Archive News Oct 15, 2001 - update 2

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM drummer Craig Nielsen has posted the following update on the group's recently cut-short US tour, reportedly as a result of “dismal” attendance: “As you have now heard, [stand-in vocalist] James Rivera [of HELSTAR] has delivered the goods like no other could have. The dude can not only sing his ass and balls off, but may be one of the very coolest m.f.'s I've ever met. With that said, here is the latest. First, the shows in Aurora, Lansing, Clinton and Independence will go on as planned. While it is true that attendance mostly sucked, except for El Paso, Ft. Lauderdale, and maybe 2 others, the same can be said for EVERY single tour out there right now, relative to what was expected. PANTERA is down $40,000 from projections, SKID ROW only brought 160 people to Tampa, SEBASTIAN BACH brought 30 to Springfield, West Virginia, W.A.S.P. is getting killed and taking mass hits every show as far as not meeting prior year's numbers. This is just a small handful of examples. Tours are canceling left and right here and overseas every week. The war and sh.tty economy have everyone scared sh.tless apparently, and people are staying home and saving cash. Every single promoter in every market told me, the tour manager, and as such, the one who deals with them, the exact same sad story. Also, who the #### goes out nowadays without a 2-, 3-, or 4-band package? Nobody will, and we did anyway. MOTIVE, while being a very good band, is relatively unknown outside of Phoenix, and we knew it was going to hurt us, but we didn't give a sh.t. We tour for the die-hards. Like Mike Piazza, who drove an hour out of his way to the gig in New Jersey and was such a fan, asked us if he could sing 'Me' from Drift with us, which was some of the coolest sh.t Ive ever been a part of. It was covered by every outlet you can think of, including even Sports Illustrated. And I think I can honestly say we are playing as tight as a nun's a..hole and are having so much ####ing fun we could really give a sh.t about who is not there. For those who are, I can guarantee they are going home thinking they just saw one of the most aggressive, powerful metal shows of their lives. I gotta go now and finish partying my ass off with the true FLOTSAM freaks on our 45-foot bus, which sadly may have to be sent off so we can actually come home with some weed money. Flots Out!!”

DOKKEN mainman Don Doken has sensationally revealed that the group are presently recording their long-awaited new studio album, tentatively entitled Ladaze, without the contributions of longtime bassist Jeff Pilson, who has been replaced in the group's recording line-up by former YNGWIE MALMSTEEM/MSG/ULI ROTH bassist Barry Sparks. According to Dokken, “everything is going great with [new guitarist[ John Norum [formerly of EUROPE]…I must say this has been the hardest LP we've ever done, and to long to make as well. As if you all didn't know that. Jeff is doing a lot of projects, it seems, and we haven't been able to contact him. So here's the big news. Barry Sparks from MALMSTEEN, SCHENKER, ULI ROTH, etc. is doing the bass tracks on the new LP. If you've seen any of these acts, then I need say no more on his abilities as a bass player as well as a singer. We don't know if Jeff will do the tour. If anybody knows his number so we can ask him please forward, JUST KIDDING!! I'm sure this will open up a whole new can of worms for everybody to feast on. As you all know I always call it as I see it with out mincing my words.

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“I'll be singing all lead vocals and yes its a shame Jeff is unable to play or write on the LP. But we've been waiting for him over a year now and were dying to get back on the road, so here we go! You all know I won't let ANY songs slip by that are not up to the DOKKEN standard. 'TRUST ME', I'm torturing John Norum daily on every note he plays! [Drummer] Mick [Brown] thinks I've become fanatical over this new LP and I take that as a compliment. This one is very heavy yet melodic.”

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Jeff Pilson, for his part, responded to Dokken's announcement by stating via his official web site that “I wish there was more I could say right now, but I can't. Remember, I have only read what you have read. I also don't feel too comfortable saying much publicly at this time. But I will say that all this comes from a much deeper level and from problems which have surfaced that touch on things other than a new record. I'd love to see this all resolved, if for no other reason than the fans, but I'm quite prepared to move on if that be the case. No matter what happens, DOKKEN has been a wonderful experience, and I'll always be grateful for it. And the connections I've made in the last few years with all the fans has been a tremendous highlight of my career. But I have little doubt the band will survive, it's survived so much already, and as long as there's a real band making music—I'm sure it will be great.”

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In response to a fan's suggestion that a Pilson pairing with former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch in a brand new project would make sense, the bassist/vocalist stated that “I totally appreciate the suggestion, and I really do think George and I will make some music together again someday, but I don't think right now is quite the time. And it has nothing to do with the old wounds, from my part. It's just that with UNDERGROUN MOON the stuff is already put together, and I'm really happy from a musical standpoint with that. If George and I worked together, we'd have to write together, so UM wouldn't be it right now. Besides, it's looking like I have the players together for a live band, and it's gonna kill! I'll let everyone know if it all works out, but if it does, watch out! And as far as ZUZU LTD., Tommy and I both love Lynch's playing, but I don't think he'd be the right guy for what the ZUZU sound is. But believe me, I haven't ruled out doing a record with George again. It'll just have to be at the right time.”

German melodic metallers EDGUY 'opened' for HEAVENLY in Paris, France on October 7th with a small 30-minute set under the not-so-secret moniker MANDRAKE (the title of the group's brand new album). EDGUY played the following songs:

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01. Fallen Angels

02. The Headless Game

03. Out of Control

04. Vain Glory Opera

05. Falling Down

Sweden's DIMENSION ZERO—featuring IN FLAMES guitarist Jesper Strömblad, ex-IN FLAMES axeman Glenn Ljungström, ex-MARDUK vocalist Jocke Göthberg and LUCIFERION/DIABOLIQUE drummer Hasse Nilsson—have entered Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden to record their first full-length album, entitled Silent Night Fever. Here is what Jocke and Jesper have had to say about the recording progress so far: “The recording of the album Silent Night Fever is now in session. We started on Monday, October 8, and this far we have recorded the drums &amp two guitars. On Sunday [October 14th], we will continue to do more guitars (we will keep you updated with our latest move). The album will feature 8 songs, of which 6 are brand new. We are thinking of doing an extra song for the Japanese release of the album but we don't know what that will be, the future shall tell. 'Silent night fever, madness is my believer'.” Due to be issued in early 2002 through Sweden's Regain Records, the follow-up to 1996's Penetrations From the Lost World EP will include the following tracks, among others:

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01. Slow Silence

02. Silent Night Fever

03. End

04. Not Even Dead

05. The Murder-Inn

06. Until You Die

KISS guitarist Ace Frehley is reportedly recovering from Lyme Disease, which he has been suffering from for some months, according to a spokesperson. The disease is a tick-born illness with symptoms including fatigue, rash, chills, fever, headaches, swollen lymph nodes and pain in the muscles. In other KISS news, the band have announced that their long-awaited box set will be released November 20th, in two formats. The main version of the set is a special Case Box set priced at $179, while the regular version is priced at approximately $67. Both sets feature 94 tracks drawn from the KISS archives 6 hours of newly digitally-remastered recordings, including 30 previously unreleased demos, outtakes and live recordings.

Here is the full track listing:

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Disc 01:

01. Strutter (demo)

02. Deuce (demo)

03. Keep Me Waiting (WICKED LESTER)

04. She (WICKED LESTER)

05. Love Her All I Can (WICKED LESTER)

06. Let Me Know (Bell Sound Studios demo)

07. 100,000 Years (Bell Sound Studios demo)

08. Stop, Look To Listen (Paul Stanley demo)

09. Leeta (Gene Simmons demo)

10. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll (Bell Sound Studios demo)

11. Acrobat (live at The Daisy)

12. Firehouse (Bell Sound Studios demo)

13. Nothin' to Lose

14. Black Diamond

15. Hotter Than Hell

16. Strange Ways

17. Parasite

18. Goin' Blind

19. Anything For My Baby

20. Ladies In Waiting

21. Rock and Roll All Nite

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Disc 02:

01. C'mon And Love Me (live)

02. Rock Bottom (live)

03. Cold Gin (live)

04. Watchin' You (live)

05. Doncha Hesitate (demo)

06. Mad Dog (demo)

07. God of Thunder (demo)

08. Great Expectations

09. Beth

10. Do You Love Me

11. Bad, Bad Lovin' (demo)

12. Calling Dr. Love

13. Mr. Speed (demo)

14. Christine Sixteen

15. Hard Luck Woman

16. Shock Me

17. I Stole Your Love

18. I Want You (soundcheck recording)

19. Love Gun (demo)

20. Love Is Blind (demo)

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Disc 03:

01. Detroit Rock City

02. King of the Night Time World (live)

03. Larger Than Life

04. Rocket Ride

05. Tonight You Belong To Me

06. New York Groove

07. Radioactive (demo)

08. Don't You Let Me Down

09. I Was Made For Lovin' You

10. Sure Know Something

11. Shandi

12. You're All That I Want, You're All That I Need

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp &nbsp(demo)

13. Talk To Me (live)

14. A World Without Heroes

15. The Oath

16. Nowhere To Run

17. Creatures Of The Night

18. War Machine

19. I Love It Loud

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Disc 04:

01. Lick It Up

02. All Hell's Breaking Loose

03. Heaven's On Fire

04. Get All You Can Take

05. Thrills In The Night

06. Tears Are Falling

07. Uh! All Night

08. Time Traveller (demo)

09. Hell Or High Water

10. Crazy, Crazy Nights

11. Reason To Live

12. Let's Put The X In Sex

13. Hide Your Heart

14. Ain't That Peculiar (demo)

15. Silver Spoon

16. Forever (single version)

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Disc 05:

01. God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II

02. Unholy

03. Domino (demo)

04. Every Time I Look At You

05. Comin' Home (live unplugged)

06. Got To Choose (live unplugged)

07. I Still Love You (live unplugged)

08. Nothin' To Lose (live unplugged)

09. Childhood's End (with coda)

10. I Will Be There

11. Psycho Circus

12. Into The Void

13. Within

14. I Pledge Allegiance To The State of Rock &amp Roll

15. Nothing Can Keep Me From You

16. It's My Life (original version)

17. Shout It Out Loud (live)

18. Rock And Roll All Night (KISSAlive IV)

ANOTHERDAY, featuring former DRAIN STH guitarist Flavia Canel, will be playing a benefit show at the Palladium in Worcester, MA on November 10th. All proceeds will go to the Red Cross.

Swedish melodic power metal gods NOCTURNAL RITES have revealed several song titles that are set to appear on the group's as-yet-untitled new studio album, which is tentatively due to be recorded in early 2002 and released during the summer through Century Media Records. They are as follows:

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01. Underworld

02. Vengeance

03. Shadowland

04. Faceless God

The first 50,000 copies of GRAVE DIGGER's brand new release, entitled The Grave Digger (due in Europe on October 22nd and in the US on October 30th),will be black with a stamped logo and stamped picture of The Grave Digger. After they're sold out, the CD will only be available in a jewel case with a clear tray. The initial version will also include a bonus track called 'Black Death', while the Japanese release (scheduled for November 21st) will also include a cover version of IRON MAIDEN's 'Running Free'.

SKYCLAD have replaced drummer Jay Graham with Arron Walton. As previously reported, SKYCLAD, featuring new vocalist Kevin Ridley (who replaced Martin Walkyier earlier in the year),will release a new single, entitled “Swords Of A Thousand Men”, through Demolition Records on October 22nd. 'Swords…', which was originally recorded by TENPOLE TUDOR in 1981, was released as a bonus track on SKYCLAD's last studio album Folkemon (with Martin Walkyier on vocals),and it includes a guest appearance by TENPOLE TUDOR mainman Eddie Tenpole. Also featured on the single is a reworked version of 'The Widdershins Jig', a SKYCLAD standard that showcases the band's progression over the last few years. Both tracks are taken from the band's new album No Daylights... Nor Heeltaps, due for release in November, which is a collection of reworked SKYCLAD favorites inspired by their successful stints of 'unplugged' shows across Europe.

ORDER OF THE ILLUMINATI (formerly AGENT STEEL) have started the recording process for their as-yet-untitled new CD, which is tentatively due to be released in early 2002. So far the group have completed tracking drums to five new songs:

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01. Say Your Prayers/Virus (working title)

02. Enslaved/All Seein' Eye

03. Ten Fists of Nations

04. Forever Black

05. Dead Eyes

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11 tracks are reportedly being be laid down, including a cover of BLACK SABBATH's 'Hole In The Sky', which will appear as a bonus track on the CD, in addition to being featured on the WW3 Records tribute to BLACK SABBATH, which is tentatively scheduled for release in 2002.

HUMANIMAL, which features in its ranks TALISMAN members Jeff Scott Soto (vocals),Marcel Jacob (bass),and Pontus Norgren (guitars),will release its debut CD through Z Records on January 28th, 2002.

Former EUROPE frontman Joey Tempest has teamed up with Swedish gold-selling pop star Patrik Isaksson (formerly of the KING'S X-influenced DAMAGE DONE, which featured in its ranks TALISMAN/ex-GREAT KING RAT guitarist Pontus Norgren and which released an acclaimed demo in 1994) and gold-selling singer/producer Anders Glenmark (a producer on Benny Andersson's Chess and the Andersson/Ulveaus-penned GEMINI albums, which featured songs that were planned for the ABBA album after The Visitors) to record a cover version of Pugh Rogefeldt's old hit 'Här Kommer Natten' as part of a giant project called Osannolikt Svenskt (featuring many of Sweden's top recording artists) in celebration of SKAP (Swedish Composers of Popular Music) turning 75 years old this year. According to Tempest, “Patrik called me. We know each other a little bit. It's always fun to meet up and talk about hard rock.” Although they were originally supposed to cover 'Anita' by Sven Ingvars, they eventually decided to do something rockier instead. “It's a cool version, and half way through, the song really kicks in,” Tempest told Stockholm's Aftonbladet newspaper. Joey, who curently lives in Dublin and is busy with his solo career, is planning on releasing a new studio album in the spring, but he does not rule out a future collaboration with Patrik. “Isaksson came over and we jammed and wrote a couple of songs. We'll see what will happen to those in the future,” Tempest said.

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