Italy's Rock Rebel Magazine recently conducted an interview with guitarist Oscar Dronjak of Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On HAMMERFALL's recent drummer changes: Oscar: "Well, that's a little bit of a tricky situation, because, let's see, right when we released '(r)Evolution' [2014] two years ago, or three years ago almost, Anders [Johansson] quit the band, and he'd been the drummer for HAMMERFALL for fifteen years. So we had to find a replacement. We found a really good one in David Wallin. He was playing all the shows on the whole tour and also on the album 'Built To Last' [2016]. But when it came to the tours now, unfortunately, David couldn't join us because of family matters. So we had to bring in yet another drummer, so it's a bit of a… It's kind of a SPINAL TAP thing where they go through drummers like crazy; they all explode or whatever. But, yeah, so it's weird. But now we have Johan [Koleberg]. He works really well playing live and everything, but again he did not record the album. So it's, like, a step too late all the time. But David did a great job on the album, I think. He recorded the drums in exactly the way that I envisioned when I wrote the songs, what I had in my mind for this. And Johan, basically, just plays the songs the way they're supposed to be, so to speak, and adds his little flair to things as well. So I think things work really well now." On the label switch from longtime home Nuclear Blast to Napalm for "Built To Last": Oscar: "Well, we got an offer from [Napalm] for, I think, a couple of albums, and at that point, it seemed like it was the right move for us. We kind of felt that Nuclear Blast… I mean, we'd been with them for seventeen years, and there was a reason for us to be with them for such a long time; we were happy with what they were doing. But, at this point, we felt that we needed to make this change — for ourselves and for the band — to be able to progress and grow a little bit. That was what we felt was necessary." HAMMERFALL's tenth studio album, "Built To Last", was released last November via Napalm Records. HAMMERFALL kicked off a European headlining tour on January 12 in Bremen, Germany. A North American trek with DELAIN will launch in April.
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Wes Styles of 97.7 QLZ radio station in Springfield recently conducted an interview with ALL THAT REMAINS guitarist Oli Herbert and vocalist Phil Labonte. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. Speaking about the musical diversity of the material that appears on ALL THAT REMAINS's eighth studio album, "Madness", which is due out on April, Herbert said: "Here's the thing: you write one song one way and you're, like, 'Well, let's not repeat what we just did, 'cause that would be boring. You change it up. So then you get an assortment, because you keep changing up your mood, and you get a hodgepodge of musical materials." On the topic of the album's lyrical themes, Labonte said: "We don't do, like, theme records or concept albums. Everything on there, lyrically, is stuff that I thought about — literally, just things that I thought about or experiences that happened in my life. A lot of stuff's personal, because I'm an 'emo' moron like that. If you've listened to ALL THAT REMAINS, you know that there's always something that's real, and it's something that actually happened. And it's not a made-up story about… You know, I don't wanna write 'The Trooper'. And I'm the biggest IRON MAIDEN fan — I've been an IRON MAIDEN fan since I was a kid — but I can't do those kind of historical things." "Madness" was recorded at West Valley Studios in Woodland Hills, California with producer Howard Benson, who has previously worked with such acts as MOTÖRHEAD, PAPA ROACH, THREE DAYS GRACE, FLYLEAF, P.O.D. and HALESTORM. Labonte previously told Revolver magazine about ALL THAT REMAINS's approach on the new disc: "We wanted to mix it up a little bit and write from a vocal perspective this time. So I went to L.A. and came up with vocal ideas and melodies and then sent those chord progressions back to Oli and he wrote riffs in response to that. [Doing it this way] turned the record into a vocal album as opposed to a guitar album. And that affected some things. Like, there might be less intricacy in the riffs because they were written in response to my voice." Labonte added that the majority of the new ALL THAT REMAINS songs feature "significant programming and electronic sounds. And that's something we wanted to have flowing through the entire record. So you're gonna hear that kind of influence on most of the tracks."
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GHOST was honored in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" category at the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent), which was held Tuesday night (February 28) at Konserthuset in Stockholm. This marks the act's third win in this category. The bands were nominated for their most recent releases, all of which came out during 2016. "Best Hard Rock/Metal" nominees were as follows: * AMARANTHE - "Maximalism" * CULT OF LUNA & JULIE CHRISTMAS - "Mariner" * DARK TRANQUILLITY - "Atoma" * GHOST - "Popestar" * IN FLAMES - "Battles" None of the GHOST bandmembers' real names have ever been revealed, although singer Papa Emeritus is believed to be Swedish rock musician Tobias Forge, who writes almost all of the group's music and does most of the act's interviews disguised as a member of his backing band of Nameless Ghouls. Since none of the musicians in the band are ever identified, personnel changes in the group have gone unannounced. It is believed, however, that the lineup has changed a few times over the years, including at the end of 2016, when Forge is rumored to have fired all five of the Nameless Ghouls following the completion of GHOST's North American tour. As a result, GHOST's upcoming European headlining trek — which kicks off at the end of March — will apparently mark the live debut of GHOST's new lineup, featuring Forge as the sole remaining member from the band that previously toured in support of "Meliora" and last year's "Popestar" EP. "Popestar" was released last September. The effort features covers of songs from bands like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN and EURYTHMICS along with a new original tune called "Square Hammer". During a recent interview with Metal Wani, the GHOST leader touched on the subject of lineup changes and how they have affected the band's sound over the years. "From a practical point of view, you're interested in, on the one hand, preserving the sound, or the elements that make up the sound, and you still wanna progress," he said. "I think one of the secrets behind our preserving ability is the fact that we don't necessarily have to have the same six people in the room to make that sound, which helps. "It's always a blessing and a curse when you have some of these classic bands over the course of rock and roll history, where in order for them to sound like that exact band, you need those four individuals, and if one is missing, it does not sound like that," he continued. "And, fortunately, we don't have that problem. Because performing GHOST and recording GHOST has never really been the same thing. So that we can preserve our sound; we don't have to rely on… if some people come and go, which is good. QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE is the same thing. Everything goes through Josh's [Homme] hands, and therefore it sounds like QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, regardless of who he brings in and out of the band, which is, I guess, a similar situation."
[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY] We wish to inform you that tonight Ghost won a Swedish Grammis Award in the category Hard Rock/Metal Act Of The Year. This is band's third Grammis win. Thank you!
THE PRETTY RECKLESS will perform on tonight's (February 28) episode of Conan O'Brien's nighttime talk show, "Conan". The show airs on TBS at 11/10C. The band continues its ascent on the rock charts with the release of its new single, "Oh My God". "It's just me and the band, pouring ourselves into the song, and into the camera. It's subtle — you have to really watch it to understand all the layers — but it's honest, and that to me always yields the best art," says lead singer Taylor Momsen. "Take Me Down", nominated for "Rock Song Of The Year" at the upcoming iHeart Radio Music Awards taking place March 5, was the first No. 1 rock single from THE PRETTY RECKLESS's latest album, "Who You Selling For". This milestone marks the fourth consecutive No. 1 for the band, which broke records as the first female-fronted band to have three chart toppers in a row with "Heaven Knows", "Messed Up World" and "Follow Me Down" (all from 2014's "Going To Hell") – a feat that has not been accomplished since THE PRETENDERS in 1984, over thirty years ago. Produced by longtime collaborator Kato Khandwala, "Who You Selling For" expands the band's sound to encompass soul, blues and rock and roll. The songs were written by Momsen and guitarist Ben Phillips. Momsen's dark lyrics and raw, charismatic vocals are on full display and the band delivers at full intensity with a level of musicianship that raises the bar. THE PRETTY RECKLESS will continue to tour throughout the year in support of the album, hitting major markets and festival shows, including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion and Rocklahoma in the U.S. as well as European and South American dates.
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In a brand new interview with Billboard, DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover spoke about the band's upcoming tour, "The Long Goodbye", which starts May 13 in Europe and includes a late-summer North American leg with ALICE COOPER and EDGAR WINTER. Asked if the tour title is trying to tell fans something, Glover said: "Well, we're letting you make your own minds up. No one wants to stop. But we know that I'm 71 now, [singer Ian] Gillan is 71, we're all about late 60s, early 70s, and bodies have a way of not keeping up with your brain or your career. We're all sort of approaching that point where I can't imagine another eight years to do an album." Glover continued: "The time is approaching when it will end, but we don't want to face that. We don't actually want to make a date or a final tour or anything. We just want to carry on as long as nature allows or is kind of dignified. If we can't do what we do anymore, then yes, it's time to stop. But we're still doing it, and we're still enjoying it very much. So all we're saying is the door is closing, but it's not closed yet." DEEP PURPLE will release their new album, "InFinite", the highly anticipated follow-up to their worldwide chart-topping effort "Now What?!", on April 7 via earMUSIC. "InFinite" was tracked in February 2016 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee and was once again helmed by Bob Ezrin, who has previously worked with KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER and KANSAS, among others. DEEP PURPLE — which has been eligible for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for two decades now — finally entered the Rock Hall as part of the class of 2016. The band's first three lineups were inducted, including drummer Ian Paice, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, late keyboardist Jon Lord, and various singers and bassists — Rod Evans; Ian Gillan and Roger Glover; and David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.
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Warner Music Italy recently conducted an interview with guitarist John Petrucci of progressive metallers DREAM THEATER. You can now watch the chat below. Speaking about the songwriting process for the band's wildly ambitious 2016 double concept LP, "The Astonishing", Petrucci said: "It was actually really interesting and really fun and very different. What we did is I wrote the story first. And then… A couple of things: one is as I was writing the story, I would get a musical idea and just record that, just a little bit, on my phone. And when I shared the story with Jordan [Rudess, keyboards], he would do the same thing. So, really quick, [like] 'I was thinking about that part of the story. Here's a little theme.' But that was just a small part of it. The bigger part was when we actually sat down, like, 'Okay. Now we have to really write this album.' I took the story and I storyboarded it into all the different scenes, and they were, like, thirty-four or something like that. And then we would read the story and say, 'Okay, this is what's happening here. This is the character that's important. This is what's happening in the story.' And we would just kind of… It was almost like scoring a movie, I guess. We would just write a score for that. Like, 'What's happening? Oh, she's walking in the dark. What would that sound like?' So there was a lot of that scoring thing going on. It was really non-traditional writing, as far as DREAM THEATER [way of] writing [goes]. It was so much fun. It was mostly just Jordan on piano and me on an acoustic guitar, just really getting down to the basic song structure, and then we built it from there and had it all orchestrated. So it was fun — really different." DREAM THEATER is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its milestone RIAA-gold-certified album "Images And Words" on a European tour, which kicked off on January 30 in Rome, Italy. Each performance sees the iconic progressive rock band delivering an unparalleled live set of "Images And Words" in its entirety along with fan favorites from their renowned catalogue. DREAM THEATER recently completed the second leg of its extensive North American headline tour which found the group performing "The Astonishing" in immersive and interactive settings for a unique and unmatched live experience. Recorded at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York, with Petrucci producing, studio luminary Richard Chycki (AEROSMITH, RUSH) engineering/mixing and legendary arranger, composer and conductor David Campbell orchestrating, "The Astonishing" paints a tale of a retro-futurist post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval style feudalism. It's a place aching for a Chosen One to rise above the noise and defeat an Empire defined by the endless drone of noise machines and the illusion of safety in bland conformity.
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If you were a big fan of screamo band From First to Last when some kid named Sonny Moore was in the band, you probably also know him by his alter ego – Skrillex. The singer left the band in 2007 to work on his solo career, and quickly became a superstar producer DJ in […]
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For those that grew up during the 80s/early 90s, most likely heard or used one of the following: Commodore 64 computer, Atari, Nintendo (NES), or Sega gaming system. These consoles and computers featured iconic 8-bit games including Space Invaders and Donkey Kong, and are still talked about alongside newer ones like Final Fantasy XV. One could argue […]
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While Junius’ Eternal Rituals for the Accretion of Light won’t be out until Friday (3/3), they’ve already released videos for two song from the album. While “The Queen’s Constellation” featured beautiful scenes of nature and winter, “Clean the Beast” was darker and heavier, with scenes of war. The post-rockers have released a third video, this one […]
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Linkin Park’s switch from nu-metal troubadours to pop crossover successes appears to have fully happened. “Heavy,” the first single from their forthcoming seventh album, One More Light, debuted on Mediabase’s Top 40 chart at 27, and band appeared last night on The Late Late Show with James Corden to play the song. Joined by Kiiara, the electronic ballad […]
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Otep Shamaya was a guest on the most recent episode of Jamey Jasta’s podcast The Jasta Show. The podcast went into detail about her feelings towards activism, homophobia, politics and her hatred for the Butcher Babies, especially co-lead singer Heidi Shepherd. At first, Otep held back (slightly) by not revealing names (at around – 1:11:00): “There’s […]
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Six Feet Under has named a new rhythm guitarist, and he’s a familiar name to many – especially Chris Barnes. Jack Owen, who’d played in Barnes’ former band Cannibal Corpse from the band’s formation in 1988 until 2004, is rejoining Barnes in the band. “It is with great pleasure that I announce and introduce to […]
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Jagged Vision are one of Norway’s finest exports today. The sludgy alliance of stoner metal and hardcore, Jagged Vision command heavy, syrupy riffs but strike with the unbridled intensity of a hardcore band. Their second full-length, Death Is This World sees them build upon this solid foundation as a tighter and more aggressive band.
One of the highlights of Death Is This World is second track “Euthanasia.” Mid-tempo, driving riffs slowly transform into a chugging, intense song that includes a dissonant solo before finding its way back to the thick, metallic riffs that characterize Jagged Vision’s overall sound.
“‘Euthanasia’ is one of the more sludgy songs from the cauldron of riffs that is Death Is This World," vocalist Ole Wik says. “The song revolves around the feeling of having to kill parts of yourself to take part in the modern world.”
Once you’ve heard “Euthanasia,” you can preorderDeath Is This World, which is out March 10 through Fysisk Format.
Photo by Jorn Veberg
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More than three years after announcing their reunion, female rockers VIXEN have yet to begin tracking their comeback studio album. Drummer Roxy Petrucci told Totally Driven Radio: "We have a bunch of demos that we recorded, but we're not there yet. It's a timing thing. We've just gotta take the time and start buckling down and doing it. It's just that everybody has lives going on too, so between playing live and then everybody going back to their homes, which is all over the place… We'll get there. We'll get there. We're having a lot of fun, and we love doing the live stuff right now." Roxy also spoke about VIXEN's plans for the coming months. She said: "We are gonna start playing again. We took a little hiatus. March 25th, actually, is our first [show back]. We're playing Toledo. We recorded some stuff on the ship [Monsters Of Rock cruise] for a possible live release, so we're gonna see how that goes. But, yeah, we're gearing up to go back on the road. We're weekend warriors, but we plan on playing all summer long." Petrucci, singer Janet Gardner and bassist Share Ross honored their friend and bandmate, guitarist and founder of VIXEN, Jan Kuehnemund, by resurrecting VIXEN in 2013. The band was committed to reunite in 2012 but Kuehnemund's cancer diagnosis caused what was thought of at the time as a delay. Sadly, however, after a fierce battle, Kuehnemund succumbed to her illness, thus the reunion was not meant to be. After discussing the idea with friends and family as well as lead vocalist from VIXEN's most recent lineup, Jenna Sanz-Agero, it was agreed that it was the right decision for the three surviving definitive members to carry on as VIXEN. Joining forces with their JSRG bandmate, guitarist Gina Stile, VIXEN is performing at select festivals and showcase dates. Kuehnemund was only 51 years old at the time of her death.
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Russia's Classic Rock magazine has uploaded a fifteen-minute documentary on SABATON's December 11, 2016 performance in Moscow. The clip, which was directed by Inna Ford, includes concert footage as well as an interview with SABATON frontman Joakim Brodén. As previously reported, SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl will sit out a few shows on the band's European tour while he awaits his first child with his partner of the last few years, NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen. Fillling in for him will be Daniel Sjögren (TWILIGHT FORCE, BLOODBOUND). SABATON will return this year for a North American "The Last Tour" headlining trek. The tour will kick off on April 20 at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, hit seven Canadian cities plus Chicago, Anaheim, Dallas, and conclude at the The Fillmore in Silver Springs, Maryland on May 22. SABATON's eighth album, "The Last Stand", was released last August via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "Heroes" was once again produced by Peter Tägtgren (PAIN, LINDEMANN, HYPOCRISY) and it "marks a brand new chapter in SABATON history," according to a press release. The artwork for "The Last Stand" was created by Peter Sallaí, who has worked with SABATON since "Carolus Rex". SABATON last year parted ways with guitarist Thobbe Englund and replaced him with Tommy Johansson (GOLDEN RESURRECTION, REINXEED).
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Brendan Crabb of Australia's Loud recently conducted an interview with vocalist Hernan "Eddie" Hermida of California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Loud: Do you feel [the] new [SUICIDE SILENCE] songs [from the self-titled album] can gel with the earlier material within a live environment? Hermida: "Oh, yeah. I mean, it's still SUICIDE SILENCE, so they definitely meld well together. That's the one thing that people don't understand when they go online and start talking about these songs, and the one reason I'm able to brush off a lot of the distasteful comments, is because they're not actually paying attention. And they're not listening with an open mind. They're just going, 'Oh, this has singing in it, and I hate singing and any kind of weird singing is bad singing, so I hate it.' And those kids are going to have an awakening. They're going to be… They're gonna see that this record is still heavy, it's still crushing, especially when they come out a show live, if they decide to. The songs actually sound a lot heavier live than they do on record, and that's just how SUICIDE SILENCE always has been. There's a certain intensity that we bring whenever we start jamming that is unmatched on anything else we do. It's the live aspect; SUICIDE SILENCE has always been a live band." Loud: The new album is still heavy as you said, but it's a different type of heaviness — raw, wounded — rather than the more conventional, mosh-friendly brutality you've been renowned for. Hermida: Yeah, definitely. That's all attributed to [producer] Ross Robinson and the way he records. It's also attributed to the fact when we recorded, a lot of the stuff was made live. It was the closest thing to pretty much a band being in one place and recording a whole record at the same time that you can get. Obviously, we overdubbed vocals. I was doing clean passes of the songs, as were the guitars and bass. You pretty much say, 'You ready to go?' Press record and play, and you play all the way through the song. That was how we recorded the whole record. There was no punching in, there was no editing. There was compilations; you take a couple of different takes and you compile them into one, but other than that, man, this record is about as raw and as live as it gets for a band, which is not typical, and most kids, most people aren't used to hearing that these days. They're used to hearing the over-produced, over-edited, kind of stale, sterile sound that a studio brings these days." Loud: One review I read of the new record posed the question of whether SUICIDE SILENCE would backpedal and return to the style of previous albums if the new record isn't well received. You seem to have the courage of your convictions, though. Hermida: "I don't see us backpedaling. I also don't see this record failing. I see that a lot of people are probably going to come around to liking this record once they hear it. We purposely put out two songs that were going to create a buzz. We could have released a couple of the heavier tracks off the record, and been a little bit safer. But we're not here to be safe, man, we're here to test boundaries, and we're here to show people who they really are. When you're a kid who is on the Internet spewing nothing but hatred and creating that world of hatred around you, we want to prove that there is no hatred, that, really, the only thing that exists is love. And when somebody feels passionate about something — be it they don't like it or they do like it — it's really kind of a reflective statement whatever they make. If you like something, it's usually saying something about yourself, that you're open, that your mind is willing to accept anything. If you're closed-minded, there's probably something going on deeper inside of you that doesn't agree with you, and makes you instantaneously not like things. I have a friend who doesn't like anything. It's like, 'Hey. man, let's go have some froyo.' And he'll be like, 'Froyo? Fuck that shit. That's some new age fucking bullshit.' But then you go, 'Oh, it's just ice cream with fucking candy toppings,' and he goes, 'Oh… well, fuck that shit anyway.' And then you bring it back and you start eating it, and you can see how much he really wants to try it, but he's sticking to his guns because something inside of him is telling him 'no.' You know what I mean? There's two types of people on the face of this planet. There's people who say 'yes,' and there's people who say 'no.' And the people who say 'no,' they'll come around. They eventually say 'yes,' because I know I did. When I was younger and I would hate on things, and then realized that I was just being a hater. [Laughs] I realized that some of those records that I hated on the most were my favorite records growing up." Read the entire interview at Loud.
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SIX FEET UNDER, the Florida-based death metal band fronted by ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE singer Chris Barnes, has announced the addition of former CANNIBAL CORPSE and DEICIDE guitarist Jack Owen to the group's ranks. Barnes comments: "It is with great pleasure that I announce and introduce to you our new second guitarist, Jack Owen. "As you all know, Jack and I started off together helping form one of the greatest death metal bands of all time. "Jack and I began talking a few months ago, after his departure from his previous band, about joining forces. "From my side of things, it's going to be amazing to work with Jack again!! We had some intense adventures, to say the least hahaha... and it's gonna be killer to step on stage with Jack for the first time in over 22 years!! "Jack will be joining SIX FEET UNDER for the entire cycle of touring for the new album and beyond! "As you can imagine, SIX FEET UNDER is planning a very exciting live set list for you all to freak out over!!!" Owen adds: "I'm super excited to work with my metal brother Chris Barnes and the mighty SIX FEET UNDER! We've been talking about writing original material for years, and I hope it gets to that point. It would be amazing. For now, I'm looking forward to touring our asses off. I miss Europe, Canada, South America — hell, I just miss touring! It will be an honor jamming with Chris and his current SIX FEET UNDER lineup of talented musicians...and performing with Chris will be like reliving our youth. I can't wait to see all the SIX FEET UNDER and old-school CANNIBAL CORPSE fans across the globe!" After Barnes left CANNIBAL CORPSE to form SIX FEET UNDER, he was replaced in the former band by George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. SIX FEET UNDER's twelfth studio album, "Torment", wwas released on February 24 via Metal Blade. The disc was brought to life by Barnes with bassist/guitarist Jeff Hughell (BRAIN DRILL) shouldering the load of writing the music, along with heralded drummer Marco Pitruzzella (BRAIN DRILL, ANOMALOUS, SLEEP TERROR).
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POISON, one of rock's most high energy and iconic bands, will perform all its greatest hits as they headline select dates for the first time in over a decade. This spring will see all four original members — Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett and C.C. DeVille — join together to play these limited headline dates in the U.S. and Canada. The dates will coincide with POISON's co-headlining tour with DEF LEPPARD and special guest TESLA throughout the spring and summer. The first POISON headline date will be Raleigh, North Carolina on April 28, followed by Charlotte, North Carolina on April 29. Huntington, West Virginia (May 7), Albany, New York (May 9), Rapid City, South Dakota (May 26), and Grand Forks, ND (May 27) have all been added as stand-alone headline dates with several more in the works. Although they have co-headlined in the past with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and KISS, to name a few, these will be POISON's first headline dates in select markets in over ten years. States Michaels: "I'm really looking forward to the POISON tour. It's going to be incredible playing all the hits and putting on a hell of a high-energy rock show for the three generations of awesome fans." POISON's tour with DEF LEPPARD will kick off on April 8 in Manchester, New Hampshire and will wrap on June 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana. POISON and DEF LEPPARD first hit the road together back in 2009, and then again three years later. POISON appeared at the 2013 Indy 500 Miller Lite Carb Day, but has otherwise been mostly playing private shows, including one in January 2015. The band hasn't done any major touring since taking part in the 2012 "Rock Of Ages" trek with DEF LEPPARD and LITA FORD. Rockett was recently declared cancer free after undergoing an experimental treatment. He was diagnosed with oral cancer back in 2015.
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In 2013, with their demo His Best Deceit, Possession ambushed the underground with their unholy racket of black/death. Iron Bonehead released 666 copies of the tape, and they did not last long. The Belgian quartet then went on to release a single track/two-part concept EP dealing with the so-called demonic possession of the young woman, Anneliese Michel. Next came the EP 1585 - 1646, another conceptual piece in which the band related the story of a French woman captured and tortured by the French Inquisition. As brilliant as it was straight-forward, 1585 - 1646 proved not only that they can wail harder than just about any of their contemporaries, but also that they're smarter than your average Satan worshiping black/death band.
And now in the year 2017, Possession have brought us Exorkizein, their long-awaited full length. Upon first blush it’s almost like they’ve unleashed their To Mega Therion—but I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Instead we'll let Posssession’s drummer, Pz.Kpfw, give us the lowdown on the new record and today’s song premiere.
“The introduction of [‘In Vain’] comes from an old TV documentary in which is included the only filmed exorcism that has been [authenticated] by the Vatican,” explains Pz.Kpfw. “Translation of the introduction: ‘In a World where science has made so many progresses and has helped Man so much to understand the mysteries and the secrets inside and outside of him, here comes someone who is saying to me in the clearest language: ‘Yes, the Demon does exist and I have met him.’”
Pz.Kpfw continues: “This song takes part into the concept behind Exorkizein: the life, the work as an Exorcist, and the death of Gabriele Amorth, last known chief Exorcist of the Vatican, who passed away on the 16th of September 2016. We have [imagined] him in this song filled with confidence in his own ability to save a Possessed one. But when he realises that the Demon is the strongest, his only words for the passing victim are ‘Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust,’ washing his hands of the Death he brings among the crying family of the now dead Possessed victim. Regarding the album, we think that it is a real step ahead for us, without losing our identity, our primal rage and aim to defend the Metal we worship for years and that is performed A.M.S.G. We have faced the trial that was the line-up change that occurred in November 2015 and have been reborn stronger than ever.”
“Hard is the work to fulfill the exorcism ritual, only a few can achieve it, many are done in vain . . .”
Legendary Pantera bassist Rex Brown has signed a worldwide deal with eOne Records. Brown plans to release his yet-to-be-titled debut solo LP later this year. Brown emphasized, “I’ve been working on these songs for a long time.” Brown’s solo effort includes him on guitar and vocals for the first time in his career. He promises the […]
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LINKIN PARK performed its new single, "Heavy", on last night's (Monday, February 27) episode of CBS's "The Late Late Show With James Corden". The track features guest vocals from Kiara Saulters, who is best known for recording stop-motion, hip-hop-inspired electro-R&B under the name Kiiara and who performed with the band during last night's program. "Heavy" sees LINKIN PARK teaming up with pop songwriter Emily Wright, who has worked with artists like Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry and Flo Rida. Vocalist Mike Shinoda told The Pulse Of Radio about the concept behind the song and its very different sound: "The question popped into my head, what would it be like, first of all, to write with people outside the band? What would it be like to really approach things with our arms kind of wide open, wrapped around a larger audience? And still make it a hundred percent LINKIN PARK and a hundred percent true to what we do. Almost a year and a half later, this is the first taste of what that sounds like." Asked what the rest of "One More Light" is like, Shinoda told Billboard: "One of the reasons why we chose 'Heavy' as the first single is because it is really the core sound of the album. This wasn't a scenario where the whole album sounds one way and the single sounds different. This is how the album sounds. So we wanted to go out with a song like that, where everybody can get a sense of the direction of this body of work." Shinoda also talked about LINKIN PARK's decision to collaborate with other writers this time around. "The thing that really drove this album was we kind of flipped our writing process backwards," he said. "Historically for us the (instrumental) track usually comes first, like we'll make a body of music and the music will inspire the lyrics. In this case, we actually flipped that around and the very first thing we'd do each day is we'd get into the studio and say, 'What's on my mind? What do I want to sing about and write about?' and that defined a whole different kind of writing. It builds a wonderful foundation to put everything else on top of. And the soundmaking is actually one of the most fun parts for me, so then it's like icing on the cake. I know I've got a strong song, a strong foundation and then it's just icing to put on top of it." Other tunes on the new CD include "Nobody Can Save Me", "Good Goodbye", "Talking To Myself", "Battle Symphony", "Invisible", "Sorry For Now", "Halfway Right", "Sharp Edges" and the title track. LINKIN PARK has already started booking dates in Latin America, Europe and Asia, but has yet to announce North American dates.
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BODY COUNT frontman, hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T says that he "had no problem" with METALLICA's collaboration with pop superstar Lady Gaga at this year's Grammy Awards. METALLICA's appearance with Gaga at the 59th annual event in Los Angeles on February 12 turned into something of a disaster when the Grammy sound crew did not turn frontman James Hetfield's mic on, forcing him to share the mic with Gaga after the first verse and chorus. As a further humiliation, presenter Laverne Cox did not even introduce METALLICA by name. At the end of the song, a visibly angry Hetfield hurled his guitar at a road crew member while kicking over his mic stand. During an interview on the "The Countdown" show on SiriusXM Rush, Ice-T offered his opinion of METALLICA's performance on the Grammys, saying (hear audio below): "I had no problem with it. I had a problem with the person that announced them saying, 'The winner of this many Grammys…' and then they just forgot to say their name and then they said, 'Lady Gaga.' I'm, like, 'METALLICA. You forgot…' So I was, like, already, 'Oh-oh…' And then when James's mic wasn't on, I was, like, 'Okay.' But they're professionals; they just played it through." He continued: "As far as Lady Gaga, she's the business. You know, I think entertainers respect real entertainers, and I think she's proved herself. Of course, when she hit the first scene, everybody was, like, 'Okay, this is all gimmick,' but she's a lot more than that. She's the business. I've been fortunate to meet her a few times. She's a nice girl, she's a nice lady. So God bless Lady Gaga. I think it was fly. And I think METALLICA was fly for saying, 'Let's do it.' You know what I'm saying? You know, what's the problem? What's the problem?" BODY COUNT's new album, "Bloodlust", will be released on March 31 via Century Media. The disc was recorded with producer Will Putney (MISS MAY I, UPON A BURNING BODY), who also helmed 2014's "Manslaughter". The new CD will feature guest appearances by Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA), MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe. The effort will also contain BODY COUNT's medley of the SLAYER songs "Postmortem" and "Raining Blood".
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The New England Metal and Hardcore Fest has been going strong for 18 years now, and their 19th year is adding to the already-impressive lineup that they’ve already got. Taking place on April 21st and 22nd in Worcester, MA, much the same as in previous years, they’ve divided the days pretty equally by genre. Friday appears […]
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The movie world was shocked by the sudden untimely death of Twister, Aliens, Weird Science, Big Love and Frailty star Bill Paxton over the weekend (25). It has been reported his death was caused by complications from post heart surgery resulting in a fatal stroke. And among those paying tribute was longtime friend, Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir. Muir posted […]
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Finnish folk metallers ENSIFERUM recently entered the Astia studio in Lappeenranta, Finland to record a few demo songs for their upcoming seventh full-length album, due in September via Metal Blade Records. The quintet will soon return to the Astia to begin tracking the disc, which will be produced once again by Anssi Kippo (CHILDREN OF BODOM, IMPALED NAZARENE, ENTWINE). ENSIFERUM bassist Sami Hinkka comments: "So, as some of you might have already noticed from our social media channels, we are getting ready to go record the next ENSIFERUM album pretty soon. "Just a few weeks ago, we recorded demo versions with Anssi Kippo, who also recorded and produced 'One Man Army'. The demo session went smoothly, and working with Anssi is always such a pleasure because he is so full of creative ideas and positive attitude. "The goal for the new album will be to capture ENSIFERUM's live energy on the songs, and we also plan to use analog recording as much as possible to guarantee the best possible sound. "The song material will include familiar elements, but like we always love to do, we will also take ENSIFERUM's mighty warship to unexplored seas of musical madness." Before the album's release, European fans will be able to catch ENSIFERUM at various festivals this summer.
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Former PANTERA bassist Rex Brown has signed a worldwide deal with Entertainment One (eOne), with plans to release a debut solo LP later this year. The yet-to-be-titled full length will be the first time in Brown's career in which he will serve as both lead vocalist and guitarist in a band. "I've been working on these songs for a long time," says Rex. "I am thrilled to have such an influential artist like Rex join the growing Entertainment One rock family," says Scott Givens, SVP Entertainment One. "He's influenced not just our other artists, but myself as well. It's an honor for all of us to work with him." Brown wields a six-string guitar as confidently as he wore the bass in PANTERA and DOWN. His engaging voice crackles with easygoing spirit and truth-telling power. It's a crunchy drawl that's down-to-earth, grippingly relatable, charmingly welcoming, and gritty, somewhere between the achingly resonant spiritual shamanism of Tom Waits and the instantly recognizable everyman AM radio vibes of Tom Petty and THE HEARTBREAKERS. After a season away to gather his wits about him, rediscover his own roots, and assemble a group of players ready to help him execute his vision for the days ahead, Rex Brown re-emerges with a semi truck's worth of rock n' roll tunes as honest and sincere as they come. The new album is the sound of the man's own truth, forthright and ego-free. As he likes to say, "You're only as good as your word and your word better be good." Rex's solo album is full of mojo and the force of character, determination, and nerve. He tracked lead vocals, rhythm guitars, and bass, working with his primary collaborator and old friend Lance Harvill, a Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter, on the album's songs. "Lance was and is my main man on this. Everything we did was finely tuned, both musically and brotherly." Drums were tracked by Christopher Williams, himself no stranger to diverse tastes, from funk music to punk. His talent has been utilized by country music star Lee Greenwood, the reconstituted BLACKFOOT and most recently, power metal legends ACCEPT. The album was produced by New Yorker-turned-Nashville-transplant Caleb Sherman, a multi-instrumentalist with work on records by LITTLE BIG TOWN and PORTER BLOCK, among others. "Caleb produced the project from a musician's standpoint," adds Brown. "Not just a typical producer's standpoint, which was something I definitely needed. Between Caleb and Lance, we were a force to be reckoned with. They really pulled out the best in me." Peter Keyes, known for his work with LYNYRD SKYNYRD, can also be heard on a few tracks. All bass tracking came from Rex himself as well. "My motto these days is 'Shake some shit up,'" Brown declares. "I've had my ups and downs, like anybody in this business. I wanted to feel like a true artist again, where I can write and record songs without worrying about any of the bullshit. This is just something else I'm doing for fun, man. And musical freedom. Fun has to come into it or I'm not going to do it. I've had a tremendous career and now I feel like I'm twenty-five years old again. This has given me that freedom I needed." "I've got so much more in me," he enthuses. "I'm just getting my feet wet." Brown previously described his solo album as "a rock and roll record. It's not your standard fare or typical metal thing," he told Metal Hammer magazine. "I was always a big [LED] ZEPPELIN fan and even though it has its little fringes of it... It's a new journey that sounds like anywhere from FOGHAT to old Tom Waits. I'm a child of the '70s and I love those kind of songs." After leaving DOWN in 2011, Rex went on play with KILL DEVIL HILL, which has released two albums so far: "Kill Devil Hill" (2012) and "Revolution Rise" (2013).
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It seems like if you’re in Megadeth, in addition to winning Grammys, you like making people drink stuff. Dave Mustaine had a coffee company, but lately he’s been focusing on his beer, A Tout le Monde. And we’ve known that David Ellefson has had his own coffee brand for a while now, and now it’s […]
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Australian metalcore masters THE AMITY AFFLICTION have debuted the official video for "Fight My Regret", from their latest album, "This Could Be Heartbreak". The clip, which was directed by Ryan Mackfall, can be seen below. "Fight My Regret" is the fourth video released from the new LP and follows "All F*cked Up", as well as the band's two-part epic laid out in the videos for "I Bring The Weather With Me" and "This Could Be Heartbreak". THE AMITY AFFLICTION will return to the States this spring for a pair of festival appearances at Carolina Rebellion in Concord, North Carolina (May 5) and Columbus, Ohio's Rock On The Range (May 19). They will then return home to Australia for a massive headline tour with special guests PVRIS, BEARTOOTH and MAKE THEM SUFFER, set to get underway June 17 at Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, Australia. Furthermore, THE AMITY AFFLICTION has been announced for this year's prestigious Reading and Leeds festivals, where they will perform Friday, August 25 and Saturday, August 26. Deeply personal and emotionally wrenching, "This Could Be Heartbreak" is THE AMITY AFFLICTION's most transformative and revealing record yet. Recorded by producer and longtime collaborator Will Putney at Melbourne's Holes And Corners with additional drum tracking done at Sing Sing Studios, the album finds THE AMITY AFFLICTION evolving their signature powerful and cathartic song craft. Both ambitious and grand, album standouts "This Could Be Heartbreak" and "All Fucked Up" are equal parts heavy and hopeful, fueled by frontman Joel Birch's desperation which achieves extraordinary transcendence through radical honesty and absolute power.
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The newly reunited RATT, featuring three members of the band's classic lineup — singer Stephen Pearcy, bassist Juan Croucier and guitarist Warren DeMartini — has scheduled the following tour dates: Apr. 26 - The Paramount - Huntington, NY Apr. 27 - Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA Apr. 28 - The Sherman Theater - Stroudsburg, PA Apr. 29 - M3 Rock Festival - Columbia, MD May 28 - Rocklahoma - Pryor, OK Jun. 01 - Limelight - Peoria, IL Jun. 02 - Concord Music Hall - Chicago, IL Jun. 03 - Rockfest - Kansas City, KS Jul. 07 - Uncle Sam Jam - Woodhaven, MI Jul. 12 - Rock Fest - Cadott, WI Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini played their first official show as the reunited RATT on February 11 at Treasure Island in Welch, Minnesota. They were joined on stage by former QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who played on RATT's last studio album, 2010's "Infestation", and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, who previously played with Y&T, WHITE LION and MEGADETH, among others. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below. A completely different version of RATT — led by drummer Bobby Blotzer and featuring a revolving door of members — has been hitting stages across the country since the fall of 2015. Last November, a California judge ruled against Blotzer with respect to whether Croucier had committed trademark infringement by using the RATT name and logo to advertise his band RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER back in the fall 2015. The judge furthermore decided that the corporation WBS, Inc. — of which Blotzer and DeMartini were thought to be the sole shareholders — did not have ownership interest in the RATT marks and that the name and brand was still owned by the members who were part of the original RATT partnership agreement. In addition to claiming to have expelled Blotzer from the partnership following the latest court ruling, DeMartini, Croucier and singer Stephen Pearcy said that Blotzer could now only refer to himself as a "former member of RATT," as per the partnership agreement. Blotzer's most recent lineup of RATT included singer Josh Alan alongside guitarists Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Brad Lang (Y&T).
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Yesterday, word got out that Slayer, Lamb of God and Behemoth might be touring together in what would be one of the most metal tours of the summer. Slayer, of course, is Slayer. The thrashiest of the big four, and standard-bearers of heavy. Lamb of God is their spiritual successor, and Behemoth’s theatrical blackened death […]
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SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD and BEHEMOTH will join forces for a U.S. tour this summer. The six-week expedition will rage across North America beginning July 12 in Bemidji, Minnesota, winding up in Phoenix, Arizona on August 20. SLAYER and LAMB OF GOD will also play Wisconsin's Rock Fest 2017 (July 13) and Rock USA 2017 (July 15), and then meet up with BEHEMOTH at the Chicago Open Air festival on July 16. Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 3. Said SLAYER's Kerry King: "As metal tours go, this is the one that your fellow metal heads will be bragging about if you miss it! Not very often I get to go on tour where we are all friends to start. That being said, the potential for greatness at these events is mind blowing. I look forward to being a part of it, and hanging with old friends- bands as well as fanatical fans! Let the festivities begin!!" Added LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe: "It's been a while since we've toured with the almighty SLAYER and even longer since we've hit the road with our friends in BEHEMOTH. I can't wait! This tour is gonna be the feel-good event of the summer — the gigs are gonna be like the Haight-Ashbury during the Summer of Love in '67! Ok, so that's complete bullshit, it's gonna be absolutely nothing like that, so don't show up with flowers in your hair looking for free hugs or anything stupid like that. It will definitely be a good fucking time though (as long as your definition of a good time means brutal, caustic, and hideously loud music) — see ya there!" Said BEHEMOTH's Adam "Nergal" Darski': "It is with the utmost pride we are announcing the SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD and BEHEMOTH summer tour! We are beyond excited to be joining this bill with these living legends and... our friends one more time! We are also stoked about coming back to North American shores for the last time before kicking off the next album cycle. Come and join this EXTREME metal feast with us!" Confirmed dates are as follows. Jul. 12 - Sanford Center, Bemidji, MN Jul. 13 - Rock Fest 2017, Cadott, WI (Slayer and Lamb of God on this bill) Jul. 15 - Rock USA 2017, Ford Festival Park, Oshkosh, WI (Slayer and Lamb of God on this bll) Jul. 16 - Chicago Open Air Festival, Toyota Park, Chicago, IL (Slayer, Lamb of God and Behemoth on this bill) Jul. 18 - Express Live!, Columbus, OH Jul. 20 - Red Hat Amphitheater, Raleigh, NC Jul. 21 - St. Augustine Amphitheater, St. Augustine, FL Jul. 23 - Electric Factory Outdoors, Philadelphia, PA Jul. 25 - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion, Boston, MA Jul. 27 - Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York, NY Jul. 28 - Pier Six Pavilion, Baltimore, MD Jul. 30 - Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, TN Aug. 01 - Providence Medical Center Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, KS Aug. 02 - 1stBank Center, Denver, CO Aug. 04 - The Joint, Las Vegas, NV Aug. 05 - The Forum, Los Angeles, CA Aug. 09 - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA Aug. 11 - The Cuthbert Amphitheater, Eugene, OR Aug. 12 - WaMu Theatre, Seattle, WA Aug. 14 - Encana Events Center, Dawson Creek, BC CANADA Aug. 15 - SMS Equipment Stadium, Fort McMurray, AB CANADA Aug. 17 - KettleHouse Amphitheater, Missoula, MT Aug. 19 - Isleta Amphitheater Albuquerque, NM Aug. 20 - Comerica Theater, Phoenix, AZ
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One of the biggest left-field rock hits in recent years was the Disturbed cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” Uncharacteristically acoustic, it was faithful to the original in a way that the band’s other covers (Genesis’ “Land of Confusion,” Tears For Fears’ “Shout”) weren’t. The band’s performance of the song on Conan brought […]
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Melodic metal band PYRAMAZE will release its fifth album, "Contingent", on April 28 in Europe and North America through Inner Wound Recordings. With "Contingent", PYRAMAZE has grown and matured into a band that is capable of satisfying their fans while simultaneously continuing to break new ground. The incorporation of modern cinematic film score elements mixed with progressive metal riffs and melodies will leave the listener breathless! Huge, sweeping, hard-hitting, and poignant, "Contingent" is an epic post-apocalyptic conceptual piece inspired by current events, the human spirit to overcome struggle and diversity, and the brotherhood that lies therein. The album was produced, mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen, who has previously worked with VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, EPICA and EVERGREY, among others. "Contingent" track listing; 01. Land Of Information 02. Kingdom Of Solace 03. Star Men 04. A World Divided 05. Nemesis 06. Contingent - Part I: The Campaign 07. 20 Second Century 08. Obsession 09. Heir Apparent 10. Contingent - Part II: The Hammer Of Remnant 11. Under Restraint 12. The Tides That Won't Change 13. Symphony Of TearsPYRAMAZE is: Terje Harøy - Vocals Jacob Hansen - Guitar, Bass Jonah W. - Keyboards Toke Skjønnemand - Guitar Morten Gade Sørensen - Drums
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Early last year, Quebec's progressive blackened death crew Hands of Despair revealed their stand-out sophomore record, Bereft, and successfully extended the sound and strengths that had made the debut, Hereafter, such an enjoyable listen. Today we bring you their latest video single for Bereft's penultimate track, "Étoc," along with the band's explanation of the video's origins and execution. The song is screech/growled in French - great for all francophile listeners - so we'll include the song's lyrics as well as their English translation (as provided by the band) below. Jam "Étoc" today, check out Bereft in its entirety, and keep an eye on this band as the coming years hopefully bring further greatness for these talented dudes.
The making of Étoc
The whole idea came from [guitarist] Alexandre [Primeau]. He studied film and filming, so he has an eye and a mind for such things. Considering the song speaks of adopting integrity and confidence as a person, he thought of the journey every man and woman lives, from birth to death.
So in October, last year, he rented a camera, took to the field which he had previously scouted with a friend of his and proceeded in creating a long road for our protagonist (Michel Lajeunesse, what a man!). Then we went to this castle Alex found near Prairies River, on Iles-de-la-Visitation, which had this very traditional, circular common room with a huge hearth in the middle. We immediately knew how the band portion of the movie was going to be filmed.
Everything went so well. Since this is our second video, it was very natural and we had all we wanted by the end of a long nine or ten hours of work, during which we had played the song about 13 times: That's a little more than two hours! The completion of the project rested on Alex’s work editing the video and ultimately connected really well with our timetable - our next show being on March 17th, opening for Amorphis and Swallow the Sun at Foufounes Électriques with Extensive Enterprise, then we go back to jamming and tweaking the songs we have composed for a third release in the near future.
Let’s just say 2017 is going to be a productive year and it all starts with "Étoc"!
Lyrics (French)
Ce goût vicié d'un indomptable,
D'un impalpable enflammement,
Cette tentation, elle te frappera comme les autres
Ne fuit pas ce ciel obscur, affronte
Peu importe la sombreur des âmes
Dresse toi tel l'aube
De tes bottes, tu as usé bien des routes,
Ta volonté inénarrable en a surpri plus d'un
La leur gisant déjà bien oubliée
Dans ce vide qui les tourmente
Mais, comme eux, tu ne pourras résister
l'atteinte de inassouvissable clepsydre
elle prend, elle gruge, elle coupe, elle détruit,
elle ne t'oublie jamais
et ce même si elle te pousse dans ces dédales noircies
De l'oblitération mentale et mémorielle
elle prend, elle gruge, elle coupe, elle détruit,
elle ne t'oublie jamais
Tel la chaîne reliant l'ancre
Sache rester fort, fier, debout!
Affronte les Tempêtes,
Affronte les flots
Qui reviendront incessamment
N'erre pas trop loin de ta condition
N'erre plus, la presse saura te faucher
Sache rester droit.
Sache redevenir toi
Sache te tenir droit
Lyrics (English)
This vitiated taste of an indomitable,
An impalpable ignition,
This temptation, it will strike you as with others
Do not flee from obscure skies, confront
No matter the darkness of souls
Rise up like the dawn
Your boots have worn many roads
Your unsurpassable will has surprised many
Theirs is lying, already forgotten
In this void that torments them
But like them, you will not resist
To reach the unassailable clepsydra
She takes
She eats away
She cuts
She destroys
She never forgets
Never
Even if she pushes you in these blackened mazes
Of mental and memorial obliteration
She takes
She eats away
She cuts
She destroys
She never forgets
Never
Such as the chain linking the anchor
Know to stay strong, proud, standing!
Confront the tempests
Confront the waves
For they shall return incessantly
Don’t stray too far from you condition
Stray no more, the hurry will swipe you down
Know to stay upright
Know to become yourself again
Know to stand erect
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After a seven-year hiatus, Italian metallers LABYRINTH will return with a brand new studio album, "Architecture Of A God", on April 21 via Frontiers Music Srl. The song "A New Dream", taken from "Architecture Of A God", can be streamed below. In the spring of 2016, the band's founding members, Andrea Cantarelli and Olaf Thorsen received a call from Frontiers asking them to discuss with vocalist Roberto Tiranti the possibilities of a reunion with a return to their classic sound to mount a comeback for the band. After much discussion, the guys agreed to make an album and also to make a very special appearance at the the first annual Frontiers Metal Festival, where they performed their signature album, "Return To Heaven Denied", in its entirety. [Said performance is being prepared for a future home video release.] Olaf says: "This has been easily the most difficult and challenging album I ever worked on. "To be honest, when Frontiers contacted me, insisting to make this reunion happen, I was skeptical and worried. We couldn't simply make a new album; it wouldn't have been honest to the fans, to ourselves. "Of course, this is as easy to say as also unbelievably tough to make real: we have so many good albums out there, looking at us from their past and which people still keep in their minds and hearts. That's why we decided to strengthen our lineup, joining with nobody else but the best musicians we believed they would have fitted perfectly into our perspective of the music we were about to write." Andrea adds: "The making of this album has been a fantastic journey. We brought back a lot of classic elements of our music, mixing it with something new and I'm so enthusiastic about the final result." Roberto Tiranti makes it short: "Just when you thought you already gave everything you could, expressing every possible musical aspect of your way of intending music for a band like LABYRINTH, then comes 'Architecture Of A God' to remind you that nothing is impossible!" With a new lineup rounded out by drummer extraordinaire John Macaluso (TNT, RIOT, ARK), Oleg Smirnoff (VISION DIVINE, EDRITCH) on keyboards, and Nik Mazzucconi on bass, LABYRINTH are truly coming back stronger than ever and have offered up a superb self-produced album. "Architecture Of A God" (mixed by DGM's Simone Mularoni) is a record that encompasses all the elements the band is known for: fast power metal songs with unforgettable hooks, epic prog-infused metal songs, and some great melodic numbers that compose a record which is easily going to be another milestone for the Italian metal masters! "What we have in our hands, now, it's 'Architecture Of A God': by far, the most mature and complete album we ever wrote," concludes Thorsen. "There's no will to challenge our glorious past, but I'm really confident that, once released, this album will set a new standard for our music!" "Architecture Of A God" track listing: 01. Bullets 02. Still Alive 03. Take On My Legacy 04. A New Dream 05. Someone Says 06. Random Logic 07. Architecture Of A God 08. Children 09. Those Days 10. We Belong To Yesterday 11. Stardust And Ashes 12. DiamondLABYRINTH 2017 is: Roberto Tiranti - lead vocals Olaf Thorsen - lead guitars Andrea Cantarelli - lead guitars Nik Mazzucconi - bass guitar Oleg Smirnoff - keyboards John Macaluso - drums
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SEETHER has revealed details for the "Poison The Parish" world tour, which includes headline shows and major festival appearances throughout the spring and summer of 2017. The extensive touring plans come in support of "Poison The Parish", their recently announced seventh studio album, set for release via Canine Riot Records on May 12. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 3 at 10 a.m. local time. Every ticket order will include a physical copy of "Poison The Parish". A portion of all tickets sold for the "Poison The Parish" world tour will benefit the Rise Above Fund, which is a subset of Suicide Awareness Voices Of Education, the largest suicide prevention organization in the country and the band's partner on the Rise Above Fest. Now in its fifth year, Rise Above Fest has expanded to two days, Saturday, July 22 and Sunday, July 23 at Darling's Waterfront Park in Bangor, Maine. Performers include KORN, SHINEDOWN, STONE SOUR, SKILLET, HALESTORM, FALLING IN REVERSE and more. Guitarist Clint Lowery of SEVENDUST will augment the band's lineup throughout the upcoming trek, adding his signature axework to SEETHER's new songs and deep repertoire. Support acts for the tour include: LETTERS FROM THE FIRE (May 2 through May 27; July 16 through August 20), THROUGH FIRE (June 1 through June 7), KALEIDO (May 2 through June 10), and BIG STORY (from July 16 through August 20). "Goddamn, it's good to be back!," says SEETHER frontman Shaun Morgan. "We spent the better part of a year writing and recording 'Poison The Parish', and now it's time to get out there and play that fucker to the fans. We've been working on some upgrades to the production and the live sound, which includes welcoming our brother, Clint Lowery (from fucking SEVENDUST!) into the fold to help us thicken up that live sound experience. "We want this tour to be exciting and different — a departure from what people expect from us, while retaining the qualities that make us unique, in order to entertain the fans. It's going to be loud, heavy, old-school SEETHER with a couple of twists thrown in to keep things exciting." Recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, "Poison The Parish" marks the first album produced in its entirety by Morgan and is also the first release on Canine Riot Records, his new label imprint via Concord Records. The album's epic lead single "Let You Down", premiered last week. SEETHER's 2017 international tour dates will be announced soon. SEETHER U.S tour dates: Apr. 29 - Ft Meyers, FL - Monster Energy Fort Rock at JetBlue Park* Apr. 30 - Jacksonville, FL - Monster Energy Welcome to Rockville at Metropolitan Park* May 02 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club** May 03 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club** May 05 -Tuscaloosa, AL - Druid City Music Hall** May 06 - Nashville, TN - War Memorial Auditorium May 07 - Concord, NC - Carolina Rebellion 2017 at Charlotte Motor Speedway* May 09 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony** May 10 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony** May 11 - Wallingford, CT - The Dome at Toyota Presents Oakdale ** May 14 - Boston, MA - House of Blues** May 16 - Clifton Park, NY - Upstate Concert Hall** May 17 - Niagara Falls, NY - Rapids Theatre** May 19 - Pittsburgh, PA- Stage AE** May 20 - Columbus, OH -Rock on the Range 2017 at Mapfre Stadium* May 22 - Grand Rapids, MI - 20 Monroe Live** May 24 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall** May 25 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall** May 27 - Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium** May 28 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma* Jun. 01 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert House*** Jun. 02 - Portland, OR -RoZone Waterfront Stage - KFBW Radio Show* Jun. 03 - Seattle, WA - 2nd Annual Crazy Beverage Bash at Showbox SoDo* Jun. 05 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore*** Jun. 06 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues*** Jun. 07 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre*** Jun. 10 - Saint Louis, MO -The Pageant*** Jun. 11 - South Bend, IN - The Bear's Big Growl Six* Jul. 15 - Bridgeview, IL - Chicago Open Air at Toyota Park* Jul. 16 - Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room at Old National Centre^ Jul. 18 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's^ Jul. 19 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues ^ Jul. 22 - Bangor, ME - Rise Above Fest at Darling's Waterfront Pavilion* Jul. 24 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage^ Jul. 25 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Soundstage^ Jul. 27 - Philadelphia, PA - The Fillmore^ Jul. 29 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues^ Aug. 01 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom^ Aug. 02 - Springfield, MO - Gillioz Theatre^ Aug. 04 - Saint Paul, MN - The Myth^ Aug. 05 - Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom^ Aug. 06 - Peoria, IL - Limelight Eventplex^ Aug. 08 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater^ Aug. 09 - Sioux Falls, SD - The District^ Aug. 11 - Glendive MT - Dawson County Fairgrounds ^ Aug. 14 - Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater^ Aug. 16 - Wichita, KS - The Cotillion Ballroom^ Aug. 17 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues^ Aug. 19 - San Antonio, TX - The Aztec Theatre^ Aug. 20 - Houston, TX - House of Blues^ * Festival date ** Featuring LETTERS FROM THE FIRE + KALEIDO *** Featuring THROUGH FIRE + KALEIDO ^ Featuring LETTERS FROM THE FIRE + BIG STORY Photo credit: Marina Chavez
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"Sign Of The Crimson Storm", the new video from RIOT V, the band featuring the remaining members of legendary metal pioneers RIOT, can be seen below. Originally recorded for RIOT's "Thundersteel" album in 1988, this song has been a staple of RIOT V live setlists over the past two years. Footage and audio was taken from the RIOT V performance at the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan during the Middle Of The Mitt Music Festival on September 10, 2016. RIOT V's debut album, "Unleash The Fire", was released in October 2014 via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD marked the first release from RIOT without the late, great founding guitarist Mark Reale, who passed away in early 2012 and was limited on his participation on 2011's reunion album "Immortal Soul" because of his health issues. The band was encouraged at the request of Mark and the Reale estate to forge ahead in his honor and has dedicated this new offering to him. "Unleash The Fire" promised to please fans of the "Thundersteel" era of RIOT, as main songwriter and longtime Reale music collaborator Don Van Stavern did much of the writing, as he did on "Thundersteel" and "The Privilege Of Power". Don is joined by longtime RIOT bandmate, songwriter and Reale's guitar partner of over 20 years, Mike Flyntz, to create what they feel is something they are proud to call a RIOT record. The RIOT V lineup is completed by powerhouse vocalist extraordinaire Todd Michael Hall (BURNING STARR, REVERENCE), Frank Gilchriest (VIRGIN STEELE, RIOT's "Army Of One") and former Mike Flyntz guitar student and resident shredder Nick Lee. RIOT V is working on the follow-up to "Unleash The Fire" and preparing for live dates later in 2017.
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AEROSMITH drummer Joey Kramer says that when it comes to playing live, his band is in a league of its own. He tells Classic Rock magazine: "First of all, as far as AEROSMITH goes there is no band that has been around for almost fifty years that still has the original five guys in the band. "Everybody is always raving about THE [ROLLING] STONES, saying THE STONES this and THE STONES that. I've never cared for THE STONES. They never had anything to offer me musically, especially in the drumming department." He continues: "THE STONES is not the original band and I do not care for them. I think if you came to see an AEROSMITH concert, people would realize that we play so much better than them that it's silly because they're not so good live. "Yeah, they are what they are and all of that, but I don't think there's a band out there today that does what we do." Asked if there are any bands capable of replacing AEROSMITH as stadium fillers and festival headliners, Kramer responds: "I don't. When the bands that are around now are finished, I think it will be the end of a very long era. I'm talking about bands like us, AC/DC and VAN HALEN." Last fall, AEROSMITH announced what was being billed as the band's "farewell" tour of Europe — with an opening stop in Israel thrown in for good measure. In addition to Israel, AEROSMITH's spring and summer dates will hit Georgia, Russia, Germany, Poland, Denmark, Sweden, England, Ireland, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland. Singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry announced the tour via a fake newscast video featuring "The Toxic Twins" portraying cable TV anchors.
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AXS TV presents an unforgettable performance by one of rock's most influential performers in the premiere of "Robert Plant & The Sensational Space Shifters - Live At David Lynch's Festival Of Disruption" — airing Sunday, March 5 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The concert captures the band's unique headlining set at visionary auteur David Lynch's Festival Of Disruption — a fully immersive creative gathering benefiting The David Lynch Foundation. The hour-long event gives fans a rare opportunity to experience the legendary frontman as they've never seen or heard him before, as he playfully interacts with the crowd and puts a new spin on beloved classics and modern favorites in an intimate setting. Highlights include stripped down and acoustic renditions of LED ZEPPELIN staples "Black Dog","Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Whole Lotta Love", as well as solo standouts "Turn It Up", "Rainbow", "The Enchanter", "Little Maggie" and more. "Throughout the history of rock, few artists have been as influential and enduring as Robert Plant," said Evan Haiman, vice president of music programming and production. "This incredible concert showcases the music icon at the top of his game, putting his signature vocals and effortless charm on full display as he blazes through an expansive setlist that will satisfy both die-hard fans and curious newcomers, alike. And AXS TV is the only place you can see it." Plant's 2014 Nonesuch album, "Lullaby And... The Ceaseless Roar", featured eleven new recordings, nine of which are original songs he wrote with the band. "It's really a celebratory record," said Plant, "powerful, gritty, African, trance meets ZEP." Q called it "his best solo album yet … a beautifully moving, soul-stirring, bravely genre-blurring album." Plant told The Pulse Of Radio that he works hard to maintain a certain level of quality control in everything he does. "Well, you set the bar at a certain height in performance and in mending with your fellow man," he said. "You can’t drop too far down below that. Still, we labor on, but the bar must be kept high and you can't… I don't wish to do anything that's anything below the bar. I keep the bar really high. And the responsibility is, to keep in my own heart, to make sure that I don't waste my gift." Plant spoke to Relix magazine about his current music and how it connects to his early days in LED ZEPPELIN, explaining, "I want people to know I'm pulling points of reference from other times and other places — incongruous and out of step and kilter — into another world. I've done it with ZEPPELIN lyrics, as well — 'if the sun refused to shine' and 'the road remains the same' and all the shit. There's so many bits like that, because I like the idea of spinning the bottle. And if one or two people pick up on it, that's the justice — that's about right."
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Metal On Loud recently conducted an interview with ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). Metal On Loud: You've been around for ANTHRAX's biggest successes, like [the "Among The Living" album]. It has really big hits on it. Yet you've been out of the band for eighteen years. How do you look back at your departure from ANTHRAX, that period? Joey: "While I was out? Or before I was [out]?" Metal On Loud: How do you look back at that [entire] period [when you were out of ANTHRAX]? Joey: "You know what? I was on my own. There's nothing like being on your own after being in a band. You just don't have all that to rely on. [I had] barely any assistance that came along with me, like it was gonna be, like,'No problem.' I wasn't gonna turn into Phil Collins overnight, you know? It just doesn't work. You know what? I was okay. I was sad to see that thing [happen]. I don't know what they were really going for; they were going for some nineties style, and apparently I wasn't the guy or something. That's all I can think of. That's enough for me to realize that, what do you do? You don't beg your way back in. So I just maintained playing music, as I do all the time. So I haven't stopped." Metal On Loud: If you look at the stuff that the guys did while you were away, how do you look at that music? How do you feel about that music? Joey: "It seemed good. I don't know. If I was to compare it, I didn't hear anything that we were doing that wasn't as good [as what they ended up doing with replacement singer John Bush]. I didn't hear anything that blew me away. I thought the music end of it was good, John's decent, but just the overall thing… I think we had something cool there, and I didn't hear that [in the music they made with John]. But that wasn't meaning it wasn't good; it just wasn't my idea of better, being better about it. It was just different, you know? I enjoyed the style that they were trying to dig into. I think they kind of straightened it all out a little bit, but it wasn't as thrashy in some ways sometimes too. I don't know. It gets crazy after a while when you're trying to explain it all. It's, like, it was what it was, you know?" Metal On Loud: After the 2005 reunion tour, we had to wait for five more years to see you rejoin the band. Was it a hard decision to make [to return to the group]? Joey: "No, that was the weird thing again. They got someone else [Dan Nelson] for a little while. If I only knew what was going through anybody's head... I mean, you're talking about somebody that no one even knew or even was experienced or something like that. It was kind of out of my hands, you know?" Metal On Loud: I tried to figure out what was happening at that time. Joey: "I wish I knew too. I remember my friend called me, and he goes, 'Dude, they got another singer. I just read that.' And I'm, like, 'Really? Oh, wow! I didn't know that. Okay. Oh, well.' I wasn't even sure they wanted to be a band again with me. I couldn't tell you. It was cool [when we did the the reunion in 2005], but it wasn't like when I got back and when we did the 'Big Four' [shows in 2010 and 2011]. That was when they seemed to wanna do something for real." Metal On Loud: I think I read somewhere it had to do with your indecisiveness. Joey: "No, there was no indecisiveness [on my part]. I was there. I wouldn't have come back in the first place, and again, you know? I don't know why they would have said [that it had to do with my indecisiveness]. I had no reason to do that. They got another guy. I mean, it was really quick. It was too quick. It was almost like you've been dating and I didn't know about it — that kind of thing. It was too quick. Too quick." ANTHRAX's February 15 concert at the Barrowland in Glasgow, United Kingdom was filmed for a DVD, to be released later this year via Megaforce. Seventeen cameras, including five GoPros and a full-size camera crane, captured more than two hours of ANTHRAX favorites that were voted onto the evening's set list by fans and included "Madhouse", "Be All, End All", "Breathing Lightning" and "A.I.R.", followed by ANTHRAX's classic 1987 album "Among The Living" performed start to finish. In addition to the live footage, the DVD will include "fly-on-the-wall" interviews and other B-roll shot on the band's tour bus, backstage, in hotels and elsewhere. The DVD is being produced and directed by Paul Green of the Manchester, U.K.-based Paul Green Productions who has filmed concerts for OPETH, THE DAMNED, Gary Numan, THE LEVELLERS and many others.
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DISTURBED is planning to return to the studio later this year to record an acoustic EP before beginning work on the follow-up to 2015's "Immortalized" album. Prior to the arrival of "Immortalized", DISTURBED had been on hiatus since the fall of 2011, after completing the touring cycle for its previous studio effort, "Asylum", and issuing a rarities collection called "The Lost Children". Asked by Germany's Rock Antenne how long fans will have to wait before the release of the next DISTURBED album, vocalist David Draiman said (see video below): "Well, the plan at this particular point in time is to take a little bit of time off, spend some time with our families, get some personal stuff done. We have an acoustic EP that we're working on. That's something we've wanted to do for years that we just never had the time or the opportunity to. So that we'll be working on in between our LP releases. And then probably 2018 we will head back into the studio to record the next record and hopefully have a release sometime in late 2018 and hit the road 2019 again." Draiman also talked about the overwhelmingly positive response to DISTURBED's cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "The Sound Of Silence", which can be found on "Immortalized". Asked if the band has encountered any fans who discovered DISTURBED's music through "The Sound Of Silence" and came to one of the band's shows expecting to hear more similarly stripped down material, Draiman said: "I haven't seen any of that. No evidence of that whatsoever. In fact, the most recurring series of comments that I get is that people who were introduced to the band via 'The Sound Of Silence' cover then were so excited and curious that they tried to listen to a bunch of the rest of the catalog." He continued: "Even though there is obviously a marked stylistic difference between the majority of our catalog and a cover like 'The Sound Of Silence', it certainly isn't the first time we've done an acoustic track. There is a track off the 'Believe' record called 'Darkness', which is also acoustic and purely sung as far as the vocal delivery is concerned. But I do believe that the saving grace and the binding cohesive element that people are able to embrace within our music is the very, very intense and strong and melodic nature of it. And so people who are brought in by 'The Sound Of Silence' find very powerful melody throughout the rest of our catalog. Some of it is more aggressive, some of it is less aggressive, so they don't necessarily fall in love with all of it, but they fall in love with a lot of it. And there literally isn't a fan that I see in the audience that isn't participating, jamming out and singing to just about every song." Draiman added: "Granted, 'The Sound Of Silence' is an amazing and beautiful moment within the performance every single night, but it's definitely not the situation that I was warned of, potentially. People used to tell me horror stories: 'Aren't you concerned about' exactly what you described? And they gave me the example of… If you remember back in the '80s, there was a band called EXTREME; they had a song called 'More Than Words'. For instance, they played Australia, and 'More Than Words' was the huge hit, and everybody came to see the band and they were expecting an entire set like that, and had a pretty shocking surprise when the rest of it was 'hair metal,' essentially. But we haven't gotten that at all. And I think that that's a wonderful, wonderful thing." "Immortalized" became DISTURBED's fifth album to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 — a feat shared only with METALLICA and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND. "The Sound Of Silence" was certified platinum last June for sales or downloads of more than one million copies, while "Immortalized" hit gold in September for 500,000 copies sold.
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A two-minute behind-the-scenes look at the creative process for PAPA ROACH's new album is available below. PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix recently revealed to Tina Smash of theRock 105.5 radio station that the band's new album will arrive in May. The follow-up to 2015's "F.E.A.R." was recorded with Nicholas "Ras" Furlong and Colin "Doc" Brittain at Steakhouse studio in North Hollywood, California. PAPA ROACH has already released two songs from the upcoming disc: "Crooked Teeth" and "Help", both of which can be heard below. Shaddix told Rock 105.5 about PAPA ROACH's new effort: "We like to say that the album itself, the full-length record, is like if 'Infest' [2000], our first album, had sex with 'Getting Away With Murder' [2004] and they had a child, this would be the record. Because with a track like 'Help', that song kind of harkens back to 'Scars', but it's a little bit more, I guess, uptempo and upbeat that 'Scars' is, but just the juxtaposition of this… 'Cause it's in a major key, so it sounds kind of upbeat and happy, but the lyrics… It's just a dark anthem, and I like that juxtaposition. And we tapped into that on a track like 'Scars' back in the day, and we were, like, 'All right. Let's see if we wrote something in a major key again.' We've done that with songs like 'Lifeline' in the past. And so, yeah, it's got a little element of some old school with some new school. And I'm just excited for everybody to hear the record in its entirety, because it takes you on a ride. I'm rapping on more than half the record, and then there's tracks that are just… It's all over the place." Shaddix also confirmed that the forthcoming PAPA ROACH album will feature a couple of "outside-the-box" collaborations. He explained: "They're not the norm of what you would expect from PAPA ROACH. And that's exactly what we wanted to do. 'Cause we feel like, as a rock band and as creators, we wanna challenge our fanbase and take 'em on a ride. 'Cause if you do the same thing with the same people in the same scene, it just becomes… everything becomes the same." Asked if he is nervous about how the PAPA ROACH fans will react to the band changing up the formula a bit on the upcoming effort, Jacoby said: "I would say if they want old-school PAPA ROACH, they got old-school PAPA ROACH. You know what I'm saying? We wrote 'Infest'. It's, like, there you go. But for me, it's, like, no, I'm not nervous at all; I'm more excited. Because what I've seen in the history of our band is that whenever we're a little bit bold and change stuff up… Like, for instance, I keep talking about this song, but 'Scars' — so much different than anything we ever did, and it was one of the songs that catapulted us into the next level. And I look at that and I go, it's not a self-indulgent record, where it's, like, 'Oh, we just wanna do this 'cause it's art.' You know what I mean? This record's got guts, it's got teeth. It's, I think, what our fans have been waiting for for a long time, and so we give it to 'em. It's ferocious and it's emotional." Jacoby also talked about the lyrical themes covered on the follow-up to "F.E.A.R.", which was an acronym for "Face Everything and Rise". "[The new PAPA ROACH album] would almost be like this record is a precursor to that record," he said. "'Cause there was a lot of my spiritual awakening in that record. And this record, to me, personally, if I could take a time machine back to 1969 when my father came back from Vietnam, when they were spitting on the soldiers and calling them babykillers and telling them to fuck off, I would roll up on 'em and give 'em a big old hug and I would hand 'em this record and be, like, 'This is for you. This record is for you. Just read the lyrics. I know this music sounds like from the future, 'cause I am from the future, but this record is for you.' And it hits right now. Think about all these fellows coming back from wartime experience and the wreckage and the wounds that they have, emotionally and spiritually, their families are broken and they're just dealing with this chaos and turmoil. It's a record of healing and frustration. I'm fucking mad and I'm angry and I'm happy. It's a savage album." Asked if writing the new PAPA ROACH album was a therapeutic experience for him, Jacoby said: "It always is. It's, like, I'm dredging through old stuff, dealing with old demons. I'm singing about people's lives around me. 'Cause this record has elements of sociopolitical edges to it, where it's not necessarily political, but it's our position in the world and how we deal with this crazy-ass world. So, yeah, it's definitely cathartic, and it's mandatory for me to make music, 'cause if I don't, I will hang myself in my garage. If I don't have this, I'm done. 'Cause I'm an empathetic person. I have this compassion for people that struggle, because I've been through my own struggles. But I just feel like when people are hurting and they're next to me and they're walking through it, it's like I feel it. It sucks, man. And in a world right now where people are just hurtin' and vicious on each other, it's just, like, 'Fuck, man.' It's a hard time. So music is a healer, and that's what this record's about."
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