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ROB ZOMBIE Says U.S. Rock Scene Has Never Recovered From Rise Of Early ’90s Grunge Movement

Manos Spanos
Rob Zombie has told TeamRock Radio that it would be impossible to stage a festival like U.K.'s Download in the U.S. because the American rock scene has never regained its momentum after the rise of the early '90s grunge movement, which symbolized the working-class spirit and focused on music over image. He said (hear audio below): "In the '90s, when the grunge rock thing hit, with NIRVANA and all that, everybody thought it was cool to be anti-rock star. But in a way they sort of anti-rock starred themselves right out the door, because the rap guys came in and they said, 'Fuck it. We'll be the rock stars then, if you guys are going to wear flannel shirts and stare at your feet.' And in the U.S., truthfully, rock music has never recovered from that. A whole generation of kids thought, 'Fuck this! Rock music is boring. Let's go listen to rap music.' And it's never recovered. I mean, over [in the U.K.] it's different. You could never throw a festival like [Download] in the U.S. and get this many people, with just rock music. Never." Asked by On Tour Monthly in a November 2013 interview if it's worth it for him to constantly bring out lavish stage productions, Rob said: "Yes and no. For some bands, it's a hard line to follow. In one sense, you are generating huge sums of money while you're on the road. But here's the thing. Say a tour generates $4 million dollars, but it cost you $3,999,999 to stage it." He added: "I can tell you that I put a lot of thought into my stage shows before taking them out on the road. The general public has absolutely no idea how much money is involved to actually take tours on the road. The more elaborate the production, the higher the cost." Asked if that's his own fault, Rob said: "It is and it isn't. It's really the fault of the whole industry. When kids go to a big rock show, they expect a big rock show. If they go to see Jewel, they expect to see her with an acoustic guitar and a spotlight. If I did that, kids would scream, 'What they hell is this?' "In a sense, you could say I created my own hell, but it's kind of the nature of this business. It's the same thing with a movie star who's known for action movies. You can't make a decent action movie unless you spend at least $150 to 200 million filming it. "People come to expect certain things at my shows, and it those things are expensive to take on the road. If they are not there, the audience is going to be bummed and might not come back. I'm not complaining boo-hoo about the money. It's just the nature of it all. It's expensive to take out a tour with all the production involved. There are crews, buses, hotels and other considerations that go into these shows night after night. Hell, even rock videos started getting insane with the prices directors wanted to charge. It's hard to get them made for cheap anymore .They are extremely overpriced, and it's hard to make them nowadays, even harder to get them played. Unfortunately, you still need them into today's business world."
03 min read

Enemy of Reality: Official Release Date/The Bargaining (song)

Manos Spanos
Enemy of Reality along with their label, F.Y.B. Records, are announcing the official release date of their debut “Rejected Gods”, on Monday, June 30, 2014. The cd will be available in Greece by Trailblazer Records. They also share with the public a new track from the record, called “The Bargaining”, the second off a tetralogy concept based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. It is describing Orpheus’ passing to the underworld and his attempt to persuade Hades to bring Eurydice back to life. It is also the only track that features brutal vocals. Eurydice ‘s tortured soul is expressed by the Greek mezzo-soprano Androniki Skoula (Chastora- SepticFlesh), while Iliana sings in the role of Orpheus and Thanos, Enemy’s bassist and main lyricist, performs the brutal vocals of Hades. Enemy of Reality uploaded a few weeks ago their song titled “Torn Apart”, the final part of the tetralogy where Orpheus returns on his own to the world of the living. Μourning Eurydice’s loss for the second time, he is surrounded by the Maenads which have gone mad, tear him to pieces and throw his head and lyre in the river Evros. Listen to “The Bargaining” here
01 min read

GODSMACK: ‘1000hp’ Single Premiere (Audio)

Manos Spanos
GODSMACK's first all-new single since 2011, "1000hp" (One Thousand Horsepower), arrived at rock radio stations on Monday (June 9) and can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below. Singer Sully Erna told The Pulse Of Radio that his original title for the song took things to the next level. "Actually, the original title I wanted to put on the song was '100,000 Horsepower'," he said. "But unfortunately, rhythmically, it was too many syllables and I couldn't make it fit the way I wanted to creatively, so I trimmed it back to '1000 Horsepower', which is still pretty fuckin' powerful, by the way." "1000hp" is taken from the album of the same name, which comes out on August 5. The band's sixth studio effort will follow up 2010's "The Oracle" and follows a two-year hiatus. The "1000hp" digital single will be made available on June 10.
01 min read

STEVE ‘ZETRO’ SOUZA: ‘A Lot Went Into My Decision’ To Rejoin EXODUS

Manos Spanos
San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS on Sunday (June 8) announced the departure of their singer of the past nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of his predecessor, Steve "Zetro" Souza. Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004, told MetalRecusants.com about his return to the band: "A lot went into my decision. They [EXODUS] have got great management now with Chuck Billy [TESTAMENT], they really got it together. A lot of it was enticing to me and it makes great sense to [my other band] HATRIOT. Those guys [HATRIOT] are nearly as excited as me. They know we might have to sit for a minute but we're still working on songs [for the third HATRIOT album] and stuff." Souza also confirmed that he will pull "double duty" for the foreseeable future, splitting his time between EXODUS and HATRIOT, which also features his sons Nick Souza (drums) and Cody Souza (bass). He said: "[EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter Gary Holt is] in SLAYER. What am I gonna do when he's [on the road with those guys]? They told me not to quit [HATRIOT], and I was, like, I'm not. I'm not gonna shelve everything we [HATRIOT] have worked for. I'm not. I'm like Corey Taylor now [who is splitting his time between SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR]. You know, we're writing the new HATRIOT album right now and it will be out next year guaranteed." Asked about the possibility of a tour featuring SLAYER, EXODUS and HATRIOT, Zetro said: "I don't know about something like that. We need to take this in baby steps. I'm not gonna force anybody to piggyback. I believe the management understands how I feel about that band [SLAYER], my band [HATRIOT] and being in EXODUS. They've seen I've kept to the program with Gary being in SLAYER. You can work double duties, so we'll see what happens. But you know me, I can do it."
02 min read

Former SLAYER Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO Joins AMEN

Manos Spanos
AMEN, the band led by firebrand frontman Casey Chaos, is working on a brand new album for release later this year and is set for its long-awaited return to the U.K. this August. In addition, the band is excited to announce the enlistment of former SLAYER and current PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo to AMEN's ranks. The refreshed lineup — completed by John Fahnestock on bass, Duke Decter and John King on guitars — is already neck deep in work on a new album with longtime producer Ross Robinson (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SEPULTURA). Says Lombardo: "I am very proud to have been asked to be part of this amazing production with Casey Chaos and Ross Robinson. "My career in thrash was created from my love of the punk genre. There is an excitement in this particular style of music that's vital for me. It's aggressive, honest and needed. "I'm looking forward to performing with AMEN before returning to Europe with PHILM in September." Adds Casey Chaos: "It's great to be working again with Dave, this time in AMEN. He brought so much power, aggression and passion to the music on the new record, in a way only he could only deliver. Without question this is THE most important album I’ve ever made. I'm looking forward to unleashing it live and destroying ourselves for your pleasure!"
01 min read

DEEP PURPLE Working On New Music

Manos Spanos
Legendary rockers DEEP PURPLE are writing material for their 20th studio album, tentatively due in 2014. The band's lead singer, Ian Gillan, tells Zeitung: "The whole band is [in Portugal]. We have a studio in the Algarve where we're working on new songs. "In the evening we take a sip of good red wine and enjoy the tranquility. I'm woken up at dawn by a rooster in the neighborhood and I get up when it gets light. When it gets dark in the evening, I go to bed. It's a no frills life; but it's a good life down here." According to Gillan, he has no plans to retire from touring any time soon. "I can't imagine not being on stage," he said. "When I was a teenager, I went to a Cliff Bennett concert and I released I wanted to be where he was. The interaction with the audience, and even more important for me, with the musicians — that's pure magic. "With a DEEP PURPLE concert, you never know exactly what will happen. I don't want to miss those feelings."
01 min read

MASTODON: Official ‘High Road’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will release their sixth album, "Once More 'Round The Sun", on June 24 via Reprise Records. The follow-up to 2011's "The Hunter" was recorded in Nashville with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz, who is known for his work with RUSH, DEFTONES, FOO FIGHTERS and ALICE IN CHAINS. The official video for the song "High Road" can be seen below. "Once More 'Round The Sun" track listing: 01. Tread Lightly 02. The Motherload 03. High Road 04. Once More 'Round The Sun 05. Chimes At Midnight 06. Asleep In The Deep 07. Feast Your Eyes 08. Aunt Lisa 09. Ember City 10. Halloween 11. Diamond In The Witch House (feat. Scott Kelly of NEUROSIS) MASTODON will film a video for the song "High Road" on Saturday, May 24 in the Los Angeles area.
01 min read

ARCH ENEMY: ‘No More Regrets’ Video Premiere

Manos Spanos
"No More Regrets", the new video from Swedish / American / Canadian metallers ARCH ENEMY, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's new album, "War Eternal", which is being released today (June 10) in North America via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created by Costin Chioreanu. ARCH ENEMY played its first show with new singer Alissa White-Gluz, former vocalist of THE AGONIST, on May 23 at Turbohalle in Bucharest, Romania. Angela Gossow, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001), has stepped down as frontwoman and will focus on management, while Alissa takes her place. In a recent interview with Turk Gitar, ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott stated about Angela's exit from ARCH ENEMY: "It was a sudden change for the fans; we know that. But, of course, these kind of big steps in life don't come easily, and I believe this was a gradual thing that kept growing in Angela's mind for some time. "We had decided to take 2013 off from the road and any sort of band activity. The only thing we were doing was writing music and also there always the plan to go into the studio and record at the end of 2013. As the scheduled recording time got closer, Angela informed us last year that she would definitely be stepping down from her position in the band. "To be honest, it was not such a huge surprise to the rest of us, as there were a lot of conversations of that nature leading up to that point. I made the changes in the band that were necessary for ARCH ENEMY to continue and keep the music alive." Regarding Alissa's more versatile vocal approach compared to that of Gossow, Amott said: "Alissa has many different vocal styles that she can do very well… She is much more versatile in that aspect than Angela. But for ARCH ENEMY, we are sticking with the aggressive vocal style that we are known for. "When I started the band in 1995, I had the idea to make the most heavy melodic band of all time, combining elements of extreme death metal heaviness and thrash speed alongside traditional heavy metal and hard rock influences with the harmonies, melodies and solos. We are very much staying true to these roots of the band on 'War Eternal'." Speaking to Metal Underground, Alissa had the following to say about "War Eternal": "The circumstances surrounding the creation of this album, writing the lyrics and recording it, I'm just happy to have it finally come out. I think people are going to like it. The production quality is amazing! I always wanted an album that would sound this full. I'm a really big fan of this album, myself. Even if I weren't in the band and ARCH ENEMY put out this album, I would pick it up and say it's great. I'm really excited." On the topic of the new album title, Alissa said: "This album ended up being a lot more personal than maybe some of my previous or Michael's previous lyrics. In the past, a topic like war or a political or global issue was what we normally wrote about. We were writing in two different bands, but we happen to have similar topics in our writing. Then when we were writing for this album, we had a collection of lyrics for this album, but we found that we were actually writing on similar things. Fighting the ongoing war in your day-to-day life, everybody has their battle going on that nobody else knows about. And then there are song titles like 'Never Forgive, Never Forget' and on and on, I think it ties in very nicely. It wasn't something we planned out, but that is the way it turned out, so it worked out really nicely. I think we really saw eye to eye and were experiencing similar things in our lives, so we ended up writing about the same topics even though we have different styles of writing lyrics."
04 min read

SANCTUARY Completes Work On ‘The Year The Sun Died’

Manos Spanos
Reunited '80s cult metal outfit SANCTUARY has completed work on its comeback album, "The Year The Sun Died", for a September 30 release (one day earlier internationally) via Century Media. Recorded in Seattle at Soundhouse Studios with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SOULFLY, SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, MUNICIPAL WASTE), the CD will feature 11 tracks and a bonus track, a cover of THE DOORS classic "Waiting For The Sun". Comments SANCTUARY singer Warrel Dane: "Now that hell has officially frozen over and the pigs have flown, I can proudly say 'The Year The Sun Died' is finished. The record that nobody thought would ever get here has come in kicking... and yes, there is screaming! "Working with Zeuss (a.k.a The Commander) was great. He really pushed us all to be better. "This is a very modern-sounding record with roots still firmly planted in old-school six-string metal and I gotta give him creds for that." In 2010, four of the founding SANCTUARY members — Warrel Dane, Jim Sheppard, Lenny Rutledge and Dave Budbill — came together for a few select reunion performances. At first, it was just going to be a handful of shows, but the response and chemistry on stage was so overwhelming that the guys changed their minds. Now, some 20 years after they left off, SANCTUARY has continued with its unique mix of U.S. power metal, hard rock and progressive elements. To complete the lineup, Brad Hull (FORCED ENTRY) is filling in for former guitar player Sean Blosi. SANCTUARY released the classic albums "Refuge Denied" and "Into The Mirror Black" during its short existence between 1985 and 1992. Following the band's split, Dane and Sheppard formed NEVERMORE. In a 2012 interview with GetYourRockOut, Dane stated about SANCTUARY's new material: "We've got so much stuff written that it's hard to sort through, but we played two new songs [at the 2012 edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival]. We played the one ballad, it's called 'I Am Low', and we played another one called 'The World Is Wired'. Some of the other stuff is a little heavier, but those songs, I think, are… Sometimes the stuff that isn't as heavy is stronger, so that's why we picked those." He added, "I don't think anybody is gonna be disappointed, because I am involved in the creative process and I know what's going on and I know where we're going and I know it's gonna be killer." Regarding how SANCTUARY's reformation came about, Dane told Rock My Monkey TV, "[SANCTUARY guitarist Lenny Rutledge and I] always talked to each other, but never really been friends again. And when the whole thing came about, that we were actually friends again, that's when we started talking more about doing it. And it definitely wasn't because NEVERMORE was imploding... which it was, at that point . . . We all just started talking with each other again. That was kind of the groundwork for it. And then we started saying, 'Well, gosh, let's make music again.' And my god! Lenny is writing some stuff that is so friggin great! Obviously, he's been bottling this up for years, because he really hasn't been doing anything... Well, he's had bands here and there. But he's really writing some great stuff that's really inspiring me, and making me fall in love with music again, with the creative process... everything that revolves around that. Really inspiring me to write really evil lyrics." On the topic of the sound of SANCTUARY's upcoming studio album, Dane said, "This record is not going to sound like the other two. It might sound very similar to the second one ('Into The Mirror Black'). It's definitely not going to sound like the first one, because we're all a little bit older and I can't come up with a c-clamp for a scrotum and a helium tank . . . It's not going to sound like the old ones... It's still gonna be that good, I think, and there's gonna be high-pitched screaming. I'm making sure of that. With NEVERMORE, high-pitched screaming was never really called for. You know, with SANCTUARY... of course it is." SANCTUARY's current lineup: Warrel Dane - Vocals Lenny Rutledge - Guitar Brad Hull - Guitars Jim Sheppard - Bass Dave Budbill - Drums Photo credit: Patrick Häberli "The World Is Wired" (new song) 2012 performance:
02 min read