Lost your password?

News

SUICIDE SILENCE To Enter Studio Next Week

Manos Spanos
California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE will enter the studio next week to begin recording their new album with producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, WARBRINGER). The group's first CD with new vocalist Eddie Hermida (ex-ALL SHALL PERISH) will be released next summer via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a division of Nuclear Blast Records formed by Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner A&R chief Monte Conner. "This record will be the grittiest, most meaningful piece of work we've ever stood behind,” commented guitarist Mark Heylmun. “We cannot wait for everyone to hear it. "Steve Evetts is someone we've worked closely with for a long while, not only on 'The Black Crown', but also on some instrumental demos just prior to the tragedy last fall. Here we are a year later prepping to record the nastiest, heaviest, most disgusting work we've ever done. Expect the unexpected. This is for Mitch." An audio snippet of the SUICIDE SILENCE song "You Only Live Once" featuring Hermidacan be streamed in the YouTube clip below. SUICIDE SILENCE singer Mitch Lucker died November 1, 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach on Halloween night. According to the Los Angeles Times, Lucker struck a light pole near the intersection of Main and 13th streets and was thrown from his 2013 Harley Davidson. The motorcycle continued sliding south on Main Street and struck a northbound 2007 Nissan Titan pickup. Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD), Robb Flynn (MACHINE HEAD) and Max Cavalera(SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SEPULTURA) were among the "surprise" guests who performed with with the surviving members of SUICIDE SILENCE at a special show on December 21, 2012 at the Fox theater in Pomona, California as a tribute Mitch Lucker. All proceeds from the event went towards the education of Mitch's six-year-old daughter,Kenadee Lucker. The Pomona concert was professionally filmed for a DVD that is expected to surface before the end of the year. SUICIDE SILENCE is: Eddie Hermida - Vocals Chris Garza - Guitar Mark Heylmun - Guitar Alex Lopez - Drums Dan Kenny - Bass
02 min read

MALEVOLENT CREATION Completes Recording New Song ‘Corporate Weaponry’

Manos Spanos
Florida-based death metal veterans MALEVOLENT CREATION have finished mixing a brand new song called "Corporate Weaponry". The track, which is currently being mastered by Eric Koondel, will be made available — along with the previously released new cut "Face Your Fear" — for download on iTunes and other online outlets within a few weeks. A full-length album will follow next year. "Face Your Fear", which can be streamed below, was recorded, produced and mixed at drummer Gus Rios' studio, Riversound Productions, except for the vocals, which were laid down with Jim Nickles at his Shredly Studios. "This is only one song of many Phil [Fasciana, guitar] and I are working on," Gus Rios toldDecibel back in August. "We are still debating how we are going to go about releasing new music. "For a band like ours, with 11 albums and more than 110 songs, it's just not making sense to record 10 new songs. We are thinking (still not 100%) that doing EPs might be the way. That way we can concentrate on writing five really good songs and play them all live as well. "We don't want to be a band that has to rely on its past. We want to write songs that are good enough that people will want to hear them live, as well as the 'classics.' And realistically, we would only do about five songs off of any new album anyway due to the extensive catalog." Regarding how MALEVOLENT CREATION has managed to retain its musical identity after going through so many lineup changes over the course of the last 20 years, Gus Rios told Rádio Evil: "Since 1997, pretty much every single MALEVOLENT CREATION song anybody's ever heard, me and Phil [Fasciana, guitar] actually wrote. I live in Fort Lauderdale, and so doesPhil, and that's the songwriting nucleus of MALEVOLENT. So as long as the two of us are still in the band, it's always gonna sound like MALEVOLENT CREATION, you know what I mean?! That's the consistency of the band — the primary songwriters. And then, of course, Brett[Hoffman, vocals]." MALEVOLENT CREATION's latest album, "Invidious Dominion", was released in August 2010 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records (in Europe through Massacre). The effort was made available in various territories as a regular CD; digipack with bonus material; and vinyl LP. "Invidious Dominion" was recorded at Mana Recording Studios (CANNIBAL CORPSE,VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (MORBID ANGEL, HATE ETERNAL, CANNIBAL CORPSE). The CD's cover art was created by renowned artist Pär Olofsson (THE FACELESS, IMMORTAL, ABYSMAL DAWN).
03 min read

TARJA TURUNEN: ‘500 Letters’ Video Released

Manos Spanos
"500 Letters", the new video from former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen, can be seen below. Shot in Tigre, near Buenos Aires, Argentina by Florian Kaltenbach who also directed the clip for "Victim Of Ritual", the video is a new landmark in Tarja's video collection to date. For the first time in Tarja's history, the singer herself is the main character in the story line. No wonder, since "500 Letters" is, in many ways, Tarja's most private song ever. With its very personal songwriting and delicate topic, it offers a great emotional insight into the artist herself. Touching the sensitive topic of "stalkers," Tarja allows her fans a closer look into her thoughts. "500 Letters" is open to interpretation — being a mix of reality and fiction. The heavy-yet-highly-melodic song gets stuck in your mind after the first listen with its haunting melody and touching, exceptional vocals. Despite its very catchy key note, the bombastic sound still is full of darkness and dramatic structure and takes Tarja's songwriting one step further. "500 Letters" comes off Tarja's latest album, "Colours In The Dark", which came out in Europe on August 23 via earMUSIC. The CD was made available in North America on August 27 through Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records. The cover artwork for "Colours In The Dark" was created by Dirk Rudolph and can be seen below. Despite her light and shiny personality, Tarja's music has always been dressed "in black" — the color of heavy rock, of mystery and elegance. With Tarja's new album, fans will find out what happens when a splice of color is added to the mix. Or — better said — when the full-color spectrum enters the picture it does not cover the black but makes it shine through with many emotions and landscapes. Mixed and mastered by Tim Palmer (PEARL JAM, U2) in Austin, Texas, the songs on "Colours In The Dark" do not shy away from taking a risk and surprising musical turns, introducing new sounds and new musical atmospheres. Still, they maintain a heaviness that will surely bring a big smile to the hardest of rockers. With its grand orchestra and choir arrangements, Tarja's next milestone emphasizes once again the impressive vocal range of the Finnish artist and shows her artistic growth. With ten brand new songs and over one hour of music, "Colours In The Dark" is definitely one of the brightest moments for rock in 2013. In a recent interview with the Music Legends web site, Turunen stated about her new CD: "I have just recently found my style and sound so I would like to establish it with the third studio album. The elements on the album will remain the same as in my previous albums, also the versatile style of songs. I like to keep the big dynamic changes between my songs, so that album songs feel radically different from each other." Tarja and her husband/manager Marcelo Cabuli recently became the parents of their first child.
03 min read

MORBID ANGEL’s ‘Covenant’: Full Dynamic Range Vinyl Preview (Video)

Manos Spanos
"Covenant", the classic album from Floridian death metal legends MORBID ANGEL, is due to be reissued in Europe on limited edition Full Dynamic Range vinyl LP to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the LP's release. Originally issued in 1993, "Covenant" is the band's third album and has been specially remastered from the original tapes in Full Dynamic Range (FDR) audio, allowing the music's nuances to shine through and giving the album a more ferocious, immersive and dynamic sound than ever before. MORBID ANGEL vocalist/bassist David Vincent comments: "'Covenant' was and still remains a very important release in our career. "We are all excited to revisit this album in celebration of its 20th anniversary, both on stage and on wax. "For purists and vinyl aficionados alike, this new full dynamic master pressing is sure to illuminate the analog sonic fury that we captured in 1993." The vinyl will be available in the following quantities and colours: 100 - Green (Earache Webstore exclusive) ** 200 - Clear (Earache Webstore exclusive) ** 200 - Dark Blue with Light Blue Splatter * 300 - Clear with Black Marble * 300 - White with Black Splatter ** 400 - Clear with Red Marble ** 1400 - Black * * includes free sticker ** includes free sticker and slipmat The "Covenant" Full Dynamic Range vinyl is due to be released on November 4 through the Earache European webstore, and will also be available in limited quantities directly from the band on the band's "Covenant" 20th-anniversary U.S. tour. The vinyl will be available for pre-order on Friday, October 18 from the Earache webstore atthis location. The first look at the Full Dynamic Range edition of "Covenant" — which will also be released in Europe on iTunes on November 4 — can be seen below.
02 min read

VEIL OF MAYA Re-Signs With SUMERIAN RECORDS

Manos Spanos
Chicago-based VEIL OF MAYA has re-signed with Sumerian Records, the label which the band has called its home since the group's inception. This comes on the heels of the band releasing the brand new, blistering track, "Subject Zero", which can be streamed in theYouTube clip below. The song will be available on iTunes, Google Play and Amazon MP3 on November 11. Don't miss VEIL OF MAYA on its North American fall tour starting November 8 withSTRUCTURES, NORTHLANE, VILDHJARTA and HERE COMES THE KRAKEN. VEIL OF MAYA states: "We are very happy to re-sign with Sumerian Records. We have built a long-lasting relationship with the people there, and believe that they are stronger than ever. We couldn't see our band going anywhere else after our history, so therefore Sumerian has been and will continue to be the label the band calls home. "As a band, we feel like we have grown tremendously. We are all ready, focused and want to put out the hardest material possible. "The new stuff that has been written is some of the best Veil yet. "We are really excited to see everyone out on our next headlining tour. We feel this tour is a great mix of bands, most of which haven't been to America before, so let's make sure they feel welcomed here. "We are stoked for everyone to hear the new track we just released and see what we have been preparing. "Expect a new VEIL OF MAYA full-length album in 2014 via Sumerian Records." Added Sumerian founder Ash Avildsen: "For years, VEIL OF MAYA has been a flagship heavy band for Sumerian and continues to play a crucial role in our progressive metal movement. I am very grateful and excited to have such a talented, hard-working and sagacious group of dudes in the family for many more years to come." VEIL OF MAYA's third full-length album, "Eclipse", was released in February 2012 viaSumerian Records. Produced by djent hero Misha Mansoor of PERIPHERY, the CD was previously described in a press release as "a stunningly concise yet diverse metal record, packed full of death-metal chops, tech-metal grooves, progressive arrangements and hardcore rip-yer-throat-out attitude."
02 min read

METALLICA’s LARS ULRICH Pays Tribute To LOU REED

Manos Spanos
METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich has paid his respects to Lou Reed, the singer, songwriter and former THE VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman who died on Sunday (October 27) at the age of 71 from complications due to liver disease. Although Reed got a liver transplant last spring, the affliction could not be beaten despite continued treatment and Reed returned to Long Island to spend his final days at home. METALLICA collaborated with Reed in 2011 on the album "Lulu", which was a commercial failure and widely panned by fans and critics. Nevertheless, the disc was the last recorded work released by Reed, and the members ofMETALLICA may have been the last musicians to work with him in the studio. Speaking to Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian, Ulrich said: "[Reed and METALLICA] had communicated about a month ago when we were going to come by New York to play the Apollo, and Lou was going to come to the show and hang out. He didn't make it because his health took a turn for the worse, so I knew things were not good, but I didn't know it was that serious. So I was half shocked and half crushed — shocked that he went so quickly and crushed over the loss. "We were both outsiders, we both never felt comfortable going down the same path that everyone else was doing. METALLICA's always been autonomous, and Lou Reed is the godfather of being an outsider, being autonomous, marching to his own drum, making every project different from the previous one and never feeling like he had a responsibility to anybody other than himself. We shared kinship over that. And we brought him something that he didn't have, or maybe hadn't experienced so much, which in his own words were 'energy' and 'weight' and 'size' and whatever it is that happens when we start playing. He was so into what we brought him. And, of course, he brought us this incredible piece of work that he had already written, 'Lulu', and about her escapades and sexual endeavours. We brought something to each other, and we shared a common lack of ability to fit in with our surroundings. "The hard rock community, they can be pretty harsh, so I'm pretty thick-skinned. And so when the hard rock community turned its back on the record, I wasn't surprised. A lot of people were saying, 'Oh, Lou Reed doesn't sing.' Yeah, no shit. What do you think he's been doing for the last 40 years? Did you expect him to sound like Robert Plant? That's not what he does. In the hard rock community I was not particularly surprised. But I was surprised that some more intellectual writers were pretty harsh to it. "I'll always remember his fragility. I felt in some way that I connected to his fragility, and identified with it. He was very open, he would say, 'Lars, I love you,' and text me a heart. It was so beautiful. The way he was so unfiltered is what I will remember most, and his fragility, and how I've never met anybody who, no matter what he was saying, he was always speaking his truth. It never felt cerebral, it always felt like it came from some other place somewhere. When people talk, it comes from their brain; I don't know where his words came from, but they came from somewhere else. Emotional, physical, everything — it really resonated with me. I wanted to give him strength, and I think METALLICA gave him strength. His being was so beautiful once that guard went away, and it was childlike."
03 min read

TOM ARAYA: Why DAVE LOMBARDO Is No Longer In SLAYER

Manos Spanos
During a brand new interview with Brian Aberback of New Jersey's Steppin' Out magazine,SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya was asked about the band's decision to part ways with drummer Dave Lombardo bring back Paul Bostaph. "That whole issue came down to this: Dave had been jamming with us for a while, as a working member of the band, but he wasn't a partner," Tom began. "Like all things like that, you have to have agreements, so nobody feels cheated. We had ongoing issues and finally he put us in a position where we had to find someone to replace him. He wasn't happy, so he decided to have his Facebook rant and told the world about a lot of issues going on within the band that are legally binding and private. I thought that was wrong and it was upsetting. A lot of the claims he made were untrue. Part of the agreement is you don't do that. Kerry [King, SLAYERguitarist], Jeff [Hanneman, then-SLAYER guitarist] and I got on the phone and made a collective decision and we let Dave go and gave Paul a call. Paul said he'd be happy to come back. He has brought some life back into our live performances. He's in hyper drive and kicking ass, which makes us play faster. People have commented on how energetic we've been lately. We're playing faster than we would have. It's good injection of adrenaline." Lombardo sat out SLAYER's Australian tour in February/March due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX). During an interview with the KZRADIO.NET alternative radio station in Israel conducted on May 1 — just one day before the tragic passing of SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman — Lombardostated about his the circumstances that led to him being absent from SLAYER's current trek: "Basically, I had to renegotiate my contract two and a half years ago and I got an attorney because it was too complicated for me to do it myself. And my attorney was asking questions. And the answers she got from her questions, they weren't correct; they weren't the right answers. So we worked on it for two and a half years. And 2013 came around and SLAYER had to go on tour, and I said, 'Guys, I can't go on tour unless we resolve this, I've been advised.'" He continued: "What I need is clarity — clarity and transparency. "You go and make money for somebody, and if somebody is gonna pay you a percentage, you need to know where all this goes. They say I don't deserve to know, but I think if you're gonna pay somebody a percentage, they deserve to know. Because how are you gonna know what you got paid when you don't know everything else? "It's a little complicated, and there's more to it as well. "They feel that because I left in 1992 and I left for 10 years, they feel I don't deserve [to know all the details of their business]. "I mean, I love the guys — they're like my brothers — and I wish this didn't happen. But now there's like this wall between us." Regarding some fans' criticism that money should not get in the way of the members ofSLAYER making music together, Lombardo said: "What people don't understand is that, being a musician, you have to be a part businessman. There's contracts… If you're a musician and you don't have a contract and you don't follow up on your business, people are gonna take from you and they're gonna steal from you.
04 min read

BLEEDING THROUGH Frontman: ‘Is It Ever Going To Be Enough?’

Manos Spanos
Brandan Schieppati, BLEEDING THROUGH frontman and owner of the training facility calledRise Above Fitness in Huntington Beach, California, has posted the following on his official blog: "Is it ever going to be enough? "Why did I start BLEEDING THROUGH in 1999? I recently started asking myself that question as I start getting ready to leave for our first leg of the U.S. farewell tour. Did I start this band so people can scrutinize the music and our image? Did I start this band so I could see die-hard supporters turn into die hard haters when a new trend came through? Did I start this band so I could create jobs for my friends only to see the actual members of the band struggle to pay our bills? Did I start this band so I could be faced with business decisions and to lose friends? Did I start this band to have competition with other bands and fight for the same scraps off the table? Did I start this band so I lose touch with my family and friends because of the amount of time spent on the road? Did I start this band so I could become bitter at the music industry? Did I start this band so I could sink into depression and battle being Bipolar which led me to hide my emotions from the ones closest to me and often times think about erasing myself? Did I start this band so we could pour all our emotion into our music and be so proud of it so people can go out of their way to tell you they hate it? Did I start this band so we could starve and eat off of other people tables and dumpster dive and spend all of our money to make it to the next show only to have it canceled? "No No No! "Did I start touring to sleep in a Van without heat in the middle of the winter and sleep on bathroom floors and truck stops cause it was warm only to be called a 'rock star' the first timeBLEEDING THROUGH stepped off a tour bus? "The answers are all FUCK NO! "I'll tell you why I started this band. I was a 19-year-old kid that hated his reflection in the mirror and hated himself. I had major emotional issues that I hide from everyone and music was my release and together with my friends we got to create music for each other and expel all of our emotional issues through that music. I was lost and depressed with no way out. It was either write my issues on paper and scream them into a mic or expel my life with a bullet through my head. That is why I started this band! "Now, getting ready to embark on our first leg of the U.S. farewell tour, it seems what we are doing is still not good enough. Even though we are 100% doing this tour for the ones that have supported us throughout the years, we are still getting backlash. "I understand that we may not be playing your city on this tour and we apologize. We are playing the places that we could find promoters to book us a show. Plain and simple. "In response to not playing certain towns on this tour, we have gotten comments like 'you were my favorite band but not I am going to burn your records,' 'thanks for letting your fans down,' and 'you guys are probably just going to the places that you make the most money.' "Seeing comments like this really put things into perspective to me now. "My response to those comments is FUCK YOU! If we aren't worth it to drive a few miles away from your city to see BLEEDING THROUGH one more time, then so be it. We are going to play the cities we are booked in in front of people who give a shit about our music. We are going to play hard and fast like it's our last time on that stage because guess what? It's going to be our last time. "Hope to see you at the shows. If not, I refuse to lose sleep over it. "I'm going to end this with a quote from Paul Rudd's character in the movie 'Forgetting Sara Marshall': 'When life hands you lemons, say fuck the lemons and bail.'"
04 min read

DIMMU BORGIR, MORGOTH Members Guest On CROSSPLANE Debut

Manos Spanos
German rock 'n' roll hopefuls CROSSPLANE have recruited three high-profile guest singers to appear on the band's upcoming full-length debut, "Class Of Hellhound High". Shagrath, vocalist of Norwegian black metal heroes DIMMU BORGIR and guitarist for biker rock gang CHROME DIVISION shows his rock 'n' roll skills in the song "I Will Be King"; Marc Grewe of German death metal legends MORGOTH does a nice duet with CROSSPLANE frontman Celli in"Bring The Fire"; and Sebi from MASSENDEFEKT contributes to "Dirty Woman". MASSENDEFEKT is well known in its home country of Germany for its high-octane punk 'n' roll sung in the band's native language. They have shared stages with TURBONEGRO, BROILERS and THE BOSS HOSS.
01 min read

SEPULTURA: North American Tour Canceled Due To Visa Issues

Manos Spanos
Due to a delay in the visa process, Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA have had to cancel their previously announced North American tour with UNEARTH, KATAKLYSM, DARK SERMON and ANCIIENTS. Attempts to make new arrangements for this time frame were not fruitful and the camp has determined to reschedule the tour for May 2014. All tickets will be refunded. SEPULTURA's new album, "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", was released on October 25 via Nuclear Blast Records. Although it was inspired by Fritz Lang's classic 1927 movie "Metropolis", "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" is not a concept album or a soundtrack like its precedessors "Dante XXI" (based on "The Divine Comedy") and "A-Lex" (based on "A Clockwork Orange"). "The Mediator Between The Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" was tracked over a 40-day period at producer Ross Robinson's (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) studio in Venice, California and was mixed and mastered by co-producer Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.
01 min read