Archive News Jun 07, 2001

While awaiting the start of the mixing process on the group's much-anticipated Supercharger opus with producer Colin Richardson, MACHINE HEAD mainman Robert Flynn has spoken out about the recording process of and the musical direction on the the follow-up to the underrated The Burning Red release (1999). Here is what Flynn had to say in an interview that was conducted with BLABBERMOUTH.NET contributor Don Kaye less than two weeks ago:

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On Supercharger's musical direction:

'We wanted to write a ferocious, heavy record and just ignore all the stuff about, 'well, this song will be the single, so we have to look at it like this.' We just said that this is what we are, we're gonna do what we're gonna do, and we're gonna be happy with it. If it doesn't fit into some radio, three-and-a-half minute rock block, well, then so be it.'

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'There were songs where people were actually saying, 'That could be a single,' so I went in there and belted that song out so hard, I virtually guaranteed that it won't be a single! (laughs) Not to cut my nose off to spite my face, but that's what we are, and as long as we're true to that, I think the music will communicate to people.'

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'There's a punk feel on this record — that happened for no conscious reason — which reminds me of the punk feel we had on the first record.'

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On the choice of Johnny K (i.e. DISTURBED, SOIL) as the album's producer:

'When we talked to him, he was just so young and hungry, and he wasn't like this big-name producer who had a bunch of stuff under his belt. He was this hungry dude who wants to make a name for himself as a top-grade producer. Just his vibe and energy were really cool. I think that sold us more than anything, and once we got into the studio, the guy was awesome.'

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On the recording process:

'We did a lot of stuff where we went for stacks of effects on the guitars, adding all these textures and crazy, super-distorted, f.cked-up, crusty-sounding sh.t, and tracking it to tape. That's something that's kind of frowned upon in producer circles, because it's permanent. You can't go back and fix it. But I like that. I like the finality of commitment. We had all these crazy, Seventies, psychedelic-type sounds, just adding all this texture and weird sh.t in the background. I think it makes it so different-sounding from any other metal record that's gonna come out right now.'

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'We really just had a disregard for the things that a band on their fourth album are 'supposed' to be doing.'

'We track everything as if we're playing live. And we got into a thing where we would only play the song three or four times, and if we didn't get it in that first three or four times, we'd move on. So instead of getting sick of the song and burnt out on playing it, we'd keep up the energy and excitement about it. It was awesome to do that, especially on the vocals. If I didn't get it after a few takes, I'd move on, just to keep the urgency.'

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Pending the outcome of the mixing sessions with the aforementioned Richardson (who is due to begin work on the album's initial mixes on June 12th),Supercharger is tentatively scheduled to be released in September through Roadrunner Records. Prior to the album's release, MACHINE HEAD will partake in the Beast Feast Festival in Tokyo, Japan (Asia) on August 25th and August 26th, which may or may not be preceded by one or more low-key west coast warm-up dates earlier in the month. The full line-up of bands performing at the Beast Feast Festival is as follows:

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PANTERA

SLAYER

SEPULTURA

MACHINE HEAD

STATIC-X

BIOHAZARD

V.O.D.

MORBID ANGEL

UNITED

BAT CAVE

SHADOWS FALL

CALIBAN

COCOBAT

DEVIATE

SUCK DOWN

SOILENT GREEN

PULLING TEETH

YELLOW MACHINEGUN

DIABLO

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More acts are due to be announced shortly. The Beast Feast Festival will be held at Tokyo's 30,000-capacity Yokohama Arena (located near JR/Yokohama city subway line 'Shin-Yokohama' Station),and tickets are reportedly available for 9,500 JPY (approximately $80) for a one-day pass or 18,000 JPY (approximately $150) for a two-day pass. Additional information on the Beast FeastFestival can be obtained via the event's official web site at: www.beastfeast.net.

STAIND's Break The Cycle has retained the #1 position on next week's Billboard Top 200 Pop Album chart with second-week sales of 326,299 copies.

CRADLE OF FILTH will be signing copies of their new record Bitter Suites to Succubi at Tower Records (Piccadilly, London) on Tuesday, June 19th June at 6.00 PM. COF frontman Dani Filth will be Mad Maz's special guest on her Total Rock show next Thursday, June 14th via totalrock.com. Tune in from 6-9 PM (UK time) to hear all the Filth-y details.

GODSMACK duo Sully Erna and Tommy Stewart will be interviewed on TotalRock Radio today (!),Thursday, June 7th. Tune into Mad Maz's show from 6-9 PM (UK time).

Ginger from THE WILDHEARTS will be performing an acoustic set, accompanied by ANTIPRODUCT's Alex Kane, live during TotalRock's Krusher's show from 3-6 PM (UK time) today, June 7th. You may access TotalRock in the London area on 87.7FM, throughout the UK on Sky Digital Channel 885 and throughout the world at www.totalrock.com

CLAWFINGER's brand new single, 'Out To Get Me', which is due to be released through G.U.N./Supersonic Records on July 9th, can be heard by clicking here. Also, check out the single's cover art at this location. 'Out To Get Me' comes off the group's A Whole Lot Of Nothing CD, which is scheduled for release in August.&nbsp

A CLUTCH live performance will be broadcast-in audio and video form-via hob.com on Sunday, June 10th for a 24-hour period.

Rock Warriors is the name of an unauthorized METALLICA DVD that includes the full METALLICA history from the start and up until Napster and 'I Disappear', plus interviews with loads of people who have been associated with the various members of the band over the years, including guitarist Kirk Hammett's old high school teacher, former Metal Mania fanzine editor Ron Quintana (who came up with the METALLICA name) and Cliff Burton's bass teacher. Also included are flashes from Kirk in the Senate when he was working with the Napster case, plus other interesting tidbits. Check it out if you can find it. In other METALLICA news, the band are offering one lucky fan the chance to join them onstage at the end of July and 'replace' Jason Newsted for one song. It's all part of a contest for the relaunch of the band's official website www.metallica.com, a party for which will be held in San Francisco. More information is available via the aforementioned site.

Chicago's SOIL, who feature in their ranks former BROKENHOPE/SINDROME bassist Shaun Glass on guitar, have set S C A R S as the title to their forthcoming J Records debut, which is currently being recorded at producer Johnny K's Groovemaster Studios in Chicago. Around 13 tracks are being recorded for the album, which is tentatively due in September. Song titles set to appear on the CD include the following:

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01. Inside Out

02. Breaking Me Down

03. Unreal

04. Halo

05. My Own

06. Need To Feel

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Sound clips of demo versions of a few of the above-mentioned songs—including the projected first single, 'Halo'—are currently available is streaming Real Audio format via the band's official web site: www.soilmusic.com

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell will be peforming yet another show with his side project CLOCK on June 12th at House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Anyone in the LA area (or anyone else!) who is interested in attending the show, send an e-mail to [email protected] and you will get FREE tickets (while supplies last)!

Swedish multi-talented producer/artist Dan Swano had the following reaction to the news that his band NIGHTINGALE will finally get its chance to perform a gig in the US when they play the ProgPower USA 2.0 Festival in Atlanta on November 9th: 'Since I have a few drops of American blood floating around in my system, it's a great honor for me to finally cross the Atlantic to play some of my own music!!' More information on ProgPower USA 2.0 can be obtained via www.progpower.com.

Former WORKHORSE MOVEMENT vocalist Myron has spoken out about the reasons for the band's split and the formation of his new band THE DIRTY AMERICANS in a Q&ampA session that was posted via the Roadrunner Records UK web site. Here are a few select quotes from that session:

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On the WORKHORSE split:

'We were all pretty bummed when WORKHORSE decided to split. No hard feelings. Some personal decisions were made when all of our lives started to fall apart being so committed to the band. Joe and Cornbread have been two of my brothers for a long, long time. Jeff and I had already started putting together ideas for the new WORKHORSE album and decided after a few months of being home that we weren't ready to give it up. We hadn't had the chance to apply all that we had learned from touring and hanging out with some of the best talent in the world, I'm bummed we didn't get to finish what we started but life is full of change, it was just time for everyone to move on after 7 years.'

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On the lack of support from Roadrunner Records contributing to the split:

'That was defintely the back-breaker. We came back from a sold-out four-week tour of the UK with PITCHSHIFTER and were set to come back home and head out on the road with CLUTCH/C.O.C. when the label told us not only was there no more tour support but that they weren't going to spend the money to release a single to American radio. We had been cutting every corner touring so that money could go to releasing a single in the US. As it turned out, we toured like dirt for a year for nothing. We didn't feel like the label was behind us and we all started to resent the hole we had dug by dropping everything and touring for peanuts. When you don't have the luxury of having a label that will stand behind you, you have to come home and work to pay the bills. Right now if you're not another LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, or DEFTONES rip-off (or have a lame-ass gimmick),you ain't gettin' paid, plain and simple. It ain't like it used to be when the basis of rock to was to push the edge. Nu-metal has become the same as all the hair bands at the end of the 80's. It's getting embarrassing, When we put WORKHORSE together in 1994, there were only a handful of bands doing what we did, and there certainly were no two singer bands, rapping all hardcore, that's why I personally wanted out, it's all become a big cliche, everyone is coming out with two rappers fronting their rock bands. Enough is enough, it's time to flip out again.'

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On THE DIRTY AMERICANS' recording plans:

'We have 13 demos recorded and Roadrunner needs to decide what they want to do with it. I would imagine it will be sometime in 2002 before the album is released. When it does drop, we will push to tour everywhere we can. It all depends on who is really freaking out over the album. I'm sure some D.AM. material will leak out on the internet, it always does, there were fans who had the entire WORKHORSESons of the Pioneers album four months before it was released'

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The full Q&ampA session can be read at this location.

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As previously reported, THE DIRTY AMERICANS is comprised of former WORKHORSE MOVEMENT members Myron, Freedom and Pete, along with new drummer Jeramiah Pilbeam. More information on the band can be obtained via the group's unofficial UK site: www.dirtyamericans.co.uk

The UK's EARTHTONE 9 have cancelled all of their previously scheduled gigs except for the June 30th show at the Stratford Civic Hall due to 'physical and mental exhaustion.' According to a statement posted via the group's official web site, 'we played over 170 shows in 2000 and we are on course for even more in 2001 - and we just couldn't take any more... When you factor in that we are trying to write a new album, you can see that we just don't have any time to recuperate. So June will be our chance to recharge the batteries... Our sincere apologies to those who we have let down - but I hope you agree that it is better to cancel a handful of shows than for the band to implode!'

DIMENSION F3H, featuring Morfeus of LIMBONIC ART, has signed with Hammerheart Records. The band's musical direction is being described as a 'more primal version of LIMBONIC ART with very futuristic and technology-laden overtones'. A CD debut is expected in early 2002.

Also freshly signed to Hammerheart Records is Sweden's DEMONS OF DIRT, who are said to play a style that 'will really appeal to fans of AT THE GATES and THE HAUNTED with their overall intensity and quality musicianship'.

GRAVE DIGGER's forthcoming The Grave Digger opus will now be released in Europe through Nuclear Blast Records on October 22nd.

A clip of 'Pretending', the first single from H.I.M.'s forthcoming Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights opus, which is due for release on August 27th, can be heard at this location. Also, check out the single cover art here.

Alex Camargo, the bassist/vocalist of Brazilian death metallers KRISIUN, has recorded a guest appearance on the forthcoming second album from Sao Paulo thrashers NECROMANCIA entitled Checkmate. Camargo does the backing vocals on the track 'The Blooding', the lyrics to which were penned by SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser, who reportedly produced the effort.

Sweden's DARKANE will enter the studio next weekend to record three as-yet-unspecified tracks for various tribute albums. In other DARKANE news, the band will be making their US live debut at this year's Milwaukee Metalfest, which will be held on August 10th and 11th.

MOTLEY CRUE are rumored to be working on the material for a new studio album with the group's original line-up, including drummer Tommy Lee (of METHODS OF MAYHEM).

PITCHSHIFTER drummer Jason Bowld has set up a couple of more drum clinics following the success of his appearances in Stratford-upon-avon and Nottingham last month. Bowld will be appearing at the Stourbridge Rock Café 2000 on Sunday, June 17th, and at the Newcastle Drum Centre on Sunday, July 22nd.

MR. BIG will reportedly be issuing an as-yet-unspecified first single from their forthcoming full-length album in Japan on July 25th, to be followed by the release of the album on August 5th.

SOUL BRAINS (formerly BAD BRAINS) have made available for download a new track entitled 'On Like Popcorn' via the group's official web site: www.soulbrains.net. A live/greatest hits album will reportedly be released later this year, followed by the release of a brand new full-length album in 2002.

SIX FEET UNDER have made available two new MP3s, 'Impulse To Disembowel' and 'The Day The Dead Walked', from the group's True Carnage CD (due out August 7th on Metal Blade Records) for download via the band's official web site: www.sfu420.com.

According to the official House of Blues website, GODHEAD is confirmed to open for MARILYN MANSON at the Las Vegas venue on Sunday, July 1st. It's unknown yet if GODHEAD will be opening the other five MARILYN MANSON-headlined Ozzfest off-day dates.

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