Archive News Oct 18, 2001

The official web site of the heavy metal band ANTHRAX at www.anthrax.com has reportedly received 8 million hits in the last two weeks, with 325,000 unique visitors connecting to the site in the wake of the recent anthrax bacteria terrorist scare that has sent fear and panic through the streets of America. According to the site's webmaster, prior to the aforementioned terrorist attacks, ANTHRAX's web site was averaging around 50,000 visitors “on a good month”.

As exclusively reported here on Tuesday, October 16th, TWISTED SISTER's classic line-up of JJ French, Mark Mendoza, Dee Snider, Eddie Ojeda, and AJ Pero have now officially confirmed that they will perform on November 28th at New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom as part of a concert benefit for the families of NYC police and firemen that perished in the September 11th World Trade Center tragedy. Dubbed New York Steel, the benefit concert will be hosted by WNEW's Friday/Saturday Night Rocks DJ Eddie Trunk and NY Mets superstar Mike Piazza, and will feature performances by TWISTED SISTER, KISS guitarist Ace Frehley (And Friends), ANTHRAX, former SKID ROW vocalist SEBASTIAN BACH, and OVERKILL. SEBASTIAN BACH will open the show at 7:00 PM. Tickets to the event are $37.50, and they go on sale this Saturday, October 20th at noon at all Ticketmaster outlets. According to Trunk, “the line-up [of bands performing at the show] reflects the tastes of my listeners, and many of the officers that make requests every week. Appearing at this special show will be the reunited TWISTED SISTER (JJ French, Mark Mendoza, Dee Snider, Eddie Ojeda, AJ Pero). This classic lineup will reunite and play for the first time in 14 years! Also on the bill KISS Lead Guitarist ACE FREHLEY and friends, ANTHRAX, OVERKILL, and former SKID ROW singer SEBASTIAN BACH. The event will be hosted by me and my sometimes co-host NY Mets Superstar Mike Piazza. Other surprises are planned as well. I am THRILLED to be able to pull this off and I know the hard rock/metal fans in the tri-state will rally around this cause. Please join me at this special event.”

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE guitarist Josh Homme and bassist Nick Oliveri will be accompanying Chris Goss and John Leamy on the upcoming MASTERS OF REALITY European tour, which will include dates with QOTSA vocalist Mark Lanegan. Exact dates have yet to be announced, but among the cities/events that are rumored to be on the schedule are Kerrang K-Fest in London, Glasgow, Amsterdam, and others.

Originally reported here back on May 17th and subsequently denied (falsely) by the band's management, Swedish stoner rockers SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, featuring former CARCASS and current ARCH ENEMY axeman Mike Amott, have officially parted ways with bassist/vocalist Christian “Spice” Sjöstrand and have replaced him with not one but two new members: vocalist Janne Christoffersson (also a member of Stockholm-based GRAND MAGUS),and bassist Roger Nilson. According to Amott, “the reasons for Spice not being a part of SPIRITUAL BEGGARS anymore are many and quite hard to explain to people outside of the band', says Michael Amott. 'And to be honest, we feel that we don't have to give people/the media the exact details around him leaving. We have a lot of respect for Spice and for what he contributed to the band in the past, we sincerely wish him the best of luck in the future, in both his personal life as well as his music career.'

...

Regarding the new members, Amott had the following to say: 'We welcome JB on lead vocals. The man's outstanding melodic roar and volume of facial hair assured him a place in the BEGGARS camp! Roger Nilson, an old friend of the band, is the new bass player - his killer tone and attitude made him a natural first choice for us. Working in the studio with these guys has been a real pleasure and we can't wait to hit the road and jam away live with this line-up!'

...

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS have been writing and recording a new album in the south of Sweden over the summer and expect to have it released in February. 'The new songs are heavy, melodic and they groove like HUGE, crazy motherf.ckers on acid!', stated the guitarist. Although details are sketchy at the moment, it is expected that the mixing process for the new, as-yet-untitled effort will take place at Studio Fredman in November by Fredrik Nordstrom, the knob-twiddling wizard who had previously collaborated with SPIRITUAL BEGGARS on their Mantra III (1998) and Ad Astra (2000) opuses.

FILTER reportedly joined STONE TEMPLE PILOTS for an impromptu version of FILTER's 'Hey Man, Nice Shot' on October 12th at the Allstate Arena outside of Chicago on the second night of the Family Values tour. After STP finished playing 'Vasoline', ScottWeiland announced the arrival of 'some very special guests,' at which point the lights went dim and FILTER rushed on stage.

CRADLE OF FILTH will be “taking over” Mad Maz's show on TotalRock on Thursday, November 1st from 6-9 PM (UK time). You may access TotalRock on Sky Digital Channel 885 and also on the internet at www.totalrock.com.

SPINESHANK have come off the road and are presently hard at work on the material for the group's forthcoming third full-length album, which they hope to release in mid-2002. According to drummer Tommy Decker, “we are in no rush, we want to give [the fans] the best SPINESHANK album possible, however long that may take. And don't worry--the new CD will be heavier, more intense and more dynamic than [the band's second album] Height Of Callousness”.

RAGING SPEEDHORN have pulled out of the upcoming FEAR FACTORY tour of the UK and Europe for unspecified reasons.

Finnish string quartet APOCALYPTICA will finally have their latest studio album, Cult, released in the US on November 6th through Spitfire Records. In other news, the group's “vocal version” of the track “Hope”, sung by Matze Sayer of FARMER BOYS, is the main theme of the “stunning” French movie Vidoq, which has already reportedly been seen by over 1.5 million people in France. The group's next single, “Hope Vol. II”, will be issued on November 5th and it will contain previous unreleased APOCALYPTICA cover versions of SLAYER's “South Of Heaven” and “Mandatory Suicide” and METALLICA's “My Friend Of Misery”.

H.I.M.'s brand new single, 'In Joy And Sorrow', the group's second from their recently-issued Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights CD, has entered the German Media Control charts at position #17.

OZZY OSBOURNE/BLACK LABEL SOCIETY guitarist Zakk Wylde on FOO FIGHTERS mainman Dave Grohl in the November 2001 issue of Guitar World magazine: “If I ever run into Dave Grohl, I'm gonna kick his f.ckin' ass. Because I think he sucks, and he wrote this cheese-dick song for OZZY that I have to f.ckin' play on, and I'll never forgive him for that. FOO FIGHTERS is a f.ckin' candy-ass girl band, but you've got that motherf.cker submitting songs, and those douche bags from THE OFFSPRING submitting songs, too. I mean, none of these guys could play a Randy Rhoads solo if they tried. Dave Grohl? F.ck Dave Grohl! Let him get up there and play 'Mr. Crowley' he can't f.ckin' do it. And it's like, you're getting this guy to write songs for OZZY? Just because he played drums for f.cking SH.TVANA?'

Finland's THE 69 EYES will be re-releasing their acclaimed Blessed Be CD in Finland as a special limited edition two-CD, including a bonus CD containing all the videos and special tracks from the singles, in time for Christmas. Meanwhile, THE 69 EYES are continuing work on their upcoming studio effort with producer Johnny Lee Michaels. A new single is expected before the end of the year.

BIOHAZARD have announced a couple of imminent US headlining dates and a handful of Canadian shows in November. The details are as follows:

...

Oct. 27 - Old Bridge, NJ - Birch Hill

Oct. 29 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock Cafe

Nov. 08 - Montreal, Quebec - Foufounes Electriques

Nov. 09 - London, Ontario - Call The Office

Nov. 10 - Toronto, Ontario - The Opera House

Nov. 11 - St. Catherines, Ontario - Front 54

...

In other news, BIOHAZARD is due to support CLUTCH on the latter band's upcoming US tour, which is set to start next month. Confirmed dates so far include:

...

Nov. 15 - Brooklyn, NY - L'Amour

Nov. 21 - Detroit, MI - Harpo's

Dec. 07 - Santa Rosa, CA - TBA

KILL II THIS have announced several headlining shows in the UK, the group's first with new frontman Phil Bretnall (ex-PROFANE). The dates are as follows:

...

Nov. 25 – Exeter, UK @ Cavern

Nov. 30 – Rugeley, UK @ Red Rose Theatre

Dec. 01 – Manchester, UK @ Metal Festival (The Rock Kitchen)

Dec. 07 – Watford, UK @ Stitches

According to Brave Words, former INFERNAL MAJESTY vocalist Vince died of a heroin overdose on October 14th at an unspecified Toronto location. Vince, who appeared on INFERNAL MAJESTY's Creation Of Chaos demo and who laid down his vocals on the original version of the Scott Burns-produced Unholier Than Thou CD (which eventually received a release in 1999, albeit without Vince's contributions),became one of Canada's most notorious criminals when was arrested and sent to jail for slicing the wrist of a young woman and sucking her blood. After 7 months behind bars, he was found guilty of aggravated assault and convicted to just one day in jail. During the trail the young lady fell in love with Vince and they decided to live happily ever after. However, due to later misadventures, the vocalist ended up back to jail and ended up serving a four-year sentence for a number of assault charges. He had been the subject of more than one television show pertaining to the topic of modern day vampires, including an infamous appearance on the Sally Jessie Raphael show, via satellite from his prison cell. Prior to his death, Vince had fronted Toronto's BLOODWURM, whose critically-acclaimed Blasphemetized was issued last year. Local Inertia Entertainment promoter Noel E Noel summed up the passing on the Brave Words message board recently: 'He lead a life full of turmoil, as many in the Toronto scene would know, always a maniac when he performed on stage, including antics like self mutilation and fire breathing. He will definitely be remembered as a performer. For those who knew him personally, they will remember his life was making an upswing currently, with a refreshed perspective after spending time in Europe this spring/summer, and his current objective was to record a new CD, one which would surpass the musical masterpiece, Blasphemetized, he released in 2000. His style of 'Southern Fried Devil Rock' was definitely worth a listen. Many Torontonians will remember his music being played as interlude music at my concerts. Head to come.to/bloodwurm. Vince you will be missed and remembered. RIP, Oct. 14, 2001'

KID ROCK has firmed up the track listing to his forthcoming album, entitled Cocky, which is due to be released on November 20th through Lava/Atlantic Records. The song titles are as follows:

...

01. Forever

02. Trucker Anthem

03. Lay It On Me

04. Cocky

05. What I Learned Out On The Road

06. I'm Wrong, But You Ain't Right

07. Baby Come Home

08. You Never Met A Motherfucker Quite Like Me

09. Picture (feat. SHERYL CROW)

10. I'm a Dog

11. Midnight Train to Memphis

12. Lonely Road of Faith

13. WCSR (feat. SNOOP DOGG)

14. Drunk In the Morning

...

The first single off the album, 'Forever', will go for radio adds on October 22nd. A video for the track is currently being finalized.

DEF LEPPARD drummer Rick Allen's shirt, which was put up for auction, raised an astonishing amount of $3,550. As previously reported, Rick donated this shirt, worn by him during the Adrenalize tour in 1993, to raise money for his Raven Drum Foundation, which he recently started with Lauren Monroe. Commented Rick: “I really couldn't have hoped that it would reach such a high bid.' The winning bidder, Debbie from Cleveland, OH added: 'I've been a fan of DEF LEPPARD from the beginning, and I've loved Rick for just as long. He's more than just a fantastic drummer, he is an amazing human being. I know that it has become a cliche, but he truly is an inspiration to me. Every time I look at that shirt, I will be reminded of the exceptional man who once wore it, and what I can learn from his example. I am also very pleased that the proceeds from the auction are going to Raven Drum Foundation where it will be used to allow Rick and others to offer help and healing to those in need.' According to DEF LEPPARD's official web site, Debbie has contacted the curator at The Rock &amp Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in order to learn how best to preserve the shirt, as well as an autographed DW drum skin that she has managed to acquire in the past: 'If Rick doesn't object, I would like to donate both items to the museum after DEF LEPPARD is inducted, as I'm sure they will be someday soon.'

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 set “Slow Silence' as their Japan-only bonus track for their upcoming first full-length album, entitled Silent Night Fever.

Former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN vocalist Mark Boals' RING OF FIRE will have their debut album, The Oracle, released in Brazil through Hellion Records in December.

German thrashers DEW-SCENTED have completed work on their brand new album, entitled Inwards, with producer Andy Classen at Stage One Studio and will be issuing the CD in Europe on January 14th. The full track listing for the effort is as follows:

...

01. Bitter Conflict

02. Unconditional

03. Life Ending Path

04. Inwards

05. Blueprints Of Hate

06. Locked In Motion

07. Degeneration

08. Terminal Mindstrip

09. Feeling Not

10. Reprisal

...

DEW-SCENTED have also recorded a “deadly” cover version of SLAYER's 'War Ensemble' for possible use as bonus track.

Portuguese extreme metal act DEVILEECH have parted ways with vocalist Pedro Fonseca and replaced him with Ricardo Almeida. In other news, the band have acquired drummer Jorge Gonçalves and have been working hard on new material for their second album, tentatively entitled Deviant, which is due to be release in 2002. Among the song titles that are set to appear on the CD are the following:

...

01. Deviant

02. Blood Sweat &amp Sperm

03. Whorefied

04. 7 Teen

05. Just like Dogs

...

Renowned artist Travis Smith has been enlisted to develop the layout for Deviant, which the band promise will be “twice as shocking” as anything the band have done before.

....