Lost your password?

Search Results for

WIND ROSE

OZZY OSBOURNE/FIREWIND Guitarist GUS G.: ‘I Am The Fire’ Cover Artwork, Track Listing

Manos Spanos
Guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, has set a March 18 release date for his debut solo album, "I Am The Fire", in North America. The CD will be released internationally on Century Media Records, and will come out March 17 in Europe. "I Am The Fire" track listing: 01. My Will Be Done (featuring Mats Levén) 02. Blame It On Me (featuring Mats Levén) 03. I Am The Fire (featuring Devour The Day) 04. Vengeance (featuring David Ellefson) 05. Long Way Down (featuring Alexia Rodriguez) 06. Just Can't Let Go (featuring Jacob Bunton) 07. Terrified (featuring Billy Sheehan) 08. Eyes Wide Open (featuring Mats Levén) 09. Redemption (featuring Michael Starr) 10. Summer Days (featuring Jeff Scott Soto) 11. Dreamkeeper (featuring Tom S. Englund) 12. End Of The Line (featuring Mats Levén) The cover artwork, pictured below, was designed by Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT, DREAM EVIL). A first song from the album can now be heard via the video for the album's opening track, "My Will Be Done" (featuring Mats Levén), which was produced by Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others. Says Gus G. of the song and album: "I hope you all enjoy the first taste of things to come. "'My Will Be Done' is a cool rock track with a modern edge to it... "Looking back, I can't believe all the great musicians that got on board for this album. Everybody brought in their unmistakable style and talent and they really lifted the songs! Check it out and enjoy the music!" Gus G. will attend the 2014 NAMM convention, which runs January 23-26 in Anaheim, California. In addition to signing sessions at ESP Guitars (January 24 at 2 p.m.) and Blackstar Amps (January 25, 1 p.m.), Gus will also appear as guest at the Randy Rhoads Remembered tribute concert at The Observatory in Santa Ana on January 25. Other guests include Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME, RIHANNA), Phil Demmel (MACHINE HEAD), Marty Friedman, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) and more. Gus handles all guitar, bass and keyboards on "I Am The Fire", and is joined by a roster of friends and guests that help bring his vision to fruition: drummers Jeff Friedl (A PERFECT CIRCLE, PUSCIFER, DEVO) and Daniel Erlandsson (ARCH ENEMY), bassists David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and Marty O'Brien (TOMMY LEE, WE ARE THE FALLEN, LITA FORD), and vocalists Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION), Blake Allison (DEVOUR THE DAY), Michael Starr (STEEL PANTHER), Alexia Rodriguez (EYES SET TO KILL), Tom S. Englund (EVERGREY), Jacob Bunton (ADLER) and Jeff Scott Soto (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, TALISMAN, ex-JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). "I Am The Fire" was mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR, STEEL PANTHER) and was recorded between Los Angeles and Gus' home country of Greece through the latter half of 2013. A few of the album's tracks include "Eyes Wide Open", "Redemption", "End Of The Line" and "Blame It On Me". The album showcases a well-balanced mix of active rock, classic hard rock, traditional metal and guitar-driven instrumentals, taking listeners on a diverse journey and opening doors to Gus G.'s soulful playing.
05 min read

FIREWIND/OZZY OSBOURNE Guitarist GUS G.: Video Footage Of Osaka Clinic

Manos Spanos
Greek guitarist Gus G. (real name: Kostas Karamitroudis; FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE) took part in a clinic on November 8 in Osaka, Japan. You can now watch video footage of his appearance below. In an interview with Music Radar, Gus stated about how he first started playing guitar: "My dad got me a cheap classical when I was 10 years old and I still have it. I didn't get an electric until I was 14, and I still have that too. It was a Fender Strat Classic Floyd Rose Series. It's a kinda like the Richie Sambora model and is a really great guitar… After that, I started practicing 8-11 hours a day for the next three and a half years or so." Gus G. is working on his debut solo album for a 2014 release. He told Full Metal Jackie about the CD: "It's going to be something completely different from what I've been doing withFIREWIND. It'll be more on the classic rock vibe, or straightforward rock and roll. There's going to be some instrumentals with some different singers on it; special guests." FIREWIND celebrated its 10th anniversary by releasing a live album on June 24 via Century Media Records in Europe. Entitled "Apotheosis - Live 2012", the CD contains 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 marksFIREWIND'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.
02 min read

SCORPIONS Drummer JAMES KOTTAK Jailed For Insulting Islam In Dubai Airport

Manos Spanos
According to The National, SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak will spend a month in a Dubai, United Arab Emirates jail after he was convicted on Tuesday morning of insulting Islam. The 51-year-old American musician had reportedly consumed five glasses of wine on an April 3 flight from Moscow to Dubai while travelling to Bahrain on a Gulf Air flight to perform two days later at the country's Formula One grand prix. After taking a wrong turn and entering the transit hall, Kottak "started swearing and talking about 'non-educated Muslims' before he flashed his middle finger at passengers," according to witnesses. Police said he also lowered his trousers and showed people his behind. An officer said he heard Kottak saying "what is this disgusting smell" before the drummer insulted Islam. "I didn't see anything else but I heard him," the officer said. "I then informed my supervisor, who came and took the defendant away." A 27-year-old client service employee at the airport added: "When he [Kottak] saw the Pakistani and Afghani passengers, he covered his nose and said that there was no way he will travel with them." He added that the drummer then started swearing repeatedly at the arrivals area of Terminal 2. "He wasn't talking to a person specifically but was talking in general," the client service employee said. "He was very nervous at the time and talking loudly." A 25-year-old Jordanian passenger services agent said Kottak came over to her and "was shouting 'non-educated Muslims' then he went to the office of the head and flashed his middle finger at the passengers." Kottak denied that he insulted Islam, telling prosecutors: "I don't remember saying these words and I did not flash my middle finger." He also denied taking down his trousers, saying: "This is not true — I just lifted my shirt up to show the tattoo on my back" as a "spontaneous act." "There is no way that I would say such a phrase about Muslims, whether I was drunk or not," he said. "I confess to drinking alcohol but I refuse the other two charges, I did not do them," he added. In addition to spending one month in jail, Kottak — who has been in custody since April 3 — was fined 2,000 dirhams (approximately $545) for drinking alcohol without a license. Kottak's time spent in detention will be deducted from his sentence. Because of his arrest, Kottak did not perform with his bandmates at the April 5 show at the 2014 Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and was replaced at the gig by Mark Cross (TAINTED NATION, FIREWIND, OUTLOUD, HELLOWEEN, METALLIUM). In a 2005 interview, Kottak, who has been in the SCORPIONS since 1996, stated about his audition for the band: "I was always a SCORPIONS fan for the songs on the radio because in America they played them non-stop. I was never the guy that went out and bought their records but I always liked their songwriting and the songs and the whole vibe. Then I was in a band called KINGDOM COME in 1987-1990 and we opened for the SCORPIONS and I saw them and they were so professional on the Monsters Of Rock tour, [and] I was totally blown away. But I never went out and bought their albums, I never went out and bought any other albums either. I was a fan of all music — good or bad. It was on the radio so much, I didn't need to buy it. I spent all my money buying drums, drumsticks and cymbals. In the audition, I knew most of the SCORPIONS music from playing in cover bands. I'm from Louisville, Kentucky. That's how I earned my money in the early '80s — we played 'Still Loving You', 'Rock You Like a Hurricane', 'Big City Nights'. The flattering point with the SCORPIONS [was] when I did fly to Germany for the 'audition,' it wasn't so much an audition, more like, 'Let's get together and see how it feels.' So, I was very flattered about that because they did audition
04 min read

DOWN Added To ‘Revolver Golden Gods Tour’ Headlined By BLACK LABEL SOCIETY

Manos Spanos
DOWN has been confirmed as the "first special guest" on this year's Revolver Golden Gods Tour, presented by Epiphone. The trek, which will be headlined by BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, will kick off on April 16 in Portland and wrap up on June 7 in Los Angeles. Also rumored to be appearing on the bill is DEVIL YOU KNOW, the new band featuring former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones; Francesco Artusato, celebrated solo artist and guitarist with ALL SHALL PERISH and THE FRANCESCO ARTUSATO PROJECT; and John Sankey, drummer for the Australian band DEVOLVED, who has also worked with FEAR FACTORY and DIVINE HERESY. Revolver Golden Gods Tour dates: Apr. 16 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Sodo Apr. 17 - Portland, OR - Roseland Apr. 18 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert House Apr. 19 - Missoula, MT - Wilma Theater Apr. 21 - Billings, MT - Shrine Auditorium Apr. 25 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave Apr. 26 - Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works Apr. 29 - Ybor City, FL (Tampa) - The Ritz Apr. 30 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues May 02 - Birmingham, AL - Iron City May 04 - Silver Spring, MD - Fillmore May 05 - Clifton Park, NY (Albany) - Northern Lights May 07 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory May 08 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium May 09 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom May 10 - New York, NY - Best Buy Theater May 12 - Norfolk, VA - Norva May 13 - Stroudsburg, PA - Sherman Theater May 15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE May 17 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Piere's May 19 - Sioux Falls, SD - The District May 20 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues May 21 - St. Paul, MN (Minneapolis) - Myth May 23 - Grand Prairie, TX (Dallas) - Verizon Theater May 27 - New Orleans, LA - House of Blues May 28 - Houston, TX - House of Blues Jun. 01 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater Jun. 02 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex - Rockwell Jun. 04 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theater Jun. 05 - Las Vegas, NV - Brooklyn Bowl Jun. 06 - San Francisco, CA - Regency Ballroom Jun. 07 - Los Angeles, CA - Fonda Theater DOWN has completed work on its new EP for a spring release. The CD was recorded at singer Philip Anselmo's New Orleans studio, Nodferatu's Lair and is the second in a series of EPs to be released over the next few years, each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound. Speaking about the band's new material, DOWN guitarist Pepper Keenan told the "Metal Hammer" radio show: "It's kind of slight continuation of the first EP, but it's a little bit more… It's hard to say, man… It's more… I wouldn't say 'aggressive,' but it's definitely got some freaky guitar stuff on it. And it's definitely got a pretty good groove factor. And we spent a lot of time trying to make all the songs [fit together stylistically]. We had several songs that didn't quite match it, so we kind of [set them aside] and we're gonna move them to another EP. But it's got a super-heavy vibe to it, man. I mean, I'm really excited about it. Everybody in the band is excited about it." He continued: "We wrote it kind of like we did the 'NOLA' record. Each one of us had some riffs and we got in a room and we just hashed it out like the old days — just going off each person's experiences and ideas. Everybody's ideas were valid, and it really ended up being well rounded and slamming. It was [a] very creative [process], let's put it that way. Actually, it was surprising some of us how much we really still got it." Pepper also spoke about the cover theme for the next DOWN EP and how it will be connected to last year's "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP". "When the second [EP] comes out, you'll see it as being an extension of the last cover," Pepper said. "So number 2 is gonna connect sideways to number 1, and you'll start to see a morphing kind of process. There's some kind of liquid light kind of thing that's kind of melding across as you go… I hate to quote the overall color, but I believe it's something like orange. I haven't looked at it in a while. It might not be orange yet, but it's heading in that direction." Released in September 2012, "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP" sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart. Guitarist Kirk Windstein recently left DOWN and was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, the band's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER), and HONKY. "I couldn't feel more blessed," Landgraf, 48, said in an interview. "Phil could've gotten anyone to play guitar, but I've been jamming with them during soundchecks, so they know we can play together." "It's really a dream come true," added Landgraf. "It's what you're working for all those years." The new BLACK LABEL SOCIETY studio album, "Catacombs Of The Black Vatican", will be released in Europe on April 7 via Mascot Label Group and one day later in North America through eOne Music. BLACK LABEL SOCIETY recently amicably parted ways with longtime guitarist Nick Catanese and replaced him with Dario Lorina (LIZZY BORDEN). blacklabelsocietyrevolvertour2014
05 min read