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Manos Spanos

GWAR Frontman DAVE BROCKIE A.K.A. ODERUS URUNGUS Dead At 50

Manos Spanos
**UPDATE**: GWAR's manager, Jack Flanagan, has released the following statement: "It is with a saddened heart that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR, passed away at approximately 6:50 p.m. EST Sunday, March 23, 2014. His body was found Sunday by his bandmate at his home in Richmond, Virginia. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963. "My main focus right now is to look after my bandmates and his family. "More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed." The original article follows below. Dave Brockie, better known as Oderus Urungus, the founder and lead singer of renowned Richmond, Virginia metal band GWAR, has died. Roommates reportedly found Brockie's body at his home Sunday evening (March 23). "I wish it was a joke," former GWAR bassist Chris Bopst, a music writer for Style Weekly, told the site. "Everyone is in shock." Brockie was 50 years old. Richmond Police also confirmed Brockie's death. "At approximately 6:53 p.m. on Sunday, Richmond Police were called to a residence in the 4800 block of West Seminary Avenue for a report of a deceased individual," a Richmond Police spokeswoman said in a statement. "When officers arrived, they found David M. Brockie, 50, deceased inside the home. Detectives do not suspect foul play at this time and the Medical Examiner's Office will determine cause of death." "Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I've known," former GWAR bassist Mike Bishop told Style Weekly. "He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art. His penchant for scatological humors belied a lucid wit. He was a criminally underrated lyricist and hard rock vocalist, one of the best, ever! A great frontman, a great painter, writer, he was also a hell of a bass guitarist. I loved him. He was capable of great empathy and had a real sense of justice." Vocalist Randy Blythe of fellow Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD, who toured with GWAR in 2009, wrote on Instagram: "I got a very sad call tonight from my buddy Chris Bopst, who was one of the original members of GWAR. My friend Dave Brockie, a.k.a. Oderus Urungus, the singer of GWAR, has left the building and taken off back to his home planet. He was 50 years old. "I do not know details of why he died yet, just that he passed away at home and his roommates found him. "When someone dies, a lot of the time people will say, 'Oh, he was a unique person, really one of a kind, a true original.' Most of these people no idea of what they are talking about; they obviously had never met Dave. "Dave TRULY WAS ONE OF A KIND. I can't think of ANYONE even remotely like him. That's VERY HARD TO SAY. "My band learned how to become a real touring band from GWAR. They gave us out first shot at this thing. "I learned many things from Dave, many of which I am eternally grateful for, and some of which I am deeply ashamed of. "I took this picture at his birthday party a few months ago — Dave kissing his Oderus birthday cake. "Right now, if I were to truly honor Dave in the way HE would do it if it were ME that had died, I would make a completely tasteless joke about his death. But I do not have the stomach for that — Dave would, but not me. He never put much stock in 'limits.' "Richmond has lost one of its most creative people. "This is a crying shame to me. "Thank you, Brockie, for all the crazy shit you did. Thank God you existed, so you could do it and I didn't have to. It was an honor to know you, to be your Shaky Slave, to serve in the Blood Vomits along side you (let's ride!), and to be soaked by your sweet cuttlefish. "RIP Dave Brockie. Oderus, enjoy your trip back home." Bassist Chris Kael of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH said: "Just read about the passing of Dave Brockie — Oderus Urungus from GWAR. We had the privilege of playing with GWAR just one month ago at Soundwave festival in Australia. Dave was always right there on the side of the stage that FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH were playing on — watching every band, laughing and enjoying life. As he entertained us in life, may his death remind us that life is short. Tell the ones around you that they are loved. Live life with a smile and a laugh. Just as Dave and I shared a laugh while talking at Soundwave. We love you. Each and every one of you. R.I.P. Dave Brockie — Oderus Urungus." Vocalist Tony Foresta of another Richmond, Virginia band, MUNICIPAL WASTE, which toured with GWAR in 2012, wrote on Instagram: "I'm so devastated right now. One of the most fun, brilliant, inspirational and creative people I've ever had the privilege to call a friend has passed. I'm going to miss you so much, pal." Dez Fafara (DEVILDRIVER, COAL CHAMBER): "Rest in peace, my brother!" EMMURE: "We are deeply saddened by the news of our fellow comrade passing away. Dave was a admired individual amongst us. He spoke highly of EMMURE and whether he knew it or not, we were very passionate about him as well. R.I.P., Oderus Urungus. GWAR FOREVER." Ben Orum (ex-ALL SHALL PERISH): "Dave, You were a creative genius. Thank you for bringing so much joy to me and my friends as we grew up with GWAR. RIP." According to Australia's TheMusic.com.au, GWAR's management will issue a statement regarding reports of Brockie's passing at approximately 1:00 p.m. EST today. Brockie is not the first member of GWAR to die at an early age. GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot, who played the character of Flattus Maximus for over ten years, was discovered dead on the band's tour bus on November 3, 2011. He was 34 years old. In a January 2012 interview with Full Metal Jackie, Brockie stated about Smoot's passing: "I think Cory's death is a big wake-up call for all of us. We all breathed a big sigh of relief when we found out it wasn't a drug overdose, to speak quite frankly. But then to think that he was 34 and died of a heart attack — it's really scary." He continued: "Everybody out there needs to take care of themselves, especially you guys who are playing in bands and starting to get up into your 40s and you're all sitting there just like me saying, 'Holy shit, this is still going on and I can keep doing this probably for the rest of my life?' Yeah, you can, but you have to take of yourself. You really, really, really, really do. So I'm trying to quit smoking right now." GWAR's latest album, "Battle Maximus", sold around 3,500 copies in the United States in its first
08 min read

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Parts Ways With Guitarist EDWARD CARLSON, Bassist JASON WARD

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Arizona metal veterans FLOTSAM AND JETSAM have parted ways with guitarist Edward Carlson and bassist Jason Ward and have replaced them with Steve Conley and Michael Spencer, respectively. Says the band: "After completion of the 2013 tour with TESTAMENT in the U.S., Edward Carlson was no longer able to tour due to physical issues that would require back and neck surgery to possibly correct. We will miss our comerade and wish him well on his next adventure. Steve Conley has been officially recruited to fill the spot. Having played with David Ellefson (MEGADETH) in F5, we are confident in his ability to hold the spot with integrity. "Jason Ward's departure happened after the tracking of 'Ugly Noise'. Jason had spent 21 years in FLOTSAM and decided to stay at home with his new family and career. He was, and is, one of the strongest personalities in the FLOTSAM catalog of players. "We have all had a turn on the sidelines. "We will miss his participation on the road and his witty humor. "Shorty after the TESTAMENT tour in 2013, Michael Spencer took the helm as bassist. He was the first bassist to replace [Jason] Newsted in 1987 (Spencer was formerly in SENTINEL BEAST). He was a part of the writing of 'No Place for Disgrace' in 1987, and he was on our first tour with MEGADETH in the U.S. and Europe. With that history, it made perfect sense that 'No Place' should be redone. You can hear him on the reproduction of 'No Place for Disgrace'." FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's current lineup is as follows: Eric "A.K." Knutson - Vocals Michael Gilbert - Guitar Kelly D. Smith - Drums Michael Spencer - Bass Steve Conley - Guitar Fan-filmed video footage of FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's March 9 performance at Effenaar in Eindhoven, The Netherlands can be seen below. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM released "No Place For Disgrace - 2014", a re-recording of the band's second album, "No Place For Disgrace", on February 14 in Europe and digitally on February 18 in North America via Metal Blade Records. The physical CD was made available in North America on March 4. FLOTSAM AND JETSAM recently returned to Metal Blade Records to release their new album, "Ugly Noise". "Ugly Noise" is FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's eleventh full-length album, their first release on Metal Blade since 2001, and the follow-up to their 2010 album "The Cold". The record also heralds the return of original members Michael Gilbert on guitar and Kelly David Smith, who hadn't recorded with FLOTSAM AND JETSAM since "High" in 1997.
03 min read

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH: ‘The House Of The Rising Sun’ Video To Premiere On Monday

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The official video for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's surprising cover of the classic folk song "The House Of The Rising Sun" will make its online debut on Monday, March 24. The song is the next single from the Las Vegas-based band's recently released album, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 2". The disc came out on November 19, 2013 and is the second half of a two-record set, with "Volume 1" coming out in July 2013. A teaser for the "gasoline and rocket-fuel-soaked" "The House Of The Rising Sun" video — which was filmed in the desert — can be seen below.. According to The Pulse Of Radio, the original author of "The House Of The Rising Sun" is unknown and the song's roots may date back to the 16th century. The oldest known existing recording is by Appalachian artists Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster, who recorded it for Vocalion Records in 1934. The most successful commercial version was recorded by the English rock group THE ANIMALS in 1964, which was a No. 1 hit in the U.K., the U.S., Sweden, Finland and Canada. The members of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH discussed in a recently released video clip how they changed up the classic song to give it a hard-rock vibe, most notably, by switching the song's time signature from 6/8 to 4/4. "We had the idea to do this for a while," explained guitarist Zoltan Bathory. "The interesting thing about this song is that [it's] actually in a time signature of 6/8 which is a waltz… and rock music and waltz doesn't necessarily mix right." He continued: "So basically the challenge was: 'How do we make this song work? How do we take away that goofy vibe and how do we make it into a rock structure?'" "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 2" sold 77,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. The first half of "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart, selling 113,000 copies in its first week of release.
03 min read

COREY TAYLOR, DUFF MCKAGAN, TIM ‘RIPPER’ OWENS, LIZZY HALE Perform At RONNIE JAMES DIO Third Annual Awards Gala

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An exclusive VIP listening party for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album "This Is Your Life" and awards gala was held last night (Monday, March 17) at the Avalon in Hollywood, California. Fans got to hear the entire album two weeks before they could buy it and there were very special live performances by HALESTORM, Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER, DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED, WALKING PAPERS), Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ICED EARTH, DIO DISCIPLES), Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB, DIO DISCIPLES), Jimmy Bain (DIO, LAST IN LINE, RAINBOW), Rowan Robertson (DIO), Brian Tichy (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE) and many other special surprise guests all performing their renditions of Ronnie's songs. There were also awards presented during the evening, including an award to "The Metal God" Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST. Fan-filmed video footage of last night's event can be seen below. Ronnie James Dio is one of the most beloved figures in rock history. His gifts, both as a singer and songwriter, are instantly recognizable, whether he was with RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, or leading DIO. Sadly, Dio lost his battle with stomach cancer in 2010 but his towering voice and legacy live on. To celebrate one of rock's most powerful voices, an all-star group of his friends and fans recorded 13 of their favorite tracks for a tribute album, 100% of proceeds from which will go to the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund. Produced by his longtime manager and wife Wendy Dio, the album includes contributions by such metal heavyweights as METALLICA, MOTÖRHEAD, SCORPIONS, ANTHRAX, and Rob Halford, as well as appearances by many of the musicians who performed with Dio over the years. "This Is Your Life" will be available from Rhino on April 1. A digital version will also be available. Although the songs featured on the album touch on the different eras of Dio's career, several spotlight his time with RAINBOW, including METALLICA's epic, nine-minute "Ronnie Rising Medley", which combines the RAINBOW songs "A Light In The Black", "Tarot Woman", "Stargazer" and "Kill The King". SCORPIONS add a scorching take on "Temple Of The King" while MOTÖRHEAD is joined by Biff Byford from SAXON on "Starstruck". Rob Halford teams with frequent Dio collaborators Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, and Scott Warren for "Man On The Silver Mountain". The final lineup of Dio's solo band — Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo and Scott Warren — are joined by Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) for "Catch The Rainbow", a track from RAINBOW's 1975 debut. ANTHRAX and ADRENALINE MOB honor Dio's memorable stint with BLACK SABBATH with their takes on "Neon Knights" and "The Mob Rules", respectively, as does a group, led by Oni Logan on vocals along with Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, and Brian Tichy, which performs "I" from "Dehumanizer". "This Is Your Life" also includes songs from Dio's back-to-back platinum albums "Holy Diver" (1983) and "The Last In Line" (1984), with DORO's take on "Egypt (The Chains Are On)", HALESTORM tackling "Straight Through The Heart", Corey Taylor (STONE SOUR, SLIPKNOT) covering the classic "Rainbow In The Dark" and TENACIOUS D (Jack Black and Kyle Gass) putting their signature spin on "The Last In Line". KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's cover of "Holy Diver", a hit in its own right when released in 2006, is also included here. Fittingly, Ronnie James Dio provides the finale (and the album's title) with his moving performance of "This Is Your Life". Originally released on "Angry Machines" (1996), the song's lyrics explore mortality and are backed by a stark and beautiful arrangement that features Dio accompanied only by his longtime keyboardist Scott Warren on piano. The song serves as a poignant reminder that we will never hear a voice like Dio's again. "I'm letting them pick what songs they wanna do in the way they wanna do it," Wendy told Artisan News in 2011. "We reached out to Wendy Dio about wanting to be a part of the Dio tribute that's getting put together," METALLICA singer James Hetfield told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. "We're very honored to be a part of that, and to be a part of a celebration of Ronnie's life and his great contribution, man." In an interview with Guitar International, former ANTHRAX guitarist Rob Caggiano stated that the band's cover version of "Neon Knights" "came out pretty smoking." The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, co-founded by Wendy Dio, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable fund dedicated to supporting cancer-prevention research, raising awareness and educating the public about the vital importance of early detection and prevention when dealing with this deadly disease. "This Is Your Life" track listing: 01. "Neon Knights" - ANTHRAX * 02. "The Last In Line" - TENACIOUS D * 03. "The Mob Rules" - ADRENALINE MOB 04. "Rainbow In The Dark" - Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher * 05. "Straight Through The Heart" - HALESTORM * 06. "Starstruck" - MOTÖRHEAD with Biff Byford * 07. "Temple Of The King" - SCORPIONS * 08. "Egypt (The Chains Are On)" - DORO 09. "Holy Diver" - KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 10. "Catch The Rainbow" - Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren * 11. "I" - Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, Brian Tichy * 12. "Man On The Silver Mountain" - Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, Scott Warren * 13. "Ronnie Rising Medley" (featuring "A Light In The Black", "Tarot Woman", "Stargazer", "Kill The King") - METALLICA * 14. "This Is Your Life" - DIO * Previously unreleased The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund is a privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization which has already raised more than $600,000 in its short history. Monies raised to date have been committed to the cancer research work of the T.J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research and the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life.
08 min read

VINNY APPICE: Why I Left KILL DEVIL HILL

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On March 14, rock journalist Mitch Lafon conducted an interview with legendary drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, DIO, LAST IN LINE, KILL DEVIL HILL). You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On writing new, original material with LAST IN LINE — the band featuring DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell alongside fellow founding DIO members Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Claude Schnell, plus singer Andrew Freeman, who has previously fronted HURRICANE and LYNCH MOB: Vinny: "Yeah, we started writing, and it's gone great. 'Cause that's the hard part. OK, it's easy to get together and play the old songs and have fun and go out and play. And then it comes down to, 'OK, we're gonna write next week.' Then you don't know how it's gonna go, because we haven't been in a room writing together for 30 years. And it went fantastic. We've got about five tunes written, and they're really cool, and they sound like us; they sound like DIO. And it's very interesting how quickly it came together. And we're happy about it, we're having fun down there exchanging ideas. It's really, really a good vibe. It's nothing where there's any attitudes or egos or anything like that; it's wonderful, actually. And this way, when it's in that environment, you can express your ideas without having to worry or think about some guy that's gonna go, 'Well, I don't think that's good,' or, 'No, we shouldn't do it that way.' All the ideas are put out there and we go, 'Yeah, that's cool. Let's try it.' There's no quarrels, there's no attitudes. It's really cool. So it's going great. In April, we're going into the studio to record a couple of [the songs], so we have some stuff down. And it looks like we have a pretty nice record deal sitting there. And Steve Strange from Europe — he's a very famous guy in Europe — he's handling the band, and he is in the driver's seat, and we've got a great driver." On his decision to leave KILL DEVIL HILL: Vinny: "It wasn't a musical breakup at all. It was more of… What you wanna do with… I mean, I started the band; it was my band and then Rex [Brown, former PANTERA and DOWN bassist] came into the band and he was a known dude and strong personality, and it became a great band. So it's not a musical problem at all; it's more a business thing where… scheduling and the idea of how to make this work, the time involved, and all the different things. Obviously, I had a lot of stuff on my plate, and it's hard to devote to one thing when these other really good things are happening too. So it was just a mutual thing where… 'Look, I think it's better if you guys continue and get somebody else,' and see what happens. "Actually, [KILL DEVIL HILL] was started at the end of 2009, when I started doing this. You devote four years, almost five years to this thing. And it's, like, 'Wow! What does it take to get this across?' Especially when Rex joined the band. It's, like, people know Rex, people know me. It's not like it's a bunch of new guys trying to make it. And it was, like, 'Wow! It's really, really hard to get this thing off the ground.' It seems to be doing better now. And it comes down to getting people around you that know what they're doing, like record companies, managers, agents and different things. That's a real important part of being in a band. Unless it's an all-star band; then it's easy to go out and do stuff. Like LAST IN LINE is a lot more sellable on this level than KILL DEVIL HILL when it comes to agents booking gigs. That's the way the business works; people wanna see, or hear music that they know. "It's a crazy business right now. Rex and I were shocked that… 'Wow! This is the third tour already, and we're still struggling to get this thing off the ground.'… You're going out and you're making merch money, but it's all going back into keeping this thing alive. There's no tour support, there's no advertising… Where do you advertise? You can only advertise on the Internet, really; there's no more [print] magazines. And even then, it's hard to get a budget for advertising. Videos… You do videos… Basically, it seems like you just need somebody that does social media that you just hire 24 hours a day, every day, 16 hours a day, get on the Internet and get it everywhere. That seems to be the way to do it."
04 min read

MACHINE HEAD’s ROBB FLYNN: ‘The Music Business Has Sucked The Life Out Of Creativity’

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Robb Flynn of San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD has posted the latest installment of his online blog, "The General Journals: Diary Of A Frontman... And Other Ramblings". It follows below in its entirety. "I'm in a shitty mood. "Not for the story I'm about to tell, but because of my thoughts afterward. "I went out to San Francisco for my buddy Joe's birthday shenanigans. We went out for Moroccan food at a joint called El Mansour. The place had a great vibe, belly dancing, sword balancing, and amazing food! The lamb in particular was to-freakin'-die-for, slow roasted and covered in honey and cinnamon. "On the way out there, Joe's buddy Tony picked me up from JingleTown [studio], since I didn't want to drive as I knew I'd be drinking. On the hour-long trip out (Saturday traffic to San Francisco), he was telling me some pretty awesome stories about growing up in the ''70s. You see, Tony was a teenager in 1975, and used to go the famous San Francisco venue Winterland. Winterland was before my time, but being part of the scene you heard the legend, the stories and the history. "Tony is a big BLACK SABBATH fan, saw them back in '75 on the 'Sabotage' tour and said it was a life-changing experience. Him and his buddies used to go to Winterland, load up on LSD, cigarettes, and weed, and go watch pretty much the cream of the crop of classic rock bands. TED NUGENT, SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, JOURNEY, MONTROSE, you name it, he went and saw it. The shows would start and if people loved the opening band (essentially cheering non-stop) they'd get to do encores. He was telling me about a show JOURNEY (the opener!), killed it, and they got 4 encores, the support band got 4 encores! Then the headliner, MONTROSE, got 5 ENCORES! MONTROSE didn't stop playing until 2:30 in the morning, everyone stayed, no one would even dare consider leaving and people experienced some of the best music of their lives. "An opener getting encores, crazy… "And the venue allowed things like this to happen. The venue just kept the bands rolling. "Not only that, but all of the shows at Winterland were $4.50. "4 dollars and 50 cents…..18 freakin' quarters! "Wow…?!? "All I could think of was 'what an amazing time for music.' "People wonder why the 'classic rock' bands were so good. They were playing by their own rules, and they had a culture of venues and people around that were as crazy and fly-by-the-seat-of-their-pants as the bands themselves. The promoters around that time did anything to make the bands happy and if it meant playing all goddamn night? Let 'em! "I tell you right now, though, there isn't a band out there who would play til 2:30 a.m. nowadays, let alone find a major venue that would even ALLOW such a thing. "I remember when I first started going to /playing thrash shows, it was a very similar thing. It was no rules, no security, no safety, no curfews, and for the most part anything went! Venues these days are mostly run with union workers. In most major cities, you have to take breaks during the day, where a band can't even sound check for an hour because the union workers need a 'break.' Nowadays if you play 1 minute past 11 p.m. at any of the large union venues, it costs the band $1,000 dollars a minute. When we were out with METALLICA playing arenas they regularly play 20 minutes past 11:00 p.m., and they regularly paid $20,000 to do so. "I went and saw PEARL JAM about a month ago, and they played one of the best, most truly rock 'n' roll shows I've seen in eons. It was fucking magical, Eddie Vedder drank 3 bottles of wine, and about 2 hours into the set, he started getting a little sloppy, forgetting lyrics, missing cues, it looked like it was about to fall off the rails. The band then they took a quick break and he came back and played 'Black'. "Let me tell you, it was magic! I'm getting goose bumps writing this, just remembering it. It was such a turn-around; it totally took the night to an even higher level. At this point they were already 45 minutes past 11. They played several more songs and eventually the Oakland Arena (currently called the Oracle Arena, until some different stupid corporate sponsor buys it and changes it to something ridiculous like Florida's 1-800-Ask Gary Amphitheater) turned on the house lights, signaling them to stop. PEARL JAM said 'fuck you!' and played 2 more songs with the house lights on! Eddie Vedder then brought the band back out onstage to do an extra-long goodbye to the crowd. I love their fucking attitude. "In the end, they played 70 minutes over 'curfew' and I'd imagine left Oakland about $70,000 dollars lighter to do so. Of course PEARL JAM can afford it, and frankly it gave every single person there one of the best shows of their life. But this gesture to keep the 'room' in a good mood in conjunction with the Winterland conversation, it got me thinking. "Shit has changed. "On the one hand, I love PEARL JAM's 'fuck you, were doing it our way' attitude, and on the other hand, it angered and depressed me. "Only the METALLICAs and PEARL JAMs can pull things like this. Bands that have sold millions of records, and they can afford it. "If MACHINE HEAD tried playing an hour over curfew at say, the House Of Blues in Dallas, Texas, we'd be walking out of there with our entire guarantee eaten up. Even if the fans wanted it, some venue would do their best to shut it down, cut power, close curtain, whatever. "The music business has sucked the life out of creativity. No one is encouraged to take risks, no one is encouraged to push the envelope, because it's all about first-week sales! It's about pointless radio play and how good your last tour went. How venues and promoters are squeezing the last drop of spontaneity out of your soul by not 'allowing' you to playing past curfew and not drawing outside the line. "When we play that game, we essentially applaud mediocrity. "There's nothing dangerous about music these days, there's nothing surprising about it either. There can't be. Other than PEARL JAM, the only 'band' that doesn't seem to really give a flying fuck and plays by their own rules isn't really a band at all, are they? Axl and the ROSES are known for bending the rules and telling the powers that be to 'fuck off,' but because their band is so confusing they come across as a joke. But people don't see this. People don't see any of this! "And the reason you don't care is because it's too easy to get sucked into your phone, or your Facebook, or your Twitter, or your Tumblr, or your Instagram, or your games, or your TV shows. "Music isn't important anymore. Say it is all you want, but the fact is, the 2 biggest rock records of last year only sold 400,000 copies, neither even went gold. "Music is in the background of a game. Why go to a show when you can watch clips of it on YouTube and bitch about how it stinks live? "And you know what, I miss music being important! I miss live shows being important. I miss feeling a part of something that was so high on my list I'd crawl through broken glass to get it. "All this technology we have now that's supposed to make us 'connected?' It's making me feel more fucking disconnected than ever. I mean watching all the things that other people are doing that I'm not invited to or even a apart of? And yet at the same time completely disgusted by faux-self-importance it has given everyone, (here's my dog or cat for the millionth time, here's a selfie for the millionth time, here's my kids for the millionth time, here' the food I'm eating for the millionth time, here's what I'm doing and you're not). Don't you wish you were eating what I'm eating? "Fuck you! I've thought of tweeting or Facebooking something so many time and just went, 'who cares', why should anyone care about this, and you SHOULDN'T care. "You're all my 'friends,' you've all 'liked' me, but really, you're not my friends, because we don't know each other. You took a photo of me, or you interviewed me, or we talked after a show. And after you get past the initial coolness, of re-connecting with someone from high school on Facebook or Twitter, you realize you truly have drifted apart. "And fuckin' A, I'm glad we did. "I don't want to be 'friends' with everyone; I don't want to be 'liked' by everyone. I want to feel connected to something. And nothing I look at in the music business does that. I don't get radio bands; I don't get any of these fucking 'scene bands.' I don't get bands singing about how great being American is, as if the geographic location you were born, (and had zero control over in any way shape or form), somehow makes us better than any other geographical place of birth!? "I don't get why people don't want to see live music anymore, I don't get it. Did you see the clip of Hetfield talking about how America needs to start 'wanting' music again? This is James 'Fucking' Hetfield talking, people! Didn't those words do anything to anyone? Didn't what he said make you feel a bit disgusted? I'm a METALLICA fan and those words being spoken kind of stung a bit. "You can bitch all you want that MACHINE HEAD only does festival tours and only plays for 30 minutes, but all those bands (including us) that play festival tours, can't draw squat when were not on festival tours. And even the big metal festivals are having troubles. Maybe the days of bands touring is coming to an end? Bands didn't always tour, you know, Mozart didn't hit the road for a year or 2 back in the day. Touring is really a phenomenon of the last 60 years or so. People didn't always buy records, or CDs, or files, or streams, that's also a phenomenon of the last 60 or 70 years. "I don't get the political fucking correctness of music anymore. "I don't get the narrow-mindedness of the world anymore. "I do
011 min read

ROB HALFORD: New JUDAS PRIEST Album Is ‘Absolutely Finished’

Manos Spanos
British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have completed work on their brand new studio album, to be released later in the year. Speaking to Artisan News at last night's (Monday, March 17) VIP listening party for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album "This Is Your Life" and awards gala at the Avalon in Hollywood, California, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford stated about the band's new CD (see video below): "The record is finished; it's absolutely finished as of today." He added: "It's a relief. It's a relief because whenever PRIEST makes an album, like any band, you put your heart and soul into it; it is that typical 'blood, sweat and tears.' It's not an easy thing to do 40 years later. But PRIEST has always been up for the challenge of that, and it's one of things that we love to do more than anything else as we move on through our metal years. So this is a great time for PRIEST: 40th anniversary, a brand new record. Life couldn't be better." In a 2013 interview with Billboard.com, Halford described the new PRIEST CD's sound as "hard. It's heavy. It's something we think our PRIEST fans will be thrilled with. We know we have a reputation to maintain, and we know we have to deliver something really strong and solid. The album is going to be full of all the great things you love about JUDAS PRIEST — I don't think I can say anything more than that without being hung, drawn and quartered." Speaking to VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner, Halford said about what fans can expect from JUDAS PRIEST's next LP: "We felt it was very important to follow up [2008's] 'Nostradamus', the last release, and that was a concept experiment and it was a real success for us and the fans loved it, but I think our fans and ourselves as a band, we want to get back to the side of PRIEST that we haven't heard for a few years and reemphasize and remake those big, heavy metal statements again." PRIEST's next album will mark the band's first release with Richie Faulkner, most recently guitarist in the backing band for Lauren Harris (daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris). Faulkner joined PRIEST as the replacement for original PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing, who announced his retirement from the band in April 2011. Asked how it has been collaborating on new music with Faulkner, Halford told Guitar World in a 2012 interview: "Really, really strong. Exciting. He's riffing and saying, 'Robby, I'm thinking of this and this and this.' It's really exciting to have that kind of energy, because you feed off of it." He added: "[Richie] went through the ritual on [the 'Epitaph'] tour, did great work on stage, the fans embraced him, so it's now time to see what we're capable of, the writing trio of Glenn [Tipton] and Richie and myself." Regarding whether technology has changed JUDAS PRIEST's songwriting process at all, Halford said: "It's dangerous to walk around with a flash drive on a bunch of keys. [Laughs] To a great extent, it doesn't really change. The technology is amazing in terms of the advantages it brings to music now, some of it good, some of it very bad. It's all about discipline and self-belief, determination, wanting to do the best you can do and not accepting anything that's below par. We've always had that attitude in PRIEST. We've always felt really strongly about any track that goes out for our fans. We're still doing it like we always have: firing up the riffs and finding a vocal melody to go with it, me going into me wonderful world of the Roget's Thesaurus and trying to come up with a new lyric and a new idea. And that's what we've been doing for four decades."
04 min read

On The Tour Bus With DARK TRANQUILLITY (Video)

Manos Spanos
Digital Tour Bus, which gives fans "an all-access pass" to the tour buses that their favorite bands travel in, has posted its latest "Bus Invaders" episode, focusing on Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY. The four-minute clip, which was filmed February 12 in Joliet, Ilinois, can be seen below. On its North American tour, DARK TRANQUILLITY sold a seven-inch EP entitled "A Memory Construct", which will also be released digitally in the beginning of March. Recorded during the "Construct" sessions, the single contains the two songs, is limited to 500 copies worldwide and is available on a transparent red wax. Featured tracks are the previously unreleased "A Memory Construct" and "Sorrows Architect", previously only available as a limited flexi seven-inch released with issue #106 of Decibel magazine. DARK TRANQUILLITY's tenth studio album, "Construct", was released on May 27, 2013 via Century Media Records. The CD was mixed by Jens Bogren (PARADISE LOST, OPETH, KATATONIA) at his Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden. DARK TRANQUILLITY filmed a music video for the song "Uniformity" on April 13, 2013 with Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.
01 min read

LACUNA COIL: ‘Die & Rise’ Lyric Video Released

Manos Spanos
The official lyric video for the song "Die & Rise" from Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new studio album, "Broken Crown Halo", which will be released in North America on April 1 (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded Italy by producer Jay Baumgardner (P.O.D., SEVENDUST, EVANESCENCE, PAPA ROACH) and engineer Kyle Hoffmann (P.O.D., BUSH, ZEBRAHEAD). The effort was mastered by Howie Weinberg, whose credits include RAMMSTEIN, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, DEFTONES and SHERYL CROW. "Broken Crown Halo" is LACUNA COIL's seventh studio effort, and the highly-anticipated follow-up to "Dark Adrenaline", which was released in January 2012 and saw the band tour with acts including MEGADETH, MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and SEVENDUST after debuting at No. 15 on The Billboard 200 album chart. "Broken Crown Halo" track listing: 01. Nothing Stands In Our Way 02. Zombies 03. Hostage To The Light 04. Victims 05. Die & Rise 06. I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name) 07. Cybersleep 08. Infection 09. I Burn In You 10. In The End I Feel Alive 11. One Cold Day LACUNA COIL last month hit the road as a quintet as part of "The Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock Tour" following the departures of guitarist Cris "Pizza" Migliore and drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati. Marco "Maus" Biazzi is handling all guitar duties on the trek while drummer Ryan Blake Folden is once again sitting behind the kit for. The band states: "Fans will already be familiar with Ryan, as he performed live with LACUNA COIL on the majority of the 2012 and 2013 'Dark Legacy' and 'Dark Adrenaline' tours." Regarding the departures of Migliore and Mozzati, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia told U.K.'s Metal Hammer: "It's something we announced [in mid-Febraury] but knew for a few weeks, and honestly, I feel good, because we couldn't have a better — I don't even wasn't to use the word ‘split'; that sounds like, 'Oh, we had a big fight and we don't want to see each other anymore,' she said. "It was something that was coming from the heart, very sincere. They just decided they wanted to change their lives. It's not like they didn't like the band anymore, but this lifestyle is not easy. You're on tour all the time, you don't have any private life anymore. "Being on tour is really surreal, because time moves in a different way, so I think it's absolutely normal that after so many years together, some of us want to carry on doing what we do because we still enjoy it, and some of us would want to move on, keeping the great memories we have together. I mean, they're not planning to join other bands. It's not going to be a huge difference, because we will have the same songwriter, and we are determined to go on. So I'm sad that they're leaving, but we will continue seeing each other outside the band. They are happy, we are happy, everyone is happy." She continued: "The drums [on the U.S. tour] will be played by Ryan Folden, who played with us for the last year while Criz was at home growing up his kid. And for guitar, we are going on with Marco only, and then we will decide. "It's too early to think about replacements, and we don't even know if we want that. We might work with session musicians for a while, because even if we are serene and happy, it's hard for us, because we lost two brothers, so we don't want anyone to come into the family just like that. It would be wise, I think, just to go on with us four and then move on with friends like Ryan, who is a great drummer and very easy to get along with. And that's an important factor, because if you're going to share a tour bus with people, you have to be able to get along with them!" The Revolver-magazine-presented "The Hottest Chicks In Hard Rock Tour kicked off February 20 and features LACUNA COIL sharing a stage with SICK PUPPIES, Century Media Records labelmates EYES SET TO KILL and CILVER. The tour launched in Wilmington, North Carolina, and runs through March 20 in Anaheim, California. "Die & Rise" lyric video:
05 min read

Manos Spanos

Manos Spanos (Metalpaths' co-editor-in-chief), eight years in this site but still can't be characterised as a metalhead.