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ROBERT PLANT Is ‘Disappointed And Baffled’ By JIMMY PAGE’s LED ZEPPELIN Reunion Push
Although Robert Plant has long been thought of as the lone holdout in a LED ZEPPELLIN reunion, it seems that an offer was made by him, which Jimmy Page chose to pass on. Plant, who's receiving good notices for his SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS album "Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar", spoke to the Uncut magazine following the announcement of the next two ZEPPELIN reissues on October 28 — "Led Zeppelin IV" and "Houses Of The Holy" — and addressed Page's claims of him being uninterested in teaming up, saying, "I feel for the guy. He knows he's got the headlines if he wants them. But I don't know what he's trying to do. So I feel slightly disappointed and baffled."
Plant revealed that he proposed working again with Page in an acoustic capacity. "A couple of years ago, I said, 'If you've got anything acoustic, let me know. I'll give it a whirl,'" Plant said. "It was hands across the water. He just walked away. But we couldn't do anything proper. The weight of expectation is too great."
Back in May, Page told The New York Times that Plant was blocking the return of LED ZEPPELIN. "I was told last year that Robert Plant said he is doing nothing in 2014, and what do the other two guys think?" he said. "Well, he knows what the other guys think. Everyone would love to play more concerts for the band. He's just playing games, and I'm fed up with it, to be honest with you. I don't sing, so I can't do much about it. It just looks so unlikely, doesn't it?"
In June, during Plant's press conference in Morocco to publicize the SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS' shows, Plant addressed Page's comments, saying, "He needs to go to sleep and have a good rest, and think again. We have a great history together and like all brothers we have these moments where we don't speak on the same page, but that's life."
When The Pulse Of Radio last caught up with Robert Plant, he was asked what the bottom line was regarding him resisting a full-scale LED ZEPPELIN reunion. "It's not that I've been obstructive," he said. "It's just that it meant what it meant when it meant it, and beyond that there was no story, and with John's [Bonham] passing and all that stuff, it was gone. There's no need for it."
APOCALYPTICA Putting Finishing Touches On Eighth Album
Innovative Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA are putting the finishing touches on their eighth full-length studio album, to be released early 2015.
Following the release of "7th Symphony", APOCALYPTICA took a break from the standard album cycle in 2013 to pursue a range of musical projects. While Eicca Toppinen switched to drums in his side band CHERRY AND THE VIPERS, Mikko Sirén played his instrument on the new EMIGRATE album, Richard Kruspe's (RAMMSTEIN) project. Mikko also performed with Cheek, Finland's biggest hip-hop artist, selling out Helsinki's Olympic Stadium twice. Paavo Lötjönen collaborated with Tipe Johnson (LENINGRAD COWBOYS, APOCALYPTICA) and Perttu Kivilaakso earned the feuilleton's acclaim with celebrated chamber music appearances. Additionally, APOCALYPTICA composed new material and performed live in the multimedia event "Wagner Reloaded" by award-winning choreographer Gregor Seyffert.
Earlier this year, APOCALYPTICA's latest project, "Apocalyptic Symphony", embarked on its first-ever tour with a classical ensemble, the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra.
EXODUS: ‘Blood In, Blood Out’ Release Date Confirmed, Cover Artwork Unveiled
San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS will release their new album, "Blood In, Blood Out", on October 14 via Nuclear Blast. The album art was illustrated by Swedish artist Pär Olofsson, known worldwide for his incredible renderings that have graced the covers of countless heavy metal albums, including EXODUS' "Let There Be Blood".
The concept for the art was impressively envisaged by Olofsson based on the album title alone, as guitarist Gary Holt explains: "The concept came from Pär Olofsson. I fed him the title and he immediately came up with the final concept, and it's perfect! One of my favorite covers we've ever done and it fits the title and theme to a T!"
"Blood In, Blood Out" will be EXODUS' first since the departure of the band's lead singer of the past nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of his predecessor, Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.
OPETH: New Song ‘Eternal Rains’ Available For Streaming
"Eternal Rains", a brand new song from Swedish progressive metallers OPETH, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's highly anticipated eleventh studio album, "Pale Communion", which will be released on August 26 via Roadrunner Records. The cover artwork was once again created by Travis Smith — with art direction by OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt — and can be seen below.
"Pale Communion", which was produced by Åkerfeldt and mixed by longtime collaborator and PORCUPINE TREE frontman/guitarist Steven Wilson, was heralded by the lead single "Cusp Of Eternity".
"Pale Communion" track listing:
01. Eternal Rains
02. Cusp Of Eternity
03. Moon Above, Sun Below
04. Elysian Woes
05. Goblin
06. River
07. Voice Of Treason
08. Faith In Others
his one as well, and may be some new fans. You never know."
SLIPKNOT: New Song ‘The Negative One’ Available For Streaming
A brand new SLIPKNOT song titled "The Negative One" is available for streaming on the band's official web site. The track is expected to appear on the group's upcoming album, which is due out sometime this fall via Roadrunner.
**Note**: After listening to "The Negative One" for the first time, you must sign up for an e-mail list before you are able to hear it again.
A music video for "The Negative One" will be released on Tuesday, August 5.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD’s ‘Hail To The King’ Certified Gold In U.S.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Hail To The King", was certified gold on July 16 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies. Released last year, it was the band's second straight CD to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, following 2010's "Nightmare".
The latest effort was recorded after the AVENGED SEVENFOLD bandmembers immersed themselves in the music of two classic LPs: METALLICA's Black Album and GUNS N' ROSES' "Appetite For Destruction".
"The BLACK SABBATH, AC/DC, ZEPPELIN Influence comes through," AVENGED SEVENFOLD lead guitarist Synyster Gates told TimesLeader.com about "Hail To The King". "We wanted to create space rather than just fill up every song with four bridges and three choruses and vocal harmonies everywhere, with guitar duels going on. The goal was to focus on the songwriting and the arrangements."
"Hail To The King" marked AVENGED SEVENFOLD's full-length debut with new drummer Arin llejay, whom Gates described to TimesLeader.com as "one of the most tasteful drummers I've heard in my life… He's got that caveman, barbaric huge groove philosophy that we were trying to go for on this record. He's really got it in his heart and soul. We took the approach of wanting a hungry young kid who could suddenly come out of nowhere and play in front of 50,000 people. He really stepped up."
AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Zacky Vengeance told Billboard.com that the band will take "a real quick trip to Japan" after Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival ends on August 10 and then plans to come off the road in order to start working on a follow-up to "Hail To The King".
"I think once we get home, the ideas are going to start brewing," Vengeance says. "I know Syn's been writing a ton purely for fun, trying different styles, recording backstage, keeping himself busy. I've been thinking of all sorts of ideas, listening to tons of different music to get inspiration — as have all of us. And being on tour, I'm so inspired. Seeing bands like BODY COUNT with Ice-T out there, they're so old-school and riff-based and over the top and slightly offensive and it's fuckin' awesome. So there's tons of inspiration that I know we'll be drawing from."
AVENGED SEVENFOLD and KORN are co-headlining this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicked off its annual run on July 5 in Devore, California.
Other acts on the bill include ASKING ALEXANDRIA, SUICIDE SILENCE, TRIVIUM, MISS MAY I and more.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD will reissue its breakthrough second album, "Waking The Fallen", in a new special edition on August 26. "Waking The Fallen: Resurrected" will include a total of 23 tracks, including 11 never-before-heard songs, new artwork, the original first cut of the music video for "Unholy Confessions" and a 30-minute film featuring the present-day band.
TWISTED SISTER’s DEE SNIDER: Master Of Puppets
TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider is one of the producers behind the off-Broadway show "Puppet Titus Andronicus". Directed by Ryan Rinkel, "Puppet Titus Andronicus" began preview performances this past Thursday, July 24 at Off-Broadway at Theatre Row's Beckett Theatre (410 West 42nd Street) in Manhattan, prior to an official press opening of July 30, and will continue to play through August 17.
It's "Avenue Q" meets the Reduced Shakespeare Company — "Puppet Titus Andronicus" is a fresh, comedic take on Shakespeare's "worst" play, featuring silly-string gore, a bunch of angry goths, a villainous anthropomorphic boar and all of the deaths, dismemberment, cannibalism and crimes against humanity that make "Titus" the "poetic atrocity" that it is.
The cast of "Puppet Titus Andronicus" features Adam Weppler ("Beckett in Benghazi"), Sarah Villegas ("Little Shop of Horrors"), Christopher Gebauer, Alex Offenkrantz, Tom Foran ("A Dream Play"), Drew Torkelson ("Digital Dilemmas"), Shane Snider ("Puppet Romeo and Juliet"), A.J. Cote ("Puppet Hamlet"), Mindy Leanse ("The Ruin"), Ryan Rinkel, Ross Hamman ("Pick Your Poison: All's Fair In Love And War") and Abby Judd ("Azalea Path").
Set design for "Puppet Titus Andronicus" is by Holly Trotta and Kevin O'Callaghan (inductee into the Art Directors Hall Of Fame); lighting design by Leslie Smith; sound design by John Hull; costume design by Suzette Snider; and puppet design by A.J. Cote.
The Puppet Shakespeare Players combine Muppet-style puppetry with improvisational comedy and first folio techniques to create a theater going experience that is truly unique. Past shows include "Puppet Hamlet" and "Puppet Romeo And Juliet".
"Puppet Titus Andronicus" will be performed through August 17, with a performance schedule of Tuesdays at 7 p.m., Wednesdays through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. (Please note: the opening night performance of "Puppet Titus Andronicus" on Wednesday, July 30 will have a curtain time of 6:30 p.m.). Tickets for $49 and can be purchased calling 212-239-6200 or online at TeleCharge.com.
Snider appeared on WPIX-TV this past week to discuss his involvement with "Puppet Titus Andronicus". You can now watch the segment below.
For more information about "Puppet Titus Andronicus", visit www.PuppetShakespeare.org.
OBITUARY: New Album Title Revealed
Florida death metal veterans OBITUARY have set "Inked In Blood" as the title of their ninth studio album, tentatively due at the end of October via the band's new partnership with Relapse Records. OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy revealed the CD title during an interview with the Italian blog Metal Skunk before the group's July 17 concert in Rome.
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.
Fan-filmed video footage of OBITUARY performing the "Inked In Blood" title track on June 13 at the Copenhell festival in Copenhagen, Denmark can be seen 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
MIKE PORTNOY Admonishes Fan For Showing Up To Signing Wearing MANGINI-Era DREAM THEATER Shirt
**UPDATE**: Mike Portnoy posted the following message on his Facebook page earlier tonight:
"Once again everyone's got their panties in a bundle and have taken a post of mine and turned it into sensationalized 'news'....ugh!
"Look...it's as simple as this: do what you want, say what you want, listen to what you want, wear whatever shirt you want...It's a free world!! All I'm saying is remember there are human beings on the other side of your words and actions!
"I'm into peace, love and understanding... Live and let live...
"Sometimes we all get emotional, I am totally guilty of that, no question!! I am a passionate person... But I have no ill intent towards anybody and have no anger or resentments, so please don't attack me as if I do...
"Can't we all get along??? Haha...
"Lighten up, live and love! : )"
The original article follows below.
Mike Portnoy has admonished a fan for showing up to the ex-DREAM THEATER drummer's in-store signing earlier today (Saturday, July 26) wearing a t-shirt representing the post-Portnoy era of the band.
Mike and his THE WINERY DOGS bandmate Billy Sheehan took part in a meet-and-greet with fans at The Guitar Factory in West Seneca, New York prior to the group's performance tonight at The Traif in Buffalo. After the session, Portnoy took to his Facebook and Twitter accounts to express his disapproval, writing: "Somebody came to my signing today wearing a 'Dramatic Turn Of Events' shirt....REALLY??? Couldn't find a DT shirt from 1985-2010? Please try to use some sensibility/sensitivity when choosing a shirt for an MP event." He added in a separate status update and tweet (both of which have since been deleted): "Sad I can't post anything on my own FB & Twitter without getting everyone jumping down my throat. Seems everyone's allowed an opinion but me."
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).
DREAM THEATER's current lineup has recorded and released two studio albums without Portnoy: 2011's "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" and 2013's "Dream Theater".
Asked in a September 2013 interview with "The Classic Metal Show" why he bothers still answering DREAM THEATER-related questions in interviews when he seems to get criticized no matter what he says, Portnoy replied: "Because when I get asked it, and then I say, 'I don't wanna talk about it,' then that's what goes in print and that becomes the headline and then I'm still a bad guy; there's no winning."
He continued: "My problem is that I care too much and I'm too honest; to be honest, that's the problem. I wish I could say I have thick skin and I don't give a shit what people say, but the reality is I do care what people say, and I've always been that way. I read the Internet, and I care what the fans have to say, and when they tear me apart, I wish I could say it doesn't bother me, but the reality is I'm human. I guess that's the bad that comes with the good. The good is that I do care and I read the Internet and I try to be a very fan-oriented artist. But the bad that comes with that is that I'm also subject to all the ridicule and the criticism and things like that.
"So, what can I say?! It is what it is, and I try my best to ignore it and try to… The reality is that for every one person that tears me apart and hates me, I see 99 other people that are supportive and get it and are behind me. And I guess that's what I really need to focus on and appreciate."
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