Metal Kaoz recently conducted an interview with former THE GATHERING singer Anneke Van Giersbergen. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.
Anneke Van Giersbergen will release a new studio album on September 27. A single will precede the full-length effort on August 27.
Anneke played two exclusive U.S. shows in Chicago at the end of March. Also appearing on the bill both nights were Anneke's "dear friends" NOVEMBERS DOOM.
Anneke van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since released four albums on her own and with her AGUA DE ANNIQUE solo project: "Air" (2007), "Pure Air" (2009), "In Your Room" (2009) and "Everything Is Changing" (2012).
"Everything Is Changing" was released on January 20, 2012 via PIAS Holland. The CD was recorded at Ultrasound Studios in Braga, Portugal with producer Daniel Cardoso.
On May 17, Brian Rademacher of RockEyez conducted an interview with Tom Keifer, best known as the singer/songwriter/guitarist of the Philadelphia-based blues-rock band CINDERELLA. You can now listen to the chat below.
Keifer's debut solo album, "The Way Life Goes", sold 5,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 78 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on April 30 via Merovee Records (through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group).
"The Way Life Goes" track listing:
01. Solid Ground 02. A Different Light 03. It's Not Enough 04. Cold Day In Hell 05. Thick And Thin 06. Ask Me Yesterday 07. Fools Paradise 08. The Flower Song 09. Mood Elevator 10. Welcome To My Mind 11. You Showed Me 12. Ain't That A Bitch 13. The Way Life Goes 14. Babylon
The collection of 14 new songs ranges from intimate, organic, acoustic tracks to driving hard rock. It embraces the blues, rock and country roots that have always been present in his unique sound that has generated the sale of over 15 million records worldwide for CINDERELLA. Rolling Stone praised Keifer as "a gritty, bluesy (rocker) with enough genuine swagger to draw comparisons to Mick Jagger."
"This record was a labor of love," Keifer told TriCities.com. "When I started this record, CINDERELLA was in the middle of a lawsuit with Sony Records. This record is not in any way to be taken as me stepping away from CINDERELLA."
"I took a lot of time making this record," he continued. "I made it over 10 years. I wanted to make something I loved. My wife, Savannah (Snow), co-wrote a lot of the songs with me. It was a blessing to me.
"Each song has something to do with life. It's just life, love, love lost, being crazy, going crazy, being lost. The record, there's no change, really, in style. It has the peaks and valleys.
"I've always approached music, played music that I like. I've never chased trends through CINDERELLA and with this album. It reflects what's in me."
"The Flower Song", the album's first single, was serviced to AAA radio stations nationwide on February 4, while "Solid Ground" was serviced to all rock formats on March 11.
Keifer wrote "The Flower Song" with Jim Peterik, formerly of the bands SURVIVOR and the IDES OF MARCH.
"The Way Life Goes" is a raw, introspective look at the roller coaster ride that has been Keifer's life for the past 15 years. From being told that he would never sing again as a result of a partially paralyzed left vocal cord, to the emotional and personal battles that followed, his solo debut is a story of perseverance, a testament to the power of passion and will, when combined with a true love of music.
"It's pretty scary," Keifer said of his vocal paralysis. "I've had six surgeries to deal with the collateral damage. Performing… has been difficult for me because of the vocal issues I've had. I work several hours every day on that. That's a difficult thing for me every day."
MÖTLEY CRÜE took part in a special Walk Of Fame ceremony outside the Mohegan Sun Box Office on Saturday, May 18 at 4:30 p.m. The band had a star placed alongside some of Mohegan Sun Arena's most beloved talents, some of which include BON JOVI, KISS, Rod Stewart, Toby Keith and Taylor Swift. Their show marked MÖTLEY CRÜE's third performance at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut and they also became the 25th entertainer inducted into the Walk Of Fame.
Check out video footage of the induction ceremony below.
The Mohegan Sun Walk Of Fame honor seeks to recognize those individuals who have made significant contributions to the success of Mohegan Sun as the Northeast's premier entertainment destination. All of the individuals inducted into the Mohegan Sun Walk Of Fame will have their name engraved on a plaque that will be permanently placed at the entrance to Mohegan Sun Arena.
Hailing from Los Angeles, California, MÖTLEY CRÜE — Vince Neil (vocals), Mick Mars (guitars), Nikki Sixx (bass) and Tommy Lee (drums) — has commandeered the rock pantheon for over 30 years. In that time, they have accumulated worldwide album sales exceeding 80 million, seven platinum or multi-platinum albums, 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits, six Top 20 pop singles, a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, three Grammy nominations for "Best Hard Rock Performance" and countless sold-out tours across the globe, playing to millions of fans. The first rock band in history to have completed an epic sold-out Las Vegas residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, MÖTLEY CRÜE is best known for continuing to reinvent not only their live show (with mind-blowing elements such as Tommy Lee's 360 drum roller coaster) and music (brand new song "Sex", released in summer 2012), but remain on the forefront of entertainment via cutting edge social media interaction. The band was featured in the award winning Super Bowl commercial for the KIA Optima. MÖTLEY CRÜE's New York Times bestselling memoir, "The Dirt", is currently being adapted into a major motion picture.
Former WHITE ZOMBIE and LAST CRACK drummer Phil Buerstatte was reportedly found dead over the weekend in Madison, Wisconsin. No further details are currently available.
Buerstatte was the drummer for WHITE ZOMBIE between 1992 and 1994 and he played with the band on the "La Sexorcisto" tour. He was also in the Wisconsin metal band LAST CRACK from 1986 to 1997.
Buerstatte's LAST CRACK bandmate Paul Schluter has issued the following statement on the drummer's passing:
"We are sorry to have to announce that LAST CRACK drummer and our musical brother Phil Buerstatte has passed away today. He will be greatly missed by his many friends, family and fellow band members.
"Pull out your LAST CRACK albums, crank them up loud and remember what a great drummer he was!
"It is the end of an era for us and sad to say the original lineup will never be able to play together again. Our last show with Phil from 2009 is posted on YouTube in its entirety. The remaining members of the band are discussing doing a tribute show in Phil's honor in the coming months. We'll post details soon."
Last August, a man claiming to be Buerstatte was arrested on suspicion of defrauding a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Sausalito, California.
The man allegedly tried to pay $75,000 for his treatment at the Alta Mira Recovery Center in June with a fraudulent check and bank account information.
German metallers PRIMAL FEAR will enter guitarist Magnus Karlsson's Stuntguitar Studios in Sweden tomorrow (Tuesday, May 21) to begin recording their next studio album for an early 2014 release via Frontiers Records.
After collecting more than 30 song ideas, the band finally stripped the list down to 12 tracks.
Frontiers and PRIMAL FEAR in January announced that they have renewed their partnership for another multi-album deal, which will include two more studio releases and one live CD and DVD.
PRIMAL FEAR's latest album, "Unbreakable", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 44 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
Released on January 24, 2012 in the U.S. via Frontiers Records, "Unbreakable" was tracked in part at House Of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany with producer/bassist Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN).
A track-by-track breakdown of "Halo Of Blood", the title track of the eighth album from Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM, can be seen below. The CD will be released on June 11 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover art was created by Sami Saramäki, who was responsible for the artwork on previous CHILDREN OF BODOM albums "Follow The Reaper", "Are You Dead Yet?" and "Hate Crew Deathroll".
Pre-order the CD (including the bonus track and digital booklet) now and get the single "Transference" instantly.
Comments CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho: "'Transference' is a straight-up CHILDREN OF BODOM to-the-core-type song and therefore was a good pick for a video and obviously is one of our favorite tracks. It always had an evil vibe to it, which I wish I knew how to explain because it still gives me chills… Enjoy!"
CHILDREN OF BODOM's new CD was recorded at Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki. For the recording of the LP, CHILDREN OF BODOM has teamed up with recording engineer Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their fan-favorite albums "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll", as well as Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (MARDUK, AMON AMARTH), who oversaw production of both vocals and keyboards on the record. The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.
Commented Laiho: "'Halo Of Blood' is the eighth studio album from CHILDREN OF BODOM, and believe it or not, but we still managed to keep it fresh and new while still maintaining the elements that make COB sound recognizable. It's got the fastest and the slowest song we ever made and lyrics wise there are themes we had never had before. It's 10 new songs of pure Nordic metal and whether you enjoy it with a beer or a glass of water, I'm sure you will have a good time."
"Halo Of Blood" track listing:
01. Waste Of Skin 02. Halo Of Blood 03. Scream For Silence 04. Transference 05. Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming) 06. The Days Are Numbered 07. Dead Man's Hand On You 08. Damage Beyond Repair 09. All Twisted 10. One Bottle And A Knee Deep
Germany's Guitar magazine recently conducted an interview with Joel O'Keeffe (vocals, lead guitar) of Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE. You can now watch the chat in two parts below.
"Black Dog Barking", the third album from AIRBOURNE, can be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below (courtesy of RevolverMag.com). Due on May 21 via Roadrunner Records, the follow-up to 2010's "No Guts. No Glory." was produced by Brian Howes, who has previously worked with HINDER, DAUGHTRY and PUDDLE OF MUDD.
"Black Dog Barking" track listing:
01. Ready To Rock 02. Animalize 03. No One Fits Me (Better Than You) 04. Back In The Game 05. Firepower 06. Live It Up 07. Woman Like That 08. Hungry 09. Cradle To The Grave 10. Black Dog Barking
Bonus tracks:
11. Jack Attack 12. You Got The Skills (To Pay The Bills) 13. Party In The Penthouse
The Full Throttle edition of AIRBOURNE's new single, "Live It Up", will be made available for the opening of Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, the tallest, fastest looping roller coaster in the world. The Full Throttle edition of "Live It Up" will be featured throughout the newly themed five-acre section of the park where guests will experience high-energy action through fast-paced imagery, sound and lights, with additional music featuring various Roadrunner artists. The launch will be further supported nationally in all theme parks, Roadrunner and Six Flags online and social media channels, live events and press outreach.
AIRBOURNE's infectious music has been used in more than 20 video games, countless films, trailers and more.
AIRBOURNE is Joel O'Keeffe (vocals/lead guitar), Ryan O'Keeffe (drums), David Roads (guitar) and Justin Street (bass).
Juliya Chernetsky conducted an interview with DISTURBED and DEVICE frontman David Draiman backstage at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods awards on May 2 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, California. You can now watch the chat below.
DEVICE released its self-titled debut album on April 9. It debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard album chart, selling 35,000 copies in its first week of release.
DISTURBED singer David Draiman launched DEVICE last year with ex-FILTER guitarist Geno Lenardo, after DISTURBED went on hiatus in late 2011.
Lenardo is not touring with DEVICE due to previous commitments. The live band, which made its debut on April 10 in Mobile, Alabama, includes DOPE guitarist Virus and EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt.
DEVICE will hit the road this summer on Gigantour 2013, along with MEGADETH, HELLYEAH, NEWSTED, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and other acts. The trek kicks off on July 3 in Gilford, New Hampshire, wrapping on August 11 in Toronto, Canada.
DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren's new band, FIGHT OR FLIGHT, will release its debut album in July.
A track-by-track breakdown of "Eternal Defiance", the new album from German melodic folk/death metallers SUIDAKRA, can be seen below. Due on May 24 via AFM Records, the CD's cover artwork was created by [famous Belgian graphic artist] Kris Verwimp and can be seen below.
"Eternal Defiance" track listing:
01. Storming The Walls 02. Inner Sanctum 03. Beneath The Red Eagle 04. March Of Conquest 05. Pair Dadeni 06. The Mindsong 07. Rage For Revenge 08. Dragon’s Head 09. Defiant Dreams 10. Damnatio Memoriae 11. Mrs Mcgrath (bonus track)
Commented SUIDAKRA singer Arkadius Antonik: "As on the previous two releases, it will be a concept album again, created by Kris Verwimp in cooperation with us. Our new concept includes a lot of new elements and suprises which will be reflected in the music as well."
In a 2012 interview with Metal Kaoz, Antonik stated about SUIDAKRA's new material: "The songs … are bombastic and we also finished the first song with Tina's [Stabel] female vocals. This time, it's gonna be a faster song with a real epic and catchy chorus."
Bassist Marcus Riewaldt last year announced his departure from SUIDAKRA. He said in a statement, "After more than 250 shows and 10 years being in the band, I feel that now time has come to change my priorities a bit and see what else life has to offer for me. No hard feelings involved; it's just that I cannot motivate myself for another writing-rehearsing-recording-promoting-touring cycle and that I'm really annoyed by some of the music business mechanisms that one has to deal with in order to continue this beautiful and exciting, but at the same time very time- and energy-consuming hobby. I wish SUIDAKRA much luck and success for the future — it would all be well deserved!"
SUIDAKRA has already secured a replacement bassist in Tim Siebrecht, who was a stand-in guitar player for SUIDAKRA on several occasions in recent years.
SUIDAKRA's tenth album, "Book Of Dowth", was released on March 25, 2011 via AFM Records.
Arutz Sheva conducted an interview with SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo prior to his May 1 drum clinic at the Barby Club in Tel Aviv, Israel. A couple of excerpts fom the chat follow below.
Arutz Sheva: You were born in Havana and grew up in a Cuban family. Did you grown up in a traditional religious Cuban family?
Lombardo: Yes, very traditional. My dad never even learned English. He just went to work, found a job, worked for a family, bought a house, and then retired. He lived the American dream without speaking a word of English. It still amazes me. My mom can speak some English, but not too much. So the home was fully Cuban. I heard Spanish all the time. When I stepped outside the house, I was in America and when I came home, it was Cuban music, Cuban food, and television in Spanish.
Arutz Sheva: Your family left Cuba when you were 2 years old. Why did they move to California rather then Florida or Union City, New Jersey where there were established Cuban-American communities?
Lombardo: Let me tell you the story. In the late 1950s, in Cuba, they started to teach Communism in schools. So my mom and dad sent my older brothers and my sisters to America. This program was called Pedro Pan [Operation Peter Pan]. So my siblings were among the Pedro Pan children. They were sent to California. That's why we ended up there later. When my siblings left, my parents said to them, "We'll see you in five months." But Russia was sending missiles to the island and the Cuban Missile Crisis happened. The wall went up, and they stopped all flights going out of Cuba. So my mom and dad didn't get to see my brothers for five years. They were 10 and 13 years old at the time. That's how we ended up in California, because they were with a foster family there. My father was forced to shut down his business because of communism. My siblings were away, the family was almost destroyed. My mom and dad had terrible fights and arguments about everything. They were going to get a divorce. And then my mother became pregnant with me.
Arutz Sheva: How did you discover your musical talent?
Lombardo: There was a lot of music played in my house and in the Cuban clubs. There were always bands playing. I would always stand backstage and watch them. My mom would always say, "Davey, go outside, go dance with the girls, go play with the kids!" I would say, "No, mom, I wanna watch the band!" Cuban music is a very passionate music. You play very fast with a lot of emotions. Even certain parts of famous SLAYER songs come from Cuban music. I didn't take lessons. I taught myself by listening to music, watching the drummers and studying different musicians, not by notes and paper. I think listening is so important.
Arutz Sheva: So how did you end up in the world of heavy metal music?
Lombardo: The power and the aggression attracted me. I would hear a song on the radio, and if it was powerful, I would go and buy it. For example, when I heard LED ZEPPELIN's "The Wanton Song", I had to buy it. I remember being excited when "Killers" from IRON MAIDEN came out. They looked scary and I was fascinated by that. Now that I'm older, I listen to more mellow music. I like a lot of Latin jazz, Chucho Valdés, Arturo Sandoval, Paquito D'Rivera, Michel Camilo, and a lot of the classic Cuban music, and I draw from that. I would love to do a project with Latin artists. And an interesting project could happen with Yossi [Sassi of the Israeli band ORPHANED LAND].
Read the entire interview from Arutz Sheva. You can also listen to the chat using the audio played below.
When a scientist discovers a new and unknown fossil, he gets to give it a scientific name. Some choose a name that reflects the shape of the animal, some choose a name that relates to where it's found, and others choose to name them after their favorite rock stars.
A new exhibition, "Heavy Metal And Punk Fossils", explores this more amusing part of natural history by focusing on a series of bizarre fossils that all are named in honor of rock stars. One of the pieces on display will be a 420-million-year-old worm with huge jaws, which carries the name Kingnites Diamondi, named by Professor Mats Eriksson, from Lund, Sweden, after the Danish metal maestro King Diamond. Another equally old and ferocious-looking worm is named Kalloprion Kilmisteri, after Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister of MOTÖRHEAD. Other fossils that are portrayed in the exhibition are named after members of AC/DC, BAD RELIGION, SEX PISTOLS, and RAMONES. And although not very metal, a fiercely looking dinosaur, Masikasaurus Knopfleri, is named after Mark Knopfler from DIRE STRAITS.
The exhibition portrays the story behind the fossils, the rock stars and the scientists behind the names, and the funny anecdotes about why they choose the names they did.
The exhibition is being held as a cooperation between Dr. Jesper Milàn, curator at Geomuseum Faxe and Esben Horn from 10Tons Aps, a company specializing in zoological and palaeontological reconstructions who built models for the exhibition.
Professor Mats Eriksson from Lund, Sweden, Dr. Gregory Edgdecombe, Natural History Museum in London and Dr. Jingmai O'Connor from Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology in Beijing have been scientific supervisors on the project.
The "Heavy Metal And Punk Fossils" exhibition will open on June 9 at Geomuseum Faxe in Faxe, Denmark.
"Oscillation", the seventh full-length album from Norwegian metallers TRAIL OF TEARS, will be released in North America on June 11 via Massacre Records. The CD, which was made available in Europe on April 26, was recorded last year at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes.
The "Oscillation" cover art was created by Finnish artist Jan Yrlund and can be seen below.
TRAIL OF TEARS singer Cathrine Paulsen revealed in a January 2013 online posting that the band's other vocalist, Ronny Thorsen, had "decided to leave TRAIL OF TEARS." She added: "The reason for his decision has been various problems during the making of 'Oscillation', where Ronny have contributed with lyrics and vocals.
"The making of the album has been a very hard process on all of us. Ronny Thorsen felt the prosess was going too slow. Meanwhile, others have worked very hard to finish it. This major contrast between those who have spent almost every day during the last three years to make the album as good as possible, and those who have been more busy pushing some in the band to the edge of breakdown, is the main reason in this conflict."
In a separate online posting, Thorsen disputed Paulsen's account, saying that "a certain female singer has lost her final remaining piece of sanity. It is indeed fascinating how much nonsense and lies one person is able to spew forth.
"In all honesty, the working climate within the band has indeed been difficult for a while. This has been the case for quite some time and the whole thing escalated when Cathrine and guitarist Bjørn Erik Næss became a couple about a year ago and started forming their own little alliance within the band.
"It was a mutual decision amongst the members that we were going to finalize and release this new album and then go our separate ways as it was no longer possible to see eye to eye on how to run this band.
"I want to make it perfectly clear that I had every intention to do just that, to release one last killer album and then for everyone to go on with other musical endeavours. This, obviously, was not possible."
SYSTEM OF A DOWN has released the following statement:
"Earlier today, Shavo [Odadjian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist] posted a few statements on his personal Facebook page that do not reflect the sentiments of SYSTEM OF A DOWN as a collective band. These were misleading statements that were made during a temporary state of bad judgment on his part alone. To be clear, the full band lineup of Serj [Tankian, vocals], Daron [Malakian, guitar/vocals], Shavo and John [Dolmayan, drums] will be performing all scheduled tour dates. With respect to new SOAD music, although we have not agreed on a timetable for a new album, we all believe that having the four of us do it together is the way to be true to the band and our fans."
SYSTEM OF A DOWN last released new music in 2005 on the "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" albums, going on hiatus the following year.
The band reunited in 2011 for touring purposes and will spend the summer on a European festival circuit, while performing only one North American show in 2013 at California's famed Hollywood Bowl.
In a series of postings on his Facebook page, Shavo wrote: "OK... I'll come clean.. It's not us (meaning Daron [Malakian, guitar/vocals], John [Dolmayan, drums] or Shavo!!) It's Serj who doesn't want to do a new album!!!! So please stop harassing us about it!!! We are just waiting for Serj! Now he might hate me for exposing the truth, but I had to..
"Sorry, folks!!! We're trying to get a new album out, it's just not passing Serj's rules! Kinda funny, since we started the band and now he's holding us back!! I think we should should release another album again??? As for me.. I'm ready to release one with someone who wants to be the singer of SYSTEM, not someone we have to beg to be a part of SYSTEM!!
"So with that in mind, what do you guys [think] we should do? Just remember, he's been holding us back for seven years so far. Wanna wait another 4-5 years? Or shall we release a record without Serj? You tell us.
"I don't want to make a record without him... but if he's not down? Should the three of us just sit and wait?? Not cool!!!!!!!! I want the fans from all over the world, including Brazil, to tell us what they think. No SYSTEM? Or SYSTEM with with a new singer who's just as good, if not better? PLUS new SYSTEM songs and tours???? Please give me your opinion, people!!! Is SYSTEM better with no singer or someone who is excited to be our new singer?? You decide.,. 'cause I'm confused!!!
"No diss to Serj. If he wants to be in the band, then he's welcome, but if he's not? What do you expect us three to do? We really want another SYSTEM record! Wish Serj was down, but if he's not, then I'm going ahead and making a SYSTEM record without him!!! I'm furious that he let us down like this, but we gotta do something to keep this great band alive!!! Agreed?"
Tankian last year had a message for SYSTEM OF A DOWN fans waiting for a new album: don't hold your breath. In an interview with Loudwire, Tankian explained, "We haven't made plans of recording the new record as of yet. When we do, everyone will know. We haven't really discussed another record as of now with any of the guys, really. It's something that, when it's the right time, we'll do it. Right now I'm busy with my own stuff and that's gonna take me a bit, but when it's the right time, everyone will know. I don't even want to say there's [a new SYSTEM album] coming because we haven't really talked about it."
Although rumors have circulated for years about animosity within the band, drummer John Dolmayan told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the members of SYSTEM are still friends. "I think a part of it is people like drama, you know. They look for it, and they want drama involved, they want SYSTEM to have problems. There's a lot of haters out there, let's face it, and as much as the fans really want the band to get together just so that they can see and enjoy the music again, there's also just as many people that would like to see us not getting along and, you know, no hope of reuniting."
Tankian told Loudwire that SYSTEM's recent tours have been a "blast," adding, "I think we've played better because of it. There was new excitement in playing together and all of the shows have been really great. Everyone's told us that we sound better than we did in 2006 when we left off, so I think it's great."
"Silence Will Make You Suffer", the new video from Brazilian metallers HIBRIA, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Luis Mário Fontoura, and features cinematography by Livia Santos, art direction by Ana Musa and post-production and editing by Denise Marchi.
"Silence Will Make You Suffer" comes off HIBRIA's new album, which will be released in Brazil on July 1 via Voice Music. The CD, whose title will be revealed in the coming days, will be made available in Japan on June 26 through King Records.
HIBRIA's new effort was recorded at Hibria and Cidade Baixa Studios with the band's guitarist, Renato Osorio, handling production duties. The mixing was handled by Benhur Lima while the mastering was taken care of by Mike Couzzi.
HIBRIA's third album, "Blind Ride", was released in January 2011 via King Records in Japan.
Bishop of the 92.7 WQLZ radio station conducted an interview with SEVENDUST this past Saturday, May 18 at Boondocks in Springfield, Illinois. You can now watch the chat below.
SEVENDUST's ninth studio album, "Black Out The Sun", sold 27,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD, which arrived in stores on March 26 via the band's 7Bros. Records in conjunction with ADA Label Services, was recorded at Architekt Music studios in Butler, New Jersey with engineer Mike Ferretti.
In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, SEVENDUST guitarist John Connolly stated about "Black Out The Sun": "It has a totally different vibe about it. It's darker, but with a little bit of hope. There's always that light at the end of the tunnel. When I listen to it, it's almost like a greatest-hits record of songs you've never heard before. There's an album that every one of those songs could potentially live on. There's some stuff that sounds like it might belong on 'Home', some that sounds like 'Seasons'. Then there are some 'Alpha' moments as well."
Added SEVENDUST guitarist Clint Lowery: "We didn't over-think the record. It has a spontaneous feel. It has the spirit of our older records, but it's evolved as well. If you're already a fan, it caters to the elements you've always liked. We're proud of this album."
Asked about the songwriting approach for the CD, Lowery said: "It usually comes from an idea or a riff that John or I start. It's us coming up with beats and constructing the skeletal idea of the song from there. Then we'd get the band together to play it with everyone. By that point we'd start arranging it, and vocals are the last thing."
Added Connolly: "There was definitely no shortage of ideas. For this record, we had a writing area behind the live drums in the studio. Whenever someone was in the studio working on parts, any number of us would gather in this writing station and map things out right there on the spot. This was one of those albums where on Monday 'Decay' didn't exist and by the end of Tuesday night, it was there."
