The date was February 13, 1970 — 40 years ago today — and the album Black Sabbath, by the band of the same name, had just been released. It gave birth not only to heavy metal, but also to a new kind of dance move for the working-class male: headbanging.
Four men were responsible: Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Terence "Geezer" Butler and Bill Ward. All had grown up amid the postwar "bomb building sites" of Aston, Birmingham, and left school with virtually no qualifications. Before forming Black Sabbath and recording their eponymous LP — by no accident, the release date was Friday the 13th — Osbourne had worked at the Digbeth slaughterhouse, where he killed up to 200 cows a day, while Iommi, now considered one of the great rock guitarists of all time, had been a welder, losing two of his fingertips in an accident with a sheet metal press. To get around his disability, he made prosthetics using an old Fairy Liquid bottle.
"To be honest with you, the only reason we ever played music was to get out of our s*** day jobs," said Osbourne, now 61, in an exclusive interview with The Times to mark the anniversary of his former band's now venerated album.
He was later fired by the band and went on to become a successful solo artist and a pioneer of reality television. Osbourne and Iommi have since been involved in litigation over who owns the name Black Sabbath, with Osbourne saying that he wants it to be split four ways equally.
"We had no idea what we were doing," he said. "When we made that first album, for example, we had a manager up in Birmingham, Jim Simpson, and all he said was: 'When you're on your way to your next gig in Switzerland, why don't you stop off at this studio in Soho and put some of your songs on tape?'
"It was a tiny, poky little place, I remember, and it was the first time we'd ever been recorded. We got the whole thing done in 12 hours. If you ask me what I think 40 years later, all I can say is, I wish I could make a record that quickly now."
As for the origins of Black Sabbath's signature dance move — a frenzied bobbing of the head, the drama enhanced by having long, unkempt hair — Osbourne is reluctant to claim sole credit. "I used to head-bang on stage, but I honestly don't know if it was me who started it, or whether it was just the thing to do," he said.
"It got out of control, to the point where people would be headbanging with their heads inside the speaker cabinets. I mean, people were getting f***ing brain haemorrhages. One bloke died, I think."
As might be expected of four men whose consumption of alcohol and mind-altering substances went on to become part of rock folklore, accounts vary of how their music morphed from the standard heavy blues of the late 1960s, as practised by the likes of Cream, Jimi Hendrix and the Kinks, into the material of their first album, which spawned a genre that has lasted to this day. One turning point, according to the band, was when a 1963 Boris Karloff film played at the cinema opposite their rehearsal room. Its title? Black Sabbath.
"It's true that we were influenced by watching horror movies," Bill Ward, the band's drummer, told The Times. Although it started out as a gimmick, he said, "it matured into something that was almost waiting to arrive. Although a lot of established bands were playing loud rock then, what Sabbath did made it very different." Critics were sceptical.
In Rolling Stone, the rock journalist Lester Bangs gave Black Sabbath's debut two and a half stars out of five, panning the band as "unskilled labourers... hyped as a rockin' ritual celebration of the Satanic Mass or some such claptrap. The album is a schuck".
Osbourne wasn't put off; his severe dyslexia meant that he never read reviews. Fans such as Graham Wright, now 59, from Stockton-on-Tees, who later became a roadie for the band, attributed the bad press to elitism. "These snobby middle-class journalists were looking down their noses."
The public bought the Black Sabbath album regardless, with sales reaching a million by the end of the year. The band saw very little financial reward for it, having previously signed away all their rights "in perpetuity".
The band were particularly successful in America, although some fans there were disappointed they didn't take the black magic theme seriously. When Osbourne was confronted with Satanists holding a seance outside his hotel room, he blew out their candles and sang Happy Birthday. In another, more serious incident, a man in a black robe jumped on stage and lunged at Iommi with a dagger. A roadie intervened.
It wasn't until the mid-1970s that the term heavy metal emerged for the music that Black Sabbath had created, although the band had no affection for it. "We said, 'This ain't heavy metal, we're a hard rock band'," said Ward, who lives in Orange County, California. Osbourne and Butler live in Los Angeles, Iommi in Birmingham.
"To some extent we still consider ourselves a hard-rock band," said Ward. "But that first album, when our lyrics changed, that is heavy metal. Was it the first heavy metal album, in every sense of the word? Yes it was. It was the beginning of a new era."
OVER THE RAINBOW has scheduled the following dates:
Apr. 15 - Prague, Czech Republic - Retro Music Hall
Apr. 16 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Masters of Rock Cafe
Apr. 17 - Bratislava, Slovakia - PKO
Apr. 19 - Budapest, Hungary - A38
Apr. 22 - Kerkrade, Netherlands - The Rock
Apr. 23 - Zaandam, Netherlands - De Kade
Jul. 08 - Kvinesdal, Norway - Norway Rock Festival
Jul. 09 - Söderala, Sweden - Rockweekend Festival
Jul. 31 - Kotka, Finland - Festival Tent
OVER THE RAINBOW is:
Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW 1980-1984) - Vocals
Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW 1980-1983) - Drums
Greg Smith (RAINBOW 1994-1997) - Bass
Jürgen "J.R." Blackmore - Guitar
OVER THE RAINBOW's most recent touring keyboardist, Paul Morris (RAINBOW, 1994-1997), replaced Tony Carey, the original keyboardist for OVER THE RAINBOW, prior to the band's performance in front of 12,000 fans at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 4, 2009 in Sölvesborg, Sweden.
Like all members of OVER THE RAINBOW (with the exception of Jürgen "J.R." Blackmore), Paul Morris was also a member of RAINBOW. He recorded and toured with them from 1994 through 1997.
In the '70s, '80s and '90s, RAINBOW released over 20 albums (five gold, four silver), seven Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock tracks, six Top 75 U.K. songs and at least seven MTV frequently played videos. Since 1998, former members of RAINBOW and their respective management offices were overloaded with requests for RAINBOW to reunite. Rondinelli, Smith and Turner agreed that the only legitimate way to accomplish this was to employ a Blackmore on guitar.
Jürgen Blackmore is a critically acclaimed guitarist in his own right and agreed to join this endeavor after realizing how intense the demand was for a RAINBOW "reunion." OVER THE RAINBOW marks the first time that four members from three different eras of RAINBOW have taken the stage together along with J.R. Blackmore.
BilbaoIsRock.com uploaded video footage of OVER THE RAINBOW's October 31, 2009 concert in Bilbao, the largest city in the Basque Country and the capital of the province of Biscay, Spain. Watch the clips below.
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Tarot Woman
02. Kill The King
03. Can't Let You Go
04. Death Alley Driver
05. Wolf To The Moon
06. Eyes Of The World
07. Guitar Solo
08. Ariel
09. All Night Long
10. I Surrender
11. Man On The Silver Mountain
12. Jealous Lover
13. Drum Solo
14. Stargazer
15. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll
Encore :
16. Gates Of Babylon
Encore 2:
17. Since You've Been Gone
18. Can't Happen Here
19. Spotlight Kid
British hard rock legends URIAH HEEP have confirmed more North American live dates, their first since 2002. The band will be promoting both the Wake The Sleeper and the Celebration releases (marking the band's 40th anniversary).
According to an update, "The band very much looks forward to meeting it's USA fans again! Stay tuned for additional gigs and dates!"
Dates include:
June
18 - Chattanooga, TN - Riverbend Festival - Bud Light Stage
19 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
20 - Wilkes-Barre, PA - The Kirby Performing Arts Center
22 - New York, NY - B.B. King Blues Club
24 - St. Charles, MO - Ameristar Casino St. Charles
25 - Kansas City, MO - Ameristar Casino & Hotel Kansas City
July
2 - Algona, IA - Freedom Park
The Daily Telegraph has posted an exclusive photo capturing a moment in rock history — the first time that legendary AC/DC guitarist Angus Young donned his trademark school uniform on stage.
These images were taken at a concert in Sydney's Victoria Park in April, 1974, when AC/DC had just emerged from rehearsing in a bedroom, Bon Scott was still fronting another band and Angus was fresh out of high school.
AC/DC's then-drummer Noel Taylor said the snaps were taken by a friend, Kim Osborn, to record a key moment in their history.
"The band had been talking about wearing costumes and we decided we'd dress in character," Taylor said. "It was something different; we wanted attention."
AC/DC fans in Australia finally got to see their favorite rock band after a long absence of almost a decade. The band entertained a crowd of 60,000 in a concert held at the Etihad Stadium in Melbourne recently. Opening the concert with the familiar strum of "Rock N' Roll Train" and finishing on a high note with "For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)", they kept the crowd mesmerized throughout the concert blasting the night away with their music and lyrics.
In the AC/DC mania, AC/DC souvenirs are everywhere and passionate fans can add to their collection of AC/DC memorabilia. For those fascinated by the AC/DC guitars, there is a framed mini replica of the AC/DC guitar handcrafted from wood on Red Wrappings online gift store. The guitar is presented on a mounted blackboard and silver frame and comes with a silver plaque inscribed with the band and artist.
Other AC/DC collectibles include limited edition AC/DC Film Cells. Each Film Cell is an elegantly framed display of photographs or film cells of AC/DC, with an engraved plaque with the limited edition number. Every film cell comes with a certificate of authenticity.
For more information, visit www.redwrappings.com.au.
Sony Music have announced the release of a limited deluxe expanded edition of JUDAS PRIEST's seminal album, British Steel, on May 10th in the UK and May 11th in North America.
British Steel was the sixth studio album by Judas Priest . Released on April 14th, 1980 and produced by Tom Allom, British Steel was recorded at Tittenhurst Park in England - a mansion owned at the time by former BEATLE Ringo Starr, and previously owned by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
British Steel has long been considered one of metals all-time classics. It was with this release that Priest truly broke through to the masses, with a pair of tracks that have become fixtures on rock radio - the enduring anthems 'Breaking The Law' and 'Living After Midnight'. But like all classic albums, there is not a single weak track detected on British Steel, as evidenced by such standouts as the perennial concert highlight, 'Metal Gods', as well as 'Rapid Fire', 'Grinder', 'United' and 'The Rage', amongst others.
In 2009 Judas Priest performed the British Steel album in its entirety for the first time ever as part of their 30th anniversary USA tour. A filmed recording of the show on the August 17th, 2009 at The Seminole Hard Rock Arena, Hollywood, Florida - will be included in both the limited edition deluxe and deluxe releases. The show was captured in front of a vibrant American audience and in full 5.1 surround and stereo sound. Known for their high-energy and spectacular stage shows the band played the entire British Steel album in sequence as well as a number of other well-know tracks from their catalog.
The live concert was mixed in stereo and 5.1 by the original British Steel producer Tom Allom. In addition, the DVD will include the bonus content of The Making Of British Steel, a 30-minute doc featuring the 4 original band members. This new DVD brings the live Priest experience like no other live recording.
The deluxe expanded edition will come in two formats:
- Limited edition deluxe three-disc to include original album, live DVD and live CD
- Deluxe two-disc to include original album plus live DVD
Full tracklistings are as follows:
Disc 1 – Remastered album
'Rapid Fire'
'Metal Gods'
'Breaking The Law'
'Grinder'
'United'
'You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise'
'Living After Midnight'
'The Rage'
'Steeler'
Bonus tracks:
'Red, White & Blue'
'Grinder' (Live)
Disc 2 – DVD
'Rapid Fire'
'Metal Gods'
'Breaking The Law'
'Grinder'
'United'
'You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise'
'Living After Midnight'
'The Rage'
'Steeler'
'The Ripper'
'Prophecy'
'Hell Patrol'
'Victim Of Changes'
'Freewheel Burning'
'Diamonds And Rust'
'You've Got Another Thing Coming'
Disc 3 – Live album
'Rapid Fire'
'Metal Gods'
'Breaking The Law'
'Grinder'
'United'
'You Don't Have To Be Old To Be Wise'
'Living After Midnight'
'The Rage'
'Steeler'
'The Ripper'
'Hell Patrol'
'Victim Of Changes'
'Freewheel Burning'
'Diamonds And Rust'
'You've Got Another Thing Coming'
An updated version of VH1 's "Behind The Music" documentary on DEF LEPPARD, aptly called "Def Leppard Behind The Music: Remastered", will be broadcast on VH1 in the U.S. and Canada on February 27. The new version contains additional updated footage and interviews that cover the band's career since the original 1998 broadcast of the show. In the U.K., the "remastered" episode was shown earlier this month on channels such as VH1 Classic and Sky Arts.
Check your local listings or VH1.com for showtimes.
DEF LEPPARD is working on a cartoon TV show as part of its wide-ranging deal with music publishing company Primary Wave.
The project is still in the early stages, and has not been pitched to the networks, but it will depict the five members of the group in a fictional, adventurous setting, Primary Wave CEO Larry Mestel told Reuters.
DEF LEPPARD recently cancelled the third leg of its North American tour due to unforeseen personal matters.
Last year, the band released deluxe editions of its classic albums "Pyromania" and "Adrenalize". The albums feature never-before-released B-sides and live recordings as well as nine Top 10 singles from the legendary rock band. The deluxe edition of "Pyromania" features a 15-track live show recorded at The Forum in Los Angeles in 1983. The deluxe edition of "Adrenalize" features demo tracks, live tracks and acoustic tracks.
DEF LEPPARD is now a free agent after fulfilling its contract with Universal Music, according to Reuters.
Steve Vai , IRON MAIDEN's Nicko McBrain, TOTO's Steve Lukather and ex-WHITESNAKE guitarist Bernie Marsden are among the musicians who will take part in Guitar Nation Festival 2010, a two-day music festival of performances, demonstrations, seminars and cutting-edge debates for guitarists and musicians serious about music being held May 8-9, 2010 at the Olympia Conference Centre in London, England. It brings together the people who make the industry happen; world-class musicians, band managers, top producers, media professionals, music industry gurus and many more.
Guitar Nation will get musicians closer to music and its industry than ever before. A broad variety of master classes, tutorials, seminars, performances and forums are planned, covering a wide range of hard hitting topics in a fun, innovative and creative environment.
Some of the master classes and seminars already confirmed are:
* Steve Vai - Tells you his Alien Music Secrets
* IRON MAIDEN 's Nicko McBrain - Touring the world with IRON MAIDEN
* TOTO's Steve Lukather - masterclass with Grammy-Award-winning guitarist
* Bernie Marsden - ex-WHITESNAKE guitarists killer blues workshop
The festival's mission is to empower musicians helping them make a living from music and improve their playing. Issues covered include making money as a songwriter, planning your first tour, how does publishing work to innovations in music technology; the depth and breadth of what you can learn will be truly invaluable.
Guitar Nation is a consumer festival giving the public seamless access to musicians and experts in a way they could only ever dream about.
For more information, visit www.guitarnation2010.com.
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine recently spoke to the World Entertainment News Network (WENN) about the return of the band's original bassist, David Ellefson. "He's the best bass player for MEGADETH and he's been there since the beginning," Mustaine said. "The time without him was difficult for me. He was my partner and one of my best friends. I asked him to forgive me, too, and that's really important too because I realized that I had made a lot of mistakes in my leadership. I was a kid when we met and, granted, I was an adult when we parted ways, but I made a lot of mistakes along the way that affected him. We're still working through all this stuff and talking about the future."
He added, "I did a lot of things that were mistakes, but I never intentionally screwed Dave. I have always loved him and always wanted to protect him. In fact, I think that is the beauty of why we're even able to do this because he knows my intentions. He also knows my desire to clear stuff up. If something had happened I can tell you right now it was unintentional and my heart is open to making everything right.
"In the old days we lived together, we were homeless together on the street. There was a time some guy was gonna kick Dave's ass and I have multiple black belts, so I told the guy to leave Dave alone and of course he didn't, and so I beat the shit out of him. That's the Dave that I know; he's my little brother and I'll defend him no matter what.
"If there's something that happened to him, especially if it's by my hand, I want to clear it up.
"I think we're in a really great place right now. We've come to a level playing field and are open to talking about stuff."
Cameron Edney from Australia's Inside Out Webzine spoke with ANTHRAX icons Scott Ian and Charlie Benante recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:
Inside Out: Guys let's talk Worship Music… Take us through the writing process for the album, what different factors surrounded the process this time around?
Scott Ian: "We wrote most of the record before we even had a singer, which was different. Although it was similar to how we wrote Spreading the Disease."
Inside Out: Having John Bush currently back fronting the band for various festival appearances, is it safe to finally say that John is back for good and will be laying down the vocals for Worship Music!
Charlie Benante: "I am hoping we can release a part of this record soon... I do want to write some new tunes; some of the tunes bring up some bad feelings for me.'
Inside Out: Scott, Anthrax fans around the world are dying to know… will Worship Music be hitting the shelves anytime soon?
Scott Ian: "Honestly… no idea. We've got a lot of work to do."
Inside Out: Charlie, there has been a lot happening inside the Anthrax camp over recent months, one of the coolest stories to break was the announcement that the Big 4 would be playing the Sonisphere festival. Who would have thought that after all these years SLAYER, MEGADETH, Anthrax and METALLICA would finally be sharing a stage together! What are your thoughts on all four bands finally coming together?
Charlie Benante: "I'm honored to be a part of this. This is a metal heads Christmas present. I will for sure enjoy every aspect of it."
Inside Out: Scott, how did it all come together?
Scott Ian: "Metallica put it together! My hats off to them for making this happen. We got the call and said yes and they didn't even have the cities locked in yet. Just to be a part of it is amazing. The fact that all four of us are still doing it is really a testament to this music we started way back when."
The Metal Den reports that former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted has issued a statement, in concern with
taking the site for Chophouse Recordings offline, which is the home of his personal recording studio in Walnut Creek, California:
"Chophouse is going off-line for awhile… Keep it Heavy…Keep it Metal
Cheerz,
Jason"
Not only has Jason recorded music at Chophouse with his other main music projects ECHOBRAIN and VOIVOD, but he had also formed a punk rock project called PAPA WHEELIE and recorded at Chophouse in 2002. A handful of those tracks have been uploaded on their MySpace page.
Newsted was quoted on his involvement with the punk band: "Our first gig was a neighborhood barbecue. It was all improvised. None of the music is prearranged. There are some skeletons of riffs and no set lyrics. It makes me able to enjoy playing, feeling the noise, with no agenda and no one from a record company breathing down our necks telling us what to do."
Newsted has apparently recovered from 2006 shoulder injury that kept him sidelined and unable to tour with Voivod. He played on the act's Infini album last year and is now listed as their "studio bassist" only.
On April 4, 2009 Newsted joined his former band mates in Metallica to be be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame .
Newsted registered the Chophouse site on April 7, 2000 under the name JN Company and listed Travis Bickle as the admin and technical contact.
Vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth of New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL recently spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about the family business he has with his wife — importing fine chocolates for their shop, Chocolaterie.
"We get our chocolates from Bruges in Belgium, which is the chocolate-making capital of the world," Ellsworth told Noisecreep. "My wife works via the net and by telephone with the chocolatiers and says, 'This is what I need, and I need it hand-rolled.' So it's kind of a fun family business."
On his love for fine chocolates, Ellsworth said, "It's something I learned to love by touring and obviously having a Dutch wife who has a passion for chocolate. We love the business. And again it just kind of complements what I've learned through OVERKILL, because I don't think I would have been exposed to [the art of chocolate] on such a high level unless I'd seen things [touring with the band]."
Chocolaterie is located in on 6 South Broadway in Nyack, N.Y. about 30 miles North of Manhattan. "It's nice there," Ellsworth said. "It's almost like a little slice of Greenwich Village kind of town."
Video footage of Ellsworth talking about Chocolaterie can be viewed below.
For more information, visit www.chocolaterie-nj.com.
Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault recently conducted an interview with EXODUS frontman Rob Dukes. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Assault: Talk a little bit about the upcoming album . I think it's in the post-production stage, isn't it?
Rob: Yeah, they are doing the final touches on the mix. I've heard the last mix and they're going to redo a couple of things that we want to change, and dude, it's awesome, man. I'd say it's the best thing I've ever done. It's fast, it's dark and I am not going to try to hype it up because people do what they always do anyway, but it's fucking awesome, man, and I think the thing that's really cool mostly is that I got to really expand my range I sing at. It's almost like my voice is different on every song. It's killer and so that was the best part, really, kind of trying new things, trying some different things and it worked out, which is great. The drumming is fucking phenomenal, the guitar solos are just amazing. Watching those guys do it is just amazing. So it was a lot of fun. It is a really good record, and it's the best record I've done yet with them.
Metal Assault: Gary [Holt, guitar] said in an interview that you guys didn't plan to film a DVD and it just sort of happened. But while on stage for that show you asked the crowd if they wanted to be on a DVD.
Rob: Yeah, the aim was to start creating something for a DVD in the future. We didn't really have a plan. What we really started out to do was, when you buy the CD, our new album, it was going to come with a DVD and it was going to be like 30 minutes. That's what we were going to do. But I had hundreds of hours of footage and I just went with what we had. I still have enough for a whole another DVD. We're going to continue our path in life here and I'm going to film as much as I can. The editing process, sitting through hours and hours of footage, was the first time I had ever done it, so it was kind of like, "Alright let me try my hand at this." I never put together a DVD before, so for my first time out, honestly, I thought it came out a lot better than I expected. It was cool to have full control because I produced and directed it and it was like, "I am going to do it as I see it from my point of the world." That's why we didn't really go into the
Zetro [former EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza] years too much. We touched on Paul [late EXODUS frontman Paul Baloff] just a little bit to let people know who didn't know what the band was about. It was basically about what's happened since I've been in the band. I shot 98% of the footage and I was holding the camera. So that's the way it is.
Metal Assault: You guys played the whole "Bonded By Blood" album on tour in 2008. Do you think bands are doing it too often, or too many bands are doing it, with MEGADETH and TESTAMENT about to do it as well?
Rob: Band's music is the band's music. They can do whatever the fuck they want with it. Whoever doesn't fucking agree with it, go fuck yourself, don't come! If we wanted to re-record every fucking song we ever did we could, it is our right, it's our music and we can do whatever we want. Opinions are like assholes, man. Everybody's got one and they all smell like shit. You're never going to make everybody happy, so we really just make ourselves happy.
Metal Assault: Are you happy with the way "Let There Be Blood" [re-recording of EXODUS' classic 1985 album "Bonded By Blood"] turned out, in terms of the fans' response and on tour when you played it?
Rob: Absolutely, man. I feel totally grateful that I got to sing that album. I mean, technically, here's the deal. We could have done it live and made a live album of it recorded and it would have been the same thing. We just happened to have free studio time and went in and did it. It was just cool to do it and for me, being an EXODUS fan since I was 16 years old, it was like an honor. For people who didn't like it, sorry dude, go fuck yourself. I've got nothing to tell you except what would you do if you were in my position? Would you not do it? Unless you stood in my shoes, shut the fuck up. So, for all the haters who love the old album, OK, I get it. But you know, the old one didn't disappear and it can stand on its own any day you want. It was just something that we could do and it's ours, so we could do whatever the fuck we want. It didn't take much time at all and didn't interfere with anything in terms of the other new material we recorded after
that. We didn't even have to rehearse, and it was like, "Let's just go and do it." Bam, it was done! No writing involved, obviously. I just sat there listening to the original over and over again. I didn't mimic [Paul Baloff], but I tried to keep some inflections that he used. It was just something we did and it could have been a live record, which is basically what it was. They went in and recorded drums in two days, guitars in one day and vocals in three days. Nobody has to make "live records" anyway. "Live In Japan" wasn't live, for example. Everything is re-recorded, so that's basically what we did!
Powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST , ICED EARTH) has recorded a guest appearance on "The Labyrinth Of Truths", the second full-length album from the Brazilian power metal opera project SOULSPELL. "I sang a little part on a song — very small part, but very cool!" Owens tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "I recorded it in my home studio in the middle of working on the new BEYOND FEAR [album], which is sounding great!"
Other musicians scheduled to appear on the new SOULSPELL CD include Zak Stevens (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, SAVATAGE), Roland Grapow (MASTERPLAN, HELLOWEEN) and Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN , WOLFSBANE), among many others.
Conceived by drummer Heleno Vale, SOULSPELL features "many singers play[ing] different characters in a story concerning the conflicts among human emotions in a way never broached before," according to the project's official bio. "These characters face situations of internal conflict as they are requested for making decisions which, without their knowledge, affect and change the course of the present, future, and even past of all the other characters. Although the story takes place in the present, many historic events are also tangled in it. SOULSPELL story intends to make us wonder how a fifteen-year-old boy, a powerful evil dragon, or even a simple humble lumberjack, by simply living and believing, can interfere in the lives of all in every possible dimension."
"As a fiction story filled with many different characters, SOULSPELL demands artwork nearly as important as its music. So the concepts for SOULSPELL cover artworks so far were created by two regarded artists. The first is the French artist J.P. Fournier, the same that did famous heavy metal cover artworks like AVANTASIA and EDGUY. His work for 'A Legacy Of Honor' was absolutely brilliant. The second one is the British artist John Avon, the same who worked for Magic Cards, and did a wonderful and especially obscure art for the second album, 'The Labyrinth of Truths'. Engraving pictures for SOULSPELL characters were done by five Brazilian great artists."
SOULSPELL's first album, "A Legacy Of Honor", was released in 2008 by Spiritual Beast in Japan and Hellion Records in Brazil.
Mary Ouellette of TheyWillRockYou.com recently conducted an interview with drummer Robb Reiner of Canadian metal legends ANVIL. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
TheyWillRockYou.com: So your latest album is in production, what can you tell us about it?
Reiner: It's called "Juggernaut of Justice" and we're going to record it hopefully at the end of this year. The album is completely written we just need to record it. We have twenty songs and we'll probably put twelve on the album but we've been busy touring and doing everything we wanted to do and touring all over the world so we haven't had the time to record it. We're a band that needs to be seen so that's what we're out here doing right now.
TheyWillRockYou.com: Speaking of touring, what has been the most rewarding part of being out there on your own headlining tour?
Reiner: The most rewarding part is just the whole fact that we're even able to do it. I love to play for people and we're not even blowing them away, we're mesmerizing people.
TheyWillRockYou.com: Before the filming of the movie did you know that Lars Ulrich (METALLICA) and Slash (GUNS N' ROSES) were big fans of the band and really behind what you were doing?
Reiner: Yes, they've all been our friends for years. They've always told us how influential we've been to them and how great the band is so yeah we've always known. It was really nice to see them step forward and tell the world everything that we already knew.
TheyWillRockYou.com: I think something that other bands could take away from your story is the issues you had with management and labels along the way and your decision to start doing things on your own.
Reiner: It's not that we decided to do that on our own, we just felt that that was the only way that we could keep things together because we went through a pretty fucked up time with a big manager who tried to do good things but actually ended up derailing things and through that process we just decided to take the bull by the horns and do it on our own. It was the harder route but it was still a lot of fun. In the last year though we have a manager who's done pretty good stuff for us and that's why we're here touring.
TheyWillRockYou.com: The movie really let the world into your lives and you can't help but watch the movie and root for you guys on an emotional level, is there a fear that your lives and the story of Anvil overpowers the music?
Reiner: No, no, no. It was the music that got the movie made in the first place. Without the music there would be no movie. The movie's success is bigger than the band at the moment but I think that will change.
TheyWillRockYou.com: Photographer Ross Halfin has a very popular diary section on his site. A few times last year he spoke about director Sacha Gervasi and how much money he's making off the film. Ross thought it was wrong that you guys weren't having the windfall that he was. Do you guys share Ross' opinion?
Reiner: I know Ross very well, he's a friend. Ross Halfin has "nice" bad things to say about a lot of people. I don't know exactly what he said about Sacha so I can't really comment. Sacha is our friend to this day. He was a fan of the band; the whole movie was made by a fan.
TheyWillRockYou.com: Given what you've been through, what advice can you hand down to bands that are just starting out and at that struggling phase?
Reiner: They just need to make sure they're doing it for the right reasons. They have to love what they're doing and not be trying to make a buck. The motivation should just be pure love for making music.
Read the entire interview from TheyWillRockYou.com.
ALICE IN CHAINS , LIMP BIZKIT, DROWNING POOL and APOCALYPTICA are among the confirmed bands for the Rock Fest 2010, set to take place July 15-18 in Cadott, Wisconsin.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
Thursday, July 15:
VIC FERRARI
APOCALYPTICA
THEORY OF A DEADMAN
Friday, July 16:
GRAVEL SWITCH
DEFAULT
RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS
SOUL ASYLUM
GAVIN ROSSDALE
3 DOORS DOWN
Saturday, July 17:
ELEMENTS
ELMWOOD
CANDLEBOX
BLUE OCTOBER
Sunday, July 18:
BLACK VALENTYNE
TRAPT
DROWNING POOL
LIMP BIZKIT
ALICE IN CHAINS
For more information, visit www.rock-fest.com.
DEATHDESTRUCTION — the new Swedish metal "supergroup" featuring members of EVERGREY, HAMMERFALL and DEAD BY APRIL — will enter IN FLAMES' IF Studios on Monday (February 15) with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, LOK, SONIC SYNDICATE) to begin recording its debut album. The band states, "It's going to be just awesome! We're so pumped up and excited for this to happen!"
Video footage of DEATHDESTRUCTION — the new Swedish metal "supergroup" featuring members of EVERGREY, HAMMERFALL and DEAD BY APRIL — performing the song "Washed Away" on Decemebr 4, 2009 at Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg can be viewed below.
DEATHDESTRUCTION is:
Jimmie Strimell (DEAD BY APRIL) - Vocals
Henrik Danhage (EVERGREY) - Guitar
Fredrik "Loppan" Larsson (HAMMERFALL) - Bass
Jonas Ekdahl (EVERGREY) - Drums
Formed in late 2003 by Danhage, Ekdahl and EVERGREY keyboardist Rikard Zander (who was handling the vocals in the band's earliest incarnation), DEATHDESTRUCTION began as an innocent "hobby project" before Henrik and Jonas realized they wanted to pursue the band more seriously. They eventually parted ways with Rikard and enlisted Larsson and Strimmell, both of whom were "very excited to join the band," according to the group's official bio.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/deathdestructiongbg.
Guitarist Jesper Strömblad has officially quit Swedish metallers IN FLAMES. He says in a statement, "I have decided it is best for me to leave IN FLAMES and to quit the band permanently.
"The last 17 years have been a blast, and I am proud to have been part of this great journey, with the most talented and amazing people anyone can wish to have the privilege to work with. I'm also the luckiest guy in the world, to have the BEST fans in the world, who have been supporting me during my difficult times. It means the world to me, and I'm determined to fight and defeat my demons once and for all…. and by the help from you guys, I'm on my way.
"I'm far from done with music, metal, or whatever my direction is taking me, so be sure to hear from me in the future."
The remaining members of IN FLAMES have released the following statement regarding Jesper's decision to leave the band:
"We are losing a great guitar player and musician, but in order to keep a very dear friend this is probably for the best. If this feels right for Jesper, we are behind him 100% on his decision.
"It is way too early to speculate about the future and possible replacements and things like that. However, we can assure you that IN FLAMES will continue as a band, release albums and tour the world.
"The door to IN FLAMES is always open to Jesper. We are, and will always be, behind Jesper 100% on his way to recovery."
Wearing a "Rehab Is For Quitters" shirt, Strömblad — who checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic early last year in order to receive treatment for his alcohol addiction — rejoined IN FLAMES on stage on December 11, 2009 at Hovet in Stockholm, Sweden for the last two songs of the group's set, "Take This Life" and "My Sweet Shadow". The band performed the tracks as a six-piece, with Strömblad's temporary replacement, Niclas Engelin from the Swedish band ENGEL, playing alongside Jesper.
The sold-out show was attended by 8,335 people, making it IN FLAMES' biggest headlining show ever.
In the early hours of Friday, February 12, EPICA's tour bus crashed on Canadian Highway 1 while driving in the Rocky Mountains when a car lost control and went spinning for the bus. The bus driver, Dave Mabry, managed to avoid a head-on collision by running the bus against the rail-guard.
Although the car was totaled and the bus suffered severe damage and some band and crew members got thrown out of their bunks, no one was hurt.
After a few hours delay and some on-the-spot repairs, the bus was able to continue the journey to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Following the recent departure of longtime members Gavin King (guitar) and Spike T. Smith (drums), U.K.'s THE MORE I SEE was at a crossroads and faced with the task of totally rebuilding and finetuning its outfit. Founding member Gizz Butt saw this as a positive opportunity to put together a band able to deliver at the level required by his own high standards. The new members had to not only be current, with technical flair and ability but also possess the same passion and drive that has become THE MORE I SEE's ethos.
THE MORE I SEE is now proud to announce that the search is finally over. The new lineup looks like this:
Gizz Butt - Guitar
James Cluer - Guitar
Peter Ellis - Vocals
Harri Wright - Drums
Drew Markwick - Bass
Gizz Butt had this to say on the new lineup: "We were seriously running on empty without a spare tank in the back!!! With one member down and another threatening to leave, our fate seemed sealed and then from out of the blue the Metal Hammer guys got in touch and asked us to perform at Hammerfest, I knew I had to pull it together. From then the pieces began to fall in to place. Drew came in on bass, Harri on drums and I'd always intended for James to be our second guitarist. Thanks to all the people around us giving us support, we're ready now. We have the thrash metal militia we've always been looking for and we're gonna embrace the live scene to show just what we've got. This is it!"
THE MORE I SEE is set and ready to unleash the new chapter of the band as its makes local, national and festival appearances. The first leg of the tour kicks off in the group's hometown of Peterborough, supporting ex-IRON MAIDEN vocalist Blaze Bayley, then gearing up for Prestatyn Wales and Hammerfest .
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/themoreisee
Cleveland, Ohio-based traditional metallers LICK THE BLADE are hard at work writing material for their new album, to be released on Auburn Records. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2009's "Graveyard Of Empires" will contain the following 11 tracks:
01. The Grand Inquisitor
02. Ashes Of The Phoenix
03. Cryptid
04. The Blessing
05. Twilight Of The Idols
06. The Mark Of Nero
07. Sobibor
08. Blood-Soaked Majesty
09. Guns, Germs, And Steel
10. The Sun And Time
11. Charon's Obul
Commented guitarist Tom Mowcomber: "All of the songs are in various stages at this point, with a few of them being near completion. It's a solid batch of songs that represents the next step for us in terms of musical and compositional growth."
He added, "We are anxious to get back into the studio, so we're going to take enough time to make sure that these tunes are the best they can be, while working as expediently as we can. Producing a high-quality end result that we are very happy with is our main goal.
"I think that this next batch of tunes will represent marked improvement and musical development for us.
"It's a killer set of songs, and we're really excited to see what the end result will be."
2009 proved to be a banner year for LICK THE BLADE. In addition to recording and releasing its debut album, the band performed last July at the sold-out Headbangers Open Air festival in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany as part of a special Auburn Records 25th-anniversary celebration. The group also had songs appear on CD compilation releases from Germany's Heavy and Poland's Hard Rocker magazines.
LICK THE BLADE, along with labelmates ETERNAL LEGACY, was recently nominated for the "Best Metal Band" award in Cleveland Scene magazine's annual Cleveland Music Awards in recognition of their 2009 accomplishments.
"2009 was, by far, the best year for LICK THE BLADE," reflects Mowcomber. "We finally got our first record out, and we were given the incredible opportunity to be able to go over to Germany and play a couple of shows. We felt truly lucky, as a virtually unknown band, to have been able to do that.
"When we started the band, we had high hopes and expectations, but I don't think any of us foresaw things progressing the way that they have."
French neo-classical metallers ADAGIO have parted ways with their Finnish singer Christian Palin.
Commented guitarist Stéphan Forté: "We have had no other choice but to separate from Christian Palin this morning. That is a decision we needed to take as soon as possible for the best of ADAGIO. We have no hard feelings towards him and wish him all the best for the future."
ADAGIO is scheduled to support KAMELOT on a number of European dates beginning on March 25 in Charleroi, Belgium.
"Archangels In Black", the latest album from ADAGIO, was released in February 2009 via Listenable Records. The cover artwork was created by Guilherme Sevens and the CD was mastered at the Cutting Room in Sweden with Björn Engelmann (RAMMSTEIN, MESHUGGAH).
According to a press release, "without being a concept album, 'Archangels In Black' evokes the band's convictions about a certain Nightside philosophy and a very personal approach of life and death." Forté says, "Darkness is a concept with many branches, often misunderstood from outside, but elemental for some kind."
"Archangels In Black" was the first — and last — CD to feature Palin.
Palin was previously a member of the Swedish/Finnish bands ESSENCE OF SORROW and RANDOM EYES.
Garage Recordings has announced the release of the first solo CD, "No Apologies", from Rob Grad.
Grad has been in two successful bands. His first, KIK TRACEE, was signed to RCA Records without even a demo. Their touring included opening slots with BON JOVI , JOE WALSH, and BODY COUNT. His second band, SUPERFINE, was featured on the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV show and soundtrack. The soundtrack has sold in excess of 200,000 copies to date.
After overcoming a serious illness, Rob Grad's "No Apologies" is as he says, "the most honest music I've ever made." A fan at a recent show referred to his unique sound as "if Tom Petty and Peter Gabriel sat in with U2."
Guest performers on the album include Jimmy Keegan (drums, Carlos Santana), Martin Tillman (cellist, Elton John) and John Leftwich (bassist Lyle Lovett, THE EELS)
Not only a talented singer, songwriter, and musician, Rob is also a renowned visual artist. All the artwork on the "No Apologies" CD are Rob Grad originals. He will be bringing his artwork out with him on the road as he fuses the rock and art worlds together by playing live concerts at art galleries around the world.
"No Apologies" will be available on February 14 at RobGrad.com, iTunes, Amazon.com, and most all of the regular download sites.
NAPALM DEATH, DESASTER and LIVIDITY have been confirmed for this year's edition of the Party.San Open Air festival, set to take place August 12-14, 2010 in Bad Berka, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AURA NOIR
CANNIBAL CORPSE
DEMONICAL
DESASTER
DEVOURMENT
DYING FETUS
KETZER
LIVIDITY
LOCK UP
MÅNEGARM
MERRIMACK
MILKING THE GOATMACHINE
MONSTROSITY
NAPALM DEATH
NECROPHAGIST
OFERMOD
ONHEIL
SARKE
SUFFOCATION
SUICIDAL ANGELS
THE CROWN
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
TRIBULATION
UNDER THAT SPELL
VARG
WATAIN
More acts will be announced soon..
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