Metal News for July 4, 2007
Last updated on October 4, 2025 at 3:07 AM ET
We post metal news every day, throughout the day, covering thousands of metal bands including underground and unsigned bands. You are currently browsing the news archive, but you can also find news by band.
Hot Topics
- Trivium Parts Company With Drummer
- Kreator To Release New Album In January
- Enthroned To Release New Album In December
- Potato Premiere New Single & Music Video "YUGE PP"
- Omnium Gatherum Drops "Walking Ghost Phase" Video
- Messa Shares New Music Video "Reveal"
- Spite Premiere New Single & Music Video
- Carcosa (AngelMaker) Premiere New Single & Video
- Stellar Circuits Premiere New Single & Music Video
- Agnostic Front Premiere New Single & Lyric Video
32 news articles posted on this day.
Burden Of A Day Signs To Rise Records
Rise Records has announced the signing of Florida Christian hardcore/screamo band Burden of a Day. The band is to enter the studio with Joey Sturgis in November for a Spring 2008 full length. You can check out some of Burden of a Day's material on their MySpace page.
As previously reported, Burden of a Day added long-time friend and brother of their other guitarist, Mike Sommers, when former guitarist Bryan Honhart left the band earlier this year.
Family Values 2007 Tour Adds Second Stage
LiveDaily.com reports: A second stage, more bands and a video-game contest have been added to this summer's Family Values Tour.
The festival's fifth installment is set to kick off July 20 with Korn and Evanescence topping the bill and sharing the main stage with Atreyu, Flyleaf, Trivium, and Hell Yeah, the new band comprising Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott and members of Mudvayne and Nothingface.
The second stage, sponsored by RedOctane video game "Guitar Hero," will host five additional bands, including up-and-comers Five Finger Death Punch, Invitro and Twin Method. Between sets, a national "Guitar Hero II" competition will take place on stage, with competitors vying for an autographed Korn guitar, band access passes and a chance to challenge Korn frontman Jonathan Davis to a game after the show.
The 30-city trek starts in Maryland Heights, MO, and makes its way across the US, wrapping in early September with four shows in California. The caravan of rockers is also set to stop in Toronto July 31st. Details are listed below.
As they did last year, organizers will offer $9.99 lawn seats in most cities.
Family Values, which Korn created with its management company in 1998, returned to the stage last summer following a five-year hiatus and saw its most successful run to date.
Korn is scheduled to release its eighth studio album, which won't have a name, on July 31. The set's first single, "Evolution," and a video that documents the making of the song, are streaming at Korn's website.
Here are the latest Family Values 2007 Tour dates: More...
Van Halen Eyeing Fall Arena Tour?
Billboard.com reports: A proposed summer amphitheater tour by a reunited Van Halen that was derailed when guitarist Eddie Van Halen checked into rehab now looks like it may be resurrected as a fall arena run. Several arena holds are in place in major markets for potential Van Halen dates.
The tour would feature David Lee Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen and Eddie Van Halen's teenage son Wolfgang on bass.
Wheels had been in motion for a 40-date, Live Nation-produced amphitheater tour, with original frontman Roth back in the fold for the first time in more than 20 years. Van Halen last toured in 2004 with vocalist Sammy Hagar, grossing nearly $40 million, according to Billboard Boxscore.
But the reunion never got off the ground, and Eddie Van Halen entered a rehabilitation facility for undisclosed reasons in March. In the months since, the artist has been seen publicly looking healthy and fit.
The buzz surrounding the prospect of a Van Halen tour with Roth seems to point toward a successful trek. "I see it absolutely as an inevitability," Roth told Billboard.com more than a year ago regarding a tour with his ex-bandmates. "To me, it's not rocket surgery. It's very simple to put together. And as far as hurt feelings and water under the dam, like what's-her-name says to what's-her-name at the end of the movie 'Chicago' -- 'So what? It's showbiz!'"
RATM To Co-Headline Vegoose Festival, Voodoo Music
Billboard.com reports: Rage Against The Machine will be one of the headliners at the third annual Vegoose Music Festival. The event is set for Oct. 27-28 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas.
Vegoose is produced by Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment, the same team that produces the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tenn. Vegooose producers declined to comment on specific artists booked for this year's show, but did say an official lineup will be announced in mid-July.
"We're very excited about the lineup and thrilled to be bringing Vegoose back to Vegas for a third year," says Superfly president Jonathan Mayers.
The Vegoose appearance will be one of only a handful of live dates for Rage this year. The band played the Coachella festival in Indio, Calif., in April, and is set to play a one-off date at Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, Wis., on Aug. 24 with Queens Of The Stone Age.
A July 28-29 run with the Rock the Bells tour at New York's Randall's Island and an Oct. 27 headlining performance at New Orleans' Voodoo Music Experience are also on tap.
The 2007 Voodoo Music Experience is expanding to three days and will be held Oct. 26-28 at New Orleans' City Park. Wilco, Tiesto, Kings Of Leon, Ben Harper, Fall Out Boy, Common, Sinead O'Connor, Galactic and the Black Crowes are also on the bill. Coheed & Cambria, Plain White T's, Mute Math, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, M.I.A., Paolo Nutini, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Spoon, Porcupine Tree, Circa Survive, Gym Class Heroes, Motion City Soundtrack and La Coka Nostra featuring Everlast and members of House of Pain round out the list.
A limited amount of general admission tickets go on sale June 29. VIP packages will be available July 20 and provide access to a private entrance, closer parking, food and drink and upgraded bathrooms.
Errander Announce Tour Dates, Tour w/ Sanzen
Errander has announced a number of tour date and plans a tour with Sanzen. Here are all of the tour dates so far:
11 July - The Chillingham, Newcastle
20 July - Sawyers, Kettering
UK Tour w/ Sanzen
July 21 The Fenton, Leeds
July 22 Corporation, Sheffield (Sikth Fest, headlining 2nd stage) *
July 24 Bar Monsta, Camden, London
July 25 Met Lounge, Peterborough
July 26 West Bar, Huddersfield
July 27 The Planet, Wolverhampton
July 28 Private Party, Barnsley * (Sanzen @ The Dome, Tufnell Park, London)
July 29 Rock City, Nottingham
July 31 The Priory, Doncaster
August 03 Remedies, Paignton
* Errander only
August 05 - Rock City, Nottingham
August 11 - 1 in 12, Bradford
August 31- The Travellers Rest, Lincoln
September 01 - The Vic Inn, Derby
September 31- Matrix Club, Grimsby
October 05-14 UK tour w/ With Scissors (Brighton)
The guys will also be touring September 14-26, 2007 with a Century Media band to be annouced soon.
Mehida Signs To Napalm Records
MEHIDA, a new band of Mikko Harkin (ex-Sonata Arctica) and Thomas Vikström (Therion, ex-Candlemass) has signed to Napalm Records. Ex-Am I Blood guitarist Jani Stefanovic (ex-Am I Blood) is also involved in the project. "MEHIDA manage an extraordinary feat by converging their progressive roots and technical prowess with strong, memorable vocal lines and first-class songwriting," states the label.
The release of the band's debut album, "Blood & Water" is set for 31.8.2007.
Antimatter and Leafblade To Tour In September
Antimatter and Leafblade, who had been trying to book a tour in August, have moved tour plans back to September. The tour is tentatively set to beging around September 14. If you want to book a little show with these acts, or know someone who would like to do it, drop Aftermath Music a line on their MySpace page.
Adagio Announce More Dates
French progressive metallers ADAGIO have scheduled the following dates:
Aug. 10 - Rades - Amphitheater (Rock in Rades Festival) - Tunisia
Sep. 07 - Estombar-Lagoa - Portugal
Sep. 12 - Tokyo - Club Quattro - Japan (w/ KORPIKLAANI)
Sep. 13 - Nagoya - Club Quattro - Japan (w/ KORPIKLAANI)
Sep. 14 - Osaka - Club Quattro - Japan (w/ KORPIKLAANI)
Oct. 02 - Lyon - Transbordeur - France (w/ KAMELOT)
Oct. 03 - Bordeaux - Rock School Barbey - France (w/ KAMELOT) More...
H.I.M. Singer Talks About Heavier New Album
H.I.M. frontman Ville Valo said in interview that the band's upcoming album, "Venus Doom", is a darker and heavier effort than its previous CD, 2005's "Dark Light". Valo explained, "There's...a lot of SABBATH and old-school METALLICA (in there). I wanted the album to be more aggressive, heavier and more out there."
The new direction also allowed Valo to switch up vocally. "I wanted to sing lower — use my baritone a lot more," he said. "When all those influences come together, it's like, 'I wanna do that [Mark] Lanegan, Leonard Cohen-y type of vibe.'"
Valo added that the disc's tentative first single, "Kiss of Dawn", was inspired by the suicide of one of his best friends. Valo said, "The whole song is a tribute to him. It's also a love song. I love that dude. He was a great friend of mine. We hung out and had great f***ing conversations. It's a celebration of life, rather than death."
H.I.M. will have a chance to see how the new stuff stacks up with METALLICA when they open a few dates in Europe for the metal gods. "It's going to be fun," Valo said. "I grew up with 'Master of Puppets'. For us it's kind of scary to play such big places. Wembley [Stadium] is like 70, 80,000 people. It's a totally new experience."
"Venus Doom" is due out on September 18.
A new H.I.M. track called "Passion's Killing Floor" can be heard on the soundtrack of the movie "Transformers", which arrives in stores on Tuesday (July 3).
Behemoth Frontman Speaks About Ozzfest, Polish Ban
Patrick Douglas of The Culture Shock recently conducted an interview with BEHEMOTH mainman Adam Michal Darski (a.k.a. Nergal). A few excerpts from the chat follow:
The Culture Shock: Tell me what you're feeling right now with the new album set to come out in the U.S. in a couple of weeks and the start of Ozzfest coming up. Do you feel like this will be a huge step in taking over the U.S. in terms of gaining new fans?
Nergal: Yeah, man. It seems like there's no turning back. This is the only option now. (laughs). We're in such a position that we just have to bite the bullet. We have to make it happen right now. With this record, I'm pretty sure that we can definitely launch everything to the next level. Different things have been going around this record. A different excitement. I'm very positive actually, especially after talking to all these journalists and getting first reviews on our MySpace site from activity on the new song, man. I'm nothing but positive. I think it's gonna be totally awesome. In upcoming months, we'll be touring for another six months, so it's gonna be just awesome. Very fruitful. Yeah, awesome period, you know. It's gonna pay off, all the hard work and all the effort that we put into this record.
The Culture Shock: What's your number one goal when you sit down to write an album?
Nergal: To overcome myself. To fuckin' do it better in any possible terms. To do it better than before. Big production and songwriting and lyrics. To be sincere. I wanna be sincere when I write songs. I just talked to this guy a few minutes ago, I'm like I wanna make sure that these words, these lyrics, these songs, these themes mean something, there's a deeper meaning. I have this impression that these days, the whole music genre, not just metal, but metal too, is like everything is about numbers. How many hits on MySpace, how many albums sold, how many fuckin' … how much was the budget? How many people are at the show? Everything is about the numbers and I think that people miss the point and the point is to get into the music. To make this happen, you have to make the music that will intrigue people. I really wanna make sure that BEHEMOTH isn't just about being brutal or whatever. I want to make sure that the fuckin' different factors that will intrigue people and to make this album unique and to make this album last longer than two months. Time shall tell, right?
The Culture Shock: The death metal crowd is very passionate about what their bands are doing and who they're associating with. Was there any kind of hesitation on your part to accept the Ozzfest invite knowing that some die-hard BEHEMOTH fans might look at it as a bad thing? More...
New Motorhead Live Album Available For Streaming
"Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith", a double live CD recorded at MOTÖRHEAD's 30th-anniversary show on June 16, 2005 at London's Hammersmith Appollo/Odeon, is available for streaming in its entirety. Due on July 16 via SPV, the set will be released in digipak form and is available for pre-order from www.play.com.
Here is the "Better Motörhead than Dead: Live at Hammersmith" track listing: More...
Terror Syndrome Set To Release Debut Album
Canadian Prog/Metal act Terror Syndrome have finished recording of their first album Stupidity for All which was professionally recorded at The Amoury Studios (AC/DC, Drowning Pool/Kiss) and Greenhouse Studios (Nickleback/Queenstryche) in 2006/2007 by Shaun Thingvold (worked with Lamb of God , Fear Factory, and Strapping Young Lad) The exact song order for the album has not been decided yet but these will be the songs on the album :
1 - Stupidity for All
2 - Revolving Horror
3 - Thrill Pill
4 - Riot of Red
*Featuring Christofer Malmstrom (Darkane, Non-Human Level) - Lead Guitar
5 - When God Was Sober
6 - Motionless
7 - Rusty Trombone
*Featuring Alex Skolnick (Testament, Alex Skolnick Trio) - Lead Guitar
*Featuring Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantomas) - Bass Guitar
8 - One Crime Closer to Hell
9 - Disposable Empire
*Featuring Byron Stroud (Fear Factory, SYL) - Bass Guitar
10 - For Your Amusement
11 - My Next Victim
12 - Spinning Backwards
*Featuring Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Devin Townsend Band) - Lead Guitar
*Featuring Michael Manring (Attention Deficit, Session Bass God) - Bass guitar
Terror Syndrome started out as a vision for Ryan "RVP" Van Poederooyen (drummer for the Devin Townsend Band) , and quickly became an addiction to compose a new sound and create the ultimate metal band and has several names in the genre guest on their recordings and live performances.
The band is currently negotiating details around release and distribution to settle with a label and will keep us updated as things unfold. Songs from this release are up on the Terror Syndrome website.
Ozzy To Help Taiwan In U.N. Membership Bid
Reuters has posted this report:
After 14 failed attempts at joining the United Nations using media campaigns and presidential appeals, Taiwan is turning to a local Goth-style Rock band backed by Ozzy Osbourne in its quest for membership to the world body.
The band, named CHTHONIC, will travel to at least 80 cities in four countries by the end of the year, supported in part by the Taiwan government, which is providing pro-U.N. literature and a slogan-painted truck.
The band will visit Canada, Germany, Britain and the United States.
CHTHONIC has also recorded a song urging the United Nations to let Taiwan join, even though its bid for membership keeps getting knocked down because of objections from Beijing.
"I'm not for any political party, but I'm for my poor country's joining the United Nations," band lyricist Freddy Lim told reporters on Wednesday at the tour's launch.
Ozzy Osbourne, a satanic-theme rocker known for biting heads off bats on stage, is helping set up 20 of the U.S. gigs, paying some transport costs and letting the Taiwan band promote U.N. membership as it wishes, Lim said. He said the band hooked up with Osbourne through personal connections.
Taiwan's leadership came up with the idea as it prepares to reapply for U.N. membership later this year, the cabinet's news office said on Tuesday.
China blocks self-ruled Taiwan's applications every year because it sees the island as part of its territory and not a separate country. The two sides split after civil war in 1949, and Taiwan left the United Nations in 1971 under Chinese pressure.
Somberlain Announce New Guitarist
Soon to release the new album, Brazilian death metal band Somberlain has announced their new guitarist, Luiz Araújo. Luiz, also a member of Insanity Dawn, has already recorded the guitar solos for the band's upcoming Sick ArtWork album, which should be released in August.
The band will reveal details about the release and the reasons for its delay soon. Meanwhile, Somberlain posted online a video of Luiz playing the solo of 'Elements From Within', one of the new songs. The video, as well as the band's virtual single 'Would You?' are available on their MySpace page.
The Haunted To Tour, Appear At New Club Opening
Sweden's The Haunted check in with the following:
"The Haunted are confirmed as headliner at the grand opening for the new rock club WishBar in Gothenburg, Sweden."
The above mentioned performance is scheduled for August 1st at Wishbar in Gothenburg, Sweden. The band will also appear at the following dates:
July 7, 2007 - Battle of Metal Festival, Gieselwind, DE
July 14, 2007 - Kaltenbach Open Air, Austria
July 21, 2007 - Metal Healing, Greece
July 28, 2007 - Qstock Festival, Oulu, Finland
August 01, 2007 - WISHBAR, Gothenburg, Sweden (New)
August 04, 2007 - Fredericia Hardcore Fest, Fredericia, Denmark
August 25, 2007 - Metal Day Free Fest, Italy
September 7, 2007 - Klubb Kaliber, Mariestad, Sweden
September 8, 2007 - Club Maiden, Oslo, Norway
September 28, 2007 - Club Tochka, Moscow, Russia (New)
September 29, 2007 - Club Port, St Petersburg, Russia (New)
Soulfly Drummer Checks In
SOULFLY drummer Joe Nunez has sent along this update from Chicago, where he is working, playing, resting, and preparing for the band's next album:
"This summer I've been working construction and rehearsing with my side project SLAMPEDE. Our new singer/guitar player, Kevin Kowalski, is the latest addition to our band and we've been shredding ever since. We will be looking forward to playing live in the near future and updating our myspace/websites later this year! You can check out some music from our last album, 'The Revolution', at www.myspace.com/slampede. I've also been breaking in my new Gen-X drums by Premier, and I'm loving it. I've really been hitting it hard and practicing for the new SOULFLY record! Hopefully, we'll be out on the road again and then recording soon."
In other news, SOULFLY has just scheduled the date for the 11th annual D-Low Memorial Festival. On August 31, after SOULFLY returns from its short tour of Western Europe, they will perform alongside several other as-of-yet-unannounced very special guests at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, AZ. This will be SOULFLY's only U.S. show before they begin tracking their next album in September. The D-Low Memorial Festival is a special event every year; in recent years, the show has been filmed for "The Song Remains Insane" DVD release, and last year Igor Cavalera joined SOULFLY on stage for the first time ever — reuniting Max Cavalera and his brother to make music again. There's no telling what's in store for this year's festival, but it promises to be brutal. Check out luckymanonline.com to purchase tickets for the show.
SOULFLY entered a Los Angeles studio in March with producer Logan Mader (ex-MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY) to record a cover of the MARILYN MANSON song "Beautiful People" for the recently released Kerrang! magazine compilation Higher Voltage".
Testament Members Comment On Nuclear Blast Deal
TESTAMENT members Chuck Billy (vocals) and Eric Peterson (guitar) have commented on their new deal with Nuclear Blast Records.
"We are very happy that we are signed to one of the best metal labels in the world. It's a great feeling that we are in a house that will not crumble," said Billy.
"This is going to be our best record to date, and it will be the essence of what TESTAMENT is," added Peterson. "Nuclear Blast is the perfect label for us. They eat, breathe and sleep, metal. I am excited also because a lot of my favorite bands are on Nuclear Blast, giving us the opportunity to be labelmates with them. Finally we are coming home!"
The group will enter the studio late summer/early fall to record its long-awaited new album for a March 2008 release.
Original TESTAMENT members Alex Skolnick (guitar), Billy, Greg Christian (bass), and Peterson, along with new drummer Nick Barker (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH), have finished writing more eight or nine songs for the group's long-awaited follow-up to 1999's "The Gathering".
In a recent interview with RockConfidential.com, Billy stated about the new TESTAMENT material, "The music is very heavy but it's very catchy. Eric's got some really catchy riffs. The vocals are real melodic with some catchy hooks. It's really heavy. It's something new. Nick, coming from a black metal background, is adding that spark that we needed. It's a fresh breath of life to our writing. In the past couple of years we've written some songs but they weren't up to par with 'The Gathering'. Those songs just went in the trash. We just started over when Nick came into the picture. We're on a roll and the songs are turning out really good. . . [Lyrically] it's gonna be covering a lot of stuff, things we've experienced in life. Especially my illness, the cancer, and what I went through. I had some healing sessions and did a lot of sweat lodges with some indians and medicine men. I'm sure I'll be talking about my experiences with the medicine men. My father and Eric's father both passed away within the past couple of years. The war in Iraq. We'll be talking about those issues. It's things that people deal with in everyday life. We've gone away from the cliche gloom-and-doom lyrics, the typical heavy metal lyrics."
TESTAMENT parted ways with Spitfire Records earlier in the year (the Spitfire Records catalog was acquired last summer by Redux Records, the company formerly known as Sheridan Square Entertainment).
Spitfire released a TESTAMENT compilation, "The Spitfire Collection", in February. Consisting of tracks from such Spitfire titles as "The Gathering", "Demonic", "Live at the Fillmore", "First Strike Still Deadly" and "Live in London", the 14-track set chronicles an era that ultimately saw the original TESTAMENT reunite for a successful 2005 tour.
Sharon Osbourne Says She Grew Up Around Violence
According to The Sun Online, Sharon Osbourne has revealed she took a poo on a gift her dad received when she was a child!
She was taking her revenge on him for having an affair, she says.
"My father's mistress bought him a really ugly monkey statue once. When I found out he was having an affair with her I felt betrayed. I felt so stupid," she said. "This man that I thought was such an honest, good man was a fake. So I got this stupid concrete monkey and did a s**t on it. I was laughing. I was laughing so much that I p****d on it too. Then I cried. I left it there for him as a statement, I suppose," she told Dr. Pamela Connolly on the U.K. TV show "Shrink Rap".
And Sharon explained that her relationship with music manager dad Don Arden — who looked after SMALL FACES, ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA and Ozzy's BLACK SABBATH — was often rocky.
"I was surrounded by violent people, violent talk, violent behavior, so there was nothing unusual seeing my dad threatening someone, or brandishing a firearm. It seemed normal. I thought everybody was like this. It was part of our lives," she said.
"My father really had a temper. He had a voice which would echo through the entire house. A couple of times he would whack me and he used to yank my hair."
But she added that it did not seem that uncommon to her.
"I wouldn't say I was abused and beaten; in those days it was a normal thing."
And Sharon also explained that her dad devised some cruel punishments for her.
"I was in awe of him. I always wanted to please him. To do that I always had to do as he said. As punishment, my dad used to lock me in the unlit coal cupboard in the basement. I still panic in confined spaces to this day. I won't go on the underground. I hate packed trains."
Guitar Hero Encore Song List Revealed
The complete list of songs has been revealed for Activision's special 1980s-themed Guitar Hero title, dubbed Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s. The game will ship for the PlayStation 2 on July 24.
According to Gamespot, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s is rated T for Teen and will be the last game in the series from original developers Harmonix. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater developer Neversoft is taking over the franchise beginning with Guitar Hero III, while Harmonix is preparing rival rhythm game Rock Band. Both titles are set for release later this year for multiple platforms.
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s tracks:
"Caught in a Mosh" (as made famous by ANTHRAX)
"Balls to the Wall" (as made famous by ACCEPT)
"Electric Eye" (by JUDAS PRIEST)
"Los Angeles" (as made famous by X)
"Police Truck" (as made famous by DEAD KENNEDYS)
"We Got the Beat" (as made famous by THE GO GO'S)
"(I Think I'm) Turning Japanese" (as made famous by VAPORS)
"Seventeen" (as made famous by WINGER)
"Because, it's Midnite" (by LIMOZEEN)
"Hold On Loosely" (as made famous by .38 SPECIAL)
"No One Like You" (as made famous by SCORPIONS)
"Only a Lad" (as made famous by OINGO BOINGO)
"Ballroom Blitz" (as made famous by KROKUS)
"The Warrior" (by SCANDAL)
"What I Like About You" (as made famous by THE ROMANTICS)
"Wrath Child" (as made famous by IRON MAIDEN)
"I Wanna Rock" (by TWISTED SISTER)
"I Ran" (by FLOCK OF SEAGULLS)
"Round and Round" (as made famous by RATT)
"Metal Health" (as made famous by QUIET RIOT)
"Holy Diver" (as made famous by DIO)
"Heat Of The Moment" (as made famous by ASIA)
"Radar Love" (as made famous by WHITE LION)
"18 and Life" (as made famous by SKID ROW)
"Bathroom Wall" (as made famous by FASTER PUSSYCAT)
"Lonely is the Night" (as made famous by BILLY SQUIER)
"Nothing But a Good Time" (as made famous by POISON)
"Play With Me" (as made famous by EXTREME)
"Shaken" (as made famous by EDDIE MONEY)
"Synchronicity II" (as made famous by THE POLICE)
Fireball Ministry Member Offers Guitar Tips
FPE-TV has posted a 40-second clip of FIREBALL MINISTRY frontman Rev. James A. Rota II offering tips on guitar tone. Watch the video at http://one.revver.com/watch/320279/flv
FIREBALL MINISTRY's 2005 release, "Their Rock Is Not Our Rock", featured the single "Sundown", which received regular airplay on MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball" and was performed live on NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly". The band is currently writing material for the follow-up effort, which is "coming along great," according to Rota. "It's going to be a bit different than our last three. We've definately decided to take the band to some new territory, but it's definitely FIREBALL MINISTRY."
Guns N' Roses Supported By Local Band In Japan
Japanese promoter Creativeman has announced that the opening act for all five of GUNS N' ROSES' upcoming Japanese dates will be a local band called MUCC.
MUCC (sometimes referred to as 69, which is pronounced "muku" in Japanese) is a Japanese rock band formed in 1997. Supposedly named after a character from the Japanese children's program "Ponkickies", the band has, as of 2007, released seven studio albums, along with several live albums, EPs, singles and DVDs, some of which were also released in Europe.
GUNS N' ROSES / MUCC tour dates:
July 14 - Chiba, Japan - Makuhari Messe
July 15 - Chiba, Japan - Makuhari Messe
July 17 - Nagoya, Japan - Nippon Gaishi Hall
July 18 - Tokyo, Japan - Nippon Budokan
July 21 - Osaka, Japan - Intex Osaka
Amen's Self Titled LP To Be Re-Released
Metal Mind Productions will re-release AMEN's self-titled LP (1999) in a new digipack edition on golden disc, digitally remastered using 24-bit technology and limited to a hand-numbered 2,000 copies. The new edition of the album includes four bonus tracks taken from the "Coma America" single and is schedule for release on August 6 in Europe and September 3 in the U.S. (via MVD).
"Amen" bonus tracks:
01. Whores of Hollywood
02. Lovers are Killers
03. Life Crime
04. Black God
Former Korn Guitarist Regrets Punching His Wife
Drew Philp of The Bakersfield Californian recently conducted an interview with former KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. A few excerpts from the chat follow:
The Bakersfield Californian: On the record, there has been some animosity between you and KORN, but in the book you say that it has all blown over. Do you have any plans to meet with them and how are the feelings between you and the rest of KORN now?
Welch: I have no plans to meet with them. I'd just like to see them one day, but the time's not right. I haven't seen them in a couple of years. The last time I spoke with them there was a little bit of weirdness and I apologized. I did and said some stupid stuff and I meant being sorry, but the bitterness is gone on my end.
The Bakersfield Californian: What would you say to them if you could talk to them right now?
Welch: I love you guys.
The Bakersfield Californian: You describe a lot of hard partying and drug use, specifically methamphetamine abuse, in [your new] book ["Save Me From Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story"]. Drug use is no surprise in the hard rock world, but was the partying you did with KORN excessive even by those standards?
Welch: We went at it. It seemed that everybody did. Some bands we provoked to party, like INCUBUS. Fieldy (a former band mate) got the guitar player to drink for the first time in his life. We saw them after that and they were drinking all the time.
The Bakersfield Californian: Are you certain you will never do drugs again?
Welch: You could put me in a room with anything: pills, beer, meth, and I wouldn't touch any of it. I'm totally set free and I will never do drugs again.
The Bakersfield Californian: What was the highlight of your career?
Welch: The Woodstock ('99) show. It was just chaos. Insane. Afterwards we were all hugging, even David and Fieldy (two band members whom Welch describes as not getting along.) It was also the lowest point in my life. I got home and got in a fight with my wife (which Welch describes in detail in the book). Both the highest and lowest points in my life happened in one weekend.
The Bakersfield Californian: Do you have any regrets?
Welch: I'm not proud about everything, but I'm glad about the road I went down. I wouldn't be able to touch people like I can now. But I regret punching my wife.
The Bakersfield Californian: Your parents still live in Bakersfield. How do they feel about your career and your new book?
Welch: They're proud of me standing up for what I believe in. They started going to church and ended up getting involved with Christianity. My dad was hurt by different things (written in the book) and they didn't know what happened with all of the drugs and my girlfriend, but they got over it and they are proud. Overall they were great parents.
Read the entire interview at www.bakersfield.com.
Mastodon And Hatebreed Members To Be On Tinitus
MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor, HATEBREED vocalist Jamey Jasta and NEUROSIS vocalist and founder Scott Kelly will be interviewed on this week's "Tinitus" radio show, airing tonight (Wednesday, July 4) between 20.00 CET (8:00 p.m.) and 22.00 CET (10:00 p.m.) on Norway's P3.
"Tinitus" is Norway's most popular metal show with an average of over 60,000 listeners per week (1.5 percent of the country's population!).
To tune into P3 via the Internet, follow the instructions that are posted on the "Tinitus" MySpace page at www.myspace.com/tinitus_norway
Korn Members Discuss EMI Deal
KORN Members Discuss Innovative EMI Deal - July 4, 2007
KORN will officially complete its innovative two-album deal with EMI/Virgin Records with the July 31 release of the band's eighth studio effort, "Untitled". The band signed with the label in 2005 and was given a $25 million advance in exchange for EMI/Virgin obtaining a 30 percent stake in KORN's merchandise and touring revenue, areas previously off-limits to record companies.
In the latest issue of Billboard magazine, KORN frontman Jonathan Davis offers more details about the record deal.
"This is the only way I can explain it," Davis says. "Epic: 'Here's your money. Make a record and we'll put it out.' Virgin: 'Here's the money, make your record, put it out, and we're going to help you booking tours, and we're going to make sure this shit is in the record stores when you come through, and we're going to make sure that this is here and this is there and that and that.'"
The numbers seem to be working out in all partners' favor so far. Davis says roughly $10 million of the EMI money was structured in the form of a traditional album advance, leaving EMI's 30% buy-in valued at about $15 million. So for EMI to recoup their investment on the deal, Billboard estimates that KORN needs to generate in excess of $50 million in profits during the five-year life span of the pact.
To date, Billboard projects it has generated around $15 million on the sales of "See You on the Other Side" (based on worldwide sales of about 2 million units and estimating a net of about $7.75 per album after manufacturing and distribution costs, based on an $11.45 wholesale price).
The band has also pulled an estimated $4 million after fees from additional sales of digital downloads, ringtones and the "Unplugged" album. On top of that it has netted a projected $7 million-plus after expenses in touring-related revenue from the 2006 Family Values Tour and a 20-date U.S. theatre tour and selected European dates that grossed more than $11 million in box-office receipts.
Tour sponsorships and merch pulled in another estimated $2.2 million. That leaves the band still needing to earn another $20 million-$30 million in profits by 2010.
If its next album repeats the sales of the last (2 million units worldwide), and the band posts numbers on the road similar to 2006 (50 dates grossing around $11 million), it should come close to break-even by the end of this new album cycle. That's before any additional nontouring/non-CD revenue is factored in.
Read the entire article at www.kornspace.com.
Type O Negative Frontman Fan Of Hitler And Stalin?
TYPE O NEGATIVE frontman Peter Steele recently spoke with the Artisan News Service about touring Europe and the split with the Roadrunner label. Watch the three-minute clip at YouTube. More...
Kerry King Does Absinthe To Understand Manson
Kerry King does absinthe to understand co-headliner
Peter Atkinson of KNAC.COM recently conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King. A few excerpts from the chat follow:
KNAC.COM: Are you looking forward to the tour with Manson or is this one of those deals where it's like, "What might we be getting ourselves into?"
King: I was kind of like that, but we met Manson before we came out here and we did the Revolver shoot and interview and since then we played a festival together and I took one of those rare opportunities, I don't usually drink before we go on, but I went over and did a shot of absinthe with him. And then I got a better vibe about him. It's more like I think he knows what he's gotten himself into — and I don't say that in a disrespectful manner — but let's face it, he could come out and play music that just makes everybody leave, at least everyone who came to see us, or he can play music that they are into as well. And I kinda got the vibe that that's what he was going to do. That's the wild card, so we'll just see.
KNAC.COM: He very well could come out dressed like a chick and play a lot of his mellower newer stuff?
King: That he could. He's definitely an unpredictable guy and who knows what his mindset's gonna be when the tour's ready to start. I guess we won't know for sure 'til opening night. If that's the way he ends up going, it could be a pretty brutal few weeks. But, again, that's not the impression I had after we'd met up.
KNAC.COM: If you guys had teamed up during his "Antichrist Superstar" phase, that really would have been something to see.
King: That would have been the tour of tours, for sure. I threw out a request to him when we did the interview and he said he was gonna do some of it, so we'll see what happens.
KNAC.COM: You mentioned how your fans might react to Manson, do you remember the last time any of your warm-up bands really got the "Slay-er, Slay-er" treatment.
King: I honestly don't know because I can't go out and watch people as much as I used to because I'll either be doing press or warming up. That's a tough one, I don't have an answer for you. I think bands know they've got their work cut out for them when they tour with us and that they better bring their A-game. Maybe that's been working for them, because I haven't noticed anyone really getting brutalized by our fans in a while.
Stuck Mojo Reveal New Website
Rap metal pioneers Stuck Mojo have created a new website which is available at
http://www.StuckMojo.us
It also features the new music video for the track "I'm American" off of the Southern Born Killers CD. Plus, the debut edition of the new Mojo Mindset podcast is there to check out as well.
There are some other little nuggets like Rich's memories from the recording of "Snappin' Necks" in the Discography. This will be a regular feature.
Photos of the music video shoot for "I'm American" have also been added to the Stuck Mojo Official MySpace and can be found in the picture section.
Finally, the long out-of-print DVD "Inside the Monster - The Evilution of Stuck Mojo Vol. I" is available once again for purchase. You'll find it on the merch page.
They're still filling out some of the information and other things at the moment
Geoff Tate Talks About Heaven And Hell Tour
Deb Rao of Glam-Metal.com recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:
Glam-Metal.com: QUEENSRŸCHE will be opening for HEAVEN AND HELL and ALICE COOPER in September. Are you excited about the tour?
Geoff: Well, we are very excited to be part of it. We pretty much dropped everything we were planning on doing at that point in time so we could be part of the tour. It is monumental for us. We were all very influenced by that BLACK SABBATH line-up. That particular line-up for me is some of the most influential rock music. I can't wait to see it live. I haven't seen the show yet. I am very excited about ALICE COOPER. ALICE COOPER was the first rock show; I ever saw when I was a kid. I saw the "Billion Dollar Babies" tour in 1973. I thought that was all rock shows were supposed to be like. (Laughter) I think it very much influenced my ideas of staging and production. Because of that. So we are every excited on different levels to be part of it.
Glam-Metal.com: Tell me a little bit about the tour. How big a stage show will QUEENSRŸCHE be bringing out with them?
Geoff: First of all, we are opening for the two bands, ALICE and HEAVEN AND HELL. So, no we will have a very sparse set-up production-wise. We are pulling from all of our different records for this tour. We are going to be playing different sets every night. Different set ups, so we kind of rotate some of our songs around. So fans that come to multiple shows can see a different show and a different set from us.
Glam-Metal.com: Now you also are going to be having another new product out in August called, "Sign of the Times: The Best of Queensrÿche" (CD and Deluxe CD Collector's Edition) on Capitol/EMI this August. Tell me a little bit about this compilation.
Geoff: That is kind of a very unique best of collection that EMI has put together. What they did is they took different versions of some of our well-known songs and included them on this compilation. Also included our demo, renditions of these popular songs and other popular songs that we've done. There is some unreleased material on it. Our former guitar player Chris Degarmo contributed and gave us a unreleased track that was something that we wrote and didn’t quite finish and had written years ago. We are including that in this collection, as well. I was in a band before QUEENSRŸCHE, it was called MYTH. We had written quite a few songs together. When I joined QUEENSRŸCHE, I brought those lyrics and melodies from those songs and make them into QUEENSRŸCHE songs. So songs like "Take Hold of the Flame" and "No Sanctuary" are done with a whole different band playing them and me singing them. So that is kind of a unique thing, as well.
Glam-Metal.com: How do you feel about the music industry today? Do you feel that there is a whole new generation of fans discovering the band for the first time?
Geoff: Yes, most definitely. We have age ranges from 15 to 45. It is pretty amazing. Our fans have had children. Those children have come to the shows and they bring their friends. It is a whole new thing, in some respect. In fact, I was talking to a group of young people backstage one night after the show and I said, "What brings you to the show?" They said you guys are legends. We really wanted to see you before you are all dead. (Laughter)
Glam-Metal.com: Now you have a great family, which includes five girls. Have any of them followed down your path, and chosen a career in music or acting?
Geoff: No, well maybe my youngest one, Emily, who is ten, might be a musician or actress. She is very talented. She really has a wonderful voice, very strong and big. I think she has the potential to do that. She is in a very sophisticated ballet company, since she was a kid. She loves being onstage.
Glam-Metal.com: Also you appeared on some of the "Metal Mania" releases including the current "Metal Mania Stripped Volume 3". How do you feel about the acoustic versions of the songs? I think a good song starts with the acoustic guitar and vocal. Do you agree?
Geoff: Yes, that is the basic for a song right there, the chord changes and the melody. I really love doing acoustic renditions of songs. I love stripping things down to a real basic form. It is very satisfying. Also playing acoustically, it is very different than playing with the band. In that I can hear it myself, so damn well. I love hearing the intricacies of what s going on musically. Sometimes when you get volume involved, and big distorted guitars it kind of steps on a lot of the subtleties that are going on within the music.
Glam-Metal.com: Geoff, you have had such an extensive career. What are you most proud of? Is it the completion of "Operation: Mindcrime 2"?
Geoff: I am happy every day, I wake up. It is a wonderful life. It is a wonderful career. I play music with people I really love. We are very lucky to be still doing this. But also on the other hand, luck has something to do with it, but it is a lot of hard work. It takes a lot of energy and focus to get everybody together on the same page and write a record. It is hard to put together the promotion for the record and get out there and support it on the tour. It is a lifestyle that you have to dedicate yourself to.
Read the entire interview at Glam-Metal.com.
Velvet Revolver And AIC Announce More Tour Dates
VELVET REVOLVER and ALICE IN CHAINS will team up for a North American tour beginning early August. Confirmed dates so far are as follows:
Aug. 05 - Baltimore, MD, Pimlico Race Course
Aug. 06 - Verona, NY, Turning Stone Resort & Casino
Aug. 08 - Sturgis, SD, Buffalo Chip Campground
Aug. 11 - Montreal, QC, Bell Centre
Aug. 12 - Toronto, ON, Molson Amphitheatre
Aug. 14 - Mansfield, MA, Tweeter Center
Aug. 16 - Darien, NY, Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
Aug. 17 - Holmdel, NJ, PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 18 - Wantagh, NY, Nikon at Jones Beach
Aug. 20 - Camden, NJ, Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
Aug. 21 - Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena
Aug. 23 - Saratoga, NY, Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug. 24 - Scranton, PA, Toyota Pavilion
Aug. 25 - Atlantic City, NJ, Borgata Hotel and Casino
Aug. 27 - Clarkston, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug. 28 - Tinley Park, IL, First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Aug. 29 - St. Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center
Sep. 08 - Vancouver, BC, Pacific Coliseum
Sep. 11 - Santa Barbara, CA, Santa Barbara Bowl
Sep. 12 - Fresno, CA, Selland Arena
Sep. 14 - Concord, CA, Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
Sep. 15 - Marysville, CA, Sleep Train Amphitheatre
Sep. 16 - Chula Vista, CA, Coors Amphitheatre
Sep. 18 - Phoenix, AZ, Cricket Pavilion
Sep. 20 - Irvine, CA, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
Sep. 21 - Las Vegas, NV, Mandalay Bay Events Center
Sep. 22 - Tucson, AZ, Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
Sep. 24 - Englewood, CO, Coors Amphitheatre
Sep. 25 - Albuquerque, NM, Journal Pavilion
Sep. 27 - Dallas, TX, Smirnoff Music Centre
Sep. 28 - Spring, TX, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
Oct. 02 - Pelham, AL, Verizon Wireless Music Center
Oct. 03 - Atlanta, GA, HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
Oct. 05 - Mobile, AL, Bayfest
Oct. 06 - Tampa, FL, Ford Amphitheatre
Oct. 07 - W. Palm Beach, FL, Sound Advice Amphitheater
Oct. 09 - Southaven, MS, Snowden Grove Park
Professionally filmed video footage of VELVET REVOLVER performing at the Download festival on June 8, 2007 at Donington Park, Leicestershire, England is available for viewing at YouTube.
An eight-minute video interview with VELVET REVOLVER frontman Scott Weiland and drummer Matt Sorum, which aired on June 6 on Canada's "The Hour", is available for viewing at this location.
ALICE IN CHAINS is writing songs for its first new studio album in 12 years, according to a source close to the band. A person named "the Baldy," who says his job is "to travel the world with ALICE IN CHAINS and send photos, videos and blog entries back to (the webmasters) at AliceInChains.com," recently provided this update: "I've been (in Los Angeles) for five days, sat through three rehearsals and one demo recording session, listened to several other demos, and I can happily report that the new stuff is kicking my ass right out of my pants." There is no word on whether William DuVall, who sang with the group on last year's reunion tour, is also handing vocals for the new material, and there's also no official info on when an album might be released.
Guitarist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez reunited in 2005 at a tsunami benefit in Seattle before heading out last year on full European and North American tours with DuVall singing.
Cantrell told Launch last year that while new music wasn't out of the question, the band wasn't ready to commit to anything. "It's gonna be cool to see what happens," he said. "I'm just really excited about the possibilities, 'cause there's a lot of possibilities open. And that's a pretty cool place to start and it's a good place to just leave it there, rather than just making a bunch of claims of what we're gonna do and not living up to them (laughs)."
ALICE IN CHAINS performed at the second annual "VH1 Rock Honors", which was taped on May 12 in Las Vegas. This year's show honored OZZY OSBOURNE, HEART, GENESIS and ZZ TOP, with performances and tributes from QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, NICKELBACK, KEANE and others.
Rob Zombie Defends Filming New Halloween Scenes
Rob Zombie has commented on the reports that he has quietly gone about shooting new material for his upcoming remake of the horror classic "Halloween", including a brand new ending for the film. According to Bloody-Disgusting.com, Zombie spent a week shooting additional scenes of "violence, gore and bloodshed," including six new death sequences and the new finale, which was described as "quite gruesome." Sources told Launch that the additional scenes were shot as a result of audience response to a test screening of the film's initial cut that was held last month.
Said Zombie: "Dimension [Films] let me go film a couple new things that I thought the film needed and that's what I did. This is a good thing, so don't go worrying that something has gone wrong. The film still opens August 31 and kicks total ass. 'Nuff said."
"Halloween" is Zombie's third effort as a screenwriter and feature director.
Zombie was rumored to be touring this fall as special guest of BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN AND HELL, but that slot has been taken by ALICE COOPER.
Zombie is preparing a live album for release in August and is also said to be working on a box set from his previous band, WHITE ZOMBIE.
Gary Holt Talks About New Exodus Album
Veteran San Francisco Bay Area metallers EXODUS entered Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California on June 10 with producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY) to begin recording their new album for a late 2007 release via Nuclear Blast Records.
EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt has issued the following update: "Sorry about the total lack of communication, but I've been staying in the Bay Area at my parents' house (I live three hours north nowadays) and have had no Internet, nor the time since we have been locked away with Mr. Sneap for up to 14 hours a day, just killing ourselves. But all that's left are Lee's [Altus] solos and then the mix and it's finished. And I know you hear this shit all the time, which is why I've stay pretty silent through all this, but this record is like nothing you've ever heard. A genre-defining record, a career-defining record — simply put, the baddest fucking slab of metal recorded in years. Epic, crushing, huge in scope, and at times brutally simple, and at time massively complex. I am sooo stoked! You can't wipe the smile off of my face when I am listening to it. Proudest moment, for sure. Solos are off the hook, Lee is adding a ton more shred as I am typing this, Tom [Hunting] raised the bar on drumming in general, Jack's [Gibson] bass is a jack hammer, and Duke's [singer Rob Dukes] just kills it like never before. Can you tell I'm a bit excited about this one? No if only it will fit on one disc, we are off and running! Song titles coming soon. I have to have some secrets."
Vocalist Rob Dukes added: "Just got home (New York) after being in Cali for two months... Everyone — Gary, Jack and Lee — killed. I'm so glad Tom [Hunting, drums] is back and playing in my opinion better than ever. He defintely schooled motherfuckers in the thrash drumming department. He just killed. Working with Andy Sneap was rad. I don't want to say too much and sound like everybody else about how heavy the new record is; I'll let it speak for itself when it comes out and kicks your fucking face in... I'm so stoked to be a part of it; it's the coolest thing I have ever done in this life..."
As previously reported, EXODUS has scheduled the following dates during August:
Aug. 04 - San Marcos, CA @ The Jumping Turtle
Aug. 05 - Mexicali, Mexico @ El Jardin Sllencio Extreme
Aug. 06 - Modesto, CA @ Fat Cat Music house
Aug. 07 - West Hollywood, CA @ Whiskey A Go Go
Aug. 08 - Corona, CA @ Showcase Theater
Aug. 09 - Fresno, CA @ Belmont
Aug. 10 - San Jose, CA @ Blank Club
Tickets for the above dates are available through EnterTheVault.com and all normal ticketing outlets.
Gary Holt has just released his first-ever instructional DVD, "A Lesson in Guitar Violence", through Zaentz. The disc, which contains never-before-seen live footage from 1985 at the Dynamo Club in Holland, can be ordered at The Exodus Store.
Holt previously stated about the DVD, "I am planning on focusing on rhythm technique, some lead chops, and going over the correct way to play some of the EXODUS riffs. I feel there are enough straight shred things out there, so I want to do something as bit differrent. And of course I will make it funny as hell!"
Zaentz Records is the new label formed by Steven Warner (EXODUS' manager) and partner Jonnie Zaentz (son of Saul Zaentz, Fantasy Records co-founder). Zaentz is an independent artist-friendly upstart label that features an in-house, state-of-the-art recording facility.
Navigate forward or backward through each day of news below: