"Hope In Hell", the new album from Canadian metal legends ANVIL, can be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. Due on May 27 in Europe and May 24 in Germany on SPV/Steamhammer, the follow-up to 2011's "Juggernaut Of Justice" will be available in four different formats: as a limited-edition digipak including two bonus tracks, as a jewel case CD, double gatefold colored vinyl LP and as a digital download. These are the first cuts featuring ANVIL's new bassist Sal Italiano, who joined the band a year ago.
"We're really happy with Sal. His style is powerful and amazingly imaginative," says ANVIL guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow, who composed the entire album along with drummer Robb Reiner. "It's a little as if we'd enlisted Steve Harris."
"Hope In Hell" was written and recorded following an 18-month world tour which took ANVIL around the globe. "We hadn't expected this kind of extensive tour when we brought out 'Juggernaut Of Justice'," Kudlow confesses. "Time just flew by. I could hardly believe it when I found myself in the studio again after the tour, ready to work on the next album. The reactions to 'Juggernaut Of Justice' and the shows had been so positive that we had plenty of ideas and inspiration for new material."
Kudlow is referring to typical ANVIL tracks such as "Hope In Hell", which the ANVIL guitarist considers a logical continuation of legendary numbers like "Forged In Fire", "Metal On Metal" and "Plenty Of Power". He also mentions "Eat Your Words", according to Kudlow a "hybrid between 'Jackhammer' and '666', in other words pure ANVIL, like in our early days." Pretty much the same applies to haunting new tracks like "The Fight Is Never Won" and "Call Of Duty", which present ANVIL true to form. But there are also a number of real surprises on "Hope In Hell": "A song like 'Badass Rock'n'Roll' with its rock'n'roll groove surprised even me," Kudlow admits. "It shows our great respect for bands like AC/DC and MOTÖRHEAD. I'm sure that all ANVIL fans will love this song because it's the best we've done in this direction." "Mankind Machine" sees Kudlow & Co. break new ground: never before has this band sounded so mechanical (like the title suggests). And never before has it sounded as oriented to the classic rock feel of the seventies as in "Time Shows No Mercy".
So ANVIL are proud to present the kind of album that ANVIL fans will love: no concessions to short-lived trends, no modern frills but traditional metal with lots of classic rock music elements.
"What we do is totally timeless," says ANVIL's frontman. "We've never tried to change our sound or experiment with trends and fashions. We live in our own world and have maintained our individuality and own identity."
Like "Juggernaut Of Justice", "Hope In Hell" was produced by Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, AIRBOURNE, ALICE COOPER) at the NRG Recording studios in North Hollywood, California and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, SEPULTURA).
"The album's flair reminds me of the beginnings of classic heavy metal in the most positive sense of the term," says Kudlow. "I grew up in the Seventies, and I still like what I listened to back then.
"You can always rely on ANVIL. We don't write our music for the radio and we don't want to break any records. Some media criticize our uncompromising attitude, but we're proud of never having betrayed our ideals and having remained faithful to our roots.
"We're really proud and already love the new album just as much as our early releases from the beginning of the Eighties, because 'Hope In Hell' sounds like ANVIL live on stage: natural, honest, unvarnished, never over-produced and straight from the heart."
"Hope In Hell" track listing:
01. Hope In Hell 02. Eat Your Words 03. Through With You 04. The Fight Is Never Won 05. Pay The Toll 06. Flying 07. Call Of Duty 08. Badass Rock N Roll 09. Time Shows No Mercy 10. Mankind Machine 11. Shut The Fuck Up 12. Hard Wired (bonus track) 13. Fire At Will (bonus track)
JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon is never far away from questions about his old bandmate Steve Perry. He admits the two haven't spoken since 2005 — though, at the same time, there are no lingering animosities, either.
"You know what? I say nice things about him, and he says nice things about me," Schon tells Paul Cashmere of Noise11 (see video below). "I think, all in all, I have ultimate respect for the man, and the voice that he has. I wish him the best, but we haven't quite gotten around to speaking since we received the Hollywood Walk Of Fame star."
Schon last year said that the only way to see Steve Perry back on stage with JOURNEY would be alongside current vocalist, sound-alike Arnel Pineda. Schon, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, and Pineda spoke to The Huffington Post to publicize the documentary "Don't Stop Believin'': Everyman's Journey", which premiered at New York City's Tribeca Film Festival, and talked candidly about what it would take to have Steve Perry ever rejoin JOURNEY, with Schon saying, "I don't think there's any way not to have Arnel at this point. Who can say never? You can never say it's never going to happen. Maybe ten years from now? Six years? Who knows? But if that situation ever came up, I think it would be the both of them. And I think it would be at the point where it's a farewell tour. . . and we're done. That's the only appropriate way to go about it."
He recalled the search to find Pineda after going through two frontmen following Perry's departure. Schon explained, "We needed someone to really nail our catalog. I looked for a couple of days, non-stop on YouTube. It was a different way to go about it, instead of flying people in from all over the world. I looked and looked for like two days, and Arnel popped up at the last minute in a link. I heard the voice and went, 'He's got the high tenor voice.' I realized he was very, very strong and covered a lot of area."
Jonathan Cain added that there's a difference between being a straight mimic and doing what Pineda does. "He's not a tribute band singer," Cain said. "The tribute band singers are scary because they are kind of clones, you know? We did have a guy that we looked at, but he was so much like Steve Perry, it was crazy. It was too creepy. But, it was kind of neat to get next to that and see it for a second. A lot of these tribute guys, they can sing the old stuff, but, you try to put a new song in their mouth and they can't do it."
Pineda was asked if he's ever met Steve Perry. "No, but I've been wanting to," he said. "I hope I can sing with him, you know, side by side. If he would welcome that. That would be awesome. I think, especially the hardcore fans, they would love it."
Steve Perry, who over the years co-wrote such JOURNEY classics with Neal Schon as "Don't Stop Believin'", "Stone In Love", "Lights" and "Any Way You Want It", told The Pulse Of Radio that during the band's heyday, Neal Schon had uncut gems flowing from his fingers. "It was challenging, because Neal Schon is a goldmine of potential ideas and he doesn't know, really, which are the best or not — 'cause they're all interesting to him," he said. "But in come my set of ears and he'd play stuff and I'd hear melodies, I'd say, 'Wait, what was that?!' And (he'd say) 'Oh, I don't know, it's just 'diddle-a doh' over this with a fifth. . .' I'd say, 'I don't care what you call it — what was that?' 'I don't know, it's just an idea I came up with last night.' I'd say, 'Well, why don't you keep playing that for a second while I come up with a melody?'"
Slash, Alice Cooper, Joe Satriani and Ian Astbury have reacted on Twitter and Facebook to the passing of THE DOORS' co-founder and keyboardist Ray Manzarek, who died on Monday, May 20 in Rosenheim, Germany at the RoMed Clinic following a long battle with with bile duct cancer. He was 74. Manzarek was surrounded by his wife Dorothy and his brothers Rick and James Manczarek. Manzarek is survived by Dorothy, their son Pablo, his wife Sharmin, and their three children Noah, Apollo, and Camille. Funeral arrangements are pending.
Alice Cooper: "OK, it is official. Ray Manzarek is dead. Mind blown. RIP Ray."
Slash: "RIP Ray Manzarek. Words cannot express…"
Joe Satriani: "I had the pleasure of playing with Ray Manzarek impromptu on a Howard Stern radio show many years ago. He was an original, a true artist and musical innovator. The sound he produced is part of the soundtrack of my youth, and my musical foundation. Thank you, Ray."
Ian Astbury (THE CULT): "Ray Manzarek passed today. I am deeply saddened by this news he was a beautiful man who had a profound effect on my life. I shall treasure the time I spent with him. My heart go's out to all in THE DOORS family to all the fans and friends, especially Dorothy, Pablo, Rick, James, Robbie and John. I can't say much more. We lost a giant today."
Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT): "More sad news: Ray M helped elevate rock's musicality"
THE DOORS guitarist Robby Krieger said in a statement: "I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today. I'm just glad to have been able to have played DOORS songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him."
THE DOORS drummer John Densmore said in a statement: "There was no keyboard player on the planet more appropriate to support Jim Morrison's words. Ray, I felt totally in sync with you musically. It was like we were of one mind, holding down the foundation for Robby and Jim to float on top of. I will miss my musical brother."
On May 21, Geoff Tate of QUEENSRŸCHE was interviewed on the "Signals Of Intuition" show, which airs on the Windsor-Detroit radio station 99.1 CJAM-FM. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.
"Frequency Unknown", the new album from the Geoff Tate-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE, sold around 5,500 copies in its first week of release in the United States to land at position No. 82 on The Billboard 200 chart.
As previously reported, Deadline Music/Cleopatra Records is making available the "new and improved" mixes of "Frequency Unknown" to any customers who have purchased the original mix version and are dissatisfied with the audio. Simply e-mail the label a scan of your actual receipt for the physical CD to Queensryche@cleorecs.com and they will happily send you a replacement disc — at no charge whatsoever. No questions asked!
"Frequency Unknown" was released on April 23. The CD was produced by Jason Slater at a studio in Northern California.
Asked about the decision to remix "Frequency Unknown" shortly before the album's release, Tate told "The Continental Breakfast With James & Raina": "We were a little rushed on the mixing end of it, so after listening to it back, we're having some of the songs remixed now before the album comes out. But that's typical with records — you have to have them in on time. So sometimes you compromise in areas. Luckily, with this situation, we get to go back and correct some areas in the sound where we thought it was kind of lacking. So that's fine. I've done that on… gosh… probably three quarters of the records I've ever made. It's no new thing, but it's a luxury when you get to fix it."
"Frequency Unknown" is packaged with bonus tracks — four QUEENSRŸCHE classics, newly recorded, including the smash hit single "Silent Lucidity". Guest musicians on the CD include K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST), Chris Poland (MEGADETH), Ty Tabor (KING'S X), Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS), Lita Ford, Brad Gillis (NIGHT RANGER), Dave Meniketti (Y&T) and Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN).
Although a lineup for Tate's QUEENSRŸCHE was originally announced in the fall of 2012, things have changed. The band now features Tate along with bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, DIO, WHITESNAKE, QUIET RIOT), guitarist Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE 1998-2001), keyboardist Randy Gane and new additions, guitarist Robert Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, HURRICANE) and drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO, RHINO BUCKET).
The Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE will release its new album, simply titled "Queensrÿche", on June 25 via Century Media Records.
"Queensrÿche" marks the debut release from the lineup comprised of La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY), Michael Wilton (guitar), Parker Lundgren (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums).
A trailer for "In The Light Of Darkness", the new video from French death metallers ZUUL FX, can be seen below. The full clip, which features a guest appearance by Rachel Aspe from ETHS, will make its online debut on May 28.
"In The Light Of Darkness" comes off ZUUL FX's latest album, "Unleashed", which was released last November via Verycords.
"Unleashed" track listing:
01. First Interlude 02. In The Light Of Darkness 03. Break 04. Under The Mask 05. Second Interlude 06. Unleashed 07. Betrayed 08. The Fight 09. Zombie Followers 10. Soul Seeker 11. Fuck Thee 12. Resist To Persist 13. Battlefield 14. Third Interlude 15. Life In Me
In late 2012, Northern Ireland-based rockers THE ANSWER entered the studio with ex-LITTLE ANGELS vocalist Toby Jepson at the production helm. The band's fourth studio album, "New Horizon", features mixes from rock icon Mike Fraser (AC/DC, METALLICA), and will be released on September 30 in Europe and October 1 in North America via Napalm Records. The band was also honored and privileged that the late Storm Thorgerson and his team saw fit to design the artwork for the new album, and Storm was working on final ideas for the album cover just before his sad passing.
Vocalist Cormac Neeson states: "We're back and we’re back in a big way. Our love for rock 'n' roll is still as fresh as a skinny dip in the Lagan (that’s the big river that runs through Belfast!) and we really believe that this is by far and away our best album to date. We can't wait to get out and play it live!"
THE ANSWER will play its first headline dates since March 2012, undertaking a full 40-date European tour during October-December 2013.
"Formidable", the new video from Finnish melodic death metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Hannu Mikkola of Visual Vortex at OMNIUM GATHERUM's hometown show in Kotka earlier this year as part of the "Beyond" record-release tour.
Says the band: "As you can see, it is not a huge stage, where bands usually do the 'live-like' music videos, but we hope this video captured the special feeing of the evening…"
"Formidable" comes off OMNIUM GATHERUM's new album, "Beyond", which was released on February 25 in Europe and March 5 in North America via Lifeforce Records. The CD was recorded by Teemu Aalto and mixed and mastered once again by Dan Swanö. The artwork for the follow-up to 2011's "New World Shadows" was created by Olli Lappalainen and can be seen below.
"Beyond" track listing:
01. Luoto 02. New Dynamic 03. In The Rim 04. Nightwalkers 05. Formidable 06. The Sonic Sign 07. Who Could Say 08. The Unknowing 09. Living In Me 10. White Palace
The special edition of "Beyond" contains the band's brand new cover version of "Subdivisions" by RUSH. OMNIUM GATHERUM guitarist Markus Vanhala told Soundi magazine: "As pretty much everyone in the band is a fan of RUSH, we decided to take the bull by the horns and make or own bold 'Omnification' of 'Subdivisions'. Besides, Metal Hammer wrote already at the time of our debut album that if OPETH are the PINK FLOYD of this scene, then OMNIUM are likely to turn into RUSH at the very least. It was time to pick up the gauntlet!"
Regarding the musical and lyrical direction of "Beyond", Vanhala previously stated: "It's now been approximately 10 years since our debut full-length album, 'Spirits And August Light', was released and the world was waiting. The latest 2011 album, 'New World Shadows', was a good breakthrough for us and lots of good things happened after that record, so, of course, we had some pressures to do a decent successor for that great record as the world was waiting again.
"Well, I think we managed on mastering that task and now we're back again with the OMNIUM GATHERUM's sixth album called 'Beyond', the album that is really going beyond all limits of melodic death metal from the winter wonderland! The album follows the good known path of 'New World Shadows' and 'The Redshift', but adds a lot of new flavors and spices to the good ol' melting pot to lift the band to a new heights. It's our most melodic and versatile album so far, but at the same time, it still holds for example the most brutal death metal growls in our career yet as also some really tasteful clean vocals between the lines. I'm sure everyone who gives the album many spins can find something new with every turn, so this should be a album that hold up the sands of time and rewards the listeners who are digging deeper and searching something more than just a one hit wonders of the day!
"Lyrically told, 'Beyond' is about the culmination point of one's existence. It is a coming-home story where the mysteries of duality are melted into oneness but without losing one single point of individuality along the arrival.
"As you can see from the cover, there's also a strong sense of sea on the album, as we're the sons of the sea from Kotka!"
OMNIUM GATHERUM recently announced the addition of bassist Erkki Silvennoinen to the group's ranks.
"New World Shadows" entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 5. This marked the highest chart entry in the group's history, having previously landed at No. 24 with 2008's "The Redshift" and No. 31 with 2007's "Stuck Here On Snakes Way".
Norwegian/Spanish symphonic gothic metallers SIRENIA will release their sixth studio album, "Perils Of The Deep Blue", on June 28 via Nuclear Blast Records. The second trailer for the CD can be seen below,
Comments SIRENIA vocalist and guitarist Morten Veland: "The entire band and all the people we are working with are absolutely ecstatic about it! This album takes SIRENIA to the next level and brings many new sides of us to the table. There's typical tried-and-tested SIRENIA stuff but also approaches that you've never heard from us before. I think I've never felt so good about an album throughout my entire career. I mean, I love them all, but this one is something special. It's the result of two and a half years of blood, sweat and tears. I've literally put my heart and soul into this record, so I am very curious to see what our fans as well as the press will think about it!"
"Perils Of The Deep Blue" was produced by the SIRENIA mastermind himself, while the mixing and mastering was handled by Endre Kirkesola at Dub Studios in Oslo.
"The writing process has been going on for about two years," states Veland. "I always have ideas for new stuff, so I started writing even before we had released our previous album, 'The Enigma Of Life'. Most of it has been recorded in my own studio. I love to work there as I always feel inspired — plus we can take our time with whatever we do, for there is no time pressure. Just like for all of our previous albums, we also dropped by Sound Suite Studios in France — a great place that feels like home, too. This time we recorded the Marseille choir there that one can always hear on our records, as well as some of my acoustic guitar parts."
The album artwork was originally painted by Anne Stokes — though it wasn't intentionally created to be used as such, as Morten explains: "came across the artwork on the Internet and immediately fell in love with it for obvious reasons — it's no secret that I've always been fascinated by Greek mythology and sirens. So we got in touch with Anne and luckily she granted us the permits to use it for the record. I actually drew the inspiration for the album title, 'Perils Of The Deep Blue', from the artwork. In my opinion, it's the perfect SIRENIA cover — there was no way we could have let that opportunity slip away!"
"Perils Of The Deep Blue" track listing:
01. Ducere Me In Lucem 02. Seven Widows Weep 03. My Destiny Coming To Pass 04. Ditt Endelikt 05. Cold Caress 06. Darkling 07. Decadence 08. Stille Kom Døden 09. The Funeral March 10. Profound Scars 11. A Blizzard Is Storming
Limited-edition-digipak bonus tracks:
12. Chains 13. Blue Colleen
SIRENIA's last album, "The Enigma Of Life", was released on January 21, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.
In 2008, SIRENIA recruited singer Ailyn (born: Pilar Giménez García) as the replacement for Monika Pedersen, who left the group a year earlier after only one album due to "musical differences."
Ailyn was best known as a former contestant on the Spanish version of "The X Factor", the biggest television talent competition in Europe.
According to Entertainment Weekly, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach will be one of the contestants in ABC's new competition series, "Sing Your Face Off". Actor John Barrowman ("Torchwood", "Arrow") will host the show, which will feature five celebrity contestants taking on the identity of an iconic music performer each week.
Other contestants learning to perform the hits of famous music stars are comedian Jon Lovitz, Toronto Raptors player Landry Fields, teenage Disney Channel actress-singer China Anne McClain and former soap star Lisa Rinna.
The six-episode "Sing Your Face Off" is produced by Endemol USA with Georgie Hurford-Jones ("America's Got Talent") as executive producer.
No air date has yet been announced for the program, which will feature former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Darrell Hammond and pop singer Debbie Gibson as judges.
Professionally filmed video footage of JUDAS PRIEST performing the song "Turbo Lover" at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, England in May 2012 — taken from the forthcoming "Epitaph" Blu-ray and DVD — can be seen below.
JUDAS PRIEST, the heavy metal legends whose influence on generations of musicians and metalheads is incalculable, celebrate their 40th year as recording artists with the global cinema release of the live concert "Epitaph". A unique live career retrospective, "Epitaph" will be shown at two very special cinema events — one in New York at the Clearview Chelsea on May 14 and the other at London's Forum in Kentish Town on May 24.
JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford and guitarist Richie Faulkner will introduce the New York screening of "Epitaph". The event will be hosted by "That Metal Show"'s Eddie Trunk.
It will then be released in cinemas on May 16 across the U.S., U.K., Canada, Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Spain, Bulgaria, Estonia, Romania, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Central America, with many more to follow. Fans will have a limited opportunity to re-live the excitement of the final show of the band's last-ever world tour, which was filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo London in May 2012.
Cinema locations and ticket purchasing information can be found at JudasPriest.com or using the widget below.
Says the band: "The 'Epitaph' world tour came to an exciting conclusion at the renowned Hammersmith Odeon (now known as the Apollo) in London. Knowing our fans around the planet recognize that venue for many legendary metal moments, and of course with JUDAS PRIEST being a British metal band it was the perfect gig for us to film and record. Big thanks as always to you our metal family of fans — so start banging your heads one more time with us as we scream together 'The PRIEST is back!'"
A unique live career retrospective, "Epitaph" will be made available on Blu-ray and separate DVD on May 28 through Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. This release precedes a new studio album by JUDAS PRIEST which the band are working on now.
JUDAS PRIEST's current lineup comprises lead singer Rob Halford, lead guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis.
Heavy metal historians will regard "Epitaph" as the most far-reaching live concert recording in the band's career. The set revisits the climactic closing date of the 50-week "Epitaph" world tour, captured live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo on May 26, 2012. Adding to the drama is the fact that this was JUDAS PRIEST's final large-scale world tour ever.
"Epitaph"'s 23 tracks represent at least one song from every one of the band's 14 studio albums, from 1974's "Rocka Rolla" ("Never Satisfied") to 2008's "Nostradamus" ("Prophecy"). In the special case of "British Steel", four songs are featured: "Rapid Fire", "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and perennial set closer "Living After Midnight". Others exempted from the one-song-quota are the LPs which appeared before and after "British Steel". The first of these is 1979's "Hell Bent For Leather" (U.K. title: "Killing Machine") which lends the title song as well as "The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown)". The other LP is 1982's "Screaming For Vengeance", source of "The Hellion", "Electric Eye" and "You've Got Another Thing Coming".
"They have epitomized the genre with their Harley riding frontman, rapid-fire guitar assaults, and spectacular stage shows," wrote journalist Bryan Reesman in his liner notes for 2004's leather-bound, metal-spiked "Metalogy" box set. "Influential, innovative, and exuberant in expression," he wrote, "they are the true Metal Gods who have been as unwavering in their desire to expand the boundaries of their music as they have been in crossing international borders to deliver it to their disciples.
"Unabashedly committed to their cause, and unrepentant in proclaiming themselves a true heavy metal band even when others have shied away from the term, Judas Priest have forever been defenders of the faith."
"Epitaph" track listing
01. Battle Hymn (L) 02. Rapid Fire (F) 03. Metal Gods (F) 04. Heading Out To The Highway (G) 05. Judas Rising (M) 06. Starbreaker (C) 07. Victim Of Changes (B) 08. Never Satisfied (A) 09. Diamonds And Rust (C) 10. Prophecy (N) 11. Night Crawler (L) 12. Turbo Lover (J) 13. Beyond The Realms Of Death (D) 14. The Sentinel (I) 15. Blood Red Skies (K) 16. The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown) (E) 17. Breaking The Law (F) 18. Painkiller (L) 19. The Hellion (H) 20. Electric Eye (H) 21. Hell Bent For Leather (E) 22. You've Got Another Thing Coming (H) 23. Living After Midnight (F)
Album index:
A - from "Rocka Rolla" (originally issued 1974, on Gull Records) B - from "Sad Wings Of Destiny" (originally issued 1976, on Gull Records) C - from "Sin After Sin" (originally issued 1977, on Columbia Records) D - from "Stained Class" (originally issued 1978, on Columbia) E - from "Hell Bent For Leather" (originally issued 1979, on Columbia; aka Killing Machine in UK) F - from "British Steel" (originally issued 1980, on Columbia) G - from "Point Of Entry" (originally issued 1981, on Columbia) H - from "Screaming For Vengeance" (originally issued 1982, on Columbia) I - from "Defenders Of the Faith" (originally issued 1984, on Columbia) J - from "Turbo" (originally issued 1986, on Columbia) K - from "Ram It Down" (originally issued 1988, on Columbia) L - from "Painkiller" (originally issued 1990, on Columbia) M - from "Angel Of Retribution" (originally issued 2005, on Epic Records) N - from "Nostradamus" (originally issued 2008, on Epic)
PRIEST's forthcoming album will mark the recording and songwriting debut of the band's new guitarist, Richie Faulkner, who replaced co-founder K.K. Downing in 2011.
Asked what fans can fans expect from the group's next CD, JUDAS PRIEST lead singer Rob Halford said in an August 2012 interview, "We've already got a strong cross-section of ideas, some of them complete, some of them in bits and pieces. It's shaping up to be quite intense, in terms of the riffage and the strength of certain tracks. Much like every time you try and talk about music, it's practically impossible to capture it. You can only point it in the direction of where things are shaping up, and it's just glorious. If I try to pinpoint it, there are elements of 'British Steel' and there elements of 'Painkiller' in terms of the vibe. We've got a really solid record coming together slowly in a strong metal way that will make all of our PRIEST fans around the world very happy and content. At least I hope it does."
Regarding a possible release date for the new PRIEST album, Halford said, "I'm not really sure. It'll be ready when it's ready. We're not under the same clock as we used to be. I remember in the '80s we were banging out a record almost every year, and that was on top of putting in a world tour. We have the luxury now, if you want to call it that, of taking our time. And that's just because that's the way it is. We're just as eager to get this done as ever, but we do it at a slower pace. It's that British thing, you know? [laughs] It's that monarchy thing. Let's look forward to that moment for another PRIEST record for everyone to bang their heads to."
In a November 2011 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Halford stated about PRIEST's plans for the upcoming CD, "Glenn and I started to write in the early part of January [of 2011]. We just went to it from the heart really, there was no specific agenda or idea, as opposed to what we had to do with 'Nostradamus', which was very focused and a real anchor of a project. This one has just been some straight-forward, classic British heavy metal. Some of it feels a bit like 'Painkiller', some of it feels like 'Sad Wings Of Destiny', some like 'British Steel'. We didn't do much research, we didn't bother checking some of our previous releases, we didn't do any homework, we just sat down and played, you know? Glenn came up with riffs and I came up with vocal melodies. There was no outside influence or interference in the writing sessions. We just started the day, plugged in some amps, got the mic up and made the metal that way. It's a very pure record, in that respect."
Former WHITE ZOMBIE and LAST CRACK drummer Phil Buerstatte was reportedly found dead over the weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. He was 44 years old.
Buerstatte was the drummer for WHITE ZOMBIE between 1992 and 1994 and he played with the band on the "La Sexorcisto" tour. He was also in the Wisconsin metal band LAST CRACK from 1986 to 1997.
Phil's former WHITE ZOMBIE bandmate Rob Zombie has since issued the following statement: "Well, I heard rumors of this a few days ago but I wasn't sure if they were true or not. But it seems that one of our former drummers for WHITE ZOMBIE has died. Phil Buerstatte who was in the band for about two years 1992-94 was found dead this weekend.
"Phil was a very troubled guy during his time with us and I never really knew what happened to him after he left the band. The few stories I heard were not good. He played on three recordings with us in his brief time, 'Feed The Gods' on the 'Airheads' soundtrack, 'Children Of The Grave' and 'I Am Hell' from the 'Beavis And Butthead' soundtrack."
BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne performed this past Saturday night (May 18) at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center's "An Evening With Women" fundraiser at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Kathy Griffin emceed the event, which consisted of a cocktail reception, dinner, auction and performances by some of the biggest names in the industry.
Joining Ozzy on stage at "An Evening With Women" were guitarists Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Billy Morrison (CAMP FREDDY), keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) and drummer Tommy Clufetos (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK SABBATH). Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
All proceeds from the event, produced by Linda Perry, benefit the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center's services for women and girls.
British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST have announced a four-date U.K. tour to celebrate their 25th anniversary. Support on the trek will come from Italian hevy rockers LACUNA COIL.
Commented PARADISE LOST vocalist Nick Holmes: "25 years is a long time. On the surface, we may look ramshackled, but playing music for so many years has kept us young in our hearts and I truly believe that a youthful spirit is one of the greatest things you can't buy in a pub.
"We have written many albums, played many concerts; we are older and not really any wiser, but there is a strong possibility we may play a song you thought we never would. So please come along and join the celebrations with us, including our biggest U.K. headline show to date!"
Added LACUNA COIL vocalist Cristina Scabbia: "PARADISE LOST were in between the bands that strongly influenced me as a singer, when I started my career with LACUNA COIL, so it is just awesome for me to realize we'll share the stage with them on this upcoming tour. I am sure that the dark vibe coming from the stage will totally embrace old school and new fans making it an event you absolutely CAN'T miss! Boy, I can't wait!!!"
Tickets go on pre-sale Wednesday, May 22 and on general sale Friday, May 24. In addition, there will be a special VIP package available to buy (limited to 25 per venue) which includes:
* An exclusive deluxe box containing 2 engraved beer glasses featuring all the band's album titles and crown of thorns logo. * Exclusive VIP-only t-shirt with artwork from the forthcoming "Tragic Illusion" album. * A 180-gram vinyl copy of the reissued landmark "Gothic" album, personally signed by all the band members. * Crown of Thorns tote bag * VIP lanyard and laminate allowing you access to the show * Early access to the show * Meet-and-greet with the band * Photo opportunity with the band (please bring your own camera)
KornRow conducted an interview with KORN guitarists James "Munky" Shaffer and Brian "Head" Welch at this year's Rock On The Range festival, which took place May 17-19 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. You can now watch the chat below.
KORN recently completed work on its 11th studio CD and first with founding guitarist Brian "Head" Welch back in the fold since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror".
Speaking to Loudwire, Welch stated about the songwriting process for the new KORN album, "It was effortless. It just kind of fell into place and it was better than before."
Asked how much involvement Welch has had in the creative process so far, KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer said: "He had a huge role in everything. This guy is the melody-chorus master. He's the best. He can come up with melodies and choruses all day long and that was a huge help for me, 'cause for a long time I was trying to come up with choruses and verses and wrangle the whole thing. It's been so much work and for him to come in and have these fresh ideas, it's just been so refreshing."
Added Welch: "And it goes both ways, because I came in and then we started, but it was… Like, my favorite song on the album is one that [Munky] came up with. I'm a fan of his writing, he's a fan of my writing, and it all just works great."
Welch left KORN in 2005 to pursue a solo career and devote more of his life to Christianity, but rejoined them for one gig last year and several more in 2013, leading to plans to record together again.
Welch told Rolling Stone, "We knew we would have a blast playing together, because we love each other so much, but we really wanted to make sure the music felt right before we committed to making a whole album together. But since we got in the studio, everything just started pouring out, now I can't wait until our fans hear this stuff!"
The new KORN set is due out in late summer and will follow up 2011's "The Path Of Totality", which found the group experimenting with dubstep.
The new record will feature four-fifths of the original KORN lineup, with only founding drummer David Silveria not on board.
KORN played its first full show in eight years with Welch on May 15 at Rostraver Ice Garden in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania. Welch first appeared onstage with them for one song at last year's Carolina Rebellion festival.
DJ Fio conducted an interview with Mr. Lordi of Finnish heavy metal monsters LORDI on the May 1 episode of the "European Metal Show" radio show on Insane Realm Radio. You can now listen to the chat using the Mixcloud player below.
LORDI's new album, "To Beast Or Not To Beast", was released on March 1 in Europe (excluding Finland) via AFM Records. The CD was made available in North America on March 19 through The End Records.
"To Beast Or Not To Beast" has registered the following first-week chart positions:
Finland: #8 Germany: #56 Switzerland: # 95
"To Beast Or Not To Beast" was recorded last fall at WireWorld Studio in Nashville, Tennessee with renowned producer Michael Wagener (METALLICA, OZZY OSBOURNE, SKID ROW, DOKKEN, RAVEN, MEGADETH). The CD marks the recording debut of LORDI's new members, keyboardist Hella (replacing Awa) and drummer Mana (replacing Otus).
"The road to this album has truly been paved by hardships," LORDI leader Mr. Lordi says. "However, the new lineup of the band has given us new and fresh touch and an energetic edge to the recording process, and to the album itself."
He added: "The album cover painting is actually a part of a larger picture. The original artwork had this vintage-styled lady holding a horned skull, which, however, was not the main point of the art piece. There was something not quite right with the setting, so I made experiments with various versions and framings. Album title was 'Upgradead' at that point in time, and the painting was done with that title in mind. But now, with a changed concept of the artwork, the title did not seem to fit anymore. We did not consider it an A-class name either. Our guitarist Amen came up with the final title, which we felt suitable and perfect both for the cover artwork and the album."
"To Beast Or Not To Beast" track listing:
01. We're Not Bad For The Kids (We're Worse) 02. I Luv Ugly 03. The Riff 04. Something Wicked This Way Comes 05. I'm The Best 06. Horrifiction 07. Happy New Fear 08. Schizo Doll 09. Candy For The Cannibal 10. Sincerely With Love 11. SCG6: Otus' Butcher Clinic
LORDI previously worked with Wagener on 2010's "Babez For Breakfast", which sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 43 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
