Archive News Oct 17, 2001

KUSH, the long-running project of FEAR FACTORY bassist Christian Olde Wolbers, FEAR FACTORY drummer Raymond Herrera, DEFTONES guitarist Stephen Carpenter and CYPRESS HILL frontman B-Real, will be appearing at the Viper Room in West Hollywood, California on October 27th.

Unlike his official press statements, which have thus far been respectful yet reserved towards former guitarist Wes Borland, LIMP BIZKIT frontman Fred Durst was less than complimentary about his former bandmate in a chat that took place via the group's official web site a couple nights ago. Although it is widely believed that Wes' decision to leave the group was rooted in his deep-rooted musical differences with the rest of the band, Durst stated in the aforementioned chat that Borland “was unhappy… His unhappiness was with me making things happen for us &amp he's all about the money.” Adding that the guitarist “left us hanging, cashed in &amp ran”, the frontman offered that “we are looking for a fresh new young guitarist who can really rip and blow Wes out of the water” and insisted that “we will be touring next summer”. “If anyone can tell Wes he f.cked up, ill give you his email address right now,” Durst raged.

According to a spokesperson for TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider, TWISTED SISTER will not be sporting make-up at the group's November 28th benefit performance for the victims of the September 11th World Trade Center tragedy at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom, as exclusively reported here yesterday. While Dee's “agent” Daniel Stanton of Coallier Entertainment Ltd. could neither “deny nor confirm” that such an event was in the planning stages, he was adamantly rejecting any suggestion, in an e-mail sent to BLABBERMOUTH.NET yesterday, that the group would be appearing “in full make-up glory” at the upcoming concert. However, BLABBERMOUTH.NET has learned, through reliable sources, that four out of the five reunited members have agreed to perform in make-up, the sole hold-out being bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza, whose refusal to perform while donning facial paint could theoretically affect the rest of the group's plans to reproduce the look that had become the group's trademark during the heights of their success in the late '80s. As previously reported, the planned event, which will reported be sponsored by WNEW hard rock personality Eddie Trunk, will feature a host of special guests, including appearances by ANTHRAX, KISS guitarist Ace Frehley and former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach, among others.

Montreal's E-FORCE, led by former VOIVOD bassist/vocalist Eric Forrest, have reportedly finished demoing five more originals on top of the five that were reviewed in these pages a couple weeks back. Among the new song titles that were recently completed are:

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01. Belief

02. Evil Forces

03. Succubus

04. Purgatory

05. Ground Zero

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Having used a drum machine during all of the above-mentioned recording sessions, E-FORCE are looking for a drummer to join the group's current line-up, which includes guitarist Bryan Donahue (formerly of HOMICIDE) and guitarist/drum programmer Dan Lauzon (formerly of ENTROPY). For further info, contact the band at: [email protected].

PARADISE LOST are presently in the writing mode for the group's upcoming studio album, which is not expected to be issued before late next year through EMI Records in Europe. The British goth-rockers are due to demo some of the newly-completed material during November with their live engineer John Pennington in the producer's chair, with the current reports indicating that the band are keen to reproduce their “raw live sound” during the upcoming recording sessions. It is not yet clear if Pennington will end up producing the upcoming album, which is tentatively scheduled to be tracked in early 2002.

THE REJECTS, a long-running project featuring vocalist Dizzy Reject, SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, and STATIC-X guitarist Tripp Eisen, have made samples from their upcoming debut album available for listening in streaming audio via the group's newly-launched page at the MP3.com site at this location.

MSG (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) will reportedly kick off their upcoming US tour with a three-night stint at Chicago's House Of Blues, starting on November 26th, although there may be a couple of warm-up gigs prior to this. According to unconfirmed reports, Schenker's former UFO bandmate Pete Way will also be on the road for the tour, presumably handling the bass duties, as he usually does.

TECHNOCRACY, featuring VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel, will be performing at The Road House in Sacramento, California on October 27th and Bourbon Street in Concord, California on November 10th.

Swedish “black/death/thrash” metal act SATANIC SLAUGHTER have signed with Black Sun Records and will be entering Studio Helltower later this month to begin recording their brand new studio album, which is tentatively due in early 2002. As previously reported, SATANIC SLAUGHTER will be appearing at the Motala Metal Fest in Motala, Sweden on Saturday, November 17th, where they will be appearing alongside IN FLAMES, BLAZE, FREEDOM CALL and others.

TheSTART, featuring former HUMAN WASTE PROJECT frontwoman Aimee Echo, will be playing a headlining show at CBGB's in New York City on October 27th. The group are also scheduled to perform at the Troubadour in Hollywood, California on November 13th.

Former OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy has resurfaced in the backing band for ANDREW WK, a rising Tampa, Florida-based artist who was recently hotly tipped by NME.com to be 2002's biggest new star, with an upcoming EP release and a full-length CD, entitled I Get Wet, due through Island/Def Jam Records in November. Originally from Los Angeles, ANDREW WK (the “WK” standing for “White Killer”, an infamous American serial killer) moved to Michigan at the tender age of five, then on to New York City and his current residence in Tampa, Florida. Described as an over-the-top variation of the ྂ's glam-rock high-energy anthems (KISS meets the GO-GO's and QUEEN with an injection of SLAYER, according to NME.com),ANDREW WK released an EP entitled Girls Own Juice through indie Bulb Records before catching the eye of Island/Def Jam Records with his “epileptic stage performance and manic crowd-diving” and “refreshing glam-rock sound”, which reportedly has already found a fan in FOO FIGHTERS mainman Dave Grohl, who offered the frontman an opportunity to open for the FIGHTERS in San Francisco several months back. ANDREW WK's recently-shot video for “Party Hard”, the lead track of an EP released to be released in the UK on October 22nd is said to feature WK giving an “intense, ecstatic rendition of the single, punching a toilet wall and ending covered in blood”. We'll have more information on this promising artist in the weeks to come. In the meantime, check out ANDREW WK's official web site (which is currently under construction) at this location.

Montreal's SLAVES ON DOPE have reportedly parted ways with Divine Recordings and are currently seeking a new label prior to the release of the group's sophomore studio effort, which is due in mid-2002. The band have reportedly nearly completed writing the material to the upcoming CD, the tentative song titles for which include “High Again”, “Suffocate Me”, “Blow You Away” and “Crazy” (SEAL cover).

For anyone that cares: Former EUROPE and current DOKKEN guitarist John Norum reportedly became uncle to baby girl Miranda two weeks ago.

Former FAITH NO MORE vocalist Mike Patton's much-anticipated PEEPING TOM project, described as the singer's 'most commercially accessible' musical endeavor since FNM, will go into pre-production for its Reprise Records debut in October, with the actual album recordings due to take place in December/January with producer Dan the Automator (DR. OCTAGON, HANDSOME BOY MODELING SCHOOL, GORILLAZ, ZACK DE LA ROCHA).

DRIVEN, the new Los Angeles-based group of former DIO/WORLD WAR III guitarist Tracy G, will be issuing its debut CD, entitled Self Inflicted, through an undisclosed US label in the coming weeks. A video and tour are in the works, and a few local Los Angeles shows are planned. For more information, visit DRIVEN's new web site at www.driven-music.com. In related news, Tracy has been recording and producing a few new bands, including an Orange County punk band named THE INDIGENTS, Hollywood's RADE, and JOHN RUCKER KELLY.

Sweden's SIEBENBÜRGEN will be issuing their latest album, entitled Plagued Be Thy Angel, through Napalm Records on November 26th.

Here is an update on DEATH/CONTROL DENIED mainman Chuck Schuldiner from Martyr Music Group/HammerheartRecords' Maria Abril:

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“We would like to announce the second wave of eBay auctions that is posted today and can be accessed through Ebay. Future items up for bidding include guitars donated by Andy LaRocque [KING DIAMOND] and NOVEMBERS DOOM, drum sticks and a snare drum donated by CONTROL DENIED's Richard Christy, autographed memorabilia from OZZY OZBOURNE, an autographed cymbal from [BLACK SABBATH drummer] BillWard, the original CANNIBAL CORPSE banner used at their live shows (Barnes-era) and much, much more! New items will be added every three days to stagger the work. It's impossible to keep everybody updated through email so keep checking back on the page to see what's new. Thanks go out to everyone that has donated items and helped us to keep this effort going. We have raised about $7,500 so far and although that may not put a HUGE dent in The Schuldiners' financial burden, it HAS helped and it HAS made many things possible for Chuck during his recovery. On behalf of the Schuldiner family, we sincerely thank you. Maria Abril”

Los Angeles-based, female-fronted metallers CRISIS will be performing at Nicholby's in Ventura, California on October 28th and Troubadour in Hollywood, California on November 14th.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

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Elitist Records, the new division of Earache, are very proud to announce the signing of Russian avant-garde metal maestros RAKOTH. The band has signed a four-album deal and begins work on a brand new, as yet untitled, album in the New Year. The band is a firmly established name on the underground after two successful albums on Italian label Code666 - including the immense Planeshift album which received an unprecedented 100/100 in Dutch Aardshock magazine in 2000.

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The band take elements of folk, black metal and experimentalism and fuse them to unique effect. Expect only the very best from this band. They truly are an exceptional talent. More information about what to expect from RAKOTH's new album will be available in the next few weeks.

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In further Elitist/Earache news, Elitist's debut release, the astonishing Rephormula by state-of-the-art Italian black metallers EPHEL DUATH, is scheduled for a release on January 28th. The album is a full 75 minutes in length as it also features two remix tracks, plus the band's 1997 demo Opera as an added bonus. EPHEL DUATH are like no other band you are likely to hear in the genre. One listener described them as 'the DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN of black metal', and in terms of complexity and sheer precision it's easy to see why. That comment doesn't take in EPHEL DUATH's instinctive sense of the epic the grandeur and majesty that sets them miles apart from their so-called peers. The old kings are dead, and the new breed is here to take the throne...

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Our postal address for demo submissions is:

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Elitist Records

Box 666

Reading

RG4 5AJ

England

Nikolo Kotzev of BRAZEN ABBOT has recieved the 'Bachelor of Music Arts' degree from the Academy of Musical and Dancing Arts in Plovdiv, Bulgaria (AMTI).

German black metallers AGATHODAIMON will perform at a release party for their upcoming album, entitled Chapter III, at Hafenbahn in Offenbach, Germany on November 9th. Joining them on the bill will be Sweden's DRACENA, ASARU and INSIGNIUM.

DARKWELL will enter Mirror Production Studio in November to record a MCD, which should also include a live material in MPG format. This follow up to the band's 2000 debut, Suspiria, is scheduled for a tentative mid-year 2002 release.

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TRAIL OF TEARS have recently signed a three-album deal with Napalm Records and have booked studio time in February/March 2002 at Soundsuite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes.

Norway's MACTÄTUS will enter Abyss Studio in January to record their upcoming album, tentatively entitled Suicide. 'It's a concept album about death, with a focus on suicide and murder,' explains guitarist Gaut. The material is said to have the same degree of aggressiveness and technicality as The Complex Bewitchment, with some tracks faster and more extreme than on earlier releases. According to Gaut, it may very well turn out to be 'some kind of concept album.' The band is also closely working with a violinist and a guest vocalist. However, whether or not these sessions make it unto the final cut remains to be seen.

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