Trivium Drummer Travis Smith Sounds Off

David Glessner of the San Antonio Express-News recently conducted an interview with TRIVIUM drummer Travis Smith. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On the band's influences:

"Everyone in the band is into metal, but everyone gets the melody from different influences like QUEEN, THE EAGLES and all different genres of music. I'm pretty much a fan of whatever METALLICA touches. They could touch a pile of (junk) and I'd go out and buy it. I've been a fan since I was 8 years old and I'll be a fan for life."

On the band's cover of METALLICA's "Master of Puppets" that was recorded for Kerrang! magazine's tribute to METALLICA:

"We've been jamming that song since we were a local band. METALLICA is one of the reasons this band got started. We got lucky enough to go to Europe and do eight shows with them. They invited us on stage a couple times to sing vocals on (a cover of the MISFITS') 'Die, Die, My Darling'. That was a dream come true."

On the upcoming TRIVIUM album:

"The new album is gonna be on the shelves October 10. It's gonna be called 'The Crusade'. If you think 'Ascendancy' is a kick-ass album, this one pretty much kicks it right in the teeth. People need a thrash-metal album, and we're gonna deliver. I'm still proud of ('Ascendancy'), but when people ask how we're gonna top it, I just look them right in the eye and say, 'Dude, you ain't seen nothing yet.'"

On touring the world:

"Japan was unbelievable. It's almost sickening how perfect it is. I had a day off in Japan and we were walking the streets looking for something to do. They have a lot of bicyclers over there. We're walking down the street and I'm thinking, 'Dude, this place is too (expletive) perfect. I would pay to see one of these bicycle people crash into something.' I kid you not, dude, a minute later, these two ladies plow right into each other. I just lost it. It was, like, 'Thank God there is some flaw in the system.'"

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Tonny Iommi To Launch Season 2 Of Black Sunday

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi is currently in the pre-production stage for the second season of his radio show, "Black Sunday", which airs on Planet Rock. According to Iommi.com, the new season will kick off on Sunday, September 3. As with season one, Iommi will be featuring a selection of unsigned acts on the show and is very keen to hear some new music. So if you are in a band, send a demo CD, contact details and a bit of background info about yourselves for consideration for the show to: Tony Iommi, PO Box 54373, London W2 7GD. Please do not send fan mail, begging letters, autograph requests or any other nonsense to this address — it will be binned immediately so don't waste your money on the stamps! Iommi does not currently have the facility to accept MP3 files or listen via the web so if you want your music heard, make the effort to burn a CD. New bands that may already have a record deal but are interested in being included on Tony's show are also welcome to send CDs to the above address.

Planet Rock had previously issued the following description of Iommi's program: "Each week, Tony will be joined by colleagues and friends from all walks of life who indulge in a common passion for rock music. He will also share his experiences from over 30 years at the top table of rock's aristocracy, and reveal the stories behind BLACK SABBATH's most famous songs. Tony will also invite unsigned bands to send in their demos and will play his pick on air."

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Otep Shamaya On New Album

Capitol recording group OTEP has entered a New Orleans studio to begin recording their highly anticipated third album. Assisting OTEP in the recording is producer Dave Fortman, known for his work with such bands as MUDVAYNE, EVANESCENCE and SUPERJOINT RITUAL. Along with longtime bassist eViL j, vocalist/songwriter Otep Shamaya is joined in the studio by ex-AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE guitarist Karma Cheema and drummer Brian Wolff (formerly of SYNAPSE). The sessions thus far have seen OTEP fusing the creatively destructive elements from the band's celebrated previous albums — 2002's "Sevas Tra" and 2004's "House of Secrets" — with a startling evolution of both sound and energy, resulting in the band's most blistering collection of songs to date.

"Recording this album has felt like being reborn," says Shamaya. "It's everything I felt from 'Sevas Tra' and everything I experienced during 'House of Secrets'. This album is the best thing we've ever done.”

OTEP kicked off the recordings last month by performing a special Day of Atonement benefit concert at New Orleans' House of Blues. Portions of the proceeds raised by the June 6 show — presented in association with the heavy metal community's philanthropic organization, Slave To The Metal Foundation — were donated to a pair of charitable organizations dedicated to helping rebuild Louisiana communities devastated by last year's Hurricane Katrina disaster. The gig included a rare on-stage visit from producer Fortman, who strapped on a guitar for an electric rendition of VAN HALEN's classic "Eruption".

"It was insane!" declares Otep of the adrenaline-fueled performance. "No one was ready for what we unleashed on them. The crowd was so passionate — the pit was out of control! People were being smashed against the stage, pit bosses were bleeding in the pits, girls were screaming with every ounce of their soul — it was beautiful!"

OTEP's contribution to Unite the United and the Volunteer Center of Southwest Louisiana was specifically earmarked to support bands and crew members currently on the road with the Vans Warped Tour, who recently took a day off to assist in clean-up and rebuilding efforts in Cameron Parish, one of the region's hardest hit areas. In addition, OTEP's donation was matched by both Capitol Records and Slave To The Metal Foundation.

"We couldn't be there in person," Shamaya says, "but working down here in New Orleans we felt it was the least we could do to send some assistance to our friends on the Vans Warped Tour."

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Interview With Willie Adler of Lamb of God

Shehzaad Jiwani of ChartAttack.com recently conducted an interview with LAMB OF GOD guitarist Willie Adler. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On the band's fourth studio album, "Sacrament", which is due out in August:

"I'd expect this to be the best record we've ever done, by far. It's got hints of all the records we've done being encompassed in the sound, and a whole lot more. It's an overall very creepy and dark record.

"We got pretty personal this time around, straying from all the political commentary on the last album, and that's pretty evident on the songs and lyrics.

"The record was produced by Machine, who worked on 'Ashes of the Wake'. We are constantly writing while we're at home, be it Mark [Morton, guitar] or myself bringing in riffs or whole songs. We put our nose to the grindstone and went to work.

"Our work ethic is evident in the songwriting, which, for me personally, is leaps and bounds beyond anything else that we've accomplished in the past. When we're not on the road, we keep a pretty rigorous work schedule, similar to any other job. We practise five times a week, pretty much living and breathing our music."

On the current metal scene:

"Metal seems to be coming around again in 2006. We're lucky and blessed to be playing such an important role. I think that we've taken metal back. A lot of bands probably claimed that moniker in recent years past, but there were only a handful that were actually doing it — SLAYER and MEGADETH, to name a couple. We're just making the metal that we thought was sorely missing from the scene."

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Walls of Jericho Post New Song Online

Walls Of Jericho's new song "And Hope To Die" has been posted online here. The song will appear on the groups upcoming new album "With Devils Amongst Us All", which will arrive in stores on August 22nd via Trustkill.

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Mastodon Adds Video Of New Albums Recordings

Mastodon have launched the first in a series of episodes which chronicle the making of their upcoming new album "Blood Mountain", you can check it out here. A new episode is expected to be posted each Wednesday leading up to the albums September 12th release date through Warner.

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Interview

Interview With Simon Of Lofat

Norfolk, Virginia's thrash specialists Lofat have been causing quite the havoc this year on tour and in the studio. They are set to release their debut full-length album on Brickhouse Records at the start of August, and I for one cannot wait to hear the damage they have done. I decided I wanted to get more of the fat, so I hit up their sexy as all hell and down from the get-up guitar player, Simon, with some new questions. More...

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Downlord's "Grind Trials" EP, Additional Details

OPEN GRAVE RECORDS has released more details in regards to the limited edition DOWNLORD, "Grind Trials" EP to be released on August 15th, 2006. In addition to the previously announced limited edition release of 666 copies, each copy will be individually number with the first 100 pre-ordered copies being signed by each member of DOWNLORD. Additionally numbers 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 & 666 will be signed.

DOWNLORD consists of Dave Ingram (ex-BENEDICTION, BOLT THROWER) on vocals, Donovan Spenceley (ex-SACRIFICIAL, EXCESSIVE PAYBACK) on guitar, Rene Falther (ex-EXCESSIVE PAYBACK, INIQUITY) on guitar, Thomas Fagerlind (ex-INIQUITY, DAEMON) on bass, and are utilizing the talents of original drummer Rasmus Schmidt, who recently stepped in to play with the band during their first live shows in Denmark and Sweden, supporting BOLT THROWER.

The EP track listing is as follows:

01. Loathe. Scorn. Detest.
02. Groin of God +++ Amen & Out +++
03. Hate Brace
04. Full Scale Hatred (previously unreleased)
05. Old World Chaos
06. Turn On, Tune In, Drop Dead (previously unreleased)
07. Nailing You In

The "Grind Trials" EP is only available via the OPEN GRAVE RECORDS website.

DOWNLORD are continuing to work hard on their debut album tentatively titled "Random Dictionary of the Damned", due out late 2006 on OPEN GRAVE RECORDS.

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