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MEGADETH Mainman DAVE MUSTAINE’s Stool Being Auctioned For Charity

Manos Spanos
A stool hand-assembled by Dave Mustaine of MEGADETH while recording the band's 2007 album "United Abominations" is being auctioned to benefit three children's charities as part of the TeamRock Monster Rock Auction, a charitable project launched by the Heavy Metal Truants. The stool, which was donated by "United Abominations" producer Andy Sneap, bears a note of authenticity signed by Mustaine himself. As previously reported, MEGADETH is continuing work on material for the band's next album, tentatively due in 2015. "We're taking our time with this one," Mustaine told Loaded Radio in a recent interview. "The last record we've done, we felt we were really on a positive upswing with [producer] Johnny K and we were excited to get in and do the record. But looking back over time, all the records that we had a lot of success with, personally…. Because, I mean, at the end of the day, if you don't like what you're doing, then what's the point? But the ones that we really got the most enjoyment out of was the ones that took the longest to write. We would sit with the songs and let them digest and assimilate and become part of us, instead of, 'OK, that's a great song. Let's go.' Or versus, 'You know what? Would it be better if we [played] this part one more time or cut that one in half or sped this up a little bit. There's so many variables." MEGADETH latest album, 2013's "Super Collider", 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.
02 min read

MICHAEL SCHENKER’s Guitars Stolen From Recording Studio In Germany

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Sometime between 6 p.m. on Friday, August 29 and 11 a.m. on Sunday, August 31 at Kidroom Studios in Greven, Germany, where Michael Schenker is recording the new TEMPLE OF ROCK album, "Spirit On A Mission", thieves broke in and stole and number of Schenker's Dean Flying V and Michael Voss' guitars. At the moment, the full extent of what has been stolen is being assessed and the crime scene fingerprinted. However, Schenker's brand new Chrome V is one of the guitars that have been taken. A source close to the band said: "The Dean Chrome V is one of only three ever made. Michael's version is unique and made to his own specifications. There is not another like it, so it will be hard to sell." German police are examining evidence and the studio for fingerprints and DNA evidence to help catch the criminals. There will be more details once the extent of the damage and a thorough inventory has been taken at the crime scene. Anyone with any relevant information is asked to contact the Greven Police Station on +49 2571 9280. MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK's last CD, "Bridge The Gap", featured Michael Schenker alongside vocalist Doogie White, guitarist/keyboardist Wayne Findlay, bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Herman Rarebell. The effort marked the first time Schenker and fellow ex-SCORPIONS members Buchholz and Rarebell appeared on the same album since the classic 1979 SCORPIONS LP "Lovedrive".
01 min read

Guitarist EMIL WERSTLER Quits CHIMAIRA

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Guitarist Emil Werstler has decided to leave CHIMAIRA after a three-year tenure with the band. Werstler spent the first few months playing bass for CHIMAIRA, but switched back to his original instrument in 2012 following the announcement that guitarists Rob Arnold and Matt DeVries were leaving the group at the end of 2011. Emil, best known for his gypsy jazz-infused guitar playing with LEVI/WERSTLER and DÅÅTH, has issued the following statement about his departure: "My time in CHIMAIRA has, unfortunately, come to an end. It is time for me to move on as I continue to focus on harvesting my abilities as a musician. "I'm very fond of everyone in the band and wish them all the best in the future. "Although this was a difficult choice to make, I feel it was necessary in order to take the next step in my career. The best is still yet to come and I'm very excited for the multiple projects I am working on. "I would like to thank the band, management, and, most importantly, all the fans for the endless support and understanding." Werstler is featured on CHIMAIRA's seventh studio album, "Crown Of Phantoms", which sold around 7,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 52 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on July 30, 2013 via eOne Music.
01 min read

MIKE PORTNOY On Possibility Of Reunion With DREAM THEATER: ‘If I Was A Betting Man, I Wouldn’t Put Money On It’

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In the latest issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) was asked by TESSERACT's Jay Postones what the chances are of Portnoy ever playing with DREAM THEATER again. "If I was a betting man, I wouldn't put money on it," Portnoy replied. "And that's not my doing. I never say never and haven't closed any doors. "I'm a very nostalgic person; I forgive and forget very easily… but I think the guys [in DREAM THEATER] have made it very clear they have no interest in looking backwards. "Those guys were a huge part of my life for a very long time, so I'm open to anything, anytime. "I guess the ball's in their court. We shall see." Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 27 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). In an October 2013 interview with Brazil's "Wikimetal", DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie stated about his current relationship with Mike Portnoy: "I haven't spoken to Mike since he left the band. "Myself, personally, and the way that the band feels is we're moving forward. Mike Mangini is our drummer and he will remain our drummer until the day that we're finished doing this. It's just the way that it is. "The reason that DREAM THEATER is moving on is because we have somebody that completely clicks with the band, he understands the band and he's helping us fulfill our musical aspirations. "Mike [Portnoy], you know, he's moved on, he's working with musicians and doing the things that he wants to do musically, and I think he's happy with that. But as far as DREAM THEATER [is concerned], this is who we are and this is who we will continue to be. Mike Mangini is our drummer, and he will be."
02 min read

PHILIP ANSELMO Says METALLICA’s ‘Load’ Album Should Never Have Been Released: ‘It’s A Terrible Record’

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Former PANTERA and current DOWN frontman Philip Anselmo talked about some of the records that have had an impact on his life for the "Discs Of Doom" article in the latest issue of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine. Asked which album should never have seen the light of day, Anselmo replied: "I would have to say [1996's] 'Load' by METALLICA. I mean, it's a terrible record, man. I just don't get it. If you're gonna put out a record like that, just do a fucking side project or something, ya know?" Anselmo first publicly critized METALLICA's "Load" in 2003, when he slammed the heavy metal giants for touring with supporting acts like LIMP BIZKIT and LINKIN PARK and challenging them to a road duel, head-to-head on any stage, telling an interviewer, "Heavy metal lies in the underground and if they're worried about... Why in the hell would METALLICA be worried about ticket sales? Bring out some fuckin' good bands." He explained: "That was due to a conversation [METALLICA frontman] James Hetfield and I had years ago when I was talking to him about their new album. I think that was when 'Load' was out, and it kind of shocked everybody — everybody was freaked out." Anselmo elaborated in a subsequent interview, claiming that METALLICA never would have shared a stage with PANTERA in the U.S. "because they know what would fuckin' happen. We would fuckin' eat them alive! That's the end of the fuckin' sentence. We would crush 'em." METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich responded to Anselmo's challenge by saying, "Is he that desperate to tour? I love all these challenges. The ol' step it up...," and adding that Anselmo "has a tendency to talk a lot of horseshit most of the time." Anselmo appeared to soften his tone by the time DOWN and METALLICA toured together in 2008, and two years later, Anselmo told Ultimate Guitar that he considered METALLICA to be "THE ROLLING STONES of metal" in terms of career longevity. In a 2013 interview with Revolver magazine, Lars Ulrich was asked what he felt was METALLICA's most underappreciated release. "I think 'Load' and 'Reload' [1997] are great records," he replied. "They are creatively on par with every other record we've made. Obviously, they're bluesier records, and at that time, we were listening to a lot of LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and AC/DC, and we had a different kind of foundation than records before or after. And I understand that there are people who couldn't quite figure out what was going on with the haircuts and the rest of it, and that's fine. But musically, if you strip all that other stuff away, if you just listen to the 27 songs — 'Load' and 'Reload' were intended as one double-record — it's a great collection of songs that is on par with everything else that we've done creatively. But, I mean, who needs another person to sit there and argue about, you know, fucking 'Carpe Diem Baby'? They are different records, but that was the intention. [Laughs] It's not like we sat there and thought we were remaking '…And Justice For All'. [Laughs] We are obviously aware of that. But I think personally there's great songs on both of those records and I'm very proud of those records."
03 min read

FAITH NO MORE IS ‘CONSIDERING DOING SOMETHING NEW’

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Bassist Billy Gould of the reactivated influential alt-metal act FAITH NO MORE has revealed to Classic Rock magazine that the band may begin work on a new studio album at some point in the not-too-distant future, explaining, "to do something creative would be a really good thing to do." FAITH NO MORE recently hinted at the possibility of new music 17 years after the release of the band's last LP, "Album Of The Year", and debuted two new songs, "Superhero" and "Motherfucker" — when they supported BLACK SABBATH at London,'s Hyde Park on July 4. "We're considering doing something new," Gould said. "[But] we're not going to go into a room and bang out a bunch of songs just to put something out; it has to to be right." He continued: "Our relationships among ourselves are really positive at the moment, and to do something creative would be a really good thing to do. We're all at that stage. I mean, we're still the same people and there's still the same shit going on, but I think maybe we're a bit more appreciative of one another than we were fifteen years ago." The group, which made a comeback in June 2009 with a headlining performance at the Brixton Academy in London, England and has played sporadic shows for the past few years, launched a new Twitter account and one of the first posts in May was as follows: "The reunion thing was fun, but now it's time to get a little creative." "I think we still have a lot of potential to do really good things, and I think our heads, musically speaking, are in a really good space," Gould told Classic Rock. "If anything is to come out of this, I'll probably have to be one of the instigators. But everybody has to want to do this or it doesn't happen. "At this point, no one has a carrot or a stick to use on anyone else. If it comes together, it'll all be completely consensual." FAITH NO MORE singer Mike Patton said in a 2012 interview that one of the reasons the band's reunion didn't happen sooner is the fact that they wanted to avoid making it feel like a nostalgia thing — like "Here's FAITH NO MORE again." "We wanted it to feel fresh and still somehow vital," he said. "It wasn't an money grab. It's funny to say, but we all kind of reconnected, and after quite a long time we all kinda looked at each other and were like, 'Man, we actually spent half of our lives together.' It's interesting to see it through that set of glasses as opposed to the ones you wore back then. I suppose, at least personally speaking, I've grown up a lot since then, and I think I approach the music differently, and I felt better about the music than I did then."
03 min read

IRON MAIDEN: Classic ’80s Vinyl Reissues On The Way

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Parlophone Records (BMG/INgrooves Music Group for North America) will follow the 2012/13 IRON MAIDEN vinyl picture disc reissues of the first eight IRON MAIDEN albums, which spanned the 1980s, with brand new pressings of the albums in heavyweight 180-gram black vinyl. In conjunction with these premium album releases, a strictly limited one-off run of the seven-inch singles from each respective album will be made available. These highly collectable black vinyl singles will be cut from the original analogue master tapes. Released in replica artwork packaging, they are sure to become a must-have item for fans, collectors and anyone who missed out first time round. The albums will also be cut from the original analogue master tapes and packaged in identical artwork to the initial 1980s releases. As a bonus, the first batch of album releases ("Iron Maiden", "Killers", "The Number Of The Beast") will also be made available in a Collector's Box sized to house all eight albums. This package will be a strictly limited edition and available while stocks last. The records will be released chronologically across a two-month period starting October 13 (October 14 in North America) with the first three albums ("Iron Maiden", "Killers", "The Number Of The Beast") and the seven corresponding seven-inch singles: * "Running Free" b/w "Burning Ambition" * "Sanctuary" b/w "Drifter" (Live) and "I've Got The Fire" (Live) * "Women In Uniform" b/w "Invasion" * "Twilight Zone"/"Wrathchild" double A side * "Purgatory" b/w "Genghis Khan" * "Run To The Hills" b/w "Total Eclipse" * "The Number Of The Beast" b/w "Remember Tomorrow" (Live) Followed by: October 27 (October 28 in North America): "Piece Of Mind", "Powerslave" and "Live After Death" and the six corresponding seven-inch singles: * "Flight Of Icarus" b/w "I've Got The Fire" * "The Trooper" b/w "Cross-Eyed Mary" * "2 Minutes To Midnight" b/w "Rainbow's Gold" * "Aces High" b/w "King Of Twilight" * "Running Free" (Live) b/w "Sanctuary" (Live) * "Run To The Hills" (Live) b/w "Phantom Of The Opera" (Live) November 24 (November 25 in North America): "Somewhere In Time" and "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" and the six corresponding seven-inch singles: * "Wasted Years" b/w "Reach Out" * "Stranger In A Strange Land" b/w "That Girl" * "Can I Play With Madness" b/w "Black Bart Blues" * "The Evil That Men Do" b/w "Prowler ‘88" * "The Clairvoyant" b/w "The Prisoner" (Live) * "Infinite Dreams" (Live) b/w "Killers" (Live) The release of these high-quality, black vinyl records offers optimum choice to fans who would like to own a piece of MAIDEN's authentic 1980s vinyl sound, or for those simply wanting to rediscover this much loved, iconic format. Coupled with the end of the Maiden England World Tour which began in North America in 2012 and finished last month at Knebworth Park's Sonisphere festival, this now completes MAIDEN's 1980s touring and catalogue reissues cycle, so the band are free to focus on their dynamic future plans.
03 min read

EVANESCENCE Singer AMY LEE: ‘Push The Button’ Song Streaming

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The song "Push The Button" from EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee can be streamed below. The track is taken from her new album, "Amy Lee Featuring Dave Eggar: Aftermath", which was released on August 25 via 110 Records, Inc. The disc is a film-score collaboration with Dave Eggar for the movie "War Story", which premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Lee told MTV earlier the year that the music for "Aftermath" is unlike anything she's done before. She explained, "It's going to surprise my fans. It's not what you'd expect; the film is very dark, very introspective . . . There are moments of playing, and it's musical, but there are a lot of moments where Dave and I just built walls of sounds, out of blaring cellos and trombones and synthesizers and harp, all on top of each other. Sort of creating new sounds. It's not, like, a soundtrack. it's an atmosphere." Lee did write one new song for the film, called "Push The Button", about which she said, "It's very different for me, it's electronic; I did it all myself." She added, "This whole process has been really different, and freeing. Doing my band, it's always been a big deal, a lot of pressure, a lot of hoops to jump through and things to live up to . . . (this) wasn't about production and singles and worldwide success, it's about the integrity of the art piece we're creating." Lee said that she would like to score more films, explaining, "Dave and I were already talking about taking a meeting for another film, and I definitely want to work with him again." "Amy Lee Featuring Dave Eggar: Aftermath" track listing: 01. Push The Button 02. White Out (featuring Dave Eggar) 03. Remember To Breathe (featuring Dave Eggar) 04. Dark Water (featuring Malika Zarra) 05. Between Worlds (featuring Dave Eggar) 06. Drifter (featuring Dave Eggar) 07. Can't Stop What's Coming (featuring Dave Eggar) 08. Voice In My Head (featuring Dave Eggar) 09. Lockdown (featuring Dave Eggar) 10. After (featuring Dave Eggar) Lee has confirmed in a new interview with Rolling Stone that she doesn't have any plans "to do anything with [EVANESCENCE]" for the foreseeable future. Asked about the group's current status, Lee explained, "The situation is we're not doing it now. I don't like to make predictions about the future, because I'm honestly open-minded, and I would never want to say I'm done with any of it, because it's a huge part of me. I've loved my time with Evanescence, I wouldn't want to just throw it away, but, for the foreseeable future, I don't have any plans to do anything with the band." Lee continued, "It's really important to me to take some time to show some different sides of myself . . . there does need to be other outlets for me to make music." Lee, who became a mother for the first time last month, said that she keeps in touch with the members of the band, but added that "the days of living on the road and an album cycle be this giant daunting thing of working in the studio for six months then going on the road for a year or two, they're behind me." The last EVANESCENCE album, a self-titled effort, came out in 2011.
03 min read

AVENGED SEVENFOLD Releases Original Cut Of ‘Unholy Confessions’ Video

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Out now in stores is the special edition reissue of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's second album, "Waking The Fallen". The 2003 disc was the first to feature guitarist Synyster Gates and bassist Johnny Christ as full-fledged members, and its last independent release before signing a major deal with Warner Bros. Records. Although the band originally wanted to reissue the record for its 10th anniversary, guitarist Zacky Vengeance told The Pulse Of Radio why it was held up for a year. "You know, between me and Matt [Shadows], our singer, digging deep within everything that we have, our vaults, and, you know, getting on the phone with my family members, looking through the house, scouring the attics of my parents' house, you know, where I grew up at, to really make this special, it took a little bit of extra time," he said. "And we were rushing to get it out on the anniversary, we would have loved nothing more than to be able to do that, but to us it was more important to have the quality product that our fans deserve." The band has released the original first cut of the video for "Unholy Confessions", which was very different from the official video. The clip is also included in the reissue. "Waking The Fallen" followed up AVENGED SEVENFOLD's 2001 debut, "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet". Although the record sold just 3,000 copies in its initial week of release, it was eventually certified gold for sales of more than half a million copies in 2009. AVENGED SEVENFOLD is touring in support of its 2013 album, "Hail To The King", which debuted at No. 1 one year ago this week on the Billboard album chart.
02 min read

OBITUARY: New Song ‘Visions In My Head’ Available For Streaming

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Florida death metal veterans OBITUARY will release their ninth studio album, "Inked In Blood", on October 28 via the band's new partnership with Relapse Records. OBITUARY's first full-length CD in over five years was recorded by the band this past April at its own RedNeck Studio in Gibsonton, Florida. "Inked In Blood" track listing: 01. Centuries Of Lies 02. Violent By Nature 03. Pain Inside 04. Visions In My Head 05. Back On Top 06. Violence 07. Inked In Blood 08. Deny You 09. Within A Dying Breed 10. Minds Of The World 11. Out Of Blood 12. Paralyzed With Fear The song "Visions In My Head" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. Commented OBITUARY on the new material: "We don't know how to explain it but we really hit the 'metal nail' on the head with this album. "We have been writing and working on the new material for nearly three years now and we could not be more excited how these songs have all turned out. "All the stars seem to have aligned for us and this release, with the songs, production and overall feel of this record, the band is more solid than ever." The album recording was funded by an extremely successful Kickstarter campaign in late 2013. Now the band has partnered with Relapse worldwide to maximize the release and impact of what is surely their heaviest and most cohesive record in 20 years. The group elaborated on the decision to create the Kickstarter campaign and sign with Relapse. "We always knew that our fans were some of the most devoted fans on the planet and they proved it by stepping up, being a part of something new and supporting us with our Kickstarter campaign," says the band. "This was an amazing display of true fan support and we could not be more proud of everyone who helped raise the money to record this album by pre-ordering it, buying all the cool stuff we offered and just being a part of something that we believe will be the way of the future. Now we have teamed up with Relapse Records to have them get this new album out there, in stores and available to the fans worldwide. "We are very excited about our partnership with Relapse and are looking forward to working beside them with the release. They are a great label and super-cool people who have shown us that they are excited to have OBITUARY on their roster and are ready to push this album to its fullest potential." OBITUARY is: John Tardy - Vocals Trevor Peres - Guitar Donald Tardy - Drums Terry Butler - Bass Kenny Andrews - Guitar
03 min read