Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, the company which creates "beautiful lullaby versions of your favorite artists," will release "Lullaby Versions Of Slipknot" on July 2 via Roma Music Group.
"Lullaby Versions Of Slipknot" track listing:
01. Wait And Bleed 02. Psychosocial 03. Before I Forget 04. Dead Memories 05. Duality 06. Left Behind 07. Pulse Of The Maggots 08. Snuff 09. Spit It Out 10. Sulfur 11. (Sic) 12. Vermillion, Pt. 2
A full-length version of "Before I Forget" can be streamed below.
Audio samples of the entire album are available at Amazon.com.
Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star is the premier pop music lullaby line, with more than a hundred titles to choose from across soundtracks, pop, rock, metal, country, alternative and more.
In its mission statement, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star says, "We feel our lullaby line fills a vacant musical niche. There are other lines of pop music lullabies but we decided to take the approach of being high end musically rather than simply doing these as a novelty. After all, just because the music is for a baby it doesn’t have to sound unsophisticated. We feel we owe it to the artists that we are covering to do their music justice and our standard of quality transcends the lullaby genre. In fact, in addition to soothing babies our fans use our music for yoga, massage and sleep therapy or just general relaxation. We like to call them 'lullabies for all ages' and the diversity of use is testament to that."
Video footage of ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell talking to IGN about Ubisoft's new Rocksmith 2014 Edition — the next installment of the hit Rocksmith brand that has taught 1.4 million people worldwide how to play guitar — can be seen below.
Rocksmith 2014 Edition will be available in October, and allows players to plug any real guitar or bass directly into their Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the Sony PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PC or Mac to begin their musical journey.
The first Rocksmith is already the fastest way to learn guitar according to a national U.S. study by Research Strategy Group Inc. Another study conducted by Toluna Group reported that 95% of Rocksmith players say it improved their guitar skills. In Rocksmith 2014 Edition, players will experience an even more efficient and enjoyable method of learning guitar.
With a completely redesigned interface and all-new features, Rocksmith 2014 Edition is tailored to better teach the key elements of guitar playing, and to make learning faster and more fun than any other method. A new fully customizable "Riff Repeater" lets players select any section of a song they want to play, and adjust the difficulty and speed on-the-fly. A new "Master Mode" makes playing by memory more approachable and new "Guitarcade" mini-games have been created to hone specific guitar skills. With these flexible and deep practice tools, it's never been easier for players to play their favorite songs on guitar or bass.
Rocksmith 2014 Edition also features a new track list with more than 50 hit tracks, including "Stone" by ALICE IN CHAINS, "Walk This Way" by AEROSMITH, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by BOB DYLAN, "The Chimera" by THE SMASHING PUMPKINS, "Don't Look Back In Anger" by OASIS, "ultra soul" by B'Z, a famous pop-rock Japanese band. Many more hits will be announced in the coming months.
On stage at E3, Ubisoft demonstrated Session Mode, a groundbreaking technology that enables players of any skill level to play guitar with a virtual band that jams along with them. Players can select the style of music and the particular instruments they'd like to accompany them and the rest happens dynamically, adapting live while they play.
Cantrell said: "Rocksmith's new Session Mode feature is one of the most innovative music technologies in recent history and gives you the experience of playing with a real band that actually adapts to you. The new Rocksmith 2014 Edition teaches real techniques for players of all skill levels."
"In only one opus, Rocksmith has established itself as one of Ubisoft's best-loved brands, with high player satisfaction scores confirming it is highly effective and enjoyable," said Geoffroy Sardin, EMEA Chief Marketing & Sales Officer at Ubisoft. "We are bringing Rocksmith back, it's better than ever, and it's a brand we want to continue to build."
Everyone who pre-orders any version of Rocksmith 2014 Edition from selected U.S. and EMEA retailers will get "Cherub Rock" by THE SMASHING PUMPKINS as a free bonus song which will be downloadable when the game is available.
For additional information about Rocksmith 2014, visit www.Rocksmith.com.
Brazil's Wikimetal podcast recently conducted an interview with legendary guitarist Michael Schenker. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud player below.
Michael Schenker performed a brand new song, "Horizons", from his forthcoming album, "Bridge The Gap", on May 8 at Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany. Backing Schenker at the show, and the rest of "Temple Of Rock - Lovedrive Reunion Tour 2013", were fellow former SCORPIONS members Herman Rarebell (drums) and Francis Buchholz (bass), along with singer Doogie White (RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and keyboardist Wayne Findlay. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
Regarding the songwriting process for "Bridge The Gap", Schenker told Metal Forces in January, "When I'm writing, of course, I have Doogie in my head because I know he's gonna be doing the vocals. He's a more metal singer, and so automatically it will be more metal. It will be more on the level of 'Before The Devil Knows You're Dead' [from 2011's 'Temple Of Rock'] of course, because that's Doogie singing there. Doogie has more of a heavy metal voice. Automatically, when I've been writing this time I've been writing with Doogie in my head, but I have a very good concept usually. When I wrote 'Temple Of Rock', I didn't know what I was doing in the beginning. I just started and went for it, but this time I have a concept. I already know that the title of the album is gonna be 'Bridge The Gap', and so this time I have a blueprint in my head, like a map that I see. I can see that it's a concept I have, and so I have a very clear direction of what I'm doing."
Michael Schenker's "Temple Of Rock: Live In Europe" was released on CD, DVD, Blu-ray and as a limited deluxe edition containing all three formats on December 3, 2012 in Europe and was made available on January 15, 2013 in North America via Inakustik. This essential live rock'n'roll release includes songs performed live in Tilburg, The Netherlands in May 2012, and at London's High Voltage festival in 2011.
The Tilburg gig, recorded May 2012, features Schenker (lead guitar), Doogie White (vocals; RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TANK), Herman Rarebell (drums), Francis Buchholz (bass) and Wayne Findley (rhythm guitar, keyboards). London's 2011 High Voltage festival features Michael Voss (vocals), Rudolf Schenker (SCORPIONS), who plays rhythm guitar on "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Hanging On" and "Doctor Doctor", UFO's Pete Way, who plays bass guitar on "Doctor Doctor", and vocalists Jeff Scott Soto (TALISMAN, JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and Doogie White, who both sing on "Doctor Doctor".
Cutter of Envision Radio Networks' "Hangar 19" recently conducted an interview with vocalist Stephen Pearcy of Californian rockers RATT. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.
Pearcy's book, "Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock", was released on May 7 via Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
A 288-page hardcover, "Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock" is described in a press release as "a jaw-dropping tell-all from the lead singer of the 1980s supergroup RATT: the groupies, the trashed hotel rooms, the drugs — and just how much you can get away with when you're one of the biggest hair metal stars of all time."
In the mid-1980s, RATT, alongside MÖTLEY CRÜE, POISON and QUIET RIOT, were laying down the riffs and unleashing the scissor kicks that would herald the arrival of music's most flamboyantly debauched era. Now with "Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll", RATT frontman and chief rabble-rouser Stephen Pearcy divulges all the dirty details of the era when big-haired bands ruled the world.
Stephen was primed for a life of excess from an early age — his father died of a heroin overdose when he was twelve, and by the age of fifteen, Stephen was himself a drug addict. When Stephen met the thrill-seeking Robbin Crosby, he knew he'd found his perfect partner in crime — both in music and partying. RATT's 1984 debut single, "Round And Round", became one of the top-selling metal songs of all time, but it was the band's off-stage escapades that were the stuff of legend.
"Our tour bus is like our pirate ship," said Pearcy in 1987. Now Pearcy's memoir reveals all the rock-star excess — the partying, the women, the $2,000-a-day drug habits — letting fans see into this harrowing hair-metal lifestyle and what it's really like behind the scenes when you're a rock star.
Famed book editor Jeremie Ruby-Strauss, editor at Gallery Books stated about what fans can expect from Stephen Pearcy's forthcoming book: "There will be a ton of sex, mind-boggling amounts of drugs, and, of course, a whole lot of RATT and roll. There's also stuff about him breaking both legs as a kid and whatnot, but are you seriously not more intrigued by the sex and drugs?"
In a 2011 interview, Pearcy stated about "Sex, Drugs, Ratt & Roll: My Life In Rock" — which has been in the works for more than three years: "[It will include] so many stories. The good, the bad (real bad) and the ugly." He added, "It's a big wakeup call to remember some things, but have to share. Some might learn something from my experiences and get something positive in the end. There are bright moments; it's not all about Ratt 'n' Roll."
Pearcy told the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner in a separate interview: "There's lots of tales in there that people need to know or haven't known. You know, to get the real opinion. . . It's a real honest book. The kitchen sink is in there. It's time to share because nobody knows what we're about or how you got there or what you went through. I got into music by accident — realistically by accident. [laughs]"
When asked if his book be a rebuttal to RATT drummer Bobby Blotzer's "Tales Of A Ratt - Things You Shouldn't Know" autobiography or if it will be more autobiographical in nature, Pearcy said, "Both. Because when I started that band, people got the wrong perspective on so many things. That's why we're on the level we don't wish to be on, by default and admission. But everything I say is going to be honest. Bob took his own side on his book. But it's his own. It's like when I read the Keith Richards and [Steven] Tyler books, I thought, 'That's how I want my book to read.'"
Side-of-the-stage video footage of NEWSTED — the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted — performing at the Spanish edition of the Sonisphere festival on May 31 at Auditorio Miguel Ríos in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Madrid can be seen below.
NEWSTED's full-length debut, "Heavy Metal Music", will be released on August 6 in North America via Chophouse Records/Collective Sounds and August 5 in Europe through Spinefarm Records. Jason told Billboard.com the 11-song album will be very similar to the band's debut EP, "Metal", which sold around 6,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 62 on The Billboard 200 chart. "The EP was always intended to be the primer, a sampler of what was to come on the LP," he said. "It's all metal all the time. It's not all fast, but it is all heavy."
"Heavy Metal Music" track listing:
01. Heroic Dose 02. Soldierhead 03. ...As The Crow Flies 04. Ampossible 05. Long Time Dead 06. Above All 07. King Of The Underdogs 08. Nocturnus 09. Twisted Tail Of The Comet 10. Kindevillusion 11. Futureality
NEWSTED has been confirmed for this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are headliners MEGADETH, along with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEVICE, HELLYEAH and DEATH DIVISION.
NEWSTED kicked off its first-ever U.S. tour on April 19 at Red House in Walnut Creek, California. The 14-date trek concluded on May 23 in Asbury Park, New Jersey and has led into a number of European festival appearances for the band, which is rounded out by STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, drummer Jesus Mendez Jr. and guitarist Jessie Farnsworth.
NEWSTED is:
Jason Newsted - Bass, Lead Vocals Jesus Mendez Jr. (THE NAPOLEON BLOWNAPARTS) - Drums Jessie Farnsworth - Guitar, Backing Voice Mike Mushok (STAIND) – Guitar
Kerrang! magazine conducted an interview with guitarist LIMP BIZKIT guitarist Wes Borland at this year's Download festival, which took place June 14-16 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.
LIMP BIZKIT recently released a new single, "Ready to Go", and is putting the finishing touches on its new studio album, "Stampede Of The Disco Elephants".
"We're really trying to get it hammered out here," Wes Borland told Billboard last month. "We're done with most of the music, pretty much all the music. The lyrics and vocals are probably 30 percent done, and [Fred Durst] is working as we speak, on tour."
Regarding the musical direction of LIMP BIZKIT's new CD, Borland said that the songs on "Stampede Of The Disco Elephants" have a "very live and sort of wild" feel. Moreover, fans shouldn't expect the same old LIMP BIZKIT on the album; instead, there will be quite a bit of experimentation on the effort. "I think it's a little bit more, sort of playful, taking chances, a little less pop, structured type of stuff," Borland said. "I don't want to say it [sounds] younger, but maybe a little more carefree, musically, to where we don't over-think what we’re doing."
LIMP BIZKIT and Lil Wayne's collaborative single, "Ready To Go", was released via the band's new label home, Cash Money, Lil Wayne's longtime record company.
LIMP BIZKIT in 2011 parted ways with Interscope, the label that released all of the band's records thus far through its subsidiaries Flip, Geffen and Suretone Records.
Lithium Magazine conducted an interview with VISTA CHINO/ex-KYUSS drummer Brant Bjork at the Orion Music + More festival, which took place June 8-9 in Detroit, Michigan. You can now watch the chat below.
VISTA CHINO, the group comprised of two founding members of the legendary rock band KYUSS — Brant Bjork and John Garcia — and guitarist Bruno Fevery, will release its debut album, "Peace", in the early fall via Napalm Records. The cover artwork for the CD was created by the renowned California art collective The Date Farmers.
Commented Bjork: "The Date Farmers are native to the desert where we are from. It is an honor to work together with such prolific artists!"
"Dargona, Dragona", the first song from VISTA CHINO's highly anticipated first full-length album, is available for streaming at this location.
VISTA CHINO's first North American performance will take place at this year's Orion Music + More festival — curated by METALLICA — in Detroit, Michhigan. VISTA CHINO will play on Sunday, June 9 on the "Frantic Stage." A full North American tour will be announced shortly.
The final live appearances of KYUSS LIVES! — featuring the same lineup as VISTA CHINO — took place in early 2013 as part of Australia's Soundwave Festival.
KYUSS LIVES! decided to change its name after a lawsuit launched by former KYUSS members Josh Homme and Scott Reeder prevented KYUSS LIVES! from recording and releasing any new material.
Commented Garcia: "KYUSS LIVES! is now VISTA CHINO!...it feels great just to write that....and to say it out loud, feels even better. Now that our relationship with Napalm Records is official; it's time to forget about the past year, move forward, and execute our original plan, which was to make kick-ass music and tour the world!"
Speaking to Music Feeds, Brant was asked whether there was a slight sense of relief that the legal dispute over the KYUSS name is over. "Absolutely," he replied. "There's always relief when conflict is resolved and people can just let go and move forward. That's where we're at and we feel great. It's always unfortunate to experience differences with specific people, but we feel great as a band. We're really, really excited to move forward into the future and focus on what it is that we do, which is play music."
Regarding whether the change of band's name to VISTA CHINO would have happened had it not been for the lawsuit, Brant said: "That's a good question. The answer to that question is: I don't know. Possibly. We didn't really think about it. We were really just looking at what was in front of us and making our decisions based on what our present situation was. But now we just came to a point where we felt that changing the name was appropriate and was the fastest way for us to get back to playing music."
Natalie of Onslaught Radio conducted an interview with vocalist Jonas Renkse of Swedish dark rockers KATATONIA at this year's Download festival, which was held June 14-16 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.
In August 2012, KATATONIA released "Dead End Kings", their ninth studio album. The CD was the band's most successful to date and cemented the Swedes' position as masters of sorrowful metal. In September 2013, the band returns with "Dethroned And Uncrowned", their first release on Kscope, Peaceville's sister label.
Many of the ecstatic reviews the "Dead End Kings" received commented on the fact that the album marked another step in the band's journey towards a more progressive sound. "Dethroned and Uncrowned" allows them to explore these elements of the record further as they have reworked the album, creating new moods and textures while still staying truthful to the core of the songs.
"Dethroned And Uncrowned" will be available on double LP, download and as 2 disc (CD and DVD-AV) digibook set, which also features a 5.1 surround mix of the album.
"Dethroned And Uncrowned" track listing:
01. The Parting 02. The One You Are Looking For Is Not Here 03. Hypnone 04. The Racing Heart 05. Buildings 06. Leech 07. Ambitions 08. Undo You 09. Lethean 10. First Prayer 11. Dead Letters
KATATONIA has returned with a special triple-LP vinyl release featuring an epic set of classics from the band's catalogue. "Last Fair Day Gone Night" features the Swedish dark rock/metal master at its glorious best with this electrifying set from London's esteemed Koko venue during a series of special celebratory shows to mark the band's 20th anniversary during 2011's "Last Fair Day Gone Night" tour. Released on June 17 via Peaceville Records, "Last Fair Day Gone Night" is presented on triple heavyweight 180gm vinyl in a deluxe box, with a 12-page, 12-inch book.
According to TMZ.com, BLACK SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne has moved back in with his wife and manager Sharon after convincing her that he has been drug and alcohol free for months.
Ozzy admitted that he relapsed into drug and alcohol abuse for 18 months in a statement posted on April 15 on his Facebook page.
Sharon had reportedly been staying in a Los Angeles hotel, and made it clear that she would not get back together with the singer until he adequately proved his sobriety.
The couple walked the red carpet at the Daytime Emmy Awards yesterday (Sunday, June 17) and seemed happy and in love. They even shared a passionate embrace and kiss at the award ceremony in Beverly Hills (see video below).
In a recent interview with USA Today, Sharon stated about Ozzy's recovery: "He's doing incredibly well. He is. Eighty-plus days clean and sober. He's working his program rigidly."
She added: "It's amazing to see how somebody in just over 80 days can change their life around. You know, miracles happen all the time and he has (gone from) hating himself, from a place of despair, to being a responsible husband and father again and it's amazing to see. I'm very proud of him. He's a great example, too, for people. He's not the only person that suffers from addiction.
"Tomorrow's a new day and you start all over again. You just don't give up, it doesn't matter what you have, or your position in life, you still have those demons in you.
"This problem affects so many people. It doesn't matter what you have. It's the same battle for everyone."
Ozzy has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout his entire 40-plus-year career, both with SABBATH and as a solo artist, although in recent years he seemed to have achieved a steady level of sobriety.
Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the many years he spent drunk and high took a toll on his relationship with his kids — especially his son Jack. "The one downside about being the crazy guy of rock 'n' roll was the fact that I missed out on my children somewhat and they missed out on me," he said. "I had an argument with my son one time, and I go to him, 'Jack, what are you moaning at me for? You never wanted for a damn thing.' And he goes, 'Oh yeah? What about a father?' And it just kicked me straight between the legs and I was like, 'Good God.'"
Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards) and Marco Hietala (bass) of Finnish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH took part in a press conference prior to the Russian premeire of their "Imaginaerum" film — based on the band's album of the same name — on May 28 at Cinema Center at Krasnaya Presnya, Moscow. Video footage of the question-and-answer session can be seen below (courtesy of GameScope.ru).
The "Imaginaerum" film was released theatrically in Finland on November 23, 2012.
The movie had its premiere on November 10, 2012 at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland, where the audience was treated to both a full-scale NIGHTWISH concert and the first-ever public screening of the movie.
The "Imaginaerum" screening at Hartwall Arena waspreceded by a show by the musicians in NIGHTWISH themselves in what was their final concert in Finland last year.
The official soundtrack of the movie, "Imaginaerum By Nightwish: The Score", was released on the day before the premiere — Friday, November 9. The album features 13 grandiose, unreleased re-interpretations of "Imaginaerum" tracks by Petri Alanko.
Eagerly anticipated around the world, "Imaginaerum" creates a musical fantasy world in the vein of David Lynch, Neil Gaiman, and Cirque du Soleil. The movie is an innovative mixture of story-telling and music, an extraordinary tale of the power of imagination… and what's ultimately important in life.
Shot and post-produced in Canada, the movie was directed by Stobe Harju and produced by Solar Films, and features appearances by all NIGHTWISH members. The screenplay is based on a wild vision that Tuomas Holopainen, the mastermind of the band, devised after the album "Dark Passion Play" came out in 2007.
"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, reportedly got $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.
During a September 2011 interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen explained that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie was done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production took place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.
Speaking to Loudwire, Holopainen stated about the plot of the "Imaginaerum" film, "Basically it's about this old guy who used to be a composer and he's really sick; he's lying on his death bed in a hospital and he's going through his life, through his dreams — that's the basic storyline. It's all about praising life and life's beauty, imagination and all the strife and the bad stuff we have to face.
"[The storyline] came from the director; I just had the twelve ideas, the twelve visions. He basically wrote the script and storyline around those originally visions and the only one we had to leave out was the 'Ghost River' part, because we didn't have the finance to realize that vision."
Asked if the band appears in the film at all, Tuomas said, "A little bit, we are seen in two different scenes as a band, playing in the background. That's something that I really emphasized to the director, 'Please don't put the band into the movie,' because we want to do a believable story and we have no idea how to act. We are not actors so if your give us some lines and we tried to act, it would look goofy. He insisted to put us into the movie because it's our brainchild, so we're just playing in there as a band; it's a good compromise."
"Imaginaerum" film cast:
* Francis X. McCarthy * Quinn Lord * Marianne Farley * Joanna Noyes * Ilkka Villi * Keyanna Fielding * Ron Lea * Victoria Jung * Hélène Robitaille * Stefan Demers * Anette Olzon * Marco Hietala * Tuomas Holopainen * Emppu Vuorinen * Jukka Nevalainen
METALLICA surprised fans at Orion Music + More on June 8 by playing its 1983 debut disc "Kill 'Em All" from beginning to end on a smaller stage at the event. METALLICA was officially announced to play a headlining set on June 9 to close out the festival, but hit the stage at 4:30 p.m. one day earlier for a 10-song set that started with "Hit The Lights" and finished out with "Metal Militia".
The afternoon slot was officially taken by an "act" called DEHAAN — which METALLICA fans may have recognized as the name of actor Dane DeHaan, who is starring in the band's upcoming 3D movie, "Metallica Through The Never". Another hint was dropped when METALLICA frontman James Hetfield posted a message on Instagram which read, "Don't miss Dehaan! #MUYA #mff #UwillRegretMissingThem #IfUdoUmightKillEmAll #winkWink #getIt?"
Hetfield came onstage first to introduce "DEHAAN," after which the rest of the members of METALLICA came out and began playing.
Official Metallica TV footage of the pre-show rehearsal in the "tuning room", as well as the actual DEHAAN performance, can be seen below.
Featured songs:
"Jump In The Fire" in tuning room (starting at 0:05) "Hit The Lights" from the show (starting at 3:31) "Phantom Lord" from the show (starting at 7:55)
Next month is the 30th anniversary of the release of "Kill 'Em All", which was issued on July 25, 1983.
At last year's Orion festival, METALLICA played both 1991's self-titled "black album" and 1984's "Ride The Lightning" in their entirety on separate nights.
Drummer Lars Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio recently that the band didn't necessarily want to do the same thing each year with a different record. "Obviously, it's something that's a lot of fun to do, but you've got to just walk a fine line because you don't — obviously, METALLICA's not interested in being, you know, a nostalgia act only. So we want to just find that right line."
Other acts performing at the second annual Orion Music + More festival this past weekend included the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, RISE AGAINST, DEFTONES, THE SILVERSUN PICKUPS, BASSNECTAR, GOGOL BORDELLO, FOALS, TOMAHAWK, THE JOY FORMIDABLE, THE BRONX and DROPKICK MURPHYS.
Photo below courtesy of Orion Music + MoreFacebook page
Fan-filmed video footage of TESTAMENT's June 15 performance at the Copenhell festival at Refshaleøen in Copenhagen, Denmark can be seen below.
To honor and celebrate Record Store Day, Nuclear Blast and TESTAMENT released a limited-edition (1000 copies) seven-inch picture disc containing two bonus songs the band recorded during the sessions for their latest album, "Dark Roots Of Earth". Side A is a cover of the SCORPIONS song "Animal Magnetism", while side B is TESTAMENT's take on IRON MAIDEN's "Powerslave". Both covers can also be found on the deluxe edition of "Dark Roots Of Earth". The "Animal Magnetism" / "Powerslave" picture disc was released on April 20.
TESTAMENT's February 15 concert at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, New York as part of "The Dark Roots Of Thrash" tour was professionally filmed for a 90-minute DVD, to be released later this year via Nuclear Blast.
"Dark Roots Of Earth" sold more than 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No, 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on July 31, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.
"Dark Roots Of Earth" was produced, mixed and mastered by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, ACCEPT, EXODUS). Special bonus tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered by Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER) at his Trident Studios. The cover artwork for the effort was painted by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.
BLACK SABBATH, MOTÖRHEAD and ALICE IN CHAINS are among the artists who were honored at this year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods, which took place earlier tonight (Monday, June 17) at London, England's Indigo2. In addition, the event featured live performances from MOTÖRHEAD, AIRBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, COAL CHAMBER and PARADISE LOST.
"From honoring the lords of our world — BLACK SABBATH — and the crown princes of rock 'n' roll — MOTÖRHEAD — as well as today's most cutting-edge acts, there's simply no other event like it," said Alexander Milas, editor of Metal Hammer magazine, which organizes the annual awards.
This year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards winners:
Best New Band: BLEED FROM WITHIN Best Underground Band: THE ALGORITHM Dimebag Darrell "Shredder": Eric Calderone Breakthrough Artist: ASKING ALEXANDRIA Best Event: The Heavy Metal Census Campaign Best International Band: STONE SOUR Best Live Band: GOJIRA Best UK Band: BLACK SABBATH Best Album: BLACK SABBATH - "13" Metal As Fu*k: BURGERKILL Riff Lord: Scott Gorham (THIN LIZZY, BLACK STAR RIDERS) Spirit Of Hammer: Brian Blessed Inspiration: PARADISE LOST Legend: Doro Pesch Icons: ALICE IN CHAINS The Golden God: MOTÖRHEAD
Ask any touring band what the worst part about touring is and everything from dealing with sketchy promoters, ridiculous gas prices and long drives to the shitty pay, shittier food and lack of clean places to actually take a shit will always fall a distant second place behind crossing borders. Every band that has to deal with doing so wishes they didn't have to deal with doing so. However, it's a necessary evil and, if nothing else, it's a source of highly entertaining tales for ambitious wannabe authors to mine, compile and exploit.
In "Do You Have Anything To Declare?", veteran music journalist/borderline hack Kevin Stewart-Panko (Decibel, Terrorizer) and Vitriol Records head honcho/rent-a-guitarist Justin Smith (GRAF ORLOCK, DANGERS, GHOSTLIMB) interview 75 touring bands and musicians about their frustrating, terrifying, hilarious and ridiculous border crossing (mis)adventures. Compiling stories and experiences from the likes of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and FEAR FACTORY to ATHEIST and ZOROASTER to old-school road warriors Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES, DISFEAR), Eugene Robinson (OXBOW) and Rich Hoak (BRUTAL TRUTH) and many more, "Do You Have Anything To Declare?" uses first-person accounts to shine a light on the always nail-biting experience of crossing borders around the world while on tour. Also included are the authors' personal road-dogging recollections, including Smith being arrested in Denmark and Stewart-Panko, theoretically, being denied entry into his own home and native land.
Over the course of 260 pages, topics such as drug dogs, touring through the Schengen Zone, draconian America, Eastern European searches, Russian shakedowns and the ongoing confusion and difficulty inherently associated when crossing from the U.S. into Canada are touched upon. Throw in a bit of snarky commentary, contextual context and even a few history lessons in international relations and first-time authors Stewart-Panko and Smith will have you laughing, crying, perplexed and shaking your head, wondering why any band would even bother to try and leave their home country, but grateful that they put up with as much crap as they do in order to bring their music to the people.
"Do You Have Anything To Declare?" is available from link textVitriol Records.
METALLICA frontman James Hetfield joined Steve Black this weekend to co-host Envision Radio Networks' "The Chop Shop". Celebrating its tenth year of guitar greatness, "The Chop Shop" was the first radio show devoted exclusively to the guitar. Over 900 interviews later, "The Chop Shop" host Steve Black sat down with Hetfield at the Orion Music + More fesival that rocked Detroit June 8 and June 9.
At the festival, Steve Black spoke with Hetfield about the process of putting the event together. "It's just another adventure for us to bring people closer to music," Hetfield explained. Discussing the lineup, the METALLICA frontman said, "We don't want to focus on one type of music. We want to focus on good music, but focus on it being something at least edgy, something that moves people in a different way." On the experience of playing live, Hetfield said, "Playing live for us has been the best drug on the planet."
Hetfield also spoke to Black about METALLICA's upcoming trip to China. "Art and music… have no borders, so that's why we do this, and that's why we want to go to places like China," said Hetfield. "Seeing fans in a new country for the first time is always amazing."
Click here to hear the full show that aired June 14 weekend.
