that, 'cause that is a litte bit… it's at the bare minimum very coincidental, and it may be more than that."
According to the San Diego Sheriff's Department web site, as of Friday afternoon (May 10), Lambesis had yet to post bail one day after pleading not guilty to a charge of solicitation of murder. The singer remains behind bars at a Vista, California detention facility and his next court date is set for June 10.
Lambesis was ordered to wear a GPS monitor and turn in his passport and was warned by the judge that, if he is released from jail, he must stay away from his immediate family.
DEFTONES Frontman Says Shelved 'Eros' Album Will Finally See Light Of Day
DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno says that it is now more likely than ever before that the band's shelved 2008 album "Eros" will see the light of day.
In late 2008, the group was putting the finishing touches on the CD when their bassist, Chi Cheng, suffered major injuries and was left in a coma following a November 2008 car crash in Santa Clara, California.
After the accident, DEFTONES decided to scrap the project and later recruited Sergio Vega, formerly of QUICKSAND, to play bass. They have released two albums since.
Cheng, who formed DEFTONES with singer Chino Moreno, guitaristStephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham in 1988, died last month at the age of 42.
Speaking to Artisan News (see video below) on the "black carpet" at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods awards on May 2 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, California, Moreno was asked if "Eros" will ever come out. "It will," he said. "I think [the chances of that happening are] more so now probably than ever [before]." He added: "I actually went back and listened to some of it recently and… you know, I don't know when [we will put it out] or… but I feel it's a little more appropriate now for us to think about that [than it has been] in the last few years to think about."
In a June 2009 online posting announcing their decision to scrap "Eros"and start anew and begin tracking an entirely new album, the band explained: "The songs recorded for 'Eros' are very special to us as they are the latest with Chi (and we certainly hope not the last); they have history and significant meaning to us. However, as we neared completion on 'Eros', we realized that this record doesn't best encompass and represent who we are currently as people and as musicians.
"The decision to hold off on releasing 'Eros' has no connection with Chi's condition or anything associated. This was, and is, purely a creative decision by the band to write, record, and deliver an amazing product."
Cheng was performed on DEFTONES' first five albums. His final release was 2006's "Saturday Night Wrist".
SOIL: Performance Footage Of New Song Available
Video footage of Chicago heavy rockers SOIL performing a brand new song, "My Time", on May 2 at Offsides Sports Bar & Grill in Woodstock, Illinois can be seen below. The track will appear on the band's new album,"Whole", which is due in August. The CD was recorded with longtime producer Ulrich Wild. The band recently worked on 13 songs in pre-production with engineer Don Byczynski at BOTA Studio in Lake In The Hills, Illinois.
Ulrich previously produced SOIL's 2006 album "True Self" and co-produced the band's last effort, 2009's "Picture Perfect".
SOIL's forthcoming CD will mark the band's first release with singer Ryan McCombs since 2004's "Re.De.Fine".
"This new album has a very classic SOIL feel to it," bassist Tim Kingpreviously said.
"We [are] calling all the shots on this one," said King. "Every decision will be made by myself, Adam [Zadel, guitar], and Ryan."
Distribution in North America will be handled through Sony RED/MRI viaPavement Entertainment, in which SOIL has an interest. Europe/rest of world will go through SOIL's long time partner AFM Records. Pavement Entertainment president Mark Nawara, welcomes the experience. "I am happy to be a part of the new SOIL album," he says. "We have structured an innovative and unique business venture that lets the band stay 100 percent independent while giving them access to the many resources they require to release an album successfully."
In a recent interview with Metal Forces, McCombs stated about the band's next CD: "This is the first time Adam, Tim and I have been writing together since 'Re.De.Fine', so you have the key component of what made those records. I was always the lyric writer of those albums, and if I stumbled somewhere, Adam was always there to give me a little boost, and give me a little direction here and there. You've got us back together as far as the lyrics that I write go. You've got Adam too; he was 98.9% of the music on those records, and if he ever had any struggle with whatever — if he ever had any questions — I was always there to help with the arrangement of the songs. We really got the key components of those albums back together again, and I feel like the material that we're coming up with is that perfect anchor to where you had 'Scars' and'Re.De.Fine'. I think this album is the next stage, the next album in line for SOIL."
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Avenged Sevenfold Begins Recording New Studio Album
Good news for Avenged Sevenfold fans: the band is in the studio working on their follow-up to 2010's Nightmare.
The group delivered the announcement on their newly-redesigned website, which features a TV/radio device on the homepage. When you click on channel 13 on the radio, frontman M Shadows can be heard discussing the upcoming release through a mess of static and traffic sounds.
"Writing this album took about six to seven months," he notes. "I know we promised the fans that we'd be back in the studio in January, but the reality is we had a bunch of good songs and we just wanted to beat those out…[and] make sure every song is as good as the next."
Shadows goes on to say that he knew the group would be ready to begin recording the new material as soon as he was "completely drained of all creativity" from the songwriting process. "Once we got to that point we knew we had the best material that we were going to get," he explains. "It's all about laying it down, so right now that's what we're doing."
If that isn't enough to assure you that A7X's got new music on the way, the band has posted a 26-second trailer that features footage of the band working in a recording studio.
A title and release date for the album has yet to be announced.
Guitarist Stone Gossard Says Side Projects Help "Challenge" Pearl Jam to Make Better Music
Pearl Jam's tenth album is taking a long time to finish, which is probably due to the fact that all of its members have been working on side projects. Guitarist Stone Gossard says that the delay in getting fans the new material is a positive thing, because their experiences experimenting on music outside of the band is helping the guys to reach new heights on their forthcoming album.
"I think that you bring your whole skill set to Pearl Jam," he tells ABC News Radio. "When you are trying to make a record and you want it to be cool, something you might have learned on one of your solo songs or one of your side projects, you're gonna bring that skill back to the band. So it's a win-win for Pearl Jam to have everybody exploring outside of the band."
Gossard adds that the album will be worth the wait, and that fans can expect the band to explore some new creative avenues on the upcoming release. "If we were just doing the same thing over and over again it would get a little stale," he reveals. "I think everyone really continues to wanna push themselves and be challenged and to challenge other people in the band to kind of continue to get better and hopefully that's reflected in the music."
The guitarist notes he's hopeful that the album will arrive in stores sometime this year, but fans shouldn't count on it. "I'm optimistic that it'll be [released] this year, but you never know," he notes. "We're not done yet, so until we're actually done -- and done means not only is the music done but then the artwork's done and then the marketing plan is done and all of that stuff -- so I'm guessing it'll be out this year but it could be next."
RHCP's Chad Smith to Launch Podcast Interview Series; First Episode to Feature Rush Guitarist Alex Lifeson
If your life doesn't allow you to talk to rock stars, maybe rock stars talking to rock stars will help ease the pain. Chad Smith has partnered with MusicRadar.com to invade the Internet with his own signature podcast. Titled In Conversation with Chad Smith, the series will feature the Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer chatting with a number of rock acts about their music and their personal lives.
"The invisible interview -- that's what I call it," said Smith about the podcast in a statement. "Friends, thoughts, information -- why do you do what you do? Admiration, respect, insight and maybe a surprise."
The first episode of the podcast will feature a conversation with Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson. Check it out Monday at MusicRadar.com.
Black Sabbath Members Promote This Wednesday's CSIAppearance in Preview Video
In advance of Black Sabbath's appearance on CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which airs this Wednesday, a behind-the-scenes preview video of the episode has been posted online. The three-minute clip features footage of Sabbath rocking out on stage and brief interviews with frontman Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, as well as with CSI star Ted Danson.
As previously reported, Black Sabbath will appear as themselves and will be seen in concert giving a world-premiere performance of their new song, "End of the Beginning," from their upcoming album, 13. The episode, titled "Skin in the Game," will focus on a serial killer who has used 14th-century Italian poet Dante's Inferno as inspiration for a series of murders.
In the preview, Butler reveals that he's a big CSI fan, noting, "I've watched every episode since it started, 'cause I like crime stuff and it was real realistic."
Osbourne, meanwhile, says he felt a bit out of his element shooting the show. "I'm not an actor," he declares. "It's like a 'hurry up and wait,' you know."
The singer adds, however, that he feels it was a good idea for Black Sabbath to appear on the program. "It's a good way of letting everyone know we're back together," he maintains.
Osbourne also chats a bit about 13, his first studio album with Sabbath since 1978, which will be released on June 11.
"It's been a long time, but the wait's been well worth it because the album's really, really good," says Ozzy. "I'm pleased with the outcome."
Iommi, meanwhile, reports that he's quite happy with how the Sabbath reunion is going. "We've enjoy being together and playing, and it's been good fun," the guitar legend points out. "And we've been able to record the same way we did in the early days, where we all play live and Ozzy sings. It was a good way doing it."
As for Danson, he shares a bit about the plot of the episode and also reveals that the band's performance on the show was his first Black Sabbath concert. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation airs at 10 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. CT.
Metallica's Kirk Hammett Reveals "Epic" Upgrades for Kirk's Crypt at Second Annual Orion Music + More Festival
Horror movie fans will be happy to hear that Kirk Hammett is adding some new features to Kirk's Crypt, an installation filled with his personal collection of horror memorabilia, which will be available to those who attend Metallica's upcoming Orion Music + More Festival.
"This year it's going to be so much better," said the guitarist in a video interview. "This year in the Crypt there will be some items that appeared in my [Too Much Horror Business] book that came out last year…[and] we're going to try to recreate certain scenarios that are in the book."
In addition to the exhibits, Hammett adds that he's booked a number of special guests to hang out at the Crypt. "We're going to have special effects artists, we're gonna have actors that were in prominent horror films [and] we're gonna have a little area where you can go and talk to your favorite guests and get autographs and pictures and whatnot," he reveals. "We're gonna make it as epic as possible."
The second annual Orion Music + More festival will take place June 8-9 at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to headlining sets by Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers, the event also includes performances from Rise Against, Deftones, Silversun Pickups, Dropkick Murphys and Foals.
Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch Says Upcoming Release Is "Best Korn Album Ever"
Since reuniting with Korn, guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has been spending his time in the studio with the guys working on their upcoming eleventh album. Welch says that the recording process is going well and that he likes what he's heard so far.
"This is the best Korn album ever," he tells ARTISTDirect. "[Frontman] Jonathan [Davis] is completely blowing my mind, and he's going to blow everybody else's mind when they hear it. His vocals are way out of the park, man."
Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer notes that the time Welch spent apart from the band didn't affect their chemistry in the studio. "There wasn't really a learning curve," he explains. "When we picked up our instruments, it was super natural. Having us all go through our individual trials and tribulations, we can come to this point, make a great record, and look at it as a real achievement instead of just another album."
Shaffer adds that while the band currently has 25 songs ready for the album, only 15 will make it on the record. While a release date has yet to be announced, Shaffer had previous stated that the band hopes to release the album by the end of the summer.
Megadeth Wants You to Premiere New Single, "Kingmaker," on Your Twitter Account
Want to increase your Twitter followers by over 420,000? It just may happen if you take part in Megadeth's "Rock My Track" contest, where the winner will get the opportunity to post a link to a new song from the band's upcoming album, Super Collider.
To enter the contest, you'll need to fill out a form at RockMyTrack.com. Once the grand prize winner is selected, that person's Twitter handle will be posted on Megadeth's Facebook and Twitter page -- which currently has about 420,000 followers -- along with a message to fans to follow the winner. The band will then provide the winner with a link to "Kingmaker," a new cut from Super Collider. Super Collider is scheduled to arrive in stores on June 4. It will feature guest vocals by Disturbed/Device frontman David Draiman on two tracks: "Forget to Remember" and "Dance in the Rain."
Saving Abel to Perform at United We Stand Festival in June
Saving Abel has signed to perform at an event aimed at reforming the U.S. electoral process. Dubbed the United We Stand Festival, the event will feature a variety of speakers and performers who will be calling for "an end to the failed status quo of the [American government's] two-party system."
In addition to a set from Saving Abel, the lineup for the event includes a performance byGolden State, as well as speeches by TV host and former politician and wrestler Jesse Ventura and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader.
The United We Stand Festival will take place on June 22 at the Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas. To see the full lineup for the event and to purchase your tickets, visit UnitedWeStandFestival.com.
SERJ TANKIAN: Video For 'Orca Symphony Act I - Victorious Orcinus' Truncated Studio Version
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian will independently release two albums this summer through his own Serjical Strike Records.
"Orca", Tankian's first true symphony, will be made available on June 25 and the collaborative jazz-infused album "Jazz-iz Christ" will arrive on July 23.
Recorded in Linz, Austria in October of 2012, "Orca" was composed and demoed in Tankian's home studio and fully realized after a successfulKickstarter campaign that helped fund a recording and debut performance at the regal Brucknerhaus with the Das Karussell Ensemble. With conductor Werner Steinmetz at the helm, the four acts of "Orca" mix influences from early 20th-century composers with modern film compositional dynamics showing influences ranging from Ennio Morriconeto Philip Glass. Listeners are met with a mingling of sounds and intertwining pieces that are both serene and bombastic at the same time, offering a fresh interpretation to the classical art.
According to Tankian, "Orca is known as the killer whale, but is really a dark dolphin, a symbolism for human dichotomy."
A two-minute clip directed and edited by Aaron Faulls and containing beautiful underwater sea life footage edited seamlessly to the first portion of Serj Tankian's "Orca Symphony Act I - Victorious Orcinus" (studio version) can be seen below.
"Jazz-iz Christ" is Serj's brainchild, but truly is a collaborative effort between many musicians that Tankian curated to be part of the group and self-titled album. Among others, there are considerable contributions from renowned pianist Tigran Hamasyan, flautist Valeri Tolstov, and trumpet player Tom Duprey. Additional performances from Stewart Copeland and actor/musician Davis Alpay and Vincent Pedulla make for a very unique collaboration. The 15 tracks that comprise "Jazz-iz Christ", a mostly instrumental effort except for four songs, are an amalgam of progressive jazz, electronic, ethnic and even rock elements, displaying a unique presentation of the genre itself.
Both albums will be available worldwide on iTunes, Amazon and other popular digital distributors and will be available for sale in various limited deluxe physical formats through Tankian's official website and the web site for Serjical Strike Records. Pre-orders for the deluxe limited editions of "Orca", which includes a 180 gram picture disc, merchandise, and a signed version of the actual score, will begin on May 1, while pre-orders for "Jazz-iz Christ" will commence on May 15. Audio samples from both releases are available for preview on Serj's official web site.
Upon completion of SYSTEM OF A DOWN's summer touring in August,Tankian will hang back in Europe until the commencement of his own solo orchestral tour dates that begin on September 19 in Kiev, Ukraine. The concert program will include all four acts of "Orca", but will also incorporate performances of many songs from "Elect The Dead Symphony", which achieved critical and commercial success upon its initial release and tour in 2010.
MEGADETH's New Song 'Kingmaker' To Be Premiered Via Lucky Fan's Twitter Feed
MEGADETH's new song "Kingmaker" will make its online debut shortly. The track will be unveiled by one lucky fan who will be chosen to premiere the song on his or her personal Twitter feed.
For more information, go to this location.
"Kingmaker" comes off MEGADETH's new album, "Super Collider", which is scheduled for a June 4 release via MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, which is distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Horn player Bob Findley — who previously appeared on the track "Silent Scorn" from MEGADETH's 2001 CD, "The World Needs A Hero" — is a featured guest on the song "A House Divided" on the new album. Other tracks set to appear on the effort include the title track, "Forget To Remember", "Dance In The Rain","The Blackest Crow", "Burn", "Don't Turn Your Back", a snippet of which can be streamed at MegadethGame.com.
In a recent interview with the "Shockwaves"/"HardRadio" podcast,Mustaine stated about "Kingmaker": "[That song] is about the epidemic we're having in our nation right now with hillbilly heroin, with everybody taking pain pills.
"It's no secret that I had surgery on my neck. I think that when I showed up at the 'Big Four' show [at the Yankee stadium in September 2011] with a neck brace on, people kind of figured out that there was something wrong with me. It turns out that I had a broken bone in my neck and a shard of my vertebrae got into my spinal cord and was causing me tremendous pain for a very long time. I had started taking pain pills and became chemically dependent on it.
"With my substance-abuse history, it was really hard for me to go from being an addict and an alcoholic and then getting set free from all that stuff. 'Cause I went to the whole twelve-step thing, which was really beneficial for me, but unfortunately, for me it wasn't an anonymous program; I would go in there and whatever I would say, people would talk about. So it really violated my anonymity. It's also a program that is based on God, but when I would talk about God in there, they would say, 'Ah, G.O.D. stands for Group Of Drunks.' And it's, like, 'No, it doesn't. Can't you spell, you retard? That's why you're in here.' But at the time, it was very influential in my life and very important and I respect it tremendously and I wish anybody who needs a twelve-step program will find one...
"The song 'Kingmaker' is about how people are running from their problems… And there's a lot of that on this particular record — just looking at, like, 'Here's what I've got. What are you gonna do with it?' It's talking a lot about this generation, how people, their lives are falling apart and they just take pills. Instead of sucking up and doing what I did and going and getting the surgery and getting off the medication, they'll continue to just trudge it out until the end of their life where they just take pills until their body is eaten… And the other thing that's part of that song is talking about how when you take these things how they make you feel different. Some people, they get into that 'cause they like the way it makes you feel, 'cause it makes you kind of feel warm and fuzzy. In the song, it talks about wanting to fly and being ten feet tall. Booze does that to some people. And this is just something that, I think, if there is a way that I can help educate a lot of our fans, especially the younger ones that still have their whole life ahead of them, it's not as glamorous as you think it is to go down that path of just checking it out and drugging yourself up and not facing reality…
"Part of what 'Kingmaker' means to me is that I am able to look back now on this whole episode of my life, being a slave to Big Pharma. You have no idea what a pain in the ass it was. In order to travel to go overseas, and I needed the medication with me, to know that if my backpack would have been stolen and my medication would have been gone, that I would have gone into serious withdrawals and been hospitalized and the tour would have been over. That kind of stuff; it's horrifying. And my heart goes out to the people that are stuck in that vicious circle and slavery to narcotics. Granted, you need it if you're in pain, but…"
As previously reported, MEGADETH will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Monday, June 17 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with MEGADETHby calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). The show will be streamed on the"Rockline" web site for two weeks beginning the afternoon after the live broadcast.
"Super Collider" is MEGADETH's first release since the band's recent split with Roadrunner Records.
POP EVIL: 'Trenches' Video Released
"Trenches", the new video from Grand Rapids, Michigan hard rockers POP EVIL, can be seen below. The track comes off the band's new full-length album, "Onyx", which will be released on May 14.
The message of "Trenches" applies to the world of art as well as the world of sports, the military, or anyone struggling with the economic downturn, like POP EVIL's home state of Michigan.
"It's about our battles," vocalist Leigh Kakaty says. "Not focusing on the things we can't control, if we really want to be a band that stands the test of time we have to write the music that connects. We have to dig our way out of the trenches."
"Onyx" track listing:
01. Goodbye My Friend
02. Deal With The Devil
03. Trenches
04. Torn To Pieces
05. Divide
06. Beautiful
07. Silence & Scars ?
08. Sick Sense
09. Fly Away
10. Behind Closed Doors ?
11. Welcome To Reality ?
12. Flawed
During a slump in the music industry, POP EVIL is living proof that you can still make a living following your dreams. "It's a matter of time before rock and roll is in the forefront again and we want to be part of that," Kakatysays.
After three Top 5 songs at rock radio, a fourth in the Top 10, a half million digital singles sold and over 1,000 shows a few short years into their impressive career, POP EVIL's return with "Onyx" is a swaggering, fistÂpumping, ballÂbusting ride through American rock. The grandiose melody of the '70s, the danger of the '80s, the emotion of the '90s and the loudest of modern riffs all have a home in POP EVIL, who fashion a fresh sound that looks to the future through the prism of rock's past.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Queens of the Stone Age Preview New Songs "I Sat By the Ocean" and "If I Had a Tail"
Queens of the Stone Age's upcoming album, ...Like Clockwork, won't hit stores until June 4, but you can hear a little preview of the release now. The band has just posted online streams of two new cuts, "I Sat By the Ocean" and "If I Had a Tail," which they performed during a session at Belgium's Studio Brussel on Wednesday. ...Like Clockwork will feature a number of guest appearances, including Foo Fightersfrontman Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, Scissor Sisters vocalist Jake Shears, former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, pop icon Elton John, formerMars Volta drummer Jon Theodore, and Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. In addition, the release will include two former QOTSA members: bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Joey Castillo.
Slayer Announces Cause of Death for Jeff Hanneman; Planning Public "Celebration" of His Life
An official cause of death for founding Slayer member and guitarist Jeff Hanneman has been announced by the band.
According to an update posted Thursday on Slayer's website, Hanneman passed away May 2 of alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.
Hanneman -- who had been taking time off from the band since 2011, after contracting the flesh-eating infection necrotizing fasciitis from a spider bite -- was 49.
Slayer also announced that there will be a "celebration" of Hanneman's life sometime later this month, which will be open to the public. Additional details will be posted on the website in the near future.
The update also includes memories of Hanneman provided by guitarist Kerry King and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya.
King recalls, "I had so many great times with Jeff...in the early days when we were out on the road, he and I were the night owls, we would stay up all night on the bus, just hanging out, talking, watching movies...World War II movies, horror movies, we watchedFull Metal Jacket so many times, we could practically recite all of the dialogue."
Araya shares stories of the band recording music together. He added, "Jeff was a lifeline of Slayer, he wrote so many of the songs that the band will always be known for. He had a good heart, he was a good guy."
Jack White's Third Man Records to Release The Great Gatsby Soundtrack on Gold & Platinum Vinyl Records
Jack White has cooked up something truly unique -- and incredibly expensive -- for the vinyl version of The Great Gatsby soundtrack. The ex-White Stripes singer has announced that his label, Third Man Records, will be releasing a limited edition deluxe version of the film's soundtrack on records made of platinum and gold.
The double album will run you $250, and will be housed in a laser-cut wooden LP jacket. You can pre-order the release through the Third Man Records website starting at 9 a.m. CT on Friday, the same day that The Great Gatsby film is released. If you live near Nashville, you can head down to the Third Man Records store to pick up your copy in person: they'll be offering 100 of the albums for sale starting at 10 a.m. CT the same day.
If you'd rather not spend that much money to get the deluxe version of The Great Gatsbysoundtrack, you can pick up a standard vinyl edition of the double album on June 11. Pre-orders for that release will also be available on the Third Man Records website starting Friday. The Great Gatsby soundtrack includes 17 tracks, including White's cover of the U2 classic "Love Is Blindness" and Gotye's "Hearts a Mess," from his 2006 release, Like Drawing Blood. In addition, exclusive new tracks by Florence + the Machine, The xx and Lana Del Rey are part of the collection. The Great Gatsby film, a big-screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel of the same name, stars Leonardo DiCaprio, TobeyMaguire and Carey Mulligan.
As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis Pleads Not Guilty in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot
As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis on Thursday pleaded not guilty to solicitation of murder in connection with his alleged murder-for-hire plot, according to NBC 7 San Diego.
The 32-year-old Lambesis was arraigned in a Vista, California, court, two days after he was arrested for allegedly attempting to hire an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife.
Prosecutors say Lambesis gave the detective an envelope containing one thousand dollars, plus pictures of his wife and information regarding her home. He also allegedly told the detective some dates when he would be with the couple's three children, to give him an alibi.
Lambesis' estranged wife, 32-year-old Meggan Lambesis, filed for divorce last September. Prosecutors say that during the previous month, Lambesis told his wife in an email that he'd been having an affair, that he no longer loved her, and that he no longer believes in God. As I Lay Dying is often described as a Christian metal band.
Lambesis is being held on three million dollars bail. He faces up to nine years behind bars if convicted.
The Black Keys' Patrick Carney, Ex-GnR Drummer Matt Sorum & More to Perform at Rolling Stones Tributes
A new installment of the series of TheRolling Stones tribute shows known as Stones Fest is set to take place in New York and Los Angeles later this month. The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney and Delta Spirit are among the many musicians set to perform tunes from The Stones' expansive catalog at the NYC edition of the event, which takes place May 22-23 at the Bowery Ballroom.
A second edition of Stones Fest will take place in Los Angeles a week later on May 30 at The Fonda Theatre. The lineup for that event will include performances by ex-Guns N' Roses drummer Matt Sorum, Dead Sara frontwoman Emily Armstrong, The Lemonheads singer Evan Dando, and members of Eagles of Death Metal.
All of the proceeds raised from tickets sales will go toward the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund, a charity that provides financial assistance to musicians facing illness or disability.
Blur's Alex James Makes Directorial Debut with Short Film,A Slice of Life
Alex James can now add filmmaker to his resume. The Blur bassist has just released a short film to celebrate the launch of Virgin Media Shorts 2013, a short film competition in the U.K. where aspiring filmmakers can win 30,000 British pounds -- which translates to a little over $46,300 in U.S. currency -- to make a feature film.
Titled A Slice of Life, the two-minute clip features the bassist enjoying a day the Santa Monica Pier in California. After a fortune telling machine gives him the message, "life is short you must live every day like it's your last," James spends his time enjoying the sand and surf while listening to "Superordinator," a track he wrote for especially for the flick, on his headphones. The film ends with the bassist getting hit by a bus because he's distracted by his music.
"I was in LA listening to the track on my headphones," said James in a statement. "The more I listened to it, the more it chimed with the sunshine and atmosphere of the city. So I decided to make a film about being carefree and happy, with a punchline that brings it all back to earth -- the concept being life is short, but music endures."
Blur recently revealed that they are currently working on material for a new studio album.
Courtney Love Announces Small Batch of East Coast Solo Dates
Courtney Love is hitting the road this summer. The singer has revealed that she'll be performing some solo dates on the East Coast, starting with a show June 20 at TLA in Philadelphia, PA.
The trek also includes stops in Boston, Brooklyn, Port Chester, and Huntington, among other cities. Starred will support Love on select dates.
Tickets for most of the newly-announced shows will go on sale on Friday. Here are the tour dates:
6/20 -- Philadelphia, PA, TLA
6/21 -- Boston, MA, House of Blues
6/22 -- Silver Spring, MD, The Fillmore
6/26 -- Brooklyn, NY, Warsaw
6/27 -- Port Chester, NY, Capitol Theatre
6/28 -- Asbury Park, NJ, Stone Pony Summer Stage
6/29 -- Huntington, NY, The Paramount
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Singer Picks Fight With BLACK VEIL BRIDES
According to The Pulse Of Radio, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH frontmanIvan Moody is either feeling bored or cranky, because he's just called out glam-rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES. In a couple of posts at his Facebookpage, Moody commented on a YouTube video of BLACK VEIL BRIDES by remarking, "I'll say it...YUCK!...Time for people to be 'REAL.' This sux."
BLACK VEIL BRIDES has not responded to Moody's taunt.
The band already handled rejection at last week's Revolver Golden Godsawards, hurling insults at members of the booing audience as they accepted their third straight "Song Of The Year" award, this time for "In The End".
"In The End" is currently No. 14 on the Active Rock radio chart. The song is taken from BLACK VEIL BRIDES' third album, "Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones".
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will release a new double album in two parts this year, with the first half coming out on on July 23 and the second half arriving sometime later this fall.
The band introduced the first single from the new album, called "Lift Me Up," via a live performance at the Golden Gods awards with special guest Rob Halford.
CLOWN On SLIPKNOT Return: 'You Can Smell It In The Air'
According to The Pulse Of Radio, SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan told Loudwire in a new interview that 2014 is looking more and more like the year that the band comes back. Crahan said, "SLIPKNOT 2014. You can smell it in the air and people can feel it. The energy is out there and you can feel it. People go places we once were and feel it there, but not in full body, and that's just because we're returning. You can ask anyone around the world what the culture of the'KNOT is, who truly knows, and they will tell you that something has changed in the atmosphere."
Crahan told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he has high hopes for the band's next album. "When it's right, there will be a new record, and that record is going to be, I predict, one of the most serious things that we will have ever comprehended that we've ever done in our life," he said. "And we pretty much say that on every record, but I really feel that when the time comes, what will be on hand is going to be something almost unimaginable."
SLIPKNOT has performed live over the past two years but has not recorded a new album since 2008's "All Hope Is Gone".
Following the death of bassist Paul Gray in 2010, the group has remained ambivalent about recording plans, although Crahan and drummer Joey Jordison have expressed more urgency than singer Corey Taylor, who's been busy writing books, doing solo gigs and recording and touring withSTONE SOUR.
But Crahan indicated that a return to the studio might finally be imminent, saying, "We're coming back full force and I haven't been so excited for a very long time. I mean, we just got off a tour last summer and it's only been eight months, but I feel like we've got six shows this summer and then after that, everyone is just going to chill a little bit. It's on. It feels fucking good."
SLIPKNOT plays Ozzfest Japan this Saturday (May 11) and theDownload festival in the U.K. in June.
DEFTONES: 'Swerve City' Video Released
"Swerve City", the new video from Sacramento's DEFTONES, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's seventh studio album, "Koi No Yokan", which was released November 13, 2012 via Warner Bros Records. It debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, with over 65,000 copies sold first week. Revolver declared it their "Album of the Year," Spin selected it as one of its Top 50 Albums of 2012 (and its No. 5 Metal Album Of The Year), the New York Post hailed it as "one of the best rock albums of the year," and Penthouse said "If you hear an album this year that combines the ferocious and the sublime as well asDEFTONES' 'Koi No Yokan', please write us an email and flag it 'urgent.'"
DEFTONES released several different vinyl editions of "Koi No Yokan" on January 22. The four configurations are as follows: a standard retail version pressed on 140-gram black vinyl (3,000 units); a direct-to-consumer version on 180-gram black vinyl with foil-stamped numbered jackets (1,000 units); an international edition pressed on 180-gram vinyl; and an exclusive edition sold through Hot Topic retailers pressed on 140-gram clear-colored vinyl (1,500 units).
DEFTONES bassist Chi Cheng passed away on April 13 following complications from a 2008 car accident that left him in a semi-comatose state. He was 42.
Sergio Vega stepped in to play for the band on tour after Cheng's accident, staying on to record 2010's "Diamond Eyes" and "Koi No Yokan".
COREY TAYLOR's 'House Of Gold & Bones' Comics: Issue No. 2 Coming This Month
A four-issue comic book series adapted from STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor's narrative of the band's two "House Of Gold & Bones" albums is coming out this spring, with the first issue having arrived on shelves on April 17 via Dark Horse Comics.
The second issue of the comic will arrive on May 22. It is now available for pre-order at this location.
The official synopsis for the comic book reads, "Traveling through his new reality, the Human stumbles across an unlikely ally. But with the zombielike Numbers hounding their steps, they must make some unusual choices to avoid capture in an unknown world, with troubling consequences. But can the Human really trust his new friend's advice and find his way home again?"
Speaking to Bloody Disgusting, Corey Taylor stated about the genesis for the short story that eventually became the comic book: "I had this idea for a while, for a short story that would accompany the STONE SOURalbum or just an album in general. I always had this idea, but it was just a nugget, and it was never anything fleshed out or anything extensive. It always just sat on the back burner for a really long time, until the firstSLIPKNOT tour that we did after Paul [Gray, bass] died. Until then, I had kind of put creativity aside for a while, because I wasn't there yet in my head. While we were out there on the road, the idea just came to me and all the sudden I could see the beginning, the middle and the end, very vividly. I could see the characters coming together in my head, and that kind of triggered the music that I contributed to both STONE SOURalbums. In the end, things became much bigger in scope than the original idea, but when the idea came to me, I just kept feverishly writing things down in notebooks, fleshing out the characters and putting together a chain of events. By the time we finally got into the studio, this whole concept was about 98% finished, so I finalized it while we were in the studio. That was kind of where the idea to make it a comic book came from.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
As I Lay Dying Releases Statement Regarding Singer's Arrest in Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot
The band mates of As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis have released a statement following his arrest this week for an alleged murder-for-hire plot.
In the statement, which is posted on the band's official website and Facebook page,Nick Hipa, Jordan Mancino, Phil Sgrosso, and Josh Gilbert write:
"As we post this, the legal process is taking its course and we have no more information than you do. There are many unanswered questions, and the situation will become clearer in the coming days and weeks. We'll keep you informed as best we can. Our thoughts right now are with Tim, his family, and with everyone else affected by this terrible situation - and with our fans, whom we love and draw strength from. Thank you for understanding, and as always, for your support of As I Lay Dying."
Lambesis was arrested Tuesday in Oceanside, California, accused of attempting to hire an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife.
Puddle of Mudd's Wes Scantlin Arrested for Outstanding Warrants
Wes Scantlin is in trouble again. The Puddle of Mudd singer was arrested in Hollywood, California on Tuesday night after police discovered he had warrants out for his arrest, according to TMZ.com.
The cops originally stopped Scantlin for speeding, but when they ran the singer's information into their computers they found two warrants: one for "driving on a suspended license" and another for felony cocaine possession.
While the singer was booked at a nearby police station, he was quickly released after only a few hours on $11,176 bail.
Puddle of Mudd is scheduled to kick off a North American tour on June 14 at the Dakota Magic Casino in Hankinson, ND.
Kid Rock Wants You to Be His Bartender for Upcoming Best Night Ever Tour
If you've ever dreaming of hitting the road with Kid Rock, here's your chance. The singer has partnered with Jim Beam to launch the Mix for Kid Rock Contest, where you can be Rock's personal bartender for three dates on his upcoming Best Night Ever Tour and receive a $10,000 prize package.
"Kid Rock has helped make Jim Beam's decades-long music legacy even stronger," said Jim Beam Master Distiller Fred Noe in a statement. "We figure it's time to pour him a drink or two, and we need our fans to help us make Kid Rock's perfect cocktail. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!"
To enter the contest, just submit an essay of 250 words or fewer to JimBeam.com/Music/Kid-Rock, explaining why you deserve the honor of serving Rock cocktails. You've got to be at least 21 to enter. The contest ends on June 7, and a grand prize winner will be chosen on June 24.
David Draiman Shares Sonogram of Unborn Son
David Draiman already revealed that he's going to be a daddy, but now he's sharing some proof. The Disturbed/Device frontman took to his Twitter account to post a sonogram of his unborn son, along with a caption revealing that his child's name will be Samuel Bear Draiman.
Samuel will be Draiman's first child with his wife -- model, actress and wrestler Lena Yada, whom he married in September 2011.
Draiman is currently out on tour promoting Device's self-titled debut album, which scored the #11 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart its first week out. Gemini Syndrome andNonpoint are supporting the band on select dates. Visit DeviceBand.com to view the full itinerary.
Imagine Dragons' Dan Reynolds Says "Radioactive" Is About Personal "Struggle with Anxiety and Depression"
Imagine Dragons' single "Radioactive" has been dominating the alternative charts for a few weeks now and has been climbing the Active charts. Frontman Dan Reynolds says that writing the track helped him deal with some personal problems he needed to overcome.
"That's basically a song about my struggle with anxiety and depression," Reynolds tells Rolling Stone. "It's about becoming self-empowered and rising above that. I wanted to write a masculine and primal song about conjuring and rising above human weakness."
Imagine Dragons is currently trekking across North American promoting their debut album, Night Visions. The band will also hit a number of festivals this summer including Hangout Fest in Gulf Shores, AL; the Made in America festival in Philadelphia, PA; Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI; and Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL. Visit ImagineDragonsMusic.com to view the full itinerary.
KORN's BRIAN 'HEAD' WELCH Is 'Shocked' And 'Saddened' By AS I LAY DYING Singer's Arrest
KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch (pictured below) says that he is "shocked" by the news that the singer of AS I LAY DYING, Tim Lambesis, was arrested for allegedly hiring someone to kill Tim's estranged wife.
Lambesis, who has said he considers himself to be a Christian and acknowledges that he finds inspiration for lyrical content from biblical texts, was taken into custody without incident on Tuesday (May 7) around 2 p.m. at an Oceanside business, according to San Diego Sheriff's Department.
He was charged with solicitation of another to commit murder of his wife, who resides in Encinitas.
"Completely shocked, saddened, confused about Tim from AS I LAY DYING," Welch wrote last night on his Facebook page. "I was just on his bus over a month ago. I feel grieved."
KORN has begun work on its 11th studio album and first Welch back in the fold since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror".
Welch left KORN in 2005 to become a born-again Christian. The band never officially replaced him and stayed a four-piece, although they've used several touring guitarists for live work.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Blur to Record New Album in Hong Kong
Good news for Blur fans: the band has revealed that they plan to head into the studio to record a new album.
During their concert at Hong Kong's Asia World Expo on Sunday, frontman Damon Albarnannounced that the guys will take some time off to work on new material while they're in town.
"We were supposed to be playing in Japan next week, but due to unforeseen circumstances we were not able to go there," the singer told the crowd, "So we have a week in Hong Kong, and we thought it would be a good time to try and record another record." Fan-filmed footage of the announcement is posted on YouTube.
While Blur's last album of new material was 2003's Think Tank, the group dropped new singles "Under the Westway" and "The Puritan" last summer.
Lars Ulrich Says New Metallica Album Won't Be Ready Until 2015
Drummer Lars Ulrich says that Metallica fans will need to wait about two years before they can get their hands of the band's follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic.
"We're in the early stages of writing, and all I can say is there are some good things lurking," he tells Revolver about the forthcoming release. "We've got to put them into song shape and get our asses in the studio. I hope we can do that by the end of the year, maybe early next year. 2014 is a bit optimistic for the album to come out, so '15 is more realistic."
The next big thing coming up for Metallica will be their second annual Orion Music + More festival, which takes place June 8-9 at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Michigan. In addition to headlining sets by Metallica and Red Hot Chili Peppers, the event also includes performances from Rise Against, Deftones, Silversun Pickups, Dropkick Murphys and Foals.
As I Lay Dying Singer Arrested for Alleged Murder-for-Hire Plot
As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis has been arrested, accused of attempting to hire an undercover detective to kill his estranged wife.
According to TheSan Diego Union-Tribune, Lambesis was arrested Tuesday in Oceanside, California. Authorities say they received information last week that indicated he was soliciting someone to kill his estranged wife. She filed for divorce last September.
Lambesis, who's 32, was booked into a Vista, California, jail on one count of solicitation of another to commit murder. Additional details regarding the case have not been disclosed.
As I Lay Dying recently toured Asia, and is scheduled to tour with Killswitch Engage in the U.S. beginning May 30.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Invites Fans to Contribute Online to Massive Rolling Stones Exhibit
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum's enormous upcoming Rolling Stonesexhibition is going interactive.
Opening on May 24, "Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction" will cover two-and-a-half floors of Rock Hall's Cleveland home with photos, film footage, artwork, letters, historic documents, stage costumes, artwork and other artifact, many never before displayed in public. But for the first time, the museum also will launch a fan-generated interactive exhibition that will populate a multimedia display as part of the physical exhibit, as well as be shown on the Rock Hall's Facebook page. That virtual exhibit opens May 13.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is asking fans to upload photos of memorabilia, artwork, Rolling Stones concerts and more to Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #rockhallsatisfaction to contribute to the submission feed.
"Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Satisfaction" is expected to run at the Hall until March 2014. A companion exhibit at the Museum's Library and Archives will focus on the band's tour production from 1975 to 1981, and will include a set list, photographs, stage drawings, fabric samples, lighting cues and more.
Stone Temple Pilots Members Added to Lineup for MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit
More star power has been added to the lineup for the MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert in Los Angeles. Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo, guitarist Dean DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz will now perform at the event, which already includes live sets by Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, Beastie Boys DJ Mix Master Mikeand former Guns N' Roses band mates Slash and Duff McKagan.
In addition to the performances, Bennington will receive the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award, which recognizes his support of the MusiCares MAP Fund. Legendary skateboarder, surfer and musician Tony Alva also will be honored that evening, with the From the Heart Award.
The MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert will take place at the Club Nokia on May 30. The MusiCares MAP Fund provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery resources, including emergency financial assistance for basic living expenses and medical expenses.
For more information, visit MusiCares.org.
Imagine Dragons Pay Tribute to Cancer Victim in "Demons" Video
Imagine Dragons pay a touching tribute to their friend Tyler Robinson, who recently lost his battle with cancer, in the new video for "Demons" from the band's debut album, Night Visions.
While the main focus of the clip includes scenes of the group performing "Demons" at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in their hometown of Las Vegas, the final minute features footage of frontman Dan Reynolds singing the group's hit single, "It's Time," with Robinson at a concert. A message appears at the end of the clip asking fans to contribute to the Tyler Robinson Foundation, which will provide financial assistance to families with children fighting cancer.
"Tyler Robinson...passed away unexpectedly while we were editing the video," the band writes in a joint statement. "He was only 17 years old and his courage was an inspiration to all of us. Forming the Tyler Robinson Foundation with his family was a way for us to honor his legacy by doing something positive -- donations to the Foundation will help families who are unable to afford cancer care for their children."
MASTODON 'Very Busy Writing And Putting Songs Together' For Next Album
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have issued the following update:
"For those of you who are interested, yes, we have been VERY busy writing and putting songs together for the next studio MASTODON album. We are down at our space hammering out riffs that can be friends and working our fingers to the bone to put out another great album."
Regarding the sound of the new MASTODON music he is pumping out, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds told MTV Hive last year: "A lot of the stuff I'm writing is in open G-minor. I'm playing a lot of slide guitar and just getting really Jimmy Page-y on the place and getting really eerie andRADIOHEAD-ish and very spooky-sounding."
On the topic of the songwriting process in MASTODON, Hinds said: "There's never really a shortage of music with MASTODON because all of us are working on something musically. I'm in good company. Just because they might [see me] stand in the middle of the stage or something, people might think this is the leader. He must conduct everything, but we're all the leaders. We spread the weight around."
As previously reported, MASTODON wrote and recorded a song for the upcoming animated film "Monsters University".
Due out in July, "Monsters University" is the prequel to 2001's"Monsters, Inc."Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their roles in the prequel as the wise-cracking Mike Wazowski and lovable Sulley.
MASTODON's latest album, "The Hunter", came out in September 2011 through Reprise Records.
MASTODON was among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 12, 2012 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's Grammy nomination was for "Curl Of The Burl", the first single from "The Hunter".
A 30-second commercial for this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine, can be seen below. Scheduled to appear on the bill are headliners MEGADETH, along with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY; DEVICE, the new band fronted by DISTURBED singer David Draiman; HELLYEAH, featuring Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN), Chad Grayand Greg Tribbett (MUDVAYNE), Tom Maxwell (NOTHINGFACE) andBob "Zilla" Kakaha (DAMAGEPLAN); NEWSTED, the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted; and DEATH DIVISION, the heavy, technically aggressive and melodic band founded by bassist Jerry Montano (HELLYEAH, DANZIG,NOTHINGFACE), drummer Tim Yeung (MORBID ANGEL, DIVINE HERESY, HATE ETERNAL, NILE), vocalist/guitarist Sean De La Tour and lead guitarist Rick Di Marco.
Gigantour billing:
MEGADETH
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
DEVICE
HELLYEAH
NEWSTED
DEATH DIVISION
Gigantour dates:
Jul. 03 - Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook
Jul. 05 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Jul. 06 - Canandaigua, NY - Marvin Sands PAC
Jul. 08 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jul. 09 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
Jul. 10 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Center
Jul. 12 - Dallas, TX - [to be announced]
Jul. 13 - Lubbock, TX - Lonestar Amphitheatre
Jul. 14 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
Jul. 16 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
Jul. 18 - Bloomington, IL - US Cellular Coliseum
Jul. 19 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
Jul. 20 - Cadott, WI - Chippewa Valley Music Festival
Jul. 22 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Center
Jul. 23 - Calgary, AB - Stampede Corral
Jul. 26 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
Jul. 27 - Dawson Creek, BC - EnCana Events Centre
Jul. 29 - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Entertainment Center
Jul. 30 - Everett, WA - Comcast Arena
Aug. 01 - West Valley City, UT - Maverik Center
Aug. 02 - Denver, CO - 1st Bank Center
Aug. 04 - Fargo, ND - Scheels Arena
Aug. 07 - New York, NY - [to be announced]
Aug. 09 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 10 - Montreal, QC - Heavy MTL
Aug. 11 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Speaking to "Saturday Night Scream" last month, Dave Mustainestated about the lineup for this year's Gigantour: "I think [fans] are gonna be pretty stoked, because each one of the other bands on there, they're new bands comprised of a person who was a major celebrity from a really large band that went on to do something new."
In a January 2013 interview with VintageRock.com, Mustaine said about his plans for Gigantour: "We've got some stuff lined up at the end of the year with Gigantour — not only in here in the States, but also down in South America. We've got some really interesting lineups for that. Most people would look at the lineup and they would think, like, 'Dave's not gonna tolerate your crap at all.' Because there's a couple of people that we have that are on the lineup — and we're hoping for the best — but they're notorious bad boys. But when people grow up, they kind of grow up; they don't just grow old. And we're hoping that the music is gonna be the most important thing so that the fans will get what they want. Because it's undoubtedly… The people that we have, so far, as far as we know, for Gigantour, they've got great music. We're really looking forward to that."
Gigantour made its return last year for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT andLACUNA COIL all personally picked by Mustaine — kicked off on January 26, 2012 in Camden, New Jersey and wrapped on March 3, 2012 in Austin.
METALLICA's JAMES HETFIELD: 'We Haven't Even Started Writing' Songs For Next Album
That's Entertainment's Dina Butti conducted an interview with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield prior to the band's return to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on April 19 for a headlining performance at the du Arena, Yas Island. You can now watch the chat below.
On the progress of the songwriting sessions for METALLICA's next studio album:
Hetfield: "We haven't even started writing it. We're going through riffs; we have, like, 800-and-something riffs we're going through — lots of ideas. We're really excited about it, but doing concerts here and there, trying to get back in the studio and get some stuff done, it's all really exciting, but it gets done on METALLICA time, which is not really scheduled. When it's done, it's done. And when it's good, then it will be done."
On METALLICA's upcoming 3D feature film, "Metallica Through The Never":
Hetfield: "The idea behind it was a best-of concert. A lot of younger fans haven't got to see all of the things from the past — like the '…And Justice For All', the 'Ride The Lightning'… all of the stage props that we had; the destruction scene, 'Master Of Puppets' crosses… lots of things like that. [We came up with the idea of] doing a best-of concert and touring that. And then we thought, 'Well, if we're gonna do that, why don't we film it?' And then, 'Well, let's film 3D.' And it kind of swapped its order. So we're making the movie and then possibly touring it aftereward. And then there's also a narrative that goes along with it. So there's a story about a runner, or someone who works at the show, who is sent out to get something, and the big adventure that he goes on."
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently said that he would be "surprised" if the band's follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" came out before 2015. He said: "It takes us awhile to make records, and we're also so busy with so many other things. But we'll get around to it eventually."
"Metallica Through The Never" will now come out on September 27 and not August 9 as originally announced. The film will be digitally remastered into IMAX 3D and play for one week exclusively in IMAX theaters in North America before expanding into additional theaters on October 4. The film stars the band, thousands of its fans and acclaimed young actor Dane DeHaan in a story that follows a member of METALLICA's road crew — played by DeHaan — who is sent on a mission during the band's concert that turns his life upside down.
ALICE COOPER, MARILYN MANSON Discuss Upcoming 'Masters Of Madness' Tour In Video Interview
Frankie DiVita, radio personality at Southern California's 96.7 KCAL Rocks, conducted an interview with Alice Cooper and Marilyn Mansonon the "black carpet" at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods awards on May 2 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, California. You can now watch the chat below.
In what is obviously a "dream" pairing, or some might say a "nightmare,"Cooper and Manson will be teaming up for the "Masters Of Madness"tour June 1 through June 28. Following recent pairings of Alice with Rob Zombie and then Rob Zombie with Manson, this combination of Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson has been long-awaited by fans of both artists.
Alice Cooper is a true rock icon, having pioneered the use of theatrics and shocking images onstage in concerts from the earliest days of the original band of the same name. Since going solo, he has continued to produce elaborate stage shows providing fans with both shock and rock of the highest caliber. Inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011, Alice has toured and recorded continuously, with his most recent album being "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" through UMe. Recorded with longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin, who produced the original ground breaking, multi-platinum "Welcome To My Nightmare" album in 1975, the album picks up right where they left off, with Alice trapped in his own warped mind.
Currently, Alice's touring band features the three-guitar attack ofOrianthi, Tommy Henriksen and Ryan Roxie, backed by bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel.
Marilyn Manson's most recent full-length album, "Born Villain", his eighth overall, debuted in the Top 10 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD earned Manson his fourth Grammy nomination at the 2013 Grammys in the Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category for the album's lead single, "No Reflection".
The tumultuous relationship Marilyn Manson has cultivated with the public through his genre-defying music and anti-status quo message of thinking for oneself has resulted in sold-out tours, protests, legal battles, adoration, hate, more than 50 million records sales, award-winning distilled spirits, several Grammy nominations and, most importantly, a long list of some of the most enduring and powerful singles ever.
Manson's last U.S. tour was the "Twins Of Evil" run with Rob Zombie, a bill that looked good on paper but which did not go smoothly, leading to some verbal exchanges between the two shock rockers onstage.
Both Zombie and Manson have acknowledged the legendary Cooper as an influence on their own careers.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Queens of the Stone Age Release Album Trailer Featuring Snippet of "I Appear Missing"
Queens of the Stone Age profiles a new track in a video trailer to promote their upcoming album, ...Like Clockwork.
The three-minute clip features a snippet of "I Appear Missing," a cut from the forthcoming release, accompanied by animation from U.K. artist Boneface. The video's storyline follows a man in a suit who wakes up bloody and covered in bandages. The man then floats across the desert and attempts to fly into the clouds, but sadly, he winds up falling to his death. ...Like Clockwork will arrive at all the usual outlets on June 4. The album will feature guest appearances by Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails,Scissor Sisters vocalist Jake Shears, former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, pop icon Elton John, former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore, and Arctic Monkeysfrontman Alex Turner. In addition, the release will include two former QOTSA members: bassist Nick Oliveri and drummer Joey Castillo.
Rob Zombie Says Venomous Rat Regeneration VendorInspired by Solo Band's Current Lineup
Rob Zombie's fifth solo album, Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor, debuted in the #7 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart last week, selling 34,000 copies, according to Nielsen Soundscan. The singer says that his band's current lineup, which now includes former Marilyn Manson drummer Ginger Fish, helped to inspire the singer to create the release.
"We [were] really needing a new record because this band had been together for a while and we were really jazzed about the lineup, and we just felt ready," he tells ABC News Radio. "It wasn't an obligation to make a record…we were just very excited to make the record, and…I think it's the best record I've done for sure in ten years or so, maybe even much longer."
Zombie adds that while he isn't a fan of doing cover songs, he decided to include a cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band" on the release because of its message. "I never do cover songs, we never play cover songs, but I want to this time just because we do so much touring it would just be fun to have it," he explains. "I needed a song that I could relate to and that song is basically a song about being an American band and touring and life on the road, and we certainly could relate to that. So, you know, it worked out good."
You'll get your chance to hear the new songs performed live when Zombie headlines this year's Rockstar Mayhem Festival, which will roll through 26 cities in the U.S. and Canada between late June and early August. That outing kicks off on June 29 at the San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino, CA. Other acts set to take the stage as part of the event include Five Finger Death Punch, Mastodon and Machine Head.
30 Seconds to Mars Navigates Bad Weather in "Conquistador" Lyric Video
30 Seconds to Mars navigates us through some nasty weather in the new lyric video for "Conquistador," a cut from their upcoming fourth studio album, Love Lust Faith + Dreams.
The three-minute clip features the song's lyrics flashing across the screen accompanied by footage of a variety of lightning storms and tornadoes. Love Lust Faith + Dreams will arrive in stores on Tuesday, May 21 and features 12 new tracks. If you pre-order Love Lust Faith + Dreams now at iTunes, you'll score an immediate download of "Up in the Air."
Here's the track list for Love Lust Faith + Dreams:
"Birth"
"Conquistador "
"Up in the Air"
"City of Angels"
"The Race"
"End of All Days"
"Pyres of Varanasi"
"Bright Lights"
"Do or Die"
"Convergence"
"Northern Lights"
"Depuis Le Début"
Former GnR Drummer Steven Adler in Rehab to End "Urges of Drinking Alcohol"
On Thursday, Steven Adler's new band, Adler, posted a message on their website saying that their upcoming tour dates have been postponed so the former Guns N' Roses drummer can get treatment for substance abuse. Now, the drummer has issued his own statement, revealing that his addiction to alcohol is the reason he's headed back to rehab.
"I picked up a bottle and drank," writes Adler. "This occurred a few times and that is a few times too many. I had kicked hard drugs several years ago and now it is time to get rid of the urges of drinking alcohol. I am at a great facility and will stay here until I am comfortable to be home to work the program on my own."
Adler has a long history of struggling with substance abuse. His addiction to heroin prompted Guns N' Roses to dismiss him from the band in 1990.
Watch Smashing Pumpkins Perform "The Celestials" from Upcoming Guitar Center Sessions Episode
The Smashing Pumpkins is the next guest scheduled for the Guitar Center Sessions series, which airs on DirecTV. A sneak peak of the band's episode has been posted online, featuring a performance of "The Celestials" from the band's latest album, Oceania.
Each episode of Guitar Center Sessions is filmed in front of a live studio audience and includes a performance as well as a Q&A segment, sponsored by the Guitar Center chain of music stores. The Smashing Pumpkins episode will premiere on Friday, May 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
DISTURBED and DEVICE frontman David Draiman and his wife, Lena Yada — a Japanese-American model, actress, professional tandem surfer and professional wrestler — are expecting their first child.
Draiman and Yada tied the knot on September 25, 2011 in Texas. The Pulse Of Radio asked Draiman how he thought becoming a married man might change his music. "You know, I can only imagine that it would give me more inspiration to write," he said. "I think that when you all of a sudden become a family man, and you have more to worry about than just yourself, your concerns, they build, in terms of things going on with the world, in terms of your life, in terms of your fears and your hopes and your dreams. And so I really think it'll be a tremendous catalyst for potential inspiration."
DISTURBED has been on hiatus since late 2011. Draiman said that the group will get back together at some point but that there is "no plan in place" yet to reconvene.
Draiman revealed in a December 2011 interview that his plans duringDISTURBED's current hiatus included an attempt to "impregnate my wife and have a baby."
DEVICE's self-titled debut album came out on April 9, selling 35,000 copies in its first week of release to debut at No. 11 on the Billboard album chart.
Photo below courtesy of David Draiman's Facebook page
WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH To Sing 'Crazy Train' Parody At JEFF HANNEMAN's Funeral
Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church has announced plans to picket the funeral of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, claiming that it will sing its "parody" of OZZY OSBOURNE's "Crazy Train" "at full voice" at the event.
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church — the fringe. group which continues to make headlines for its anti-gay protests at the funerals of U.S. soldiers regardless of their sexuality — first used lyrics from "Crazy Train" at events surrounding the October 2011 Snyder v. PhelpsSupreme Court hearing. An attorney — a daughter of the church's founder, along with her sister — paraphrased lyrics from the song at a post-Supreme Court hearing press conference in Washington D.C.
"I am sickened and disgusted by the use of 'Crazy Train' to promote messages of hate and evil by a 'church,'" Osbourne said in response to the news reports.
Amazing, that's how God rolls
Millions of people, drowning in woe
Crazy, it's much too late
To speak about love, when you brought on is hate
Crying about your feelings, or your sin, no shame
You're going straight to hell, on a crazy train
You're going straight to hell, on a crazy train
Let's go
You listen to preachers, your leaders are fools
You're raping false prophets, who make their own rules
The base is ascending, to rule and control
The media sells it, and you pay the toll
The station goes deceiving, their torment you in flames
You're going straight to hell, on a crazy train
We've told you your destruction is imminent
You should have listen to our words
Isn't God's fury?, That's forced onto them,
The ruling rebellion, God is made to numb
Crazy, the pride as you well
Your birth will be brutal, he will say what is fair
God is not been sleeping, he's gonna bring the pain
It's time for your finally ride on this crazy train [End of lyrics]
The audio of Westboro Baptist Church's "Crazy Train" "parody" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.
In a June 2010 appearance on the nationally syndicated radio show"Rockline", Osbourne blasted the Westboro Baptist Church's protest of Ronnie James Dio's funeral. "I thought it was in such bad taste that those people had those banners about Ronnie James Dio. That's disgusting. They say that we're the anti-christ. Well, what makes them any better?"
The Westboro Baptist Church is described by the Wall Street Journalas a "tiny Kansas church… [that] … preaches that U.S. deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq are punishment for American's tolerance of homosexuality and abortion." As Examiner.com noted of the church, "their flamboyant demonstrations at the funerals of non-gay service members, using the events to highlight their belief that military deaths overseas are justified punishment for U.S. tolerance of homosexuality. ('You're Going to Hell,' 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers,' and 'God Hates You' are popular Westboro slogans.)."
Jeff Hanneman died at about 11 a.m. on Thursday (May 2) near his Southern California home. He was 49. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sisterKathy and his brothers Michael and Larry.
HALESTORM: New Version Of 'Here's To Us' Featuring SLASH, SHINEDOWN, DISTURBED Members
A new version of the HALESTORM song "Here's To Us" featuring guest appearances by a number of well-known hard rock and heavy metal musicians has surfaced online and can be streamed using the SoundCloudplayer below. Joining the band on the song are Slash, SHINEDOWN'sBrent Smith, ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy, SIXX: A.M.'s James Michael, THEORY OF A DEADMAN's Tyler Connolly, DISTURBED andDEVICE's David Draiman and IN THIS MOMENT's Maria Brink.
HALESTORM is also offering its fans a chance to record their own shout-outs for the song and they intend on taking some of the best pieces and working them into a "fan edit" of "Here's To Us".
"Do you love your mom? Your awesome boyfriend? Want to tell the graduating class of 2013 how much you love them? We want to hear it!," states the band on its web site. Fans are encouraged to say their first name, where they are from, offer their shout-out and then upload their video for the band to check out. Submissions are being taken through May 8.
"Here's To Us" (Guest Version) features guest appearances by:
* Slash (appears courtesy of Dik Hayd Records)
* Brent Smith of SHINEDOWN
* Myles Kennedy of ALTER BRIDGE & THE CONSPIRATORS
* James Michael of SIXX: A.M.
* Tyler Connolly of THEORY OF A DEADMAN
* David Draiman of DISTURBED / DEVICE (appears courtesy of Reprise Records)
* Maria Brink of IN THIS MOMENT (appears courtesy of Century Media Records)
"Here's To Us", which is featured on HALESTORM's 2012 album "The Strange Case Of….", was previously covered on the hit television show"Glee". The musical comedy show did a cover of the tune on a February 2012 episode.
VOLBEAT Frontman: We're Very Proud To Have ROB CAGGIANO In The Band
Justin R. Beckner of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Michael Poulsen of Danish/American metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: So, you went in to record ["Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies"] as a three-piece and came out of the studio as a four-piece. How did that happen?
Michael: When we set up in the studio, we were working with another guitar player who is one of my close friends and it just didn't turn out the way that we wanted. Sometimes it's not good to mix good friendship with business. So I thought we'd just go back to recording like we usually do, I can do all of the guitar tracking and do it that way. But I had I had made space for some solos on the album and I'm not a lead guitar player. I can do some solos here or there but we asked [former ANTHRAX guitarist] Rob (Caggiano, who was co-producing the album) to come in and do some solos. He came up with some ideas on a couple songs and his ideas were really good so we decided to keep it. He ended up putting several more solos on the record. It got to the point where we told him that he should join the band and be on the road with us. He thought that we were kidding, actually. So the next day he came in and asked if we were serious when we asked him to join the band and said he'd love to. He's a good guy and such a talented guitar player and we're very proud to have him in VOLBEAT.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: So Rob is a permanent member of VOLBEAT now?
Michael: Yes, Thomas [Bredahl] was our former guitar player and there were many reasons why it didn't work out and we went our separate ways right before a tour with MOTÖRHEAD and MEGADETH in 2011 so we needed someone who would sing and play lead guitar. We've tried many times to carry on as a three-piece band, but with the new material at the time ("Beyond Hell/Above Heaven") and the harmonies, we just needed another member in the band. So we had Hank Shermann [MERCYFUL FATE] with us but he was a hired gun. He helped us out for a few tours which were great, but he had his own things going on, too. I just turned out to be that Rob was the perfect guy when we were in the studio but the had been talking for a long time that when he left ANTHRAX that he wanted to put his energy into producing. So he had some offers in producing that he was looking at so we weren't sure that he would want the job when we offered it to him. I think because he's so much into music and he sees that we welcome his ideas into the music, I think that was tempting for him and great for us because he's in the band now.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Group dynamics often change when a new member is added or subtracted from a band. What has Rob added to VOLBEATother than just some great solos?
Michael: For the first time now, the second guitar player, which is Robnow, has put down their own rhythm tracks on the album. On the other albums, it was always me putting down all the rhythm guitars so there was no contrast between the tracks. On the new record, you can definitely hear two distinct guitar players with two different sounds and it fits. Robhas his style and I have mine but somehow it mixes very well and creates an interesting dynamic and it sounds solid. He has his own rhythmic style but it really suits the VOLBEAT sound. Some of the old songs that we play live now have solos where there were none before.
Slipknot, Device, Deftones Win at Revolver Golden Gods Awards
Slipknot ruled the night on Thursday at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards. The group scored the Best Live Band honor, while frontman Corey Taylor won the Best Vocalist award for his work with both Slipknot and Stone Sour.
Other big winners include Device -- the side project of Disturbed frontman David Draiman -- who won for Best New Talent, Deftones nabbed the Album of the Year award for Koi No Yokan and Black Veil Brides nabbed the Song of the Year for "In the End."
This year's honorees also included Metallica, who were presented with the Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award; Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, who was recognized with the Riff Lord Award; and Rob Zombie, who received the Golden God Award.
In addition, the event featured performances by Metallica, Stone Sour, Anthrax, Five Finger Death Punch, Dillinger Escape Plan and Halestorm, among others. The show also featured a variety of tributes to Slayer founding member and guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died from liver failure on Thursday at age 49, including a "moment of noise" from the crowd led by Slayer guitarist Kerry King and former Ozzy Osbourneguitarist Zakk Wylde.
Here are the winners from the Revolver Golden Gods Awards:
Revolver Golden God Award
Rob Zombie
Ronnie James Dio Lifetime Achievement Award
Metallica
Best Guitarist Award
John 5 (Rob Zombie)
Best Drummer Award
Arejay Hale (Halestorm)
Riff Lord
Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath)
Paul Gray Best Bassist
Lemmy Kilmister (Motörhead)
Best Vocalist Award
Corey Taylor (Slipknot/Stone Sour)
Best Live Band Award
Slipknot
Comeback of the Year Award
Tenacious D
Album of the Year Award Koi No Yokan -- Deftones
Song of the Year
"In the End" -- Black Veil Brides
Best New Talent
Device
Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch on Reuniting with Korn: "Everything's Forgiven"
Korn recently announced that founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has rejoined the band for their next album. Welch says that when the invitation came to reunite, he knew that it was the right time to get back together with the band.
"There's a time of separation, and there's a time to go get yourself right, and there's a time to reconcile, and the time just landed in our laps and all of us knew it," he told reporters at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards on Thursday night. "It was meant to be. Everything's forgiven, you know, and we all said stupid stuff back in the day, and we were all going through struggles. Now we're back and…better than ever."
Guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer adds that the recording sessions with Welch have been going well, and that they've already recorded a large number of tracks for the band's upcoming eleventh album.
"We just play so tight together, it's incredible how when both of us are playing it just sounds like a giant wall of sound," he notes. "There was just a lot of creativity [in the sessions] and we recorded 20 songs. Hopefully we'll get it out by August or by the end of the summer."
Watch Smashing Pumpkins Perform "The Celestials" from Upcoming Guitar Center Sessions Episode
The Smashing Pumpkins is the next guest scheduled for the Guitar Center Sessionsseries, which airs on DirecTV. A sneak peak of the band's episode has been posted online, featuring a performance of "The Celestials" from the band's latest album, Oceania.
Each episode of Guitar Center Sessions is filmed in front of a live studio audience and includes a performance as well as a Q&A segment, sponsored by the Guitar Center chain of music stores. The Smashing Pumpkins episode will premiere on Friday, May 17 at 9 p.m. ET.
SMASHING PUMPKINS Featured On 'Guitar Center Sessions' Season Opener; Preview Clip
Guitar Center, the world's largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment, and DirecTV, one of the world's leading providers of digital television entertainment services, will spotlight SMASHING PUMPKINS in the first episode of the new season of the award-winning music seriesGuitar Center Sessions on Friday, May 17 at 9 p.m. ET/10 PT onDirecTV's Audience Network (Channel 239). Guitar Center Sessionsfeatures exclusive performances and intimate, enlightening conversations conducted by revered musical tastemaker Nic Harcourt.
A preview clip of SMASHING PUMPKINS performing the song "The Celestials", captured live in a rooftop concert at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, can be seen below.
"Today, more than ever before, any artist, established or up and coming, is working within a new convoluted paradigm full of challenges," Harcourtsaid in a statement. "The new episodes of Guitar Center Sessionsfeature a truly diverse group of artists, all sharing the ups and downs of their careers in the interviews and delivering blistering performances on stage."
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY Confirmed For This Year's GIGANTOUR
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY has been confirmed for this year's edition ofGigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are headliners MEGADETH, along with DEVICE, the new band fronted by DISTURBEDsingerDavid Draiman; HELLYEAH, featuringVinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN), Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett (MUDVAYNE), Tom Maxwell (NOTHINGFACE) and Bob "Zilla" Kakaha (DAMAGEPLAN); NEWSTED, the new band led by formerMETALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted; and DEATH DIVISION, the heavy, technically aggressive and melodic band founded by bassist Jerry Montano (HELLYEAH, DANZIG,NOTHINGFACE), drummer Tim Yeung (MORBID ANGEL, DIVINE HERESY, HATE ETERNAL, NILE), vocalist/guitarist Sean De La Tour and lead guitarist Rick Di Marco.
Gigantour billing:
MEGADETH
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY
DEVICE
HELLYEAH
NEWSTED
DEATH DIVISION
Gigantour dates:
Jul. 03 - Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook
Jul. 05 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
Jul. 06 - Canandaigua, NY - Marvin Sands PAC
Jul. 08 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
Jul. 09 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
Jul. 10 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Center
Jul. 12 - Dallas, TX - [to be announced]
Jul. 13 - Lubbock, TX - Lonestar Amphitheatre
Jul. 14 - Corpus Christi, TX - Concrete Street Amphitheatre
Jul. 16 - Oklahoma City, OK - Zoo Amphitheatre
Jul. 18 - Bloomington, IL - US Cellular Coliseum
Jul. 19 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
Jul. 20 - Cadott, WI - Chippewa Valley Music Festival
Jul. 22 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Center
Jul. 23 - Calgary, AB - Stampede Corral
Jul. 26 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
Jul. 27 - Dawson Creek, BC - EnCana Events Centre
Jul. 29 - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Entertainment Center
Jul. 30 - Everett, WA - Comcast Arena
Aug. 01 - West Valley City, UT - Maverik Center
Aug. 02 - Denver, CO - 1st Bank Center
Aug. 04 - Fargo, ND - Scheels Arena
Aug. 07 - New York, NY - [to be announced]
Aug. 09 - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 10 - Montreal, QC - Heavy MTL
Aug. 11 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
Speaking to "Saturday Night Scream" earlier this month, Dave Mustaine stated about the rest of the lineup for this year's Gigantour: "I think [fans] are gonna be pretty stoked, because each one of the other bands on there, they're new bands comprised of a person who was a major celebrity from a really large band that went on to do something new — [which is] another really good clue for you and your listeners."
In a January 2013 interview with VintageRock.com, Mustaine said about his plans for Gigantour: "We've got some stuff lined up at the end of the year with Gigantour — not only in here in the States, but also down in South America. We've got some really interesting lineups for that. Most people would look at the lineup and they would think, like, 'Dave's not gonna tolerate your crap at all.' Because there's a couple of people that we have that are on the lineup — and we're hoping for the best — but they're notorious bad boys. But when people grow up, they kind of grow up; they don't just grow old. And we're hoping that the music is gonna be the most important thing so that the fans will get what they want. Because it's undoubtedly… The people that we have, so far, as far as we know, for Gigantour, they've got great music. We're really looking forward to that."
Gigantour made its return last year for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by Mustaine — kicked off on January 26, 2012 in Camden, New Jersey and wrapped on March 3, 2012 in Austin.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman Dies of Liver Failure at Age 49
Slayer has announced that founding member and guitarist JeffHanneman died Thursday from liver failure. He was 49.
A statement posted onto the band's website Thursday reads, "Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothersMichael and Larry, and will be sorely missed."
Hanneman had been taking time off from the band since 2011, after contracting the flesh-eating infection necrotizing fasciitis from a spider bite. It's unclear if his battle with the disease contributed to his death. Papa Roach is among the rock acts that have paid their respects on Twitter, writing, "We're saddened by the death of @Slayer guitarist, Jeff Hanneman. Our prayers and best wishes to Slayer and Jeff's family."
A statement from the Recording Academy reads, "Two-time Grammy winner Jeff Hanneman was an intense and powerful guitarist and a force to be reckoned with on stage....The music industry has lost a true trailblazer, and our deepest sympathies go out to his family, his bandmates and fans around the world who mourn his untimely passing."
Hanneman founded Slayer with fellow guitarist Kerry King in 1981.
Korn Reunites with Guitarist Brian "Head" Welch for New Album
Good news for Korn fans: founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has rejoined the band for their next album.
Korn has just released a trailer for the upcoming release, which can be seen on RollingStone.com, featuring the guitarist working on tracks with the group in the studio. Welch, who had performed with Korn on a number of occasions over the last five months, says that he's excited to be working with the band again.
"We knew we would have a blast playing together, because we love each other so much, but we really wanted to make sure the music felt right before we committed to making a whole album together," Welch tells Rolling Stone. "But since we got in the studio, everything just started pouring out, now I can't wait until our fans hear this stuff!"
While a firm release date for the group's eleventh studio album has yet to be revealed, it is expected to arrive in stores sometime this year.
Late Beastie Boys Rapper Adam "MCA" Yauch to Get Brooklyn Park Named After Him
After a year-long campaign, late Beastie Boys rapper Adam "MCA" Yauch will be getting a park named after him this weekend in his hometown of New York City. City officials have agreed to rename Brooklyn's Palmetto Playground to Adam Yauch Park, fulfilling the wish of Beastie Boys fans who launched a Facebook campaign to that end shortly after the rapper's death last year.
Surviving Beastie Boys member Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz will join members of Yauch's family, Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Kevin Jeffrey, Borough President Marty Markowitz, State Senator Daniel Squadron, and Council Member Stephen Levin at a ceremony Friday to dedicate the park to Yauch.
While campaign organizers originally wanted Squibb Park to be named after Yauch, they were met with strong opposition from Brooklyn Heights residents. Eventually, Palmetto Playground was chosen as an appropriate venue to honor the late rapper.
Yauch died at age 47 on May 4, 2012 after a three-year battle with cancer.
Ex-Metallica Bassist Jason Newsted Says Debut CD with New Band Is About "Standing Up for Yourself"
Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted says that the upcoming debut album of his new band, Newsted, will feature a positive message.
"The thread that goes through the lyrical content is about standing up for yourself, being true," he tells Rolling Stone. "It's all up stuff, and I get to say this from the microphone now as the frontman. I get to spread positive vibes instead of trying to out-grimace people. I already did that."
The bassist adds that the band, which recently kicked off a North American tour, will be performing a number of the new tracks during their live sets. "We play the four songs from the [recently-released Metal] EP in the set, but we're sharing a lot of new music now," he reveals. "It's a cool thing -- we're delivering 13 songs as the four-piece band."
Newsted is expected to release their first full-length album sometime this summer.
Volbeat to Headline Rock Allegiance Tour
The Rock Allegiance Tour returns this year, and the event's producers have just unveiled the full list of performers. Volbeat has signed on to be the headlining act, supported byHIM, All That Remains and Airbourne.
"The fans have made our North American visits thus far this year great fun and truly memorable," says Volbeat frontman Michael Poulsen in a statement. "We are looking forward to headlining Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance festival tour this summer, and sharing the stage with HIM, All That Remains and Airbourne."
The full list of dates for the travelling musical extravaganza will be revealed in the coming weeks. Visit RockAllegiance.com for more information.
Deftones Get St. Louis Fans to "Jump" for Late Kris Kross Rapper Chris Kelly
It appears that Deftones were fans of Kris Kross. During their concert at The Pageant in St Louis, Missouri on Wednesday night, the band paid a musical tribute to Chris Kelly, one-half of the 1990s rap duo, who died Wednesday afternoon.
At a point during the show, frontman Chino Moreno told the audience, "We just got word that a member of Kris Kross has passed. I know it's not good news." The group then launched into a cover of Kris Kross' 1992 smash hit, "Jump," mixed with their own single, "Engine No. 9," from their 1995 debut album, Adrenaline. Fan-filmed footage of the performance is available on YouTube.
Deftones can definitely sympathize with Kris Kross fans, since they experienced a loss of their own recently. Bassist Chi Cheng died last month at age 42 from complications from a 2008 car accident that had left him in a minimally conscious state.
Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon & More Offer Free Tickets for Helping the Poor
Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Kings of Leon and Black Sabbath are among the artists who are participating in a new program which will reward their fans for becoming social activists. The groups are offering up free tickets to fans who sign up for Global Citizen Tickets Initiative, which was designed to help to create awareness around issues related to extreme poverty.
Spearheaded by Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis, the program allows fans to earn points for taking a variety of social actions -- like signing petitions or raising money for a designated charity -- in order to get into a lottery for free tickets.
"Pearl Jam is very grateful to be part of such an innovative and generous group of artists and music business leaders participating in this project," says guitarist Stone Gossard in a statement. "It reflects the DNA of our band and business, and expands it to respond to some of the greatest inequities and challenges facing humanity."
Other bands participating in the Global Citizen Tickets Initiative include Soundgarden,Alabama Shakes, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, No Doubt, Depeche Mode andGrizzly Bear. A number of festivals have also offered up tickets for the program, including the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Coachella, Outside Lands, Sasquatch! Music Festival and the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.
Visit GlobalCitizen.org/Tickets for more information.
SALIVA will release its eighth full-length album, "In It To Win It", in North America this summer via Rum Bum Records. The first single from the CD, the aggressively anthemic title track, is now available on iTunes.
"In It To Win It" was produced by Bobby Huff (known for his songwriting work with MEAT LOAF, HALESTORM, DROWNING POOL, PAPA ROACH, 3 DOORS DOWN and more) and executive-produced by Rum Bum Records owner Luis Bacardi and new SALIVA lead singerBobby Amaru.
Since forming in Memphis in 1996, SALIVA has produced a number of chart-topping hits and earned a Grammynomination for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for their record "Your Disease". A number of tracks from records have also been featured in major films, including "The Fast And The Furious" and "Talladega Nights" as well as successful games like Tiger Woods PGA.
"We want to sell 10 million records," said Amaru. "In the end, what's most important is coming out with songs that we're excited to play, that our fans are excited to hear and that the combination of the two results in a great tour. That's what it's all about."
SALIVA's last studio album was 2011's "Under Your Skin", which featured the Top 5 rock single "Never Should've Let You Go".
Vocalist Josey Scott left SALIVA in 2011 to pursue a solo Christian recording career.
Rum Bum Records is an independent record label based in South Florida. Led by a team of industry veterans dedicated to finding original talent of all genres, the label offers worldwide distribution, and provides artists with the resources necessary to develop and expand their careers.
Former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Singer HOWARD JONES: 'I Was In A Coma For Three Days'
Former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones recently spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about his split with the band and his brand new project.
"Finding out you're diabetic is pretty dramatic," Jones said of his surprise diagnosis last year, following dizzy spells and blackouts that led him to wake up in a hospital bed. "I just started feeling weird, and then I started getting really clumsy. I fell down some stairs and broke a finger, then fell down some other stairs and broke a toe. Then I collapsed. I was in a coma for three days. They basically told me I had the highest sugar level they'd ever seen. Afterwards, they told me I had a 50/50 chance of coming out with brain damage."
He also gave the magazine a glimpse into his brand new band, featuringFrancesco Artusato, celebrated solo artist and guitarist with ALL SHALL PERISH and THE FRANCESCO ARTUSATO PROJECT; and John Sankey, drummer for the Australian band DEVOLVED, who has also worked withFEAR FACTORY and DIVINE HERESY.
"It's fun to branch out and do some different stuff," he said. "I got to write a little more deep and a little more dark. It's been fascinating so far."
Jones was among the musicians who performed at the launch event forMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance on February 18 at GameStop at Universal CityWalk in Universal City, California.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE was rejoined by singer Jesse Leach early last year following the departure of Jones after nine years and three successful albums.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio told BostonGlobe.comthat the band's split with Jones was necessitated by the singer's struggle with personal issues, including diabetes that had gone untreated for several years. "It became very apparent we had to move on without him,"D'Antonio said. "Howard didn't quit."
In a statement regarding his departure from the group, Jones wrote in part, "I've had a pretty interesting couple of years, to say the least, battling with some personal issues. One of the low points being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes that went unchecked for years. The rest of the band stuck with me through it, and, to be honest, they are the ones that kept me going. The whole experience definitely put a scare in me."
He continued, "Recently we've all been in writing mode, but somehow I couldn't get excited about the new album and all the touring that would go with it. The guys saw it before I did. In hindsight, I now realize that my heart wasn't in it."
Jones thanked the rest of the band for "an amazing decade," adding, "I have so many good memories, and those are the ones that I will keep."
ALTER BRIDGE Officially Begins Recording Fourth Album
ALTER BRIDGE has commenced recording its fourth studio album for a tentative September release.
Commented the band in a post on its web site: "We are pleased to announce that recording has begun on our fourth studio album. First up to record is Scott 'Flip' Phillips on the drums.
"Stay tuned and we'll update you on the progress as time allows."
ALTER BRIDGE's last studio offering, "AB III", came out in 2010 and included the hits "Isolation" and "Ghost Of Days Gone By".
As previously reported, ALTER BRIDGE plans to release a new box set on May 14. The pacakge will feature a whopping 16 discs, previously unreleased interviews with bandmembers Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Scott Phillips and Brian Marshall, a coffee table book, autographed poster, exclusive photos and more. Further info can be found at AlterBridgeBoxSet.com.
During ALTER BRIDGE's break, Tremonti recorded his first solo album, "All I Was", and toured behind it, while Kennedy recorded all the vocals forSlash's second solo effort, "Apocalyptic Love", and toured the world as part of his live band.
Tremonti, Marshall and Phillips have also toured as part of their original act, CREED, who have also been working on new material.
VOLBEAT, HIM, ALL THAT REMAINS And AIRBOURNE To Join Forces For 'Rock Allegiance Tour'
If there was ever any question about rock 'n' roll being alive and well, the answer has arrived in the form of Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance Tour.
The late summer trek will feature four game-changing rock bands from four different countries, with VOLBEAT, HIM, ALL THAT REMAINS andAIRBOURNE on the bill.
"The fans have made our North American visits thus far this year great fun and truly memorable," VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen said. "We are looking forward to headlining Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance festival tour this summer, and sharing the stage with HIM, ALL THAT REMAINSand AIRBOURNE."
Tour dates and on-sale information will announced in the coming days.
This year marks the third installment for Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance. The event launched as a traveling tour back in 2011. The following year, it became a "destination festival" in Hershey, Pennsylvania that featured STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, THREE DAYS GRACE, SEETHER,BUCKCHERRY, FUEL, DAUGHTRY and more, commandeering Hersheypark Stadium over the Labor Day Weekend.
The fest returns to the road in 2013, which is exactly where it belongs.
The tour will bring American audiences the very best that rock music as a whole has to offer, with a decidedly international feel. Rock music is a universal language and all the acts on this tour embody the spirit of rock 'n' roll without borders.
Danish superstars VOLBEAT, who have enjoyed No. 1 status at active rock radio, will share the stage with HIM, a cult favorite from Finland whose fans are disciple-like in their devotion. ALL THAT REMAINS have scratched and clawed their way out of Massachusetts and rocketed up the radio charts over the past half-decade, all the while keeping a firm foothold in the hard rock/metal scene. AIRBOURNE have been making a name for themselves ever since emerging from Australia, armed with plenty of riffs and just as much attitude.
Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance Tour is brought to you by Danny Wimmer Presents, Right Arm Entertainment and Monster Energy.
"I am excited to bring four bands that all offer something different and unique to Monster Energy's Rock Allegiance Tour," said Wimmer. "This truly brings an international flavor to the show and allows rock fans across the country to experience all different sides of what makes this genre great."
ZAKK WYLDE Talks 'Children' Book, Music Industry And Possibility Of PANTERA Reunion
Lauren Wise of the Phoenix New Times recently conducted an interview with legendary guitarist Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
On embarking on a solo acoustic tour in support of the paperback release of his book, "Bringing Metal To The Children":
Zakk: "As much as I love doing the heavier stuff, it's great to break down any one of those songs, and then do a dark, minor version of it. I like jamming on the piano and playing the acoustic guitar. It's like with [LED]ZEPPELIN — as much as I like listening to 'Black Dog', I also like listening to 'Going to California', too."
On the original idea for "Bringing Metal To The Children", which came years ago, when Wylde and his friends were talking about how ridiculous the music industry has become:
Zakk: "We were just sitting at the bar, laughing our asses off. The book is basically 'Seinfeld' on steroids. At first, it was going to be an instructional thing; guitar lessons, the studios, techniques. But then I realized I had like two or three different books in one. It's instructional and a memoir. I also knew that the book needed to be set up where you can pick it up and start reading anywhere, and be laughing your ass off almost immediately."
On how the music industry has changed a lot during his career, mostly due to the Internet:
Zakk: "There are positives and negatives. You know, back in the day, if you didn't get signed by the time you were 30, it's kinda like, 'I guess the dream is over and that's life. Whereas nowadays you and your band can keep going, and you can sell your stuff on the Internet and book tours. You can make a living doing what you love."
On the rumor that he may join PANTERA in "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's place for a reunion/tribute tour:
Zakk: "That's up to Vinnie [Paul Abbott], Rex [Brown], and Phil[Anselmo]. If they ever wanted me to honor Dimebag, of course I would do it. It's not replacing anybody — you're talking about Dime. It's likeRandy Rhoads. You're celebrating his greatness and honoring all thingsPANTERA."
"[Dimebag and I have] always just played what we love, and honoring the guys we got it from. Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi . . . Dime was a big Ace Frehley guy. It's the whole trickle-down effect. If anyone is inspired by Dime, then they are inspired by all those guys I just mentioned. That's the beautiful thing about music, you know what I mean? It's all kept alive that way."
Read the entire interview from Phoenix New Times.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Lajon Witherspoon Says Sevendust Preferred to Work Alone on Black Out the Sun; Hints at Solo Album
Lajon Witherspoon is proud of the fact that Sevendust didn't use a professional producer on their recently-released album, Black Out the Sun. The singer says he hopes that the group will continue the trend and self-produce their future albums.
"It's always fun to bring a producer in, but this time it was us by ourselves," he tells ABC News Radio. "We know what we like…and we work at a different pace than other people like to work at when they want to get paid. We go in and we get the job done and that's the way we like to go. If we gotta do it all night we gonna get it done so it was fun to do it that way."
Witherspoon adds that the next time he hopes to be in the studio is when he'll be recording his debut solo album. "In the future I plan on doing something, I don't know exactly what it is," he reveals. "Sevendust is my priority. I feel like if I definitely step out I wanna show people that I have so much more in me and who knows what I'll end up doing but…it'll be after everything slows down with this."
Sevendust is currently trekking across North America promoting Black Out the Sun. In addition, the band will making appearances at a couple of music festivals this summer including Ohio's Rock on the Range festival on May 19 and at Wisconsin's Rock USA festival on July 19.
Five Finger Death Punch to Release Double Album in Separate Installments
Five Finger Death Punch has a double album headed our way. The band announced that their fourth studio effort will be split into two volumes, which will be released at different times this year. The first installment arrives in stores on July 23, while the second will drop sometime in the fall.
"We came off the road after a couple of great years of touring and were really amped up to write the fourth record," says guitarist Zoltan Bathory in a statement. "We had this massive amount of music that's very dear to us, possibly the best material this band has ever created. At that point there was no way to decide which songs to leave off the album. So we made the decision to release them all."
Five Finger Death Punch will premiere the upcoming release's first single, "Lift Me Up," during their appearance at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards ceremony on Thursday at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California. The studio version of the song will arrive at radio on May 13 and will be available for purchase at all the usual online retailers the next day.
Black Sabbath to Offer Additional Track, "Naïveté in Black," on 13 Deluxe Edition at Best Buy
Black Sabbath is already giving you three extra tracks when you buy the deluxe edition of their new album, 13, but now the band is offering up one more if you purchase it at Best Buy. The group has revealed that they will be adding a bonus track, titled "Naïveté in Black," exclusively through the retailer.
The standard and deluxe editions of 13 are set to be released on June 11. If you pre-order either version now at iTunes, you'll score an immediate download of the album's first single, "God Is Dead?"
We'll get a taste of 13 when Black Sabbath premieres one of the new cuts, "End of the Beginning," on the May 15 episode of CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Here is the full track list for 13:
"End of the Beginning"
"God Is Dead?"
"Loner"
"Zeitgeist"
"Age of Reason"
"Live Forever"
"Damaged Soul"
"Dear Father"
"Methademic" (deluxe edition only)
"Peace of Mind" (deluxe edition only)
"Pariah" (deluxe edition only)
"Naïveté in Black" (Best Buy deluxe edition only)
Sublime to Release Live CD/DVD set, Three Ring Circus: Live at the Palace -- October 21, 1995, in June
Sublime has unveiled plans to release a live CD/DVD set which features a classic performance by the band's original lineup, which includes late frontman Bradley Nowell.Three Ring Circus: Live at the Palace -- October 21, 1995 will arrive at all the usual outlets on June 18.
As the title suggests, the upcoming release documents a concert the band performed at the Palace in Hollywood, California on October 21, 1995. The collection boasts 27 tracks including performances of hits "Date Rape," "Badfish," and "40 Oz to Freedom," as well as covers of Toots and the Maytals' "54-46 Was My Number," Bad Brains' "House of Suffering," and "Scarlet Begonias" by the Grateful Dead.
While Three Ring Circus: Live at the Palace – October 21, 1995 will be available separately on CD and DVD formats, a deluxe edition of the release will also be available. In addition to the CD and DVD, that package includes an exclusive poster, laminated backstage pass and an additional live concert video of Sublime performing at the Las Palmas Theater in Hollywood, California from February 17, 1995.
Here is the track list for Three Ring Circus: Live at the Palace – October 21, 1995:
"Great Stone"
"We're Only Gonna Die for Our Arrogance"
"Don't Push"
"Garden Grove"
"Don't Push"
"Right Back"
"New Thrash"
"Saw Red"
"Badfish"
"All You Need"
"Hope"
"Foolish Fool"
"Falling Idols"
"Caress Me Down"
"40 Oz to Freedom"
"Ebin"
"54-46 Was My Number"
"Date Rape"
"D.J.s"
"I Love My Dog"
"Pool Shark"
"Work That We Do"
"Greatest Hits"
"Smoke Two Joints"
"Scarlet Begonias"
"Ring the Alarm"
"House of Suffering"
Muse Looking to Celebrate 20th Anniversary with "Special Shows"
Muse turns 20 next year, and the band has hinted that they're looking to celebrate the milestone with a series of intimate concerts.
"It's our 20th anniversary year and I can't believe it -- it's February next year or something so I think we'll definitely do something special for it," drummer Dom Howard tells British radio station XFM."Hopefully [we'll] do some special shows for it or something. It will be nice to celebrate that and play some little club somewhere and go 'Jesus Christ, can't believe we're 20 years old as a band!'"
Howard adds that the band, which is known for their amazing stage shows, will do their best to come up with something unique for the upcoming gigs. "There's always ideas hanging around for shows," he explains. "We always find ourselves coming up with ideas we probably can't achieve and then we end up scaling things back so there's always a list of ideas that we haven't accomplished yet so we can go back to things."
Muse is currently on tour overseas, but they'll return to kick off the next leg of their North American tour on September 3 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina. Visit Muse.mu to view the full itinerary.
Beck to Premiere New Material at Upcoming Concerts
If you want to hear some new music from Beck, you're going to need a ticket to one of his festival appearances this summer.
The singer has just revealed that he'll be previewing a number of new cuts from his upcoming acoustic record during his stripped-down solo sets at the AmericanaramA Festival of Music at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York on July 27, and at the Newport Folk Festival on July 28 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island.
A few days later, Beck will reunite with his band to perform at the Bank of America Pavilion in Boston, MA on August 2 and at the Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, NY on August 4. Tickets for those concerts will be available starting Friday.
A title and release date for Beck's forthcoming acoustic album has yet to be announced.
TOOL: 'Little Bits And Pieces' Of New Album Coming Together
According to The Pulse Of Radio, TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan and drummer Danny Carey were interviewed this week by New Zealand publication Rip It Up, and naturally the subject of a new album came up. What did they have to say? Carey explained, "Maynard deals with the lyrical content. He's been pretty busy with his wine and other projects lately, but right now it's just Justin and Adam and I working on things and, you know, little bits and pieces, lots of musical things."
That sounds like very little progress has been made since TOOL's webmaster claimed to have heard about half an album's worth of music earlier this year.
Keenan was even more casual about the record's progress or lack thereof, talking more about balancing his other bands and his winemaking business.
He remarked, "Well, with the wine — it's attached — it's basically part of my house. And it's just my wife and I that work it . . . when I am working on any kind of music in terms of writing and recording, especially withPUSCIFER, it's right here . . . When it comes to writing with TOOL and A PERFECT CIRCLE, it's a whole different process and, uh, that requires a whole different set of patience."
TOOL has not released a new album since 2006's "10,000 Days".
Guitarist Adam Jones recently told Revolver magazine, "It's unfortunate that we haven't put anything out in a while, but you know, we've changed as a band . . . We've become even more eclectic and distant, so getting things done and getting together is very hard."
TOOL is playing in New Zealand, Australia and Japan during the first two weeks of May.
COREY TAYLOR Says STONE SOUR Comic Book 'Has Been A Long Time Coming'
Bloody Disgusting recently conducted an interview with STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Bloody Disgusting: First let me congratulate you on having your first book hit store shelves. I'm sure you're like a very proud twisted father to have this thing out.
Corey Taylor: It's pretty exciting. It's been a long time coming and it's one of those things that I never thought I would have an opportunity to do. Now that it's happening, and the book is coming out, I still can't believe that it's real.
Bloody Disgusting: Tell us a bit about the genesis for the short story that eventually became the comic book?
Corey Taylor: I had this idea for a while, for a short story that would accompany the STONE SOUR album or just an album in general. I always had this idea, but it was just a nugget, and it was never anything fleshed out or anything extensive. It always just sat on the back burner for a really long time, until the first SLIPKNOT tour that we did after Paul[Gray, bass] died. Until then, I had kind of put creativity aside for a while, because I wasn't there yet in my head. While we were out there on the road, the idea just came to me and all the sudden I could see the beginning, the middle and the end, very vividly. I could see the characters coming together in my head, and that kind of triggered the music that I contributed to both STONE SOUR albums. In the end, things became much bigger in scope than the original idea, but when the idea came to me, I just kept feverishly writing things down in notebooks, fleshing out the characters and putting together a chain of events. By the time we finally got into the studio, this whole concept was about 98% finished, so I finalized it while we were in the studio. That was kind of where the idea to make it a comic book came from.
Bloody Disgusting: So when you knew you wanted to make it into an illustrated comic book did you just pitch it around to publishers?
Corey Taylor: It was a very strange process, to be honest. We were out on the road and there were a couple comic book companies interested, but it just seemed like it was a waiting game. One month turned into three months, and I just kind of said to myself that these people were either in or out. I wasn't going to sit around and wait for some boardroom to decide if this was something they wanted to get behind, so I ended up walking away from two rather big companies. Dark Horse was just the first company to come in and say, "We get this and we understand what you are trying to do." They were the first to get it, not only from a creative standpoint, but they were also the first to understand it as a mini-series. They were ready to go and that's what I was looking for. I wanted someone to be as excited about it as I was. It could have been an independent small publisher and I would have been all about it if the excitement was there. I just love the fact that Dark Horse were the ones to really get it because I have been a fan of their books, since I seriously started collecting comics in the early '90s.
Bloody Disgusting: Could you see yourself doing more comic book related writing after this?
Corey Taylor: Maybe. I never say never, because that is the best way to make god laugh out loud. I'm still a fan and I have so much more respect for the writers and the artists now than I did before. For me to do it again, I guess it would depend on the story and if it was something that I think would work, then maybe. I have a great relationship with the people at Dark Horse and I can only hope that they enjoyed the work that I put into this, but it would have to be the right thing. I wouldn't want to put out something that was a re-tread of something that has already been written or something that I've already done before. It would have to be something very specific, and completely different.
Read the entire interview from Bloody Disgusting.
BLACK SABBATH: Best Buy Version Of '13' To Include Exclusive Bonus Track
According to the unofficial BLACK SABBATH web site Black-Sabbath.com, North American retailer Best Buy will carry a version of "13" — the firstBLACK SABBATH record in 35 years to feature singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together — containing the exclusive bonus track "Naïveté In Black".
"13" is due out June 11 on Vertigo/Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!"
Details of the album's deluxe edition surfaced on April 19, with the band revealing that the eight-song effort will be accompanied by three bonus tracks called "Methademic", "Peace Of Mind" and "Pariah".
Several versions of "13" are available for pre-order, including a standard CD, a double CD that includes a second disc of exclusive bonus audio, a heavyweight vinyl album in a gatefold sleeve and a "Super Deluxe Box Set" containing the double CD, the vinyl album, an exclusive DVD documentary on the band's reunion, 13 photographic prints and hand-written lyrics.
"13" track listing:
01. End Of The Beginning (8:05)
02. God Is Dead? (8:52)
03. Loner (4:59)
04. Zeitgeist (4:37)
05. Age Of Reason (7:01)
06. Live Forever (4:46)
07. Damaged Soul (7:51)
08. Dear Father (7:20)
Deluxe-edition bonus tracks:
09. Methademic (5:57)
10. Peace Of Mind (3:40)
11. Pariah (5:34)
12. Naïveté In Black (Best Buy exclusive track)
The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.
Scott Kara of The New Zealand Herald has written a track-by-track review of "13". Check it out at this location.
Regarding "End Of The Beginning", which SABBATH will perform on the season finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" on Wednesday, May 15 at 10:00 p.m. ET on CBS, Kara wrote: "The first thing you notice — apart from Tony Iommi's glorious, grinding guitar licks, and the brain-rattling bass and rumbling drums — is that unique SABBATH tempo. For any other band, it would sound plodding, but they somehow turn it into a fearsome lurch. While 'End Of The Beginning' is no 'War Pigs', it's an impressive epic that moves from foot-planting heaviness, to eerie tranquility, and then into one of Ozzy's tender serenades."
On the topic of "God Is Dead?", Kara wrote: "The first single off the album — which, at almost nine minutes and the longest on the record, isn't exactly radio friendly — comes creeping and crawling out of the speakers like a prowler. But then it rumbles and pummels its way to an early crescendo like a brawler. And you can't help but laugh and throw a cheeky heavy metal goat salute when Ozzy sings a line like, 'Out of the gloom, I rise up out of my tomb, into the impending doom.'"
Osbourne went on the BBC in England to discuss the band's new single,"God Is Dead?" and the inspiration behind the track. Ozzy explained, "I was in somebody's office and there was a magazine on a table and it just said, 'God Is Dead', and I suddenly thought about 9/11 and all these terrorist things and religion and how many people have died in the name of religion. When you think about the tragedy that's happened throughout time, it just came in my head. You'd think by now that their God would have stopped people dying in the name of, so I just starting thinking that people must be thinking, 'Where is God? God is dead' and it just hit me."
Ozzy added that the question mark at the end of the title is his way of showing that he's not sure about the answer himself, saying, "At the end of the thing, there's still a bit of hope because there I sing that I don't believe that God is dead. It's just a question of when you see so many dreadful people killing each other with bombs, and blowing the tube trains up and the World Trade Center."
Ozzy told an Australian radio station that "13" is "mind-blowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."
SABBATH kicked off its world tour in support of "13" on April 20 in Auckland.
"Methademic" performance:
"End Of The Beginning" performance:
"God Is Dead?" audio stream:
ROB ZOMBIE's 'Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor' Cracks U.S. Top 10
Rob Zombie's fifth album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", sold 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 23 via Zodiac Swan/T-Boy/Ume. The CD was produced by Bob Marlette, who has previously worked with everyone from BLACK SABBATH and ALICE COOPER to WILSON PHILLIPS and LYNYRD SKYNYRD.
Rob Zombie's fourth solo album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard album chart on February 10, 2010, selling 49,000 copies in its first week of release. That total was less than 50 percent of the number of copies that his previous effort, "Educated Horses", sold in its first week back in April 2006, when it moved 107,000 copies to land at No. 5 on the chart.
"Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" track listing:
01. Teenage Nosferatu Pussy
02. Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Supertown
03. Revelation Revolution
04. Theme For The Rat Vendor
05. Gong Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga
06. Rock And Roll (In A Black Hole)
07. Behold! The Pretty Filthy Creatures
08. White Trash Freaks
09. We're An American Band (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD cover)
10. Lucifer Rising
11. The Girl Who Loved The Monsters
12. Trade In Your Guns For A Coffin
Zombie has told Artist Direct in a new interview that "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor" could one day make it to the big screen as aZombie-directed film. The rocker and filmmaker explained, "I think it could. I made it with that in mind. At least in my mind — no one else knows this — I wanted to have a storyline that runs through the record so if someday I wanted to make it into a movie musical like THE WHO's 'Tommy' or'Quadrophenia', there was a structure to follow. I'm not really talking about what it is because I think it's sort of relevant at this point."
Zombie and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will headline the 2013Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicks off on June 29 in San Bernardino, California.
"Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Supertown" video:
OZZY OSBOURNE Reportedly Staying Clean For Daughter's Wedding
According to The Pulse Of Radio, BLACK SABBATHsingerOzzy Osbourne said in a new interview with The West Australian that he's confident he'll stay sober this time after relapsing into drug and alcohol abuse for 18 months. Clean now for just under two months, Ozzy stated, "I don't do anything anymore. I don't drink or smoke."
Ozzy has reportedly promised his daughter Kelly that he will stay clean before she gets married. Kelly is rumored to be engaged to vegan chefMatthew Mosshart and a source told Radar Online, "Kelly went right for daddy's heart — she made it clear that she needed him to be present when he walked his little girl down the aisle. Ozzy would never ruin her big day, so he promised Kelly that he would get it together way before her wedding to Matthew."
Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the many years he spent drunk and high took a toll on his relationship with his kids — especially his son Jack. "The one downside about being the crazy guy of rock 'n' roll was the fact that I missed out on my children somewhat and they missed out on me," he said. "I had an argument with my son one time, and I go to him, 'Jack, what are you moaning at me for? You never wanted for a damn thing.' And he goes, 'Oh yeah? What about a father?' And it just kicked me straight between the legs and I was like, 'Good God.'"
Ozzy's wife Sharon is living apart from her husband until she can be certain that he will stay clean, although the couple have denied that they're getting divorced.
Ozzy is currently on the first stretch of a world tour in support of the new BLACK SABBATH album, "13", which arrives on June 11. He told The West Australian, "It's a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. I heard the finished thing last week and I've got to be truthful with you, I was so bowled over by the way it sounded. If you liked BLACK SABBATH in the old days, you got to love '13'. It's very heavy."
SABBATH will begin the North American leg of its tour on July 25 in The Woodlands, Texas.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Nine Inch Nails, How to Destroy Angels to Perform at Inaugural Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit
Frontman Trent Reznor is bringing both of his bands to North Carolina this fall. Nine Inch Nails and How to Destroy Angels will be performing at the inaugural Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit, which takes places October 25-27 in Asheville, NC.
Other bands set to take the stage at the fest include Bassnectar, Pretty Lights and the recently-reunited Neutral Milk Hotel. Additional acts will be revealed in the coming weeks.
Three-day passes for the event start at $149.50 and will go on sale on Thursday at 12 p.m. ET. Visit MountainOasisFestival.com for more information.
Bassist Robert Trujillo Says Metallica's Next Album Will Be "Something Special"
Metallica has been slowly crafting their follow-up to 2008's Death Magnetic, and bassistRobert Trujillo says that he has a good feeling about what they've written so far.
"The ideas that I have been hearing and have been a part of, to me are very, very exciting and I see us making a great album," he tells South Africa's AllAfrica.com. "I feel in my heart that we are going to do something special. Beyond this, I have no idea what is going to happen 'cause, right now, it feels great and we are gonna do that, but the next album -- we'll see."
Trujillo also gave an update on the progress of the group's upcoming 3D concert film,Through the Never, which will premiere exclusively at every IMAX theater across North America for a full week starting September 27. "I've seen a recent cut and we have a lot of work to do -- we're not finished, but we're getting close and I feel that the end result will be special," he reveals. "I believe it's going to be great."
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