Regarding recent reports that he was due to undergo surgery on his hand, Iommi said, "I've had this problem with my hand and I've had this stem cell treatment on it. [I have to wear a guard on my hand] to stop me from banging it. But it's coming on good. The cartilage [was worn out between] the joints, and the joints [were] rubbing on the joints. It was bone to bone and it was getting a bit painful. And I've done it for quite awhile — 18 months — and I've been taking anti-inflammatories and painkillers. But I just wanted to stop doing it, 'cause it upsets your stomach, and get it done. This is the latest thing, so we'll see if it works."
According to ArmyTimes, stem cells are cells found in all multicellular organisms that can renew themselves through division and morph into a diverse range of other specialized cell types.
A stem cell is a sort of "beginner cell" that has not yet assumed a specific function or form such as bone, blood or nerve. The younger a person is, the more stem cells are present; they start to diminish around age 20, when most people finish growing.
Legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO) has revealed to Classic Rock magazine that DIO will play a new song on the band's upcoming European tour, which kicks off next month.
"It's called 'Electra', which will be released as a limited-edition single, although I'm not sure as yet just how we intend to put it out," he said.
"However, it was important to me that DIO didn't just come over on the back of the old material, but that we had something fresh to offer.:
The band — also featuring guitarist Doug Aldrich, bassist Rudy Sarzo, drummer Simon Wright and keyboard player Scott Warren — will perform mostly material from its own catalog this time around, with nothing at all included from Dio's time with BLACK SABBATH .
"We'll probably do a coupe of things from RAINBOW, but there's no point in doing anything by SABBATH. I've been doing that with HEAVEN & HELL. There are a lot of people out there who are fans of DIO the band, rather than of me as the former singer with RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH, and for them we'll do some material we've not done for a long time from the DIO era."
According to the singer, DIO is planning on recording two new albums next year. "I want to finish the story started with the 'Magica' album [released in 2000]," he said. "There are two parts left, and we'll do those together. At moment, though, I'm not sure when we'll be recording. Part of the reason for this is that there's more happening with HEAVEN & HELL."
HEAVEN & HELL — which features Dio alongside BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice — has been on a break while Iommi receives stem cell treatment for cartilage repair on his hand. However, the band is planning on hitting the road again in early 2010, according to Dio. "I've heard we'll be over [in the U.K.] in February, and knowing the way things work with this band, we'll probably do a lot more touring on the back of that," Dio said. "Not that I'm complaining. Working with these guys again has just been so much fun, and very rewarding. There are no egos getting in the way now. We've all grown up a lot."
Read more from Classic Rock.
DIO's "Killing The Dragon" album from 2002 was released in June on limited-edition vinyl with a gatefold pop-up cover via Night Of The Vinyl Dead. Only 500 hand-numbered copies were manufactured.
"Killing The Dragon" was originally released by Spitfire Records.
DIO's "The Very Beast of Dio" was officially certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 11, 2009 for shipments in the United States in excess of 500,000 copies.
Issued in October 2000, "The Very Beast of Dio" is the second greatest-hits collection CD — and the first to be released in the U.S. — from the Ronnie James Dio-fronted band.
DIO's last release was the "Holy Diver Live" CD, featuring a performance of the classic "Holy Diver" album in its entirety, from start to finish, recorded live for the very first time in 2005 in front of a sold-out London crowd. It also includes, among others, "Heaven & Hell", "Sign of the Southern Cross" and "Mob Rules" from vocalist Ronnie James Dio's BLACK SABBATH days, "Tarot Woman", "Man on the Silver Mountain" and "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" from the RAINBOW era and "We Rock" from his solo career.
Just in time for the 2009 holiday season comes a release that is sure to grab the attention of heavy metal fans worldwide, as legendary singer Rob Halford debuts his first holiday CD "Halford III - Winter Songs" on his new label Metal God Records distributed globally by ADA Global/Warner Music Group, Fontana/Universal Music Group, Conveyor/Universal Music Canada and Sony Music Japan.
"Halford III - Winter Songs" revised released dates:
North America: November 3
U.K. and European Union (except Germany): November 9
Germany: November 13
"Halford III - Winter Songs" will begin shipping from MetalGodShop.com on November 3. A limited-edition radio promo will be included in all orders while supplies last.
As a result of everyone's patience, now available at HalfordMusic.com free of charge is one NEW song from "Halford III - Winter Songs" entitled "Christmas For Everyone". Also now debuting for purchase and preview at HalfordMusic.com are "Oh Come O Come Emanuel" and "Winter Song".
"Halford III - Winter Songs" is Rob's first solo release in more than seven years, and includes a collection of new Halford-penned tracks plus traditional holiday favorites presented with original arrangements by HALFORD (Rob Halford on vocals, Roy Z. on guitar, Metal Mike Chlasciak on guitar, Mike Davis on bass and Bobby Jarzombek on drums).
Written, arranged and recorded during 2008 and 2009, "Halford III - Winter Songs" celebrates one of the most exciting holiday periods of the year.
"Well, I've always said I wanted to produce a Christmas CD," comments Halford. "The HALFORD band has assembled a fantastic release, and we're excited to have produced a collection of holiday tracks which all of us have enjoyed from a very early age."
"Halford III - Winter Songs" debuts new HALFORD tracks "Get Into The Spirit", "When Christmas Comes For Everyone", "Light Of The World", "What Child Is This", "Oh Holy Night", "Come All Ye Faithful" and more.
A commercial for "Halford III - Winter Songs" can be viewed below.
HALFORD's last studio album, "Crucible", came out in 2002. "Metal God Essentials, Vol. 1", a 2007 collection containing 15 songs spanning Rob Halford's solo career, featured two new songs, "Forgotten Generation" and "Drop Out".
Halford's Metal God Entertainment recently launched Metal God Records — a new music label providing global physical and digital distribution services for the world's rock and metal performers.
"It's been a long desire of mine to be a co-owner and participate in the operation of a label focused on supporting the rock and metal communities," Halford said in a statement. "The infrastructure we have been assembling at Metal God Entertainment now allows myself and other artists to benefit from Metal God Records global physical and digital distribution networks, promotion and marketing services, apparel products and a broad range of Artist & Repertoire services."
As previously reported, Iommi will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guest on Friday, October 23 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio program, dubbed "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the broadcast live via the Internet between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. (midnight) U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.
The management for HEAVEN & HELL vocalist Ronnie James Dio released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET on August 27 in an attempt to "quash any rumors that [the group] have broken up." The statement read in part, "Tony Iommi has to have surgery on his hand and [needs] some down time for recovery. Therefore DIO [the band] will be performing some dates in the U.K. and Europe in November/December during this time off. HEAVEN & HELL are already making plans for dates next year."
Amy Kelly of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell. A few excerpts from the chat follows below.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Do you still look forward to taking the stage after 30 years in the business?
Campbell: I thoroughly enjoy playing live. That's the main reason why you pick up your instrument in the first place. You get that instant gratification in front of an audience. We've done it all before, but I still get very excited about doing it. As far as getting nervous before a gig, I don't really. I get apprehensive, but I wouldn't say it's really nervous. There is an excitement and an adrenaline. I enjoy it for what it is. Like everything else, nothing lasts forever. I try to enjoy it every day.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: I'm sure that each member of DEF LEPPARD has a unique way of approaching the songwriting process. Do you wait until you get off the road or are you someone who might bring along a makeshift studio on the tour bus to record demos?
Campbell: I don't normally write on the road, but occasionally I have. You never know when you're going to be inspired by something. I come up with something while I'm on tour, but all I'll do is make a note of it. I don't demo it on the road. I do have a full Pro Tools rig at home. We did bring that on tour once in 2006 when we were writing "Songs From The Sparkle Lounge". That was the exception because I had my portable Pro Tools on my laptop. So it was easy for me. That was the only time I've ever actually demoed something while on tour. Normally I collect ideas and then when I go home, I have the home studio and do it there. We all have very different styles. And to be honest, it's a bit of a struggle for me to write for DEF LEPPARD. It's not really my natural inclination to write LEPPARD-like songs. I always find that I have to kind of step outside of the box and try to be objective about what I'm doing. I'll say to myself, "Is this going to work
for Joe [Elliott, DEF LEPPARD singer]?" I especially think that because of the way I sing. On my demos I tend to be more of a soul-type singer. I've come to realize that Joe doesn't naturally follow the same thought process in terms of the melodies. I'm not a good enough songwriter where I can write to order. If somebody says, "Write a song for Britney Spears" — I can't do that. I'm not a prolific songwriter. I'm not one of these songwriter hacks who can churn out a song a day for so-and-so. It's a painful process for me. I'm also not a great technician when it comes to engineering. I rely on the generosity of my clever engineering friends who help me to do things that I can't.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Was the recording process of your blues album a different experience altogether from your work with DEF LEPPARD in the studio?
Campbell: Yeah. It certainly is the polar opposite of the way DEF LEPPARD records. With LEPPARD, we totally do everything separately. In recent years, for "Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" and a couple of tracks on the "Yeah!" album, Phil [Collen, DEF LEPPARD's other guitarist] and I would record together. There is one track where we actually recorded the guitar solos live because we trade off in a couple parts. That was the first time we had ever done that. Other than that, everything is one guy at a time. It's very piecemeal and it's a very tedious process. Although with the first DIO album that we did, we did tracking live with Jimmy Bain and Vinny Appice and myself. Then Ronnie would be singing the vocals. With "Two Sides Of If", we were taking it a stage further. Not only was I cutting all the guitars live, but I was also cutting the vocals at the same time. When I listen back to it, it's kind of hard for me to listen to sometimes. I'm always thinking
about my performance. If I'm singing I'll say, "Oh, I'm a little flat there" or "That guitar was a little sharp." If it was a rock record or a regular record, you could fix it. To me, there had to be a certain integrity to it. It had to be live.
Ultimate-Guitar.com: Are there any techniques or methods that you would suggest for a beginning guitarist?
Campbell: Yeah. I think that it's because I taught myself that I am here where I am. I believe that the idiosyncrasies in your playing and your style make you unique. That becomes your signature. There is no one in the world that plays like me, and therefore there is no one in the world that sounds like me. That got me the first gig with DIO. He auditioned Jake E. Lee and a bunch of other guitar players in L.A. While they're all fine guitar players and amazing technicians and certainly technically better than me, there was something about my playing that was unique. That's why I got the gig. It becomes about passion. It's about trying to find the right expression. It's not about technique. That's one thing that I tell kids when they come up to me. Yes, you need a certain amount of technique. You have to get over that hump to be able to play your instrument. It's not about trying to play fast. It's about playing in time, in key, in pitch, and expressing
yourself. It's finding your place.
METALLICA 's official web site has been updated with the following message:
"We are deeply concerned about the disappearance of 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Dana Harrington, who was last seen while attending our concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA, on Saturday night.
"Morgan has blonde hair and blue eyes, is 5'6", 120 lbs., and was wearing a black 'PANTERA' T-shirt, black skirt, and black boots. She was not carrying I.D. or a cell phone. Morgan was separated from her friends shortly before 9pm at the venue. Police have been searching the area since Monday.
"We encourage anyone who has any information regarding Morgan's disappearance to please come forward. Additionally, if you or anyone you know shot video footage or took photos of the concert or audience, please check to see if there is anyone in your photos who might resemble Morgan. Please contact the Virginia State Police at (434) 352-3425 or the UVA Police at (434) 924-7166 or police@virginia.edu if you have any information.
"Our thoughts are with Morgan and her family for her safe return."
WSLS 10 reports: State Police and University of Virginia Police say they are stopping the ground search for missing Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington and investigating the state she was in before she disappeared this past Saturday.
At a news conference in Charlottesville Wednesday afternoon, investigators said they believe that Harrington was on the grounds of the John Paul Jones Arena (JPJA) until at least 9:30 p.m. this past Saturday. Harrington was there with a group of friends, attending the METALLICA concert.
Police believe Harrington left her friends to go to the bathroom and somehow ended up outside JPJA. There was no re-entry allowed on the night of the concert. Investigators say Harrington got in contact with her friends, and told them she would either get in touch with them later or find another way home.
Investigators said a passer-by found Harrington's purse between the arena, and the UVA athletic fields in a small parking lot. Investigators said they not find signs of a struggle, but are treating the case as a criminal investigation.
Police also said they checked surveillance video from JPJA and the surrounding area, but it has not helped their investigation.
Investigators plan to release information about a reward as early as Thursday. It will be a minimum of $50,000.
She is known nationwide as the beautiful young blonde in the black miniskirt who vanished from a Metallica concert in Charlottesville over the weekend, but to her friends and family, Morgan Harrington is the kind woman who volunteered her summers to work with children from violent homes, letting little girls play with her golden tresses.
She is the young woman who enjoyed the "Twilight" novels, the movie "Harriet the Spy" the television show "Real Housewives of Orange County" and the music of Jerry Garcia.
And she is the quirky young woman whose list of what to bring to a recent Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival included a full-length mirror and a hula hoop.
"She loves putting on her makeup and looking good," said her mother, Gil Harrington of Roanoke County. "But she's the kind of girl who's also happy sleeping in a tent for a week. Usually 'makeup girls' aren't like that."
Gil Harrington, a nurse, and her husband, Dan, Carilion Clinic's vice president for academic affairs, have been offering reporters sundry tidbits about their missing daughter's life for days now, steeling themselves for interviews as they seek to keep Morgan's name and picture at the forefront of public consciousness.
It has been, admittedly, a harrowing process, one they have endured even as they struggle to help investigators working to find their daughter. "Having to find DNA samples and dental records of your child -- it's not a path or ground you thought you'd have to walk," Gil Harrington said Tuesday in her home on Strathmore Lane. "There's no template for it."
Harrington, a 20-year-old Virginia Tech education major, disappeared Saturday night after leaving the John Paul Jones Arena at the University of Virginia. She had gone there with friends, but between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. she called them to say she was outside and couldn't get back in, and that she would either find them after the show or find another way home. The next day, a passerby found her purse and cellphone in a small parking area between the arena and an athletic field. The cellphone's battery was gone.
Harrington, 5-foot-6 and 120 pounds, was wearing a black T-shirt with the name of metal band Pantera in tan letters across the front, a black miniskirt, black tights and black knee-high boots.
Virginia State Police, in a news conference in Charlottesville on Wednesday, said they have received 100 calls from around the country and are following up on all of them. State police have set up a new tip line, (434) 352-3467, and also plan to announce a Crimestoppers reward of at least $50,000 as early as today. Police also noted that they have searched a large area around the arena three times, using search dogs and a SWAT team that was in the city for training. Otherwise, Lt. Joe Rader conceded, police have little new to say about the criminal investigation.
"It's very disheartening, in all honesty, that this time has gone by and we haven't had any kind of contact or any leads that have worked out," Rader said.
In Roanoke County, meanwhile, the Harringtons -- who also have a 22-year-old son, Alex -- are sharing their daughter's life with the national and local media, fielding phone calls, traveling to studios and sitting for interviews. They have even shown reporters their daughter's bedroom, the decor of which exemplifies what her friends call her eclectic taste in everything: Her bedsheets feature drawings of little fairy princesses, and Tibetan prayer cloths adorn the wooden headboard. A collection of cobalt-blue bottles sits atop a curio cabinet in one corner. On the walls are posters of musical acts as diverse as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, the Beatles and Bob Marley. A Beach Boys album cover is taped to the wall, as is a Barry Manilow single. A full laundry basket sits on a chest and her open suitcase sits on the floor at the foot of her bed.
Before the concert, Morgan Harrington tried on three different outfits for her mother to appraise; ultimately she chose the all-black ensemble. The purses she discarded were left in a pile in the room.
The Harringtons are certain their daughter is not a runaway. "We're very close," said Dan Harrington. "We talk every day."
"She does what she's supposed to do," Gil Harrington said. "I called her two weeks ago and told her to get her flu shots. She got it the next day."
The Harringtons have a key to their daughter's apartment, and they also have the password to her computer. ("What's there to hide?" Gil Harrington asked.) Morgan's father does her banking, and she had asked him to help her with her algebra when she returned from Charlottesville.
"She always spoke to her dad, every day, and she would never be without her cellphone," said John Reburn, owner of Roanoke Valley Printworks in downtown Roanoke, where Morgan Harrington worked her summer after high school. "I called her my L.A. girl -- super, super out-there friendly. She was a hard worker who still managed to look like a million bucks. She always looked incredible."
Chelsea Helm, who attended Northside High School with Harrington and attends Virginia Tech with her as well, said Harrington's well-known sense of fashion "is creative and a little glamorous."
But like Reburn and Harrington's parents, Helm said the young woman's intelligence is one of her most notable traits. "She reads more than the average person our age," said Helm, 21. "We go shopping in downtown Blacksburg, but she spent time studying."
From the time she was 12 until she graduated from Lord Botetourt High School in 2007, Harrington volunteered every summer with Forgotten Victims, a program for children from kindergarten to fifth grade who have witnessed violence in their homes.
Harrington often let the little girls in the program play with her long blond hair, said Diane Kelly, executive director of Mental Health America of Roanoke Valley, which runs the program.
"She just let the kids be kids, and if that meant playing with her hair, fine," Kelly said. "They did finger-painting with pudding, and she had more fun doing that than the kids did. But she could be a disciplinarian. She'd say, 'We don't behave that way.' "
While Harrington's parents work to remind the public that their daughter is missing, her friends are also staying busy.
Helm and others are organizing a vigil for 7 p.m. today at the football field at Northside, where Harrington attended school before transferring to Lord Botetourt.
And for now, the Harringtons cling to hope, doing what they can to improve their daughter's chances of coming back to them.
"We're going through a slew of 'last times' now," Gil Harrington said. "You know, 'the last time this was touched, she touched it.' I am so afraid we're going to have a slew of firsts, 'first time without her on the holidays...' "
Staff writers Michael Sluss and Shawna Morrison contributed to this story.
Dave Gardner, a University of Virginia graduate told WDBJ that he spoke to missing Morgan Harrington, 20, prior to her disappearance.
"It was definitely her, I'm 100 percent certain of that," said Gardner.
Gardner travelled from New Jersey to see the Metallic concert in Charlottesville. He said Morgan seemed excited to see the show and was anxious to get into the venue.
Morgan, a Virginia Tech student, vanished during the concert on Saturday night.
Gardner said he spoke to the both Morgan and the group she was with, and no one appeared to be drinking. After the concert, he noticed that Morgan was not in the car she and friends had arrived in.
Authorities say that around 8:30 p.m., Morgan left the concert to have a cigarette outside the venue, but left her ticket inside. It's believed she was not allowed to reenter the concert arena. Morgan reportedly called a friend between 8:30 and 9 p.m. after she was denied reentry.
Morgan is described as having blonde hair and blue eyes, 5-foot-6, 120 lbs., and was last seen wearing a black 'Pantera' t-shirt with a black skirt, and black boots.
To see photos of Morgan, click here.
A tip line has been established for anyone with information that may help officials find Morgan. The number to call is 1-434-352-3467. This phone line will be manned 24 hours a day. Emails can also be sent to bci-appomattox@vsp.virginia.gov.
Peruvian newspaper Correo reports that METALLICA will perform in Peru next January as part of its "World Magnetic Tour".
The Colombian brach of Universal reportedly issued a press release stating that "we're a few days away from confirming METALLICA's South America tour. But despite not having the complete information, it is already confirmed that METALLICA will perform in Colombia, Peru and Venezuela."
Several media outlets, such as Conciertosperu.com, report that the concert in Lima will take place on January 10, while other news sources say it will be held on January 19.
Meanwhile, a Universal Music Peru executive reportedly stated that METALLICA will play at Lima's Universidad San Marcos Stadium.
DIAMOND HEAD guitarist Brian Tatler's autobiography, "Am I Evil?", will soon be available in an exclusive first edition print run of 500 copies for the band's fans worldwide through www.diamond-head.net. At just £16.95, it is a collector's item and a great Christmas present. It is not available anywhere else. It contains many unseen photos and has forewords by both Lars Ulrich (METALLICA) and Dave Mustaine (MEGADETH, ex-METALLICA).
"DIAMOND HEAD were 50% of what ended up being METALLICA…" – Lars Ulrich, METALLICA
It all started in a bedroom with a biscuit tin drum kit and a cheap fuzzy guitar, and went on to create some of the most exciting music ever written and inspire the biggest heavy metal band on the planet.
Forever tipped as the next big thing, DIAMOND HEAD have opened for IRON MAIDEN, AC/DC and METALLICA, and toured with BLACK SABBATH, MEGADETH and THIN LIZZY. Yet they were beset by management difficulties, poor decisions, bad deals, nightmare producers, band splits, ego problems… And when they finally signed to a major label, it was the wrong one. But amongst all that, their legacy is enormous and their music timeless, with their classic signature tune "Am I Evil?" appearing on METALLICA's 2009 "Guitar Hero" game.
"DIAMOND HEAD were a really important band… The most important band of the whole New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement… More important than IRON MAIDEN, SAXON, DEF LEPPARD or whoever. Musically they were just streets ahead." – Geoff Barton, Classic Rock magazine
Brian Tatler founded DIAMOND HEAD in 1976. In "Am I Evil?", he reveals frankly what it's like to be chasing the dream of wanting to be a rock 'n' roll star, what it's like when you attain it, and how it feels to see it unravel before your eyes — a story all too familiar to musicians of all genres.
"Am I Evil?" co-author John Tucker was hooked by DIAMOND HEAD's first single, "Shoot Out The Lights", in 1980. He is also the co-author of Biff Byford's autobiography "Never Surrender (Or Nearly Good Looking)" and the author of "Suzie Smiled… The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal".
Former MEGADETH and current F5 bassist David Ellefson has posted the latest episode in "David Ellefson's Rock Shop", an ongoing YouTube video series hosted by the bassist himself.
In Episode 21, entitled "Building A Team", David discusses the components of building a music industry team for an artist's success.
Ellefson previously stated about his "David Ellefson's Rock Shop" YouTube video series, "I'm always asked questions from fans and other musicians about playing the bass, the business side of our industry, and music in general. So, I decided to create these regular video webisodes as a way to inform and respond to many of those questions."
In addition to numerous gold and platinum records and seven Grammy-nominated works, David is the author of the book "Making Music Your Business" and has two metal bass guitar instructional DVDs through Rock House Method entitled "Metal Bass Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2". He is also a featured bass clinician, keynote speaker and panelist on the subject of music and the music industry.
Bassist Tyler Hoare of BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART has apologized to Dave Mustaine's guitar tech Willie Gee for allegedly making "racist comments" to Gee when BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART and MEGADETH shared the stage at the Loud Park festival in Japan last weekend.
In an October 21, 2009 post on the MEGADETH forum, Mustaine wrote that BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART's "blonde band member came close to getting his ass handed to him for racist comments to and about my tech, Willie Gee." He added, "I am glad I didn't hear [what he said] or I would have another story about bodily harm." (Referring to a recent online post in which he threated to put a journalist in the hospital for airing a TV report that Mustaine viewed as unfavorable.)
The members of BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART "unanimously and sincerely regret this misunderstanding, and all agree that Willie was nothing but 'awesome' to the band when they got to talk with him during Friday night's soundcheck," according to a press release. "They also all unanimously agree that Tyler's sense of humor can sometimes, inadvertently, be a little bit 'out of line' (as Willie characterized Tyler's comments in an e-mail to guitarist Casey Jones, who reached out to Willie after Mustaine's comments hit the Internet) and offer their heartfelt apologies to the guitar tech and the MEGADETH crew."
"Sometimes Tyler's mouth can get him in trouble," said BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART lead singer Tony Gambino. "He's got a weird sense of humor, and sometimes just shows plain bad judgment. But Willie, and the guys in MEGADETH and their crew, were nothing but awesome to us around Loud Park and we hope they can understand that sometimes you just say things that get taken the wrong way — I think everyone has had that happen to them at some time in their life — and accept our apology."
What follows is a letter from Tyler (pictured below), who wanted a chance to tell his side:
"Hey everyone, my name is Tyler Hoare — I'm the 'blonde guy' from BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART.
"This whole incident has really taken a toll on me, because I honestly do not have one racist bone in my body. I know people always say that, but those who know me know that's the God's honest truth.
"I promise you that if you talk to anyone who knows me personally, the accusation of 'racist' would be the last thing that anyone would think of. Stupid, maybe, 'weird sense of humor,' maybe, but definitely not racist...
"To share with you a bit of where I'm coming from: I have a mentally handicapped foster brother who is black that I love with all my heart. My ex-girlfriend of three years is black. I am a tattoo artist, and my clients are of all races.
"To Willie: I am very sorry I made you feel uncomfortable, it was not my intention AT ALL. If you knew me, you would know that I joke around alot and say stupid things, but a racist I am not. I guess I overstepped my boundaries because I didn't know you that well, but it's only because I felt really comfortable hanging with you.
"For those of you who've read enough, please know that I apologize to Willie, who was nothing but super-cool to me, and anyone else in the crew that may have been offended.
"I hope this will serve to clear things up.
"For those of you who want to know how one thing led to another, the details are below.
[Tyler recalls how he stuck his foot in his mouth. Again.]
"When we got to the venue and started setting up, MEGADETH was doing a soundcheck on the same stage where we would play. I noticed that their guitar tech was black and actually thought to myself that that was sweet, because we don't see many black guys in the metal scene. I went over, shook Willie's hand and chatted a bit. Later, we started talking and I brought up that 'South Park' episode where Cartman is trying to form a band. Willie was familiar with it, and we laughed together about it, and I was like, 'You should be a bass tech.' I was making fun of the stereotype, which was also done in 'South Park'. In no way do I think black people cant play guitar — that's just crazy, obviously!
"We continued to chat and hang for another 5-10 minutes, and I was not getting a vibe that I had offended, or I would have straight out told him 'Sorry, dude.' I was just making a joke, making fun of people that have these stereotypes.
"I'm sorry that this got misconstrued or overheard by folks who did not understand the context of our conversation, or the fact that I am sometimes, indeed, a little 'stupid.'"
ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante has told AOL's Noisecreep that the band is "in the process of regrouping with" singer John Bush following the departure of Dan Nelson in late July. "We played two shows with [John] [Sonisphere festival in the U.K. in early August and Loud Park festival in Japan earlier this month], and we are looking forward to proceeding with this lineup."
Regarding why the band doesn't try to reunite with Joey Belladonna, the singer during ANTHRAX's heyday and part of the band'most commercially successful lineup, Benante said, "It's a difficult thing to talk about.
"I watched this movie last night, and it was basically a two-hour documentary, called 'Rock the Bells', about a promoter in California trying to put together a show with the headliner being the WU-TANG CLAN with all nine members, which is unheard of. At the end of the night, the last member showed up and it came together. I watched that, and thought, 'It can happen!' But I've read on message boards and stuff where people think we can't just get it together and do it. Believe me, man, it's harder than you think. I wish it would all come together. But I am happy with John Bush. If we move forward with him, that, to me, would make my life complete. It would be perfect."
Video footage of ANTHRAX — featuring vocalist John Bush (ANTHRAX's singer from 1992 to 2005) — performing the song "Only" at this year's installment of the Loud Park festival on October 17 at Makuhari Messe, a convention center in Japan located in the western region of Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo, can be viewed below.
ANTHRAX (featuring John Bush) is confirmed for the 2010 edition of Austrlia'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
In a recent interview with Kerrang! magazine, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian stated about the band's recent appearance at Sonisphere, "It went better than I even hoped it would go. I'd been waiting four years for that moment that we had on [August 1] to have John Bush back in the ranks, and it was an unbelievably, magnificently emotional hour of my life; it was really amazing."
When asked about the likelihood that John Bush will rejoin ANTHRAX on a permanent basis, Ian replied, "It's obviously what we want, and I think this is just hopefully the first of a couple of steps to make it happen. The show went great — we all had a great time; John had a fucking blast — and hopefully this is now... the foot's in the door to make this happen again. But it's absolutely what we want to happen. I don't really see any other possibility."
ANTHRAX parted ways with singer Dan Nelson in July due to what has been described as "personal differences." As a result, 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.
ANTHRAX's manager, Izvor Zivkovic of Split Media, told BLABBERMOUTH.NET on July 21 that the band's new album, "Worship Music", which was previously due in Europe on October 23 via Nuclear Blast Records, will now be "pushed back to a later date." According to Ian, Dan Nelson's tracks will most likely be erased from 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).
The U.K. branch of Roadrunner Records recently conducted a short interview with KISS drummer Eric Singer as part of the "Getting To Know You" series. The question-and-answer session follows below.
Q: What were you doing when we interupted you to do this?
Singer: I was eating in the other room actually some... chicken quesadilla, with my shoes off, relaxing.
Q: Date of Birth?
Singer: May 12th.
Q: Where did you go to high school?
Singer: I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and I went to high school on the east side of Cleveland. At that time it was in the Seventies and I was lucky to grow up in a cool time of music and culturally, at least in America. It was a typical Midwestern town but Cleveland's a real rock and roll city its where the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is at. It was a great place, very open-minded — I mean, as regards to music (not so much culturally with people), but when it comes to music people just really loved rock and roll there, always have and what we looked forward to was buying records every week or going to a show. I saw so many great concerts in my formative years as a kid so I'm glad I grew up there. It was a great place to grow up, no doubt about it.
Q: What was the first instrument you ever played?
Singer: I think I tried playing piano in like the second grade or something for a short time but I gravitated towards drums, even though I love guitar and always have been influenced by mostly guitar based music. I guess I liked hitting things! My mom told me that typical drummer story - that I liked to the hit pots and pans you know when I was a little kid?! She'd pull them out of the cupboard and with the wooden spoons and all that. Once I discovered bands like LED ZEPPELIN and that in like 1969, that was it, I was hooked!
Q: What was the first band you guys ever played in and what did you guys sound like?
Singer: I had a band in sixth grade — I can remember everybody in the band and we called ourselves THE AXE. I have no idea why. We actually had two drummers because another friend of mine also played drums so we ended up taking turns playing. And I do remember playing for the school classroom and in sixth grade — we played "Hey Jude" by THE BEATLES and I remember being scared to death!
Q: Favourite food?
Singer: Anything Thai.
Q: Beverage of choice?
Singer: Sparkling water.
Q: What's your biggest peeve on the road?
Singer: Just not being able to sleep sometimes — imsomnia.
Q: Track of the moment?
Singer: THE BEATLES. I've been listening to those remastered, reissued BEATLES records...
Q: Movie of the moment?
Singer: The last one I saw that I really liked was "The Watchmen". That was killer, I thought.
Q: When you look back on your career thus far, what's the most prominent moment?
Singer: Well, in some ways it's still making them. I still look at it this way — the fact that I've been able to make a living as a musician; that in itself, to me, is the most prominent thing, rather than singling out any particular moment or any band or any person I worked with (because I've gotten to play with some great musicians and some cool situations and great people). I just remember I started off as a kid, not unlike a lot of other kids that had posters on the walls of bands saying, "I wanna do that. Some day I wish I could do that." And the fact that I've got to do that and still do that — that, to me, that's big for me. So to me the story's kinda been written every day, in a way.
Long-running German power metallers HELLOWEEN have teamed up with Sony Music in co-operation with SPV Records, to release the band's upcoming albums. The group's long awaited "Unarmed - Best Of 25th Anniversary" album will be made available on the following dates:
Dec. 16 – Japan, Southeast Asia (JVC/Victor)
Jan. 29 - Europe (Sony/SPV)
The U.S. release date has yet to be announced.
The band says, "'Unarmed - Best Of 25th Anniversary' is a big 'thank-you' to all our fans, old and new, all over the world! Instead of putting together a regular greatest-hits compilation featuring our most successful tracks to celebrate this anniversary, we completely rearranged and re-recorded the greatest songs and melodies of our career. Together with our tried and tested producer, Charlie Bauerfeind, we invited many great musicians to guest on this special record, with the doubtless highlight of having the 70-piece Prague Symphonic Orchestra performing 'The Keeper's Trilogy', a 17-minute medley consisting of the songs 'Halloween', 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys' and 'The King for A 1000 Years' — goose bumps guaranteed!
"We aren't one of those bands who like to celebrate themselves, we just want to say 'thank you' in our own special way to all of you who have followed us through the past 25 years. To us, this album stands for an official celebration.
"It was a big challenge and great experience and we had a lot of fun recording our most important tracks in an entirely new 'outfit' and with new arrangements. We hope you like them!
"Unarmed - Best Of 25th Anniversary" will feature the following tracks:
01. Dr. Stein
02. Future World
03. If I Could Fly
04. Where The Rain Grows
05. The Keeper's Trilogy
06. Eagle Fly Free
07. Perfect Gentleman
08. Forever & One
09. I Want Out
10. Falling To Pieces
11. A Tale That Wasn't Right
On Saturday, October 24th, the Tracii Guns version of L.A. GUNS will perform the final show ever at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood, CA.
WEDNESDAY 13's latest project, GUNFIRE 76, has scheduled the following East Coast dates in January:
Jan. 08 - Volume 11 - Raleigh, North Carolina
Jan. 09 - Jaxx - Springfield, Virginia
Jan. 12 - Club Hell - Providence, Rhode Island
Jan. 13 - Middle East Upstairs - Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jan. 16 - Peabody's - Cleveland, Ohio
Jan. 18 - Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, Illinois
Jan. 19 - Blondie's - Detroit, Michigan
Jan. 20 - Diesel - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jan. 21 - V Club - Huntington, West Virginia
Jan. 22 - Casbah @ Tremont Music Hall - Charlotte, North Carolina
Jan. 26 - Back Booth - Orlando, Florida
10 out of 11 songs that appear on "Casualties & Tragedies", the debut album from GUNFIRE 76, are available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
The first 2,500 copies of the U.S. version of "Casualties & Tragedies" will be a limited edition, featuring a shiny silver foil logo on the cover as opposed to normal silk-screen.
"Casualties & Tragedies" was recorded at a studio in Charlotte, North Carolina and is scheduled for an October 6 release via Wednesday 13 LLC.
"Casualties & Tragedies" track listing:
01. Casualties & Tragedies
02. Nothings All I Need
03. Rocket To Nowhere
04. Something For The Suffering
05. What Did You Expect?
06. Tell You Like It Is
07. Los Angel-Less
08. One More Reason To Hate You
09. Get Me Through The Night
10. Back To The Gutter
11. Let's Kill The Hero
"Casualties & Tragedies" was mixed by Brent Clawson, who is best known as the bassist for BULLETS AND OCTANE. Brent has produced, mixed and engineered "Dirty Angel" from Nick Oliveri's band THE KNIVES; engineered and mixed GUTTERMOUTH's "Eat Your Face"; and produced, engineered and mixed the last two CDs from BULLETS AND OCTANE — "Song For The Underdog" and "Bullets and Octane" — which are being re-released as a double-CD this October.
Although GUNFIRE 76's debut album was originally set to be recorded in Los Angeles with producer Howard Willing, setbacks and conflicting schedules resulted in a change of plans.
According to a press release, the album — which features material written by Wednesday and Todd Youth (DANZIG, D-GENERATION, THE CHELSEA SMILES) — has "more of a rock sound."
"GUNFIRE 76 [is] my extension into the rock world," said Wednesday. "After touring with THE CHELSEA SMILES, Todd Youth and I would find ourselves discussing the bands we grew up on and decided to put a band together that fits more of the rock and roll sound of KISS, DEAD BOYS, NEW YORK DOLLS, THE STOOGES and the in-your-face rock n roll sound. Not being signed to a record label allows me to create new projects and continue growing as an artist."
Wednesday 13 has confirmed the touring lineup for GUNFIRE 76. Joining the MURDERDOLLS frontman will be Roman Surman (guitar), Dave Musselman (guitar, formerly of JET BLACK STARE), Scott Whalen (bass player, also of ECONOLINE CRUSH) and Rob Hammersmith (drums, current member of ROCKETS TO RUIN).
"I'm really looking forward to getting out on the road with these guys and seeing how we all bring this music to life live," said Wednesday.
GUNFIRE 76 will spend November touring the U.S. and December touring the U.K., with BULLETS AND OCTANE acting as main support.
THEM CROOKED VULTURES — which consists of FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl on drums, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE singer/guitarist Josh Homme and LED ZEPPELIN bass player John Paul Jones — will release its self-titled debut album will be in stores on November 17 via DGC/Interscope Records. The first single from the CD is called "New Fang" and it will arrive at radio stations on Monday, October 26.
"Them Crooked Vultures" track listing, according to Billboard.com:
01. No One Loves Me & Neither Do I
02. Mind Eraser, No Chaser
03. New Fang
04. Dead End Friends
05. Elephants
06. Scumbag Blues
07. Bandoliers
08. Reptiles
09. Interlude with Ludes
10. Warsaw or the first Breath You Take After You Give Up
11. Caligulove
12. Gunman
13. Spinning in Daffodils
New Orleans sludge metallers CROWBAR will take part in this year's Stillborn Fest. The five Northeast shows will also include HATEBREED, THE ACACIA STRAIN, THE CASUALTIES and THY WILL BE DONE.
The dates are as follows:
Dec. 26 - Syracuse, NY - Lost Horizon
Dec. 27 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Dec. 28 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
Dec. 29 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground
Dec. 30 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theater
CROWBAR's forthcoming box set, which will be released via DOWN/ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's record label Housecore Records, will include the full-self titled demo from THE SLUGS (pre-CROWBAR) that was recorded in April 1990. Songs include "Subversion", "A Breed Apart", "My Agony", "No Quarter" (LED ZEPPELIN cover), "My 4 Walls" and the unreleased track "Brain Freeze".
The lineup on the demo was as follows:
Kirk Windstein: Vocals, Guitars
Jimmy Bower: Drums
Kevin Noonan: Guitars
Todd Strange: Bass
CROWBAR will re-release the majority of its back catalog through Housecore Records. Also planned is a new live record and a CD of new material.
Metal Mind Productions re-released three CROWBAR albums — "Crowbar" (1993), "Time Heals Nothing" (1995) and "Live+1" EP (1995) — in Europe in April 2008. Each limited-edition digipack title (limited to 2,000 copies) was made available on golden disc, digitally remastered using 24-bit technology. The "Time Heals Nothing" album also contains six bonus tracks — four audio and two video.
KNIVES OUT!, the new Baltimore, Maryland-based project featuring current/former members of HELLYEAH, NOTHINGFACE, DOG FASHION DISCO and POLKADOT CADAVER, has issued the following update:
"We are very proud to say that we have finally finished our [debut full-length] record. We are extremely proud of this album and feel that it represents exactly what our vision was when we started the band. There will be big announcements soon about management/label/tours etc. Stay tuned. KNIVES OUT! is planning on a big year in 2010.
Five songs from KNIVES OUT! are available for streaming on the group's official MySpace page.
Formed last year, the band says, "It isn't pretty and it isn't safe. In a world of copy cat bands KNIVES OUT! stands up to deliver to the world a breath of fresh air to a stagnant, plagiaristic genre. Go hard or go home...horns up and KNIVES OUT!"
KNIVES OUT! is:
Todd Smith (DOG FASHION DISCO, POLKADOT CADAVER) - Vocals
Jasan Stepp (DOG FASHION DISCO, POLKADOT CADAVER) - Guitar
Tommy Sickles (NOTHINGFACE) - Drums
Dave Cullen (POLKADOT CADAVER) - Bass
Tom Maxwell (HELLYEAH, NOTHINGFACE) – Guitar
Alice Cooper 's ninth annual Christmas Pudding event will be held on Friday, December 18 at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. A night of comedy and music will feature Dee Snider, WARRANT, Lita Ford, ROGER CLYNE AND THE PEACEMAKERS, GARY MULE DEER and others. Brad Perry will be the MC for evening as well as perform with his band. Tickets will be on sale the first week of November.
Christmas Pudding is an annual fete to raise money for Cooper's charity, the Solid Rock Foundation, a non-profit Christian corporation that provides a recreation center (The Rock Teen Center) for teenagers. This holiday-themed variety show, held every December at the Dodge Theatre, is designed to be an entertaining blend of comedy, music, dance and surprise performances. Driving the musical ingredients is a mixture of talent in all genres including bands, soloists and dancers. In addition to the artists performing their own hits, they also perform popular Christmas songs.
For more information, visit www.alicepudding.com.
Jason Fisher from Thegauntlet.com spoke with CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:
The Gauntlet: How is everything?
Filth: "Things are quite busy at the moment. We are highly busy with the band at the moment as well. We started to write a new album and things are coming together with that. I am also involved in a side-project with Rob Caggiano from ANTHRAX, King from ex-GORGOROTH, drummer John Tempesta (THE CULT), and Ice Dale from ENSLAVED. And then there is the book (The Gospel of Filth) I got coming out. Then my sister had her baby last week so things have been a bit hectic this last week."
The Gauntlet: The Gospel Of Filth will be hitting stores later this month.
Filth: "Yes, we started this book quite a while ago; like five years ago. It is unbelievable to think about that. It came about from Gavin [Baddeley] who had interviewed me and suggested it. It was a great idea and the extent of the book blossomed over time. The bloody thing is huge and covers all aspects of the dark side. It is really an intense over appreciation of the band. The whole thing is kind of hinged in a skeletal structure that relates to the album titles as chapters. Like "Middian" would be horror and "Dusk and Her Embrace" is about gothicism. It uses it as a springboard into people in the know talking about it. The whole thing just laces in with storytelling and is about the bands musical journey as well as the occult. There are all kinds of box outs with pictures."
The Gauntlet: What is next for Cradle Of Filth?
Filth: "At the present we are working on some ideas. We have 4-5 songs ideas we are throwing around. A few of us are based around here and right now trying to at least get a link among the tracks and get artwork ideas. We are hoping to be in the studio at the end of January. We can do that but it is just tentative now. It is like panning for gold right now, just getting rid of the shit and building a platform for the album."
BOLT THROWER, BENEATH THE MASSACRE and REVOCATION have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Neurotic Deathfest, set to take place April 30 - May 1, 2010 at 013 in Tilburg, Holland.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
BENEATH THE MASSACRE
BOLT THROWER
CARCASS
DEFEATED SANITY
DYING FETUS
DR DOOM
INSIDIOUS DECREPANCY
INSISION
HUMAN MINCER
KICKBACK
NAPALM DEATH
NOX
ORIGIN
REVOCATION
SIX FEET UNDER
VIRAL LOAD
A total of around 40 acts will perform at the two-day event.
For more information, visit www.neuroticdeathfest.com.
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