Vocalist Howard Jones of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will be interviewed by Shauna O'Donnell of MUENTalk on 525 Power Tracks today (Friday, July 24) at 12:00 p.m. PST / 3:00 p.m. EST.
The new, self-titled album from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE sold 58,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's third album, "As Daylight Dies", which was released in November 2006, has just been certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies). That album featured the group's highest-charting radio singles to date, including "My Curse" and the fan favorite, a cover version of DIO's "Holy Diver".
"As Daylight Dies" opened with just under 60,000 units to debut at position No. 32 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was the follow up to 2004's Grammy-nominated album "The End of Heartache", which was also certified gold.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's self-titled fourth album was released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was produced by Brendan O'Brien (AC/DC, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and co-produced by guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will team up with IN FLAMES for a co-headlining tour of Canada in September. Support on the trek will come from PROTEST THE HERO and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME.
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Monday, September 21 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with MASTODON by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625).
MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor will take part in a signing session for Meinl Cymbals on July 28 at the Musikhuset AAGE Jensen in Copenhagen, Denmark from 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.
MASTODON recently launched a "Crack The Skye"tour page featuring pictures, videos, setlists and fan commentary for each show on the band's current trek.
MASTODON in May released two versions of the band's new album, "Crack The Skye", on vinyl. The first is a standard high-quality vinyl issue with beautiful full-size album artwork. There is also a special deluxe edition mastered and pressed on two discs at 45 rpm for maximum audiophile fidelity housed in a gatefold sleeve available in a very limited edition, one-time-only pressing. This edition also includes the complete album on CD.
"Crack The Skye" sold 41,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart.
MASTODON's 2006 CD, "Blood Mountain", came in with just over 24,000 units — significantly more than the 8,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, 2004's "Leviathan" — which put it at No. 32.
Texas-based mythological occult metal band ABSU will embark on a full European tour later this year. Support on the trek will come from psychedelic black metal band NACHTMYSTIUM, Australia's RAZOR OF OCCAM (featuring members of DESTROYER 666) and ZOROASTER.
Confirmed dates are as follows:
Oct. 16 - Germany Aschaffenburg @ Jukuz Oct. 17 - Germany Essen @ Turock Oct. 18 - Germany Hamburg @ Markthalle Oct. 19 - Denmark Copenhagen @ The Rock Oct. 20 - Germany Berlin @ K17 Oct. 21 - Germany Nürnberg @ Z-Bau Oct. 22 - Germany Leipzig @ Conne Island Oct. 23 - Germany Kassel @ K19 Oct. 24 - Czech Rep Prague @ Exit Chmelnice Oct. 25 - Hungary Budapest @ Durer Kert Oct. 26 - Austria Wien @ Arena Oct. 27 - Slovenia Ljubljana @ Gala Hala Oct. 28 - Germany München @ Feierwerk Oct. 29 - Italy Turin @ Spazio 211 Oct. 30 - Switzerland Zürich @ Dynamo Werk 21 Oct. 31 - France Paris @ Glazart Nov. 01 - UK Nottingham @ Rock City Nov. 02 - UK Manchester @ Moho Live Nov. 03 - UK London @ Underworld Nov. 04 - Ireland Dublin @ Academy 2 Nov. 05 - UK Plymouth @ White Rabbit Nov. 06 - Belgium Aarschot @ JH De Klinker Nov. 07 - Holland Rotterdam @ Watt
ABSU hasn't toured Europe in over a decade apart from some small festival appearances.
ABSU's self-titled album was released on February 24 via Candlelight Records. The CD was more or less engineered by the band, mixed by none other than J.T. Longoria at Nomad Recording Studio (KING DIAMOND, SOLITUDE AETERNUS, etc.). It was mastered by Proscriptor at his studio Tarot Productions.
Guest musicians on the album include the following:
Ashmedi (MELECHESH) Blasphemer (ex-MAYHEM, AVA INFERI) Equitant (ex-ABSU, EQUITANT) David Harbour (ex-KING DIAMOND, DAVID HARBOUR) Michael Harris (DARKOLOGY, MICHAEL Harris) Mindwalker (THE FIRSTBORN) Nornagest (ENTHRONED) Vorskaath (ZEMIAL)
ABSU last year announced the addition of bassist/co-vocalist Ezezu (ex-PANZRAM) to the group's ranks.
A brand new CALIBAN track entitled "Caliban's Revenge" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song comes off the German metalcore band's seventh album, "Say Hello To Tragedy", which is scheduled for release in Europe on August 24 via Century Media Records (one day later in the U.S.). The follow-up to 2007's "The Awakening" was once again produced by Benny Richter, co-produced by guitarist Marc Goertz and was mixed by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz.
"Say Hello To Tragedy" will be available in the following formats:
* CD jewelcase * Limited digipack with alternative dyecut cover plus two bonus tracks ("Forsaken Horizon" and "Between The Worlds", recorded live at Germany's With Full Force festival in 2008) and CD enhancement ("24 Years" live clip, interview, photo gallery) - LP + CD (the entire limited-edition CD) - Digital download
CALIBAN's video for the song "24 Years" can be viewed below.
CALIBAN previously stated about the upcoming CD, "With the new songs, we are taking things to the next level from 'The Awakening' [2007] just in a more extreme way! We now mixed even more old stuff with new elements! If you thought 'The Awakening' was heavier than the other albums we released before, then wait until you hear the new one! The mood of the album will generally be a bit 'darker,' and more somber as the album title might let you suggest. Some of the songs will probably hit you like a rock, haha! Also, the vocals changed a little bit again, especially the clean vox; we will still have them, but in a different way. They're going more together with the screaming and won't be that separated most of the time, which makes everything way more interesting!"
The group added, "This time we worked really long and hard to get the 12 new tracks together, we never 'trashed' so many songs, parts and ideas as we did for this album, not because they were bad. We just thought we can do better, that was only possible because we had much more time on our hands compared to the previous albums. This way we could pick the best 12 songs out of like 20 or something. We just can't wait for everybody of you guys to hear the new tracks!! And hope you like them as much as we do!!"
The artwork for the new CD was created by Basti Basti of CALLEJON, who has previously worked with such bands as HEAVEN SHALL BURN and WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH.
Finnish melodic death metal band ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW has issued the following update:
"We have been rehearsing with our new guitarist, Mika Lammassaari, for two and a half months now and things are going very smoothly. We still have no official live show dates (as most of Finland is having its summer holiday right now) but we should come up with them soon. In addition, we're trying to get many foreign live shows, too. And we have started writing new material, too, but it's far too early to write anything about it."
"Children of the Dark Waters", the sixth album from ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW, recently entered the official chart in the group's home country at position No. 19.
"Children of the Dark Waters" was released in Finland on May 27 via Suomen Musiikki. As was the case with the band's previous five LPs, the effort was recorded at Tico-Tico Studio in Kemi, Finland.
Released in the rest of Europe via Massacre Records and in Asia through Marquee/Avalon, "Children of the Dark Waters" features the following track listing:
01. Children of the Dark Waters (Act II) 02. Baptized by the Blood of Angels 03. Tears of Autumn Rain 04. Summon the Wild 05. Sea of Whispers 06. Midnight Bird 07. Diary of Demonic Dreams 08. When the Darkest Night Falls 09. Nocturne Thule
Check out the cover artwork below.
"Tears of Autumn Rain", the latest single from ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW, was released in Finland on February 18. The single's title cut, which features guest female vocals by by Miriam Renvåg (RAM-ZET) and Heidi Parviainen (AMBERIAN DAWN), is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The second track on the single is a reworked version of "Vilda Mánnu", which was the title cut of the band's second album, released in 1998. The cover artwork for single was created by Travis Smith.
ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW's fifth album, "Before the Bleeding Sun", was released in Finland in April 2006 via Spinefarm Records.
Swedish death metal veterans UNLEASHED have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their upcoming tenth album. The band says, "We are very much looking forward to this new cooperation! The recording of the album is scheduled for October/November this year."
Quality fan-filmed video footage of UNLEASHED performing at this year's Neurotic Deathfest, which was held May 29-30 at 013 in Tilburg, Holland, can be viewed below (courtesy of "letthemetalflow").
UNLEASHED's ninth full-length album, "Hammer Battalion", was recorded in Sweden and produced by the band's guitarist Fredrik Folkare, "Hammer Battalion" takes a battle-hardened axe to the misguided concepts of self-subjugation, transparent corruption and unneeded suffering in the name of religious figureheads and provides a perfect link between the ancient struggles of their Nordic forefathers and the ills of our modern society. The blistering "The Greatest Of All Lies" and "Long Before Winter's Call" take on old religious myths re-cast as pure fact, while "Your Children Will Burn" serves as a warning of the consequences of blind faith. "Whatever is done in the name of different religions is often done against Mother Nature," notes vocalist/bassist Johnny Hedlund. "And she has the means of striking back."
UNLEASHED's current lineup:
Johnny Hedlund: Bass, Vocals Tomas Måsgard: Guitar Fredrik Folkare: Guitar Anders Schultz: Drums
Florida-based melodic metal veterans CRIMSON GLORY will be joined by the following special guest vocalists for their headlining performance at the ProgPower USA X festival on September 11, 2009 at the Center Stage in Atlanta, Georgia:
* Wade Black (CRIMSON GLORY, LEATHERWOLF) * Zak Stevens (SAVATAGE, CIRCLE II CIRCLE) * Lance King (PYRAMAZE, BALANCE OF POWER) * Nils K. Rue (PAGAN'S MIND) * Chris Salinas (ZERO HOUR, POWER OF OMENS) * Ronny Monroe (METAL CHURCH) * Andy Franck (BRAINSTORM, SYMPHORCE, IVANHOE) * Sean Peck (CAGE) * Danilo Herbert (MINDFLOW) * Joakim Brodén (SABATON) * Michael Eriksen (CIRCUS MAXIMUS) * David Vanlanding (CRIMSON GLORY, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP)
Additional guest singers will be announced as they are confirmed.
Also performing alongside the band will be guitarist Matt LaPorte (JON OLIVA'S PAIN, CIRCLE II CIRCLE, MIDNIGHT) and keyboardist John Zahner (CRIMSON GLORY, SAVATAGE, CIRCLE II CIRCLE, JON OLIVA'S PAIN), as well as bassist Nolen Strong and vocalist Danaë Saree.
Commented CRIMSON GLORY: "The response of singers wanting to be a part of this has been nothing short of overwhelming, and we are very pleased with the lineup thus far. Indeed, we are both excited and honored to be sharing the stage with such incredibly talented people; each have made a name for themselves with their individual vocal stylings and we look forward to having them alongside us as we showcase [late singer] Midnight's extraordinary career with CRIMSON GLORY.
"As this is our only U.S. show date scheduled for 2009, this promises to be a truly memorable show for long-time fans as well as the 'new blood' with something for everybody, and we feel that Midnight would be very pleasantly surprised to know that so many gifted singers have stepped up to lend their unique voices to his tribute.
"We realize that many ProgPower USA attendees were coming to this year's fest to see specific bands, the absence of whom have allowed us this great opportunity to perform. It is our sincere hope that the varied lineup of guest performers we have selected will ensure that all who attend this year get something truly personal and special from our show.
"CRIMSON GLORY wishes to again extend their sincere thanks and gratitude to founder/promotor Glenn Harveston for offering this great opportunity to celebrate Midnight's legendary legacy with our band, as well as for working so hard to keep this incredible festival going for ten years strong.
"We are proud to be a part of ProgPower USA, and we aim to help make this the most memorable and truly special ProgPower event since its inception.
"Lastly, to all of our fans both diehard and new, we thank you for your amazing support: it is YOU who make CRIMSON GLORY's music truly eternal.
"We're looking forward to meeting those of you coming to the fest; we'll see you in September!"
CRIMSON GLORY bassist Jeff Lords will not participate in the band's headlining appearance at the ProgPower USA tenth-anniversary festival for "personal" reasons.
Midnight passed away on Wednesday, July 8 from "total kidney and liver failure." He was 47 years old.
Midnight sang on CRIMSON GLORY's first three albums — "Crimson Glory" (1986), "Transcendence" (1988) and "Strange and Beautiful" (1991) — before going into self-imposed exile for almost a decade. He eventually rejoined CRIMSON GLORY in 2005 but was dismissed in January 2007.
CRIMSON GLORY's classic "Lonely" video (off "Transcendence"):
Ytsejam Records, DREAM THEATER's official "bootleg" store, has made the following new titles available:
* "The Making of Falling Into Infinity" (1 CD) (details) * "Train Of Thought Instrumental Demos 2003" (1 CD) (details) * "Uncovered 2003-2005" (1 CD) (details) * "Santiago, Chile 12/6/05" (1 DVD) (details)
DREAM THEATER's new album, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", sold 40,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.
DREAM THEATER's last CD, "Systematic Chaos", opened with 36,000 units in 2007 to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 19. 2005's "Octavarium" premiered with 27,000 copies to debut at No. 36.
In addition to the standard-version CD, DREAM THEATER's tenth studio album, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", was also made available on vinyl LP, as well as a three-disc, special-edition CD that includes the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian has issued the following update:
"I am in the middle of writing a follow-up to my poetry book, 'Cool Gardens'. The new collection of works is yet to be titled, but it will definitely feature illustrations by Roger Kupelian, the director of my music video for 'Honking Antelope' [see below]. I am looking to create a visual/interactive element to the new poetry book and more details will be released as they are available."
Tankian performed on March 16, 209 in Auckland, New Zealand, at the Auckland Town Hall with the city's philharmonic orchestra (Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra). Tankian played songs from his 2007 debut solo album, "Elect The Dead", as well as "some unreleased extras."
Tankian told The Pulse of Radio not long ago that he has wanted to work with an orchestra for some time, and has even considered doing so on his next solo effort. "What I was planning on doing is doing more of a jazz-orchestral second solo record, but I'm not exactly one hundred percent sure because until the songs come and you kind of look at the whole picture, you don't really know what you're gonna end up with," he said. "I've been really interested in working with an orchestra, 'cause I've been doing more scoring-type of, composing-type of things. I actually wasn't intending to make a rock record with 'Elect The Dead' originally. It just kind of ended up that way."
Respected New Zealand composer John Psathas worked with Tankian on the orchestral arrangements.
The singer lives part time in New Zealand and owns a house there.
Tankian issued "Elect The Dead" in late 2007 and toured extensively behind the disc with his backup band, THE FCC. He has also been working on songs for a new musical from the creator of the Broadway hit "Spring Awakening".
SYSTEM OF A DOWN went on indefinite hiatus in the fall of 2006 and there are no plans as yet for the group to begin working together again.
PureGrainAudio.com recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
PureGrainAudio.com: Now I've read that MEGADETH's twelfth studio album is very close to being completed in the studio. Can you let us in on any news about its sound or what we can expect?
Shawn: Well, it's completed, the tracks are recorded and it's being mixed and mastered as we speak. It's that close to being one hundred percent done and then, you know, we deliver it to the record company and all of that stuff. What does it sound like? You know, to me, it sounds like a good solid MEGADETH metal record, you know?! From what I'm hearing, there seems to be a little bit for everybody, you know?! A lot of different elements that MEGADETH has done in the past, and I think a lot of fans are really going to dig it. Whether you're a fan of heavy, fast, thrashy stuff or more mid-tempo stuff or slower stuff — whatever it is; slower or heavier stuff — it's got a little bit of everything in there.
PureGrainAudio.com: What's perhaps different about this new forthcoming record compared to your last record "United Abominations"?
Shawn: It's just, you know, like any other MEGADETH record; not two MEGADETH records sound the same. You can't name two MEGADETH records that sound similar, can you? I really think that this is just another offering from the band, you know?! It's just got a lot of great metal songs on it. Sonically, I think it sounds amazing, the songs are really well arranged... It's a heavy record, so... I think it's great, so hopefully a lot of people will share that opinion, but that remains to be seen. You know, again, I don't like to refer it to any other record — you gotta keep moving, you can't rely on the past, you gotta keep moving forward. So all I can say is it's a good, solid, sonic metal record, it's a good record.
PureGrainAudio.com: Now how involved are you, James [Lomenzo, bass] and Chris [Broderick, guitar] involved in the writing, recording and production process? Do you take an active role helping Dave [Mustaine, guitar/vocals] write the songs?
Shawn: Sure. I mean. the bulk of the material is written by Dave. I mean. that's nothing new, it's always been like that. But a lot of it was broken down into parts — old riffs, new riffs — there was a lot of stuff on file, it was a Pandora's box of metal riffs is what I like to call it and there was so much good stuff that we would say, "Well, hey, why don't we put that part with that or let's put those two together and let's go in to the warehouse and jam out some new stuff and maybe we can fit something into that part." You know what I mean?! It was a kind of putting the pieces of the puzzle together to make all these songs. It was really interesting, but yeah, we all had input and made opinions on it. Dave would say, "What do you think about this, what do you think about that, do you like this, do you like that...?" So it's a collaborative effort, but it does all stem from the riffs and songs that Dave writes.
PureGrainAudio.com: Over the years, Dave has gotten a bad rap at times in the press for having feuds with other bands and being difficult to work with. What's your take on all of this? Is it just the press looking for a headline?
Shawn: Well, I think the press perpetuates those headlines, don't they? When you're asking questions, twenty-seven and twenty-eight years later, to Dave about Lars [Ulrich] and METALLICA, that's just people starting shit or they're not doing research, so I don't pay any attention to that at all. You know, all I can say from my experience personally, right from the get-go, I've had a great time with him, he wants things done with the utmost professionalism and he wants things executed as perfectly as possible... But I'm the same way and I wouldn't expect anything less from him. Maybe that's why we've gotten along so well is because we kind of want the same thing. It's like if I came into the band and was a twenty-year-old punk who just wanted to do drugs and get wasted, you know — all that rock and roll bullshit that's been done — maybe it would have been different. But my whole mindset since joining this band has been that I want to be as professional as possible and maintain the integrity of MEGADETH. I think I've done that very well and he appreciates it and we just share the same vision in a lot of ways of what we want to do with this band so it's been quite easy for me.
Rafi (a.k.a. DeathWish) of VampireFreaks.com conducted an interview with the Michigan-based melodic death metal band THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER during this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Watch the six-minute chat below.
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will release its new album, "Deflorate", on September 15 via Metal Blade Records. "A Selection Unnatural", the first single, is now available for streaming exclusively on RevolverMag.com.
Vocalist Trevor Strnad stated about the "A Selection Unnatural" song, "I was watching some crazy shit on birth defects on the health channel and I wanted to try to recreate the feelings of horror and repulsion that people react with when seeing these kinds of unfortunate images. 'A Selection Unnatural' is meant to be a science-fiction shocker about the short life of a terribly deformed mutant of a child. From the moment he is born he is kept in labs and is regarded as a living medical marvel, poked and prodded by scientific minds wondering how such a being could come to be. How could such a thing occur in nature? Is he a human being like you and I? I was trying to find a balance between completely describing the creature and leaving a bit up to the imagination and let the listener decide exactly what it would look like. The person telling the story is meant to sound disgusted, a voice of sheer cruelty and indifference to the child's life. He wonders what the boy's purpose was on this earth, scoffing at his plight. The title is obviously a play on Darwin's theory of natural selection."
"Deflorate" track listing:
01. Black Valor 02. Necropolis 03. A Selection Unnatural 04. Denounced, Disgraced 05. Christ Deformed 06. Death Panorama 07. Throne Of Lunacy 08. Eyes Of Thousand 09. That Which Erodes The Most Tender 10. I Will Return
"Majesty", the brand new DVD from THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, sold 2,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on the Top Music Videos chart.
Released on May 12 via Metal Blade, "Majesty" is a first-ever look into the group's relentless touring lifestyle and a "side-splitting peek into the hard-working band's humor-laced brand of daily life [that] will have you smelling the funk of the van from coast to coast and keep you coming back for more. Brimming with bone-crushing live performances and hilarious after show antics, 'Majesty' is your ticket to ride. Witness the real history as told by the band! Behold the ravenous legions of fans! Learn the secrets of the ape! What you hold in your hands is the ultimate BLACK DAHLIA experience… now shut up and get in the van!"
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's last album, "Nocturnal", was released on September 18, 2007 via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2005's "Miasma" was recorded with Eric Rachel (who mixed "Miasma") and was mixed by Jason Suecof.
Rafi (a.k.a. DeathWish) of VampireFreaks.com conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH during this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Watch the eight-minute chat below.
BEHEMOTH is streaming a brand new track, "Shemhamforash", on its MySpace page. The song comes off the band's ninth full-length studio album, "Evangelion", which is scheduled for release on August 7 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records and August 11 in North America through Metal Blade. The CD was mixed at Miloco Studios in London, England by Colin Richardson, who has previously worked with MACHINE HEAD, SLIPKNOT, NAPALM DEATH and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, among many others.
"Evangelion" track listing:
01. Daimonos 02. Shemaforash 03. Ov Fire And The Void 04. Transmigrating Beyond Realms Ov Amenti 05. He Who Breeds Pestilence 06. The Seed Ov I 07. Alas, Lord Is Upon Me 08. Defiling Morality Ov Black God 09. Lucifer
The digipack edition will include a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage and expanded artwork.
BEHEMOTH is currently on the road as part of the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. The band is performing on the Hot Topic stage alongside CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, JOB FOR A COWBOY and WHITECHAPEL.
Speed Beaver Music recently conducted an interview with vocalist Freddy Lim of the Taiwanese metal band CHTHONIC. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Speed Beaver Music: OK, tell us about the new album, what is it called and what the idea of the album is, what's the concept?
Freddy: The album is called "Mirror of Retribution". A mirror of retribution is the first thing you will meet when you are in hell, the Taiwanese, Oriental hell. Through the mirror, you see all the bad things you and your relatives have done in your lifetime. Each spirit has to face the mirror of retribution then the ghost king will send him to the specific level of hell that he deserves. In the Oriental hell, there are ten ghost kings in ten courts and there are 18 levels of hell and hundreds of small levels. So it takes millions of years for you to serve your sentence. So the original idea is to show this philosophy of hell. All the Asians, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Vietnam, share the same philosophy.
No other metal band has tried to do this. It's too big! So the question is how to do it. It not just like Satan and one burning hell. So in Taiwanese temples, there are some mediums there are people who can travel through heaven and hell and find people, find dead relatives and talk with them. So we needed a story, not just the facts. The story should be in Taiwanese history, so where is the crossover point between Taiwan and hell? So we found the point is the 228 incident which happened in 1947.
It's not just because it's the biggest massacre that happened in Taiwan, but that the last battle happened in front of a very important Taiwanese temple. So it makes sense that someone in the temple who is a medium would try to save his people, save the Taiwanese from the tyrannical KMT army. So he travelled to hell to try to rewrite the book of life and death. So the original idea is to write about the philosophy of hell and then we found the right story to link Taiwan to hell. That's the basic idea of the story.
The first half of the story is how he went to hell and how level by level he tried to find the book of life and death and tried to rewrite it. But then the ghost kings, wizards and monsters in hell found out that he is not a normal spirit, he's still alive, his spirit just left his body, so they, in the 6th song, all the spirits and ghost and monsters, they came from hell to the temple to try to put some seals on his body and suck his spirit back to his body and not allow him to escape from his body again. Then, he decided to kill himself as the only way to go back to hell. But he failed. The end of the story is that he is locked in front of the mirror of retribution for a billion years as his sentence. I think the most interesting part of this album is that we tried to group the same kinds of hells and put them together in one song. There are the mountain of knives and sword forests, different kind of sharp hells all grouped together.
Speed Beaver Music: How do you feel the album has progressed musically from the last one?
Freddy: I think Jessie and I write songs more. We have better chemistry to write songs together. Just like the earlier question, because we grouped the hells, so sometimes we said the hells are like sharpened weapons we need blast beat and fast rhythms and Jessie will have the same idea and we work so fast. Another example is the hell of heavy rocks and pressure things, it's so easy that through discussing hells, Jessie and I will have the same idea, so we need thrash riffs for these. So I think we have better chemistry and an easier concept of the album. So it works very naturally.
Speed Beaver Music: How long did you have the old makeup and what's the idea behind the new?
Freddy: We had the old makeup for about ten years. We changed it little by little, not like this time when we made a big change. Before, the old makeup, we tried to put some Taiwanese elements in but it didn't work very well. We found out that some fans, reviewers and critics couldn't figure it out. Some critics fought about whether CHTHONIC is black metal or not, doesn't worship Satan and so on, are folk metal. We thought we should let them know it's really hard to use the Western categories with us. We're inspired by the Western black metal, death metal bands, but we are Taiwanese, we write about local things, we're inspired by a lot of local pop and different kinds of artists.
Speed Beaver Music: That's one of the things that strikes me about your audience. At the Free Tibet concert, you had aboriginal music, rap, black metal and pop-rock and the audience stayed the same and the audience enjoyed everything! I think in Taiwan, people aren't religious about musical categorization.
Freddy: I totally agree with you. Especially in Taiwan, the rock history is not long, so the people they are interested in getting new stuff in as well as the musicians. They are interested in mixing different kinds of ideas in the music. So I think don't waste your time trying to categorize our music, just listen to it and see if you like it. All the metalheads in the world, you're just going to love it.
New CHTHONIC concert photos can be found at this location.
"Mirror of Retribution" which will be released in the U.S. on September 1 via Spinefarm Records. The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Autoscopy 02. Blooming Blades 03. Hearts Condemned 04. Venom in my Veins 05. The Aroused 06. Sing Linng Temple 07. 1947 08. Forty Nine the Urgy Chains 09. Rise of the Shadows 10. Bloody Waves of Sorrow 11. Spell of Setting Sun 12. Unlimited Taiwan
The song "Rise of the Shadows" is available for streaming at the band's MySpace page.
CHTHONIC (pronounced "Thonic") is:
Freddy Lim - vocals Doris Yeh - bass Jesse Liu - guitar Dani Wang - drums CJ - piano/synthesizer
HardTimes.ca has uploaded video footage (see below) of WINDS OF PLAGUE's July 16, 2009 performance in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
WINDS OF PLAGUE will release its new album, "The Great Stone War", on August 11 in the U.S. and August 24 in Europe via Century Media Records. A track from the CD, "Soldiers Of Doomsday", is now available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
"The Great Stone War" is going to be available in a number of special editions, which are all detailed below.
* The standard CD edition * Hot Topic edition that features an exclusive bonus DVD featuring the making-of-the-album and tour footage taken from this year's Atticus metal tour. * iTunes digital download album with the exclusive bonus track "Halloween" originally done by the MISFITS.
Commented vocalist Johnny Plague: "Anyone that knows me is well aware of my unhealthy obsession with the holiday and the events that surround Halloween. When it came for a cover song selection it was immediately decided that we would go with the song 'Halloween' by the MISFITS. Not only is it a timeless classic, but it was a way for us to pay tribute to our friend Glenn Danzig who has been so good to us. Since there are no keyboards in the song we put our keyboardist's (Kristen Randall) voice to use combined with our own WINDS OF PLAGUE twist on the song. We hope you enjoy it and look forward to seeing you all on tour this summer."
A number of specially priced pre-order packages are available now at CM Distro and are exclusive to this shop.
The sextet kicked off a massive worldwide touring campaign for "The Great Stone War" in early June by taking part in the Summer Slaughter touring package, also featuring SUFFOCATION, NECROPHAGIST and DYING FETUS, among a slew of others. They followed this up with a lengthy North American run with HATEBREED and CHIMAIRA.
Century Media Records has set an October 26 European release date for "Where Death Is Most Alive", the new concert DVD/CD from Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY. The set will be issued as a limited-edition 2DVD+2CD set, as well as a double DVD and double CD.
"Where Death Is Most Alive" will contain footage of DARK TRANQUILLITY's October 31, 2008 headlining concert in Milan, Italy. The band was joined during the show by THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Nell Sigland for renditions of the songs "The Mundane And The Magic" (a track that had never before been played live) and "Insanity's Crescendo".
Fan-filmed video footage of the Milan concert can be viewed below.
DARK TRANQUILLITYwill enter the studio in September to begin recording its ninth album for and early 2010 release via Century Media Records. The band states, "We'll keep the recording setup completely in-house this time. Drums will be tracked in Daniel Antonsson's [bass] studio, while the remaining instruments will be immortalized in Martin Brändström's [electronics] newly renovated Rogue music facilities. The mixing duties will once again be handled by Tue Madsen in his Antfarm studio in Denmark.
"As for the music itself, it's a bit too early to delve into details, but the material feels diverse and fresh and covers all the facets of the DARK TRANQUILLITY sound. Those who are familiar with our songwriting process know that we always keep re-arranging and experimenting with the material until the recording starts, and while we currently have the basic foundations for around 10 songs, many things are still open. The final result is likely to surprise ourselves as well as you people.
"Some tentative song titles are 'I Am The Void', 'Zero Distance', 'The Burden Of Love Alive', 'Archangelsk' and 'Memories In Reverse', though these are subject to change as usual."
DARK TRANQUILLITY's "Projector", "Haven" and "Damage Done" albums were re-released in a luxurious slipcase packaging with bonus material as well as the rarities compilation "Yesterworlds" on May 25, 2009 in Europe via Century Media Records. All releases are available at a fan-friendly price and also feature extensive liner notes as well as new layouts and designs by guitarist Niklas Sundin. As a very exclusive bonus, the three album reissues also contain one song each from "Where Death Is Most Alive".
U.K.'s Daily Star reports: Heavy metal fans are defying the credit crunch by cranking up spending on their heroes’ CDs, T-shirts and show tickets.
Latest figures from music industry body the BPI (British Phonographic Industry) show rock is now the best-selling type of music in single and album formats.
Last year, more than a third (35.7%) of CDs sold in the U.K. was by a rock band, with pop, R&B, dance and hip hop well behind.
Metal music has been boosted by the popularity of video games Rock Band and Guitar Hero.
Although ANTHRAX singer Dan Nelson has yet to publicly comment on his mysterious illness that allegedly forced the band to cancel the first three shows of their latest European tour, he has posted several cryptic messages on his Twitter account in the last couple of days which suggest that there may be more to this story than has thus far been revealed. In addition to deleting his "DanNAnthrax" Twitter profile (cached Google page) on July 16, he has posted the following messages on his "DanNelson76"account:
July 16, 3:47 a.m.: "Funny, I don't feel so lucky...Wonder what everyone is talking about??"
July 16, 4:28 a.m.: "is done."
July 17, 7:54 p.m.: "loves his family and friends more than ANYTHING."
On Friday, July 17, ANTHRAX issued the following statement regarding the European concert cancelations:
"The members of ANTHRAX regretfully announce that the first three shows of their European tour scheduled to begin tomorrow, Saturday, July 18th, are canceled. Yesterday, lead singer Dan Nelson unexpectedly informed the band that he was seriously ill and unable to travel or perform at this time. Options for the balance of ANTHRAX's European tour dates are being addressed posthaste. The members of ANTHRAX are devastated by this unfortunate turn of events and ask all of their fans to join them in wishing Dan the speediest of recoveries."
Affected dates:
July 18 - Sonisphere - Hultsfred, Sweden July 19 - Vega Jr. - Copenhagen, Denmark July 20 - Columbia Club - Berlin, Germany
ANTHRAX's new album, "Worship Music", will be released in Europe on October 23 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD, which was mixed at a New Orleans studio by Dave Fortman (a former member of UGLY KID JOE who has also worked with artists such as MUDVAYNE, EVANESCENCE), is the band's first studio effort in six years and marks the recording debut of Nelson.
About ANTHRAX's new singer and CD, drummer Charlie Benante previously stated, "This album has been in the making for two and half, maybe three years. After the reunion tour ended, we all went our separate ways. I started to write songs again, but I had no voice for them in mind, I didn't know who would be the singer. So Scott [Ian, guitar], Frankie [Bello, bass]and I got together and just started putting some songs together. This was pretty much the way 'Spreading the Disease' was done, too — we wrote those songs without a definite singer in mind. Then, in October of 2007, I was talking to Rob Caggiano [guitar] who said he found this guy in Long Island who he thought would be really good — Dan Nelson. So I did some research, called him up, and flew him out to Chicago."
According to Bello, it didn't take much time to realize that they had found their man. "Dan brought in the obligatory 'breath of fresh air,' but it really WAS. He has a killer voice and he's a good guy, and really fits ANTHRAX. The guy sings like nobody I've heard — I'm really proud of what he's done. This is the new ANTHRAX — yes, it does sound different, but it's in the same heavy/melodic vein. I don't compare it, I just see it as, 'I love the challenge of having a new ANTHRAX.'"
"While making this album," added Nelson, "I found that if I just tried to approach my vocals from the heart, to not overthink anything, I could bring a fresh, heavier yet still melodic approach to an already brutal style of music. Being the singer of ANTHRAX has already proven to be a great opportunity to play with great musicians."
Shortly after the lineup was solidified, Nelson was welcomed into the ANTHRAX fold via a true baptism by fire — opening up a pair of sold out shows for the mighty IRON MAIDEN in California. "The second night, we're backstage," recalls Ian, "[IRON MAIDEN singer] Bruce Dickinson came over to our dressing room to say hi, and he says to me, 'Your new singer, Dan, is amazing. I was watching you guys from the side of the stage last night — he totally fits you guys, he's perfect. His voice is incredible and strong. I loved it!' And I was like, 'Would you come inside and tell Dan? He'd love to hear it from you.' We walk in the dressing room and I'm like, 'Where's Dan?' And I hear from the bathroom, 'I'm in here, taking a crap!' It was so great — not that we're looking for validation, but when Bruce Dickinson comes up and is congratulating you on your new singer, it's a pretty cool moment."
Dan Nelson and Charlie Benante were interviewed by the "Metal Eye" show on Z1 TV when ANTHRAX performed at this year's edition of the biggest Croatian music festival, T-Mobile INmusic festival, on June 25, 2009 at Jarun lake in Zagreb, Croatia. Watch the chat below. Also available is footage of the group's performance at the event.
Warning: an excess of blood, sweat and beers were spilled during the making of 2009's most anticipated hardcore-rock album, EVERY TIME I DIE's "New Junk Aesthetic", out Sept 15 via Epitaph. Thankfully the band has emerged relatively unscathed and more than ready to rouse the hellion legions with their most brutally delectable record yet, and all in time for their upcoming fall "Epitaph Presents" tour.
While there's no exact science to the resulting madness that is ETID's signature blend of turned-to-eleven hardcore mixed with southern-fried metal, over the last decade the band has consistently produced fan-favorite releases from albums "Big Dirty" to "Hot Damn!", with "New Junk Aesthetic" as icing on the proverbial metallic cake.
"'New Junk Aesthetic' is not the next logical step in the progression of EVERY TIME I DIE," explains frontman Keith Buckley. "It is an evolutionary leap. It's as if we have morphed from a single-celled bacteria straight to the guy with the dirt bike that will let you watch his older sister suntan if you steal him a smoke from your parents. Certainly you may acknowledge similarities, but on a grand scale, they stand light years apart."
Maniacal, convulsive and completely unpredictable are but a few words that come to mind when listening to "New Junk Aesthetic". With "Big Dirty" producer Steve Evetts at the helm again, ETID set out to corrupt souls and bring fans to their knees with an orchestrated chaos of their heaviest most skillful album.
Like the calm before a storm, "New Junk Aesthetic" opens with the metal-gazer, doom-ridden track "Roman Holiday", and then quickly segues like a sucker-punch into the thrashing first single "The Marvelous Slut" (featuring guest vocals from Greg Puciato of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), which sets the tone for the remainder of the album. ETID continues to raise the bar on all fronts, from Andy Williams and Jordan Buckley's one-two punch on guitars to Josh Newton's brutish bass rumblings on "For The Record" and Keith Buckley's stunning vocal range as showcased in the standout thunderous-rock anthem "Wanderlust". On the pit-swirler "The Sweet Life", Keith belts out "ain't nothing gonna break my stride — ain't nothing gonna slow me down," which features guest vocals from Matt Caughthran (THE BRONX), and pretty much sums up the relentless energy of the band and new album.
As visually stunning as they are musically, guitarist Jordan Buckley has been the artistic force behind the ETID's graphics. The astonishing cover imagery of "New Junk Aesthetic" features a mythological god covering his eyes with see-through hands and each song is represented by its own unique artwork.
"Aside from contributing to the creation of the 13 greatest EVERY TIME I DIE songs ever written, 'New Junk Aesthetic' will also contain almost 40 pages of my hand rendered illustrations, that, for the first time ever, offer visual insight into the genius lyrics that ETID fans have come to expect from my brother and bandmate Keith," explains guitarist Jordan Buckley. "With the band in complete control over what you hear, see and hold, 'New Junk Aesthetic' will move culture into a place where the possession of a CD is an authentic experience so powerful that you won't even be able to cover your eyes; a feeling long overdue, but guaranteed to be worth the wait."
ETID will co-headline the "Epitaph Presents" tour along with labelmates BRING ME THE HORIZON beginning Sept 8 in support of "New Junk Aesthetic". Tickets are on sale now at LiveNation.com.
"New Junk Aesthetic" track listing:
01. Roman Holiday 02. The Marvelous Slut (feat. Greg Puciato) 03. Who Invited The Russian Soldier? 04. Wanderlust 05. For The Record 06. White Smoke 07. Turtles All The Way Down 08. Organ Grinder 09. Host Disorder 10. After One Quarter Of A Revolution 11. The Sweet Life (feat. Matt Caughthran)
The song "The Marvelous Slut" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
INCITE, the Phoenix, Arizona-based band fronted by SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY mainman Max Cavalera's stepson Richie Cavalera, has issued the following update:
"We are currently wrapping up our record deal and hope to have an album release date for you soon. The album is done the artwork is being completed and I think you will be fucking ready to kill when you hear it... We will have a new update in three weeks with hopefully a release date."
INCITE's debut album was produced by Logan Mader, who has previously worked with GOJIRA, DIVINE HERESY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.
INCITE's current lineup is as follows:
Richie Cavalera - Vocals Zak Sofaly - Drums Kevin "Dis" - Guitar Luis "Marrufo" - Bass
INCITE's entire "Divided We Fail" three-song EP is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page.
"Divided We Fail" EP track listing:
01. Divided We Fail 02. Army of Darkness 03. Die With What You've Done
Richie Cavalera makes a guest appearance on CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's debut album, "Inflikted", which was released in March 2008 via Roadrunner Records.
Chad Bowar of About Heavy Metal recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton. A few excerpts from the chat follow:
About Heavy Metal: What was the approach in putting together the tracks for "A Touch Of Evil Live"?
Glenn Tipton: We wanted to release tracks that hadn't been released before as live tracks.
About Heavy Metal: Did you know going into the tours that this was the plan, or was it decided afterwards?
Glenn Tipton: Afterwards, really. We sat down one day and thought about how we had been performing tracks live on these legs of the tour that have never been released, and it would be nice to release them. It's good for PRIEST fans to have something different, especially on a live level. PRIEST are first and foremost a live band, and we get a lot of energy from the audience. The tracks recorded in the studio are always more exciting when they are performed live.
About Heavy Metal: When you go back and select which performances to use, do you self-critique your own performance closely?
Glenn Tipton: I'd rather not go back and listen back to stuff, but obviously when you are choosing versions or songs, you have to listen. I think everybody can be critical, but in this day and age it's nice to hear live stuff. It doesn't have to be note-perfect as long as it's a genuine great performance in terms of yourself and the audience.
About Heavy Metal: PRIEST has released a few concert DVDs over the years. Has there been any thoughts of a more biographical documentary type release?
Glenn Tipton: There's always that possibility. There are no definite plans to do that at the moment, but it would be an interesting thing that I think a lot of people would take interest in. It would give a lot of information and aspects of the band that people perhaps didn't know. It's a good idea, but we don't have definite plans now.
About Heavy Metal: Have you or the band as a whole been approached to write a book?
Glenn Tipton: There is talk now of doing an official biography of the band. We've had so many unofficial ones where there's a lot of false information in there. The true events and true stories are far more interesting, I think. There has been talk of beginning that process, so hopefully at some point in the not so distant future there will be an official biography.
About Heavy Metal: "Nostradamus" has been out for a while now. As you look back on it, do you think the reaction to it was more polarizing that most of your previous albums?
Glenn Tipton: I think we knew the dangers and risks of doing a concept album, particularly a double one, in this day and age. But we've always been a band who's never been scared to try and attempt to do what we feel is the right thing, and we felt the time was right for a concept album from PRIEST. It's a complex, pretty mammoth project. We don't expect everybody to get it or enjoy it, but a lot of people did understand what we attempted to do and appreciated it. If fifty percent did, that's a great thing. But really, in all honesty, a lot of people who initially were guarded and very hesitant about it have now come back and changed their opinion. It's a whole story. You have to step into the world of Nostradamus, and I think once you get that, and if you've got an hour and half to put aside, which is the most difficult thing for everybody, you do get a lot of enjoyment from the album.
About Heavy Metal: What is it about "British Steel" that's made it so influential?
Glenn Tipton: I'm not sure. It might have been partly due to the writing. We went into a studio called Tittenhurst Park, which was John Lennon's old house. That was very inspirational. We went in there with only about fifty percent of the material written, and we wrote the rest while we were in the studio, which is unusual for us. We usually have all the ideas before we start to record. It just worked. It was one of those albums that was very immediate, was easy to write. A good song usually just happens. Sometimes songs you have to work too hard at, and they don't always quite work. It was a very refreshing album. I think that's the secret behind it.
About Heavy Metal: A lot of critics say "British Steel" is JUDAS PRIEST's best album. Do you agree?
Glenn Tipton: It's certainly a landmark album. We've done 16 or 17 albums now, and each one has its own character. I think there are certain landmark albums in there, like "Screaming For Vengeance" or "Painkiller" or "Sad Wings Of Destiny". And I think "British Steel" is definitely a landmark album.
Quality video footage of JUDAS PRIEST performing the songs "The Rage" and "Steeler" on Tuesday, July 14 at the Time-Warner Cable Amphitheater in Cleveland, Ohio can be viewed below.
New QUEENSRŸCHE's guitarist Parker Lundgren married singer Geoff Tate's daughter Miranda earlier today (Saturday, July 18), according to a posting on the band's MySpace page.
Before joining QUEENSRŸCHE, Lundgren (pictured below), 23, played several shows with the QUEENSRŸCHE frontman last September and joined Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton for a rare all-acoustic set at KISW's annual Holiday Hangover Ball on December 12, 2008 at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, Washington.
Parker's addition to QUEENSRŸCHE's touring lineup was officially announced by Tate in a fan club podcast in February, with Geoff adding that the group was "glad to have him."
In a recent interview with the German Empire, Lundgren stated about how he landed the gig, "I kind of expected it. I saw what was happening with the band. I got wind that [former QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist] Mike Stone might be leaving so I learned a lot of the material beforehand. I never really played with Whip [Michael Wilton, guitar] or Ed [Jackson, bass], and Scott [Rockenfield, drums] and Geoff wanted me to be in the band. Whip didn't really know me and he had a bunch of people that he wanted to play in the band. Of course, they know a lot of great musicians they've met over the years. He probably called a lot of guitar players, but the time frame was really short. So there wasn't a whole lot of opportunities because nobody can learn three albums in a month; it's really tough."
On what it's like to be on tour with Geoff Tate, who was Lundgren's future father-in law at the time of the interview, Parker said, "I am sure people out there cringe at the thought of touring with their father-in-law, but when your father-in-law is Geoff Tate, it's not bad at all... It's like dating your best friend's sister. That's the kind of relationship... There are certain things you are not going to say in front of them, but everyone in the band and the crew, we are all good friends. We tour the road, have fun together. This last tour Geoff brought out three of his daughters, his wife and their three dogs. It's like the whole family is on tour; it's like a vacation. We separate family and business and everything has been great so far."
On whose idea it was to create the "Dude, I'm totally nailing Geoff Tate's daughter" picks (see image below), Parker said, "It happened from an interview that Geoff had. He said that there's two different ways to explain that I was joining the band. One was to say, 'He auditioned and he's playing the solo project, then he's seeing Geoff's daughter and ends up playing with QUEENSRŸCHE.' Or Parker can say, 'Yeah, I auditioned for QUEENSRŸCHE, I got the gig and I'm totally nailing Geoff's daughter — high five.' [Laughs] Susan [Geoff's wife and QUEENSRŸCHE's manager] thought that was the funniest thing ever. So she said that I should put it on my guitar pick. At first I thought, 'I don't know about that.' But everybody thought it was fun; it was cool with the whole band. Geoff thought it was hilarious, too."
DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara and SEVENTH VOID vocalist/guitarist Kenny Hickey (also of TYPE O NEGATIVE) will be interviewed by host Mike Z. on tonight's (July 18) edition of "The Moshpit" show on Southern California's 96.7 KCAL FM.
"The Moshpit" airs between 10:00 p.m. PT and 2:00 a.m. PT. The rest of the country (and world) can stream the show live at www.kcalfm.com.
DEVILDRIVER's fourth full-length album, "Pray For Villains", was released on July 14 via Roadrunner Records. The effort — which was also made available as a special-edition CD/DVD package featuring three bonus tracks, a behind-the-scenes DVD and expanded artwork — was recorded at Edge of the Earth studios in Los Angeles with producer Logan Mader (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GOJIRA, DIVINE HERESY).
"Pray For Villains", the new video from DEVILDRIVER, was shot on April 9 with director Nathan Cox (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MARILYN MANSON, LINKIN PARK).
DEVILDRIVER will headline this summer's "Thrash And Burn Tour", which will kick off on July 24 and run through August 28. A European tour with BEHEMOTH and GOJIRA will follow in October.
SEVENTH VOID's debut album, "Heaven Is Gone", sold around 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 21 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"Heaven Is Gone" was released on April 21 via Vinnie Paul's (PANTERA, HELLYEAH) Big Vin Records.
Rounded out by drummer Johnny Kelly (TYPE O NEGATIVE), bassist Hank Hell (INHUMAN) and guitarist Matt Brown (ex-SUPERMASSIV), SEVENTH VOID continues TYPE O's tradition of slow, heavy riffs and existential lyrics, but with a slightly sludgier, "stonier" flavor.
For more information, visit the band's MySpace page.
Lonn Friend, former editor of RIP magazine and author of "Life On Planet Rock", was a guest on the July 14, 2009 episode of the "Used Bin Radio" show. Lonn, a longtime friend and acquaintance of the "Used Bin" hosts Brad Hirsch and Joe Carona, talked about his new book, his past with RIP magazine and what it was like in the heyday of the late '80s and early '90s in Los Angeles. He also discussed GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose's longtime grudge against him and his attempts to remedy the situation with Mr. Rose without success.
You can download the show as an MP3 audio file at this location.
"Used Bin Radio" is a live, two-hour weekly radio show broadcasting from Los Angeles. It features two dudes, their contagious enthusiasm for rock music, caller phone-ins, infectious discussions on today's music industry and topics of the day!
"Used Bin Radio" can be heard every Tuesday night at 11:00 p.m. EDT on Progrock, Red Eye Radio and home station Pure Rock Radio.
Kurt Orzeck of the IndiePit blog recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Aaron Turner of ISIS, the innovative Los Angeles-by-way-of-Boston-based band. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
IndiePit: I noticed that you put out the vinyl releases before the CD. Are you tempted to just do away altogether with CDs at this point?
Aaron Turner: "I dunno. I think that CDs are still a viable format for some people. And I still find that I use CDs when I'm in my car or whatever. I know that hooking up your iPhone up to your car stereo is not a difficult thing to do these days, but I've always been a fan of the tangible artifact of records. And with the advent of MP3s, I feel like I'm drawn even more strongly to that. So, with that in mind, I'd still rather have CDs than MP3s of something. And CDs, in some ways, are more convenient in certain contexts than vinyl is. So in that sense, I think they still serve a purpose. However, if it comes down to a point where CDs aren't really a viable thing to make anymore and vinyl is driving them down, that's fine by me. I've always preferred vinyl, so the fact that it's doing well right know at a time when CD sales are diminishing I think is a positive thing, from my personal perspective. As far as whether the vinyl boom will last, I can't really say, though, talking about the relatively short history of recorded music, vinyl is the only format which seems to have any longevity to it. Since vinyl was invented, 8-tracks have come and gone, cassettes have come and gone, and now it looks like CDs are on their way out too. And vinyl has just held strong. There have been times where its popularity has waned, but it's never gone away completely. And it's always been big on an underground level too, whether it's the hardcore-metal context or in the realm of hip-hop or with dance DJs or whatever. It's always had a place of prominence in those more underground circles."
IndiePit: What about debuting in the top 100? Was that not such a big surprise because music is selling so poorly, or were you nonetheless blown away by that?
Aaron Turner: "It was surprising, I have to say. I don't think any of us would have expected or predicted that. So it definitely was a big surprise. But just we try to take all of that stuff in stride. Consumers are probably even more fickle these days then they were 10 or 12 years ago when we started. There's just a massive amount of stuff available. So we just try to keep our heads down and focus on the task at hand and enjoy good things — such as that — when they happen, but really … the emphasis for us has always been on the music and not all the extraneous stuff that surrounds it."
IndiePit: In terms of being in the limelight, I was at the Golden Gods Awards in April, where you were named "Best Underground Metal Band." When you were onstage, were you just like, "Whatever," or were you nervous?
Aaron Turner: "I dunno, we didn't talk about it all that much except all of us felt like it was sort of a ridiculous event. I mean it's great that we're exposed, perhaps, to more people because of something like that, but at the same time, it's like, the award itself felt kind of meaningless. A lot of the other awards there I was kind of dubious about too. Like, for instance, the 'Hottest Chick in Metal' award. Like, that has no fucking relevance and, to me, is actually kind of insulting. It has nothing to do with the music really — it doesn't even seem to have anything to do with metal. And I feel like it was kind of demeaning to the woman as well. Obviously she was a willing participant, but I'm just using that as an example of the preposterousness of the event. I dunno, maybe I'm burning a bridge with Revolver here by saying something like that. [Laughs] Like I said, it's great for this kind of music to have some kind of outlet, and it's cool that Revolver wants to expose people to different stuff, but I feel like Isis has nothing in common with the other participants who were there. Like KILLSWITCH ENGAGE or whatever else. That's not a comment on the quality of their music, it's just there are no real parallels between us and them except that maybe, you know, a handful of us were all listening to METALLICA when we were teenagers or something."
IndiePit: What about touring with TOOL? Would you do that again if you had the opportunity?
Aaron Turner: "Probably. There was a few bands of that stature that actually, to us, make sense as touring partners. And there were other tours in the past that we were offered that were bands of maybe a similar size — or slightly smaller or bigger or whatever — but they just didn't make sense. We felt like their audiences wouldn't get it, or where we had no personal affinity for their music. And those things are really important to us. Context says a lot about your band, and if we were to tour with a band whose music we didn't like and if we felt like our fanbase wouldn't get what we were doing, I think it would somehow cheapen or dilute the strength of what we're doing. So I think doing that with a band like TOOL is great. Obviously, they have an unorthodox approach to everything they do. They have an audience that is more receptive to unconventional, heavy-oriented music, and they're people who were cool on a personal level and there was mutual respect for the music that was made on both sides. We couldn't have asked for a better scenario as far as opening for an arena-rock band."
"Serpent's Wrath", the new album from U.K.-based dark/doom metal outfit DAMNATION'S HAMMER, can be streamed in its entirety from the band's MySpace page. The CD was mixed and mastered at Hellfire Studios in Birmingham by Ajeet Gill.
"Serpent's Wrath" track listing:
01. Throne of Fire 02. The Moon and the Waters of Death 03. Nailed to the Tree of Woe 04. The Hex 05. Desolation's Watchtower 06. Serpent's Wrath
DAMNATION'S HAMMER is currently seeking a label to release "Serpent's Wrath". Interested parties can contact the band at damnationshammer@hotmail.co.uk
Formed in 2008 by ex-DEARLY BEHEADED member Tim Preston, DAMNATION'S HAMMER plays "dark, doom-laden riff-based metal," described as "early CELTIC FROST meets CANDLEMASS."
Rock Gone Wild, America's newest and most diverse rock festival, is on the move — literally.
Organizers of the show announced that the Iowa-based, four-day festival is being moved from Freedom Park in Algona to The Diamond Jo Casino in Northwood.
"The size of the festival necessitated the change," stated Donnie Frizzell, managing partner of Rock Gone Wild. "Thus, the move to Diamond Jo's will allow us to best serve the fans of the festival who have already bought tickets, all of the great bands we've booked, our employees and those who are still making plans to attend."
"We'd like to thank everyone involved at Abate and the City of Algona who helped us prepare over the last year for the event. Unfortunately, after visiting the venue several times this year and also looking forward to next year, we decided to make the move to best serve the future of the festival," Nathalie Faghihi, festival general manager, added.
The Diamond Jo Casino is a gambling casino and entertainment complex located just south of the Iowa/Minnesota border on Interstate 35 in Northwood. The new venue is 110 miles south of Minneapolis and 135 miles north of Des Moines, which means fans who are flying into those areas will actually be closer to the venue than they would have been to the Algona site.
"This is the first four-day, mega rock, outdoors festival in the world that has aligned itself with a major casino location," Frizzell said. "We want to offer all concert goers the ultimate experience to fulfill all of their entertainment desires. This is something Rock Gone Wild as an intellectual property will roll out worldwide in 2010."
A list of hotels in the Clear Lake/Mason City and Albert Lea areas will be posted at the festival web site this week. "There are more than 20 major hotels in the area to accommodate our fans," Frizzell added.
"The move allows us to consolidate our festival operations into one premium site that is located just off a major highway," Frizzell continued. "We will be able to set-up stages in one venue instead of two, and can use the hotel and casino to accommodate the bands, media and also give fans something to do after the music stops."
The festival will still be held on August 20-23. All previously sold tickets will be honored on the original dates. VIP, Platinum and general admission advance tickets are now on sale. RV and tent camping site are also available for those wanting to experience everything at Rock Gone Wild has to offer.
The festival organizers have announced the lineups for each day of the festival:
Thursday, August 20:
SAXON JACKYL WARRANT APRIL WINE HONEYMOON SUITE BLACK 'N BLUE ERNIE AND THE AUTOMATICS SICK OF SARAH SAVIOR
Friday, August 21:
PUDDLE OF MUDD SALIVA SAIGON KICK CHERIE CURRIE POWERMAN 5000 TYKETTO MARCY PLAYGROUND RHINO BUCKET ATTENTION SIGNUM A.D. THROW THE FIGHT ASHAMED
Saturday, August 22:
TWISTED SISTER SKID ROW LITA FORD DOKKEN GREAT WHITE KIX L.A. GUNS (featuring Phil Lewis) HARDCORE SUPERSTAR PRIMAL FEAR DANGEROUS TOYS HELIX JUNKYARD FRANKENSTEIN 3000 S.E.X. DEPARTMENT MIGHTY SWINE STALLION FOUR
Sunday, August 23:
GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS CANDLEBOX SEVENDUST SAVING ABEL EVE 6 TANTRIC ARMORED SAINT LIZZY BORDEN TUFF LILLIAN AXE THE TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION DOWNTREAD ARCHER FRESH HOT LINT STUCK ON STUPID
According to Roger Friedman of Showbiz411.com, METALLICA will take part in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 25th anniversary event this fall at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The two-day extravaganza will be held on October 29-30, with Bruce Springsteen, Simon & Garfunkel, Paul Simon as a solo act, Stevie Wonder, and the whole posse that includes Crosby, Stills, Nash, Young performing on Thursday. Then on Friday: Aretha Franklin headlines, with U2, METALLICA, and Eric Clapton.
METALLICA played "Master Of Puppets" and "Enter Sandman" at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on April 4, 2009, with the band's former bassist Jason Newsted and his replacement, Robert Trujillo, both taking part in the performance (the group played as a five-piece). They also led a "surprise jam" at the end of the night consisting of "Train Kept A Rollin'", with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Flea, LED ZEPPELIN's Jimmy Page, AEROSMITH's Joe Perry and Jeff Beck.
METALLICA was inducted by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea. With his hair dyed blue and wearing a vintage METALLICA T-shirt under a green blazer, Flea recalled the first time he heard METALLICA, in 1984 while on tour with the PEPPERS. It was 3 in the morning, they were tired, crammed into a van and sick of being on the road, and "this music comes on the radio, and I couldn't believe that it fucking existed," Flea said, according to MTV.com, as guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield jokingly covered his daughter's ears. "It was like I had been living in this normal world, where I knew what everything was that came on the radio, and all of a sudden my mind was being blown by this beautiful, violent thing that was unlike anything I had ever heard before in my life."
Flea profanely described staring at the radio in awe at this music that was explosive, precise, aggressive and intense, with wild and bizarre rhythm changes that he couldn't describe. "I didn't know what it was; the only thing I knew for sure was that it was a mighty thing," he said of "Fight Fire with Fire", likening METALLICA's unique sound to a rarified "cosmic chemistry" and paying moving homage to the special gift of late bassist Cliff Burton, who died in 1986 in a bus accident while on tour with the group.
"When a person gets rocking to their music, everything else disappears, and that person is just one with the rock," Flea said. "It is an inexplicable, awesome thing, and I bow down to it."
Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich hugged onstage after giving speeches, and both thanked fans who have followed the band through its ups-and-downs that included the death of Cliff Burton.
"I think rock and roll is about possibilities and about dreams," Ulrich said. "The fact that the six of us can be up on the stage tonight, snot-nosed kids, outcasts, loners who grew up in very different parts of the world, in very different situations and make it here tonight, to this wonderful night in front of all these people down here ... Rock and roll truly is about possibilities. Look at us. METALLICA's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! Can you fucking believe that?"
Hetfield started his thanks with a list of bands he'd like to see enter next, which included KISS, RUSH, THIN LIZZY, TED NUGENT, IRON MAIDEN and MOTÖRHEAD. He also dedicated the award to the young musicians trying to make it. "Dream big and dare to fail," he said. "I dare you to do that. Because this is living proof that it is possible to make a dream come true."
Legendary Florida death metallers OBITUARY played a headlining show at club Rock Cafe in Tallinn, Estonia on July 16, 2009. Support at the gig came from CHARM BASTARD and HORRICANE.
Check out photos of the concert at this location (pictures taken by Mart Reinson).
As previously reported, OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy was recently interviewed by Andrew Haug of Triple J's "The Racket" (based in Australia). Listen to the chat in streaming audio at the Triple J web site: Windows Media, Real Media (NOTE: The Donald Tardy interview begins around the one-hour, five-minute mark). Check out the program's entire playlist at this location.
"Darkest Day", the new album from OBITUARY, sold around 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 32 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
"Darkest Day" was released on June 30 via Candlelight Records.
Check out the album artwork below. The band once again worked with artist Andreas Marschall, who created the art for "The End Complete", "Frozen in Time", and the group's last record, "Xecutioner's Return".
An e-card for "Darkest Day" is available at this location. It features audio clips of three songs from the CD —"List of Dead", "Blood to Give" and "Payback".
A brand new DYING FETUS track entitled "Your Treachery Will Die With You" is available for streaming using the ReverbNation TuneWidget below (click on "Songs" tab). The song comes off the Baltimore death metal act's seventh album, "Descend Into Depravity", which is scheduled for release on September 15 via Relapse Records. The follow-up to 2007's "War Of Attrition" was recorded at Wright Way Studios in the group's hometown with producer Steve Wright.
"Descend Into Depravity" track listing:
01. Your Treachery Will Die With You 02. Shepherd's Commandment 03. Hopeless Insurrection 04. Conceived Into Enslavement 05. Atrocious By Nature 06. Descend Into Depravity 07. At What Expense 08. Ethos Of Coercion
Check out the cover artwork below.
Having recently taken part in the Summer Slaughter Tour, DYING FETUS, will embark on a month-long North American trek alongside HATEBREED, CHIMAIRA, and TOXIC HOLOCAUST. DYING FETUS will then head to Europe in October for a four-week tour alongside CANNIBAL CORPSE. This jaunt will also include OBSCURA in the mainland followed by ANNOTATIONS OF AN AUTOPSY and TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED in the United Kingdom.
HAIL! — the new all-star project featuring guitarist Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA), vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, BEYOND FEAR, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ICED EARTH), and bassist David Ellefson (F5, MEGADETH) — has scheduled the following Scandinavian tour dates:
Sep. 01 - Blaest - Trondheim, Norway Sep. 02 - Garage - Bergen, Norway Sep. 03 - Rush - Stavanger, Norway Sep. 04 - Luftslottet - Grimstad, Norway Sep. 05 - Glassheim - Jevnaker, Norway Sep. 06 - Feelgood - Halden, Norway Sep. 07 - The Rock - Copenhagen, Denmark Sep. 08 - Voxhall - Aarhus, Denmark Sep. 10 - House Of Culture - Helsinki, Finland Sep. 11 - Wasteland - Gavle, Sweden Sep. 12 - Klubben - Stockholm, Sweden
"This is going to be amazing!" exclaimed Ellefson. "After just playing Sweden Rock and a bunch of dates with Ripper in Europe last month, we can't wait to come back! Everywhere we went the response was amazing and we are really excited to give all the Scandinavian fans a chance to see HAIL! play."
"We want to give the fans something extra special as a way of saying thank you for their tremendous support," added Ripper, "and after getting the chance to hang out with so many old friends a few weeks ago, wait until you see who we have jumping up as surprise guests on this run! We've also been discussing a bunch of new songs for our setlist and we can't wait to come play for everybody. It's going to be great and we're really looking forward to it."
Kisser explained, "We intentionally booked some shows in smaller cities because we realize that SEPULTURA and JUDAS PRIEST and MEGADETH could never play in some of these places, so we wanted to make the effort to give everybody a chance to come hang out with us and enjoy the show. It's going to be killer, so hang on, Scandinavia — we'll see you soon!"
STONE SOUR/ex-SOULFLY drummer Roy Mayorga will join HAIL! on the Scandinavian tour.
Due to previous touring commitments with ALICE COOPER, regular HAIL! drummer Jimmy DeGrasso is unable to make the trip but had this to say: "Although I would love to join the guys for this tour, I will be in Australia and New Zealand with ALICE at that time. Roy is a great drummer and the shows will be amazing."
Mayorga's ties to HAIL! run deep, having played with guitarist Andreas Kisser while filling in for the entire SEPULTURA 2006 European tour and also taking part in the Roadrunner Records 25th birthday bash in December 2005 with both Kisser and HAIL! frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens.
Commented Owens: "I jammed with Roy on KING DIAMOND's 'Abigail' and ANNIHILATOR's 'Alison Hell' and then we all played with Andreas on SEPULTURA's 'Roots Bloody Roots'."
Stated Mayorga: "That was such a fun show. I also got to play 'Refuse/Resist' and SLIPKNOT's 'Surfacing' with Andreas that night too."
Added Owens: "And then me and Andreas did MERCYFUL FATE's 'Curse Of The Pharaohs' together, so maybe we'll add that one to our setlist for this tour."
Commented Kisser: "I've known Roy for a long time and he's great, so when this situation came up to find a sub for Jimmy, we knew Roy would fit in perfectly and we plan on having a lot of fun together. We're changing around our setlist and adding a bunch of new songs specifically for Scandinavia so this tour is going to be really exciting."
Mayorga enthusiastically concurred: "When the guys asked me about playing these shows with them, I was thrilled! It is so cool what they are doing and to be able to help them out and fill in for Jimmy is truly an honor for me. This is going to be awesome and I can't wait!"
Fan-filmed video footage of HAIL! performing a cover version of BLACK SABBATH's "Neon Knights" on May 1, 2009 in Vienna, Austria can be viewed below (courtesy of "FotherMucker00").
HAIL!'s setlist for the recently completed European mini-tour was as follows:
01. Ace Of Spades (MOTÖRHEAD) 02. Territory (SEPULTURA) 03. Symphony Of Destruction (MEGADETH) 04. Grinder (JUDAS PRIEST) 05. Fucking Hostile (PANTERA) 06. Walk (PANTERA) 07. Balls To The Wall (ACCEPT) 08. Neon Knights (BLACK SABBATH) 09. Wrathchild (IRON MAIDEN) 10. Green Manalishi (JUDAS PRIEST) 11. Metal Gods (JUDAS PRIEST) 12. Paranoid (BLACK SABBATH) 13. Peace Sells (MEGADETH) 14. Refuse/Resist (SEPULTURA) 15. TNT (AC/DC) 16. Whiplash (METALLICA)
Video footage below is from HAIL!'s January 24 show at Havana club in Concepcion, Chile (clip courtesy of Chilean newspaper El Sur).
