Archive News Apr 25, 2001

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has responded to mounting criticism over his less-than-complimentary comments about the alleged MOTLEY CRUE split and the behind-the-scenes circumstances that led to ANTHRAX getting thrown off the Maximum Rock tour (also featuring the CRUE and MEGADETH) last summer.

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Here is Mustaine's response in its entirety:

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'First, let me say that I have already experienced the phone calls from my management and MOTLEY CRUE's management regarding what I said in Australia.

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'I repeated what Nikki Sixx said to one of our touring staff, which was, 'We're done.' Meanwhile, Al Pitrelli and I are in Europe and are reading magazines and hearing news about Vince Neil going solo, Mick Mars leaving the band, and Nikki Sixx' separation from his spouse.

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'So, yeah, I said MOTLEY CRUE were done, because Nikki said they were done. I guess I spoke out of school, and that done doesn't really mean done the way that he said it. To any MOTLEY fans or to MOTLEY CRUE in general, Nikki was my indirect source, and if this is not true, then my source was inaccurate.

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'Now according to Guitar Player magazine I was asked to comment on the Maximum Rock tour. I explained what happened to ANTHRAX and MEGADETH, how we were both affected by poor tickets sales on the tour and what MOTLEY CRUE had to do to compensate for this. I spoke the truth.

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'In my eyes, losing the opener and lowering the support's pay when you can pare down your production seems like the wrong way to do things. I am not implying that MOTLEY was wrong, but I surely wouldn't have done it that way. Much like the way that I handled the situation differently from MOTLEY CRUE in Mexico City.

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'Yes, we are partly to blame for poor tickets sales. And yes, I have made my disappointment known in the press. But I have also said that I respect Nikki Sixx as a businessman. I was also really looking forward to spending time with Vince because we spent quite some time together once before and I thought that that would account for something. It did not.

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'So in closing, please don't get caught up in what was an momentary lapse in cool by myself and join in on the 'slagging off of the CRUE.' They have every right to be pissed at me for breaking an age-old trust of 'what happens on the road stays on the road.'

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'I myself am still a Nikki Sixx fan regardless of how mad he may be at me, or what he may be saying in retaliation to my comments.

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'This is in no way an apology.'

Despite the announcement on YNGWIE MALMSTEEN's official web site 'confirming' former vocalist Mark Boals' participation in the remainder of the guitarist's tour in support of the War To End All Wars CD, Boals wishes to make it clear that 'nothing is confirmed' at this time, and that 'final arrangements' have yet to be made regarding the financial details of the upcoming trek. A replacement drummer is also due to be named later this week.

SIX FEET UNDER have collaborated with rapper Ice-T on the song 'One Bullet Left' from the group's forthcoming True Carnage CD, which is currently being mixed in Florida with producer Dave Schiffman. According to frontman Chris Barnes, 'it was a serious honor to work with Ice on this track. I've wanted to work with Ice since '93 when I was still in CANNIBAL CORPSE and we opened for BODYCOUNT at Metalfest. I've been a fan of his music for years, and I want to let you all know this song kills!! Ice wrote some sick lyrics for his part of the song, and I haven't been able to stop listening to this since we recorded the track. It's very, very aggressive, and I'm really proud of what we did on this one. This is in no way rap-rock or anything like that.'

STRATOVARIUS vocalist Timo Kotipelto is hard at work on his debut solo album, which is tentatively due to be released in early 2002. As-yet-untitled, the album will feature a host of guest appearances from some of metal's top musicians, including the following:

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Mike Romeo (guitars SYMPHONY X)

Roland Grapow (guitars HELLOWEEN)

Arjen Lucassen (guitars AYREON)

Sami Virtanen (guitars JOE DOAKES)

Jari Kainulainen (bass STRATOVARIUS)

Mirka Rantanen (drums TUNNEL VISION)

Gas (drums H.I.M.)

Janne Warman (keyboards CHILDREN OF BODOM)

Mikko Harkin (keyboards SONATA ARCTICA)

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In related news, STRATOVARIUS have announced that they will be taking part in four European festivals this summer. The dates are as follows:

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June 28 - Roskilde Festival, DEN

June 30 - Bang Your Head Festival, GER

July 07 - Ruisrock Festival, FIN

July 13 - Tuska Metal Festival, FIN

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton is completing the mixing sessions for the group's forthcoming Demolition opus and is tentatively scheduled to master the album next week. Demolition is still set to be released in Europe on July 16th, Japan on July 14th, and USA/Canada on July 31st.

Sweden's reunited death metal legends UNLEASHED have been added to the list of artists performing at the Graspop 2001 Festival in Dessel, Belgium on Saturday, June 23rd, 2001. As previously reported, UNLEASHED will also be playing the With Full Force Festival at Airport Roitzschjora (near Leipzig),Germany on June 24th.

TECHNOCRACY, featuring former VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel, will be playing at Bourbon Street in Concord, California on May 12th.

GODSMACK will be joining LIMP BIZKIT and the DEFTONES at their Milton Keynes Bowl show on June 24th.

MANOWAR has finished assembling the 'Silver Edition' of their classic debut release Battle Hymns, and according to bassist Joey DeMaio, 'it looks and sounds totally killer.'

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With 20-bit digital mastering of original tapes taken directly from its vault, MANOWAR has created the ultimate version of its monumental metal debut, which, until now, has been unavailable on CD in many parts of the world. The 'Silver Edition' of Battle Hymns includes a deluxe 20-page booklet designed by famed heavy metal art director Brian Ames, and features exclusive photographs from the band's archive, interviews with past and present band members, and extensive liner notes written by metal scribe Vinny Cecolini (Metal Maniacs, Metal Hammer, and Hit Parader).

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MANOWAR will be releasing 'Silver Editions' of some of their other classics, including Into Glory Ride and Hail To England, later this year, featuring the same high quality, limited-edition, deluxe packaging as Battle Hymns.

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In other MANOWAR news, the band have announced the first signing to its Magic Circle Music imprint: Chicago post-mortem metallers BLUDGEON. The group's Joey DeMaio-produced debut, entitled Crucify The Priest, will be released early this summer, and it will be distributed worldwide by Metal Blade Records.

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'We started Magic Circle Music because we want to find bands who are extreme, heavy, and crazy,' explains DeMaio. 'It is our turn to give these bands the opportunity to record music without interference. BLUDGEON, who we met while on tour a few years ago, is an awesome metal force that must be unleashed on the world.'

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Upcoming Magic Circle Music releases include new music from former MANOWAR members Rhino and David Shankle.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman will be holding a guitar clinic in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 5th.

ANTHRAX/SEBASTIAN BACH guitarist Paul Crook has performed the guitar work on a new Pepsi TV commercial, which will coincide with the Tomb Raider movie due out this summer. Here's what Paul had to say about the session:

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'I walked in the studio (The Hit Factory, NYC) and there was [legendary drummer] Anton Fig. It was great to see and record with him again. Anyway, it was me, Anton and Schuyler Deale (bassist for Billy Joel, Michael Bolton). The producers, Gabrielle Hughes and Mark Kilian, played us the keyboard loops that they had recorded after we jammed a bit. After one listen, they said, 'Go'. It was a total improvisation. The three of us belted out the whole thing live. 15 minutes and four takes later, it was done. It sounds really heavy and has an 'Indiana Jones' vibe. Look for it in June 2001.'

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In other Paul Crook news, interested parties can check out some new music on Paul's official web page at: http://www.gothamzone.com/crook. In the sounds section of his media page, he has made available for download four MP3s of solos that he has written for various songs for his upcoming guitar record.

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In related news, it appears that drummer Anton Fig has enlisted former SKID ROW vocalist Sebastian Bach to sing on a song for his upcoming solo effort, for which no release details have yet been announced. The track in question was mixed by veteran producer Kevin Shirley (i.e. IRON MAIDEN, DREAM THEATER),and it is being described by Shirley as 'a very big and heavy, mid-tempo groove song.'

Seattle's REVEREND, featuring METAL CHURCH vocalist David Wayne, have reportedly started rehearsing and writing new material for the next full length REVEREND CD, which is tentatively due for release at the end of the year.

The first single from H.I.M.'s forthcoming third album, which is due for release in August, is entitled 'Pretending', and it will be available in the European record shops on June 18th.

Birmingham, Alabama's VIRGOS (formerly VIRGOS MERLOT) are still in the process of mixing down the new record at Trans Continental Studios in Orlando, Florida with producer Sylvia Massy. Meanwhile, VIRGOS has a few Florida shows coming up in May. They will be playing with FINGER ELEVEN (co-headliner),BOY HITS CAR, and DROWNING POOL at the following venues:

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May 15th - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues

May 16th - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ The Culture Room

May 17th - Ft. Myers, FL @ The Orbit Room

May 18th - Tallahassee, FL @ Floyd's Music Store

Sweden's TAD MOROSE will begin recording their forthcoming studio effort in June. The as-yet-untitled album will be released through Century Media Records at the end of the year.

The first show of the MISFITS' 25th Anniversary tour took place Wednesday, April 18th at Roseland in NYC. Dedicated in loving memory to the godfather of punk Joey Ramone, the show was truly a special night that will be long remembered, according to those that attended. Special guest Marky Ramone appeared for a classic RAMONES set with Jerry and Doyle as well as special guests Robo (MISFITS/BLACK FLAG) in an Earth A.D. set and later joined by Dez Cadena to complete a set of BLACK FLAG classics. The concert even featured a special guest appearance by [former MISFITS vocalist] Michale Graves, who performed songs from the American Psycho and Famous Monsters albums. Goat from MURPHY'S LAW sat in on drums for the opening and closing portion of the set. There were appearances by members of GORILLA BISCUITS and TYPE O NEGATIVE, and in the audience were various friends, including Walk Among Us drummer Arthur Googy and members of BIOHAZARD.

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The Roseland show was followed by an after-party at WWF NY at Times Square, which included autograph signings, screenings of MISFITS music videos, concert footage (from the 1998 CBGBS show) and many other rarities. Jerry, Marky Ramone and Dez performed in a post-concert jam session featuring a RAMONES set, the Monster Mash, and later Robo &amp Michale Graves joined in to jam on classic MISFITS tunes. The entire event was documented in a three-camera shoot by director John Cafiero for inclusion in an upcoming MISFITS home video release.

Sweden pop-punkers MILLENCOLIN will start recording their new album in June at Gothenburg's Music A Matic Studios with American producer Mark Trombino. The as-yet-untitled effort will be released through Epitaph Records in the US in early 2002.

GUNS N' ROSES and longtime manager Doug Goldstein have joined The Sanctuary Group artist management company. As part of the deal, Goldstein will become co-president of Sanctuary Music Management, based at the company's new L.A. offices, which are due to open in mid-May.

WESTWORLD, featuring TNT vocalist Tony Harnell and RIOT guitarist Mark Reale, have signed with Dreamscape Records for the US release of their latest album, Skin. The album is due in the stores in late June or early July.

BREACH OF TRUST's track 'Disease', which will appear on the EMI re-release of the Canadian group's independently-issued Songs For Dying Nations CD (due out June 19th),has been remixed by Randy Staub, whose previous clients include METALLICA, MOTLEY CRUE, BON JOVI, BRYAN ADAMS, MONSTER MAGNET, and countless others.

Swedish all-girl outfit MISDEMEANOR have finally mastered their long-awaited debut album, which was produced by ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid and will be released through Hellid's Muse Entities label. The as-yet-untitled effort will feature the following tracks:

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01. Let Me Know

02. Not The One

03. Annoying

04. Mastery

05. Beerhunter

06. Knowing

07. Parashoot

08. It's So Big

09. Trust

10. 6R12

Holland's Dynamo Open Air Festival has definitely been cancelled for this year, according to a press release issued by the festival's organizers yesterday, April 24th. As previously reported, 'last Friday Lichtenvoorde withdrew the permit out of fear of spreading foot and mouth disease. The organizers, Mojo and Anti Concerts, do not see any possibility to let the festival take place. The festival was going to be held on May 24th, 25th and 26th. It is impossible to find an alternative festival site in such a short time.'

The forthcoming SCORPIONS unplugged live album, Acoustica, is scheduled for release on May 14th, and it will reportedly feature six brand new songs (among them the current single 'When Love Kills Love') as well as classic hits like 'Wind Of Change', 'Still Loving You', 'You And I' and 'Holiday'.

SAXON's upcoming studio album, Killing Ground, will be released in September through Steamhammer/SPV Records. Among the tracks set to appear on the CD are: 'Dragon's Lair', 'Deeds Of Glory' and 'Call Of The Crimson King'.

ARCTURUS are preparing to enter the studio to record the follow-up to Le Masquerade Infernale, tentatively titled The Sham Mirrors.

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