Every musician knows that late '50s Sunburst Les Paul Standards are hard enough to come by as it is. Obtaining a pristine and exemplary '59 'Burst and modifying it for heightened performance and vastly expanded tonal options? Unheard of… unless, of course, you're JIMMY PAGE . That's exactly what the legendary LED ZEPPELIN guitarist, perhaps the world's most iconic Les Paul player, did with his own '59 Les Paul Standard, and now - thanks to the extreme efforts of Gibson's Custom Shop and the intimate cooperation of Jimmy Page himself - the artist's hallowed "Number Two" Les Paul is available to mere mortals, in the form of the Custom Shop Jimmy Page "Number Two" Les Paul. Produced in strictly limited numbers, with two levels of aging, this guitar captures the look, feel, sound, and versatility of one of the greatest artist-owned Les Pauls of all time, and it is likely to disappear from authorized Gibson dealers in record time.
The 1959 Les Paul that has come to be known as "Number Two" was purchased by Page in 1973 after trying for some time to acquire an exceptional second Les Paul. This was several years after having acquired his other legendary Les Paul - "Number One", a '59 'Burst with shaved-down neck profile and no serial number - from Joe Walsh. "Number Two" was essentailly all original when he aquired it. Jimmy did have some modifications done to the neck shape so that it would more nearly match the feel of his "Number One". The neck is certainly slim but not to such extremes as the now-ultra-slim neck on "Number One". It had a strong, beautiful sunburst finish with a red element that had faded to a dusky amber-brown, along with a clear serial number dating it to 1959. Page played this Les Paul frequently through his days with Led Zeppelin, and in the early '80s decided to make it an even more versatile instrument. Page also added that he wanted
to "explore the full range of what the two humbuckers have to offer". He designed a switching system for coil splitting, series/parallel, and phase-reverse options for both pickups, and employed a skilled electronics technician to devise a working schematic and make his sonic vision a reality. The result comprised a push/pull pot on each of the guitar's four standard controls, plus two push-button switches hidden beneath the pickguard, all mounted on a '59 Les Paul Standard that is otherwise a superb example of the breed, both in tone and playability.
The Custom Shop Jimmy Page "Number Two" Les Paul was recreated with intense, inch-by-inch examination of Page's original guitar, inside and out. The process of getting it right involved the production of a number of hand-built prototypes, each of which was checked and critiqued in detail by Page himself. Approval of the final iteration was only offered after the legendary artist had intricately examined and extensively played this last prototype in his London home - after which it was given the thumbs-up, worthy of being the template for the Custom Shop Jimmy Page "Number Two" Les Paul. Only 325 examples will be produced in total: The first 25 instruments are to be aged by vintage-reproduction master Tom Murphy then inspected, played and hand signed and numbered by Jimmy Page personally. An additional 100 guitars will be given the extensive aging treatment and 200 will be finished to Gibson's VOS specs.
Legendary rockers URIAH HEEP have updated their live itinerary. The band now have the following dates scheduled:
February
5 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Block 33
6 - Athens, Greece - Gargarin 205
11 - Rostov, Russia - Drama Theatre
12 - Krasnodar, Russia - Di Rremiera
13 - Moscow, Russia - Glav Club
15 - Yekateringburg, Russia - Youth Hall
April
15 - Neustadt Aisch, Germany - Stadthalle
16 - Colgogne, Germany - Kantine
17 - Geseke, Germany - Stadtsaal
18 - Rostock, Germany - RockNight Indoor Fest
19 - TBA
20 - Ulm, Germany - Theatro Club
21 - Lustenau, Austria - Reichhofsaal
22 - Worgl, Austria - Komma
23 - Graz, Austria - Seifenfabrik
24 - Bad Aibling, Germany - Hangar
25 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Durlach City Hall
27 - Glashous, Switzerland - Rheinach
28 - Glarus, Switzerland - Schutzenhaus
29 - Siggental, Switzerland - Silex
30 - Amriswil, Switzerland - Pentoramahalle Rocknight
May
1 - Altorf, Switzerland - Transilvania
2 - TBC
May (Masters Of Rock with DEEP PURPLE, WISHBONE ASH)
28 - Johannesburg, South Africa - Cocacoladome
30 - Durban, South Africa - Indoor Arena
June (Masters Of Rock with Deep Purple, Wishbone Ash)
1 - Cape Town, South Africa - Grand Arena
July
9 - Clam, Austria - Clam Rock Festival
10 - Wiesen, Austria - Lovely Days Festival
24 - 25 - London, England - High Voltage Festival
Keep It True Festival organizers have issued the following message:
""So ends a decade now..", with these words a certain Warrel Dane started one of the best power metal records of all time almost unbelievable twenty years ago. Now another decade ends and I think it is time to share some thoughts with you about our Keep It True Festival which was born early in this decade.
When we started it in 2003 we had absolutely no expectations on the festival. We just wanted to give some of our favorite bands the chance to play a German show because they had no other chance to get on other festivals during that time. Even back then we were already positively shocked about the resonance of the fans and also happy, because if this first KIT would have been a disaster, there may have been no others following.
In all these years I always tried to fulfill the dreams of the fans and also mine of course and luckily also some of the "impossible" bands mainly worked out very well. On some of these shows I even had tears in my eyes and also when I looked into the happy faces in the crowd.
These are the moments that make this festival worthwhile and forget all the troubles behind it. It also gives me motivation to make it even better next time. This always seems to be impossible, but somehow it always works out.
The absolute highlight was the NWOBHM Anniversary Show this April, which was an unique event and it will stay unique forever. We also plan a special surprise show for KIT 13 in April 2010 and we won't announce what it will be till it happens on stage.
Also this will be an unique show which is only possible at a festival like KIT.
Though there is growing competition in this very special festival genre we still have some aces in our hands that we will play out with the billing for 2011 KIT, which we will announce on KIT 2010. 75% of that billing is already booked.
Looking back on this KIT decade I feel a lot of gratitude to all the faithful KIT Fans that supported the festival since day one and made KIT to the leading event in that genre. Thanks you and Thank you again!!
We hope we can present you old underground heroes and fresh newcomers also for another decade for fair ticket prices. And I want to mention again, that KIT won't change at all. There are always speculations that KIT may grow into a more commercial direction, but this is absolutely not true. We will stay like we are... true supporters of metal underground.
So finally I want to wish all KIT fans a great Christmas and also a Happy New Year. Support underground metal and events and see you all on KIT 13!!!"
According to Estereofonica, GUNS N' ROSES will perform at Parque Simón Bolívar in Bogotá, Colombia at the end of March as part of the band's South American tour. The exact date for the Bogotá concert has not yet been confirmed.
The Brazilian edition of Rolling Stone magazine reported earlier in the week that GUNS N' ROSES will play five shows in Brazil between March 7, 2010 and March 16, 2010.
GUNS N' ROSES has just completed a four-date tour of Asia and is slated to launch a Canadian tour in January.
The band has not booked any U.S. dates yet.
GUNS N' ROSES' last world tour, in 2006 and 2007, took in 60 shows in 26 countries and was the band's first full tour since 1993.
In addition to sole original member Rose, the current lineup of the band includes guitarists DJ Ashba, Ron Thal and Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.
GUNS N' ROSES' latest album, "Chinese Democracy", was released in November 2008 as a Best Buy exclusive, 17 years after the last all-original GUNS sets, "Use Your Illusion I" and "II". The album was a commercial disappointment, selling less than one million copies in the U.S. (according to Nielsen SoundScan) despite the long wait.
China Times has uploaded a two-minute video report (see below) on GUNS N' ROSES' December 11, 2009 concert in Taipei, Taiwan, marking the band's first performance in support of its 2008 CD, "Chinese Democracy".
VELVET REVOLVER /ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has issued the following update:
"I'll be staying in town for the holidays, but I'm doing a poker tourney in the Bahamas first week of January, which is a benefit for 'The Foundation for AIDS Research,' or AMFAR. It should be a cool trip and it's for an important cause.
"The mastering session of my solo record is done. We did it at Sterling Sound with George Marino, who is hands down the most genius mastering engineer I've ever worked with. He is the perfect engineer to best bring out the dynamic nuances of the analog recording and I'm ecstatic with the results.
"Although it is not in my nature to brag about how good the performances are or how good the songs are, I will say, between [producer] Eric Valentine and George Marino, it is a fucking great-sounding record.
"We are now in the process of mixing the special bonus tracks which should be done next week. Then we will master those and be done with the whole recording, mixing, mastering process.
"I should be signing a U.S. distribution deal in the coming days, I will announce who with as soon as I do. We're still looking at an April release so far.
"I'll be at the NAMM show next year announcing the new 'Slash model' Marshall, as well as a new signature Les Paul and a signature set of Seymour Duncan pickups, all of which will be available early in the new year. I played the new 'Slash model' prototype with the new Seymour Duncan pickups at the KLOS Christmas Show at the Nokia recently and they sound fantastic. The performance was a little loose, but the guitar sounded great."
Slash will release his debut solo album, "Slash", in the spring in Europe via Roadrunner Records.
"Slash" will see Roadrunner Records enter into a unique and innovative association with a U.K. media partner — the special-interest media group Future. In a brand new concept in record distribution, the standard album release will be preceded by a "Fan Pack," in which the Roadrunner Records album will be bundled together with a highly collectable, 132-page special issue of Future Publishing's Classic Rock magazine dedicated to Slash's career. This will be the first format of the album available anywhere in the world.
The partnership is a first for music and media industries, marking the first-time a major new album has been released this way. The partnership ensures that Slash's new album is available through over 4,000 U.K. retailers that stock Classic Rock — sidestepping the issue of dwindling high street music outlets and top 20 only stocking in supermarkets. Classic Rock is one of the U.K.'s biggest rock music magazines and this year recorded its eighth consecutive circulation increase, the only paid-for music magazine to grow.
The Slash "Fan Pack" featuring his debut solo album from Roadrunner Records, along with a 132-page "Classic Rock Presents: Slash" special will have a cover price of £14.99.
n the Autumn of 1984, I moved from the familiar comfort of the Seattle punk scene to Los Angeles. Many assume that leaving the oft-stormy weather of the northwest for the more tranquil and sunny Southern California would be a no-brainer. A guy like myself could throw caution to the wind and basically go anywhere I wanted, well, anywhere that my beat-up car could get to, and anywhere that had a music scene that had more infastructure and less heroin than Seattle did then.
Let me first explain that I did not leave Seattle because there was a lack of talent or originality. Seattle in the early '80s probably had the most diverse and supportive scene in America. If the place where your band rehearsed at got shut-down or was otherwise made unavailable, it was never a problem to find some other band to help out. At a gig, if any piece of some band's equipment broke down, replacement gear was as close as the next band's gear on the bill.
No, I left Seattle because as a result of the early-'80s economic recession in the area, clubs and youth halls were shutting down. The streets of Seattle were dire and empty. My bandmates, roommates and girlfriends all started on the smack. and I lost a new guitar amp that I had worked hard for. I was working, paying rent, doing weekend tours, and coming back to theft from friends at home. So I left the city I love for a city I knew no one in or nothing about.
My first couple weeks in L.A. were a sort of recon mission. My next-oldest brother Matt lived in Northridge, and he got me a job my first day in town as a cook at a Black Angus. For anyone who knows, Northridge is actually quite far from Hollywood, especially in a piece of shit Ford Maverick with no brakes and a leaky oil pan. I would go down to Hollywood to go to a club and often just drive into the hills afterward and sleep in my car, because I was afraid of breaking down on the freeway in the middle of the night. On top of this, I was not yet 21, and therefore had to come up with crafty ways to get into clubs to see a gig.
Back then, we people from Seattle just plain looked different. I remember when bands like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys would come through Seattle, they would always comment of the different look of the crowd. Now that I was in L.A., I decided to use this 'different' look to convince people checking IDs at club doors that I was not from the United States, and thus spoke no English.
When asked for an ID, I would produce my sunglasses and a puzzled look. They must have thought I was Swedish or something but, no shit, it worked more often than not. To further explain how 'different' we Seattleites looked, upon first meeting Slash in response to a Musicians Wanted ad, his girlfriend Yvonne assumed I was gay and asked me about it after a couple of tugs off of a bottle of vodka. I almost pissed myself with laughter, and it took me a few days to actually convince her that I was a fan of the ladies..but that is another story.
I had gone to California to play shows and be a roadie prior to my move to LA. I was by no means a neophyte, nor was I in the least bit naive. But when I did try to identify some of the things in the LA club-scene that I left in Seattle--like camaraderie or at least helpfulness from others--I was pretty much rebuffed in a wholesale manner. No, Los Angeles was a cutthroat operation, and I would soon learn to play by those rules, although I would try to convince myself that I was still 'me'. The band I was soon to help form was comprised of fairly likeminded young men.
I must say, when Soundgarden first came to play in LA when I could see them (1989 I think), I was jealous yet proud. Jealous that Seattle had turned into a place a band could be FROM again, and it had turned that way without me there. I was proud of just how great Soundgarden was, and that all of my bragging about how cool Seattle was and how much raw talent was there finally had a face. As Mother Love Bone, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam all began putting out major-label releases, the rest of the world found out about the little secret I left behind.
MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee has commented on GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna's recent revelation that this past summer's Crüe Fest 2 turned out to be "the most dramatic tour" GODSMACK has ever been on, with the kind of "rock-star garbage" on the part of the tour's headliners that Erna and his bandmates had "never seen [before] in [their] career."
Erna told the Artisan News Service that taking part in this year's Crüe Fest 2 was a good move for his band and their fans, and at the same time was the worst tour they've ever done.
Erna and the rest of GODSMACK joined with headliners MÖTLEY CRÜE plus support acts THEORY OF A DEADMAN, DROWNING POOL and CHARM CITY DEVILS for this year's travelling rock festival, which kicked off on July 19 in Camden, New Jersey.
"I don't know too much about that," Lee told the Artisan News Service. "Sully and I are good friends. I think he just had some issues with the way he was treated by somebody else in the organization. But I'm gonna stay right out of that. [chuckles]"
When asked what is was like for GODSMACK off stage on the Crüe Fest 2 tour, Erna told the Artisan News Service, "I will tell you, it's been the most dramatic tour we've ever been on. I mean, talk about just craziness, man. Sometimes egos run high, man, and there's definitely been some rock-star garbage on this tour that just have never seen in our career. Every band — from BLACK SABBATH to AEROSMITH, RUSH, METALLICA... you name it... They've always... I don't think there was ever a threat, you know what I mean?! Like who's gonna dwarf METALLICA anyways? But there's always just been this mutual kind of like, 'We wanna put on a great show, so bring your bells and whistles, bring your show, so between you guys and us, we can make these people get a bang for their buck.' And that's really what entertainment has always been about. And so, I've never been in a position before where we felt we had to really protect this thing; it's kind of like a dog with a
bone — you put us up against a wall and we're gonna come out swinging."
When asked whether MÖTLEY CRÜE might have been acting out of ego competition between Crüe Fest 2 bands or living up to previous travelling tours like Ozzfest, Erna replied, "I don't know who needs to live up to whose reputations and I don't know why some people consider music as a competition, but I will tell you that I have never been in a situation where I felt like I was out for blood, and honestly, this was the first time that I felt like, 'You know what?! If there's gonna be some people that are gonna treat other people a certain way, then I'm gonna go out there every night and fucking crush you on stage — make sure that we make you look old and fat, and go home with a nice big fat paycheck. You can sit in your world and I'll sit in mine, and [I'll] see you at the top again, I guess, somewhere...' I don't know. All I care about, really, is playing music and enjoying myself on the road. I'm not here to compete. Everybody has their fans,
everybody has their own music, and it's supposed to be more like a brotherhood, but... I don't know. It's been a good time for us out here, but in other situations, there's definitely been some uncomfortable moments."
TWISTED SISTER has been confirmed for next year's Bang Your Head!!! festival, set to take place July 16-17, 2010 in Balingen, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
ANVIL
BULLET
DORO
ENFORCER
JAG PANZER
KROKUS
JON OLIVA'S PAIN
LOUDNESS
QUEENSRŸCHE
RATT
SABATON
TWISTED SISTER
More acts will be announced soon.
For more information, visit www.bang-your-head.de.
According to Ticketmaster.com, W.A.S.P. has scheduled the following U.S. dates in February/March:
Feb. 26 - The Canyon - Agoura Hills, CA
Feb. 27 - Galaxy Theatre - Santa Ana, CA
Mar. 06 - Harpo's - Detroit, MI
Mar. 12 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA
More shows are expected to be announced soon.
Fan-filmed video footage of W.A.S.P. December 13, 2009 concert in Bilbao, Spain can be viewed below.
A Spanish-language report and several other fan-filmed video clips can be found at BilbaoIsRock.com.
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Mephisto Waltz (intro)
02. On Your Knees / The Real Me (THE WHO cover)
03. L.O.V.E. Machine
04. Crazy
05. Babylon's Burning
06. Wild Child
07. Arena Of Pleasure
08. Hellion / I Don't Need No Doctor / Scream Until You Like It (HUMBLE PIE cover)
09. Chainsaw Charlie (Murders in the New Morgue)
10. The Idol
11. Take Me Up
12. I Wanna Be Somebody
Encore :
13. Heaven's Hung in Black
14. Blind In Texas
W.A.S.P.'s new album, "Babylon", entered the U.K. "Rock Albums " chart at position No. 15. The CD was released in Europe on October 12 through Global Music (via Demolition Records) and was issued in the U.S. on November 17.
Mark Morton of Examiner.com recently conducted an interview with vocalist Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Examiner.com: I know in interviews you did over the summer, you mentioned that you were planning to enter the studio in October for five months to work on and complete the new album. Does this tour with MEGADETH and SLAYER put a speed-bump into those plans, or do you see it as a good thing?
Chuck: Well, it's a good thing, for sure. But when we said we were going to take five months off, that tour wasn't even announced yet anyway. And of course, when you get offered a tour like that (which doesn't come around very often), we had to accept it, because we couldn't pass it up. But we're still working on the album, too. On one of the buses, we're setting up a recording studio. So, the whole time we're on the road, we'll be writing and getting ideas down on tape. Since we're the opener, we're going to have a lot of time on our hands, so we might as well write a record out there!
Examiner.com: Do you have any reservations about opening for your peers, as that is what they essentially are?
Chuck: No, not at all. You don't get to tour with some of your favorite bands very often, so when you get that opportunity, you definitely have to seize it and take advantage to the fullest. What better platform is there for a metal band than to play with two of the biggest metal bands around? And I think, for that time of year, there's really not a lot going on, so it is perfect timing to do it. It's not competing with the summer tours, and it really stands on its own, you know?
Examiner.com: Are you going to stick with a basic presentation set list, or are you planning to shake things up. In the past, TESTAMENT has been known for throwing a couple curve balls into the set along the tour trail.
Chuck: Oh, we'll be prepared. We're planning to have 20 songs ready to go, so at any time we can swap out a song here and there along the tour. Like, if we're going to play two shows very close to each other that will have identical fans, we'll switch two or three songs to keep it interesting.
Examiner.com: Metal, more than any genre, is known for its diehard fanbases and consisting of bands that can endure anything and ultimately thrive. I think this tour is a grand testimony to that sentiment. What are your feelings on the cyclical nature of the scene?
Chuck: Metal fans are definitely the most loyal people. They live through their hearts; they speak their minds, and they really back up their favorite bands. And I think they can really see through bands. Over time, there were bands that would try to do the pop thing, and fans get really pissed off at that, because they want you to stay true to what they love. For us, we've pretty much stuck straight with what we've done since the beginning. And our fans always tell us that they're really happy that we've stuck to our guns and stuck to our style of music. We've been around so long, we could very easily try to make a buck and do what is popular, but I know the fans would shoot it down, no matter how good it would be. The fans wouldn't like it, because we'd be straying away from who we are.
Examiner.com: And you were one of the very few old school thrash metal bands to successfully incorporate the "death growl" into your music. Do you think that aspect contributed to the band's survival?
Chuck: I don't know. That's something we've had since the first album, but I only ever did it live; we had never done it on a record. It was originally a way to express that live feeling. And over time, I started incorporating it into the vocals. At the same time, there were a lot of death metal bands out there beginning to make names for themselves, and the email response I got to the performances was pretty good. Some of our longtime fans hated it and couldn't stand it, but some of our younger, newer fans said things like, "I'm glad to you put that in there. Could you do more of it? We love it!" And since you can't please one group, you have to try to please them both, and that's when I decided that I would do both — sing and growl, and try to make them work together. And it's actually worked well for me.
Examiner.com: Why do you think that the thrash sound has become so beloved among metal fans, young and old?
Chuck: It's the honesty of the music. It's a young style of music, and you're always going to have a teenager who is rebellious, looking for something that is a little different and not on everyday radio that everyone at school is listening to. I know, when I was growing up and at school, I was into things that people didn't even know about. It felt good playing a record and going, "What, you've never heard of THE PLASMATICS or THE MENTORS?" It felt really cool to know about bands that nobody else knew. And I think that is what keeps it cool in the younger people's eyes.
U.D.O., the German band fronted by former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider, has postponed the first four shows (January 6 - January 9, including three dates in the U.K. and one in Belgium) of its 2010 European tour. The new dates will probably be rescheduled for May 2010.
U.D.O.'s new album, "Dominator", entered the official chart in Germany at position No. 27. This marks the highest German chart entry in U.D.O.'s history. A limited-edition single, "Infected", preceded the full-length CD on June 26. The single was released as a limited edition of 2,222 pieces worldwide and included the title track, two non-album cuts, a remix and a live song. On the same day U.D.O. played at the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany as a co-headliner.
U.D.O.'s previous studio album, "Mastercutor", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 39.
HIM frontman Ville Valo tells Billboard.com that the band will start touring in mid-February, with showcase dates in Europe and followed by a run on the Soundwave tour in Australia with JANE'S ADDICTION and FAITH NO MORE . The Finnish hard rockers will then tour the U.K. and hit North America for a lengthy tour starting in mid-March. HIM also plans to play the European festival circuit this summer.
Regarding HIM's forthcoming seventh studio album, "Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice", Valo says, "This is the first album I wrote fully sober, and I wanted to put all the energy I used to put into hanging out in pubs into working on the music. So it was pretty insane, working 18-hour days for the past year, year and a half. We really went for all those details and didn't leave any stone unturned. Hopefully it shows."
"Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice" will be released by Sire Records on February 9, 2010. Recorded at The Lair in Los Angeles, the CD was produced by Matt Squire (TAKING BACK SUNDAY , THE USED, SAOSIN) and mixed by Neal Avron (LINKIN PARK, WEEZER, FALL OUT BOY).
"Since I don't drive," Valo tells Billboard.com, "I was walking to the studio or walking to the house where the rest of the guys were staying, walking five miles everyday, enjoying the sun. Normally I don't do that. I even got a bit of a tan, and people were surprised. But I was in good shape, getting rid of all the excess flab of doing nothing back home."
As first reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET back on June 1, 2009, New Orleans sludge metallers CROWBAR have now officially parted ways with guitarist Steve Gibb and have replaced him with Matthew Brunson, bassist of KINGDOM OF SORROW (the band featuring CROWBAR guitarist/vocalist Kirk Windstein). Guitarist/vocalist Kirk Windstein states, "We, of course, all remain very good friends with [former CROWBAR guitarist] Steve Gibb, but his personal training business and gym are doing great, I'm happy to report, but that, and his family at home, simply do not give him the time to play with CROWBAR any longer. We love him dearly and thank him for his dedication while he was jamming with CROWBAR."
CROWBAR's November 20, 2009 concert at the City Club in Houma, Louisiana will be recorded for an upcoming live album. The CD is expected to be released next year via DOWN/ex-PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's record label Housecore Records.
CROWBAR's forthcoming box set, which will also be released via Housecore, will include the full self-titled demo from the pre-CROWBAR band THE SLUGS 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 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.
Video footage of CROWBAR's November 18, 2009 performance at The Hangar in New Orleans, Louisiana can be viewed below. The band was added to the Decimation Of The Nation 2 tour stop in New Orleans as the last-minute replacement for BORN OF OSIRIS, whose van apparently broke down. Also appearing on the bill were HATEBREED, CANNIBAL CORPSE, UNEARTH and HATE ETERNAL.
CROWBAR will take part in this year's Stillborn Fest. The five Northeast shows, which kick off on December 26 in Philadelphia, will also include HATEBREED, THE ACACIA STRAIN, THE CASUALTIES and THY WILL BE DONE.
NILE and NARGAROTH are among the confirmed bands for Chas Metal Attack IV festival, set to take place March 7, 2010 at Circo Volador in Mexico City, Mexico.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
NILE
NARGAROTH
IMPALED
HORNA
FROM FORGOTTEN BEINGS
WRECKER
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/chasproductions.
Vocalist Fernando Ribeiro of Portuguese metallers MOONSPELL has issued the following update:
"We have finished greatly in Skopje, Macedonia in front of hundreds of fans in na indoor festival and have close the year of 2009 era vulgaris, in what it comes to MOONSPELL live shows. It was a great run, initiated in the States with the Blackest of the Black tour, and in Europe with both CRADLE OF FILTH runs, and crowned by the passionate Latin American crowds in the other side of the world.
Our next show is a hometown gig in Lisbon (Fil Expo) on the 23rd of January, with the greatest video and stage production ever and we will work hard on this one, especially to reintroduce some other songs in our setlist, songs that both us and the fans have been missing; rumours of 'Magdalene', 'Soulsick', 'In And Above Man'. Let's see what the tides brings. It's a 3000 capacity and half of the tickets are gone so far, and that adds to our enthusiasm.
"Even though some festivals have been confirmed for next year and some one-offs might show up, 2010 will be slower in live terms for us but for the best of reasons. We will start writing a new opus. Ricardo [Amorim, guitar] (especially) have been very productive for the past six months and my iPod is full of his rough diamonds that me and Pedro [Paixão; keyboards/guitar] and Waldemar [Sorychta, producer] will polish in the pre-production for the new record. The name is chosen, the concept as well, and not to spoil the surprise, in a time of no surprises, I will not reveal it. Ah! Well, it will be more tongue in cheek, more erotic, when erotic meets religious, and once again I will be dealing lyrically with when one transforms in the other so it will be at least fun to have the cross and the red lips together. Musically, it has got everything that MOONSPELL needs: great songs, melodic, dark and powerful. We will be also working here and there on our
acoustic show for Portugal. Let's see how this one cooks up.
"AMALIA HOJE [an album featuring a number of Portuguese artists paying tribute to Amália Rodrigues, who was the unchallenged queen of fado — the Portuguese equivalent of flamenco or blues]: We are still playing a few shows together as the public demand is high after the 70,000 unit sales in Portugal. France, Brasil, Spain, China will follow (I write from our first-ever show outside Portugal — Vigo, Galicia). It has been a great trip that will slowly fade away, with the conscience of a remarkable group, project and the just tribute to such a figure as the great Amália Rodrigues.
"ORFEU REBELDE is a new project I made together with Pedro (Paixão, MOONSPELL) and Rui Sidónio (BIZARRA LOCOMOTIVA) that combines spoken word, keyboard atmospheres, and industrial metal/dark rock passages, all sung in Portuguese. The lyrics are taken from a great Portuguese book of poems, 'Orfeu Rebelde' (Rebel Orpheus), written by one of the greatest Portuguese authors ever, Miguel Torga. The poems verse a reinvidication of humanity, of darkness, of obscure independence through the voice and the anguish of Orpheu who rebels against his faith and rescues his muse.
"This project was a invitation of one of the most reputed radio music journalists in Portugal (Henrique Amaro of Antena 3, national radio) and included on a series of other records released by Optimus, a phone company in Portugal [with] a good attitude towards alternative music. The EP is available [for] free download at this location and a physical limited digipack edition will be available exclusively from the band (info to be provided) or at the FNAC shops in Portugal or at www.fnac.pt. The edition is via Compact Records in Portugal and the name of the EP is 'Cada Som Como Um Grito', which translates as 'Every Sound Like A Scream'.
" I was comissioned to write a short sci-fi book by Gailivro (Leya), one of the biggest publishers group in Portugal and I am working on it right now. It is written in Portuguese and it will be available in Portugal and Brazil only. It is called 'A Irmã de Caim' (Sister of Cain) and it is a book about vampires, not to join the twilight trend but in order to play mischeviously with it. It is a song about a little forum girl that takes her passion for Stephanie Meyer and her pitiful creatures a litlle bit too far. Despite being just available in Portugal, I am happy to announce that I started working on my poetry books translation and that all of you will be reading it."
FRANKENSHRED, the Phoenix, Arizona-based metal/shred band, has just released its debut album, "Cauldron of Evil", via Italy's Metal on Metal Records. According to a press release, the CD contains "16 tracks of blazing old-school style metal incorporating elements of thrash, speed and hard rock with plenty of guitar shredding! This [album] also features the great drumming skills of Greg Hall [SACRED REICH] who throws down on all 16 tracks."
The "Cauldron of Evil" cover was created by renowned artist Jowita Kaminska who also worked on EXODUS's 2004 release "Tempo of the Damned".
Originally formed in late 1996, FRANKENSHRED started out as an instrumental project.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/frankenshred.
Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM have been confirmed for next year's installment of the Summer Breeze festival, set to take place August 19-21, 2010 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
1349
AHAB
ANATHEMA
ASPHYX
BARREN EARTH
BEHEMOTH
CALLISTO
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CHILDREN OF BODOM
CUMULO NIMBUS
DARK FUNERAL
DARK TRANQUILLITY
DESPISED ICON
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
DYING FETUS
EISBRECHER
EISREGEN
ENSIFERUM
FIDDLER'S GREEN
FREI.WILD
FEUERSCHWANZ
GORGOROTH
GWAR
HAIL OF BULLETS
HYPOCRISY
ILL NINO
INSOMNIUM
KORPIKLAANI
KYLESA
LEAVES' EYES
LETZTE INSTANZ
LONG DISTANCE CALLING
MAROON
MONO INC.
MY DYING BRIDE
NECROPHAGIST
OBITUARY
ORIGIN
ORPHANED LAND
PANTHEON I
POISONBLACK
REBELLION
SEPULTURA
SOLSTAFIR
SUBWAY TO SALLY
SWALLOW THE SUN
THE CROWN
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
TRACEDAWN
WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH
WE BUTTER THE BREAD WITH BUTTER
For more information, go to this location.
TIAMAT, EVILE, NIGHTMARE, TYR, DIE KASSIERER, ORPHANED LAND, KATAKLYSM and ATROCITY have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 5-7, 2010 in Wacken, Germany.
According to the festival organizers, TIAMAT will mark its 20th anniversary by playing "an exclusive 'Wildhoney' show at Wacken Open Air 2010! 15 years after the release of 'Wildhoney' and their 'Wildhoney' headliner show at Wacken, this is gonna be the first and last time that front man Johan Edlund and his guys are going to perform the whole record on one single show! The crowd can expect an amazingly spherical light show as much as the original versions of classics like 'Pocket Size Sun' and 'Gaia'."
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
1349
ALICE COOPER
ARCH ENEMY
AMORPHIS
ATROCITY
CALIBAN
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CORVUS CORAX
CRUCIFIED BARBARA
DESPISED ICON
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
DIE KASSIERER
EDGUY
EQUILIBRIUM
ENDSTILLE
EVILE
GHOST BRIGADE
GRAVE DIGGER
IMMORTAL
IRON MAIDEN
KAMPFAR
KATAKLYSM
LAKE OF TEARS
MÖTLEY CRÜE
NIGHTMARE
ORDEN OGAN
ORPHANED LAND
PRIMAL FEAR
SLAYER
STRATOVARIUS
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
TIAMAT
TYR
U.D.O.
W.A.S.P.
Japanese neo-classical/power metal band AREA51 has tapped Jens Bogren (OPETH, SYMPHONY X, PARADISE LOST, SAINT DEAMON) to produce its third album.
Commented guitarist Yoichiro Ishino: "I am completely in love with the albums [Jens] worked on, and the sound he creates. He's definitely one of the best mixing engineers in the world, so it's such a privilege to be able to work with him."
He added, "All the new songs are powerful, and full of variety. Jens' magic will definitly make the kick-ass sound we're all waiting for! It'll be worth the wait for sure."
The CD is tentatively due in March 2010.
AREA51 has released two albums, including its most recent effort, "Daemonicus", which featured a guest appearance by Rob Rock (IMPELLITTERI) on a grand 16-and-a-half-minute masterpiece.
For more information, visit www.area51-web.com.
DELAIN — the Dutch gothic rock/metal project founded by ex-WITHIN TEMPTATION keyboardist Martijn Westerholt (brother of WITHIN TEMPTATION's Robert Westerholt) — will embark on a tour of the U.K. in April. The band's schedule is shaping up as follows:
March 21 - UK - London - Garage
March 22 - UK - Nottingham - Rock City
March 23 - UK - Glasgow - Cathouse
March 24 - UK - Dudley - JB's
March 25 - UK - Leeds - Rio's
March 27 - BEL - Vosselaar - Biebob
DELAIN's second album, "April Rain", will be released in the U.K. on January 25, 2010 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was released in North America on June 30 via Sensory Records (with U.S. distribution through Ryko and Canadian distribution through Sonic Unyon). The North American version of the album features a bonus track — "Come Closer" — which was previously only available on the limited-edition digipack version of the LP.
DELAIN recently parted ways with guitarist Ronald Landa due to musical differences. He has since been replaced by Ewout Pieters.
DELAIN bassist Rob van der Loo sat out the band's European tour with SONATA ARCTICA due to other personal commitments. He was temporarily replaced by Roel Vink. Rob still played the tour's Dutch dates.
"April Rain" benefits from the return of NIGHTWISH bassist/vocalist Marco Hietala who sings male vocals on two tracks, as well as world-renowned cellist Maria Ahn.
Southern Wisconsin quintet LUNA MORTIS has been dropped by Century Media Records, the label that released the band's debut album, "The Absence". The CD, which came out in in February 2009, was tracked at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (ALL THAT REMAINS, TRIVIUM).
Comments frontwoman Mary Zimmer: "Does this mean LUNA MORTIS will not be releasing another album? No. It just means that soon, we will be label-less and have a few decisions to make about what our next move will be and what we'd like to do in regard to the future of the band."
LUNA MORTIS will be the direct support for PRIMAL FEAR on a North American tour in May-June 2010. Zimmer states, "It's going to be a great tour, covering more of the U.S. this time, including Texas and some southern areas we have never played before. We look forward to going out on the road with PRIMAL FEAR, who are an excellent band and terrific musicians."
LUNA MORTIS's "Forever More" video can be viewed below. The clip was directed by David Brodsky, who has previously worked with ALL THAT REMAINS, BLEEDING THROUGH, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER and KITTIE, among many others.
New York hardcore legends SICK OF IT ALL have been confirmed for next year's edition of the With Full Force festival, set to take place July 2-4, 2010 at Flugplatz Roitzschjora in Löbnitz, Germany (near Leipzig).
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AS I LAY DYING
BLEEDING THROUGH
BORN FROM PAIN
BROILERS
CALIBAN
CANNIBAL CORPSE
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
EARTH CRISIS
EKTOMORF
ELSTERGLANZ
EVERGREEN TERRACE
GWAR
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
LETZTE INSTANZ
NOFX
SICK OF IT ALL
TEXAS IN JULY
THE BONES
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
THE EXPLOITED
TOXPACK
UNLEASHED
WALLS OF JERICHO
For the first time, organizers are announcing bands on the official With Full Force advent calendar; each day in December a new band is being confirmed for the festival.
For more information, visit www.withfullforce.de.
Adelaide, Australia-based grindcore band CORRUPTERS has added a second guitarist, Dave from LAPDANCER. Dave played with CORRUPTERS at recent gigs at the Squatter's Arms and Worldsend, as well as a live-to-air show on 3D Radio.
CORRUPTERS is currently looking for a label to release its first album, which was recorded in Adelaide in April 2009 and mixed and mastered by Mick Kenney (ANAAL NATHRAKH, MISTRESS, THE DELIVERANCE) in July. Four tracks from the CD — "Deadshit", "Dissolve", "Rotten to the Core" and a cover of the BRUTAL TRUTH classic "The Birth of Ignorance" — are available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
CORRUPTERS was formed in June 2008 when vocalist Kerry Skilton and bassist Adam Ward of LOS DIABLOS teamed up with guitarist Ryan Cheesman of GUANTANAMO BAY CITY ROLLERS and drummer Chris "The Mill" Canini of LAPDANCER to play straight-up hardcore punk grind.
CATAMENIA, SUIDAKRA and CTULU have been confirmed for next year's Ragnarök Festival, set to take place April 30 - May 1, 2010 at Ostbayernhalle in Rieden/Kreuth, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AGATHODAIMON
AKREA
ARKONA
CATAMENIA
CTULU
EQUILIBRIUM
GRAILKNIGHTS
HAGGARD
HEATHEN FORAY
HELFAHRT
HELLSAW
HELRUNAR
HOLLENTHON
IMPERIUM DEKADENZ
KROMLEK
MIDNATTSOL
OBSCURITY
RIGER
SÓLSTAFIR
SUIDAKRA
THE VISION BLEAK
VARG
For more information, visit www.ragnaroek-festival.com.
NECROPHAGIST, KYPCK and KYLESA have been confirmed for the 15-year-anniversary edition of the Brutal Assault festival, set to take place August 12-14, 2010 in Josefov, Czech Republic.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CHILDREN OF BODOM
CONVERGE
DEMONIC RESURRECTION
DESPISED ICON
DEVIN TOWNSEND
DEVOURMENT
DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA
DYING FETUS
GRAVEWORM
HYPNOS
IHSAHN
ILL NINO
KYLESA
KYPCK
MNEMIC
MY DYING BRIDE
NECROPHAGIST
ORIGIN
ROTTEN SOUND
SIGH
SYBREED
More acts will be announced soon.
Israeli "dark death metal" act ETERNAL GRAY has released the following statement:
"ETERNAL GRAY is proud to be the first band in the world to offer their fans this new and innovative way to enjoy their music. This groundbreaking achievement will undoubtedly influence countless other bands and revolutionize the entire music industry with its highly original method of music distribution.
"As CD media becomes obsolete, consumers are turning to converting or ripping music files into their players and computers. ETERNAL GRAY saw this as an opportunity to utilize their knowledge of cutting-edge technology and created this viable alternative to CDs, possibly altering the music landscape forever.
"ETERNAL GRAY is releasing its [second full-length album, 'Your Gods, My Enemies'], on a multimedia USB flash drive.
"The hardware itself was designed and manufactured in the shape of the band's logo and is operated through the computer's USB hub. Just plug it in.
"The flash drive is operated by a stylish website-like interface (like in a DVD), that is operated locally without the need to connect to the Internet. All of the flash-drive rich content is displayed and operated by astonishing graphics and sounds. In addition, the band has stated that every one of its flash-drive owners will receive occasional updates and extras.
"By finding the hidden password, the user will get access to never released pictures, videos, music and general content which the band will share exclusively with the people who have purchased the flash drive.
"All of this is operated by simply downloading a special folder that the band created on its website and placing it in one of the flash drive's folders. From then on, the content will be presented through the local website, just as if they were there before. It's that easy!
"It should be noted that the only other musicians to even attempt something similar — a flash drive etc. — were the bands PORTISHEAD and THE BEATLES. The biggest difference between those attempts and ours is in the content itself and in the way it's being presented to you.
"ETERNAL GRAY is offering its fans extremely rich content in a stylish logo-designed flash drive, operated by a website-like menu with astonishing effects and graphic design. All this was made to create a complementary visual experience to the music."
Commented the band: "We are very proud to stand here today after so many months of making it happen, because such opportunity to be creative just as your dreams tell you is not given often.
"We have designed and created something we believe is completing the experience of the music itself and also gives a proper solution to our fans in our ever-developing world.
"Humanity has a lot to offer yet many issues to develop and progress. We believe in creativity and always say, 'If it works, it can always work better.'
"We truly hope you will enjoy this product and support us on our way to be more creative and dare, just as much as we dream of doing every single day."
Content:
* Nine full new songs (WAV. files, just like on a CD)
* MP3 files of all the songs ready to be transferred to any other media (music players, CD burner and so on)
* Pictures, videos and other visuals, all presented in a beautiful gallery
* Info, contact and links to the band and the people who helped make this project possible
* A personal note from the band regarding this release
* Can as well be used as a regular flash drive (2 GB)
Audio samples of four songs from "Your Gods, My Enemies" can be found at this location.
ETERNAL GRAY's debut album, "Kindless", came out in 2002 via Listenable Records.
------------------------------------
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