"...Like Clockwork", the title track of the new album from QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The CD is due out June 4 on Matador Records.
"...Like Clockwork" track listing:
01. Keep Your Eyes Peeled 02. I Sat By The Ocean 03. The Vampyre Of Time And Memory 04. If I Had A Tail 05. My God Is The Sun 06. Kalopsia 07. Fairweather Friends 08. Smooth Sailing 09. I Appear Missing 10. …Like Clockwork
Described by QUEENS principal Joshua Homme as "an audio documentary of a manic year," "...Like Clockwork" is the band¹s first full-length collection of all new material since 2007's "Era Vulgaris", as well as its debut release on new label partner Matador. The record can be pre-ordered on CD and vinyl. iTunes pre-orders will immediately receive "My God Is The Sun", which has been generating some early heat.
"…Like Clockwork" features guest appearances from Trent Reznor, Dave Grohl and other luminaries, including the legendary Elton John. The Pulse Of Radio asked QUEENS frontman Josh Homme how he snagged the iconic singer/songwriter to play on the record. "It actually stemmed from an old roommate of mine, who drives really high-end folks around now, and Elton was in the car listening to THEM CROOKED VULTURES, I guess," he said. "And his assistant was saying, 'Oh, you've got to hear QUEENS, the other band of this guy,' you know. And because my old roommate was driving the car, it was like, 'Do you want to talk to him?' And I just got a phone call at my house on a Sunday. You know, he said, 'The only thing missing from your band is an actual queen,' and I said, 'Honey, you have no idea.'"
The track that Elton plays on is called "Fairweather Friends".
Although it was initially reported that Dave Grohl played all the drum tracks on the new CD, Grohl only appears on selected songs. The rest of the drums are handled by Joey Castillo and Jon Theodore.
Other guests on the record include SCISSOR SISTERS singer Jake Shears, ARCTIC MONKEYS frontman Alex Turner and one-time QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE members Mark Lanegan and Nick Oliveri.
Swedish melodic death metallers AMON AMARTH have released a trailer for their forthcoming mini-documentary. Fittingly titled "Forging Mjölnir", the short film will appear as a three-part series with each official segment slated to premiere via the band's microsite.
The "Forging Mjölnir" documentary comes in anticipation of AMON AMARTH's ninth studio offering, "Deceiver Of The Gods". Recorded at Backstage Studios in Derbyshire, United Kingdom, and produced, mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap (OPETH, MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), the follow-up to the band's critically acclaimed 2011 "Surtur Rising" full-length delivers ten fiery battle hymns made of buzzsaw riffs and epic harmonies all driven by vocalist Johan Hegg's commanding Viking roar and absorbing accounts of Norse crusades and treachery.
"Deceiver Of The Gods" comes adorned with another outstanding Tom Thiel-created cover portraying a mythical battle between the Norse Gods Loki and Thor. As an added bonus, Messiah Marcolin (CANDLEMASS) makes an appearance as guest vocalist on eighth track, "Hel".
Available below is the black-and-white "Forging Mjölnir" trailer where the AMON AMARTH bandmembers discuss their earliest musical influences.
"Deceiver Of The Gods" will be released in North America via Metal Blade Records on June 25, in Europe June 24 and Japan on June 26.
Following a run of European festival dates next month, AMON AMARTH will open the main stage of this year's edition of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, set to commence June 29 in San Bernardino.
In a recent interview with France's LoudTV.net, Hegg stated about the recording process for "Deceiver Of The Gods": "It was pretty much six or seven weeks in January and February this year. So it went pretty quick. But when we went into the studio, we were very well prepared; we had all the songs written, we were well rehearsed. It went really quickly. We didn't have to change much. Everything was pretty much written. Every time you record something, there's always gonna be small changes, obviously, with songs, because when you rehearse it, maybe you don't hear that it didn't work perfectly, so you have to find another way. Or you come up with an idea of how something could be a little bit better. But all the songs were 99 percent ready, basically."
Asked if it was weird getting Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE) to produce "Deceiver Of The Gods", Hegg said: "I don't think so. I mean, if you know where Andy comes from — HELL and SABBAT. He kind of has the same musical background as us; we were listening to the same stuff. And for us, we realized that his style of producing would fit the band. So when we decided to go for a new producer, Andy was a pretty definite choice, because we liked the stuff that he's done recently with ACCEPT, for instance, and KREATOR, and we felt that he could contribute something to our sound, and I think he did; I think it was a good choice. It was good for us to work with [previous producer] Jens [Bogren], but you know, after three albums, it felt like we needed a new challenge, a new voice in the whole production. For us, it felt natural to go with Andy. Especially after meeting him the first time… We were actually on tour and we met him in Wales. We just sat down and had a couple of beers and talked, and I think we hit it off straight away; it really felt good. So I think it was a good choice to work with Andy; he's a great producer and I think he did a perfect job."
Regarding whether Sneap has made AMON AMARTH sound more dynamic on the new album, Hegg said: "I think so. I think that the whole recording process, and the sound, and everything, is more organic, it feels more 'live,' [there's] a better groove to it than with Jens. I mean, Jens is a great producer — he has a very, very good ear for music — but somehow his productions are a little bit too clinical sometimes; they're too bang-on. I mean, some people love that. I wanna have that little groovy… so you get that live feeling, and I think that's important for a band like us as well. So I think it was a good choice to work with Andy for this album. Especially, also, when you consider the material that we had. There is a bit more groove to it, there is more ups and downs in the tempo, and I think it's easier to get that across if you do, as I said, a more organic, more natural flow kind of recording. Like I said, great job from him, and I'm glad that we lived up to it as well. [laughs]"
On the topic of whether "Deceiver Of The Gods" is AMON AMARTH's most diverse album to date, Hegg said: "I think so, yeah. And I think that's going back to what I said before — that we decided to let our influences shine through a lot more than we used to in the past. I mean, our influences have always been there, but we always kind of tried to keep them on the low side, not too evident, but now we let them come up in the production much more, and I think that was a good choice because it definitely gave the album a wide range."
"Deceiver Of The Gods" track listing:
01. Deceiver Of The Gods 02. As Loke Falls 03. Father Of The Wolf 04. Shape Shifter 05. Under Siege 06. Blood Eagle 07. We Shall Destroy 08. Hel 09. Coming Of The Tide 10. Warriors Of The North
Israeli progressive folk metal masters ORPHANED LAND will release thier sixth full-length album, "All Is One", in North America on June 25 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The cover artwork for the follow-up to 2010's "The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR" was created by the French artist Metastazis (PARADISE LOST, AS I LAY DYING, SONNE ADAM, WATAIN) by perfectly incorporating the three biggest religious symbols into one piece of art.
"All Is One" track listing:
01. All Is One 02. The Simple Man 03. Brother 04. Let The Truce Be Known 05. Through Fire And Water 06. Fail 07. Freedom 08. Shama'im 09. Ya Benaye 10. Our Own Messiah 11. Children
The official lyric video for the song "Let The Truce Be Known" can be seen below.
Commented ORPHANED LAND singer Kobi Farhi: "I'll say it plain and simple — 'All Is One' is ORPHANED LAND's best album so far. I feel that we took all aspects to a new level — the way we write, arrange, play and produce.
"We recorded the album in three countries (Turkey, Sweden and Israel) and it turned out so strong, we can't stop listening to it.
"The album is very rich in sound, with more than 40 people participating (choirs, violins, and many traditional instruments, too).
"Our secret recipe was always the fact that unlike many other bands, ORPHANED LAND doesn't follow ONE master mind that writes everything; we work in a way that 'all is one.' We create our music in a perfect blend of synergy and harmony and all the band members are a part of this process. We translate the album's title and message exactly in the way we work, and we always hope we could give a bit of an inspiration to the people in the tragic Middle Eastern lands.
"We have fans all over the Middle East. We live in a place where huge amounts of people who consider themselves enemies still share one thing in common, they are all fans of ORPHANED LAND, and in these lands of orphans and bloody holy wars, our only weapon is music, and hopefully we will grow to understand that 'all is one.'"
ORPHANED LAND's forthcoming effort will be the band's first to feature guitarist Chen Balbus following the departure of Matty Svatizky in June 2012 due to "personal" and "professional" issues.
From September to November, ORPHANED LAND will play stages all over Europe in support of "All Is One" — but before heading out on this headlining tour, ORPHANED LAND will play a few festivals and shows in South America and Europe.
"The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR" sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 80 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.
"The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR" was released in Europe on January 25, 2010.
ORPHANED LAND's concert DVD, "The Road To OR-Shalem", was released in October 2011 in Europe and November 2011 in the U.S. via Century Media Records.
LINKIN PARK frontman Chester Bennington surprised fans on Saturday (May 18), taking the stage with the STONE TEMPLE PILOTS at the 2013 KROQ Weenie Roast in Irvine, California. This marked the first public appearance for the three non-singing group members since firing Scott Weiland earlier in the year.
During the surprise set, the group also debuted a new track called "Out Of Time" which is available as a free download for a short period of time.
Speaking about his future with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, Bennington told the KROQ morning radio program "The Kevin & Bean Show": "Every band has its own kinda vibe. STONE TEMPLE PILOTS has this sexier, more classic rock feel to it. LINKIN PARK is a very modern, very tech-heavy type of band. It was kind of nice. I got to use my voice tonight. I got to sing and show my range a little bit. I still got to through a little scream in here and there but it's really just so much different. I grew up listening to these guys. When this opportunity came up, it was just like a no-brainer."
Bennington continued: "We couldn't really plan a tour until tonight because we couldn't let people know what was going on. Now the cat's out of the bag so we're going to go out and make more music and go play more shows and have some fun."
STP officially fired Weiland in February after weeks of rumors about his status, issuing a terse statement that read, "STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have announced they have officially terminated Scott Weiland."
This was the second time that the band has parted ways with its often troubled frontman, following a split in 2002.
Weiland, who was about to launch a solo tour at the time of his dismissal, denied at first that he had been fired, saying that STONE TEMPLE PILOTS legally could not exist or use that name without all four members of the group in the lineup.
He reiterated that view during an interview with a Nevada radio station, saying, "I started the band . . . there's things in place, like certain clauses that are in place that keep that from happening."
IN THIS MOMENT frontwoman Maria Brink joined DEVICE on stage yesterday (Sunday, May 19) at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio to perform a cover version of the 1988 Lita Ford/Ozzy Osbourne classic "Close My Eyes Forever". Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.
DEVICE's self-titled debut album includes a cover of "Close My Eyes Forever", featuring guest vocals from HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale. The Pulse Of Radio asked DEVICE frontman David Draiman if he had been able to play the new version for either Lita or Ozzy yet. "Lita has heard it and she loved it," he said. "Ozzy, I have not sent to him. I only played it for Lita because she happened to be coming through town here in Austin, Texas and I went to go see her play. But I can only hope that both Ozzy and Sharon (Osbourne) love it and that they see it as what it is, which is just a tribute to the greatest heavy metal frontman of all time."
DEVICE's debut disc came out on April 9, selling 35,000 copies in its first week of release to enter the Billboard album chart at No. 11.
The live version of DEVICE, which features DOPE guitarist Virus and EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt in addition to Draiman, is currently on its first tour.
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.
