BBC News reports: LED ZEPPELIN frontman Robert Plant has admitted he has spoken to festival organizer Michael Eavis about performing at U.K.'s Glastonbury next year.
Speaking to BBC 6 Music at the Q Awards, he said, "I've just been talking to Michael. There's place for me there, but I have no idea who with."
Plant said he is open to the idea of playing next year: "There is a chance yeah, but I don't know with who."
When it was suggested to him that he could do it by himself, he joked: "Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm good at card tricks."
Plant picked up the "Outstanding Contribution to Music" award at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry's solo band, dubbed THE JOE PERRY PROJECT, has scheduled the following dates:
Nov. 10 - The Fillmore at Irving Plaza - New York, NY
Nov. 11 - Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
Nov. 13 - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom - Hampton Beach, NH
Nov. 14 - House of Blues - Boston, MA
Nov. 15 - Northern Lights - Clifton Park, NY
Nov. 18 - House of Blues - Chicago, IL
Nov. 19 - The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor - Winsor, ON
Nov. 21 - Fantasy Springs Resort Casino - Indio, CA
Nov. 23 - House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
Nov. 24 - House of Blues - West Hollywood, CA
Nov. 25 - The Fillmore - San Francisco, CA
Perry's fifth solo album, "Have Guitar, Will Travel", was released on October 6 via Roman Records. The hard driving, ten-song, in your face, collection features Perry's trademark rock and blues ferocity, as well as the CD's first single, the blazing "We've Got A Long Way To Go". Recorded this past spring at the BoneYard, Perry's state-of-the-art home studio, where AEROSMITH's "Honkin' On Bobo" and "Just Push Play" were recorded, "Have Guitar, Will Travel" is entirely written and produced by Perry.
Still as scorching hot on guitar as he is preternaturally cool in his persona, "Have Guitar, Will Travel" is a departure for Perry in that the CD was conceived as a band recording. From start to finish it took only forty-seven days to complete. "Making this record in such a short period of time gave us a chance to capture an energy and flow that was very different from the last record," said Perry. "The way the players came together at a time when I had the music and lyrics in my head ready to go was pure synchronicity. The last record rocked, but this one rocks and then some. I'm really proud of it."
"We've Got A Long Way To Go", the CDs first single, showcases the voice of a young German singer known as Hagen, found completely by chance on YouTube by Joe's wife Billie. "I first called him from Cleveland when I went to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame jam with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ron Wood, Flea and METALLICA," said Perry. "It took several minutes to convince him that it wasn't a prank call, but a true invitation to audition to sing on the CD." Hagen mans the microphone for five tracks, while Perry sings lead on four. The remaining tenth song is an instrumental entitled "Wooden Ships".
In addition, Perry attracted an esteemed roster of some of the best players that the music world has to offer; bassist David Hull, who played with THE BUDDY MILES BAND at 19 and was in THE JOE PERRY PROJECT in the '80s, drummer Ben Tileston, a Boston University percussion graduate, who plays drums with two of Perry's sons in TAB THE BAND, Paul Santo, who's played Hammond organ/pipe organ with the likes of Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Ozzy Osbourne, drummers Scott Meeder and Marty Richards and Willie "Loco" Alexander, Boston's "Godfather of Punk," who was part of the Bostown sound of the band THE BAGATELLE.
A six-week Twitter search was conducted to find the CDs title. The winner, out of nearly 2000 entries, was Joe Piscitelli, who used a play on the old CBS television program "Have Gun – Will Travel".
The release of "Have Guitar, Will Travel" follows self-produced solo releases including "Let The Music Do The Talking" (1980), "Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker" (1983), "I've Got The Rock 'N' Rolls Again" (1981) and 2005's "Joe Perry", which received universal critical praise and earned Perry his first solo Grammy nomination for "Best Instrumental Song" ("Mercy").
AC/DC's Italian concert promoter Barley Arts has issued a statement refuting reports that the band is planning to perform at the Olympic Stadium in Turin on June 8 and June 9, 2010.
The rumors were started by the daily Italian newspaper La Stampa and quickly spread on the web.
The statement indicates that Barley Arts' web site is the only official source for any news regarding a possible AC/DC show in Italy and that all other published information should be treated as nothing but a rumor — unless it is confirmed on the Barley Arts site.
AC/DC will release a limited-edition box set called "Backtracks" on November 10. The set, which comes in two versions, will be available on November 10 only through the ACDCBacktracks.com web site. As previously speculated, the "deluxe" package is housed inside a fully operational AC/DC amplifier and will come in a limited, autographed run of 50,000 copies. Included in the set are three CDs of live and studio rarities, two DVDs, a vinyl LP also containing studio rarities, a 164-page coffee table book, fine art lithographs of rare photos, a reproduction of an early AC/DC concert flyer and other memorabilia, including a button, guitar pick, and more.
A standard edition will feature two CDs of live and studio material, a single DVD plus bonus videos.
The first DVD is the long awaited video compilation "Family Jewels 3", which rounds up the group's music videos, live performances, and promotional clips from 1992 to 2009. The second DVD, "Live At The Circus Krone", captures a complete club show that the band played in Munich in 2003.
Details on pre-ordering the set are available at the web site, along with the full track listing.
Among the studio rarities included in the set are alternate versions of a number of early AC/DC tracks, as well as the never-before-released "Love Song", possibly the only ballad the band ever wrote with original singer Bon Scott.
WHSV.com reports that police in Charlottesville, Virginia say a sighting of a METALLICA fan who has been missing for a week was a "false alarm."
Acting on a tip, police shut down access to the Comfort Inn motel at I-64 and Route 250 in Charlottesville Saturday morning and confirmed they were looking for Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington.
However, after fingerprinting a blue truck in the motel parking lot and having bloodhounds search the surrounding areas, police say the sighting was a "false alarm."
In other news, The Roanoke Times reports that investigators trying to find Harrington said their scrutiny of surveillance video from the area around the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville — where the 20-year-old disappeared — has ended in frustration.
The footage has not yielded any clues to the Roanoke County woman's disappearance, said Corinne Geller, spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police.
"We've looked at all the surveillance video — gas stations, convenience stores, ATMs — any camera in that immediate area has been looked at," Geller said. "Nothing in the videos is relevant to the case."
Harrington vanished on October 17 while attending a METALLICA concert with friends. Her friends told investigators she left them sometime that night to go to a restroom and wound up outside the arena, which has a no-readmittance policy. Harrington called her friends to say she would either meet them after the concert or find another way home.
State police have set up a tip line at (434) 352-3467 and offered a reward that Harrington's father said now stands at $100,000.
METALLICA has joined the efforts to help locate Morgan Harrington — who disappeared during the band's concert in Charlottesville one week ago — by adding $50,000 to the $100,000 reward being offered for information leading to her whereabouts. Also joining the search is the FBI, who will be able to investigate tips from around the country in the case of the 20-year-old Virginia Tech student missing since she became separated from her friends at the October 17 show.
According to CBSNews.com, Harrington's father, Dan Harrington, told CBS-TV's "Early Show Saturday Edition" co-anchor Erica Hill investigators were to meet with him and his wife, Gil Harrington, on Saturday to bring them up-to-date on the search for their daughter.
"We're hopeful that they would have some morsel of news for us," Gil Harrington said to Hill.
Dan Harrington told Hill his "co-workers have raised $100,000 for a reward, and actually, just [on Friday], I received a call from METALLICA and they're working on increasing that to $150,000."
According to Rockville Magazine, Fox News ' Laura Ingle reported yesterday that METALLICA frontman James Hetfield "made a phone call to the father of Morgan Harrington [on Friday to] offer the band's support and they are putting up all the information of Morgan Herrington's disappearance on their web site. [The band] is also offering up $50,000 to go into the reward to help find Morgan Harrington."
Police are asking anyone with information to call the Morgan Harrington Tip Hotline at (434) 352-3467. There is also more information at a web site, FindMorgan.com.
MEGADETH's "predictably unpredictable" Artist Personal Experience radio station, "Megadeth Radio", is available for streaming using the widget below.
MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine has complete creative control in the programming of his 24-hour channel, which features interviews, news, personal commentary, and playlists of his favorite music.
According to LiveDaily, a sampling of "Megadeth Radio" revealed cuts from MEGADETH, as well as a varied mix of tunes heavy on classic rock and metal, including vintage cuts from METALLICA , KISS, QUEEN, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, ALICE IN CHAINS, DIO, THE ROLLING STONES and AC/DC. Other tracks included live versions of MEGADETH's "Symphony of Destruction" and FAITH NO MORE's "Epic", as well as studio cuts from LAMB OF GOD and MACHINE HEAD.
Between the musical selections, Mustaine can be heard talking about a variety of topics, including his band's influences, the subject matter for their songs, and his soon-to-open San Diego guitar/music school, where he plans to teach underprivileged youths.
In a brand new update on the official MEGADETH forum, Mustaine writes, "I am talking to the station guys for my show today and next week we'll be making some slight adjustments.
"I will check out what songs were added, and in many bands' cases, we got it right. Sometimes there are going to be stinkers, and I will make adjustments as I go. Remember, though, we are playing zingers too, and that means that just because a song is here, I don't necessarily like it — it just had something to do with my life. Example: 'I Was Made For Loving You' [by] KISS is played because that was the last song I heard by KISS as a fan. After that one, I quit them, which helped me understand the fan backlash from Bud Prager's failed attempt to break us with 'Crush 'Em'.
"I am constantly considering new additions of the music from my life as I hear it or someone suggests it. I am not sure why BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE was in there; it must have been a song that I tried to recall and got it wrong, although I still think that band has talent. I will also look at some other genres, because I have eclectic taste in music, but as far as anything that is blatantly against my moral fiber, you can fergit it! I am also changing 'Hair Of The Dog' [by] NAZARETH, so that it will always be NAZARETH and no covers of that one. No one else has the right to sing those lines. They are one of the credos I lived by for so many years and to hear someone else, anybody else sing it is just not right.
"I am going to add the entire record 'No Life To Leather' [sic] [referring to METALLICA's widely circulated 'No Life 'til Leather' demo tape featuring Mustaine on lead guitar] and have some fun with the comparisons between me and Kirk [Hammett, current METALLICA guitarist], but let's keep it fun and fair. I wouldn't even play them if I had a problem still. This is a new opportunity for us all to revolt against regular radio and together we are going to play hard and heavy music that we like, because I say so!
"I am glad that you are enjoying Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, and I can't wait to spring some more cultural stuff. Bob Dylan slipped through and will be removed, as well as a couple others that I notice slipped in.
"This is going to be such a cool and educating experience for you all, and I am so glad that you are enjoying my twisted sense of humor with the ads in between like, 'We go to eleven' and then play Elton John.
"Since I picked the songs for now, I have several new bands that I am going to check out and pick some songs from. As you can imagine, there are just too many bands, and just because you like them, doesn't mean I do. Megadeth Radio is for the whole band, but I am the only one doing it as of yet. So, I will check into RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, DEEP PURPLE, definately PANTERA, SYMPHONY X, RAMMSTEIN, and VIO-LENCE. I dunno why there is two versions of 'School's Out' — ALICE COOPER and someone. I also got the 'Endgame' requests and the picture glitch, I got some messages at TheLiveLine [a service launched by Mustaine that enables musicians to connect to their audience over the phone] about this, and when you call the studio number it goes to the studio, so if you want to talk to me directly, call my TheLiveLine number after you leave a message at the studio. I am also thinking about doing something cool on the weekends where we slam you with entire sides
of classic albums — not the whole thing, because even classic records get hard to sit through. But you'll get the jest. The decision to beep out songs is not mine.
"I was thinking of my new slogan, 'Megadeth Radio - where you'll neeeeeeeever hear NICKLEBACK!'"
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has responded to several fan postings on the band's official forum in regards to the status of the group's relationship with its record label, Roadrunner Records, and the possibility of MEGADETH releasing another studio album as a follow-up to this year's "Endgame".
On the choice of "44 Minutes" as the next single from "Endgame":
Mustaine: "It doesn't matter what song we choose as a single, we have no radio presence. Hell, my own hometown plays nothing from MEGADETH, but they sure do play my last band every hour.
"The radio person at Roadrunner has a very different approach to radio than I do, and since we never get any substantial radio impact, and all I have been able to do was have a Number 1 single, five or so Top 5 singles, many Top 10, dozens of Top 40, yet we can't get anything played from this new record with any consistency, I would say we have a very different approach.
"So far, I have had 'A Tout Le Monde' banned, and rejected last year, and nothing after that, and this year we have given away two songs and we are already on the third track, and I had to actually call up the guy and ask him for interviews, to which he said, 'I didn't know you wanted to do interviews.'
"Therefore, singles do not matter anymore."
On whether MEGADETH can release a "live" or compilation album in order to fulfill the band's current contract with Roadrunner Records:
Mustaine: "I don't know, but I do know that I am a man of my word and that I am going to fulfill my contract. Rest assured though that I am not going to be releasing a compilation record nor a live record for my final record for Roadrunner."
On Mustaine allegedly stating in a previous online post that Roadrunner wanted to extend the MEGADETH contract and re-sign MEGADETH for more albums and that Roadrunner threatened stop producing "Endgame" unless Mustaine complied:
Mustaine: "I said that the president [of Roadrunner] came out and said it was the last record and that if we didn't re-sign with them for more records they were going to stop selling the record, and I have always known that there was another record owed, I just wanted to see what they were going to do, and I also face the physical problems, so regardless of what they say or don't say, if my neck or spine says, 'You're done, Dave,' then I am done.
"I hate talking about this because it is not fair to the other guys [in MEGADETH] when it suggests no job security.
"I love my my relationship with a lot of the people that I am working with, and I know that it seems selfish sometimes to say that I am going to stop. But if the body or the hands say that's it, well, then that is it.
"I still have fire in my belly and I really wished that 'Endgame' was handled differently, but I am going to trust God to sort this out, and if the record was meant to die quickly and if I am meant to suffer another blow to my ego, my pride, my legacy and so on, in order to be a better person and to be closer to God, well, then I will soldier on and complete my time there with grace and honor.
"I can tell you that while it is destroying our tenure with Roadrunner, I am not going to let this bother me anymore. I think history will dictate this whole thing, and I am completely prepared to work, so we will see where it goes now."
"Endgame" has sold around 76,000 copies in the United States since its release five weeks ago. The CD registered the following U.S. weekly sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan:
Week 1: 44,696
Week 2: 12,833
Week 3: 8,640
Week 4: 5,583
Week 5: 3,948
"Endgame" currently sits at position No. 142 on The Billboard 200 chart.
ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano was interviewed on last night's (Saturday, October 24) edition of the "Maximum Threshold" show. The entire program can now be streamed using the audio player below. (Note: The Caggiano interview begins around the one-hour, 28-minute mark.)
Regarding ANTHRAX's current status, Caggiano said, "We just got back from Japan. We played the Loud Park festival in Tokyo. That was pretty killer.
"We're just kind of taking it easy right now, getting ready to finish the new ANTHRAX record — getting things rolling with that. . . I'm producing and engineering the whole thing.
"I'm sure you guys know the whole story, but the record's pretty much... I mean, it was done... [laughs] and now, it's not confirmed or anything yet — it's unofficial — but it looks like John Bush's [ANTHRAX's singer from 1992 to 2005] gonna do the vocals on it. So we're all kind of keeping our fingers crossed and hopefully it's gonna go great. The record rules; we're all really, really excited about it."
On ANTHRAX's split with singer Dan Nelson, who laid down the vocals on the band's new CD before parting ways with the group in July:
"I really don't wanna go too much into that whole thing, because it's just gonna get weird. But Dan's a good guy, and he's a great, great singer — he sounds amazing. It just didn't work out. It's really as simple as that. We all tried this thing, this direction, and it just wasn't working. But none of that stuff really matters. I mean, we're all kind of looking to the future at this point. And it feels really good. I mean, the last few shows we did were awesome; we're all really, really excited."
On ANTHRAX's forthcoming album:
"I think the fans are really gonna dig this new record, when it's finally done. [laughs] It's kind of a... definitely a progression from the last album. There's definitely a few nods to the old-school stuff as well. It's just all around a really, really, really strong record."
ANTHRAX (featuring John Bush) is confirmed for the 2010 edition of Australia's Soundwave Festival, which will kick off on February 20 in Brisbane.
The dates are as follows:
Feb. 20 - Brisbane, AUS - RNA Showgrounds
Feb. 21 - Sydney, AUS - Eastern Creek Raceway
Feb. 26 - Melbourne, AUS - Melbourne Showgrounds
Feb. 27 - Adelaide, AUS - Bonython Park
Mar. 01 - Perth, AUS - Bassendean Oval
As a result of ANTHRAX's split with Nelson, the band canceled 10 European shows and pulled out of a U.S. tour with SLIPKNOT which was scheduled to take place in August and September.
Photo below courtesy of Loud Park festival.
ANTHRAX/ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush was interviewed on yesterday's (Sunday, October 25) edition of DJ Will's "The Vault" show on KNAC.COM. During the chat, Bush was asked about his current status in ANTHRAX, the band that he rejoined in late July after the group split with singer Dan Nelson due to "personal differences."
"We did two shows [Sonisphere festival in the U.K. and Loud Park festival in Japan] and they were both awesome," said Bush, who was previously a member of ANTHRAX from 1992 to 2005. "And I'm committed to [doing] these five [more] dates, which is the Soundwave festival in Australia in February, and I'm looking forward to that.
"[Playing Soundwave festival is] gonna be cool. There are some really great bands on the bill, particularly FAITH NO MORE, who've reunited, whom I look forward to seeing.
"And that's as far as it's gone. I'm taking really tiny steps with that, because that feels like the natural thing to do.
"The experience's been great [so far]. And the band is sitting on [an already completed new] record [with Dan Nelson's vocals] that they're probably a little unsure what to do with, and we've discussed that, and we're trying to figure that out too. And I've listened to some music and it sounds cool.
"Doing shows is easy, for the most part. Remembering lyrics is the biggest challenge lately, and I've done pretty well with that at the two shows. I'm proud of myself. I guess all my memory abilities are still there, which is important. I haven't gotten early signs of Alzheimer's yet; I'm lucky. We even played a couple of songs at the Japanese show, like 'Catharsis', which we played once in the band's career, and we didn't even rehearse; that's a pretty awesome accomplishment, I think.
"That being said, I kind of wanted to [complete] the [new] ARMORED SAINT [album], as far as creativity-wise, before I could enter a new area of being creative with ANTHRAX. And I've talked to them and I wanted to be super-straight-up about everything.
"There's a few things to iron out if I was gonna re-sing the [songs on the already completed new ANTHRAX] record, basically. One is making sure that I have the capability of contributing in the proper way and in the most uplifting way. And also there are a couple of legal things to work out.
"The [new ANTHRAX] record's done. I mean, Dan sang on it; it's finished. So it's an area that I'm still kind of entering with... not trepidation, but just... again, baby steps for me and trying to figure out the right way.
"Doing shows? That's gravy; that's easy.
"It was awesome [playing live with ANTHRAX again]. There's obviously camarederie between me and those guys on stage. It's powerful, it's like we never stopped, and that's easy.
"You know, when it comes to anything that's happened in ANTHRAX [on a personal level], it's irreleveant as well.
"Once I decided to do the Knebworth [Sonisphere] gig, my mindset was, 'Let's go out and rule and kick ass and do the best we can,' and that's where it was. Anything else beyond that as far as some of the ins and outs of the group as far as the things that happened, it's kind of behind me. Because it doesn't matter, 'cause I'm in a different place now. It just doesn't matter. If I'm going to do a show, I'm gonna do the show. I'm not gonna do the show with a 'But...' or 'Well...' — one of those. I'm doing it. I'm in, and that's it. Doing the record is a little different, but if it happens, I'm there and I'll do it with everything I've got. Charlie [Benante, drums] and Frankie [Bello, bass] are the same, because those guys, they have kids, and I could bust their balls straight up and say those guys hated touring a lot of the time without kids. We'd go to Europe and they'd be like, 'Grrr....' 'Cause they just weren't the biggest fans of touring.
"Playing shows is easy, again... That's gravy, that's easy. The other 22 and a half hours of the day is, for me — and I'm sure those guys and a lot of people — the negative side of touring. Especially when you're away from your family and especially now when you add kids to the mix. It's hard. And I don't wanna do that.
"We've already discussed it, and I've been pretty clear about it — I don't wanna go out and slug it out for months on the road; I'm just not feeling that anymore. It doesn't bring happiness to me. There's like this two-and-a-half-week window where everything goes south and it's just like, 'I don't wanna be here.' Again, I can't speak for other bands; I just know that that's how ANTHRAX work, and I think those guys would agree with me — it's just the way it is.
"So I think that playing the right shows in the right circumstances, especially if they're big gigs, it's very enticing and that sounds like fun.
"If I never have to walk into Harpo's [club in Detroit] again in my life, or if I do, somebody needs to shoot me. Nothing personal against the city of Detroit — it's just that that's the kind of thing I just never wanna do again. And it's not because I have this arrogant attitude — I've done it... and many times. I've been there. It's just not what I wanna do with my life anymore at this stage. And I don't think we have to, which is cool. Again, we're trying to figure it all out.
"Those guys kind of were on the road, and then their road kind of got detoured; that's life, let alone rock and roll.
"So that's where we're at. We're kind of seeing what's gonna happen, and everything's been a positive thing."
An audio recording of Bush talking to DJ Will of KNAC.COM about John's current status in ANTHRAX can be heard using the audio player below.
ANTHRAX (featuring John Bush) is confirmed for the 2010 edition of Australia's Soundwave Festival, which will kick off on February 20 in Brisbane.
The dates are as follows:
Feb. 20 - Brisbane, AUS - RNA Showgrounds
Feb. 21 - Sydney, AUS - Eastern Creek Raceway
Feb. 26 - Melbourne, AUS - Melbourne Showgrounds
Feb. 27 - Adelaide, AUS - Bonython Park
Mar. 01 - Perth, AUS - Bassendean Oval
As a result of ANTHRAX's split with Nelson, the band canceled 10 European shows and pulled out of a U.S. tour with SLIPKNOT which was scheduled to take place in August and September.
ARMORED SAINT entered Tranzformer Studios in Burbank, California on October 12 to begin recording its sixth full-length album. The SAINT is working with Bryan Carlstrom, who is once again handling engineering duties, with the band's very own Joey Vera (bass) in the producer's chair. Joey and Bryan will mix the record, which is scheduled for release in early 2010 via Metal Blade Records.
The as-yet-untitled CD will feature the following songs, among others:
* Black Feet
* Chilled
* Loose Cannon
* Blues
* La Raza
* Head On
* Get Off The Fence
* Left Hook From Right Field
Tranzformer Studios is owned by Dave Jerdan (ALICE IN CHAINS, JANE'S ADDICTION), who produced ARMORED SAINT's 1991 classic "Symbol of Salvation" and Carlstrom, who engineered the same album.
AskMen.com recently conducted an interview with Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER , DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED, GUNS N' ROSES). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
AskMen.com: [DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED's new album] "Sick" sounds amazing and I think reflective of some of your earlier influences, but it's a departure from your days with GUNS and VELVET REVOLVER. What would you say to fans of your more well-known work who are interested in picking this album up?
Duff: I think LOADED is its own standalone band and I think a really good band, from my experience, is the greatest sum of all of its parts. Every guy brought something to the table and we took the best of those parts and made it a whole. Same thing with VELVET REVOLVER; you still had Slash and I, you had those elements, but you got Scott Weiland in there and Matt [Sorum] as a songwriter and even Dave Kushner — you take the best parts of them. With LOADED, we've always been sort of left of center; we're not a straight-up commercial rock band. People are saying it's ["Sick"] more punk rock, but punk rock to me was something that I experienced and I played in a lot of punk rock bands, but that was a long, long time ago. I'm certainly not going back; I'm not harkening back to those times.
AskMen.com: "Sick" sounds very cathartic and retrospective; can you tell us what you were going through during the writing of the album?
Duff: You know, lyrics I wrote for GUNS or VELVET or stuff even before that, were always just right on the nose, something that happened to me or an observation of mine. On this record, there are definitely a lot of observations, like "Mother's Day", I took three stories of three friends of mine who passed away because of drug overdose and I made it about a woman. So I try to get at least twice removed or once removed from the actual story and not have it be so "on the nose." But there are songs like "Wasted Heart" and "IOU" that are kind of direct odes to my wife. And there are songs that are playful, like "Flatline", it's the single, it's a classic breakup "f*ck you." It's nothing that happened to me directly, but we've all felt that way about a chick or if you're a chick you've felt that way about a guy. But I'm trying to get away from such autobiographical songs. I write a lot now for Playboy and Seattle Weekly, so I'm learning how to write and
separate myself from the story. I'm writing every week for the Weekly and I don't want people knowing everything about me. So how do you get into that? How do I tell people about something I did but not give too much about myself? So I try to do that with my songs, but there are songs that influenced my life, drug use, sadness, and the good stuff.
AskMen.com: What do you think of [GUNS N' ROSES' album] "Chinese Democracy"?
Duff: It's funny; so many people have asked me that question and I gotta figure out why people think my opinion matters . . . I think Axl [Rose] did a great job on that record and other than that, the songs and the band are a completely different thing, so for me to really comment on the band, I might as well be commenting on the new SLIPKNOT record. It's that far removed from me. We [GUNS] made our last record in '92 or '93 or something — that was 16 years ago. That was a lifetime ago for me. I was still using and stuff back then. So, that's how long ago it was for me. It's great ["Chinese Democracy"]. There are songs on it that I like and there are songs on it that I don't like, just like any other record.
Canwest News Service is reporting:
"Thank you, your money will be refunded."
These were the parting words from Axl Rose to a crowd of 53,000 GUNS N' ROSES fans at Montréal's Olympic Stadium on Aug. 8, 1992, delivered right before leaving the stage.
As the evening's co-headliners, METALLICA had been forced to cut their performance short after singer James Hetfield was rushed to a hospital following a pyrotechnics accident; the crowd had been hoping that Guns N' Roses would salvage the night. With a set cut short at 55 minutes, Rose's performance didn't cut it.
Thousands of angry fans proceeded to go on a rampage, setting fires and breaking windows and concession stands in the stadium, eventually spilling out onto streets. It took 300 riot police to keep the violence contained. At the end of the night, 12 people were arrested and 20, including three police officers, were sent to the hospital. The total damage to Olympic Stadium was estimated at $300,000.
Reflecting on it later in an interview with MTV, Rose was far from apologetic. "There were technical difficulties in Montreal, and we had to leave and the crowd was very upset about that," he explained. "They didn't really take the time to think about what went on for us. Now that's kinda hard to take, and I don't feel responsible for that."
Maybe the fans should've seen it coming. A year earlier, Rose had been accused of instigating a riot in St. Louis, MO, after he ended the concert early due to being unimpressed with the venue's security. It took third-degree burns for Metallica to cut their Montréal show short, but all it took for Rose to decide he'd had enough was the Big O's PA system. (Fan speculation ranges from Rose having vocal problems to his personal fortune teller advising him earlier to avoid all things with the letter "m.") And while Metallica made good on their promise to finish the concert at a later date, there would be no refund from Rose, nor would he play the city again.
That's all set to change after this week's announcement that Guns N' Roses will tour 13 cities in Canada next year, with the Bell Centre in Montreal scheduled for January 27.
Guitarist DJ ASHBA has issued the following announcement:
"Ashba Swag will NO longer be associated with or available through Swagrox.com! Ashba Swag will only be available at Ashbaland.com. I am also building a direct link to my new store Ashbaswag.com. I will let everyone know when it is launching. ALL Ashba Swag will be run in-house at Ashba Media, Inc.
I also would like everyone to know we have all of the paperwork finally and I am NOW aware of swag that was ordered, payed for and never received by some of you. I want to apologize for this. I am beyond pissed, this is NOT how I do business, and I am working with my team around the clock to get this mess cleaned up. We WILL be shipping all items to customers that have not received their orders ASAP. I am also going to throw in something extra special for those of you who have been so patient. I also will personally guarantee that we WILL have all swag in stock at ALL times from here on out! And will be shipped within 24 hours of purchase. I value each and every one of you for all the love and support that you have and continue to give me, and I will not sleep until I personally clean up this mess. I also am working very hard on designing brand new swag! So bare with me, I will keep you up to date on the progress! Much love!"
Catch DJ Ashba on tour with GUNS N' ROSES:
January
13 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
16 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
17 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
19 - Saskatoon, SK - Credit Union Centre
20 - Regina, SK - Brandt Centre
24 - Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum
25 - London, ON - John Labatt Centre
27 - Montreal, PQ - Bell Centre
28 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
31 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
February
1 - Quebec City, PQ - Colisee Pepsi
3 - Moncton, NB - Moncton Coliseum
4 - Halifax, NS - Metro Centre
According to The Pulse of Radio, Rob Zombie is offering "Ultimate Fan Packages" through I Love All Access for his upcoming North American tour, which begins this Thursday (October 29) in Phoenix, Arizona. The package includes one ticket per buyer, priority access where allowable, a meet-and-greet with Zombie, a pre-show party, an exclusive Zombie gift bag, a souvenir tour laminate and parking. If you already have a ticket, you can upgrade your existing ticket through the package.
Zombie will be joined on his first headlining trek since 2007 by openers NECROMANTIX and CAPTAIN CLEGG AND THE NIGHT CREATURES. Zombie told The Pulse of Radio that the latter band may be familiar to fans who saw his latest effort as a director, "Halloween II". "CAPTAIN CLEGG AND THE NIGHT CREATURES are . . . they're sort of like the MONKEES," he said. "They were a fictitious band that now became real. They're the band that's playing in the Halloween party in 'Halloween II', which this friend of mine, Jesse Dayton, we formed this fake band for the movie, and people seemed to love it so much it sort of took on a life of its own, and now it's like a real band that's on tour with us."
Zombie is hitting the road despite the fact that his fourth solo album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool", has been bumped from a November 17 arrival to an undetermined 2010 release date. According to Zombie's publicist, fans can expect a "big announcement" soon about the eventual release of the new album.
Meanwhile, "Halloween II", Zombie's sequel to his own hit 2007 remake of the iconic horror classic, will be re-released in theatres on October 30 in time for the holiday it's named after.
"Hellbilly Deluxe 2" is the "sequel" to Zombie's first solo studio effort, "Hellbilly Deluxe", released in 1998.
Jason Le Miere of RevolverMag.com recently conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
RevolverMag.com: What stage are you at with [your new solo album] album?
Vince Neil: Just working on the music right now. Haven't gotten in the studio yet, just working on songs. We'll probably get the music done next month. I'll get into vocals in December, should have it finished up by January.
RevolverMag.com: How is it different for you playing with you solo band, as opposed to with MÖTLEY CRÜE?
Vince Neil: Well, MÖTLEY CRÜE is, you know, MÖTLEY CRÜE, a big production and everything. My thing is basically going out with my fiends and just having a good time and just playing straight-ahead rock 'n' roll. Right now it's just one-offs, so it's I'm home, then we got to fly to the gig, do the gig, then fly back home, where obviously with MÖTLEY we don't do that. Like I said, in 2010, after the record comes out, we'll go out and do a proper tour and get back on the bus.
RevolverMag.com: How long have you been together with the guys in your solo band?
Vince Neil: I've been with these guys maybe three or four years, I guess. Sometimes band members change in solo bands, some guys go out and do other stuff while I'm playing with MÖTLEY, but these guys I've been together with these guys for a while.
RevolverMag.com: How does the writing process work for your solo album, does everyone contribute?
Vince Neil: Everybody comes in with ideas everybody. It's a band, and we treat it as such. So everybody has ideas. Everybody comes in and we collaborate and put stuff together.
RevolverMag.com: What can we expect from the album, any surprises?
Vince Neil: No, it's just straight-ahead rock 'n' roll, man. That's what I do.
Californian rockers RATT have set "Infestation" as the title of their new album, due in March 2010 via Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records. The band's first studio CD in 10 years was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette, whose credits include PUDDLE OF MUDD, CHEVELLE, SALIVA, LIMP BIZKIT, ALTER BRIDGE and THREE DAYS GRACE, to name a few. The effort — which has been described by singer Stephen Pearcy as a cross between 1984's "Out Of The Cellar" and 1985's "Invasion Of Your Privacy" — marked the first time the group had stepped outside of Los Angeles to track a new CD in 20-plus years.
Video footage of RATT guitarist Warren DeMartini laying down a solo on the band's new song "Lost Weekend" at a studio in Virginia Beach, Virginia in June 2009 can be viewed below.
RATT and EXTREME recently teamed up to bring you this summer's most rockin' tour lineup. The tour, which featured sets from both bands with RATT closing, kicked off on July 12 in Amarillo, Texas and ran through August 7 in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of their landmark debut "Out Of The Cellar", RATT played the album in its entirety.
Over the past two years, RATT has toured the world in support of their releases "Tell The World - The Very Best Of Ratt" and their first-ever DVD, "Videos from the Cellar - The Atlantic Years". During this time, the current lineup of Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer, Robbie Crane and Carlos Cavazo played shows in Australia, Colombia and Peru for the first time in their careers.
On Monday October 5, 2009, Vater Percussion brought Xavier Muriel, drummer for BUCKCHERRY, into Weymouth High School in Massachusetts as a guest speaker for the school's music students. The platinum-selling artist and Grammy-nominated drummer was in Boston that day on the band's U.S. tour opening for KISS.
Xavier spoke to the 60-plus music students about his personal background, the history of BUCKCHERRY, life on the road, his influences, what his hopes and dreams were when he was a high school music student back in Austin, Texas and so on. Xavier also took some time to answer questions and to sign autographs.
"Xavier Muriel was by far the most compelling guest speaker we've had at Weymouth High School in many ways," said John Duff, Director of Bands. "His session explained the challenges and successes of his time in the music industry. He was well spoken, professional, and had a very positive message for the kids. Xavier showed that he is a real person with a real life."
The Xavier Muriel session at Weymouth High School was in part of Vater's ongoing involvement with the school in memory of Jeffrey Phillips. Phillips was an employee of Vater for 10 years who graduated from the school in 1996.
Arkansas Rocks! Entertainment conducted an interview with guitarist Jason Hook and vocalist Ivan Moody of Los Angeles metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on October 23, 2009 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Watch the chat below. Also available is performance footage from the Little Rock concert.
"I truly believe heavy metal has gone south," Moody recently told MySanAntonio.com. "Too many people are focusing on, will the songs be on the radio, will the shirt be in Hot Topic? It reminds me of the late '80s when bands worried only about what would get 'em laid or what would get 'em paid.
"We come from the element of metal that still believes in rebellion. I just call us bad ass. Bands like METALLICA never sat around and said, 'We're speed metal,' or 'We're thrash metal.' If it feels good at the end of the day, to me, that's metal."
Regarding his lyrical approach, Moody said, "I do try to leave it open-ended. I don't want to tell people what to think. Everybody has a different opinion. Jeremy, Matt, Zoltan and Jason are gifted musicians. They'll send me a set of music and I'll write lyrics around it. They have faith in me and I have faith in them. This is not anyone's first barbecue.
"For the second CD, we went in with the mentality that we had to step it up. We didn't want to be stagnant. Kevin Churko (the CD producer) helped a lot. I am so proud of this new album."
"Every chance I get, every moment of my day, goes into a song," he added. "Media, politics, women, family, friends, good relationships, bad relationships, all inspire me. Thank God the world is so (expletive) up or I'd be out of a job."
On the band's live performance, Moody said, "We pride ourselves on the live show. Anybody can go into a studio and make an album. When you perform live, you bring a level of intimacy. I'm a blue-collar kid from Colorado. I grew up on a farm. I'm not much on b.s. When you go on stage, you can grab somebody by the throat or grab somebody by the hand."
SOULS OF WE guitarist George Lynch (LYNCH MOB) and vocalist London Legrand are featured in a new "interview" with The Entertainment Nexus. An excerpt is available below.
Q: What have you been doing these days?
Lynch: "We've been touring around Guerrilla Style the hard way. We've been on the road for off and on for two months and this is basically my 'Love Band' ya know? I love these guys and London's one of my best friends. He used to cut my hair! I walked in the place and go: 'How much to look like him?!' I didn't think that he was a real musician cause in Hollywood; people that looked like him weren't really musicians. 'It's all form and no substance.' Then, I invited him down to the studio and he came down with a bag of Red Bulls and we stuck him in a broom closet with a mic and I was like; 'Fuckin Hell! Here's a guy that looks like Hollywood or whatever and fuckin actually has all of this juice…' ya know?"
Legrand: "I don't think that I looked Hollywood at all. I think maybe North Hollywood maybe. No, I'm kidding (laughs)."
Lynch: "He's way cooler! Anything but West Hollywood please! Anyway, we did this project and he…
Legrand: "That's gonna hurt my business, you sayin shit like that."
Lynch: "Oh shit! No, no because he DOES an amazing job…in case this whole music thing doesn't work out. You definitely go get your hair cut by London Legrand at Sirens Salon on Melrose…"
DC4 — the Los Angeles-based hard rock band featuring Rowan Robertson (ex-DIO) alongside brothers Jeff Duncan (ARMORED SAINT, ODIN) on lead vocals and guitar, Shawn Duncan (ODIN) on drums and Matt Duncan on bass — will enter the studio in December/January to begin recording its new album for a tentative late spring release. The follow-up to 2007's "Explode" will be produced by Bill Metoyer, who has previously worked with SLAYER, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and FATES WARNING, among many others.
Commented the group: "We are about seven songs [into the songwriting process] so far! The songs are rockin and we are heavy on the guitars in this one! Honestly, we can't wait for everyone to hear it!"
DC4 will debut some of its new material on November 7 at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, California.
The group last year spent time at Skull Seven studio with producers Metoyer and Joey Vera (ARMORED SAINT, FATES WARNING) recording additional tracks for the re-release of "Explode". The new tracks, titled "People" and "25 To Life", were added to the CD along with a video and new artwork for an "enhanced" package.
Jeff Duncan and Shawn Duncan — of ODIN fame and notable for their appearances in "The Decline Of Western Civilization - The Metal Years" — formed DC4 with brother Matt Duncan in 1995 and released their debut EP, "Mood Swings", produced by Joe Floyd (BRUCE DICKINSON, WARRIOR).
In 2001, DC4 released "Volume One", which was produced by Joey Vera.
Robertson, who is best known for his dynamic guitar wizardry on DIO's "Lock Up The Wolves" album, joined the ranks in 2006.
Veteran glam rockers JETBOY have completed recording an EP of their first original material in 20 years, and are currently negotiating for its release later this year. In addition, a rock documentary film on the band is in the preliminary stages of being shot by Reality Check TV, which also produced the "mini-doc" included in JETBOY's last CD/DVD release, "The Glam Years", on Cleopatra/Deadline Records.
"The Glam Years" contained a DVD of a 1986 concert at Los Angeles' legendary Whisky a Go-Go (featuring a chock-full of extra interviews and photos) as well as a 21-track CD of the group's greatest hits.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/jetboyrocks.
Italian rock/metal band LACUNA COIL has scheduled the following dates
Jan. 29 - (IRL) Dublin - The Academy
Jan. 31 - (UK) Manchester - The Manchester Academy
Feb. 01 - (UK) Birmingham - O2 Academy
Feb. 02 - (UK) Glasgow - The ABC
Feb. 04 - (UK) Bristol - O2 Academy
Feb. 05 - (UK) London - O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Feb. 07 - (NL) Eindhoven - Effenaar
Feb. 08 - (F) Paris - Bataclan
Feb. 09 - (B) Borgerhout - Trix Hall
Feb. 20 - (D) Berlin - Columbia Club
Feb. 21 - (D) Hamburg - Knust
Feb. 22 - (D) Aschaffenburg - Colos-Saal
Feb. 24 - (D) Cologne - Essigfabrik
Feb. 25 - (D) Karlsruhe - Substage
Feb. 26 - (D) Munich - Backstage Halle
Feb. 28 - (A) Vienna - Arena
Mar. 01 - (CH) Zuerich - Dynamo
Mar. 02 - (I) Milan - Alcatraz
Mar. 04 - (I) Bologna - Estragon
Mar. 05 - (I) Rome - Atlantico
Mar. 06 - (I) Treviso - New Age
Three unique artists were approached to remix LACUNA COIL's "I Like It" track for a single, which was made available digitally only on September 21 in Europe and Australia.
Interface: One of New York's longest-running electronic music acts, Interface combines the sonic edge of industrial, the club energy of trance, and a melodic sensibility for a unique experience.
Das Basslaster: Das Basslaster, synthies/samples/computer and vocals as well as producer for electro/pop/emo/trash darlings FRITTENBUDE, went for a more pop mix of the song.
Dan Peace: 20-year-old underground electro/big bass producer and DJ from the Northeast England, Dan Peace emerged from the bedroom mid-September 2008. He has since been knocking out his own brand of dance music and DJing regularly.
LACUNA COIL's latest album, "Shallow Life", was recorded in September/October 2008 at NRG Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Don Gilmore, who has previously worked with LINKIN PARK, TRAPT, AVRIL LAVIGNE, GOOD CHARLOTTE, THE VERONICAS, PEARL JAM, TRUST COMPANY and DURAN DURAN.
LACUNA COIL is currently on the road in North America as part of the "HardDrive Live Tour", which also features ALL THAT REMAINS, MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER, FROM SWORD TO SUNRISE (first leg) and TAKING DAWN (second leg).
ARKAEA — the band featuring FEAR FACTORY members Christian Olde Wolbers (guitar) and Raymond Herrera (drums) — has been forced to pull out of the remaining five shows on the KITTIE North American tour.
Commented ARKAEA vocalist Jon Howard (also of THREAT SIGNAL): "For the past week, I had been pushing myself to perform with the flu and I hoped it would eventually fade away, but it got worse. Once the sickness moved into my lungs I took my ass to the clinic in Flint, Michigan. I had a chest x-ray and it turns out I have pneumonia. The doctor almost put me into a hospital bed I was so bad... I decided my health is the most important and I came home to rest.
"A big thanks to everyone on the tour — KITTIE, SOIL, STRAIGHT LINE STITCH, crew and the fans — for making this tour such a blast! I wish it could have ended on a better note for me, but that's life sometimes."
"Gone Tomorrow", the new video from ARKAEA, can be viewed below. The clip was filmed with Dale "Rage" Resteghini (HATEBREED, TRIVIUM, MUDVAYNE) and Dan Dobi (BLEEDING THROUGH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, WARBRINGER) at the helm.
"Years In The Darkness", the debut album from ARKAEA sold 980 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 39 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.
"Years In The Darkness" was released in the U.S. on July 14 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The CD was produced by Christian Olde Wolbers and ARKAEA and mixed by legendary producer Terry Date, best known for his work with the DEFTONES, SLIPKNOT, WHITE ZOMBIE, SOUNDGARDEN and PANTERA. The album was mastered at Sterling Sound by Ted Jensen, who mastered FEAR FACTORY's gold-certified 1998 release "Obsolete".
Howard has been a part of the FEAR FACTORY family ever since Wolbers served as producer for THREAT SIGNAL's debut, "Under Reprisal". Given that connection, the chemistry was there the instant the band started jamming. Howard has managed to push himself as a singer with the help of the veteran musicians. "I always try to do new things and experiment with my voice, and this project has been challenging," said Howard. "It always takes a little time to get comfortable working with new people and a new style of music, but I got over that really fast with Christian and Raymond, and I feel very comfortable where we're going right now."
ARCH ENEMY's Angela Gossow has issued the following message to Korean fans:
"We are offering a very special 'heavy metal love birds' deal for the Korea show: The boyz buy a ticket and get to bring in their lady for free! Plus, you get a copy of our new album, The Roots Of All Evil, on top of this as well.
How romantic is that? Ha ha... Grab that ticket deal before its sold out."
Arch Enemy recently announced details of their 2010 North American Tyrants Of Evil Tour. The support acts are: EXODUS, ARSIS and MUTINY WITHIN.
Direct ticket links for all shows are now available via Mutiny Within's official MySpace page here.
Confirmed dates are as follows:
January
20 - Towson, MD - Recher Theatre
21 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts
22 - New York, NY - Nokia Theatre
23 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
25 - Montreal, QC - Le Medley
26 - Quebec City, QC - Theatre Imperial
27 - Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre
29 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
30 - Minneapolis, MN - The Rock
31 - Winnipeg, MB - The Garrick Centre
February
2 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall Ballroom
3 - Edmonton, AB - Edmonton Events Center
6 - Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market
8 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Center at The Grand
9 - West Hollywood, CA - House of Blues
Swedish hard rockers GRIFFEN have issued the following update:
"We have now completed the mixing [of our debut album] at Pelle Saether's Studio Underground, Västerås who has made a fantabulous job. It's sounding just as raw and smooth as we intended it to. The stuff is now being mastered by Göran Finnberg, who is a cunning fox and has mastered bands like HAMMERFALL, IN FLAMES and ARCH ENEMY, among others. We've heard samples from his work on our stuff and... G'DAMN!!! It's a lip-cracker!"
GRIFFEN's debut CD will be released through Heart Of Steel Records .
According to a press release, GRIFFEN's sound is influenced by some classic names of the genre such as RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE and DIO, and it's not far removed from the melodic rock style that can be found on the last few albums from artists like Jorn Lande and Jeff Scott Soto.
GRIFFEN's lineup:
Tomi Peltonen (TORCH) - Guitar
Stefan Törnblom - Guitar
Jörgen Söderberg - Lead Vocals
Kristian Huotari (TORCH) - Drums
Harri Tuovila - Bass
Visit www.myspace.com/griffentheband for more information.
Connecticut heavy metal band SACRED OATH will perform a free concert in front of FYE at the Danbury Fair Mall on Saturday, October 31 at 4 p.m. The Halloween concert is a special "meet-and-greet" event organized by the FYE music store chain and will take place in the parking lot at 3 Backus Ave. in Danbury, Connecticut. There will also be costume contests, candy, and, of course, the band will be signing copies of its new self-titled CD.
"Counting Zeros", the latest video from SACRED OATH, can be viewed below. The track comes off "Sacred Oath", which was released on August 25 via the WorldSound label.
The army tank featured in the video will be at the Danbury concert and fans can get photos with the band in front of the tank.
SACRED OATH members Rob Thorne, Kenny Evans, Bill Smith and Brendan Kelleher are all native to Connecticut from the Bethel/Brookfield area.
SACRED OATH formed in 1985 while half the band was still in high school and is currently experiencing a second wave of commercial success as traditional heavy metal makes a comeback.
Shaxul of Earth-Dog.com recently conducted an interview with vocalist John Tardy of Florida death metal legends OBITUARY. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
Earth-Dog.com: Do you feel that your fan base is comprised of people that may be into SLIPKNOT or stuff like that? Bands that don't really sound like you?
Tardy: We're kinda open for that, you know. Back when we took that six-year hiatus when we weren't doing much and we kinda got back into these things and we run into some of these bands like SLIPKNOT or DOWN and finding out they're huge OBITUARY fans... you know, when you got Phil [Anselmo] walking up to you and saying, "hey, I like your style," that's fuckin awesome. It's good to run into some of those bands that are doing really well and even younger people coming up to us and saying, "You're the reason I started playing guitar." No better compliment than getting it from your fellow musicians.
Earth-Dog.com: Are there any artists out there that you think is really immitating your vocal style?
Tardy: Yeah I get alot of people coming up to me and saying, "Listen to this, it sounds like you" kinda stuff. I guess nothing would turn me off more than to hear something that sounds like something else. You know what I mean? If I wanna listen to AC/DC, then I'm gonna listen to AC/DC. I don't wanna listen to some band that's just gonna copy their sound. If that makes sense to ya?! I like to go to the source. I don't like to listen to a whole lotta bands that just sound like somebody else. I mean, we were very fortunate, Donald [Tardy, drums], Trevor [Peres, guitar], and I. It's just something when we get together. It's not about how fast you are or whatever it's not something you can immitate. We were lucky to come up with a unique sound. So I have heard a lot of bands [that sound like us], and obviously there's alot of people telling me about it. But I just...I don't like to listen to bands that, you know, they just sat down and decided to sound just
like like PANTERA...and they're just working it to the ground.
Earth-Dog.com: Do you think that "clone bands" are more rampant than they were say 10-15 years ago?
Tardy: Well, when we came out there was so few bands doing it...we were fortunate to come out with that extreme kind of metal when there weren't alot of bands doing it. And now you've got so many — SO MANY — bands out there! I mean it's just ridiculous how many bands are out there and every one of em, unfortunately can't be original. I think there's just so many bands now that just by nature you're gonna get more and more of that.
Earth-Dog.com: Do you think the proliferation of all these "extreme" bands kinda waters things down a little bit?
Tardy: Well, it does, and I think you see times when it just gets too much for the market. And that's when you see kids start listening to other kinds of music
because you just get kinda overwealmed with it. But, you know, it happens with all kinds of music. You get country music. You get a couple big artists and they get real popular and then all these bands start coming out that start sounding like them. Then, over time, [it] starts getting little less popular and a little less until that new band comes back and creates that big splash that brings things back up again. And I think metal went through that for a while and we fortunately were taking a break when that was happening. You know, I think metal just got to a point where it just wasn't real popular. And it just comes and goes in waves.
Earth-Dog.com: How would you compare your old stuff to your new stuff? How would you say you've changed?
Tardy: God, I guess it's kinda like looking at an old photograph or yourself. You always think you look like a dork back then. [laughs] You know, when I listen
back, I hear all the mistakes we were doing back then... I hear the production — you know we didn't have the money to pay the rent. You hear certain things and you think, "Where in the hell did we get that drum sound?" So, you know, you just find yourself criticle of stuff you did in the past. You just always wanna listen to your new stuff. The production's better. I'm writing better songs now. With each album it's a different time of your life and you're doing different things. You get alot of people coming up and saying, "'Slowly We Rot''s my favorite album" or "'Cause of Death''s my favorite album." It's not always one album — we get a pretty good mixture of people coming up and, you know, they like stuff from all the albums.
Earth-Dog.com: What directions do you wanna take OBITUARY in the future musically?
Tardy: We're trying to do what we can to sell a million records! [laughs] That's where we need to get! I don't know, I never think much about what we're gonna do next. As far as musically, I don't think any of us sit around thinking to ourselves, "We really need to write a song like this," or "We never done one like that before." We just don't get that deep into it. I mean, honestly, it's like, 'Hey, you guys wanna come over and jam?" And that's what we start doing. And then we start hitting "record" and set up some mics and, you know... the next day we can drink about 20 beers and hit play and remember some of the rhythms we came up with! But, for the most part, we don't fret/think much about what we're gonna do. We just like to let it come out.
Earth-Dog.com: Did you know Chuck Shuldiner [late DEATH/CONTROL DENIED mainman] at all?
Tardy: Oh yeah. I met him, we played shows with Chuck. He was a bit of an opinionated person. He'd come across with people that maybe there was some friction. But that wasn't the case with us; we always got along with Chuck. He'd be the first one to tell you that. If he was sitting here listening, he'd be the first one to tell you that. He'll tell you, "Hey, that's just what it is." He even told us one time, "You know, a lot of bands just get on my nerves sometimes, but you guys are pretty cool!" [laughs] So we always got along great with him. And that's too bad. I mean, he was definately one of the originators of this style of music. When we first started out — the bands in our circle...and he was just right up there.
Earth-Dog.com: You guys gonna maybe play with bands like MORBID ANGEL or anything like that soon?
Tardy: Actually something we're working on right now, and it's not a done deal by any means, but I got SIX FEET UNDER and DEICIDE that said they would be interested in doing a European tour with us. So we're looking forward to putting togather a Florida death metal package. So we're looking at the beginning of the year. We talked to the CANNIBAL CORPSE guys and they were into it too. But they just got so much stuff lined up that it doesn't look like they are gonna be available for it. But we might try and do this on a yearly basis. Just a full "Florida death metal" kinda tour. Maybe we can do MORBID ANGEL and CANNIBAL CORPSE next year. It's good — the whole Florida death metal thing — and most of the big players are still around and doing things and I'd be good to get them all together before they start doing other things. [laughs] I mean, we actually toured with CANNIBAL CORPSE once a long time ago. But it'd be fun to do an all-Florida death metal
tour and I'm hoping that gets done this time around.
New York death metale legends SUFFOCATION have announced their co-headlining tour of Latin America with NAPALM DEATH. The dates are as follows (with some venues soon to be announced):
May 05 - Mexico DF - Mexico City @ [to be announced]
May 07 - Venezuela- Caracas @ [to be announced]
May 08 - Colombia - Bogota @ Teatro Metropol
May 09 - Ecuador - Quito @ Bunga
May 11 - Peru - Lima @ Voce
May 13 - Chile - Santiago @ Teatro Caupolican
May 14 - Argentina - Bs As @ Teatro Flores
May 15 - Brazil - Curitiba @ [to be announced]
May 16 - Brazil - Sao Paulo @ [to be announced]
Montreal-based death/grindcore metallers NEURAXIS have enlisted Olivier Pinard (VENGEFUL) on bass and Olivier Beaudoin (ex-ETERNAL BURDEN, STAREBLIND) on drums for upcoming shows.
Commented singer Alex Leblanc: "We started jamming with the two Olis and it's been amazing so far. They are really talented and we can't wait to assault stages with them."
Upcoming NEURAXIS dates:
Nov. 28 - Ottawa, ON - Cafe Deckuf (with The Last Felony, Revocation)
Nov. 29 - Toronto, ON - Wreckroom (with Revocation)
Dec. 04 - Trois-Rivieres, QC - Rock Cafe le Stage (with The Last Felony, Unfallen)
Dec. 05 - Rimouski, QC - Paradis (Rimouski Deathfest 3)
Dec. 11 - Moncton, NB - The Manhattan
Dec. 12 - Halifax, NS - Gus Pub
"Darkness Prevails", the latest video from NEURAXIS, can be viewed below. The clip was shot last fall with director Chris Alsop.
"Darkness Prevails" comes off NEURAXIS' latest album, "The Thin Line Between", which was released in July 2008 via Prosthetic Records. The CD was recorded by Jeff Fortin (ANONYMUS) and the band in February and March of 2008 and features guest vocals from Luc Lemay (GORGUTS). The album artwork was created by Dennis Sibejin (CHIMAIRA, JOB FOR A COWBOY).
Blackened death metallers ACHERON have scheduled the following dates:
Nov. 06 - Vnuk's Lounge - Cudahy, WI
Nov. 07 - Nite Cap - Chicago, IL
Nov. 08 - The Annex - Madison, WI
ACHERON recently signed with Ibex Moon Records for the U.S. release of teh band's latest album, "The Final Conflict: Last Days Of God".
Commented bassist/vocalist Vincent Crowley: "We have really been wanting to have someone license our new album, 'The Final Conflict: Last Days of God', in the United States to help give us more of a push in our own country. When Ibex Moon stepped up and signed a deal with Displeased Records, we were very excited.
"John McEntee from Ibex Moon has really put his label/company on the map. Ibex Moon has great distribution and has been releasing excellent albums from killer bands.
"Our goals are to start promoting the new album as much as possible and get this new musical creation to all the American metal fans! And as we do this, we hope for all the fans to show their support and actually go out and buy a copy of the new CD. Don't let downloading replace the option of buying CDs! We promise those who get the new album won't be disappointed in their purchase."
The album, the band's first in six years, is out now in Europe and will be released on November 24 in the U.S.
"The Final Conflict: Last Days of God" was once again recorded at Mars Recording Compound with Bill Korecky and was mastered at West West Side Music in New Windsor, New York. The follow-up to 2003's "Rebirth: Metamorphosing into Godhood" is a concept album based on the fall of the three major white light religions, Christianity, Islam and Judaism
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