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DAVE MUSTAINE: When I Left METALLICA, I Totally Re-Evaluated My Guitar Playing

Manos Spanos
The first episode of "Metalhead To Head", a web-only show where metal masters sit down together for surprisingly candid conversation and plenty of one-time-only music demonstrations and collaborations, can be seen at Fuse.tv. The episode features Dave Mustaine and Ricky Warwick (BLACK STAR RIDERS, THIN LIZZY). New episodes will debut every other Wednesday. Always at 1 p.m. ET. And always on Fuse.tv. Asked by Warwick about his lead-guitar technique, Mustaine said: "When I was in METALLICA, when I would write solos back then, I wrote them out. And then when I left, I totally re-evaluated my guitar playing and went from playing guitar because I loved it to playing guitar because I was pissed." He continued: "Playing, for me, doing solos and stuff like that, there's a lot of technique stuff that people do, they do sweeping and stuff like that and they do a lot of stuff that's real pretty-looking, but you know what?! After a while, someone sweeping through a whole solo, it's, like, enough already. I believe that David Gilmour can do more with one note than half of these kids that are out there now that can just do these mind-blowing solos." Artist pairings for future "Metalhead To Head" episodes include: * Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS) & Arejay Hale (HALESTORM) * Dave Ellefson (MEGADETH) & Doug Pinnick (KING'S X) * Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE) & Mark Heylmun (SUICIDE SILENCE) * Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE) & Frank Bello (ANTHRAX) * Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) & Ray Luzier (KORN) * Billy Sheehan (THE WINERY DOGS) & Marco Mendoza (BLACK STAR RIDERS, THIN LIZZY) * Eric Choi (WE CAME AS ROMANS) & Alex Lopez (SUICIDE SILENCE) * Michael Sweet (STRYPER) & Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT) * George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB) & Chris Broderick (MEGADETH) * Marty Friedman (MEGADETH) & Ben Weinman (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN)
02 min read

DOWN: ‘IV – Part Two’ EP Details Revealed

Manos Spanos
DOWN will release a new EP, "Down IV - Part Two", on May 13 via Down Records/ADA Music. Tracked at Nodferatu's Lair — iconic vocalist Philip H. Anselmo's home studio — and produced by Michael Thompson, Anselmo and DOWN, the new EP is the eagerly anticipated sequel to "Down IV - Part One". The new offering from DOWN is packed with the quintet's signature gargantuan riffs, swamp blues leads, crashing drums and hypnotic howls, upholding a certain tradition that countless fans celebrate, expanding their own musical mythos as they leave its pillars intact and untouched. In support of the upcoming record, DOWN will take their renowned live show on the road this spring, joining BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and DEVIL YOU KNOW on a North American tour. The tour, which also includes DOWN headlining shows and festival appearances, begins at Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama on May 2, and ends at Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma on May 25. The run also includes an appearance on May 24 at Emo's in Austin at the "Rock the Heart" concert, a benefit for the late Mike Scaccia's (RIGOR MORTIS, MINISTRY) "Heart Rock" foundation, with the goal of raising awareness about heart disease. When Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Jimmy Bower, Pat Bruders, and Bobby Landgraf retreated to Nodferatu's Lair at Anselmo's Lousiana home in the fall of 2013, things had changed a bit. For the first time in the band's storied career, Kirk Windstein wouldn't be handling guitar duties alongside Keenan. Instead, longtime "family" member, stage manager, and HONKY guitarist Landgraf took the reins. "He was immediately at home," affirms Anselmo. "Bobby had always been that guy in case of anything. Knowing his personality, he really locked in with what we do and took it to heart. He made himself belong. Honestly, the first day he came down he contributed a very strong riff to a key song. There's that Southern element, which is imperative. I also catch a real old heavy metal vibe from this record. I can't stress this enough. He took it all on, and he did a fucking awesome job." Keenan adds, "Even with the lineup differences, it's interesting how the songs still sound very DOWN. Bobby and I have always locked in. It's not just physically either, but mentally as well. We see eye-to-eye, and he's been watching for a long time." "It was a big deal for me," beams Landgraf. "I drove ten hours up from Texas that first day, cracked a beer, and plugged in. We jumped right into the room, and I played this part. They all smiled. That was the moment for me. I'm a longtime fan, and I knew we were friends, but being a part of the writing and working towards something together was just incredible. As a guitar player, one of my goals was to be in a group like this. I want to make everyone proud." The fans will undoubtedly take pride in this collection as well. Making good on DOWN's promise of a series of EPs, the second installment sees a pronounced progression amongst the individuals themselves as well. "We wanted to back up our word as far as releasing these EPs," Anselmo goes on. "Everybody was fixated on that. This is the shortest period of time between our releases, and every one stepped it up and upped his game. Keenan, Bower, Bruders and Landgraf all contributed some excellent riffs. Having all of this fresh input makes for a different listen and a new perspective on what DOWN should and does sound like. All of that yields a unique record off the bat." For the future, DOWN's sights are set on endless touring. Landgraf made his formal stage debut when the band headlined Anselmo's first annual Housecore Horror Film Festival in front of a packed audience of the faithful in October 2013. Now, it's just about bringing that inimitable sound everywhere possible. "Down IV - Part Two" track listing: 01. Steeple 02. We Knew Him Well 03. Hogshead/Dogshead 04. Conjure 05. Sufferer's Years 06. Bacchanalia downivpart2
04 min read

Reunited DARK ANGEL: New Rehearsal Footage Posted Online

Manos Spanos
Video footage of reunited thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL rehearsing the song "Death Is Certain (Life Is Not)" earlier this month at a Southern California studio can be seen below. As previously reported, DARK ANGEL will reform for a limited number of appearances in 2014 in the U.S. and select festivals in Europe. The confirmed lineup for these rare and unique, select 2014 shows will be: * Gene Hoglan (drums) * Eric Meyer (guitar) * Jim Durkin (guitar) * Ron Rinehart (vocals) * Michael Gonzalez (bass) Comments Hoglan: "DARK fuckin ANGEL has been working real hard behind the scenes, and I can't tell you enough how happy we are to bring this beast back to the fans. "I'll admit before the rehearsals I really didn't know what to expect, but let me tell you, you to will be as stoked as I am. "We have returned!" During an appearance on this on the September 8, 2013 edition of the "Heavy Metal Mayhem" radio show, Hoglan spoke about the DARK ANGEL reunion, saying: "The most important thing for, I think, any of us, and especially me, and I know a couple of the other guys that are involved that the legacy of the band is very important. And if the band has attained some of kind of underground legendary status over the years, then if we do wanna return, a lot of people have great expecations of us, we'd better exceed those expectations. "Like Ron Rinehart said, the definition of 'good' is 'not bad.' [laughs] We don't wanna come out and even be great; we wanna be No. 1. And that's a very heartening attitude. "If some of the people that might wanna get involved with this… You've gotta do it for the right reasons. This is for the fans. And we're gonna come out and disappoint the fans, don't do it. If we're gonna come out and make the fans go, 'Yes, I expected something great and I got godly.' Then there's a reason for doing it." DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — 1984's "We Have Arrived" and 1986's "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — 1989's "Leave Scars" and 1991's "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992. Rinehart, Hoglan and Meyer reassembled DARK ANGEL more than a decade ago but were forced to abandon their reunion plans after health issues reportedly put an end to Rinehart's singing career.
02 min read

ROBERT LOWE On Split With CANDLEMASS: ‘They Decided To Drop The Best Vocalist They Ever Had’

Manos Spanos
Metal Wani writer Achintya Venkatesh recently conducted an interview with doom metal vocalist Robert Lowe (CANDLEMASS, SOLITUDE AETURNUS). You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. Asked about whether his split with CANDLEMASS was an amicable one, Lowe said: "Actually, there was not a situation [that caused the breakup]. I mean, the guys decided to drop the best vocalist they ever had. It's not my problem. But you, there wasn't a situation. Everything is good, everything is kosher." Lowe also commented on CANDLEMASS mainman Leif Edling's claim that Robert never bothered learning the lyrics to some of the band's classic songs and had to read them from a notebook while on stage. "Well, yeah. I mean, everybody reads the Bible, and I do the same thing," Lowe said. "I have my Bible, and there you go." As previously reported, Lowe has teamed up with composer and NS/Stick player Michael "Dr. Froth" Millsap (SIX MINUTE CENTURY, WELL OF SOULS) to record a concept album entitled "Gathered In Darkness". The music will be a blending of progressive metal with epic doom metal textures. Lowe is best known for his work as the vocalist for CANDLEMASS from 2007 through 2012, appearing on the albums "King Of The Grey Islands", "Death Magic Doom" and "Psalms For the Dead", as well as for his work with SOLITUDE AETURNUS. Dr. Froth is the bassist for SIX MINUTE CENTURY, whose latest album, "Wasting Time", was released in October of 2013 on Nightmare Records. He is also a member of the epic doom band WELL OF SOULS. Several other musicians will be joining the cast of "Gathered in Darkness", including vocalists Chuck Williams (SIX MINUTE CENTURY), John Calvin (WELL OF SOULS), and David Gonzales (FLUID FREQUENCY); guitarist Joel Gregoire (STRIDE); Don LaFon (SIX MINUTE CENTURY); Simone Mularoni (DGM); and Marc Petillon. The project is wrapping up the writing phase and is scheduled to enter the studio in early March.
02 min read

ARCH ENEMY’s MICHAEL AMOTT Says New Album Is ‘Very Different’ From ‘Khaos Legions’

Manos Spanos
Swedish/German/American extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY are recording their as-yet-untitled eighth album for a tentative late spring/early summer release via Century Media. The CD is being laid down at a few different studios in Sweden. "We tracked drums at Fascination Street Studio, and we've been recording guitars and bass in another room," ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott tells Decibel for the magazine's March 2013 issue (see cover below). "We'll do the vocals in a third studio, and the mix and mastering will done by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street." He adds: "It's all going according to plan; it's been running very smoothly. Vocals and [a] few guitar solos left to do, and the mix, of course." As was the case with 2011's "Khaos Legions", the ARCH ENEMY members are producing the new album themselves. "We have a clear vision of what we want to sound like, and we can achieve it without outside producers and input, so this works for us," Amott explains. Regarding the musical direction of ARCH ENEMY's upcoming CD, Amott tells Decibel: "This album is actually very different from 'Khaos Legions'. All of our albums have had their own vibe, and this one will be its own entity as well. Lyrically, it's a much more personal record, and musically, I feel the songs have more dynamics and depth than ever before. There's certainly very heavy and aggressive metal taking place, but there's also another level of melody that excites me. There's a wide spectrum of variety in the material; they're all unique to me and I'm excited about all of them at this point. A couple of the songs feature real strings, and it'll be interesting how our fans will take to that. I am pretty sure they'll love it!" ARCH ENEMY's 2012 tour of South America and Mexico was professionally filmed for an upcoming DVD and Blu-ray. German production company Filmefahrer Pictures, known for its work on "2012 - The Movie" and THE VERY END's music video for "A Hole In The Sun", filmed the shows, conducted interviews with the bandmembers and shot backstage footage, fans and other incidentals during the tour. "Khaos Legions" sold around 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 78. The band in 2012 amicably parted ways with guitarist Christopher Amott and replaced him with American musician Nick Cordle (ARSIS). decibelmarch2014
02 min read

BRIAN JOHNSON Says AC/DC Will Enter Studio In May

Manos Spanos
Legendary Anglo-Australian hard rockers AC/DC will enter a studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in May, presumably to begin recording their first new material since 2008's "Black Ice" album. In addition, the band will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year by playing 40 shows around the world. The news of AC/DC's recording and touring plans was revealed earlier today (Friday, February 14) by the band's lead singer, Brian Johnson, during a surprise phone call he gave to Andy Preston of the 98.7 The Gater radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida (hear audio below). Asked if AC/DC is planning to do anything this year, Johnson told Preston: "Well, you'll be the first one to know, really, because we've been denying anything, 'cause we weren't sure. One of our boys was pretty ill, so we didn't like to say anything, and we're very private about things like this, so we didn't wanna say anything. And he's a very proud man. But I think we'll be going into the studio in May in Vancouver. Which means, we should be getting ready. "It's been 40 years of the band's existence, so I think we're gonna try to do 40 gigs, 40 shows, to thank the fans for their undying loyalty. I mean, honestly, our fans are just the best in the world, and we appreciate every one of them. So, like I said, we'll have to go out, even though we're getting a bit long in the tooth. [laughs]" He added: "You know what?! It's been four years [since we last went out on the road], and I'm really looking forward to it." During a January 2012 appearance on "The Cowhead Show", the American radio program hosted by Mike "Cowhead" Calta, Johnson revealed that health issues were affecting one of his bandmates, which may have put new album plans temporarily on hold. "One of the boys is a little sick and I can't say anything, but he's getting better," Brian said. "He's doing wonderful. Full recovery fully expected." AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams told BackstageAxxess.com in a March 2013 interview that guitarists Malcolm and Angus Young were writing songs for the band's next album. But Williams said that at the time that there was still a long way to go, explaining, "[There is] nothing in the works right now [as far as recording]. We're still getting over the last tour, so we're just hanging out and doing stuff. The guys are writing material and when they've got some stuff together, they'll give us a holler." Asked how the band's creative process works, Williams said, "[Angus and Malcolm] get a bunch of ideas together. Some are more together than others — and then we'll all hit the studio or a little rehearsal room and we'll kick it around with a producer. And then we get in a studio and record, and that's kind of how it runs." "Black Ice" was followed by a nearly two-year world tour. Malcolm Young told Classic Rock magazine in 2012, "I've been doing some jamming on some song ideas but I do that all the time, as do the rest of the band . . . I think we need a couple of years to recuperate and work on it a bit more." Regarding AC/DC's plans to tour in support of the upcoming CD, Brian told the Bay Area rock station 107.7 The Bone in a June 2012 interview: "Well, I think it wouldn't be like the last one. That was two years. I mean, that was just nuts. We were just fragged when we finished [that one]. I mean, it took about three weeks to get over it. But it was so much fun, though. For guys our age at the time, to tour the world to sellout audiences everywhere, it gives you a good feeling. And the great thing was to look out into the audiences and have a look at the generations of people… I mean, it was unbelievable… Kids there that were 7-8 [years old], teenagers…" Johnson also spoke about how AC/DC decides which recording and touring projects to take on, telling 107.7 The Bone: "We're just a bunch of pals from the projects, still. Even though we've done well, we still have the same roots that we stick by that we did when we had nothing, basically. And that's the work ethic. And it has to be right for the boys to do anything. When we're sitting down and [we're talking about], 'Can we do this? We're not gonna be a pale shadow of our former selves?' We'll talk about it and make sure that we've all got it. We're just five pieces of a card, and if one of us is not really [able to perform at 100 percent], the whole thing would just collapse, I think."
04 min read

CANNIBAL CORPSE To Begin Recording New Album

Manos Spanos
Death metal veterans CANNIBAL CORPSE will enter Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida this coming weekend with producer Mark Lewis (ARSIS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE, SIX FEET UNDER) to begin recording their new album for a tentative summer release via Metal Blade Records. In a recent interview, CANNIBAL CORPSE bassist Alex Webster stated about the band's decision to work with Lewis on the new CD: "We really like a lot of stuff he's done. "We did three great records [2006's 'Kill', 2009's 'Evisceration Plague' and 2012's 'Torture'] with my good friend Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL). He's one of the best. We felt like, 'Man, we've done three awesome records with him. Let's try doing something different.' Not because we are displeased with what he's done — he did a fantastic job — but we just felt like mixing it up. "We've been working with Erik since 2005. We thought, 'That's a good eight years. Let's give Mark a try for a little while and see how that goes." CANNIBAL CORPSE's twelfth studio album, "Torture", sold 9,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Evisceration Plague", also opened with 9,600 units to land at No. 66. That was more than 50 percent higher than the opening tally of CANNIBAL CORPSE's 2006 CD, "Kill", which entered the chart at No. 170 after shifting more than 6,000 copies. Metal Blade Records last year released picture discs from the band's expansive catalog of releases ("Eaten Back To Life", "Butchered At Birth", "Tomb Of The Mutilated", "The Bleeding", "Vile", "Gallery Of Suicide", "Bloodthirst", "Gore Obsessed", "The Wretched Spawn", "Kill", "Evisceration Plague", "Torture"). A total of 12 pictures discs were released, covering all of the band's full-length studio albums, some of which had never been released on picture disc. CANNIBAL CORPSE was selected for induction in the Buffalo Music Hall Of Fame as a member of the Class of 2013. CANNIBAL CORPSE was the latest addition to the Hall Of Fame, which also includes Buffalo natives the GOO GOO DOLLS, Billy Sheehan, 10,000 MANIACS, and many more. The Class Of 2013 was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall Of Fame at its 30th-anniversary induction gala, which was held October 3, 2013 at the Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo.
02 min read

GRAVE DIGGER Begins Recoding New Album

Manos Spanos
German power metallers GRAVE DIGGER have entered Principal Studios (KREATOR, IN EXTREMO, GRAVE DIGGER) in Senden, Germany to begin recording their new album for a July 11 release via Napalm Records. The first clip from the studio can be seen below. GRAVE DIGGER's latest 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).
01 min read