Sabbath, Heaven and Hell) sent musical instruments as a gift for N6 musical
school in Gyumri.
Professional musical instruments from Fender Musical Instruments Corporation are
supplied to Yerevan: 4 acoustic guitars of Japanese Takamine Company and
Blackhawk drum kit of American Gretsch Drums Company. The musicians also gifted
Paiste Ñymbals and Vic Firth drumsticks, presented by John Henrys Ltd. Company.
On October 1, 2009, Ian Gillan and Toni Iommi visited music school N 6 in Gyumri
within the framework of Armenia Grateful 2 Rock project, realized by Mediamax
and Australian “Do Something†organization. Director of the school Harutyun
Asatryan stated in a talk with the rock stars that the pupils would very much
like to have good guitars and a drum kit. The music school N 6 in Gyumri was
destroyed during 1988 earthquake and is still hosted in temporary shelters.
“We express huge gratitude to the great musicians for their attention towards
Armenian children, who study music in difficult conditions. Almost 5 months have
passed from the time of Gillan’s and Iommi’s visit to Armenia, but this
present evidences that their sincere wish to help the Armenian school has not
become weaker to any extent. I want to also sincerely thank the managers of the
musicians Ralph Baker and Phil Banfield, who directly dealt with acquisition of
the instrumentsâ€, Mediamax Director Ara Tadevosyan stated.
Ian Gillan’s concerts with the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Armenia will
take place on March 26 and 27. The entire proceeds from them will be directed at
rebuilding of musical school N 6 in Gyumri.
“This is another evidence that Armenia has found friends in those great
musiciansâ€, Ara Tadevosyan stated.
He also expressed gratitude to Deputy Head of the Armenian President’s Staff
Vigen Sargsian for assistance, rendered in transportation of the musical
instruments to Yerevan. Ian Gillan’s and Tony Iommi’s gift was supplied to
Armenia by Armenian President’s aircraft, who visited London last week.
“This is very symbolic, since Rock Aid Armenia/Armenia Grateful 2 Rock takes
place under the patronage of the Presidentâ€, Mediamax Director stated.
It is expected that the musical instruments will be handed over to the school
representatives in March within the framework of Ian Gillan’s visit to
Yerevan.
“VivaCell-MTS†is the general sponsor of Ian Gillan’s concerts due on
March 26 and 27 in Yerevan. bmi Airlines is the partner of the concerts.
Bringing forth a mighty brand of blues-rock in the early 1970s, FREE was a critical piece of foundation in hard rock's roots. On March 23, Eagle Rock Entertainment will celebrate their career with the release of the "Free Forever" two-DVD set.
One of the most heralded bands of the 1970s, "Free Forever" amasses archival video footage, interviews, audio, memorabilia, and other bits of the band's history to create the ultimate fan package. Featuring the powerhouse combination of a young Paul Rodgers' gravelly vocals, Simon Kirke's solid drums, Paul Kossoff's infamous guitar leads, and Andy Fraser's groove-infused bass lines, FREE laid the foundation for a blues-rock revolution.
This set features live performances from the Beat Club in Germany and U.K.'s Granada TV. The second disc boasts full audio from their set at the legendary 1970 Isle of Wight festival (which also featured JIMI HENDRIX, THE WHO, and THE DOORS), littered with a collection of band photos, posters, artwork, and unearthed video footage of tracks "Be My Friend", "Mr. Big" and "All Right Now". Bonus features include original and brand new edits of these Isle of Wight videos with split-screen views. Interviews and special feature "The Freelist", which contains a "Top of the Pops" appearance, Australian interviews, and other bits, is also included.
Disbanding in 1973, the members went on to enjoy continued success, both in acts such as BAD COMPANY and QUEEN, and in solo careers. Sadly, Kossoff passed away in 1976. Yet, even in this short time, FREE made a lasting impact that has influenced musicians and garnered countless fans. Eagle Rock is proud to capture the essence of this ground-breaking act and present it with the release of "Free Forever".
"Free Forever" track listing:
Disc #1:
Beat Club - Germany, 1970
01. Mr. Big
02. Fire and Water
03. All Right Now
Doin' Their Thing - Granada TV, July 1970
04. Ride On Pony
05. Mr. Big
06. Songs of Yesterday
07. I'll Be Creepin'
08. All Right Now
Original Videos
09. All Right Now
10. The Stealer
11. My Brother Jake
12. Love You So
13. Wishing Well
Disc #2:
Isle of Wight Audio 1970
01. Ride On Pony
02. Woman
03. The Stealer
04. Be My Friend
05. Mr. Big
06. Fire and Water
07. I'm A Mover
08. The Hunter
09. All Right Now
10. Crossroads
Isle of Wight Videos:
01. Be My Friend
02. Mr. Big
03. All Right Now
AEROSMITH and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE have been confirmed for this year's Download festival, set to take place June 11-13, 2010 at Donington Park, United Kingdom.
According to Classic Rock magazine, the Download organizers have booked AEROSMITH for this year's event on the condition that Steven Tyler, and only Tyler, appears as the Boston band's frontman.
"In the early days of AEROSMITH, we were infected with the vibe coming out of the U.K. with THE YARDBIRDS, BLUES BREAKERS, PRETTY THINGS and THE [ROLLING] STONES and we wanted what they had bad," said Steven Tyler in a statement. "So baby, we're coming home. Rock and roll can be pure sex and we can't wait to Download…"
The following acts are slated to appear at this year's event:
AC/DC
AEROSMITH
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
THEM CROOKED VULTURES
DEFTONES
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
MEGADETH
MOTÖRHEAD
WOLFMOTHER
VOLBEAT
More acts will be announced soon.
Andy Copping, Download festival promoter, commented: "Download 2010 will be one for the history books. It will see the return of the world's greatest rock band to the most legendary and spiritual home of rock. We have been pushing for this moment for many years, but for this to become reality is the best 30th anniversary of the site we could have dreamed of, it's also going to be a fantastic tribute to Maurice Jones who started this all off back in 1980."
John Probyn, COO Live Nation, added, "The Donington site and its continuing flexibility should take some of the credit for the longevity and success of both Monsters of Rock and Download festival. We are thrilled that our 30-year association with the site will be marked not only with a superb line-up, but also by the expansion of Download 2010 to accommodate more festival-goers than ever."
AEROSMITH, one of the biggest and most influential bands in rock history, has been confirmed as one of the headliners of this year's Sweden Rock Festival festival, set to take place June 9-12, 2010 in Sölvesborg in southern Sweden.
AEROSMITH — Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer — will return to Europe for the first time in three years in what promises to be a sensational show on Thursday, June 10.
The Sweden Rock Festival is the first of several European AEROSMITH dates, their first live appearances this year, and it looks set to be one of the highlights of 2010.
Vocalist Steven Tyler said: "Swedish audiences are like no other. We're all very excited."
Added guitarist Joe Perry: "This is the first show of our European tour. We can't wait to uncork our tour here in Sweden and I am sure the cork will hit the ceiling."
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AEROSMITH (US)
ALDO NOVA (CAN)
ALESTORM (UK)
ANVIL (CAN)
BACHMAN & TURNER (CAN)
BEHEMOTH (PL)
BIGELF (US)
BILLY IDOL (UK)
D-A-D (DK)
DANZIG (US)
FATES WARNING (US)
GARY MOORE (UK)
GUNS N' ROSES (US)
JORN (N)
MAGNUM (UK)
MASTODON (US)
MOTHER'S FINEST (US)
NAZARETH (UK)
OPETH (S)
RICK SPRINGFIELD (AUS/US)
RATT (US)
RAVEN (UK/US)
SABATON (S)
SAGA (CAN)
SLAYER (US)
STEEL PANTHER (US)
STRATOVARIUS (FIN)
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES (US)
U.D.O. (D)
UNISONIC (D)
W.A.S.P. (US)
WATAIN (S)
Y&T (US)
Last year's festival was attended by 35,200 people, but in 2010 the maximum number of visitors will be limited to 33,000.
For more information, visit www.swedenrock.com.
Foreigner's first studio album in 15 years, 2009's Can't Slow Down, was an important move forward in the band's evolution as they tour North America this year including two dates at Casino Rama on Friday and Saturday nights (Feb. 19-20) says original guitarist Mick Jones.
"My thinking wasn't just to go out and do a nostalgia trip" said Jones. "It was definitely with thought to the future and I felt that I had rediscovered my desire to make music again."
Can't Slow Down is actually a three disc set featuring the new record, a remixed greatest hits collection and a DVD, featuring live performances and a behind-the-scenes look at the Can't Slow Down recording sessions.
Among the producers on the remixed collection is Mark Ronson, Jones onetime step-son, and now a Grammy Award-winning producer to such artists as Amy Winehouse.
Ronson delivered a horn-heavy remake of Fool For You Anyway from Foreigner's 1977 debut.
"Mark since he was a little boy really, living in my household I guess, has always been pretty close to music and always has shown an incredible love for music from the first time I met him, when he was about six I guess," said Jones. "And obviously spending time with me over his formative years, I knew that he had it naturally in him. I knew that it wasn't just a teenage kind of whim. He was definitely dedicated to it, from following new bands, and discovering bands, he was very curious about everything and he definitely had a feel. I knew that he really had something in him to give and that was going to blossom. I'm really so proud of what he's achieved."
Zeppelin experience an ego test
Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones says being part of the lineup at the heavily hyped Led Zeppelin 2007 reunion in London featuring singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham's son Jason on drums turned into survival of the fittest - ego-wise.
What began as a series of shows to remember the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun at Royal Albert Hall turned into a one night Zeppelin reunion at O2 Arena and people began dropping off the bill as a result.
"When it was announced that Led Zeppelin was doing the show, everybody seemed to drop out all of the sudden," said Jones. "The Stones, Mick Jagger, Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, everybody just seemed to somehow - the whole thing about Led Zeppelin getting back together for the night — overrode everything else.
"But nevertheless there was a first half to the show which we concluded and it was quite an event. It was incredible seeing Robert and Jimmy together and the band together, you know I wouldn't have missed that. It was pretty awesome. It was great. And I think everybody ended up happy and I'm sure Ahmet would have been thrilled as well. It was an honor to be there and to be included in all that."
British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have completed the recording process for
their new album at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas with producer Kevin
Shirley. According to a posting on Kevin's official web site, "There's still
work to do, but the band portion is complete and in the can, so to speak."
Shirley previously worked on the last three MAIDEN albums â€" 2000's "Brave New
World", 2003's "Dance of Death" and 2006's "A Matter of Life and Death".
The next IRON MAIDEN album will be the band's fifteenth studio record, and they
face a challenge to follow up "A Matter of Life and Death", which was received
well critically and saw the group play the whole album on tour.
Speaking at last year's premiere of the band's documentary film "Iron Maiden:
Flight 666", guitarist Adrian Smith stated, "There's always a bit of pressure to
follow up the last album. In a way, it's good, because it motivates you.
"We never get complacent; we always try our best for our own sake as much as
anything else. As far as pressure for another album, we just do what we do â€"
we've been doing it long enough now; we know what we're doing. [laughs]"
IRON MAIDEN guitarist Janick Gers revealed to BBC News in November that the band
was on its way "to Paris for three weeks to work on some new stuff." He added,
"The most important thing for a band is to create new music, otherwise you're
not valid â€" you become a parody."
IRON MAIDEN will headline this year's edition of the U.K.'s Sonisphere festival,
which will be held Saturday, July 31, 2010 and Sunday, August 1, 2010 at
Knebworth.
MAIDEN became the first outfit in history to travel round the world in a
customized jet during their "Somewhere Back in Time" tour, as detailed in
award-winning movie "Flight 666".
The Boeing 757 carried musicians, crew, gear and guests with singer Bruce
Dickinson, a qualified airline pilot, at the controls.
Powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST , ICED EARTH) will play another free unplugged/acoustic show with Scott Jones (US METAL) on guitar on Friday, February 19 starting around 9:30 p.m. at The Tap House in Akron, Ohio. This is a FREE show for all ages. Ripper CDs and T-shirts will be for sale.
The Tap House
491 E Waterloo Rd
Akron, Oh 44319
Owens last summer completed a short European tour as the support act for HEAVEN & HELL. His backing band for the trek consisted of the following musicians:
Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORHCESTRA) - Guitar
John Comprix (BEYOND FEAR, RINGWORM) - Guitar
David Ellefson (MEGADETH, F5) - Bass
Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO) - Drums
"Play My Game", the first solo album from Owens, landed at position No. 66 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. The CD was released via SPV/Steamhammer. The offering consists of around a dozen brand-new tracks that Owens composed himself or together with renowned friends, such as Bob Kulick, Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), Mike Callahan (ex-EARSHOT) and John Comprix (BEYOND FEAR, RINGWORM).
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine tells AOL's Noisecreep that he is no longer calling the band's bassist David Ellefson "Junior" like he used to back in the 1980s and 1990s. "Dave was my ambassador back then," Mustaine tells Noisecreep. "I was a pretty loose and unpredictable cannon, and he brought a very calming effect, so he was very much like a mediator, and that's how everyone looked at us. We were the two Daves. And that's part of the reason I wanted to call him 'Junior.' I think that, given the circumstances right now, meeting him again on a totally different level, it's not like he's a kid anymore. So I'm getting to know him all over again, and I really like what I see and I really love the way he plays."
MEGADETH's month-long "Rust In Peace" 20th anniversary tour launches March 1 in Spokane, Washington. At these special shows, MEGADETH will play its landmark, genre-defining 1990 album "Rust In Peace" in its entirety, in addition to other MEGADETH favorites.
Ellefson and Mustaine will join Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar) on tour in support of the group's current CD, "Endgame", which has received some of the highest critical accolades of the band's career.
According to The Daily Swarm, the reunited SOUNDGARDEN is expected to co-headline the 2010 Lollapalooza festival in Chicago.
Although promoters do not traditionally announce the lineup until spring, multiple industry sources have told The Daily Swarm that SOUNDGARDEN, GREEN DAY and LADY GAGA are locked in for the Aug 6–8 weekend event. Three more headliners are expected to be included when the complete lineup is announced.
The music world was rocked on New Year's Day (January 1) by the news — posted at singer Chris Cornell's web site and Twitter page, plus a new site called Soundgarden World — that grunge gods SOUNDGARDEN would reportedly reunite in 2010 after a 12-year absence.
Rumors of a SOUNDGARDEN reunion have picked up steam in the last year, possibly because the band members are known to have gotten together to talk and three of them — all but Cornell — jammed together last March at a Seattle club.
Billboard.com, after the New Year's Day announcement was posted, reported that the band was in negotiations with several festivals, but that has yet to be officially confirmed or denied.
There's also the question of ex-SOUNDGARDEN drummer Matt Cameron, who now plays in PEARL JAM and has several live commitments with that band lined up this spring and summer.
Cornell told The Pulse of Radio in 2007 that SOUNDGARDEN as a live act had its ups and downs. "SOUNDGARDEN was sometimes like the best rock band you'll ever see, and sometimes we were not that," he said. "Sometimes we were — we were very unpredictable and part of the unpredictableness was sometimes, we just really didn't come together. We were volatile that way."
SLAYER and FEAR FACTORY have been confirmed for this 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:
A DAY TO REMEMBER
ALL FOR NOTHING
AMORPHIS
ARKANGEL
AS I LAY DYING
BLEEDING THROUGH
BORN FROM PAIN
BROILERS
CALIBAN
CALLEJON
CANNIBAL CORPSE
DAATH
DARKENED NOCTURN SLAUGHTERCULT
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
DEICIDE
EARTH CRISIS
EKTOMORF
ELSTERGLANZ
EVERGREEN TERRACE
FEAR FACTORY
FREIWILD
GWAR
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
HORSE THE BAND
JOB FOR A COWBOY
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
LETZTE INSTANZ
NEAERA
NILE
NOFX
SICK OF IT ALL
SLAYER
TEXAS IN JULY
THE BONES
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
THE EXPLOITED
THE FACELESS
TOXPACK
UNLEASHED
WALLS OF JERICHO
WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH
WAR OF AGES
WISDOM IN CHAINS
For more information, visit www.withfullforce.de.
SLAYER, SAXON, PARADISE LOST, OBITUARY, ANATHEMA, STEEL PANTHER, U.D.O.,
DEICIDE, A DAY TO REMEMBER, ATREYU, UNEARTH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, 36 CRAZYFISTS,
RISE TO REMAIN and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME have been confirmed for this year's
edition of the Graspop Metal Meeting, set to take place June 25-27, 2010 in
Dessel, Belgium.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
36 CRAZYFISTS
A DAY TO REMEMBER
ALESTORM
ALL SHALL PERISH
AMON AMARTH
ANATHEMA
ANVIL
AS I LAY DYING
ATREYU
BEHEMOTH
BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME
BLEEDING THROUGH
BLOODBATH
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CHANNEL ZERO
DEADLOCK
DEICIDE
DORO
GHOST BRIGADE
HAIL OF BULLETS
IGNITE
IMMORTAL
JOB FOR A COWBOY
JON OLIVA'S PAIN
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
KISS
KORPIKLAANI
MOTÖRHEAD
MUCKY PUP
MY DYING BRIDE
NECROPHOBIC
NILE
OBITUARY
PARADISE LOST
RATT
RISE TO REMAIN
SABATON
SAXON
SEPULTURA
SLAYER
STEEL PANTHER
TANKARD
TARJA
THE FACELESS
THERION
U.D.O.
UNEARTH
WALLS OF JERICHO
The last two headliners will be announced in the next two weeks.
New York Post reports that ex-SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach tackled a man
with a knife at an intimate GUNS N' ROSES concert this past Sunday (February
14).
The mystery man casually pulled out what appeared to be a switchblade knife as
he walked into the packed and über-exclusive "Nur Khan's Rose Bar Sessions" at
the Gramercy Park Hotel.
But Bach, who was standing near the door, immediately got the stranger thrown
out of the bash, which was attended by a host of stars, including Mickey Rourke.
A witness tells New York Post, "The man walked in while GUNS N' ROSES was
onstage and pulled out a knife and flicked the blade out. Sebastian, who was
standing on a banquette said, 'Nobody is getting anywhere near my man Axl Rose
with a knife,' and went after him. Security then immediately threw him out. The
man appeared to be drunk. It was dealt with so quickly that none of the other
guests or the band were aware of it."
Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times recently conducted an interview with legendary guitarist Slash (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER). A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
On performing signature GUNS N' ROSES song "Sweet Child O' Mine" with Fergie and THE BLACK EYED PEAS when the pop band opened for U2 at the Rose Bowl in late 2009:
"That was a first for me, to go out and pull out 'Sweet Child O' Mine' in front of however many thousands of people at the Rose Bowl with a different group. I had never really played that song with anyone besides GUNS N' ROSES. Fergie asked me if I would do it with her, and she's honestly one of the only singers I would trust that song to."
On his upcoming solo album, on which he is paired with a lineup of multi-genre artists, including Ozzy Osbourne, Kid Rock and MAROOON 5's Adam Levine:
"I wasn't trying to consciously bridge any generation gaps or to try to be eclectic. I wrote the music first, and I took the different styles of music that I was writing and farmed it out to singers who I thought might like it or be appropriate for. So for instance, I'd say, 'Adam Levine would sound amazing on this.' So while that may be way off the beaten Slash path, I knew that's what I would sound great."
"As a solo artist, I could get away with a lot of things that aren't confined by the parameters of being in a band. This was a musical statement for me. I provided music for the singers, and it was an open canvas for them to do what they wanted. Some people we collaborated on the music, and did whatever was necessary for that singer to have as much input, and some instances the arrangement I set the demo is the way it came out on the record. They had free rein on the lyrics and the vocal melodies."
On how he wanted his new solo album to be as independent as possible, from both the creative and business ends:
"Given my experiences over the last 20 years, this gave me a whole new lease on life. There was no drama. There was no complicated or complex situations having to deal with writing and recording. This was so painless. It changed my whole perspective on how complicated working with anybody should ever be."
On his plan to perform numerous songs from the GUNS N' ROSES days on his upcoming solo tour with ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy on vocals:
"More than anything, it's because Myles is such a capable singer. He knows those songs, and he sings them great. A lot of those songs are in a register that most people can't sing, and Myles can, and he can do it from the heart. That's the real reason for unwrapping certain material that I haven't played with anybody else."
TWISTED SISTER, EDGUY and ENSIFERUM have been confirmed for the 10th-anniversary edition of the Bloodstock festival, set to take place August 13-15, 2010 at Catton Hall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AMORPHIS
ANDROMEDA
BEHEMOTH
BLACK SPIDERS
BLOODBATH
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CHILDREN OF BODOM
DEVIN TOWNSEND
DORO
DREAM EVIL
EDGUY
ENSIFERUM
FEAR FACTORY
GOJIRA
GORGOROTH
GWAR
HEAVEN & HELL
KORPIKLAANI
LEAVES' EYES
OBITUARY
RAGE
ROSS THE BOSS
SONATA ARCTICA
SUFFOCATION
TWISTED SISTER
For more information, visit www.bloodstock.uk.com.
In an exclusive interview with Dave Lewis for the forthcoming Tight But Loose magazine, legendary vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) revealed the future plans for BLACK COUNTRY, the new group featuring Glenn alongside Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER) on drums, Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, BILLY IDOL, ALICE COOPER) on keyboards, and Joe Bonamassa on guitar.
"This is the real deal, a big rock statement and the right thing to do at the right time," said Glenn.
"We have recorded six songs and reconvene in March to work on another seven.
"We've worked really hard on this, changing arrangements, working on lyrics; we've really gone to boot camp with it.
"The album should be ready for release in September. We are looking to play some showcase gigs to announce the band around that time and then head out on a full tour next year."
"You might think with Joe involved it's going to be a bluesy record, and while there are elements of that, it's developed into a classic modern rock album. There's a real groove to it all, but with a Bonham involved, that's to be expected!
"Jason's drumming is amazing. He really feels the music and knows exactly what's going on in the songs. This is his best playing on an album ever, in my view. It's an honor to be in a band with him. His father helped me so much in my early days in TRAPEZE and was a real mentor to me. He really championed my music. It's amazing to think back and remember being at John's house and seeing him tutoring Jason when he was really young and now I'm playing in a band with him."
Talking about recording the debut BLACK COUNTRY album, Glenn recalled the sheer buzz of performing in this lineup.
"I remember we were recording the second track, 'One Last Soul', on January 3; it was a Sunday. We were doing it all live and I had this overwhelming feeling that this is the way it should be now. This is what I'm supposed to be doing.
"I'm back in a band and I feel totally rejuvenated. I need, for my own sake, to be involved in this. I love the variety we have and there's a real focus that allows us to grow musically. It's a real 'black country'-sounding album, too. Kevin Shirley's production is typical of his style; there's a rawness and lots of live solos and not a lot of overdubs. There's a light and shade there, too, but as I said, it's also a very gutsy vocal record.
"This is me singing rock again and I'm loving it.
"I think Jason and I were destined to play together and there's no finer Hammond organ player than Derek. As for Joe, well, we already know he is the new top guy and he's going to continually bowl people over.
"As a live band, this is going to be pretty unstoppable."
The complete full-length interview, in which Glenn talks about the making of the BLACK COUNTRY album and reminisces on his early days in TRAPEZE and being in the company of John Bonham and Robert Plant, will feature in the new issue of Tight But Loose (issue 26), due out in April.
The newly revamped lineup of the NWOBHM band TOKYO BLADE — featuring Andy Boulton (guitar) John Wiggins (guitar), Andy Wrighton (bass) and Steve Pierce (drums), alongside new singer Chris Gillen — has tapped Chris Tsangarides (THIN LIZZY, Y&T, FREE, BLACK SABBATH, IAN GILLAN, JUDAS PRIEST, OZZY OSBOURNE, ANVIL) to produce the group's forthcoming studio album.
Commented the band: "This is a great honor for us as we are big fans of Chris's work and our previous labels have put zero effort and money into us. With Chris at the helm, it's going to kick ass."
TOKYO BLADE has been hard at work rehearsing and writing for the new album and tour.
TOKYO BLADE's current lineup is:
Andy Boulton (guitar)
John Wiggins (guitar)
Andy Wrighton (bass)
Steve Pierce (drums)
Chris Gillen (vocals)
POISON singer Bret Michaels, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT and FOGHAT are among the confirmed acts for the Rib America Festival, set to take place May 28-31, 2010 in downtown St. Louis, Missouri at Soldier's Memorial Plaza.
Admission to Rib America is free before 5 p.m. May 28, and before 1 p.m. the other days. Admission is $5, which includes the concerts. Children 12 and under get in free. Reserved seating is available in front of the stage through Ticketmaster. Those tickets include $10 in food and beverage coupons.
For more information, visit www.ribamerica.com.
On February 1, Metal Discovery webzine conducted an interview with JON OLIVA'S PAIN/SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metal Discovery: The new album sounds awesome. I understand the "Festival" concept came from a nightmare you had in a Dutch hotel room?
Oliva: Yeah, actually, yeah. I had a freezing cold nightmare and I woke up, and just not thinking because I was half asleep. I shut the windows and turned the heat up all the way and then went back to sleep, and went into this crazy nightmare. Pretty much if you've seen the artwork of the front cover, that's kind of where I was. The guy caught it, so… when he showed me the artwork, I almost passed out! But it was basically that type of a thing, and it was just weird. There were lots of other little things that popped in and out. A lot of the songs on the record, lyric-wise, have all come from either dreams or nightmares that I've had over the past couple of years. So that whole idea — the festival, the kind of haunted nightmare — I'll just write about some of my dream experiences. You know, at my age I'm running out of shit to write about!
Metal Discovery: Because the lyrics were born from nightmares, does that explain why the material's predominantly darker in atmosphere on the album?
Oliva: Yeah, that also, and the fact I like to make my albums different. The last album, "Global Warning", which I'm very fond of, was a very keyboard-heavy album and it was a very experimental album for me. I had a lot of older material; pieces from my brother [late SAVATAGE guitarist Criss Oliva] and me that I wanted to get released. So this album, I wanted to go back a little bit. I wrote most of it on guitar… and I just wanted to get back to more my roots, and get a little bit darker, and a little bit eerie. Just to have a little bit more fun, you know.
Metal Discovery: Yeah, it works brilliantly; it's fantastic. I understand a lot of the material was written while you were on tour in Europe last summer. Would you say that explains the more straightforward approach and kind of raw energy in the songwriting compared to the more experimental "Global Warning"?
Oliva: Yeah, well, basically a lot of the writing was done on the tour bus and I couldn't fit a grand piano in the back lounge, so I settled for a… We actually had a couple four-track machines and a little practice guitar rig back there so a lot of the stuff just ended up being written while we were driving all over Europe last summer. I've never done that before. I've always… especially on "Global", I wrote a lot of that in my home studio where I've got pianos, and harpsichords, and everything. I was kinda limited to an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar, and occasionally, at soundchecks or something, I'd be able to fiddle with my keyboard a little bit. But only one song was really a keyboard written song and that's the last one on the album.
Metal Discovery: I gather there are some more previously unused Criss riffs in some of the songs on "Festival". Is it important for you to always have his songwriting presence on each of the albums?
Oliva: Well, as long as the tapes last. The sad thing is… I'm down to the last eight or nine cassettes. When I started JON OLIVA'S PAIN, I had about fifty of 'em. I've gone through pretty much all of 'em and I've got about eight or nine left, so hopefully there'll be enough left to have Criss part of the next album and maybe the one after. But, unfortunately, that's gonna be coming to an end soon and that's gonna be a sad, sad day for me because, in a way, it's kinda like Criss has been a little member of the band for the last four albums. You know, his material's been on every JON OLIVA'S PAIN album, and that's really important to me and the guys. The guys… they always ask me, "You got any more Criss riffs? And I'm like, "I'm looking, I'm looking!" [laughs] It's a very exciting thing for us and I think, on this album, he's on four or five songs. "Lies", which is the first song, that's a lot of his music. Actually, the whole verse section I sing is
Criss' music. "Living on the Edge" is kind of a remake of a SAVATAGE demo that we had back in the "Gutter Ballet" period, and there's a lot of his music in that song. The ballad at the end is kind of half his and half mine. His part is the chorus section and my parts are the verse section. There are a couple of other songs where he has little riffs in there; I can't remember which ones they are now, to be honest with you. I think "The Evil Within" is one and there's one other one where there's just one little riff that I grabbed. But those other three songs, he's got significant writing in all three of those — they're basically half his and half my music, so that's great, and that's always a positive for me. You know, it's good for the fans they get to hear stuff that they would never have heard. If there wasn't a JON OLIVA'S PAIN, they would never have heard this music of his.
Metal Discovery: When you started JON OLIVA'S PAIN, was there any part of you that was ever tempted to perhaps take a quicker route to success and call yourselves SAVATAGE or was it always important for you to have a completely separate identity for the new music?
Oliva: I had every right and every intention to call the band SAVATAGE, and I was gonna call it SAVATAGE Phase 3 — you know, the third basic period of the band. You had the Criss Oliva period, then the non-Criss Oliva period, and now this period, but I didn't know, at first, if I wanted to be in a band again. For the first one, I did the "'Tage Mahal" record — it was kinda like a test. I was gonna see how it went and how people accepted it, and see if I was happy being back in a band situation again, and as time went on I got comfortable with the guys and I was like, "You know what?! Let's build the band ourselves and then see what happens in another two or three years and, if I decide I wanna do something like that, I'll make the change properly where I'll do a big record and I'll have some of the guys from the old band come and play on a few tracks, and pass the torch on to the new phase of it." It's something I toyed with the idea but, you know,
the JON OLIVA'S PAIN thing has been growing very, very strongly over the last two or three years and I'm happy with that. I'm just gonna ride it out and see what happens. I'd like to end my career using the name SAVATAGE. The chances of a SAVATAGE reunion with the guys from the "Dead Winter Dead" period happening is so minute to next to impossible that it might be something I decide to do in another couple of years. So, I don't know, I'll just have to see how things go.
San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans TESTAMENT will make their live debut in the Phillipines as part of the Pulp Summerslam 10, set to take place April 17, 2010 at the Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City. TESTAMENT will co-headline the event with LAMB OF GOD.
The largest metal festival in the Philippines, the Pulp Summerslam is known for its unbelievably low ticket price of only 300 Philippines pesos (approximately $6.50). Included ib the price of admission are sodas, beer, pizza and free cell load.
Commented TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy: "We have played countless venues all over the world, but this is the first time ever that TESTAMENT will be playing in the Philippines.
"It is an honor for us to be bringing metal to a country that does not normally have many metal shows and we are stoked to be co-headlining alongside our friends in LAMB OF GOD.
"People of the Philippines, get ready to get into the pit with TESTAMENT."
TESTAMENT will join forces with MEGADETH and EXODUS for a month-long North American tour that will find these thrash titans crisscrossing the nation on the "Rust in Peace" 20th anniversary tour.
TESTAMENT, will perform its first-ever album, "The Legacy", in its entirety during the trek . In this monsterously massive celebration of metal, TESTAMENT felt it was time to throw down the gauntlet and bring people back to the roots of their visceral and vice-tight music, re-invoking songs which helped lay the foundation for a thrash generation. "We wanted to give the fans something different," said Chuck Billy. "We wanted to play these songs which have not been played since we've been touring [the latest TESTAMENT album] 'The Formation Of Damnation'."
"I can't believe that we wrote this stuff when we are 17, 18, and 19 years old," added TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson. "Although 'Formation…' stands on its own, we cannot even write music today like we did back then. 'The Legacy' will always be our legacy."
Refreshingly brutal, yet steeped in clever melodic twists, "The Legacy" was a scene-busting statement of intent by Billy, guitarists Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick, bassist Greg Christian and drummer Louie Clemente. And with classic pit-starters such as "Over The Wall", "Burnt Offerings" and "First Strike Is Deadly" creating human froth with genuine songwriting prowess, "The Legacy" set TESTAMENT up to take the thrash metal world by storm in the coming years.
"These are the first nine songs we put together," said Billy proudly. "This is what started the band, so we wanted to go back and give the fans a chance to not only get back to metal's roots, but to feel the force of TESTAMENT's roots at the same time." "And it's no wonder with a foundation like that we are still here today," adds Peterson.
Canadian guitarist Glen Drover (ex-MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND, EIDOLON) will fill in for Alex Skolnick on TESTAMENT's tour with MEGADETH and EXODUS. "My buddies in TESTAMENT called me up to see if I could help for the tour, as Alex will be away during this time," Glen wrote on his MySpace page. "It will be great to get back out for a little bit and see all my friends in those bands, as well as the fans, and of course being a part of playing 'The Legacy' album, which has always been one of my faves!"
The tour will kick off on March 1 in Spokane, Washington and will run through the end of the month.
Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD will be touring the Pacific Rim and Japan in April. The dates are as follows:
April 07 - Bangkok - Thunder Dome - Thailand
April 09 - Taipei - Liberty Square Auditorium - Taiwan
April 11 - Bejing - Star Live - China
April 13 - Shanghai - Mao Live House - China
April 15 - Singapore - D'Marquee - Malaysia
April 17 - Manila - Pulp Summer Slam - Philippines
April 20 - Tokyo - Liquid Room - Japan
April 21 - Nagoya - Club Quattro - Japan
April 22 - Osaka - Club Quattro - Japan
LAMB OF GOD is creating an exclusive song for the upcoming blockbuster title Iron Man 2: The Videogame. The all-new song, "Hit the Wall", serves as the perfect complement to the nonstop super-powered action of the game, which heads to consoles and handheld systems everywhere in April 2010. The game is based on the cinematic universe featured in Marvel Studios' "Iron Man 2", in theaters end of April 2010.
Commented frontman Randy Blythe: "Working on a piece of music specifically for the Iron Man 2 video game was a new challenge for us.
"A few of us are real game and comic fans, so the partnership with Sega [Iron Man publisher] has been really exciting.
"We can't wait to play the game and hear our music as Iron Man kicks ass."
"The music of LAMB OF GOD definitely evokes the intensity of Iron Man action, and we are very excited to have them working with us for the game," said Sean Ratcliffe, Vice President of Marketing, Sega of America.
As previously reported, LAMB OF GOD is planning on filming its upcoming shows for a tour documentary, presumably to be included with the band's next DVD release.
"We are out on tour until October, and we will go to crazy places," LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler told AOL's Noisecreep. "Since we started touring for this cycle in December 2008, we've basically gone around the world twice, and in this next year we will again — to China, Russia, South America. We've done DVDs in the past, with concerts and behind the scenes. This time, we will bring a film crew on these runs with us, since we will be in such bizarre places like Singapore, where they don't even sell our records, but 10,000 kids will still show up. We want to document this music and how what we do crosses the language and commerce barriers. Hopefully, we will find some trouble along, and if someone gets in jail, it won't be too much trouble to get him out. It'll probably be Randy!"
Having recently wrapped up U.S. their tour with METALLICA, LAMB OF GOD received a second Grammy Award nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category — for the track "Set to Fail" from their latest album, "Wrath", which came out last year on Epic Records.
LAMB OF GOD was previously nominated in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the song "Redneck" from the band's 2006 album "Sacrament".
"Wrath" landed at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart back in February 2009 with first-week sales of over 67,000 copies.
LAMB OF GOD, STONE SOUR, BILLY IDOL, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and 30 SECONDS TO
MARS have been confirmed for this year's Download festival, set to take place
June 11-13, 2010 at Donington Park, United Kingdom.
The following acts are slated to appear at this year's event:
30 SECONDS TO MARS
AC/DC
AEROSMITH
BILLY IDOL
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
DEFTONES
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
LAMB OF GOD
MEGADETH
MOTÖRHEAD
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
STONE SOUR
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
THEM CROOKED VULTURES
VOLBEAT
WOLFMOTHER
More acts will be announced soon.
Andy Copping, Download festival promoter, commented: "Download 2010 will be one
for the history books. It will see the return of the world's greatest rock band
to the most legendary and spiritual home of rock. We have been pushing for this
moment for many years, but for this to become reality is the best 30th
anniversary of the site we could have dreamed of, it's also going to be a
fantastic tribute to Maurice Jones who started this all off back in 1980."
John Probyn, COO Live Nation, added, "The Donington site and its continuing
flexibility should take some of the credit for the longevity and success of both
Monsters of Rock and Download festival. We are thrilled that our 30-year
association with the site will be marked not only with a superb line-up, but
also by the expansion of Download 2010 to accommodate more festival-goers than
ever."
Former METAL CHURCH singer Ronny Munroe has joined BRUTAL GODZ, the new
Germany-based project featuring former/current members of BLIND GUARDIAN,
RHAPSODY OF FIRE and REBELLION.
Commented guitarist Uwe Lulis: "Ronny impressed us with his voice and instantly
made us feel like he is the perfect one. We sent him three songs to work on and
even in the same night he responded. Within a short timeframe of several hours,
Ronny had written lyrics, created and arranged all the vocal lines and then
performed his work â€" something that [none] of us had never experienced before.
"Ronny is absolutely amazing. We can't wait to hit the studio and get the songs
nailed down."
Added Ronny Munroe: "I am very excited and honored to be playing with such great
musicians. The material is brutal and I'm looking forward to a crushing
release."
BRUTAL GODZ is:
Ronny Munroe (METAL CHURCH) - Vocals
Uwe Lulis (REBELLION) - Guitar
Alex Holzwarth (RHAPSODY OF FIRE) - Drums
Oliver Holzwarth (BLIND GUARDIAN) - Bass
Ronny Munroe sang on the last three METAL CHURCH albums and recently released
his first solo record, "The Fire Within", on Rat Pak Records.
Veteran British doom/stoner band CATHEDRAL will release its ninth full-length album and second for the Nuclear Blast label, "The Guessing Game", on March 26. The CD was recorded at the Chapel studios (THE DARKNESS, NAPALM DEATH, URIAH HEEP, WET WET WET, SIMPLE MINDS) in Lincolnshire, U.K. and was once again produced by Warren Riker (DOWN, CROWBAR). It also sports stunning new artwork from band collaborator Dave Patchett.
"The Guessing Game" track listing:
01. Immaculate Misconception (2:24)
02. Funeral Of Dreams (8:28)
03. Painting In The Dark (6:18)
04. Death Of An Anarchist (7:12)
05. The Guessing Game (3:08)
06. Edwige's Eyes (7:08)
07. One Dimensional People (2:30)
08. Casket Chasers (6:41)
09. La Noche Del Buque Maldito (aka Ghost Ship Of The Blind Dead) (5:46)
10. The Running Man (8:46)
11. Requiem For The Voiceless (9:50)
12. Journey's Into Jade (10:36)
Last year, Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records released CATHEDRAL's "Caravan Beyond Redemption" album on limited-edition double splatter vinyl with a gatefold cover. The LP, which was originally released by Earache in 1998, was limited to 500 copies.
CATHEDRAL's most recent LP, "The Garden of Unearthly Delights", was released in Europe in October 2005 and in North America in January 2006. Produced by Riker, the follow-up to 2002's "The VIIth Coming" was said to be the band's "most varied effort so far." Using every stylistic device — from female vocals up to violins — and embedding it all in that typical CATHEDRAL brand of doom, "The Garden of Unearthly Delights" was described as "a treat for every fan of the band, old and new alike."
Guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy of Florida metallers TRIVIUM spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about the departure of drummer Travis Smith and addition of Travis' replacement, former drum tech Nick Augusto (MARUTA).
Augusto was introduced to TRIVIUM fans when he filled in behind the kit on last fall's "Into the Mouth of Hell We Tour" trek.
Smith sat out the second leg of the tour in order to take care of "some personal business" at home.
"We were coming to the point where the band was — not necessarily dissolving — but dissolving in creativity and maybe in live fire and energy, so we had to make a change for the positive," Heafy told Noisecreep. "Thankfully, we were able to find Nick, who was able to step it up and really be that guy to take us to the next level."
He added, "We told [Travis] over the phone [that we were continuing with Augusto] and it was hard for everyone involved. But I hope it's going to be something Travis recognizes was for the better for him in years to come. For his own health and well-being as well and for our own. I heard that he's doing very well now and that's the best you can wish for. And we hope he does amazingly, no matter what he picks in life to do next."
Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have set "Fever" as the title of their third album, due in the U.S. on April 27 (one day earlier internationally) via Jive/Zomba.
A brand new track from the CD entitled "Begging For Mercy" is available for free download at this location.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's new single, "Your Betrayal", is scheduled to go for radio adds on March 8.
"I'm not ashamed to say it: I'm proud as fuck," singer/guitarist Matt Tuck told U.K.'s Rock Sound about the new CD. "Every time I hear it I get pumped up and want to play it to people."
"I'm sure it can take us into new places because it's such a huge progression."
According to Tuck, the follow-up to 2008's "Scream Aim Fire" will contain 11 tracks and will contain fewer all-out thrash moments than its predecessors, but no ballads whatsoever. "We've tried to not deliberately do something specific, but we've analysed what did and didn't work on the last two albums and tried to make the best album we can," he said.
"People will put us in multiple scenes or trends, but that's why I think we don't belong in one," continued Tuck. "We can adapt our sound… we're a hard rock band with metal influences, and I've said that from Day One."
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's new album was helmed by American producer Don Gilmore, who has previously worked with LINKIN PARK, DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL, GOOD CHARLOTTE and LACUNA COIL, among others. "He totally beat me up to get the best songwriting out of me," Tuck told Rock Sound. "We needed someone to take us to another level even though we've had such huge success off our own backs."
"We feel confident to go it alone, but working with someone different is always a gamble. For the first four months, if felt like we'd fucked up, like we should have done everything on our own, but as time progressed, we could see what Don was doing and why he was doing it.
"We'll always be trying to show people what we're capable of."
Former SEPULTURA members Max (guitar, vocals) and Igor Cavalera (drums) will return to the studio in April 2010 to begin recording the follow-up to CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's 2008 debut album, "Inflikted". A late 2010 release via Roadrunner Records is expected.
Igor Cavalera told AOL's Noisecreep late last year that CAVALERA CONSPIRACY hopes to release another album by this summer once he and his brother find time to work on some new material.
"Max is so busy with SOULFLY, and MIXHELL [Igor's electronic duo, also featuring his wife — Ed.] is taking up most of me and [my wife] Laima's time, so when we find some free time we do CAVALERA," Igor said. "I think that's why I really enjoy doing it. There's no pressure of being in a band and sitting around waiting for gigs. When we get the offers we sit together and decide if we want to do them or not do them, so it's really cool.
"We have some ideas of maybe doing a remix album of [CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's debut CD, 'Inflikted'] and have people like JUSTICE or SOULWAX — even some dub artists that my brother likes — remix the whole album," he added. "But that's just an idea. It's nothing confirmed. But me and Max are talking about doing a new album in the future, but there's no pressure. There's nobody from the label or the agents trying to push us to do it as quick as possible."
"Inflikted" has sold 42,000 copies in the United States since its March 2008 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Johny Chow (a.k.a. John Mark Bechtel; FIREBALL MINISTRY, SOULS OF WE, ex-SYSTEMATIC, MY RUIN) was recruited by CAVALERA CONSPIRACY to play bass for the group as the replacement for Joe Duplantier of the French progressive death metallers GOJIRA. Duplantier, who laid down all the bass tracks on "Inflikted", was busy in the studio working on the new GOJIRA CD and was unable to join CAVALERA CONSPIRACY on the road.
Danish hard rock veterans PRETTY MAIDS have entered the studio to begin recording their new album, tentatively titled "Pandemonium", for a late spring/early summer release via Frontiers Records.
The first in a series of video clips featuring footage from the recording studio can be viewed below.
PRETTY MAIDS' "comeback" album, entitled "Wake Up To The Real World", was released in November 2006 via Frontiers Records. Singer Ronnie Atkins stated about the CD, "The new record has all the trademarks a good PRETTY MAIDS album should have, and that's the overall combination of good melodies and strong guitar riffs. But the key word, as far as I'm concerned, is it's gotta be melodic: whether it's the heavier and faster tracks or the more ballad/AOR-oriented kind of stuff; in other words 'good songs', and I think the album has got that!"
PRETTY MAIDS is a legendary hard rock/heavy metal combo from Denmark founded in early 1982 by Atkins and guitarist Ken Hammer.
After 10 studio albums, two EPs, one "best of" collection and two live albums, the band in 2002 celebrated its 20th anniversary with the release of the album "Planet Panic", followed by a successful European tour. But at the end of the same year they decided to take a long break from recording and touring.
Swedish Viking metallers AMON AMARTH will embark on a North American headlining tour in April. Support on the trek will come from ELUVEITIE and HOLY GRAIL.
The dates are as follows:
April 08 - Los Angeles, CA - House Of Blues
April 09 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom (w/ FEAR FACTORY)
April 10 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
April 11 - Seattle, WA - Showbox
April 12 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw
April 14 - Calgary, AB - MacEwan Hall
April 15 - Edmonton, AB - EEC
April 16 - Saskatoon, SK - The Odeon
April 17 - Winnipeg, MB - The Garrick
April 18 - Minneapolis, MD - Station 4
April 19 - Chicago, IL - Logan Square
April 21 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
April 22 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
April 23 - Quebec City, QC - Imperial Theatre
April 24 - Worcester, MA - New England Metal Fest
April 25 - New York, NY - Fillmore at Irving Plaza
AMON AMARTH played its first-ever show in Beijing, China on December 1, 2009 at at Mao Live House. Vocalist Johan Hegg told the China Daily newspaper that he knew little about the Chinese metal scene until he arrived. "Virtually nothing," he said. "I've heard of bands coming here, but little else."
"To be honest, just before the show I thought this is not going to be good," he said. "It seemed like there were so few people out there, but then when we got on stage I thought it was really good. I had a good time. We all did."
"We were actually kind of worried (about the price of tickets) because we felt it was high (120 yuan at the door), but it costs a lot to bring a band over here. We're really grateful to have people come."
"Versus The World", the fourth album in the reissue cycle from AMON AMARTH, was recently made available.
All four reissues contain a remastered version of the full album plus a bonus CD with the whole album played live (recorded December 2008 in Bochum, Germany).
Thomas S. Orwat Jr. of RockMusicStar.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander of the Canadian all-girl band KITTIE. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
RockMusicStar.com: How do you think your new release "In the Black" compares to your last release "Funeral for Yesterday"?
Morgan: The difference between "Funeral" and "Black" are obviously apparent. I think that a lot of the changes made to intensify the music were done because we were kind of dissatisfied with the way that "Funeral" turned out. Definitely the songs were on there, we had an awesome time recording it. But sonically, it wasn't where we wanted to be. In comparison to our other recordings, it wasn't really representative of who we are. So with "Black" we made a conscious effort to do things a little differently. More solos, heavier more raw, and a lot less layering, especially with the vocals.
RockMusicStar.com: When you write, do you ever try to capture the vibe of the current music scene?
Morgan: Um…, to be honest with you, I'm not really aware of what is going on with the current scene. Obviously, I listen to some of the bigger bands like MASTODON and stuff like that. But, that's so far removed from what we do musically that it would be stupid to rip them off. We really don't pay attention. For us, we do what feels right. In terms of evolution, with every recording we get better as a band and better as musicians. What you are hearing is the evolution of the band.
RockMusicStar.com: Over the years, you've had some difficultly with your record labels. You're now with E1 Records, what makes them so special?
Morgan: Well, we know some of the people that work there. We have actually worked with some of these people in our past. So, it felt a little more comfortable. The Vice President of Metal from E1 worked with us on our first two releases with another label. He was very adamant about having us on board. And in comparisons to the other offers we were getting, this one just seemed right. It's definitely a good atmosphere; it just seemed like the right place to go.
RockMusicStar.com: Were you signed to E1 before you started recording the CD?
Morgan: No, which was good, because we didn't have to rush and we didn't have a deadline. Usually a label likes to keep the momentum going and wants you to tour and then after, write a CD and have it done for an optimum release date. But this time it was really nice not to feel rushed and have to meet a deadline. Because I know what that feels like and I had to do that in the past and it's definitely not a lot of fun.
RockMusicStar.com: You are one of the first female metal bands that broke into the mainstream. How long into your career did it take before you were recognized for your talent and not just as a novelty band?
Morgan: I don't know. I think we still struggle with that even now. To be quite honest.
RockMusicStar.com: Really?
Morgan: Yeah, definitely. But, I think that with the new album we have changed a lot of people's minds. In the past, harsh critics like Blabbermouth have been really hard on us. And for the first time in the bands history, we got a good review from them. But I think slowly, but surely people are starting to understand and appreciate the fact that we are not going to give up. We continue to get better and it's just a matter of time before people see the validity and merit in what we are doing. Obviously, we have our fans. We have fans that have enjoyed the band for ten plus years. And we have a rapid following when it comes to our diehard true fans. But I think, we still have yet to crack that idea, that bias that a lot of people have about the band. With every new CD, the old KITTIE that people remember and slag on, kind of fades away because we are not that band anymore. We shouldn't be judged now on what we did when we were fourteen.
RockMusicStar.com: I agree. Did the negative press ever get so bad that you considered breaking up the band at any point? Or did it motivate you to try harder?
Morgan: A little of both actually. We've been down both of those paths. There have been times when, especially Mercedes [Lander, drums] and I, when we've had a lineup change or something that didn't stick, for a while, we would think, "is this going to be it. Should we continue as a band?" But, it's always a struggle, but not so much anymore. There was one particular time in 2004 or 2005 when we really wonder what we wanted to do and if continuing with the band was the right thing to do. But obviously it was, because here we are.
Swedish metallers REVENGIA will enter the studio on Saturday, February 20 to begin recording their as-yet-untitled third album. The band states, "We will start with the drums and be recording on and off for a few months."
REVENGIA previously described the new songs as "heavy, fast, doomy and melodic, just as usual in REVENGIA-land! Tobbe [Gustafsson] is doing a hell of a job on the vocals, as well on the lyrics. Conny [Pettersson] is adding some over the top drumming to the sound. So it will sound a little bit different, in a good way, but you will for sure recognize the sound."
REVENGIA recently parted ways with guitarist Johan Persson. A replacement axeman has not yet been announced.
The band's latest album, "Eraser", was released in Japan on November 21, 2007 via Soundholic Records.
REVENGIA in 2007 split with ARCH ENEMY drummer Daniel Erlandsson due to scheduling conflicts. He has since been replaced by Conny Pettersson (ANATA, TRENDKILL, ETERNAL LIES).
For more information, visit www.revengia.se.
Tomi Joutsen (AMORPHIS, SINISTHRA, CORPSE MOLESTER CULT), Christian Palin (ADAGIO, RANDOM EYES, ESSENCE OF SORROW) and Seppo Nummela (FOUL CIRCLE, KILLER KACHINA) are among the musicians who make guest appearances on the second EP from the Finnish hard rock group TEN FOR NONE, entitled "Out From The Dark". The CD, which is available through TFN Records, was mixed and mastered at The Burning Wilds studio by Seppo Nummela. The cover artwork was created by Kalle Pyyhtinen (CHILDREN OF BODOM, NIGHTWISH, AJATTARA) and Janne Pitkänen (a.k.a. Toxicangel; SONATA ARCTICA, TAROT, NIGHTWISH).
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/tenfornone.
Swedish metallers AVATAR will support WARRIOR SOUL on the following dates:
Mar. 25 - Hamburg, GER - Knust
Mar. 26 - Berlin, GER - Columbia Club
Mar. 27 - Bochum, GER - Zeche
Mar. 28 - Frankfurt, GER - Batschkapp
Mar. 29 - Munich, GER - Backstage
Mar. 30 - Stuttgart, GER - Röhre
Mar. 31 - Saarbrücken, GER - Garage
Apr. 02 - London, UK - Islington Academy
Apr. 04 - Birmingham, UK - Academy 2
Apr. 05 - Sheffield, UK - Academy 2
Apr. 07 - Weert, NETH - Bosuil
Apr. 08 - Hengelo, NETH - Metropool
AVATAR recently inked a deal with Sony Music Entertainment for the German release of the band's third, self-titled album. The CD will be made available in Germany on March 26 and in the rest of Europe on February 22 via Gain Music Entertainment.
AVATAR's latest video, "Queen Of Blades", can be viewed below. The clip was filmed on November 27, 2009 at Brew House in Gothenburg and was helmed by René U. Valdes of Greenworks.
"Avatar" track listing:
01. Queen Of Blades (4:28)
02. The Great Pretender (4:03)
03. Shattered Wings (3:35)
04. Reload (4:13)
05. Out Of Our Minds (4:29)
06. Deeper Down (3:46)
07. Revolution Of Two (5:08)
08. Roadkill (3:29)
09. Pigfucker (2:04)
10. Lullaby (Death All Over) (7:46)
AVATAR's last album, entitled "Schlacht", was released on October 24, 2007 via Gain.
AVATAR toured Europe with EVERGREY in October-November 2006 and with OBITUARY and HOLY MOSES in January 2008. They have also played shows with such bands as ARCH ENEMY, STONE SOUR, DISMEMBER, IMPALED NAZARENE, IN FLAMES and MARDUK.
As a harbinger to ASTRIAAL's return show at Monstrothic (Rosies Live) this coming Friday night (February 19), the Brisbane extremists have announced that Cameron Grant (pictured below) will fill the long-vacated bass position and debut live with the band at their show in Brisbane.
Cameron is a founding member with Nuclear Blast-signed Tasmanian tech-death fiends PSYCROPTIC, and has performed on all four of their studio releases to date and completed numerous international tours with the band.
The addition of Cameron Grant will bring a new ferocity to ASTRIAAL and continue their return out of self-imposed exile, with the long-awaited follow-up to "Renascent Misanthropy", "Anatomy of the Infinite", due for release in autumn 2010 through Obsidian Records.
Sounding strikingly different to the band's debut full-length, "Renascent Misanthropy", in production, tone and song structure, "Anatomy Of The Infinite" was recorded at various studios within Australia and mixed at Mølla Lydstudio in Norway with Knut Magne Valle (ARCTURUS). Featuring eight tracks comprising of haunting and dissonant passages interwoven with moments of epic black metal grandeur, the CD resonates with a more primeval, organic musicality throughout.
"Anatomy Of The Infinite" track listing:
01. Blessed Are The Dead
02. Visceral Incarnate
03. 'Neath The Bones Of Salvation
04. Ad Interim
05. The Scars Of Aberration
06. Foundations In Flesh
07. Relinquishment Of The Stars
08. ...For The Day Will Come
The song "Foundations In Flesh" can be heard at ASTRIAAL's MySpace page.
SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid and guitarist Sylvain Coudret recently answered a number of fan-submitted questions regarding the making of the band's new studio album, "The Panic Broadcast". The resulting footage can be viewed in two parts below.
Due in Europe on June 25 via Nuclear Blast Records, the long-awaited follow-up to 2007's "Sworn To A Great Divide" is being produced by guitarist Peter Wichers and mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, PARADISE LOST, BLOODBATH).
SOILWORK's new album will be the first to feature Wichers since his return to the band in 2008, as well as the studio debut with Coudret, who also joined in 2008.
The drums for "The Panic Broadcast" were recorded at Echo Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina while the rest of the recording is set to take place in Tampa, Florida and the mix at Fascination Street in Örebro, Sweden.
Strid previously stated about "The Panic Broadcast", "If any of you missed some of the intricate riffing that makes SOILWORK so unique, you won't be disappointed. I find these songs very playful and because we're not cutting down on anything — no 'too much information,' no 'less is more' — they're just pure musical joy with no boundaries. And THAT, to me, is what this band is all about! Of course, there'll be some surprises as always, and giving every one of us the freedom to go apeshit will without a doubt yield a heavy-as-fuck and naturally catchy album."
Reunited Oakland, California thrashers DEFIANCE have announced the addition of drummer Burton Ortega (KAOS) to the group's ranks. The band states, "We were looking for that fifth finger to fill the glove, which was something that we felt was essential for a long-term fit.
"We are very excited about Burton joining DEFIANCE and have had so much fun jamming the old and new tunes and can't wait to unleash the new monster that is DEFIANCE."
Burton will make his live debut with DEFIANCE on March 13 in Modesto, California at the Pizza Factory.
DEFIANCE played its first show since 1994 on December 19, 2009 at Blake's on Telegraph in Berkeley, California.
Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be viewed below.
DEFIANCE's current lineup includes Shawn Bozarth on guitar and Keven Albert (formerly with KAOS) on vocals.
Mark Hernandez (drums) and Steev Esquivel (vocals) left DEFIANCE last year to concentrate on their primary bands, FORBIDDEN and SKINLAB, respectively.
DEFIANCE's new album, "The Prophecy", was released on October 19, 2009 via Candlelight Records. The first collection of new music from DEFIANCE in over 15 years was recorded at Trident Studios and Greendot Studios in East Bay, California.
Guitarist Brian Koenig of the Madison, Wisconsin-based, female-fronted five-piece LUNA MORTIS (formerly known as THE OTTOMAN EMPIRE) has released the following statement:
"I regret to say that as of today the band will be dissolving and we will be going our separate ways.
"A huge thanks from the bottom of our hearts for the fans and support we have received over the course of the last nine years. It has been an exciting and often turbulent ride, but everything must come to an end eventually.
"Unfortunately, we will be unable to go on the May tour with PRIMAL FEAR , so our apologies to the people who were looking forward to hanging with us out on the road.
"To our local fans, we will more than likely be playing one more Madison show sometime in the next few months; we'll keep everyone posted."
Last year LUNA MORTIS was 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).
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.
DOOM, CATTLE DECAPITATION, INCANTATION, WARBRINGER and PUTRESCENCE are among the confirmed bands for the Obscene Extreme 2010 festival, set to take place July 15-17, 2010 in Trutnov, Czech Republic.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
ABLACH
ATTACK OF THE MAD AXEMAN
AVULSED
BLOODY PHOENIX
CATHETER
CATTLE DECAPITATION
CEREBRAL BORE
CRIPPLE BASTARDS
DERANGED
DOOM
EXHALE
HAEMORRHAGE
HOVADAH
INCANTATION
INEVITABLE END
INSIDIOUS DECREPANCY
JAPANISCHE KAMPFHORSPIELE
KRUSH
LYCANTHROPHY
MARTYRDOD
MASTER
MINDFLAIR
MUCUS
NASHGUL
NOISEBAZOOKA
PSYCHOFAGIST
PURULENT JACUZZI
PUTRESCENCE
SEXY POLICE
THE ARSON PROJECT
TRAUMA MORALIS
TRIGGER
UNLEARNED
VICTIMS
VIRAL LOAD
WARBRINGER
WARPATH
WHORESNATION
XAROS
For more information, visit www.obsceneextreme.cz.
TRIDENT, the Swedish death metal band formed by guitarist Johan Norman (DISSECTION, SOULREAPER), will release its long-awaited debut album, "World Destruction", on March 22 via Regain Records. The CD was recorded at Andy La Rocque's (KING DIAMOND) Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden.
"World Destruction" track listing:
01. The Trident
02. Jaws Of Satan (Spawns Of Hell)
03. Nemesis
04. Black Velvet Wings
05. Stockholm Bloodbath
06. Luciferian Call
07. Blackened Souls
08. Slaves To Anguish
09. World Destruction
10. Mephisto
Three songs from the CD — "Slaves To Anguish", "World Destruction" and "Jaws Of Satan" — are available for streaming on the group's MySpace page.
"World Destruction" was engineered by Andy La Rocque's (KING DIAMOND) and Nico Elgstrand (ENTOMBED). The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco.
La Rocque has described TRIDENT's music as "fucking dark and refreshing!"
TRIDENT was formed when Norman — who had been "away from the scene for a few years — started to sense a strong urge to get back in to it," according to the band's official bio. "The riffs, ideas and musical arrangements in his blackened mind had grown way too powerful to be thrown into oblivion. The true death/black fans all over the world just had to be part of this outburst from below."
TRIDENT is:
Johan Norman (DISSECTION, SOULREAPER) - Guitar
Alexander Friberg (JAGGERNAUT, KARNEYWAR) - Bass
Tobias Sidegård (NECROPHOBIC) - Vocals
Jonas Blom (GRIEF OF EMERALD) - Drums
Ewo Solvelius – Guitar
Prosthetic Records will release the brand new album from Norwegian black metal legends 1349 in North America via an agreement with Indie Recordings. The new CD, which promises "a return to the band's more traditional, raw-yet-technical black metal sound, is due on April 13. In support of the yet-to-be-titled record, 1349 will embark on a North American tour in April and May as the support act for CANNIBAL CORPSE (alongside SKELETONWITCH and LECHEROUS NOCTURNE). (Note, 1349 will not appear on the last week of the tour.)
1349 rose from the ashes of ALVHEIM in 1997, and in 2003 they released their debut album, "Liberation". Since then, 1349 has added three more albums to its critically acclaimed catalog and this spring the band will return with its fifth full-length effort.
1349 is:
Ravn - Vocals
Archaon - Guitar
Seidemann - Bass
Frost – Drums
Swedish melodic doom/death metallers SLUMBER have finished recording the instrumental parts for their new album, entitled "Resonance", at Panic Room Studios in Skara, Sweden for a tentative late spring release.
Commented Ehsan Kalantarpour (vocals, synth): "Even though we spent five years preparing, four weeks were hardly enough for the massive nature of this album. But needless to say, maybe no time had ever been enough. Everything just keeps growing and growing. Now only vocals and mixing remains wich will be done witihin the month."
Check out photos from the studio below.
Drummer Ted Larsson left SLUMBER in October 2009 "because of private reasons." The band previously said it would utilize the services of two session drummers during the "Resonance" tracking process. The CD was also scheduled to include appearances by Ida Sundquvist, Lina Svärd and the Vinköl choir.
SLUMBER's debut album, "Fallout", was released in 2004 via Karmageddon/New Aeon Media.
THE ORDER OF APOLLYON, the new black/death metal project featuring current/former members of ABORTED, AKERCOCKE and CRADLE OF FILTH, has inked a three-album deal with Listenable Records. The band's debut album, "The Flesh", is scheduled for release in April.
THE ORDER OF APOLLYON is:
BST (ABORTED, AOSOTH) - Guitar, Vocals
Daniel Wilding (ABORTED) - Drums
James McIlroy (CRADLE OF FILTH, CHAOSANCT, MATRON) - Guitar
Peter Benjamin (AKERCOCKE) - Bass
The band will perform at various summer festivals.
For more information, visit THE ORDER OF APOLLYON's MySpace page.
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