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SOUNDGARDEN: First Details Of Upcoming Official Documentary Revealed

Manos Spanos
Canadian indie director Reg Harkema ("Monkey Warfare") has confirmed to Bad Feeling Magazine that he is working with the Banger Films duo Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn on an upcoming documentary on reunited grunge legends SOUNDGARDEN. Harkema previously collaborated with McFadyen and Dunn on the feature "Super Duper Alice Cooper", which follows the outrageous theatrical rocker chronologically from his childhood as a minister's son to pop culture icon, as well as on the TV doc series "Metal Evolution". "To me, Alice Cooper was a voyage of discovery, from someone who could kind of journey into the past and see what it was like," Harkema told Bad Feeling Magazine. "SOUNDGARDEN is much closer to my own sort of experience of being a music fan and kind of reconciling these punk rock ideals. For them, it was much more exaggerated, having these punk rock ideals and then dealing with becoming 'metal rock stars.' I get that kind of internal struggle, much more than I do wrestling with freebase cocaine addiction." According to Harkema, filming for the SOUNDGARDEN documentary is likely to begin this summer during the band's co-headlining tour with NINE INCH NAILS. "It's a little bit difficult because they're touring, but [SOUNDGARDEN drummer] Matt Cameron is not touring with them this summer because he's got PEARL JAM commitments," Harkema said. "There's some key shows that Matt Cameron is going to be playing, so we're going to be trying to send cameras out for that. But I think when they're coming through Toronto, we've definitely got it scheduled in to get some interviews in with them." Harkema revealed to Bad Feeling Magazine that the SOUNDGARDEN film cover the band's entire career, from their early days in the Seattle club scene through their breakup in the late '90s and their reunion in 2010 which led to the release of a comeback album, 2012's "King Animal". "We're going to concentrate on [the '90s] era mostly," Harkema said. "It'll probably be like 70-75% mid-'80s to the breakup, and then catch up on the reunion and the present day. We'd like to shoot some big special concert, and maybe use that as a structural spine. We're going to shoot all the interviews so they're more on-camera, so you can kind of get the emotion in the faces. There's a lot of stuff that they went through, and a lot of stuff that they [shrug off], that I think we can dig deep underneath, and get back to how they felt emotionally at the time." In a recent interview with Metal Insider, Dunn stated about the upcoming SOUNDGARDEN documentary: "We're going to look at that band's career, how they were the first band in the Seattle scene, how they rose to become the biggest band in the world in the mid-'90s, and much to everyone's surprise they called it quits. And here we are, 20 years later, and they're back at it, so we're excited to tell that story."
03 min read

MISFITS’ JERRY ONLY Says GLENN DANZIG’s Lawsuit Is ‘A Sour-Grapes Tantrum Based On Outrageous Allegations’

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MISFITS founding member Jerry Only has fired back at original MISFITS frontman Glenn Danzig, calling the singer's recent lawsuit against the band "nothing more than a calculated attempt to unfairly and improperly enrich himself from revenue streams to which he is not entitled." Glenn filed a lawsuit last month in which he claimed Jerry registered trademarks for everything MISFITS-related in 2000 behind Danzig's back, misappropriating exclusive ownership over the marks for himself, including the band's iconic "Fiend Skull" logo. By doing so, Danzig claims Jerry violated a 1994 contract, in which Danzig, Jerry and others agreed to share ownership of the MISFITS trademarks for merchandising purposes. After registering the trademarks, Danzig alleges Jerry then secretly entered into deals with various merchandisers and cut Danzig out of any potential profits in the process. Only has released the following statement to AltPress.com regarding Danzig's lawsuit: "In 1995, MISFITS founding member Jerry Only secured the exclusive legal right to tour and record as the MISFITS, and, in accordance with those legal rights, launched a licensing program through Cyclopian Music. At the same time, Glenn Anzalone — professionally known as Glenn Danzig (former co-founder and MISFITS vocalist circa 1977 to 1983) — made clear that he wanted no public association with the MISFITS or Cyclopian Music's business endeavors. "Despite full knowledge of Cyclopian Music's use of the MISFITS' name and logos for decades, Glenn Danzig curiously filed a lawsuit on April 3rd, 2014 seeking a portion of the proceeds from Cyclopian Music's activities with which he has had no involvement whatsoever. Danzig's lawsuit can only be described as a sour-grapes tantrum based on outrageous allegations, the majority of which are completely false, while others are ill-conceived and grossly misguided — and will be proven false in court. Reports of Glenn Danzig's lawsuit and the falsehoods within it, however, have resulted in the dissemination of misinformation regarding the nature of Glenn Danzig's baseless claims and Cyclopian Music's rights. "For example, Jerry Only and Cyclopian are under no obligation, legal, contractual or otherwise, to obtain consent, or approvals of any kind, from former member Glenn Danzig in connection with their use of the MISFITS name or logos. Apparently Danzig's own product line doesn't sell as well as he might like, but the fact of the matter remains that Jerry Only and Cyclopian Music's MISFITS licenses, business activity and merchandising endeavors are 100% lawful and consistent with their legal rights. "To be clear, Glenn Danzig has no legal right to, and no interest in, Cyclopian's MISFITS licenses or business ventures period. Danzig's lawsuit is nothing more than a calculated attempt to unfairly and improperly enrich himself from revenue streams to which he is not entitled." The original MISFITS band broke up in 1983, and bassist Jerry Only brought forth a new version of the MISFITS in 1995. Various members have come and gone, but Only, along with BLACK FLAG's Dez Cadena, has kept some form of the MISFITS in the recording studio and on the road for most of the last two decades. After the original MISFITS disbanded, Glenn Danzig went on to form SAMHAIN and then the eponymous DANZIG. Several albums of reissued and previously unreleased material were issued after the group's dissolution, and their music became influential to punk rock, h
04 min read

GRAVE DIGGER: Audio Snippet Of New Song ‘Season Of The Witch’

Manos Spanos
German power metallers GRAVE DIGGER will release their 1th studio album, "Return Of The Reaper", via Napalm Records on the following dates: July 11: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Benelux July 16: Spain, Sweden, Norway July 14: Rest of Europe July 15: USA, Canada The "Return Of The Reaper" cover artwork (see below) was created by Gyula Havancsák of Hjules Illustration And Design, who has been responsible for all GRAVE DIGGER artwork since 2004's "The Last Supper". The CD was recorded at Principal Studios (KREATOR, IN EXTREMO, GRAVE DIGGER) in Senden, Germany. GRAVE DIGGER vocalist Chris Boltendahl recently revealed that "Return Of The Reaper" will be stylistically reminiscent of GRAVE DIGGER's classic albums "Heavy Metal Breakdown" (1984), "Witch Hunter" (1985) and "The Reaper" (1993). "Return Of The Reaper" track listing: 01. Return Of The Reaper 02. Hell Funeral 03. War God 04. Tattooed Rider 05. Resurrection Day 06. Season Of The Witch 07. Road Rage Killer 08. Dia De Los Muertos 09. Satan's Host 10. Grave Desecrator 11. Death Smiles At All Of Us 12. Nothing To Believe A snippet of the song "Season Of The Witch" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. GRAVE DIGGER's last album, "Clash Of The Gods", was released on August 31 , 2012 in Europe and September 4, 2012 in North America via Napalm Records. A six-song mini-CD, "Home At Last", preceded the full-length effort on July 27, 2012 in Europe and August 7, 2012 in North America. "The Clans Are Still Marching", the latest DVD from GRAVE DIGGER, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 56 (German chart rules allow music DVDs to enter album charts). gravediggerreturnofthereapercd Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/grave-digger-audio-snippet-of-new-song-season-of-the-witch/#Vy5EAWUp73GpfyDl.99
02 min read

OPETH’s ‘Pale Communion’ Pushed Back To August

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"Pale Communion", the highly anticipated eleventh studio album from Swedish progressive metallers OPETH, has had its release date pushed back to August 26 (via Roadrunner Records) from the previously announced June 17. "Many of you have heard the rumours already and we can now confirm that the release of 'Pale Communion' has indeed been pushed back to late August," commented OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt. "Several circumstances prevented the band from delivering essential tools to Roadrunner in time which are needed to set up the album release properly and release schedule conflicts made us mutually decide on August instead of June." "Pale Communion", which was produced by Åkerfeldt and mixed by longtime collaborator and PORCUPINE TREE frontman/guitarist Steven Wilson, will be heralded by the lead single "Cusp Of Eternity" and available for pre-order starting Tuesday, June 3. Pre-orders for "Pale Communion" made via the iTunes Store will receive an instant download of "Cusp Of Eternity" as well as a second album track, to be released on July 15, with multiple configurations also available via both the Roadrunner Records webstore and O Merch. "Pale Communion" track listing: 01. Eternal Rains Will Come 02. Cusp Of Eternity 03. Moon Above, Sun Below 04. Elysian Woes 05. Goblin 06. River 07. Voice Of Treason 08. Faith In Others In a recent interview with Noisey, Åkerfeldt stated about "Pale Communion": "Normally when I start writing for a record, I'm a bit nervous. You don't know whether or not you're going to be able to come up with something that you like or come up with something at all, to be honest. I was inspired because pretty early on, I wrote a song on the new album — the last song on there, which I ended up being really happy with. So I had some type of guidelines which was more melody, I think." He continued: "[2011's] 'Heritage' was somewhat deliberately fucked up all over the place because I love fucked-up-all-over-the-place-type music, but I wanted to do something more melodic with this album, so there's stronger vocal melodies and more melodies overall for this album. I was pretty consistent with that frame of mind throughout the writing process, so at least I had a plan with this album, and I normally don't, to be honest." Mikael added in a separate interview with Metal Assault: "['Pale Communion' is] the next album, so I guess it's closer to ['Heritage'] than, say, the first album. But I'd like to think there's an upgraded sound, and by that I don't mean a modern sound. We were looking at some of the late '70s and early '80s production, and that's what we were going for sound-wise and it's one of the reasons why we ended up recording at Rockfield Studios in Wales, which is a legendary studio where many of our favorite bands recorded. So, musically, I guess you could say it's similar to 'Heritage', but I'd like to think it's more hard rock and metal sounding. We also have something new that we didn't have before in certain songs. I don't really know what it is, which I like. I like to either recognize our sound or to hear something completely new, and I think we have both on the new album." Asked if he thinks if it would be fair to say that people who liked "Heritage" will like this new album as much as, or even more than, the last OPETH CD, Mikael said: "Yeah, I hope so. I hope everybody will like it, of course. I think it's probably a bit easier to get into because it's a bit more melodic. There's definitely more attention to melodies and I wouldn't say it's an easy-listening album at all, but there's more melody than ever before, not just 'Heritage'. I'm hoping that people who liked 'Heritage' will like this o
04 min read

CYNIC/Ex-DEATH Members PAUL MASVIDAL, SEAN REINERT Publicly Discuss Their Sexuality For First Time

Manos Spanos
Former DEATH and current CYNIC members Paul Masvidal (guitar, vocals) and Sean Reinert (drums), who are both gay, have spoken out for the first time about their sexuality in the context of their music. Masvidal, 43, who had come out to friends and family in 1991, and later began exploring drag bars and gay nightclubs while on tour, told the Los Angeles Times, "It's one thing to make out with your bandmates and just 'play gay' because it's edgy. It's another thing to actually live it." Reinert, 42, who took a bit longer to come out, said: "I knew that, secretly, I wanted to go to those clubs too. But back then, my stereotype of how to be gay was wearing dresses and tank tops. I didn't have any masculine, metal role models who were gay." He added: "I went on a date with this one awful guy who blogged about it on his web site. So for years, if you typed my name into Google, the second thing that came up, after 'Sean Reinert Drummer,' was 'Sean Reinert Gay.'" Masvidal and Reinert admitted to the Los Angeles Times that they were nervous about coming out publicly. "There's definitely going to be a reaction, but it's important that we be truthful," Masvidal said. "Gay people are everywhere, doing every job, playing every kind of music and we always have been," Reinert added. "It's taken me years to finally be brave enough to say, 'If you have a problem with that, then throw out our records. That's your problem, not mine.'" JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, who revealed he was homosexual during a 1998 appearance on MTV, stated at the time about his decision to publicly discuss his sexuality: "I think that most people know that I've been a gay man all of my life, and that it's only been in recent times that it's an issue that I feel comfortable to address, and an issue that has been with me ever since recognizing my own sexuality. It's something that I've been comfortable with forever, something that I feel has a moment, and this is the moment to discuss it and to go into the reasons, and the whys and the wherefores as to the statement, the so-called coming out phase." He continued: "A lot of homophobia still exists in the music world, in all kinds of music. I wouldn't say it's any more phobic in metal or rap or whatever this music is that I'm doing now, but that's just something that I think we all have to address in our own lives. If we have a problem with it, I think we should seek help and find out why we do have a problem with it." In openly discussing his sexuality, Halford said that he hoped he would be helping others to do the same. "I think it's difficult for everybody, you know, in making the decision to come forward and be who you are, based on peer pressure, especially if you're a teenager," Halford said. "That's where a lot of the anxiety begins, and so maybe people like myself and others that do step in front of a camera and let the world know, maybe it's of some help, where there's an individual that's been successful, that's been able to achieve dreams and visions and goals in life and not let the issue of sexuality be something to hold them back, so I think it's an important thing." CYNIC — consisting of Masvidal, Reinert and bassist Sean Malone — released its new album, "Kindly Bent To Free Us", on February 14 via Season Of Mist. Masvidal and Reinert are continuing to tour with DEATH TO ALL , which features former members of DEATH celebrating the life and music of Chuck Schuldiner. The band's current touring lineup includes the three surviving members of DEATH's "Human" lineup (Masvidal, Reinert and bassist Steve DiGiorgio), along with with special guest vocalist/guitarist Max Phelps of CYNIC/EXIST, performing material from DEATH's first four albums. Photo credit: ThoriumPhoto.com
04 min read

LINKIN PARK: Lyric Video For New Song ‘Until It’s Gone’

Manos Spanos
The official lyric video for the song "Until It's Gone" from LINKIN PARK can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "The Hunting Party", which is scheduled for release on June 17. Aside from their 2004 EP "Collision Course", on which they collaborated with rapper Jay-Z, LINKIN PARK has never worked on studio recordings with other artists. According to The Pulse Of Radio, that's about to change on "The Hunting Party", which features guest appearances from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Tom Morello, HELMET's Page Hamilton and SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Daron Malakian in addition to rapper Rakim's guest spot on the single "Guilty All The Same". Vocalist Chester Bennington told New Zealand's 3 News, "We've collaborated with people for the first time, which was inspiring . . . When we got Page in, Mike [Shinoda, co-vocalist and producer] had written this chorus and sang it, and his voice had this tone, and it was unlike anything I'd heard from him before. And I was like, 'Dude, this is crazy, this sounds like a HELMET song! It's cool!' And we were like, 'Dude, why don't we see if we can get like Page in here?' You know? And if that's why the song says it's feeling like it should be, then why don't we just go straight to the source." "The Hunting Party" track listing: 01. Keys To The Kingdom 02. All For Nothing (feat. Page Hamilton) 03. Guilty All The Same (feat. Rakim) 04. The Summoning 05. War 06. Wastelands 07. Until It's Gone 08. Rebellion (feat. Daron Malakian) 09. Mark The Graves 10. Drawbar (feat. Tom Morello) 11. Final Masquerade 12. A Line In The Sand Shinoda told The Pulse Of Radio that the band will work hard to make sure the songs translate to the live show. "We try to approach how we perform our songs with integrity, and the stuff we write in the studio can be really layered," he said. "There can be a lot of stuff in there — lots of tracks of cool sounds and samples and keyboards and multiple guitars and all this. And sometimes it's a big challenge to bring that to the stage, but we end up just finding a way to make it all work." LINKIN PARK will hit the road in support of "The Hunting Party" on this summer's "Carnivores Tour" with 30 SECONDS TO MARS and AFI. The trek kicks off on August 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida. linkinparkthehuntingpartycd
03 min read

FIREWIND/OZZY OSBOURNE Guitarist GUS G.: Me And My Guitar (Video)

Manos Spanos
In the four-and-a-half-minute clip below, guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in the metal and rock universe for his work as leader of his own group FIREWIND and also as member of Ozzy Osbourne's band, gives U.K.'s Total Guitar magazine the lowdown on his ESP Eclipse EC Rock Art guitar. Download Total Guitar issue 254 for the accompanying feature — available in the U.K. and, digitally, worldwide via Newsstand for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch and Zinio — from May 12. Gus G.'s debut solo album, "I Am The Fire", entered the official chart in Greece at position No. 27. The CD sold around 700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The cover artwork was designed by Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT, DREAM EVIL). Gus handles all guitar, bass and keyboards on "I Am The Fire", and is joined by a roster of friends and guests that help bring his vision to fruition: drummers Jeff Friedl (A PERFECT CIRCLE, PUSCIFER, DEVO) and Daniel Erlandsson (ARCH ENEMY), bassists David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and Marty O'Brien (TOMMY LEE, WE ARE THE FALLEN, LITA FORD), and vocalists Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION), Blake Allison (DEVOUR THE DAY), Michael Starr (STEEL PANTHER), Alexia Rodriguez (EYES SET TO KILL), Tom S. Englund (EVERGREY), Jacob Bunton (ADLER) and Jeff Scott Soto (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, TALISMAN, ex-JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). "I Am The Fire" was mixed by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STONE SOUR, STEEL PANTHER) and was recorded between Los Angeles and Gus' home country of Greece through the latter half of 2013. A few of the album's tracks include "Eyes Wide Open", "Redemption", "End Of The Line" and "Blame It On Me". The album showcases a well-balanced mix of active rock, classic hard rock, traditional metal and guitar-driven instrumentals, taking listeners on a diverse journey and opening doors to Gus G.'s soulful playing. Gus G. has had an amazing rise within the worldwide rock and metal scenes and has amassed an impressive body of work, both in studio and touring. He emerged as an up-and-coming talent with the groups DREAM EVIL (Sweden), MYSTIC PROPHECY (Germany) and NIGHTRAGE (Greece), but it is his work with his own band FIREWIND (who have released seven studio albums and two live releases) and as a member of Ozzy Osbourne's band that have helped him emerge as one of the world's top metal and rock guitarists. His work on Ozzy's "Scream" album led to a Grammy nomination in 2010, and his list of accolades includes Guitar Player magazine's "Best Metal Guitarist," the "Dimebag Darrell Shredder" award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards, and Metal Hammer Greece "Best Guitarist" on four separate occasions. Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/firewindozzy-osbourne-guitarist-gus-g-me-and-my-guitar-video/#2SA2ydMffPst0D3k.99
03 min read

OVERKILL To Tour Europe With PRONG, ENFORCER, DARKOLOGY

Manos Spanos
New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL will embark on an extensive European tour in October and November. Support on the trek will come from PRONG, ENFORCER and DARKOLOGY. Commented OVERKILL vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth: "We hit the European shores on October 30 of this year, with our 'White Devil Armory' version of 'Killfest'. With us will be PRONG and ENFORCER. We look forward to banging out the new tunes, as well as some of the old-school classics we have banged our heads to over these past 28 years of touring. Until then, Horns UP!" The dates are as follows: Oct. 30 - Barcelona, Spain - Razz2 Oct. 31 - Madrid, Spain - Shoko Nov. 01 - Lisbon, Portugal - Paradise Garaje Nov. 02 - Bilbao, Spain - Kafe Antzokia Nov. 04 - Milano, Italy - Live Club Nov. 05 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z 7 Nov. 06 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Substage Nov. 07 - Osnabrück, Germany - Rosenhof Nov. 08 - Bremen, Germany - Tivoli Nov. 09 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch Nov. 11 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos Saal Nov. 12 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle Nov. 13 - Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof Nov. 14 - Cologne, Germany - Essigfabrik Nov. 15 - Uden, Netherlands - De Pul OVERKILL will release its new album, "White Devil Armory", in July in North America via eOne Music and in Europe through Nuclear Blast Records. The effort was tracked at Gear Recording and was mixed by Greg Reely, who also worked on 2012's "The Electric Age". "White Devil Armory" track listing: 01. Freedom Rings 02. Where There's Smoke... 03. Pig 04. Amorist 05. Down To The Bone 06. Bitter Pill 07. King Of The Rat Bastards 08. Another Day To Die 09. It's All Yours 10. In The Name The cover artwork for "White Devil Armory" can be seen below. Speaking to Steppin' Out magazine, Ellsworth stated about the band's upcoming album: "The new record has a blend of what we've done over the past half decade. I'm noticing it's a more punchy heavy metal record with more dimension than the last record had. Where is it going to end up on the food chain? I really don't know. But my feeling is it's an eclectic collection of moments from us. 'The Electric Age' came across, to me, as kind of a two-dimensional thrash record. This one is punchy but has a whole different bunch of ways to go and things to hear on it." OVERKILL released a very special limited tour edition of "The Electric Age" in Europe on April 19, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The limited 2CD tour edition included the regular album as well as a four additional live tracks on a bonus CD, recorded at The Metro in Sidney, Australia on September 25, 2010. "The Electric Age" sold 6,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 77 on The Billboard 200 chart. OVERKILLWHITEDEVILARMORYCOVER
03 min read

ROB HALFORD Says New JUDAS PRIEST Album ‘Redeemer Of Souls’ Is ‘Relentless’

Manos Spanos
On Monday, May 5, Eddie Trunk — co-host of the VH1 Classic television program "That Metal Show" — conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST members Glenn Tipton (guitar), Rob Halford (vocals) and Richie Faulkner (guitar) for Eddie's show "Trunk Nation", which airs live Mondays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST on SiriusXM's Hair Nation, XM channel 39 and Sirius channel 39. A few excerpts from the chat follow below (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On the amount of time it took to put together JUDAS PRIEST's new studio album, "Redeemer Of Souls": Halford: "Six years has whizzed by, but in that time, of course, we did not only the 'Nostradamus' tour, but the 'Epitaph' tour as well. Then we got into writing mode and made 'Redeemer Of Souls'. So we ain't been hanging out doing nothing." Tipton: "It's 18 or 19 tracks — I can never remember — so there's a big chunk of work there. But we enjoyed it. It's returning back to the roots of PRIEST. It's classic PRIEST." Halford: "When we finished 'Epitaph', we just got so buzzed from the fans and the reaction wherever we went. Just to put the 'Epitaph' tour together, which was we tried to put a song from every record into the show, and we were living in the life of JUDAS PRIEST, all those decades, in one show, night after night on the world trek, and I think that really did something to us eternally; as musicians, it should do when you tour. So we realized that this next record really had to be really strong, full of energy, because it's relentless, the tracks are relentless. The energy that you feel off 'Redeemer Of Souls' is replicated in that direction time and time and time again." On whether they still feel good about "Nostradamus" six years after the album's release: Tipton: "Yeah. [We're] absolutely proud of the album. Yeah, it was a little bit off the wall, and it wasn't quite a small element of people expected from PRIEST, and maybe they would prefer a more PRIEST classic album. But we've done it now, with 'Redeemer Of Souls', a completely classic PRIEST album, and probably the same element will turn around and say, 'I wish they'd tried something a bit different.' So you can't please all of the people all of the time, or some of the people some of the time, whatever that saying is. But we enjoyed writing ['Nostradamus']… A lot of it was done on keyboards, wasn't it?! We wanted to do a concept album. We've always wanted to do something that was a bit different, and we've never been afraid to experiment and try. You never know how it's gonna turn out, but you've gotta try these things and we're very proud of that album. And the small element, again, that said, 'We want more classic PRIEST,' we listened — you've gotta listen to your fans — and that's what we've done now. And you couldn't have a more classic album than 'Redeemer Of Souls'." Halford: "If you look at bands of longevity, like PRIEST, you see the trail of music that we've left, I don't think we could have probably made as great a record as we have with 'Redeemer Of Souls' if we didn't have 'Nostradamus' as a reference point. It's a stepping stone to the next place. Every record that we've made, we've tried to give it some distinction, some separate identity. 'British Steel' doesn't sound like 'Stained Class', 'Stained Class' doesn't sound like 'Painkiller', 'Painkiller' doesn't sound like 'Defenders Of The Faith'… So I think everything has its place and has its moments, and we've always fed off these different areas that we've gone into with our metal. So thanks to 'Nostradamus', we've got 'Redeemer Of Souls'." On how guitarist Richie Faulkner's addition to JUDAS PRIEST has changed the band's outlook on its future following the departure of founding PRIEST axeman K.K. Downing: Tipton: "Richie came in and energized the band a lot. And when I say that, before anybody reads it wrong, I'm talking about energized me, certainly… I'm getting on a bit now, and we're all from a different generation than Richie comes from, so he came in and really did energize the band. And not only that, his contribution, particularly to the writing, is unbelievable, because he came in and fitted in, slotted in straight away. But that's because he did his homework, and he's always been a PRIEST fan. He listened to PRIEST and he knew what he needed to bring to the table, and he brought exactly the right things to the table, so that we got a new angle at looking at things, but it's still very much JUDAS PRIEST." On whether they changed their minds about not doing any more tours once they got on the road and saw the overwhelmingly positive reactions to JUDAS PRIEST's new lineup: Tipton: "In all honesty, we always said — we never really changed our mind — that 'Epitaph' was the last world tour that we were gonna do, that there was a possibility we would always do more dates. So we stuck to our guns. We weren't trying to trick people by saying it was our last tour. It was our last world tour. It can take a chunk out of your life. Just work takes a big part of your life, and when you go out on tour, it takes a chunk out of your life. So I think we're re-energized now with the new album [done]. I think it makes you think twice: 'How could I give this up?' You know? 'How could I possibly give this up?' And that drives you on. And it's driven us on for 40 years. And we're still alive… barely. But we're still alive." Halford: 'We've said a million times and we'll say it a million times again, it's all down to the fans. The fans constantly motivate us. We've never ignored the fact that without our incredible JUDAS PRIEST fans, we wouldn't have had the life that we've had. So at the end of that 'Epitaph' tour, you go home for the first time in almost two years and you're thinking about all of that great emotion, and it's very difficult to say, 'That's the end of that. That's the end.' So we're refocusing, and we are gonna go out, [but] not as extensively [as before]. We feed on the energy that the fans give us, as we've always said, and they were the inspiration for us to put together 'Redeemer Of Souls'. We were thinking all the time about how the fans would react to this vibe or that vibe. And that's not to say that we were letting somebody else take our musical direction, but it's great to have that understanding, to have a reference point of who put you where you are. When you've been doing it for 40 years, you're thinking a lot more about things that you didn't when you first kicked off. 'Cause at the beginning, you're just very organic and you don't have a big fan base. There's a purity, like we've always said. With a lot of bands, to some extent, some of the best moments happen on the first two or three releases, and then all the other things start to come into play." On Richie's involvement in the writing process for "Redeemer Of Souls": Faulkner: "It was an incredible honor to be a part of it. I mean, since Day One, since the band said, 'You're in. You've got the job,' there's been creative input from all sides. It's not a situation where there's maybe two people that run the whole show and everyone else just turns up and plays — it's not like that at all. There was discussions about the setlist or changing songs or input into the set design or the production… You know what I mean?! So right from the word 'go,' it was very inclusive, like a creative family, and that dynamic has kind of spread throughout my three years in PRIEST into the writing included in there. And we were out on tour during the 'Epitaph' tour. I had a recording rig out on the road with me. So I'd go back in the dressing room, spend a few hours putting down riffs. Rob would poke his head around the door and say, 'Oh, what's that? What's that you're putting down? I've got an idea for that.' Or Glenn would come in the room with his guitar and say, 'Oh, I've got this riff. Can you put this down?' So it started very organically. We were out on the road putting down riffs. And when it came to the time to actually sit down, get together, put the ideas in the pot, if you will, for the 'Redeemer Of Souls' record, we had already started. It was an organic process. And it had been inclusive from the beginning." On why there are five "bonus" tracks that are included on the deluxe version of the album and do not appear on the CD's regular version: Tipton: "They are all great songs. The reason they are not on the album is because the 13 that we chose are very consistent with what we wanted to do, which was release an undisputable heavy metal album. The others, they are not lightweight by any chance, but they've got a different feel, a different texture. So it's not a case of trying to rip the kids off and trying to get more money for an extra album, it's just a case of, these five tracks seem to deserve to go on their own CD, and that's what we did." Halford: "We didn't want to drop the energy. From the opening thunder-and-lightning on 'Dragonaut' right up 'till the end of 'Battle Cry', it's just full-on, it's relentless. It's great." On JUDAS PRIEST's touring plans: Tipton: "It's all a little bit 'play it by ear.' We're looking at starting some dates in the fall — exactly how many and what size, what capacity, we're not sure. But one thing that we have discussed is PRIEST have got such a wealth now of songs behind us, we probably won't go over the top on production like we've done before; the strength will be in the music. That's our feeling at the moment with this next tour." Halford: "We wanna go back to basics, to a certain extent." "Redeemer Of Souls" CD track listing: 01. Dragonaut 02. Redeemer Of Souls 03. Halls Of Valhalla 04. Sword Of Damocles 05. March Of The Damned 06. Down In Flames 07. Hell & Back 08. Cold Blooded 09. Metalizer 10. Crossfire 11. Secrets Of The Dead 12. Battle Cry 13. Beginning Of The End Bonus tracks: 14. Snakebite 15. Tears Of Blood 16. Creatures 17. Bring It On 18. Never Forget "Redeemer Of Souls" release dates: Friday, July 11: Australia Austria Benelux Finland Germany Ireland New Zealand Norway Sweden Switzerland Turkey Monday, July 14: Asia (excluding Japan) Czech Republic Denmark France Greece Hungary Poland Portugal South Africa UK Tuesday, July 15: Canada Italy Latin America Russia Spain USA Wednesday, July 16: Japan The "Redeemer Of Souls" title track can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The song was made available for purchase via iTunes and other digital service providers on April 29. Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral judaspriestredeemerofsouls_638 Read more at http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/rob-halford-says-new-judas-priest-album-redeemer-of-souls-is-relentless/#ApltomIlAvXYDJbo.99
012 min read

SHOULD AC/DC CONTINUE WITHOUT MALCOLM YOUNG?

Manos Spanos
On Wednesday, April 23, the sixth edition of the Revolver Golden Gods awards took place at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California. Prior to the event, Jo Schüftan of Horns Up Rocks! hit the "black carpet" to ask varios metal and hard rock musicians for their opinions on whether AC/DC should continue without Malcolm Young. The following artists and music industry heavyweights appear in the video below: * Wendy Dio (Ronnie's James Dio's wife/manager) * Neil Portnow (President/CEO of The Recording Academy and GRAMMY Foundation President/CEO) * Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR, ex-DOWN) * Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT) * Rex Brown (KILL DEVIL HILL, ex-PANTERA, DOWN) * Sin Quirin (MINISTRY) * Jason Hook (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) * Evan Seinfeld (ATTIKA 7, BIOHAZARD) Wendy Dio: "Absolutely. They are a legend." Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR, ex-DOWN): "No. Not this far in. I know he had a few problems with drinking years ago and his nephew or someone had to fill in for a few tours while he got sober. It's just my opinion but my God, it's AC/DC, what else do they have to prove?" Rex Brown (KILL DEVIL HILL, ex-PANTERA): "No. There's no AC/DC without Malcolm." As previously reported, AC/DC may have enlisted Stevie Young, the nephew of guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young, to take Malcolm's place in the band as they gear up to record their 16th studio album. According to The Pulse Of Radio, an AC/DC fan named Jeff Lorenz posted a photo that he took of the band in Vancouver, where they are recording, saying that Stevie was visible in the picture. Another fan tweeted back, "Ok so there we have it. Welcome #StevieYoung to @AC_DC – all the best guys, do it for Mal!" The photo was later removed. Stevie Young played with AC/DC once before during a 1988 tour, while Malcolm stepped out to deal with his dependency on alcohol. Legend has it that Stevie resembled his uncle closely enough that many fans reportedly didn’t even know Malcolm had left the tour. AC/DC confirmed widespread reports last month that Malcolm was stepping down due to an undisclosed illness, with some outlets reporting that he suffered a stroke. The legendary Australian act stated that it will "continue to make music," and began recording sessions with producer Brendan O'Brien last week. Plans for a 40th anniversary tour remain unclear.
03 min read