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METALLICA: Yes, We Are ‘Beliebers’

Manos Spanos
The members of METALLICA were asked in the latest issue of Q magazine if they were "Beliebers" — a.k.a. fans of pop singer Justin Bieber — after Bieber recently claimed that theMETALLICA songs "One" and "Fade To Black" were his "jams." Frontman James Hetfieldreplied, "Are we Beliebers? Yes." while drummer Lars Ulrich offered: "Is it possible to have respect for him without being a Belieber? I think the kid's really talented and obviously to go through what he's going through at that early age must be a mindfuck. So the fact that he still goes out there and does it, I admire that and I think he's super talented, so I guess I am kind of a Belieber. If he likes 'One', and Liam Gallagher likes him, OK, there you go." Bassist Robert Trujillo added: "As long as he stays out of trouble, I'll be a Belieber." A backstage video of Justin Bieber performing an impromptu cover of METALLICA's "Fade To Black" can be seen below. The 15-second clip shows Bieber playing air guitar while he tries to recreate the guitar solo from the classic 1984 METALLICA track with his voice. Bieber is accompanied by his musical director Dan Kanter on guitar. According to NME.com, Bieber previously revealed that he is a big fan of METALLICA, naming"Fade To Black" and 1988's "One" as two of his favorite METALLICA cuts. "Those are my jams," he told GQ last year. METALLICA's manager Peter Mensch, who has certainly seen more than his share of childish behavior, told the U.K. tabloid The Sun earlier this year that he would "take Bieber to the woodshed and spank him." Mensch was asked to comment on Bieber's recent bizarre behavior, who has reportedly seen the 19-year-old pop singer being caught speeding around his neighborhood and getting into altercations with neighbors. The 60-year-old Mensch reportedly told The Sun that he has warned Bieber that his antics would ruin his career. "His manager Scooter Braun is scared shitless," said Mensch. "I don't know what Bieber's problem is. His career is over in three years anyway."
02 min read

MOTÖRHEAD: European Tour Postponed Due To LEMMY’s Health

Manos Spanos
MOTÖRHEAD mainman Lemmy Kilmister has released the following statement: "I have to sadly let you know that MOTÖRHEAD has had to postpone the forthcoming European tour until early next year, 2014. "We have made the decision because I am not quite ready to hit the road yet, and am working my way back to full fitness and rude health. Don't worry — I'm not about to start promoting veganism and alcohol-free beverages, but it is fair to say that I personally have been reconfiguring areas of my life to make sure I can come back fitter and stronger than ever. "It disappointed me tremendously to have to say I wasn't quite ready to hit the road yet, but not nearly as much as it would've disappointed me to go out, play some average shows and watch my health give way long before the tour was over! When people come to see aMOTÖRHEAD tour, they expect a MOTÖRHEAD show, and that is exactly what you will get as soon as I am fit and ready to rumble. "Your patience and understanding is appreciated...and know that I'm getting stronger and stronger every day, so watch out next spring Europe and we will see you then. "Thank you all." Lemmy recently spoke to U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine about his health issues that have caused the band to cancel a number of European festival appearances this past summer — including shows in France, Germany and Russia. The dates were called off when doctors discovered an unspecified haematoma, a pool of leaked blood gathered in Lemmy's muscles. The legendary rocker is also suffering from Type 2 diabetes, diagnosed more than a decade ago, and has had a defibrillator fitted earlier this year to iron out the uneven bumps in his heart. "I don't mind you asking about my health," Lemmy told the magazine. "I've been poorly. There's no point lying about it or trying to deny it. I've never done that. It's all part of life's rich tapestry, isn't it? I understand you've got to ask. And I'm feeling better." According to Lemmy, people are telling him to slow down — that living life at breakneck speed is beginning to take its toll. "It was the same when people were telling me to stop smoking," Lemmy said. "'You've got to stop smoking, Lem,' they kept saying." "Fuck you. I don't like people telling me what to do, even if they might be right." Lemmy did, however, stop smoking cigarettes a year ago. "I was having breakfast one morning, coughing and hacking my way through a cigarette and I stopped and thought: 'What am I doing here?'" he explained. Although it's been reported that Lemmy used to drink a bottle of Jack Daniel's a day, he claims that those days are behind him. "I stopped drinking Jack Daniel's and Coke because the sugar in the Coke wasn't good for my diabetes," he said. "I don't drink much [anymore]." Lemmy takes two pills every day for his diabetes, which has affected the circulation in his legs. As a result, his legs stiffen and ache if he walks too far and his back hurts if he stands for too long. "But I can still stand at that mic every night and play my songs," he said. "I wouldn't know about the defibrillator if it wasn't for that fucking lump in my chest," he said. "I'm getting better. By the time this article is out, and the tour comes around, I'll be all right. I'll be ready." When told that some people have suggested that MOTÖRHEAD's upcoming album,"Aftershock", might be the band's last, Lemmy replied: "Really? Who said that? I've never said that. Phil [Campbell, MOTÖRHEAD guitarist] has never said it. Mikkey [Dee,MOTÖRHEAD drummer] has never said it. We plan to go on. Maybe, if we can't tour any more, we'll just make albums. We'll be like THE BEATLES after 1966." Lemmy, who turns 68 years old in December, told Classic Rock he didn't expect to still be here at 30, "I don't do regrets," he said. "Regrets are pointless. It's too late for regrets. You've already done it, haven't you? You've lived your life. No point wishing you could change it. "There are a couple of things I might have done differently, but nothing major; nothing that would have made that much of a difference. "I'm pretty happy with the way things have turned out. I like to think I've brought a lot of joy to a lor of people all over the world. I'm true to myself and I'm straight with people." Asked if his illness this year has made him more aware of his own mortality, Lemmy said: "Death is an inevitability, isn't it? You become more aware of that when you get to my age. I don't worry about it. I'm ready for it. When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn't complain. It's been good."
04 min read

SACRED REICH Frontman: ‘I Can Confidently Say We Have No Plans To Record’ New Album

Manos Spanos
Bassist/vocalist Phil Rind of Arizona thrashers SACRED REICH has posted the following message on the band's Facebook page: "So the number one question we get is 'When are you going to do a new record?' (The #2 question is 'When are you going to play-insert name of your city?'). "The answer is we are not going to do a new record. The follow-up question would be 'Never?' The follow-up answer is we know better than to say 'never.' I never thought we would even be playing any shows. So you just don't know what the future holds. "I can confidently say we have no plans to record, no songs to record and no idea whatSACRED REICH even would sound like in 2013. We appreciate the fact that any of you even care about hearing a new record. "We thank each and every one of you for supporting and continuing to support the band. We think it's amazing that after 25 years, and 16 years since a new record anyone still remembers who we are. So we thank you. "Enjoy the old records. That's what we can offer you. If we ever change our minds, you will be the first to know." SACRED REICH's "Live At Wacken" DVD+CD package was released in North America in November 2012 through Metal Blade. The set contains professionally filmed and recorded footage of the band's August 4, 2007 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany in front of 60,000 heavy metal fans. In an interview with MetalRecusants.com, Rind was asked why the band hasn't made a new studio album after reuniting for sporadic live shows seven years ago. "Our lives are different now," he said. "I mean, it's funny… Our old drummer Dave's [McClain] in MACHINE HEAD and they're touring and doing great; they're very successful. And I said [to the other guys inSACRED REICH recently], I wouldn't even wanna [get back into a full recording and touring cycle]. I wouldn't wanna be gone from my family. I have four kids. As much as I like this, as much as I appreciate the fans, what's important — the family or playing live music? I mean, really?! What's important — being a dad to my kids? My kids need their dad more than the fans need a new SACRED REICH record. And that's really the bottom line. It's a choice. We have a choice to make. What do you wanna do? You have kids now. What are you gonna do — blow it off or are you gonna be their dad? The world will be a better place if I'm [my kids'] dad." The remastered edition of SACRED REICH's classic 1992 album "Independent" was released as a digipack and jewelbox on March 15, 2010 via Displeased Records. The first 2,500 copies contain a free SACRED REICH patch. Displeased Records' reissue of SACRED REICH's classic album "The American Way" came out in February 2009. With upgraded layout, to-the-point remastering plus unreleased pre-production demo bonus tracks and a video clip, this new and improved CD reissue is an essential addition to every thrash metal collection.
03 min read

MASTODON: ‘Live At Brixton’ To Be Released Digitally In December

Panagiotis Karagiannidis
On February 11, 2012, MASTODON took the stage at London, England's O2 Academy in Brixton, capping off the Atlanta-based band's world tour in support of their critically acclaimed album "The Hunter". This sold-out performance was MASTODON's first show at the legendary venue. It won't be their last, as the London audience positively erupted from the opening chords until the final, frenzied encore.
02 min read

TOOL: New Album Update

Panagiotis Karagiannidis
According to The Pulse Of Radio, there's been some movement on the TOOL front regarding the band's long-awaited fifth studio album. The person inside the TOOL circle who usually posts news at the band's official web site has published a somewhat lengthy new update, in which he writes, "A couple of weeks ago I visited the TOOL loft to try and get some kind of idea as to how things were progressing with the writing sessions now that the band was back hard at it. Well, I am happy to report that there has indeed been a lot of progress as far as new material goes, especially with the lengthy so-called 'epic' piece that the guys have been arranging for quite some time now."
02 min read

STEEL PANTHER: NSFW Version Of ‘Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World’ Video Released

Panagiotis Karagiannidis
The not-safe-for-work version of "Party Like Tomorrow Is The End Of The World", the brand new video from Los Angeles glam-metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER, can be seen below. (Warning: The video includes partial female nudity.) The clip includes celebrity cameos by "Jackass" star Steve-O, porn icon Ron Jeremy, "Breaking Bad" actor RJ Mitte and MMA fighter Chuck Liddell.
03 min read

PAUL BOSTAPH: SLAYER Is Honoring JEFF HANNEMAN By Continuing Without Him

Manos Spanos
Earlier this week, Dimitris Kontogeorgakos of Greece's Metal Kaoz conducted an interview with SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). On how it feels playing with SLAYER again: Bostaph: "It feels phenomenal. It feels really good. It feels like being home. I've always loved playing this music. I grew up on it… Just coming back to this, it's been really good. It's kind of like going back and playing with old friends again. I mean, Kerry [King, guitar] and I were really close and we still are, and I'm close to Tom [Araya, bass/vocals]. And I know Gary [Holt] from EXODUS [who is filling in for late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman] — I know Gary very well. The only bittersweet part of it, obviously, is that Jeff is not with us anymore. And I was looking forward to that, to playing with him again. But other than that, other than Jeff passing, it's been really good." On his decision in December 2001 to leave SLAYER and how things are different today: Bostaph: "Well, it's funny… I was different back then. The way I looked at things was different — right or wrong. And now I've had the time to kind of… Sometimes they say you don't know what you have until it's gone. And I think over the years, just seeing the guys and playing with different bands [since I left SLAYER], I kind of realized that playing with these guys is that there's a way that they do things that… In terms of… I don't know… It's hard to explain. There's a work ethic that appeals to me within this band. I think there's just a feeling of loving the music. First and foremost, and the primary thing out of everything, I couldn't find a band that could do what this band does. And that's the bottom line, really." On whether he was the first and only name on SLAYER's list of possible replacements for the band's original drummer, Dave Lombardo, when Dave parted ways with SLAYER earlier this year: Bostaph: "Honestly, I don't think so; I don't think I was the first and only [name on the list]. I mean, there's probably some other guys [that were being considered as well]. But I'm the guy that's here now. It made sense [for me to return]. I mean, you can't think anything for granted and think it's just gonna work. You have to try it out and see how things feel. It's been over [ten] years [since I left the band], and I'm sure they wanted to see how it felt playing together again, and being in a room together, you know what I mean?! You just don't make a snap judgment like that and [assume] that it's going to work. And they didn't. And we got together and we felt it out, and it felt really good, and here we are." On how different it feels being in SLAYER without Jeff:
08 min read