Drummer Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, FLYING COLORS, THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) has released the following update:
"I had a great time with my [ADRENALINE MOB] brothers at these last shows in South America. Honestly, I'm sad to see it end...
"Although I recently announced having to step aside from the band because of current scheduling conflicts (I hate the word 'quit,' as so many websites took it upon themselves to so eloquently use as a stupid headline for shock value), I must say I'd always be happy to help them out whenever/however I could in the future should our schedules and situations allow.
"I really will miss Russell [Allen, vocals], Mike Orlando [guitar] and John [Moyer, bass]. We made some great music and unforgettable memories together the last couple years. Through thick and thin...for better or worse. Like any marriage, family or brotherhood.
"But, as I've previously stated, I have other things immediately approaching on my calendar, and unfortunately, I cannot ask them to 'wait around' for my schedule to re-open if they choose to continue working right now... That is their prerogative... I get that and I totally understand it. I wish them the best no matter how it all plays out in the future..
"On the other hand, I cannot be 'exclusive' to them at the moment as I have many other bands/projects that also require my time and attention as well...(most immediately, THE WINERY DOGS world tour that kicks off next month...)
"Just to clarify, for some people who still don't seem to understand it: I always said from Day 1 after leaving DREAM THEATER, that I was going to spend a few years 'planting many musical seeds'... and that's what I'm still currently enjoying doing.
"I spent 25 years focused on ONE band and at the moment I am still enjoying my freedom to explore many different musical, creative and personal environments with so many incredible musicians and different musical directions.
"Perhaps someday I will settle down again with ONLY one band... maybe it will be with one of the ones I'm currently in...? Or maybe with something entirely different...? Or maybe I won't at all... who knows? The future is impossible to predict... There is ONLY THE NOW... and that's how I'm living.
"I know to some, this is a hard concept to swallow as it's not the usual or 'traditional' route for a typical rock musician... But I don't follow rules, I follow my heart!!
"The remainder of 2013 for me will be focused on THE WINERY DOGS which I am incredibly excited about and proud of...I look forward to touring the world with Billy [Sheehan] and Richie [Kotzen] and sharing our music and our chemistry with you all. We plan on playing everywhere and anywhere that will have us...and we can't wait to get started a few weeks from now!
"Also later this year, there will be live releases (Blu-ray/DVD/CD) of my tours from last year with both FLYING COLORS and PSMS (Portnoy, Sheehan, MacAlpine, Sherinian)...as well as the new CD by BIGELF that I played on.
"In 2014, new studio albums from both TRANSATLANTIC and FLYING COLORS will also surface with possible tour dates for both upon their releases...
"Time will tell how all of these different 'musical seeds' will continue to grow and blossom...
"But in the meantime... let's not question it all, overanalyze it all, criticize and judge, etc. It's MUSIC!!!! Let's just ENJOY IT....
"Like I wrote all those years ago: CARPE DIEM!"
ADRENALINE MOB released "Covertá", an eight-track EP featuring cover versions of some of the group's favorite songs, on March 12. Longtime fans of Portnoy are aware of the multiple cover CDs he has released with DREAM THEATER and with Neal Morse. "Covertá" is the first CD of covers recorded by ADRENALINE MOB.
Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).
Portnoy played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and toured with them for the entire second half of 2010.
On June 15, Guitarhoo.com conducted an interview with Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro's (ANGRA). You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.
Kiko's June 14 concert in Sao Paulo, Brazil, was professionally filmed and recorded for DVD release in the next few months. The event featured three different musical styles and chapters in his solo career — metal, progressive and Brazilian fusion music. The shows also featured special guest performers, including Virgil Donati (PLANET X, ALLAN HOLDSWORTH) on drums.
Kiko's latest solo album, "Sounds Of Innocence", was released in Japan at the end of June 2012 and was made available in the rest of the world in July 2012. The CD features guest appearances by Virgil Donati on drums and Felipe Andreoli (ANGRA, ALMAH) on bass. One track also features LIVING COLOUR bassist Doug Wimbish. The effort was produced by Kiko Loureiro, mixed by Dennis Ward and mastered by Jürgen Lusky.
"Sounds Of Innocence" track listing:
01. Awakening Prelude 02. Gray Stone Gateway 03. Conflicted 04. Reflective 05. El Guajiro 06. Ray Of Life 07. The Hymn 08. Mãe D'Água 09. Twisted Horizon 10. A Perfect Rhyme 11. Conflicted (back base) (bonus track)
Kiko's third solo album, "Fullblast", came out in 2009.
Singer Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi last year left ANGRA. A replacement vocalist has not yet been announced.
"Everblack", the sixth full-length album from Michigan's unstoppable sons of molten melodic death metal THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, sold 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 32 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Commented vocalist Trevor Strnad: "We are thrilled that 'Everblack' is being so well received by the fans and we thank them truly from the heart for picking the album up. It's been an amazing ride so far and the new album is our proudest moment yet. THANKS!!"
"Everblack" was released on June 11 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Audiohammer Studios (lead guitars and vocals), Rustbelt Studios (drums), and Regal Fecal (guitar and bass). Mixing was handled by Jason Suecof and Ryan Williams, mastering was completed by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (SEPULTURA, SUFFOCATION, UNEARTH) in New Windsor, New York. Frontman Trevor Strnad's horror-inspired lyrics persist on "Everblack", beginning with "In Hell Is Where She Waits For Me", a reference to the murder from which the band took for its moniker. The cover artwork was painted by renowned artist Nick Keller.
Strnad elaborates on the lyrical concepts: "The opening track is the first actual song we've done about the Black Dahlia. This one is for the fans… they've been asking for this to happen for a long time. The story takes place at the Elizabeth Short's rain drenched funeral, where her killer in attendance… just one of the many macabre tales woven into the fabric of 'Everblack'. Subterranean flesh-farming vampires, vine rape, Jeffery Dahmer, amputation… it's all here! With this sixth slab of sickness I tried my best to honor the band's legacy and write lyrics that will keep the legions of horror fiends perspiring with fear."
Available at MetalBlade.com/bdm are a variety of limited edition pre-order bundles. Fans can grab "Everblack" on a triple gatefold double LP with purple/white marbled vinyl, along with "crime scene bundles." An evidence pack, which includes toe tags, deceased band member photos, spent shotgun shells, and more can be viewed now. These bundles are extremely limited and expected to sell out quickly.
"Everblack" track listing:
01. In Hell Is Where She Waits For Me 02. Goat Of Departure 03. Into The Everblack 04. Raped In Hatred By Vines Of Thorn 05. Phantom Limb Masturbation 06. Control 07. Blood Mine 08. Every Rope a Noose 09. Their Beloved Absentee 10. Map Of Scars
MEGADETH was interviewed on this past Monday's (June 17) edition of the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn. You can now listen to the chat at RocklineRadio.com.
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine tells Billboard.com in a new interview that he wanted to steer the lyrical themes on the band's new album, "Super Collider", away from both domestic and global politics that have dominated much of the group's output over the years.
"I thought it's just not the same climate anymore where you can really talk about stuff like that," he explains. "People are so polarized they'll chuck a musician that they really like because of them being a Democrat or them being a Republican or whatever. I'm not a partisan guy, and I seem to always get lumped in as a Republican, which I'm not. So I was trying to walk away from all this controversy and stuff that seems to follow me and let the music do the talking."
"Super Collider", which sold 29,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart, focuses "a little bit more [on] human politics, like my mother-in-law having Alzheimers and things like that," Mustaine says. "Not everybody watches the news, so when you tell somebody that this is going on, that's going on, this guys is part of a cover-up, this guy is a philanderer, they don't want to hear it. But if you say, 'Hey, my mother-in-law has Alzheimers or something they might have going on in their life, too, all of a sudden you've got that bond. So I figured I would write about what goes on inside my heart instead of inside my head this time, and I think it really came across that way."
"Super Collider" arrived in stores on June 4 via Dave Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).
The album is available as a limited-edition CD with 3-D cover and bonus tracks, regular CD, regular LP, limited LP plus a bonus colored seven-inch single with two bonus tracks, and a download voucher.
"Super Collider" is MEGADETH's first release since the band's recent split with Roadrunner Records.
MEGADETH filmed a video for the "Super Collider" title track on May 10 in the Los Angeles area. California-based model, actress, singer and songwriter Hunter Elizabeth was cast in the lead role in the clip, which she says is "about a high-school couple still loving each other after all the years after graduation, and at the 10-year reunion, both characters find themselves successful (a model and a mathematician) and still very in love."
RoomThirteen.com conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian about his recently completed "Speaking Words" U.K. spoken-word tour. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
RoomThirteen.com: With all the amazing experiences you would have had over the years, how did you choose what to talk about?
Scott: I have figured out in the last two weeks that just the show I'm doing very easily reaches three hours, and that is based on four stories and a [question-and-answer session]. I've easily got 20 stories written right now, with the idea that I will put it a book eventually. It just came out of these stories that go beyond the 30-odd years I've been in the band. They are stories I've told with my friends in bars for many, many years and I was able to talk those and entertain people with them. Instead of sitting in a bar with my friends, I'm now standing in a bar with my friends who are also my audience. They're just stories in my mind that are that good; that would entertain people, to the point that I knew that I could stand onstage with a microphone and not feel like an asshole in front of these people that have paid to come and see me. I could do a 20-hour show, physically I couldn't, but I easily have enough material for that.
RoomThirteen.com: What has been your proudest career moment to date and what do you feel you still have left to achieve?
Scott: My proudest career moment is my career, the fact that next month will be 32 years since I co-founded this band. You could maybe count on two or three hands the amount of bands that have been doing this for this long at this level. I just think that is an amazing thing to have accomplished. We are in this and 32 years later and still making records and still touring. That, for me, is definitely my proudest achievement. I think we still have a few good records in us. I think our last album proves that. We still have a lot to say, musically and creatively, and we're all itching to get back into it, which will happen, in the next few months, with a view to have a new record out next year. I'm really looking forward to the next record, because the success of the last record and the run we've been on for the last few years, things are better than ever for us. It makes me really excited to do it all again.
RoomThirteen.com: As well as making music and presenting, you also act, play poker and write comics, how do you manage your time and juggle all those things?
Scott: [laughs] I don't balance it! Shit just comes along and if it is something I really want to do, I just try to make it work. It is not easy, that's for sure; especially the travelling. Writing comics is easy, because I'm home. The travelling stuff is tough. Originally, this tour was happening in a window of time where I had three months off from the band, but then that changed. Just as I booked this tour, ANTHRAX suddenly had a South American tour that butted right up to these dates. So, instead of me just being away for two weeks, I was suddenly going to be away for five weeks, I couldn't cancel or postpone this tour. It made for a lot more travelling than I was expecting. There's an old cliché that they don't pay me to play shows, they pay me to travel because that is the hard part of being in a band. It is hard to schlep around the world and be away from your family; that sucks. I've really enjoyed doing these shows and I think it has opened another door for me, so, as hard as it is to be away from home, I am really glad I came and did it.
On June 1, FaceCulture conducted an interview with former ANTHRAX and current VOLBEAT guitarist Rob Caggiano at the Fortarock XL festival at Goffertpark in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. You can now watch the chat in three parts below.
Caggiano, who was a producer on VOLBEAT's fifth studio album, "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", recently joined the band as its new guitarist. He replaces guitarist Thomas Bredahl, who was given his walking papers in November 2011.
Asked what led to his departure from ANTHRAX, Caggiano said: "It just boils down to the fact that I never had any creative input, so there was no emotional connection to the music. And I don't know if it's 'cause I'm getting older or whatever, but it just got to the point where I started feeling like I was ging through the motions, and that's a terrible feeling to have when you're playing music. And it's not who I am. I can't do anything in life unless it's 200%; that's just the way that I am. So I knew I needed to do something, I knew I needed to make a change. And that was a really hard, emotional time and an emotional decision for me to make."
Regarding how the ANTHRAX guys reacted when he told them he was leaving the band, Rob said: "They totally understand. We're still friends, we're still cool. We've hung out a couple of times since this whole thing went down. I think they get it; they understand how I felt and why I felt the way I did. And I think on that level, it's cool. I mean, I hope it is. It seems like it is."
Amit Sharma of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine conducted an interview with a nameless ghoul from Swedish occult rockers GHOST at this year's Download festival, which took place June 14-16 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.
GHOST's sophomore album, "Infestissumam", sold around 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.
The CD topped the official chart in the group's home country after selling nearly five times as many copies as the No. 2 album, MISS LI's "Wolves".
The release date of "Infestissumam" was reportedly pushed back a week to April 16 after four compact disc manufacturers allegedly refused to print a piece of artwork that was meant for the deluxe version of the new CD. The manufacturers all took issue with the sacrilegious imagery, inspired by the work of Gustave Dore, which showcases what looks like a forest nymph orgy. The controversial art can still be found on both the vinyl and European copies of the "Infestissuman" CD.
GHOST was forced to modify its name in the U.S. to GHOST B.C. for "legal reasons."
Hailing from Linköping, Sweden, GHOST formed in in 2008. They released their heralded debut album, "Opus Eponymous", in 2010. In 2011, GHOST performed at the annual Download festival in the United Kingdom. The band's fanbase began to swell and not long after added some of hard rock's finest to this group. Additionally that year, GHOST took part in the "Defenders Of Faith III" tour with TRIVIUM, IN FLAMES and RISE TO REMAIN. In early 2012, they embarked on their first tour of the United States and later that year shared the stage with MASTODON and OPETH on their "Heritage Hunter Tour" in North America. That summer the band was invited by METALLICA's James Hetfield to perform on the main stage of METALLICA's first annual Orion Music + More festival.
New Jersey merauders CYCLE OF PAIN, who feature in their ranks BLACK LABEL SOCIETY bassist John "J.D." DeServio, have inked a deal with Sliptrick Records. The band is currently in studio working on its new EP, tentatively due this summer. According to a press release, the CD "will see CYCLE OF PAIN unleashing their brand of groovy, funk-influenced heavy rock. A video featuring Don Jamieson from "That Metal Show" is also in the works.
CYCLE OF PAIN is:
John "J.D." DeServio (Bass) Joe Taylor (Lead Guitar) Gregg Locascio (Vocals, Guitar) Bob Pantella (Drums) Troy Cromwell (Keyboards)
The self-titled CYCLE OF PAIN CD was released in 2009 through Reform Records.
Though rooted in metal, CYCLE OF PAIN's first album delved into elements of funk, hip-hop and soul. The effort featured guest appearances by Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE), Ray Luzier (KORN), Burton C. Bell (FEAR FACTORY) and Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X), among others.
"Agony", a brand new solo track from DREAM THEATER frontman James LaBrie, can be streamed below. The song comes off LaBrie's new solo album, "Impermanent Resonance", which will be released on August 6 in North America and July 29 in Europe via InsideOut Music.
The follow-up to 2010's "Static Impulse", "Impermanent Resonance" was once again conceived with LaBrie's songwriting partner for over a dozen years, Matt Guillory. Guillory not only took the leading role in composing the material, he also handled all of the keyboards and background vocals.
The album's lineup is intact from the previous recording, featuring Marco Sfogli from Italy on guitar, Ray Riendeau (HALFORD, MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE) on bass and Swedish drummer Peter Wildoer (DARKANE, MAJESTIC), who was a finalist in the DREAM THEATER drum auditions. Additionally, former SOILWORK guitarist Peter Wichers came into the fold to contribute songwriting and studio guitars.
"To me, this album incorporates and continues with the styles and musical direction that we have created with the previous releases," says James LaBrie. "The difference being that the music on this disc is to me a true telling of the songs evolving and taking on a sense of identity that is every band's ultimate goal. It is powerful, memorable, hook-driven and above all extremely musical. It shows how the writing and the band itself have matured. I truly feel that this is our quintessential album."
"Impermanent Resonance" was once again mixed and mastered at Sweden's Fascination Street recording studios (KREATOR, OPETH, PARADISE LOST, SYMPHONY X) with Jens Bogren and this time also Tony Lindgren. Visually, Canadian LaBrie hooked up with Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, FIREWIND, KAMELOT) to capture and translate the album's atmosphere into the striking artwork.
Some of the other songs included on "Impermanent Resonance", which combines the heaviness of Gothenburg-sound influenced progressive metal with the catchiness of contemporary rock, are "Back On The Ground", "Undertow", "I Got You" and "Amnesia".
"Impermanent Resonance" recording lineup:
James LaBrie - Lead Vocals Matt Guillory - Keyboards, Background Vocals Marco Sfogli - Guitars Ray Riendeau - Bass Peter Wildoer - Drums, Screams
"Static Impulse" sold around 1,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 14 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.
"Static Impulse" was released on September 28, 2010 (one day earlier internationally) via InsideOut Music. The CD was LaBrie's first solo effort in over five years.
In the August 2013 issue of Guitar World magazine, Kathryn Hanneman, the wife of late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, recalled the spider bite that he suffered in January 2011 and the resulting infection that ravaged the flesh and tissues of Jeff's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.
"Jeff had been visiting a friend in the L.A. area," said Kathryn. "He was in the Jacuzzi one night relaxing, and he had his arm over the side, and he felt something, like a bite or a prick. But of course he didn't think anything of it. He came home about a week later, and he was pretty well lit when he came through the front door. He wasn't feeling well, and he just wanted to go upstairs and go to sleep.
"Before he did he said, 'Kath, I need to show you something, even though I really don't want to.' And he took off his shirt, and I just freaked out when I saw his arm. It was bright red and three times the normal size. I said, 'Jeff, we need to go now. We need to get you to the ER.' But all he wanted to do was go to bed and sleep, and I knew that I was trying to rationalize with a very intoxicated person. So there was nothing I could do that night. But the next morning I convinced him to let me take him in. He didn't have a lot of strength, but I was able to get him into the car.
"When we got to the hospital in Loma Linda, they took one look at him and they immediate knew what it was, so they took him right in. Jeff told me to go home because we both knew he'd be there for hours and neither of us thought it would be a life-or-death situation.
"About three or four hours later, Jeff called me and said, 'Kath, it's not good. They may have to amputate. I think you need to come back here.' When I got there, Jeff was on the stretcher waiting to go into surgery, and the doctor put it in perspective for me. He said, 'I need you to see your husband. He may not make it.' The doctor looked at Jeff and told him, 'First I'm going to try to save your life. Then I'm going to try to save your arm. Then I'm going to try to save your career.' And looking at Jeff on that stretcher and possibly saying goodbye, knowing that I may never see him again… was one of the hardest moments of my life."
According to Kathryn, Jeff struggled emotionally and developed major depression after he returned home and began the process of rehabilitating his arm in the hopes of regaining his ability to play guitar.
"I couldn't get Jeff to go to rehab or therapy," Kathryn said. "I think he was letting the visual of his arm get to his emotions, and it was messing with his mind. It was hard to keep him upbeat at that point.
"I think he thought he could do this on his own — that he would just to go rehearsal and play, and that that would be his rehab. But I think he started to learn, once he tried rehearsing, that he wasn't playing up to his ability and that he wasn't able to play guitar at the speed he was used to. And I think that really hit him hard, and he started to lose hope."
For the rest of this story, plus a Jeff Hanneman poster, order a copy of the Guitar World August 2013 issue at the Guitar World online store.
Amit Sharma of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine conducted an interview with ALICE IN CHAINS vocalist William DuVall at this year's Download festival, which took place June 14-16 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.
ALICE IN CHAINS' fifth studio album, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", sold 62,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. The disc follows up 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", which was the group's first all-new collection of material in 14 years. That CD opened with 126,000 units back in October 2009 to debut at No. 5.
ALICE IN CHAINS was last in the Top Two with its self-titled 1995 set, which debuted at No. 1 on that year's November 25 chart, according to Billboard.com. It would be their final studio release with singer Layne Staley, who died in 2002.
Although "Black Gives Way To Blue" was a huge comeback success for the band, guitarist/singer Jerry Cantrell told The Pulse Of Radio that they wiped the slate clean when it was time to make something new. "You should start from a zero every time, and we started from a zero with this record just like we've done with every record we've made," he said. "You've got a blank canvas, and you and your band are in the room and there's the canvas and there's no other pictures of the old albums hanging up. You know, those are put away in a closet somewhere, so you're not thinking about them or drawing from them or trying to repeat them or whatever. It's impossible to do that. That is what it was, now what do we do?"
"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" is ALICE IN CHAINS' second album with William DuVall on vocals.
DuVall began touring with the group in 2006, four years after the death of Layne Staley from a drug overdose.
ALICE IN CHAINS began working on the new disc in 2011, but the sessions for the album were delayed when Cantrell had to undergo shoulder surgery.
"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" features the singles "Stone" and the chart-topping "Hollow".
ALICE IN CHAINS heads to Europe this month and Canada in July before co-headlining the fourth annual Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival with JANE'S ADDICTION, kicking off on August 9 in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
On June 16, Kaaos TV conducted an interview with CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou at the Provinssirock festival in Seinäjoki, Finland. You can now watch the chat below.
CONVERGE's new album, "All We Love We Leave Behind", sold 6,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 69 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on October 9, the effort was made available in a deluxe package that includes a 48-page, full-color hardcover, clothbound book with original art created by Jacob Bannon via Epitaph (vinyl on Deathwish).
Recorded and mixed by Ballou at his renowned Godcity Studios in Salem, Massachusetts, "All We Love We Leave Behind" is a no-frills CONVERGE album that sees the band — which also features bassist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller — eschewing fancy production techniques in order to create seventeen songs that work as a cohesive whole yet can also stand on their own. "There's no artificial distortion, triggers, or Auto-Tune on this album." Ballou explains, "It's all organic, it's real sounds that capture the way the band performs live."
CONVERGE last fall completed a U.S. tour with support from TORCHE and KVELERTAK.
Greek melodic metallers FIREWIND, who feature in their ranks current OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G., will celebrate their 10th anniversary by releasing a live album on June 24 via Century Media Records in Europe. Entitled "Apotheosis - Live 2012", the CD will contain 17 songs recorded at special anniversary shows in Greece as well as all over Europe during the band's "Few Against Many" tour in 2012. With a playing time of 69 minutes, the effort is a great overview of the band's career so far, which consists of seven studio albums. It also marks FIREWIND's final release with singer Apollo Papathanasio, who decided to leave the group at the end of last year. He has since been replaced by Kelly Sundown Carpenter (ADAGIO, BEYOND TWILIGHT) as session frontman for all 2013 live activities.
The cover artwork for "Apotheosis - Live 2012", which will be released as a digipak in its first limited-edition pressing, was designed by FIREWIND's longtime partner in all design matters, Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, ANGRA, DREAM EVIL) based on live photography by Hans-W. Rock.
"Apotheosis - Live 2012" track listing:
01. Head Up High 02. Wall Of Sound 03. Allegiance 04. Few Against Many 05. The Departure 06. Heading For The Dawn 07. Losing My Mind 08. World On Fire 09. Guitar Solo 2012 10. SKG 11. Between Heaven And Hell 12. Piano Solo 13. Edge Of A Dream 14. Mercenary Man 15. Glorious 16. Maniac 17. Falling To Pieces
The song "Head Up High", taken from "Apotheosis - Live 2012", can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.
Stated Gus G.: "Apotheosis = the glorification of a subject to a divine level. That is the word that came to my mind while thinking of how I could best describe the feeling and the vibe of those four anniversary shows we played in our homeland Greece and our last European headline tour in 2012! So that had to be our live album's title. You can feel the energy on these recordings, you can hear the screams of the most hardcore fans and the FIREWIND chants... it's all there. No doubt about it, it's the sheer love from our fans and supporters that has kept us alive and strong for 10 years and we wanted to celebrate all that with this album. We recorded all those shows, chose the best performances and now we can't wait to release this one!"
In a recent interview with Metal Assault, Gus G. stated about Apollo's departure: "People following the band for the past few years would know that we've had different session guys at the live shows even when Apollo was in the band because he just had to skip a few tours during the year. So whenever the schedule was getting too heavy for him and he would have to take care of stuff back home, we had to get other guys. So this time, he had to skip again and he was like, 'You know, instead of holding you guys back, I might as well just quit.' I think he did the right thing for him, for us as well, because we can only do that [getting session vocalists] so many times and we're better off trying to find a new permanent guy instead of getting replacements for a tour. So at least now we know that we have to find somebody new, and in a sense it's a bit sad, but at the same time it's some sort of relief."
Asked how Carpenter is doing as the touring replacement for Papathanasio, Gus told Metal Shock Finland: "He's fantastic, this guy. Everybody who sees him perform live, their jaws are dropped immediately. They're, like, 'Wow!' It's amazing what this guy can do with his voice. And he's such a nice guy, too. I mean, we started out with Kelly, 'cause we didn't know him. And he really nailed it on the songs, he killed it. We hired the guy to go out with us and do the U.S. tour and the festivals, not really committing to further plans. We kind of take it day by day and see how it works between us, and so far it's been really good. Right now, there are no plans for us to go back in the studio very quickly, so we'll see when the time comes what will happen. But so far so good with Kelly. I hope it will continue."
FIREWIND's latest album, "Few Against Many", entered the official chart in Greece at No. 42 and in Germany at No. 90. Released in Europe on May 21, 2012 via Century Media Records and in North America on May 22 through DisManic, Inc. via eOne Distribution, the CD was mixed by Jason Suecof and Eyal Levi at Audiohammer Studios (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEATH ANGEL) in Sanford, Florida.
Amit Sharma of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor at this year's Download festival, which took place June 14-16 at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.
Taylor's second book, called "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Heaven (Or, How I Made Peace With The Paranormal And Stigmatized Zealots And Cynics In The Process)", will be published on July 16 through Da Capo Press. The same publisher handled Taylor's first book, 2011's "Seven Deadly Sins: Settling The Argument Between Born Bad And Damaged Good", which made the New York Times non-fiction best seller list and came out last year in paperback with additional material.
According to the publisher's description, the new book follows Taylor as he "journeys undercover through various ghostbusting groups who do their best to gather information and evidence about the existence of spirits. Some are more credible than others, and, frankly, some are completely insane, but all are observed with appropriate seriousness as Taylor attempts to better understand some of the spooky things that have happened to him in his life . . . Taylor also touches on his religious background and how it led him to believe in much more than the Man in the Sky."
Taylor said in a recent interview with Loudwire that the new book will be similar to "Seven Deadly Sins" in that he's written it as a "discussion." The singer told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that his first book was meant to feel like a dialog. "People who know me, they call me and it's like, 'Dude, I can't get your voice out of my head when I'm reading this book," he said. "It's like I'm talking to you!' And that, that's the best compliment I could ever get, you know, because that's really what it's supposed to be, is a conversation. It's supposed to be me trying to make a point and trying to make an argument, and apparently I've done pretty well."
He recently said about "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Heaven", "It's me trying to figure out how I can have this deep belief in the supernatural and the paranormal and stuff like that and yet I am still a pretty vocal atheist, you know? So it's me trying to find a new way to figure out what these things are."
German thrash metal veterans KREATOR will release their new concert DVD/Blu-ray, "Dying Alive", on August 30 via Nuclear Blast. The set features the band's sold-out homecoming show in Oberhausen, Germany on December 22, 2012 after an extensive 45-day European tour in support of KREATOR's "Phantom Antichrist" album. The packed and sweat-driven show was filmed by 24 cameras, as well as guitar and even mosh-pit cams.
The DVD/Blu-ray contains footage of the Oberhausen concert, a behind-the-scenes documentary as well as video clips. Approximate total running time: 115 minutes.
"Dying Alive" will be issued in the following formats:
01. Intro: Mars Mantra 02. Phantom Antichrist 03. From Flood To Fire 04. Enemy Of God 05. Phobia 06. Hordes Of Chaos 07. Civilization Collapse 08. Voices Of The Dead 09. Extreme Aggression 10. People Of The Lie 11. Death To The World 12. Endless Pain 13. Pleasure To Kill 14. Intro 2 - The Patriarch 15. Violent Revolution 16. United in Hate 17. Betrayer 18. Flag Of Hate 19. Tormentor 20. Outro/Credits
Bonus:
21. "Behind The Dying" (Documentary) 22. "Phantom Antichrist" Backstage Video 23. "Phantom Antichrist" Music Video 24. "Civilization Collapse" Music Video
CD1
01. Intro: Mars Mantra 02. Phantom Antichrist 03. From Flood To Fire 04. Enemy Of God 05. Phobia 06. Hordes Of Chaos 07. Civilization Collapse 08. Voices Of The Dead 09. Extreme Aggression 10. People Of The Lie 11. Death To The World 12. Coma Of Souls (Intro) 12. Endless Pain 13. Pleasure To Kill
CD2
01. Intro 2 - The Patriarch 02. Violent Revolution 03. United in Hate 04. Betrayer 05. Flag Of Hate / Tormentor
Live bonus tracks:
06. Intro / The Pestilence 07. Amok Run 08. Demon Prince 09. When The Sun Burns Red 10. Warcurse
CD3 (earbook only)
01. Intro (demo) 02. United In Hate (demo) 03. Death To The World (demo) 04. Victory Will Come (demo) 05. Iron Destiny (demo) (Japan bonus) 06. Phantom Antichrist (rehearsal) 07. Your Heaven My Hell (rehearsal) 08. Until Our Paths Cross Again (rehearsal) 09. Victory Will Come (demo)
KREATOR will tour North America this fall with fellow thrashers OVERKILL.
On November 9, 2012, KREATOR released a new seven-inch single, "Civilization Collapse" (retail version: black; Nuclear Blast mailorder-only version: red, yellow, white) and as a digital download. The single contains the title cut backed by the non-album track "Wolfchild", which was featured on the "Dark Symphonies - A Tribute To John Sinclair" album, released in September 2012 in Germany via Lübbe-Audio. The band also made a video for the song "Civilization Collapse", which is said to be "mainly about the riots that took place in Greece most recently."
"Civilization Collapse" comes off KREATOR's new album, "Phantom Antichrist", which sold 3,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 1 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.
