IN THIS MOMENT's 'Blood' Is Best-Selling Single Of All Time For CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS
After being one of the most talked-about acts at this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival, IN THIS MOMENT can add another accolade to the list: the top-selling single of all time for longtime labelCentury Media Records. "Blood", the title track of the Southern Calfornia band's latest album, has sold upwards of 75,000 units since its release a few months ago. The song continues to move an additional 5,000 copies per week and shows no signs of slowing down.
IN THIS MOMENT will embark on a new tour in mid-October. The first set of dates for the explosive quintet will be headlining, while the shows beginning in mid-November will find IN THIS MOMENT supportingHALESTORM.
In radio news, "Blood" is rapidly approaching the Top 10 at Active Rock radio, with stations such as WRIF/Detroit, WJJO/Madison and KQXR/Boise all spinning the album.
"Blood", the album, recently bowed at #15 on The Billboard 200 chart, selling upwards of 20,000 units in its first week. This marked the band's highest album chart debut ever, with nearly double the first-week sales of their previous release, 2010's "A Star Crossed Wasteland".
Produced by Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH), "Blood" is IN THIS MOMENT's fourth album for Century Media.
IN THIS MOMENT began work on the new CD just a few months following the departures of drummer Jeff Fabb and guitarist Blake Bunzel, who left the band late last year in order to join the backing group of "AmericanIdol" finalist James Durbin. Fabb and Bunzel have since been replaced by Tom Hane (THYATEIRA) and Randy Weitzel (FLATLINE, 3/13,AMERICAN MASSACRE), respectively.
PAPA ROACH Frontman On Vocal Surgery: 'It's Healing Really Well'
California rockers PAPA ROACH last month officially dropped off theRockstar Energy Uproar Festival after just one week, with singerJacoby Shaddix needing surgery to remove a nodule on his vocal cord.Shaddix was diagnosed earlier this summer and attempted to take care of it without an operation.
In a new interview with Loudwire, Shaddix says that the surgery was a success and that he should be back on the stage in the very near future.
"Recovery is going really good," Shaddix said. "It was a little tough in the beginning; I couldn't talk at all so that sucked. It was the longest silence of my life since I was born; I just wanted to talk so bad.”
He added, "[I] went to the first doctor's appointment, all good. Went to another one yesterday and the doctor said I could start warming up. It was funny because they put a camera down my nose and down my throat to look down there and they couldn't see which side they operated on because it had healed so well. They had to go back and look at the 'before' pictures, so that's a god sign. It's healing really well."
Asked if there will be a long-term impact on his singing voice, Shaddixsaid, "I don't think so. I'll find out exactly how my voice sounds in the next few weeks. Anything is better than what it was, though, because it was fucking terrible. I'm good."
The throat problems follow a tough period during which Shaddix split and reconciled with his wife of 15 years and also fell off the wagon.
PAPA ROACH's new album, "The Connection", which will be released on October 2 via Eleven Seven Music. The CD was recorded at the band's hometown studio, The Red House in Sacramento, California, and was produced by rock veteran James Michael (SIXX: A.M., HALESTORM) and John Feldmann (PANIC AT THE DISCO, THE USED, ESCAPE THE FATE).
JOHN CONNOLLY Talks PROJECTED Debut, Future Of SEVENDUST
Bob Zerull of Zoiks! Online recently conducted an interview withSEVENDUST guitarist John Connolly about John's side projectPROJECTED, which also features SEVENDUST bassist Vince Hornsby andCREED/ALTER BRIDGE drummer Scott Phillips. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Zoiks! Online: I was checking out yourwebsite and it seems likePROJECTED started as a bunch of friends getting together having a good time that turned into something more. Is that about right?
John Connolly: Pretty much. I don't want to say we set the bar low, but we said we're just going to go in here and have fun with this. We had a bunch of songs lying around that we wanted to take in. Originally, it was just going to be me going in there and doing most everything. The more we talked about it and the more we got together a game plan and studio time, the more we kind of started talking about, "Hey, Scott, remember ten years ago when we first talked about doing that thing, that side project? Well, what are you doing in March?" [laughs] Literally, it was pretty much that. Erock [Eric Friedman] was like, "Hey, man I want to get in on this." I had already talked to Vinnie about doing it, because we knew that [fellow SEVENDUST members] Morgan [Rose] and Clint[Lowery] were going to be doing CALL ME NO ONE. It literally came together, for lack of a better description and explanation for how it really happened. It wasn't like I sat down and said, here is my top fifty drummers that I'm going to go after, here's my top 25 guitar players — it wasn't that at all. It was just us saying, "Hey, man, let's just go in and do what we always said we were going to do." I think the end result at the end of the day surprised us just as much as it surprised everyone else.
Zoiks! Online: You're taking on the vocal duties. How difficult of a transition is it to be a frontman?
John Connolly: You know, it's hard to describe. I think the first thing that you go through is the acceptance that there's no one to hide behind. WithSEVENDUST it's, like, let LJ [Witherspoon] do his thing and I'll duck in back there and stay out of the way a little bit. With PROJECTED, all of the sudden, it's, like, "Wow, the sound of your voice is what is going to carry this whole deal." Coming to terms with that is an interesting thing. First of all, you have the fact that you've never done it. Then throw in the fact that we're going to record at home, too. Let's do it in probably the worst environment we could possibly be doing it in. [laughs] It's nice and convenient to be able to do it when you want to do it, but you have theUPS guy unloading stuff, you've got lawnmowers in the background, dogs barking, 'Just Dance 3' blending in a little bit. You throw all those things in the mix and you hang on and ask, is it doable? What do we have here that works? But yeah, it's tricky, it's a lot of different learning processes, but it's definitely a cool experience to actually step out and say where is my voice, what is my voice.
Zoiks! Online: On your website, in the "About The Band" section, you mention how it was nice to work with no pressure, no preconceived expectations. There's been talk that the next SEVENDUST record could be the last, and if the band does decide to call it a day, how much of it do you think would be due to the music industry and the business side just sucking all the fun out of your art?
John Connolly: If that were the case, that would be the reason. In all honesty… Obviously, you can look around and you can't say it's not because they don't want to make music, because they're making music in different bands now. [laughs] That drive is still there, the thirst and the hunger to actually just make new music regardless of what it says at the end of the day. If it ever ended up being where SEVENDUST called it quits, it would be because of that very reason, the fact that we couldn't find a way to make it work on the business side of things. I mean, for us, in all honesty, that is our biggest struggle. It's never a musical thing that's a struggle. It's just a lot of it comes down to the business stuff. To be quite honest with you, we just went through our last major change about five or six months ago and things are starting to look positive. We made a few key changes in the off time. I don't want to say that we will or we won't. I don't really intend on it, but you never know. As we get older and everyone tries new things. I think SEVENDUST will be something that will always be there if we choose to do it. Not saying this is the last record, but if it were the last record, it'd probably only be for a minute; I don't know that we would ever call it up forever. We get asked that question a lot because we had discussed, maybe we should do one more full album, one more full cycle and then not really take a break, but do what we did this time, we went and made a PROJECTED record, did a CALL ME NO ONE record. It would be kind of nice if at some point in time we could spend a little time on those things. Those are the only things that I think would call for us hitting the pause button again. It's the five of us, which is kind of a strange situation to be in. Fifteen years ago, class of 1997, how many bands are still all together, the original five guys? I'm, like, "Holy shit!" We really do enjoy each other's company. We're just excited to get back into the studio and make music again. This break has been, even though we worked on music and did side projects and different things, it's different. When you're writing for SEVENDUST, you're writing forSEVENDUST. It's hard to explain. I know what's PROJECTED and I know what's SEVENDUST. I wouldn't say that this is the last.
SOIL Singer Says Next Album Will Pick Up Where 'Redefine' Left Off
On September 25, Jake Serd and Ken Kirby of 94.9 K-Rock recently conducted an interview with ex-DROWNING POOL and current SOILvocalist Ryan McCombs.
Asked about his relationship with his former DROWNING POOL bandmates less than a year since he exited the group, McCombs said, "We ended things very… We were all just burnt out, and at the time they didn't even know… Once we talked about the fact that I was stepping away, they didn't even know whether they were going to do another record. I'm glad that they did, because they're just a great group of guys. We [SOIL andDROWNING POOL] actually did a festival together a couple of months ago in Michigan, which ended in just the typical — me, Stevie [Benton, bass] and C.J. [Pierce, guitar] getting completely obliterated together. So things are really good. I mean, there's no animosity, no hard feelings."
McCombs also spoke about SOIL's future plans, including the release of a new studio album, which is tentatively scheduled for next year. Several songs have already been written for te effort, which the singer says will "pick up where [2004's] 'Redefine' left off. I love the material that we're writing, and that's the feeling that I get from it," he said. "At the same time, ['Redefine' came out] seven years ago, so I'm sure there's gonna be some change."
He continued, "A lot of fans I ran into on the road just in the past few weeks made comments that they felt like, you had [2001's] 'Scars' and you had 'Redefine' and then really… I'm not dissing anything. The [otherSOIL] guys, I think, put out two really good albums [with another singer] after I left. But it's just the way… Usually, when people listen to music, it's kind of the voice that catches people's ears. I'm not putting myself up on [a pedestal] by saying that, but at the same time, it's just kind of the reality of the business. So people were saying how it was kind of like those next two DROWNING POOL albums [with me on vocals] were… that was the follow-up to the first two SOIL records as far as that vocal sound. And I think this [new SOIL CD] is just gonna be the next one in line.
"I love the material we're doing and it's feeling good. I hope the people that loved 'Scars' and 'Redefine' see that natural progression."
SOIL will support FOZZY on a nine-date U.K. tour launching November 27 in Stoke, England and wrapping up December 6 in Brighton, England. The tour marks both bands' first return to the United Kingdom since highly successful appearances at this year's Download festival. The tour will also feature the U.K.'s own BREED 77.
SOIL released its first-ever DVD, entitled "Re-LIVE-Ing The Scars", on May 8 via Bieler Bros. Records. The two-disc set, which was recorded live on October 14, 2011 at Electric Ballroom in London, England, contains an audio CD version of the same concert. Also included is over one hour of backstage and behind-the-scenes bonus footage and photos.
SOIL's recording lineup for "Re-LIVE-Ing The Scars" consisted of founding members Ryan McCombs (vocals; ex-DROWNING POOL), Tim King (bass) and Adam Zadel (guitar) alongside former STAIND drummerJon Wysocki.
SLIPKNOT Confirmed For Next Year's DOWNLOAD Festival
SLIPKNOT has been confirmed for next year's Download festival, set to take place June 14-16, 2013 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. Also scheduled to appear at the event so far are IRON MAIDENand RAMMSTEIN. More acts will be announced soon.
"We are extremely honored to have been asked once again to headline theDownload festival," said SLIPKNOT's Clown. "It's always good to have the church of the Knot, the alter of the Knot, giving the sermon of the Knot to the congregation of the Knot, the culture of the Knot. This summer cannot come soon enough. Partake in the imagination or don't bitch."
A Des Moines, Iowa doctor was charged on September 5 with involuntary manslaughter because he allegedly over-prescribed painkillers to eight of his patients — one of whom was SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray, who died of a drug overdose in May 2010.
Gray was found dead at the age of 38 in a hotel room outside Des Moines, surrounded by drug paraphernalia. His death was ruled an accidental overdose of morphine and fentanyl, with his autopsy showing that Grayalso suffered from significant heart disease.
Gray's widow, Brenna, revealed in an April 2011 interview with Revolverthat her husband had agreed to get help for his drug problem just one day before he died on May 24, 2010.
After a lengthy hiatus, SLIPKNOT resumed touring last year, with Donnie Steele playing bass live. The band intends to enter a recording studio sometime in 2013 to begin work on its first album without Gray.
Source: Blabbermouth.net
Muse’s Upcoming Tour to Feature “Huge Upside-Down Pyramid” and “Dancing Aliens”
In addition to experiencing tracks from the Muse’s upcoming album, The 2nd Law, fans who attend the band's upcoming world tour can expect to take in an amazing stage show as well.
"On stage we're going to have these huge upside-down pyramid which can turn itself inside out," drummer Dom Howard tells BBC News. "It represents the power hierarchy turned on its head." Howard adds that there will also be "dancing aliens" and some epic fight scenes. "I'm going to do some kung fu and fend off some businessmen, who are losing their minds as they realize they've lost everyone's money," he reveals.
In other Muse news, the band has posted a stream of every song from The 2nd Law oniTunes, where it'll remain from now until the album's release date this coming Tuesday.
Slash Rocks Demonic Strip Club in “Bad Rain” Animated Video
Slash has decided to go the animated route for the video for “Bad Rain,” the third single from his second solo album, Apocalyptic Love. The storyline follows the misadventures a man who pays a visit to strip club which turns out to be filled with a variety of demonic and evil creatures. Slash, along with Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators, are featured in the clip as well, serving as the house band for the club.
Coheed and Cambria Offer Stream of “The Afterman” Online
Coheed and Cambria are giving us another taste of their upcoming, double-CD, sixth studio album. The band has posted a stream of the album’s title track, “The Afterman,” at RollingStone.com.
Frontman Claudio Sanchez says that the songwriting process for the album was inspired by the death of his wife’s close friend. "She found out about it through Facebook, which is the most impersonal way to receive this intensely personal news," Sanchez tellsRolling Stone. "Later that night, I sat down and just started writing a song. It became the album's title track, from the point of view of her experience. Everything else followed from there." The Afterman: Ascension, will be available in stores on October 9. The second album,The Afterman: Descension, is slated for release in February 2013.
Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Schedules Special Horror-Themed Book-Release Event in November
Kirk Hammett is scaring up something unique for fans of horror movies. The Metallicaguitarist has scheduled a special event to celebrate the release of his horror memorabilia book, Too Much Horror Business, at Public Works in San Francisco, California on November 1 at 9 p.m. PT.
Fans are encouraged to wear their “finest ghoulish and ghastly costumes” to the event, which will feature zombies, burlesque dancers, horror face painting, live sets byJudgement Day and Death Angel and DJ sets by Motion Potion and guest MC Nikki Blakk.
If you're a member of Metallica’s Met Club, you can purchase pre-sale tickets for the event now. Tickets will be available to the general public on Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
