The official lyric video for the song "Kingdom Of The Lost" from BLACK STAR RIDERS — the new band formed by THIN LIZZY alumni Ricky Warwick (guitar, vocals), Damon Johnson (guitar), Scott Gorham (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) with new addition Jimmy DeGrasso (ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) on drums — can be seen below. The track comes off BLACK STAR RIDERS' debut album, "All Hell Breaks Loose", which will be released via Nuclear Blast Entertainment on the following dates:
* May 21 - Japan * May 22 - Sweden * May 24 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway * May 27 - U.K., France, BeNeLux, Poland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Greece * May 28 - U.S., Canada, Italy, South America
The "All Hell Breaks Loose" artwork features a painting by Gil Elvgren (March 15, 1914 - February 29, 1980), the legendary U.S. painter best known for his work on pin-up girls, advertising and illustration.
The artwork ties directly to the origins of the album title. Warwick explains: "I was watching a documentary about World War II bombers and saw the name painted on the side of one of the aircraft. The name just resonated with me and it seem to encapsulate the turmoil that we, as a society, are currently experiencing. The past few years have been such a wild ride and now with the release of the album, it sounded like a bad-ass album title that summed up what BLACK STAR RIDERS is all about."
About the first single, Warwick states: "'Bound For Glory' — a song for the lost but never lonely, walking tall in the face of everyday adversary. Everyone has a story to tell. Revolution begins in the mirror!!!" Gorham adds: "When it came time to pick one of these songs as a single, we had a really hard time. There are so many really great tracks here and everyone had their favorites. But in the end, we all agreed that 'Bound For Glory' is the perfect choice and represents what BLACK STAR RIDERS is all about."
"All Hell Breaks Loose" was recorded and mixed by producer Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, RUSH) at his The Cave studios in Malibu, California. Mastering duties were handled by Bob Ludwig (JIMI HENDRIX, RUSH, KISS, LED ZEPPELIN) at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine.
"All Hell Breaks Loose" track listing:
01. All Hell Breaks Loose 02. Bound For Glory 03. Kingdom Of The Lost 04. Bloodshot 05. Kissin’ The Ground 06. Hey Judas 07. Hoodoo Voodoo 08. Valley Of The Stones 09. Someday Salvation 10. Before The War 11. Blues Ain't So Bad
The album will be released as a standard CD and also as a special-edition digipak featuring a bonus track, "Right To Be Wrong", and a "making-of" DVD.
Dayton, Ohio Christian metalcore band THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA entered the studio on April 22 with with producer/engineer Matt Goldman to begin recording its new album for a late 2013 release via Roadrunner Records. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who handled production duties on THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's "Dead Throne" CD, will serve as executive producer on the upcoming effort.
The second in a series of video updates from the studio can be seen below.
Back in January, Hranica told Loudwire about the songwriting process for the new album: "For me, I definitely feel a little bit of a carry-over from 'Dead Throne', particularly because it was a very cool record for me learning, for me learning to write better and that was working with a new [producer] … working with Adam for the first time and having [A DAY TO REMEMBER's] Jeremy McKinnon working on some of the songs with us, and I feel I took a lot from that. On 'Dead Throne', there were better vocal parts and everything was more cohesive and understandable and made for better song structure and everything and that had had a big impact on me creatively and so it's definitely carried over into this."
He added: "Conceptually, the concepts of 'Dead Throne' didn't carry over. I feel like that would be repetitive and monotonous to keep going at the same subject matter, but obviously, it all comes from the same place and I can say that nothing got more happy or uplifting, really. So I think it's very much THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, but also it's got a bit of freshness and originality to it and I think that even musically we started approaching the songs differently. Like, this song could be more like this and working off of a base we never really worked off of before."
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's nationwide co-headlining trek with AS I LAY DYING got underway February 22 at Ventura, California's Majestic Ventura Theater Half House and continues through early April. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and AS I LAY DYING are accompanied on the road by FOR TODAY and THE CHARIOT.
"Dead Throne" sold 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart.
During a recent interview with The Huffington Post, KISS frontman Paul Stanley took time to salute the band's fans while taking a swipe at chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation, Jann Wenner, when asked if he ever sees a day when KISS will be inducted into the Rock Hall. "Well, it depends on who lives longer, us or Jann Wenner," Stanley said.
"Look, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is marketing," he continued. "You've got a bunch of faceless people in a back room who trademark a name that sounds very official. Well, if you had thought of it first, you would have been the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I am one of the biggest Laura Nyro fans. I still listen to that stuff incessantly. Laura Nyro does not belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Songwriter Hall Of Fame? Absolutely."
He went on to plead his case, saying: "It's absurd for anybody to look around and hear the acts and artists who cite us as an inspiration, and then tell me that we're not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I would certainly accept on their (the fans) behalf because it seems to be a major sore spot for them, but I don't need the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame."
For the 14th year in a row, KISS has been passed up for inclusion into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Had they been inducted in 1999, the year they were first eligible, they would have entered with Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Dusty Springfield, and Curtis Mayfield, among others. That year, instead of KISS joining those legends in the Hall, the late Del Shannon was inducted — an artist, whose influence and fan-base simply can't be compared to the New York rockers. Over the years, KISS has watched such '70s peers as AEROSMITH, the RAMONES, AC/DC, ZZ TOP, the SEX PISTOLS, the STOOGES, and Alice Cooper enter before them.
KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told Rolling Stone last year about once again being shut out of the Rock Hall: "It's become a joke. We've been thinking about it and the answer is simply, 'We'll just buy it and fire everybody.' In all seriousness for the fans, for something to be called Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is such an insult to MADONNA, BLONDIE. . . Who the fuck knows what other disco act is in there? It's an insult to them because they don't get to be in the 'Dance Hall Of Fame', because that's what they do. They're legitimate dance, disco artists. They don't belong in rock and roll."
Stanley added: "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has reached a point where they're really scrounging and scratching to find someone left that they consider viable. With all due respect, when you get to Patti Smith, you're about two steps away from Pete Seeger."
Gene Simmons told The Pulse Of Radio that awards hold little allure for him, since it's the fans that ultimately decide who stays around and who doesn't: "Our awards are under the 'K' section in record stores. Every time somebody goes out and plunks down their hard-earned money — either for a KISS ticket or for an album — that's the award, and reward."
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was at the Cannes Film Festival last week to promote the band's upcoming IMAX 3D movie, "Metallica Through The Never". The movie was screened and shopped for prospective buyers at the event by international sales company Exclusive Media.
Check out a couple of separate video interviews with Ulrich about the film below.
Lars said, "After wading through multiple international distribution options for our film, we are excited to be partnering up with the folks at Exclusive Media, who we feel understand METALLICA and understand our film better than anyone else . . . it feels like we're off to a pretty rockin' start."
Ulrich, who has appeared in a handful of films, told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he gets a creative charge out of dabbling in the movie business. "I love being around creative processes and being around creative people, and any time you get a chance to be around creative people that are slightly outside of your own niche or whatever, it's always cool to just see how other people work and try to be inspired by that and bring something back to your day job," he said.
Exclusive is selling the international rights to the movie, which will be released in the U.S. by Picturehouse on September 27 in IMAX venues exclusively, followed by more theaters on October 4.
The film stars Dane DeHaan as a METALLICA crew member assigned with carrying out a mysterious task for the band as they perform at a local arena.
Producer Charlotte Huggins described the film as "a dramatic movie in which a concert takes place." The two shows filmed for the movie — which featured an elaborate stage production — were done by METALLICA solely for the film.
METALLICA will next headline the second edition of its Orion Music + More festival, scheduled for June 8-9 in Detroit.
"Your Voice", the new video from Swiss modern melodic death metallers DREAMSHADE, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's sophomore album, "The Gift Of Life", which was released on January 25 via Spinefarm. The CD was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen.
DREAMSHADE parted ways with singer Iko Castelli in November 2011 due to musical differences and replaced him with Kevin Cali (ROOTS OF DEATH).
DREAMSHADE's debut album, "What Silence Hides", came out in March 2011. A press release previously described the CD as "sit[ting] loosely under the 'melodic death metal' banner, a genre that continues to be developed by [DREAMSHADE's] [then-]labelmates CHILDREN OF BODOM. [But] DREAMSHADE succeed in bringing modern elements to the traditions of the music — the result being a fresh blend of melodic death and progressive metal."
DREAMSHADE is:
Kevin Calì - Vocals Fernando "Fella" Di Cicco - Guitar, Vocals Rocco Ghielmini - Guitar Ivan Moccia – Bass Serafino "Sera" Chiommino - Drums
"Fire, Fire", the new video from U.K. hard rockers HEAVEN'S BASEMENT, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut album, "Filthy Empire", which was released in North America on February 5 via Red Bull Records. The follow-up to the independently released "Unbreakable" EP was produced by John Feldmann (THE USED, PAPA ROACH, BLACK VEIL BRIDES).
"Filthy Empire" track listing:
01. Welcome Home 02. Fire, Fire 03. Nothing Left To Lose 04. When The Lights Go Out In London 05. I Am Electric 06. The Long Goodbye 07. Heartbreaking Son of a Bitch 08. Be Somebody 09. Can't Let Go 10. The Price We Pay 11. Jump Back 12. Executioner's Day
HEAVEN'S BASEMENT has been making a name for itself overseas via their relentless touring and fiery live show plus music that features huge guitar riffs, killer melodies and an arena-rock sound. The band recently supported HALESTORM and SEETHER on separate European tours.
Originally formed in the East Midlands in England in 2007 (although the band's current lineup came together more recently in 2009), HEAVEN'S BASEMENT has already toured with the likes of BUCKCHERRY, PAPA ROACH, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, SHINEDOWN, and more. Kerrang! magazine declared, "HEAVEN'S BASEMENT play as if their lives depend on it. They should already be a big name — bristling riffs and jagged, riotous hooks are their poison and exceptional is not too strong a word."
HEAVEN'S BASEMENT is Aaron Buchanan (vocals), Sid Glover (guitar), Rob Ellershaw (bass), and Chris Rivers (drums).
CRADLE OF FILTH's new video for the song "For Your Vulgar Delectation", taken from the British extreme metal band's latest album, "The Manticore And Other Horrors", is now available exclusively on iTunes as part of "The Manticore & Other Horrors - Extended Claws". This new release also features 12 unreleased demos and another three videos.
"The Manticore & Other Horrors - Extended Claws" track listing:
01. The Unveiling Of O 02. The Abhorrent 03. For Your Vulgar Delectation 04. Illicitus 05. Manticore 06. Frost On Her Pillow 07. Huge Onyx Wings Behind Despair 08. Pallid Reflection 09. Siding With The Titans 10. Succumb To This 11. Nightmares Of An Ether Drinker 12. Death, The Great Adventure 13. Sinfonia 14. The Unveiling Of O (Demo) 15. Manticore (Demo) 16. Siding With The Titans (Demo) 17. Death, The Great Adventure (Demo) 18. Succumb To This (Demo) 19. Huge Onyx Wings Behind Despair (Demo) 20. Illicitus (Demo) 21. Pallid Reflection (Demo) 22. The Abhorrent (Demo) 23. For Your Vulgar Delectation (Demo) 24. Frost On Her Pillow (Demo) 25. Sinfonia (Demo)
"For Your Vulgar Delectation" comes off CRADLE OF FILTH's tenth studio album, "The Manticore And Other Horrors", which sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 96 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous full-length effort, "Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa", opened with 5,800 units in November 2010 to land at No. 99.
CRADLE OF FILTH's 2008 CD, "Godspeed On The Devil's Thunder", premiered with a little over 11,000 copies to enter the chart at No. 48. This was slightly less than the first-week tally registered by 2006's "Thornography", which shifted nearly 13,000 copies the first week out to enter The Billboard chart at No. 66, and "Nymphetamine", which premiered with almost 14,000 copies back in October 2004.
"The Manticore And Other Horrors" was released in North America on October 30, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Recorded in eight weeks at both Springvale and Grindstone studios (where it was also mixed by Scott Atkins), Suffolk, "The Manticore And Other Horrors" is a testament to the longevity of the 'FILTH, as not only does it reek of CRADLE's (feared or revered) brand of delicious metal vamperotica, but this thoroughly modern album places the band firmly in fresh killing fields anew.
"The Manticore And Other Horrors" itself possesses an altogether new atmosphere for the band, incorporating a heavier, faster NWOBBM punk vibe that is both current and cruel, blended with ornate orchestration and the quirky immediateness of 2000's "Midian" opus.
The album's title can be likened to a bestiary, a collection of stories on monsters - personal demons, Chimeras, literary fiends and world-enslaving entities to blame but a few. "Manticore", the ravening title track, is a song about a beautiful mythological horror that comes to be feared as the disfigurehead of foreign occupation in the Indian provinces.
The songs "Illicitus" and "Pallid Reflection" bear the sweet ingredients of vampirism and lycanthropy; the wicked "For Your Vulgar Delectation" and "Frost On Her Pillow" are woven perversely into grim fairy tales, whilst classic, monumental tracks like "The Abhorrent And Siding With The Titans" both extol tentacular Lovecraftian values.
"Honor Never Dies", the new video from Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "The Divinity Of Purpose", which sold 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 20 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The band's previous, self-titled CD opened with 15,000 units back in 2009 to enter the chart at No. 37.
HATEBREED's "Supremacy" album premiered with around 27,000 copies in September 2006 to land at No. 31. This number was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Rise Of Brutality", which shifted more than 32,000 copies in November 2003 to debut at No. 30.
HATEBREED's covers album, entitled "For The Lions", sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release in May 2009 to debut at position No. 58 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"The Divinity Of Purpose" was released on January 29 in North America via Razor & Tie and on January 25 in Europe through Nuclear Blast. The CD was co-produced by HATEBREED, Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SUICIDE SILENCE, ALL THAT REMAINS, SHADOWS FALL) and Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), with Wilbur also handling mixing duties. The cover artwork was created and illustrated by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS, GWAR) and can be seen below.
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith launched his own podcast on May 13 through Music Radar called "In Conversation with Chad Smith". The series bills itself as a non-traditional interview format offering insight into the personal and professional lives of musicians. Smith's guest for the first installment was RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson, whom he sat down with in Los Angeles a few days before RUSH was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last month.
Part one and two of the first pocast can be streamed below. The third and final part of the interview will be posted next Monday.
Smith described his style as "the invisible interview — that's what I call it. Friends, thoughts, information — why do you do what you do? Admiration, respect, insight and maybe a surprise."
As for why he chose Lifeson as his first guest, Smith said, "I've been a RUSH fan since high school. Neil [Peart, drummer) gets a lot of attention, as he should, but Al is under-appreciated, I think. He is as great a musician as he is to be around. I'm honored for him to be my first. He was gentle with me!"
Additional installments of the podcast will roll out once a week for three consecutive weeks, with Smith scheduled to record interviews with more artists for episodes that will run later in the year.
Metal guitar shredder "Metal" Mike Chlasciak (HALFORD, TESTAMENT, SEBASTIAN BACH) and C.M.M. Entertainment, LLC will release Chlasciak's new album, "The Metalworker" on June 4.
An official exclusive pre-sale package, including a signed CD and postcard, plus a guitar pick, has been launched on www.metalmike.net.
"The Metalworker" will be officially available via iTunes, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Tradebit, MySpace Music, Nokia and other major digital distributors. The album is also available in physical format across most locations that support and distribute quality metal, including CM Distro, Amazon.com, CD Universe and many others.
"The Metalworker" track listing:
01. On Leather Wings 02. Don't Shoot The Crown 03. We Are The Cross 04. M Is For Metal 05. Hell No! 06. Tonight We Ride 07. This Is War 08. Hails And Horns 09. Weight Of The Heart
Says Mike: "Foremost, I want to say thank to you for following my metal journey and sharing the passion with me for the only style of music that simply can not be challenged as far as the presence it bestows upon a fan's life. I believe one thing as we all have in common here is that we love heavy metal — loud, pure, unbending, cranking - the voice of the gods.
"It is with these thoughts that I try to approach making an album or participating in a tour. Metal, for me, is bigger than a CD in my collection or what's playing on the iPod while I do a task. In reality, there is no separation for me at all. It owns me and I own it. It's bigger than all of us, yet we are an integral part of keeping it strong and preserved for the next generation of metalheads.
"Today is an important day for me as I'm letting you know about my new album, 'The Metalworker'.
"When you do things as a solo artist, it's an immense undertaking to make a record. And, since I'm a perfectionist .... well, you can put that together.
"I have made 'The Metalworker' with no compromises, no filler, no Auto-Tune, no crazy Pro Tools or studio magic. I did it old school, I suppose, by today's standards. Marshalls were cranking while I went for the best takes. Same way the greatest records of all time were made by PRIEST, MAIDEN, MEGADETH and many others.
"I asked the best musicians I could find to make my best album to date. Carlos Zema is a superior singer and he stands in the league of the greats. Mike LePond's bass playing drives forward SYMPHONY X, which, we all know, is a killer band. Drummer Kevin Talley has this wild ability to almost read my mind and provide the perfect drum parts to my riffs, which is quite rare. His double-bass skills are almost machine-like and I challenged him with the fastest track I ever recorder — 'Hails And Horns'. Let's just say, wait 'till you hear this!
"Come on down and take part of what I've been doing for the last three years! Horns up forever!"
Best known as the long standing guitarist to JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford, Chlasciak has also recorded and/or shared stages with Bruce Dickinson, Axl Rose, Geoff Tate, Sebastian Bach, Rudolf Schenker and TESTAMENT. He has released several solo-based albums, guitar books, a metal guitar instructional DVD, and writes his own monthly column, "Metal For Life", for Guitar World magazine.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian is "holding [the group] back" by being unwilling to make a new album with his bandmates, claims SYSTEM bassist Shavo Odadjian.
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."
Kaaos TV conducted an interview with drummer Matt Nicholls of the British metalcore act BRING ME THE HORIZON prior to the band's May 14 concert at The Circus in Helsinki, Finland. You can now watch the chat below.
BRING ME THE HORIZON's fourth album, "Sempiternal", sold 27,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on April 2 via Epitaph.
BRING ME THE HORIZON's third CD, 2010's "There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret", opened with 20,000 units to debut at No. 17. The album also entered the official chart in the U.K. at position No. 13.
The five-piece, consisting of Oliver Sykes, Lee Malia, Matt Kean, Matt Nicholls and Jordan Fish, recorded "Sempiternal" over a three-month period with super producer Terry Date (LINKIN PARK, DEFTONES, SOUNDGARDEN). The band also brought in David Bendeth (A DAY TO REMEMBER, PARAMORE) to add to the all-star production lineup and mix the album.
"Writing 'Sempiternal' was a completely different process," commented BRING ME THE HORIZON frontman Oliver Sykes. "We worked from a computer, laying down ideas and riffs and working on them tirelessly until we had what we wanted." For the first time, "Sempiternal" sees a new member appearing on the record, Jordan Fish, who takes on keyboard duties on the record as well as during live performances. "Bringing Jordan into the mix changed things completely; he opened up so many more possibilities."
Sykes went on to say: "The lyrical theme is everything. My head was a lot clearer when writing this time and it allowed me to write from a different perspective. It's the best stuff I've ever written, in my opinion. It's very dramatic, quite blunt, and at times sarcastic, but the biggest part of it — is how it is combined with the music to bring the listener vivid imagery and emotion. I think we really managed to pull that off."
BRING ME THE HORIZON recently parted ways with guitarist Jona Weinhofen. A replacement axeman has not yet been announced.
Mario Trevizo of Cosmos Gaming and Fans4Bands conducted an interview with SEVENDUST bassist Vinnie Hornsby at Carolina Rebellion 2013 on May 5 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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."
Neuweltmusic conducted an interview with Norwegian psychedelic quartet SAHG, which specializes in doom-infused '70s rock, on April 30 at The Pint in Dublin, Ireland. You can now watch the chat below.
SAHG will release a brand new album in October via Indie Recordings. The CD's first single, "Firechild", is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.
SAHG's new CD was recorded at Duper studio in Bergen, Norway.
SAHG's third album, "Sahg III", came out on August 30, 2010 through Indie.
SAHG is:
Olav Iversen - Vocals/Guitar Tony Vetaas - Bass Thomas Tofthagen - Guitar Thomas Lønnheim - Drums
Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" recently conducted an interview with former guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck of Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. You can now watch the chat below.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's fourth album, "Temper, Temper", sold 44,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on February 12 via RCA.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's previous effort, 2010's "Fever", opened with 71,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at No. 3. It was also a Top 10 release in the U.K., Japan, Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.
The Welsh quartet changed the way they approached making an album this time around, with guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck and drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas traveling to Thailand to do the initial writing and recording for the album. Tuck told The Pulse Of Radio why they made the trip. "It was just nice being in a studio 24/7, really, you know, with no distractions from home and stuff," he said. "So that was kind of the main reason why we went there and it just worked out well, you know, because we didn't have any pressures from having to travel, having to cook your own food — just all the stuff that is an everyday process obviously takes a lot of time out of the day to be creative. So just being there, being able to write 24/7, was a huge advantage."
The first single from "Temper, Temper" is called "Riot".
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE is currently headlining the fifth edition of the "HardDrive Live" tour, which kicked off on April 12 in Denver. Joining them are main support HALESTORM, plus special guests YOUNG GUNS and openers STARS IN STEREO. The trek is sponsored by "HardDrive".
