Trent Reznor has tapped David Lynch to direct NINE INCH NAILS' video for the band's new single, "Came Back Haunted". Earlier today, Reznor a photo of the duo on Twitter with a caption of their initials ("tr;dl").
"Came Back Haunted" will appear on NINE INCH NAILS' new album, "Hesitation Marks", which is scheduled for release on September 3.
Reznor, who produced the soundtrack to Lynch's 1997 film "Lost Highway", told Rolling Stone magazine at the time: "I'm a huge David Lynch fan — we used to hold up NINE INCH NAILS shows just so we could watch the latest 'Twin Peaks'. So we set up a weekend for him to come to my place in New Orleans. At first, it was like the most high-pressure situation ever. It was literally one minute, 'Hi, I'm David Lynch,' and he's cooler than I even imagined he would be. Three minutes later, he's saying: 'Well, let's go in the studio and get started.'"
Six years after his NINE INCH NAILS contract with Interscope Records expired and he became an independent artist, Reznor has signed a new deal for NINE INCH NAILS with Columbia Records, marking NIN's return to the major label industry. Reznor's other act, HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS, made a deal with Columbia last year, so extending the partnership to NINE INCH NAILS doesn't seem like much of a stretch.
Reznor officially resurrected NINE INCH NAILS a few months ago after a four-year break for an extended tour that will kick off this summer.
The band is performing at a number of festivals, including Lollapalooza, Outside Lands, Leeds, Reading, Made In America and the Voodoo Festival.
The new band lineup will debut on July 26 at the Fuji Rock festival in Japan. The show will mark NINE INCH NAILS' first live performance in nearly four years.
Reznor officially put NINE INCH NAILS on hiatus after the final shows by the last version of the group in September 2009.
Since then, Reznor and collaborator Atticus Ross have scored two films, including "The Social Network", for which they won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award in 2010.
Along with Reznor's wife, singer Mariqueen Maandig, Reznor and Ross also launched HOW TO DESTROY ANGELS, whose debut disc, "Welcome Oblivion", came out in March.
A new episode of French webmagazine Hard Force's "Metal XS" features an interview with LIMP BIZKIT frontman Fred Durst conducted on June 8 at the French edition of the Sonisphere festival at Snowhall Parc in Amnéville. You can now watch the chat below.
LIMP BIZKIT recently released a new single, "Ready to Go", and is putting the finishing touches on its new studio album, "Stampede Of The Disco Elephants".
"We're really trying to get it hammered out here," LIMP BIZKIT guitarist Wes Borland told Billboard last month. "We're done with most of the music, pretty much all the music. The lyrics and vocals are probably 30 percent done, and [Fred Durst] is working as we speak, on tour."
Regarding the musical direction of LIMP BIZKIT's new CD, Borland said that the songs on "Stampede Of The Disco Elephants" have a "very live and sort of wild" feel. Moreover, fans shouldn't expect the same old LIMP BIZKIT on the album; instead, there will be quite a bit of experimentation on the effort. "I think it's a little bit more, sort of playful, taking chances, a little less pop, structured type of stuff," Borland said. "I don't want to say it [sounds] younger, but maybe a little more carefree, musically, to where we don't over-think what we’re doing."
LIMP BIZKIT and Lil Wayne's collaborative single, "Ready To Go", was released via the band's new label home, Cash Money, Lil Wayne's longtime record company.
LIMP BIZKIT in 2011 parted ways with Interscope, the label that released all of the band's records thus far through its subsidiaries Flip, Geffen and Suretone Records.
Quality fan-filmed video footage of ETHS' June 1 performance in Clamart, France can be seen below.
Singer Rachel Aspe made her live debut with ETHS on April 10 at Le Ninkasi Kao in Lyon, France.
"I was anxious to play live with them for the first time," Aspe told Greece's Rock Overdose in a recent interview. "But the crowd was very helping, it was really special because I could see their faces discovering me. It seems they mostly liked, they encouraged me all along smiling and saying my name. The two others shows were really nice too."
ETHS last year recruited Virginie Goncalves (KELLS) and Nelly Wood-Hasselhoff to handle lead vocals at the group's shows following the departure of Candice Clot.
Aspe made headlines in France last November when she performed the SYBREED song "Emma-0" on an episode of "La France À Un Incroyable Talent", the French reality television series which is part of the global British "Got Talent" franchise. Her death metal vocal styling stunned the judges and crowd before going viral and being seen by millions of people.
"It has always been my goal to be part of a band," Aspe told Rock Overdose. "One of the reasons I went to this TV show was to find one. [The show] was [taped] three months before I met ETHS, and [it originally aired shortly] after Candice left the band. So things came very fast for me. I had a job and it was hard to work on my vocals so quickly. I didn’t expect this success for the video; many bands contacted me, I did some [guest appearances] since that. People are continuing to share and comment on it."
Clot played her final show as a member of ETHS on October 13, 2012 at L'Arcade in Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon, France.
ETHS' third album, "III", was released on April 6, 2012 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström, who has previously worked with AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES, DARK TRANQUILLITY, ARCH ENEMY, SOILWORK and BRING ME THE HORIZON, among others.
"Dirty", the new video from Italo-Norwegian hard-industrial-electro extreme metallers ABORYM, can be seen below. Directed by Alberto Falcone, the clip features all three band members as well as actors, and, according to frontman and founder Fabban, the title of the track pretty much sums up the subject matter of the video.
ABORYM's sixth full-length album, "Dirty", was released on May 28 in Europe and June 11 in North America via Agonia Records. The 10-track double album (cover below) was made available in digipak, jewel case and gatefold double LP formats.
"Dirty" was recorded at the Fear No One Studios in Italy with Emiliano Natali, reprising his sound engineer role from the band's "Psychogrotesque" album, and was helmed by Marc Urselli of New York's Eastside Sound Studio, who previously worked with the likes of Mike Patton and Lou Reed. The electronic part of the album was engineered by D. Loop (KEBABTRAUME, LIMBO). R.G. Narchost (STORMCROW, DEMON'S SHADE, DROWNING ASHES) created "The Spiral Shaped Chamber" custom sounds library for the band. Artwork for the album is by ABORYM's Fabban.
The first CD of the album features new material, while the second CD features two tracks from previous albums, which have been completely re-arranged and re-recorded, covers of tracks by IRON MAIDEN, PINK FLOYD and NINE INCH NAILS, and a previously unreleased track performed by both musicians such as Agonia BV, Tamara Picardo, Samuel Heru Ra Ha MK, Hostis, Ulven, Mike Bizzini, David Cholasta, Tobias Dünnebacke, Jonathan Butcher, Jessy Lavallee, Thomas Hochstetler, Mary J. Rooks, Amanda Neilson and Mark Llewellyn, as well as several fans. The song was written by Alberto Penzin (CO2, ex-SCHIZO) and was spliced together from all the different sources.
"Dirty" track listing:
CD 1
01. Irreversible Crisis 02. Across The Universe 03. Dirty 04. Bleedthrough 05. Raped By Daddy 06. I Don't Know 07. The Factory Of Death 08. Helter Skelter Youth 09. Face The Reptile 10. The Day The Sun Stopped Shining
CD2
01. Fire Walk With Us (new version originally released on “Fire Walk With Us”) 02. Roma Divina Urbs (new version originally released on “Kali Yuga Bizarre”) 03. Hallowed Be Thy Name (IRON MAIDEN Cover) 04. Comfortably Numb (PINK FLOYD Cover) 05. Hurt (NINE INCH NAILS Cover) 06. Need For Limited Loss (new track)
Formed in 1992 by frontman Fabban, ABORYM started life as a covers band and went through several transformations, eventually pioneering what the band calls hard-industrial-electro extreme metal. Today's line up consists of Italians Fabban on vocals, bass and synths and Paolo Pieri (HOUR OF PENANCE) on guitars, keyboards and programming, along with Norway's Bård G. "Faust" Eithun (BLOOD TSUNAMI, MONGO NINJA, ex-EMPEROR) on drums.
With "Dirty" being the band's first release since 2010's "Psychogrotesque", all three musicians have something to say about it.
Pieri: "This is definitely the most schizoid and experimental ABORYM work so far. This time we focused on pushing the boundaries of electronic music one step forward while retaining the ruthless brutality of extreme metal in a way totally ahead of the times."
Eithun: "This time around, ABORYM push everything further; the electronic and industrial elements have never been so present. Rest assured, no matter how sick, twisted and beyond everything it sounds, it is still ABORYM."
Fabban: "I believe that 'Dirty' represents the best material ever written by ABORYM from 1992 until today. Given that it wasn't that easy to go beyond an album such as 'Psychogrotesque', I strongly believe that this time we did exceed every limit and every concept of experimentation — manipulating all the clichès of extreme metal, industrial or electronic music and pushing together elements that are so far away from each other. As a result, we achieved something really innovative, powerful, refined and of a really high standard. The quality of sounds, the nuances, the details passing through the recording quality; the quality of the machines that we used and abused, the quality of the lyrics, the artwork and the performances of each of us and of all the people who have worked with us, are definitely all at the top. 'Dirty' is a record that simply expands the range of our listeners, it's an album that everyone can enjoy and really appreciate. I am personally very excited and, at the same time, really proud of what you'll soon be able to listen to. We worked so hard for the past two years on this double album that we have no words to really explain how excited we are to finally see it released. It's an album that will further change the history of extreme music. Of that, I have no doubt."
The CD was released in April 2012 via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort was issued as a limited first edition in a black jewel case with silver printing and slipcase plus a 40-minute bonus DVD with a "making-of" documentary and a track-by-track commentary by RUNNING WILD mainman Rock 'N' Rolf. The double gatefold LP comes with printed innersleeves and clear vinyl. There is also a boxset limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. It contains 2 LPs, the black jewel case with the DVD, a poster, a sticker, a postcard and a 30-page book in LP size about the history of the band.
The cover of "Shadowmaker" is the most unusual in the history of the band, but when you listen to the title track and read the lyrics, you will understand the meaning of it. It was created by Rock 'N' Rolf and Jens Reinhold (EVERGREY, FREEDOM CALL, VIRGIN STEELE), who also handled artwork for all configurations.
The official video for "One Of Us Is The Killer", the title track of the fifth full-length album from the New Jersey-based "mathcore" act THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, can be seen below.
"One Of Us Is The Killer" sold around 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 25 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on May 14 through the band's own Party Smasher Inc., in partnership with Sumerian Records in North America. Party Smasher's partnership with BMG covers the rest of the world, including licensing deals with Grind House for Japan and Remote Control in Australia.
"One Of Us Is The Killer" was recorded in Southern California with longtime producer Steve Evetts (GLASSJAW, THE CURE, SUICIDE SILENCE), with additional production at guitarist/co-founder Ben Weinman's studio. Mastering was handled by Tom Baker (DEFTONES, NINE INCH NAILS, BEASTIE BOYS).
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN was forced to cancel its summer European festival and club appearances due to an injury sustained by guitarist/co-founder Ben Weinman on his right hand and wrist. He will spend June recovering.
Savannah, Georgia's BLACK TUSK will release its new EP, "Tend No Wounds", on July 23 via Relapse Records. The disc was recorded with producer Phillip Cope (KYLESA, BARONESS) at the Jam Room in Columbia, South Carolina. The artwork was created by Brian Mercer (EYEHATEGOD, LAMB OF GOD, ZOROASTER).
"Tend No Wounds" is a six-song, 20-minute blast of high-octane, raging Southern rock/metal that merges the classic original backwoods metallic hardcore BLACK TUSK sound with the newer more polished rock based tunes the band has honed after years on the road on the road with bands like BARONESS, SKELETONWITCH, MASTODON and KVELERTAK.
"Tend No Wounds" track listing:
01. A Cold Embrace 02. Enemy Of Reason 03. The Weak And The Wise 04. Internal/Eternal 05. Truth Untold 06. In Days Of Woe
The video for the song "In Days Of Woe" can be seen below.
"Tend No Wounds" will be available in CD, vinyl and digital formats and can be pre-ordered from the Relapse Records store.
BLACK TUSK has announced a handful of regional tour dates for this summer. They start July 24 in Augusta, Georgia and runs through July 27 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Revolution Harmony, the brainchild of British music lecturer/journalist Ray Holroyd, has set a July 18 release date for its debut all-star charity single, "We Are". The official lyric video for the song, which features vocals from Serj Tankian (SYSTEM OF A DOWN) and Ihsahn (EMPEROR), as well as guitar solos by Devin Townsend, can be seen below.
Composed, arranged, programmed and produced by Ray Holroyd in Vancouver, the complex international studio project was recorded in North America, England, Norway and New Zealand, then mixed by Rohan Onraet (SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD) in London, and mastered by Ted Jensen (GREEN DAY, MUSE) in New York. The single also features Stefan Loh (WE CLAIMED SENTIENCE ONCE) on guitar, and additional vocals from the young up-and-coming U.K. singer Abbie Johnson.
Vancouver-based non-profit record label Revolution Harmony was launched in 2011 by Holroyd. After founding the non-profit Grade 9 Records in 2008 and growing the label over three successful years, Holroyd decided to expand upon what he had originally established as a means for his students to sell their music and donate the profits to charity, and Revolution Harmony was born. Revolution Harmony acts as a two-way channel, providing an outlet for artists to release their music worldwide and earn money from it, and providing an inlet for the label profits from that music to be redirected to charities that restore harmony between all people, animals and the environment.
The lyrical theme in "We Are" is based on the concept behind Revolution Harmony, which is essentially the belief that musical harmony has the power to inspire a revolution towards societal harmony. The single is dedicated to Nelson Mandela and the memory of Lucky Dube, regarded as South Africa's Bob Marley, and will be released worldwide on Mandela Day (July 18), with all proceeds donated to Buskaid, a charity that provides free music lessons and instruments to children in the townships of South Africa.
Knoxville, Tennessee deathcore act WHITECHAPEL has released a nine-minute documentary that offers a personal look into the bandmembers' lives on the road during the their April-May 2013 tour with ASKING ALEXANDRIA. Check it out below.
The self-titled fourth album from WHITECHAPEL sold around 9,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "A New Era Of Corruption", opened with around 10,600 units back in June 2010 to land at No. 43.
"Whitechapel" was released on June 19, 2012 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was engineered and mixed by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DEVILDRIVER), who also handled production duties alongside the band. The artwork was created by Aaron Marsh of Forefathers Group with art direction provided by WHITECHAPEL.
WHITECHAPEL is currently enjoying some time at home before the group embarks on a European run that will see them performing at Germany's Summer Breeze and Wacken Open Air, U.K.'s Bloodstock and the Czech Republic's Brutal Assault festivals, to name a few.
California thrash metal veterans SLAYER were honored with the "Kerrang! Legend Award" at this year's Kerrang! Awards, which was held on June 13 at London, England's Troxy Club. The award was accepted by SLAYER guitarist Kerry King, who was also interviewed by Kerrang! magazine deputy editor Simon Young after the event. Check out the chat below.
Asked what it's like being honored with the "Kerrang! Legend Award" without founding SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away last month, King told Entertainment Daily News: "Coming to something like this wasn't really his spiel; he wasn't an awards-show kind of guy. He wanted to be the quiet guy doing his thing at the hotel. But, you know, he's gonna be in everybody's thoughts for a long time. It's unfortunate you can't keep unfortunate things from happening. But, you know, we're gonna carry on, and he'll be there in spirit."
It was announced on May 30 by SLAYER's Tom Araya (bass, vocals) and Kerry King (guitar) that Paul Bostaph would be behind the drum kit for the first leg of the band's 2013 international tour. EXODUS' Gary Holt is continuing to fill in for fallen guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who died on May 2 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver.
Bostaph was SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band — the gold-certified "Divine Intervention" (1994), the 1996 punk covers album "Undisputed Attitude", "Diabolus In Musica" (1998), "God Hates Us All" (2001) that received a Grammy nomination for "Best Metal Performance", as well as the DVD "War At The Warfield" (2001), also certified gold. In addition to SLAYER, Bostaph has been a member of FORBIDDEN, EXODUS, SYSTEMATIC and TESTAMENT.
Original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo sat out the band's recent Australian tour due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX).
CHIMAIRA's video for the song "No Mercy" can be seen below. The track comes off the band's seventh studio album, "Crown Of Phantoms", which will be released on July 30 via eOne Music.
The band recently made headlines by way of crowd-funding a fan version CD/DVD where they doubled their initial goal via IndieGoGo.
CHIMAIRA just wrapped up a successful run on the "Dont Pray For Us Tour" with ASKING ALEXANDRIA and plans to be back on the road soon.
"Crown Of Phantoms" track listing:
01. The Machine 02. No Mercy 03. All That's Left Is Blood 04. I Despise 05. Plastic Wonderland 06. The Transmigration 07. Crown Of Phantoms 08. Spineless 09. Kings Of The Shadow World 10. Wrapped In Violence 11. Love Soaked Death
Commented vocalist Mark Hunter: "When I started this band, I had a desire to make extremely heavy, eclectic metal. Nothing has changed in that regard. I wanted to merge all the styles I loved into a hybrid of sounds. Having the chance to reinvent the group gave me the opportunity to work with unbelievable players and take the essence of CHIMAIRA to uncharted territory. Assembling the right team was essential to creating what I feel is some of the craziest and most passionate music I've had the pleasure to be a part of. The past defines us while the present refines us."
In a 2012 interview with Metal Insider, Hunter stated about CHIMAIRA's plans for the new CD: "We want to come out with an album that not only captures the essence of what the fans have grown to know over the years, but we want to do something not only for the scene that's special, but for musicians out there, too. The musicianship in this band now is definitely on the next level. Everyone's pretty much a virtuoso at their instrument. Some of the stuff Emil [Werstler, guitar] was writing yesterday on this new song, I'm watching him play and I'm like, 'There are only going to be about a handful of people that'll able to play this!' [laughs] I'm imagining like a kid getting home, getting our new record and maybe they have the guitar, and they go sit down and try play along to it. And it's going to take them a very long time. [laughs]"
He added: "We couldn't be happier moving forward. It sucks that we had to go through hell — no pun intended — to get to where we are now. But I think all of us, coming from lessons of life, lessons of bands, lessons of the industry, we've lived and learned and now we have something completely different to prove."
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."
