Rock News

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE: New Album Details Revealed

Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE — singer Jesse Leach, guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarist Joel Stroetzel and drummer Justin Foley — have set "Disarm The Descent"as the title of their upcoming sixth album. The 12-track record is due out April 2 on Roadrunner and is the follow-up to 2009's self-titled release."Disarm THE Descent" is the band's first album with original singer Leachat the vocal helm since 2002's now-classic, genre-defining "Alive or Just Breathing". Leach returned to the band in January 2012 after a decade-long absence.

The first single, "In Due Time", will be made available digitally on February 5. Album pre-orders will kick off in early February, as well, with more details forthcoming.

"Disarm The Descent" was selected by Alternative Press magazine for its "Most Anticipated Albums of 2013" issue, and the band was profiled inGuitar World as one to watch in 2013. Clearly, buzz from fans and the metal and hard rock community regarding new KILLSWITCH ENGAGEremains deafening.

"It is with a grateful spirit that we prepare for this record's release,"Leach said. "From the music, to the lyrics, to the artwork, we are all proud of what we have accomplished. To me, this is by far my best vocal performance, much thanks to Adam's guidance and faith in my abilities. I am very grateful to be where I am in life, back in an amazing band with a record we are all excited for the world to hear. Thanks to all the fans for their warm welcome back and their undying love for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE."

2012 marked a busy year for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.

With Leach firmly installed as the frontman for the last 12 months, the band spent its summer on the road. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE shook the bedrock of venues across the country as part of the first-ever Trespass America tour alongside FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH.

The band recently embarked on a tour that celebrated the 10th anniversary of "Alive Or Just Breathing". They performed the album in full, with a few fan favorites and hits from their gold-selling albums, 2004's"The End Of Heartache" and 2006's "As Daylight Dies", sprinkled into the setlist. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE were also profiled by Decibel in the magazine's highly respected "Hall of Fame" feature for "Alive Or Just Breathing".

In between tours, the band put its nose to the grindstone to work on what would become "Disarm The Descent", with Dutkiewicz producing. The wheels have been turning for the past year, as the band supplemented recording with touring. The time is upon us for the next chapter of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, who were at the forefront of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal resurgence that defined the '00s and have remained vital into the new decade.

"Disarm The Descent" track listing:

01. The Hell In Me
02. Beyond The Flames
03. New Awakening
04. In Due Time
05. A Tribute To The Fallen
06. The Turning Point
07. All That We Have
08. You Don't Bleed For Me
09. The Call
10. No End In Sight
11. Always
12. Time Will Not Remain

"Disarm The Descent" was mixed by veteran British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, TESTAMENT,EXODUS, ACCEPT, ARCH ENEMY and NEVERMORE.

"[The recording process] was great," Leach told Loudwire. "I came off tour I was filled with energy, ready to go, we knocked out a bunch of stuff. I had joined the band, the record was there, we're on tour so I really didn't have time to write. I took the past two months not only recording but writing so I'm there with an idea, being in the other room writing and going to Adam saying, 'Here's my idea I just wrote, what do you think?' So there's real spontaneity some of the songs that we just finished up. I had maybe five or six solid ideas when I came off tour and the rest had to be developed as we were recording it. It was exciting but at the same time tough because for me I'm digging deep down into my emotions and my psyche trying to come up with stuff that is honest and emotive and relevant, hopefully for the listener. It's tiring but well worth, anything that's worth achieving you got to suffer a little bit for it. I think mentally and spiritually and a little bit physically we were suffering but all of that made for an amazing record that I'm really proud of."

He added, "The music is definitely the fastest KILLSWITCH record ever. It's very heavy but still maintains the signature KILLSWITCH hooky, melodic stuff there, too. There's definitely melody attached, but I pulled out some new styles vocally, yelling and screaming and growling and layers and it sounds massive."

Asked what the vibe has been working on the new record with the other members, Leach said, "These guys have welcomed me back with open arms and just very encouraging and digging the stuff that I'm doing and these guys were just like, 'Wow! We're really excited. We feel like it's been a long time since we've been this excited about music,' and that just makes me feel amazing. It makes me feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE fans have already had the opportunity to hear one of the cuts that will appear on the upcoming CD: a rough mix of the song"No End In Sight" was recently leaked online, and as a result the band has started playing it live.

"That song is the weakest song on the whole record," Leach toldLoudwire. "That's my opinion. I actually almost wouldn't mind if it wasn't even on the record because I think other stuff is much better, but probably since we played it and fans know it, we'll put it on, but in my opinion, that's definitely the weakest song. Now that the record is done, in retrospect, that would not be the song that we would be playing live."




New KILLSWITCH ENGAGE song "No End In Sight" (demo version) audio stream:
 

ALTER BRIDGE Begins Writing New Album

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ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti and singer Myles Kennedy have commenced the songwriting process for the band's next album, tentatively due later in the year.

On Friday (January 4), a picture of Tremonti and Kennedy in the studio (see below) was posted on the ALTER BRIDGE Facebook page with the caption: "It begins today." A follow-up message earlier today (Monday, January 7) stated: "Writing on 'AB4' has begun. Very productive sessions so far!"

Tremonti will hit the road with his solo band in Europe and the U.S. starting in February, while Kennedy's dates with Slash in Europe are scheduled to kick off on January 31. 

ALTER BRIDGE's latest album, "ABIII", was self-released on Alter Bridge Recordings via EMI Label Services and debuted at #17 on The Billboard 200 chart. 

The band issued a DVD, "Live At Wembley", at the end of March 2012. The disc contains footage of one of the biggest headline shows of ALTER BRIDGE's career, which took place on November 29, 2011 at Wembley Arena in London, England. 

ALTER BRIDGE is Kennedy, Tremonti, drummer Scott Phillips and bassist Brian Marshall.




OZZY OSBOURNE Back In The Studio Recording Vocals For New BLACK SABBATH Album



Ozzy Osbourne has posted a new photo from a a Los Angeles studio where he is currently laying down vocals on the new BLACK SABBATHalbum. Check it out below.

As previously reported, BLACK SABBATH took part in a photo shoot on November 30 with famed British photographer/artist Sam Taylor-Wood. 

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi clarified the status of the band's new CD in an October interview with "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show". Although it has been reported that the band has recorded 15 songs, Iommi explained, "That's wrong . . . We've written 15 songs and we've played them all. But now, at the moment, we're recording them. We recorded them at my house first, in England, just as demos, but now we're doing them for real. So we're about six tracks in now, at the moment."

Iommi, Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler are recording their first album together under the SABBATH name since 1978's "Never Say Die".

The drums on the disc are being handled by Tommy Clufetos, who has replaced founding drummer Bill Ward due to a contractual dispute between Ward and the rest of the group.

Asked if there is any chance of Ward rejoining the band, Iommi said, "We'll always have a heart for Bill, but I think it's gone past that now, because it's gone on so long that I don't see that happening at the moment. Maybe at some point we might [play together again]."

Meanwhile, SABBATH has announced an Australian tour for April and has also revealed that it will headline the first-ever Japanese version ofOzzfest on May 11-12, with SLIPKNOT also on the bill.





DARK NEW DAY: 'Hail Mary' Artwork, Track Listing Revealed

Pavement Entertainment has acquired the rights to the "long-lost" "Hail Mary" album from DARK NEW DAY — the band featuring Clint Lowery(guitar; SEVENDUST), Corey Lowery (bass; ex-STEREOMUD, STUCK MOJO), Brett Hestla (vocals, guitar; ex-CREED, VIRGOS MERLOT), Will Hunt (drums; EVANESCENCE, ex-SKRAPE, TOMMY LEE) and Bradley "BC" Kochmit (guitar; SWITCHED a.k.a. SW1TCHED). The CD was to be the follow-up to the group's debut effort, "Twelve Year Silence", but it was never released.

"Hail Mary" will finally be made available on February 19 and will be distributed via MRI/RED in North America and SPV in Europe. The CD contains "twelve tracks of in-your-face hard rock that only DARK NEW DAY can deliver," according to a press release.

"Hail Mary" track listing:

01. Goodbye
02. Anywhere
03. Vicious Thinking
04. Simple
05. Hail Mary
06. On My Way
07. Saddest Song
08. Dear Addy
09. Someday
10. Fiend
11. Outside
12. Give Me The World

Commented Hunt: "We in DARK NEW DAY are extremely excited that our 'lost' album is finally going to get the proper release and treatment it deserves. We're excited for fans to hear what two years of writing, struggle, and growth did for us. You'll hear a band that wasn't afraid to embrace experimentation and forge new sonic territory. You'll also hear a band at times grind out some of the darkest, heaviest, lyrically intense music of its career. This record is sonically amazing and we're very proud of it. We hope that this is just a stepping stone to another record in the very near future. Enjoy!"

Tim King, director of A&R for Pavement, states: “I've been a fan ofDARK NEW DAY ever since I bought the debut at Best Buy back in 2005 (yes, I supported my friends and bought the album!!). As their A&R guy, I'm thrilled to be able to work 'Hail Mary', but as a fan I'm even more excited to let everyone finally hear this amazing album."

DARK NEW DAY may have been new to fans of the bandmembers' previous groups, but it was really a reunion that was twelve years in the making, as the members of DARK NEW DAY literally grew up together. Brothers Clint and Corey Lowery and childhood friend Troy McLawhornmet singer Brett Hestla and drummer Will Hunt while touring as kids in the Southeast club circuit. "We were playing a circuit that had a lot of older people in it, in their twenties, and we were all kids, so we could identify with each other," said Hunt in a 2005 interview. "We really came into ourselves on that circuit," added Corey. "It was like going to rock 'n' roll high school — you'd always try and turn it up because you wanted to impress each other."





LARS ULRICH Says New METALLICA Material 'Sounds Like A Continuation' Of 'Death Magnetic'



METALLICA last year tapped award-winning director Nimród Antal to helm the band's 3D movie. Charlotte Huggins ("Journey To The Center Of The Earth", "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island") is producing the film, which will be a marriage of narrative and concert and will star the "five" members of METALLICA — James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Robert Trujillo, and the fans. It will be released in the summer.

"There are similarities [to LED ZEPPELIN's 1976 film 'The Song Remains The Same', a companion to the live album of the same name]," Ulrichreveals in the latest issue of Classic Rock magazine. "There are four members in LED ZEPPELIN, four members in METALLICA, it's a full-length movie, and there's a lot in this film that does not take place onstage. The major difference is that the stuff that takes place offstage in theMETALLICA movie does not feature any members of METALLICA. It's two separate worlds — a METALLICA show and a story that unfolds in a parallel universe — and at some point they intertwine."

METALLICA recently commenced work on material for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" for a tentative 2014 release. The new songs are said to pick up where the last album left off.

"'Death Magnetic' is one motherfucker of a record," Ulrich told Classic Rock. "There aren't many METALLICA records that sound as good as'Death Magnetic' four years after they were made. With a lot of the other records, there were questions: 'Why did we do that?' or 'What was going on there?' or 'Why didn't somebody say to turn the snare on?' I don't feel like that with 'Death Magnetic'. What we're doing now certainly sounds like a continuation."

However, Lars would not confirm that METALICA's next album will once again be helmed by producer Rick Rubin, who worked on "Death Magnetic", telling Classic Rock: "I love Rick. We all love Rick. We're in touch with Rick constantly. We'll see where it goes."

He added: "It would stun me if the record came out in 2013. We've got to finish this 3D movie, which is what we're doing right now."


Source: Blabbermouth.net



Kings of Leon Begins Recording Next Studio Album

 

Grammy-winners The Black Keys are among the artists featured in a new ad campaign the Recording Academy has launched to promote the upcoming Grammy Awards, which air on February 10.
The campaign, called #TheWorldIsListening, features print and digital ads, as well as three TV commercials. Look for The Keys to appear in the third commercial of the series, titled “Soundcheck.”
In addition to the ads, #TheWorldIsListening has an associated website,GrammyAmplifier.com, where unknown musicians can share tracks via SoundCloud, and compete for a chance to have their songs tweeted by top stars, thus gaining valuable exposure.
The Black Keys are up for five awards at this year's event in connection with their latest album, El Camino. The release scored nominations for Album of the Year and Best Rock Album, while their hit single “Lonely Boy” will compete for Record of the Year, Best Rock Song, and Best Rock Performance.  In addition, guitarist Dan Auerbach received a nod for Producer of the Year for his work on Dr. John’s album, Locked Down.