Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson's December 14 appearance at Shovelhead in Longwood, Florida can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user "hvymtlmom"). The Longwood gig was part of Ellefson's "Basstory" tour, which combines solo bass performance with David's celebrated brand of storytelling, as he recounts intimate details of his struggles and triumphs ...
Posted in: News
Metal Wani's Jake Patton recently conducted an interview with frontman Björn "Speed" Strid of Swedish metallers SOILWORK about the band's forthcoming studio album, "Verkligheten". You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On still releasing studio albums over two decades since SOILWORK's formation: Björn: "I didn't really predict ...
Posted in: News
MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine says that he is "fighting" to get another heavy metal category added to the Grammy Awards. In an effort to continuously evolve its Grammy Awards process, The Recording Academy announced in April 2011 that it had restructured the Grammy categories across all genres and fields, bringing the total number of categories ...
Posted in: News
Guitarist Marty Friedman (MEGADETH, CACOPHONY) recently appeared on "The Official Danko Jones Podcast". The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On whether his new double live album, "One Bad M.F. Live!!", was inspired by KISS: Marty: "In a lot of respects. I think KISS's two live albums, ...
Posted in: News
SOILWORK frontman Björn "Speed" Strid recently spoke with United Rock Nations. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On the three-and-a-half year gap between the group's 2015 release, "The Ride Majestic", and forthcoming album, "Verkligheten": Björn: "I think the main reason was that we did so much ...
Posted in: News
Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has no regrets about the band's "Risk" album, saying that the controversial record was created "with the best of intentions." Issued in 1999, "Risk" received a mixed response from critics and alienated hardcore MEGADETH fans due to its departure from the band's heavy thrash metal roots to a more commercial, ...
Posted in: News
LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton will release a solo album titled "Anesthetic" on March 1, 2019 via WPP Records and Spinefarm Records. The disc's first single, "The Truth Is Dead", featuring guest vocals by LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe and ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, can be streamed below. "Anesthetic" was made alongside ...
Posted in: News
BackStage360 recently conducted an interview with former ANGRA and current MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro. You can now watch the chat below. Asked how he landed the gig with MEGADETH, Kiko said: "ANGRA, we [had] a gold disc in Brazil, and then we released the album in Europe in 1994. And that was quite successful — ...
Posted in: News
Jackson has welcomed the incredibly talented guitar genius Jeff Loomis of NEVERMORE and ARCH ENEMY to its artist roster. "I'm very excited to announce that I will be working with Jackson guitars on many upcoming projects," Loomis said. "We are underway designing a Jeff Loomis signature model that will be unveiled at the 2019 NAMM ...
Posted in: News
Vivian Campbell spoke to Metal Express Radio about "II", the upcoming second album from his LAST IN LINE project, which will be released on February 22, 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl. As with 2016's "Heavy Crown", the new disc was produced by DOKKEN and FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson. LAST IN LINE was formed ...
Posted in: News
Sally Steele of Vegas Rocks! recently conducted an interview with SLAUGHTER frontman Mark Slaughter and bassist Dana Strum. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On whether they thought their career was over when hair metal's popularity took a nosedive in the 1990s in the wake ...
Posted in: News
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine says that there should be at least one more "Big Four" concert before SLAYER finally calls it quits. The so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — played together for the first time in history on June 16, 2010 in front of 81,000 fans at ...
Posted in: News
On October 22, prior to the Warsaw stop of his "Basstory" European tour, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke with Poland's Top Guitar. The full conversation can be seen below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On the motivation behind his "Basstory" tour: David: "I know a lot of our fans grow ...
Posted in: News
According to Tempo.co, Indonesian president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo canceled his plan to attend JUDAS PRIEST's December 7 concert in Jakarta because of an incident earlier this week when 20 people were shot dead by separatists in the country's Papua province. Anas Syahrul Alimi, the CEO of concert promoter Rajawali Indonesia Communication, said during ...
Posted in: News
"Late", a new song from ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE, the project featuring ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello and MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, can be streamed below. The track is taken from ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE's debut album, "Get It Out", which will be released on January 18, 2019 via Megaforce. The follow-up to ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE's 2014 self-titled ...
Posted in: News
The annual Hall Of Heavy Metal History's Metal Hall Of Fame gala will take place on Wednesday, January 23, 2019 at Marriott Delta Garden Grove in Anaheim, California. The event will be hosted by iconic television, radio personality and heavy metal champion Eddie Trunk, and will feature appearances by heavy metal greats of today and ...
Posted in: News
Dave Mustaine says that MEGADETH's "Risk" was the result of him "capitulating" to Marty Friedman's "desires to be more of an alternative band." Issued in 1999, "Risk" received a mixed response from critics and alienated hardcore MEGADETH fans due to its departure from the band's heavy thrash metal roots to a more commercial, pop rock ...
Posted in: News
During an appearance on last week's edition of "Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live From The Rainbow Bar & Grill" on SiriusXM, Dave Mustaine confirmed once again that MEGADETH is working on the follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" album. "We're just assembling all the pieces right now," he said. "Kiko [Loureiro, guitar] and Dirk [Verbeuren, drums] have ...
Posted in: News
MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has confirmed to Canada's The Metal Voice that he is working on material for the follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" album, tentatively due next year. Asked about the musical direction of the music he has written so far, he said (hear audio below): "Well, I don't know how to answer that, because ...
Posted in: News
Guitarist Gary Holt will miss the rest of the current SLAYER European tour in order to return home and be with his dying father. He will be replaced for the remaining shows on the trek by former MACHINE HEAD and VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel. Demmel will make his live debut with SLAYER Monday night (December ...
Posted in: News
The self-imposed exile of guitarist Marty Friedman to Japan after his 2001 departure from MEGADETH lasted so long and took on such mythical proportions that it's hard to believe that it has already been four years since he re-engaged with the American heavy metal scene after the release of his 2014 effort, "Inferno". Friedman still ...
Posted in: CD Reviews
Sofa King Cool recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On the "intimacy" of his current "Basstory" tour: David: "That seems to be the comment we get — it's such a different concept, it's such a different thing. In ...
Posted in: News
Dom Famularo of The Sessions Panel recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On expanding into record producing, clinic work and book writing: David: "When you get kind of famous, you get called to do all kinds of stuff. ...
Posted in: News
At the first stop of the European leg of his "Basstory" tour at Rough Trade in Bristol, England on October 15, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson explained why he started playing with a pick/plectrum instead of his fingers. He said (see video below): "Your signature sound comes from the hand you sign your signature with, which ...
Posted in: News
MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren's drum playthrough video of the song "Mechanix", which originally appeared on the band's 1985 album " Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!", can be seen below. Last November, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was asked by the RQP 104.3 FM radio how the band goes about the process of choosing ...
Posted in: News
TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy says that he understands why certain rock and metal artists rely on off-stage backing musicians or use pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. In recent years, more and more bands have been given a pass for using backing tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but ...
Posted in: News
Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson and former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal performing cover versions of classics songs by MEGADETH, IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH on November 16 at Jewel in Manchester, New Hampshire can be seen below. The Manchester gig was part of Ellefson's "Basstory" tour, which combines solo ...
Posted in: News
MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was interviewed for the latest episode of the "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" podcast. You can now listen to the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On what new MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren brings to the band: Mustaine: "The thing that Dirk brings to the band is ...
Posted in: News
Guitarist Marty Friedman (MEGADETH, CACOPHONY) recently spoke with Metal Wani about his new live album, "One Bad M.F. Live!!". The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET and Metal Wani). On the classic live albums that inspired him: Marty: "I would definitely prefer live albums when I was ...
Posted in: News
The official video for the song "Bitter" from RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band led by former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee, can be seen below. The track is taken from RED DRAGON CARTEL's sophomore album, "Patina", which was released on November 9 via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to RED DRAGON CARTEL's ...
Posted in: News
