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ALICE COOPER Completes Work On Covers Album

Manos Spanos
On September 26, Chad Tyson of the 98.7 The Gater radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida conducted an interview with legendary rocker Alice Cooper. You can now listen to the chat below. Cooper has just completed work on a covers album featuring songs that were originally written and recorded by THE DOORS, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and THE WHO, members of the so-called "Hollywood vampires" of the early and mid-'70s. A spring 2014 release is expected. "We're still adding on certain people; we have a list of people that we want to get and a lot of times it's scheduled," Alice said. "In a situation like this, you have certain friends you want to put on the record and their availability is really what it is… y'know, finding where they are, what they want to play and when they want to play." Pushed for names of the special guests, Alice replied, "I'm just saying…probably the 'usual suspects.' Put it that way." "We're really happy, all of us, everyone involved in the covers because it's pretty much what we wanted to do," Cooper told RollingStone.com earlier in the year. "We specified a certain time period and said, 'Let's stay within that. Let's not move it around too much.' We don't want to be doing cover songs from the 80s and 90s when the Hollywood vampires kind of thing was more '73, '74, '75." Back in March, Cooper said about the upcoming CD: "We do a thing in our show, which is a tribute to Hollywood Vampires, my drinking club. And it was Keith Moon, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Micky Dolenz — a very eclectic bunch of drunks. Half of them are dead, so we do four songs in the show in tribute to them. We do 'Break On Through', 'Revolution', 'My Generation' and Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxey Lady'. I just kind of said, 'We've never done a covers album, let's think about that.'" Asked what some of the wish-list songs are, Cooper said: "I would keep it right to about '73, '74. I don't want to just go anywhere. I want to keep it right in that sort of drunk era, so it's specific. I would say 'Break On Through', that's a really good rock track there. The other ones, think of it — Harry Nilsson, there's a lot of good stuff there that could be rocked out. I think of songs as being clay. Take a song like 'Jump Into the Fire' and take that to a harder level, and that'll work."
02 min read

WATAIN Mainman: ‘The Devil Always Wins And The Devil Always Finds His Way’

Manos Spanos
The Great Southern Brainfart recently conducted an interview with Erik Danielsson of Swedish black metallers WATAIN. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. The Great Southern Brainfart: So I have to be honest. Aside from listening to VENOM as a kid, I was never much of a black metal fan, and then I gave you guys a listen, and I'm really intrigued with your songs and your performances. Erik: That is really good to hear that you made that comparison. I wish I heard VENOM andWATAIN in the same sentence more often. VENOM is one of my all-time favorite bands, and I think if you have that sort of background, you might actually be able to relate to what we do as well. Musically, there might be a slight difference. VENOM are the originators of the black metal movement that we later became a part and we like carrying that torch onwards and uphold that legacy. The Great Southern Brainfart: WATAIN seems to have more of that classic element than most of the other modern bands. Is that something that was intentional? Erik: We never really sat down and discussed how WATAIN should sound. It's pretty safe to say, though, that our own personal preferences, when it comes to black metal, have always been very traditional. VENOM are one of the most important bands ever to WATAIN and the same goes for bands like MERCYFUL FATE and even bands like EXCITER, RAZOR, andVOIVOD. We've always leaned towards bands like that in our own musical tastes when it comes to metal. I suppose our sound really comes from a mix of those bands and late-era black metal such as MAYHEM and DISSECTION and so on. The Great Southern Brainfart: One of the things that intrigued me the most about Watain was the ritualistic approach to the live show using animal carcasses, lighting candles on a small alter and whatnot. What can you tell me about the live show and the background to this ritual? Erik: If you play music of a diabolical nature, and the music that you perform is permeated by a sinister and infernal essence, of course, that will have to translate to the stage show as well and your appearance. It's not a process that should be forced. It should come as a natural consequence of the music that you're playing and the artistic work that you are doing. WithWATAIN, it was very much that way and it evolved into this thing that it is. When we started playing, we already had that kind of extreme view of how a black metal live show should be like. It should look like the music sounds. That's how it all began. The longer that WATAINexisted, the more we realized that the magical side of this band, the spiritual side began to come through and it just began to transform into a ceremonial thing rather than just a rock concert, so to say. It evolved into an event where we communicate with the forces that gave birth to this band and that have always been a part of this band. It became a time where we could let these things just come to life and be at one with them. It's an ever-ongoing evolution and the live shows are constantly progressing. They have become something more and more severe and intense and that's a very good thing to me. It's a very inspiring context to work with. The Great Southern Brainfart: When WATAIN takes this ceremony on the road, especially when touring in the southern part of the U.S., sometimes there are limits as to what you can and can't do on the stage. When that does happen, how much of an impact does that have on the purpose of your live performance? Does it make things harder for you to do? Erik: Yes, of course it does, but being in a band like WATAIN is always quite a challenge. When you take something as inhuman as WATAIN into the world, then, of course, things can be a bit strange. We knew since day one that we would have to face a lot of opposition because of some of the things we wanted to do. I think we're always pretty well prepared for that to happen. Of course, it's annoying and it makes me want to punch the living shit out of anyone who stands in our way, but we always find a way around these things. There's always a way for the devil to come through, no matter what. It cannot be stopped. It's just a fact and it's been that way since the dawn of man. The devil always wins and the devil always finds his way. I think that in general, all of that opposition and all of the people who prevent us from doing what we want to do just makes us stronger. It makes us feel more proud and stronger about what we're doing. We like to fight against the extreme and we like to go against the current. We like to be the enemy and that just fuels the fire of WATAIN and I actually appreciate that. I like touring in places especially the South because we always feel that tension and how skeptical they are but in the end we just do what the fuck we do anyway. [laughs]
05 min read

ACID DEATH’s new album on the way!

Manos Spanos
Greek legendary death metal band Acid Death released the following statement: More than a year has passed from band’s latest official release, “Eidolon” full album and almost six months from the release of “Misled-2013” free EP. (www.aciddeath.net/downloads) So, it’s time for some new stuff! ACID DEATH has started working on its new, yet untitled, full album, band’s 6th official release. More than 6 new songs are already under hard process. According to band’s schedule the recordings will start in spring/2014 and the album will be ready till the end of the summer/2014. Production, mix and mastering will be integrated in Austria at Noisehead records’ studios, Noisehead studios, by Mario Jezik. A winter full of hard work in on the way!
00 min read

FATES WARNING’s RAY ALDER: ‘Before My Voice Started To Change, I Just Didn’t Want To Sing High Anymore’

Manos Spanos
David E. Gehlke of DeadRhetoric.com recently conducted an interview with FATES WARNINGvocalist Ray Alder. A few excerpts from the chat follow below. DeadRhetoric.com: The band has been active on the live front since the release of "X", but did it ever cross your mind that as a recording entity, FATES WARNING may never record another album? Ray Alder: Yeah, it definitely crossed my mind. People were doing their side-projects all over the place, and it was never discussed or anything that "We might not get around to doing another album, it's been so long." It was always in the back of my mind that we would, though.Jim [Matheos, guitar] and I are pretty proud in that way and don't want to just fade away. I knew we'd get around to do another album, it was just a matter of when. All of these fucking side-projects, but here we are now and I'm completely happy. DeadRhetoric.com: You had a stretch where REDEMPTION was your main thing, obviously. Alder: I think I did four albums with REDEMPTION. Jim was doing OSI, and they seemed like his main thing. It was never meant to be that way, but I had the opportunity to tour and record with REDEMPTION and I don't want to sit around and do nothing. DeadRhetoric.com: There's been a lot of patience from your fanbase. You haven't totally fallen off the map. There's genuine interest in another FATES WARNING record. Did that help with getting the album together?
04 min read

TOMMY LEE To BLABBERMOUTH.NET: You Still ‘Suck Ass’

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MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee tweeted the following last night: "Hey @BLABBERMOUTHNET Whats if feel like to be the worst site ever? Yeah its me again and ya'll still suck ass!!" He added: "Oh yeah and bring on the haters....i mean admirers!!!" Back in February 2012, Lee was similarly enthused about BLABBERMOUTH.NET, writing on his Twitter account: "@BLABBERMOUTHNET has got to be THE WORST music site ever! maybe its not the site but the assholes that post there!" In January 2011, Lee posted a message on Twitter congratulating BLINK-182 drummer and hip-hop producer Travis Barker on the release of his album, "Give The Drummer Some", and slamming BLABBERMOUTH.NET "haters" who made comments that were critical of the CD's musical content and cover artwork. Lee wrote, "Travis! Congrats on the new CD and [by the way]... FUCK all the haters at Blabbermouth.com [sic]. They can suck it! They did the same shit to me!" MÖTLEY CRÜE kicked off its second residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on September 18. The fall shows, dubbed "Evening In Hell", are an all-new production designed exclusively for The Joint in partnership with AEG Live. "A Public Disservice Announcement", the latest album from Lee's METHODS OF MAYHEMproject, sold 2,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 153 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in September 2010 via Loud & Proud Records, a Roadrunner Records imprint focusing on established artists.
02 min read

CARCASS Frontman Says Illegal Music Downloading ‘Can Be A Positive Thing’

Manos Spanos
Tarja Virmakari of Metal Shock Finland and TrueMetal.it recently conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker of reactivated British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. Asked about his views on illegal music downloading, Walker said: "It can be a positive thing, if people download an album, hear it, enjoy it and buy it. The danger is that there is a hard core of people who download and never buy anything, and that's damaging to the music scene. They're not supporting anybody, they're not supporting the artists as fans. But for the most part, I think it's positive. Because I understand fully why people do it. There's so much music out there; people don't have the money or the resources to buy everything. And also people have probably spent or wasted money in the past on albums that have disappointed them. So it gives people a chance to test something before they buy it. I personally don't think it's any different to hearing music on the radio. But, like I say, it's that hard core of people, who… their attitude is very nihilistic and it's out of step with the idea of what being a fan is about. You shouldn't be trying to damage the artist who's trying to being people pleasure. We're not at war with the audience." CARCASS' new album, "Surgical Steel", sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on September 16 in the U.K., September 13 in the rest of Europe and September 17 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The effort was produced by Colin Richardson(FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) and mixed by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY). Joining guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker in CARCASS' current incarnation are new drummer Dan Wilding (ABORTED, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitarist Ben Ash(PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON). In a recent interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, Walker stated about the new CARCASS CD: "We think we've made a good album, so it's gonna be very interesting when people get to hear the record. We can't wait to see what people think." He continued: "It sounds like CARCASS. Even the drumming sounds like CARCASS. Everything about it… I think it's gonna shock people, how good it is. I think it's got all the elements that people like, yet it still sounds fresh. So that's all I can say, really, 'cause we don't really sound like any other band, and the fact that after 17 years, we wrote music and it still sounds likeCARCASS, I think it's good." Regarding the direction of the new CARCASS album, Walker previously stated: "We've taken stylistic cues from all the albums because it's in our blood, but it's no rehash or mess of ideas. I think it sounds almost like the missing link between the third and forth albums but with some groove in there. I've jokingly christened some parts 'trad blast' and some 'death sleaze'… don't think for a minute this is just some nostalgic throwback album — we're setting up another 17 years of ideas for other bands to copy and clean up on. [laughs]"
03 min read

AMARANTHE Singer’s NIGHTWISH Audition Tape Posted Online

Manos Spanos
Elize Ryd of Swedish metallers AMARANTHE has uploaded an audio recording of her singing the NIGHTWISH song "Nemo". Ryd laid down the vocals for the track in 2006 when the Finnish symphonic metal band was seeking a replacement for Tarja Turunen. Check it out below. Says Ryd: "I've been saving this for a special moment. And now when I became a singer as I was dreaming of… and been travelling all over the world and met fantastic people and alsoNIGHTWISH on stage. And have such wonderful fans. "It is a amazing memory from the day when NIGHTWISH sent me a demo with music and ask me to put my voice on it!! So here it is. 'Nemo' from the NIGHTWISH audition 2006!!" Ryd, who has been touring the world as a backing singer vocalist for KAMELOT, filled in for then-NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon for a show in Denver, Colorado in September 2012 because Olzon was suffering from fever and vomiting and was forced to spend the night at a local hospital. In a recent interview, Ryd stated about the Denver gig: "It was a very special thing. "I love NIGHTWISH and I've sung their songs many times for myself. [laughs] "They asked me if I would be willing to sing for them that night, and we decided that if the audience agreed it was okay for them that I sing, of course I was going to help NIGHTWISHout so they could do the show. At least with some singing so they wouldn't have to do it all instrumental."
02 min read

HAGAR Says EDDIE VAN HALEN Is ‘Not As Fluent And Versatile’ On The Guitar As JOE SATRIANI Is

Manos Spanos
Peter Hodgson of Gibson.com recently conducted an interview with Sammy Hagar(CHICKENFOOT, VAN HALEN). An excerpt from the chat follows below. Gibson.com: I've always wanted to ask you how you rank yourself as a guitarist. It takes balls to stand up there with Eddie Van Halen or Joe Satriani. I've been lucky to jam withSatriani and Vai, and to a certain point it's intimidating but also at a certain point you've just got to tell yourself "Screw it, this is what I do." Sammy: I'm a little bit intimidated if we go too long, but in CHICKENFOOT and VAN HALEN, I just put the guitar on and got a big cheer always, and then I'd burn for a little bit and then take it back off before I ran out of chops, y'know? I rate myself as a guy that can play, and I can express myself extremely well but only in one language. I can only play blues-based guitar. And when a guy like Joe steps up there, he can play. Once he finishes with my repertoire, he can go into French, Spanish and Russian on the guitar! He's just so versatile and fluent.Eddie's not as fluent and versatile. Eddie's got a style for himself and he's very much in that pocket, but Joe can play anything. He freaks me out. When Joe and I start to write together, he'll show me some chords and I'll start singing, then I'll pick up a guitar just mainly to figure a lick out: "What chord is that? What are you playing?" so I can know what notes I have to choose from to sing. Then he'll go "That was a cool lick, what did you play?" and I'll go "[Expletive], I don't know!" I don't get it. I just play. Gibson.com: There were so many great guitar players to come out of the '80s where you knew they'd kind of fade away, but even early on it was apparent that we'd still be hearing about Joe Satriani in 40, 50 years. Sammy: Oh, Joe's here to stay. I think he's going to have a kind of Jeff Beck career. He's going to have these little windows where he gets a little bump, a little more publicity, a little more recognition, and then he kinda just cruises along, then all of a sudden somebody's gonna say, "Wow, Joe Satriani's the best guitar player in the world" and everybody gets hip again. He ain't going nowhere. The thing that amazes me the most about Joe's guitar playing over any other musician is he knows exactly what he's playing and he can play it twice, three times exactly the same. He works his parts out but he does it really quick. It's not like it takes him forever to come up with a part. He comes up with it, BAM, instantly, and he knows every note he's playing and I don't know how he does it. He's too smart for his own good. But you're a lucky man if you stood up and played next to Joe Satriani. What I do is, I learn. He immediately makes me better because it makes me aware of what I'm playing, because if I see him solo I think, "I don't know what I'm doing." So I start to think a little more, like "Oh I know why that note works." So he just enlightens. He's enlightening to play with. I don't know if that works for you, but that's how it works for me. Read the entire interview at Gibson.com.
03 min read
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MONSTER MAGNET Mainman: ‘I Miss The Album As An Art Form

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Christopher Lee of Crypt Magazine recently conducted an interview with MONSTER MAGNETmainman Dave Wyndorf. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below. Crypt Magazine: It's 2013, and the new MONSTER MAGNET album, "Last Patrol", will be hitting the racks in a couple of weeks. Where have you guys been the past couple of years? Dave Wyndorf: In the three years, we did "Mastermind", toured the fuck out of Europe and the world, just completely going on! Um, so we had one record and a lot of touring. I toured that new record, plus did a bunch of tours doing whole-album performances of early albums like"Spine Of God", "Dopes To Infinity", and that's how I spend my time, ya know?! On the road! Not in America a lot, but the rest of the world; that's what I do. Crypt Magazine: So what do you think about this whole thing with people being pacified with buying one single on iTunes and the whole art of the "album" being reduced to nothing. An artist's life's work to write that one song has been condensed into a little meaningless MP3. Dave Wyndorf: It's brutal, dude, it's brutal, but what are you gonna do? It's like the people have spoken, and ultimately, they're the people that make the decision. It's, like, there's no conspiracy behind it, there's nothing, it's like we just have to face the fact that we live in a world full of idiots.
04 min read

LIV KRISTINE To Guest On New PRIMAL FEAR Album

Manos Spanos
Norwegian singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull (LEAVES' EYES, ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY) has recorded a guest appearance on the song "Born With A Broken Heart" from the upcoming album from German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR. The CD was mixed with Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PRETTY MAIDS, DESTRUCTION) at his Hansen studio in Ribe, Denmark for a January 2014 release via Frontiers Records. 12 tracks were recorded during the new album sessions, including "two epic songs, one guitar ballad, and nine crushing metal songs with all the trademarks you know and love to hear from PRIMAL FEAR," according to the band. The effort was engineered by Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN) and was produced byPRIMAL FEAR bassist Mat Sinner. In a recent interview with Jump Metal, PRIMAL FEAR vocalist Ralf Scheepers stated about the musical direction of the band's upcoming album: "It's not so far away [from what we've done in the past], because we have our style, you know. It was hard for us to imagine… because [2012's] 'Unbreakable' was a pretty tough... and really, in our ears, pretty great album, and for us, it was somehow hard to top it. But as soon as we started to write the new songs, and as soon as I heard what Mat and Magnus [Karlsson, guitar] did in the first place — because then they sent me some stuff and I added my ideas on it — I just thought, 'Wow, this is amazing.' And in the end, it really turned out to be a better album than 'Unbreakable'." Frontiers and PRIMAL FEAR in January announced that they have renewed their partnership for another multi-album deal, which will include two more studio releases and one live CD and DVD. PRIMAL FEAR's latest album, "Unbreakable", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 44 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.
02 min read