Archive: Headline News
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Guitar Pioneer Link Wray Dies at 76
Reuters reports that musician Link Wray, best-known for his 1958 instrumental single "Rumble," died of unspecified causes November 5 in Copenhagen. He was 76. In a career that spanned six decades, Wray made his mark with a piercing guitar sound that paved the way for punk and heavy metal. He is credited with inventing the power chord and pioneering distortion by deliberately punching holes in his amplifier.
His music has appeared in such movies as "Pulp Fiction," "Independence Day" and "Desperado." Wray is said to have inspired Pete Townshend, Bruce Springsteen, "Little" Steven Van Zandt and other well-known artists. In 2002, Wray was named one of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time by Guitar World magazine. He gave his last performance in Los Angeles in July. He is survived by his wife and son.
Read the full article at Reuters.
Rebellion Guitarist Calls It Quits
Bjoern Eilen, guitar-player/songwriter and founding member of REBELLION has quit the band in the interest of persuing other musical challenges in metal and hard rock. Eilen is currently working in his studio in Osnabrueck, Germany, to finish an album influenced by female fronted multisellers like EVANESCENCE and NIGHTWISH. Female singers who are interested in working on the project should send an e-mail to: bjoern@wow-music.de.
Hirax At The End Of The Road?
California thrashers HIRAX have cancelled their previously announced Japanese tour following the apparent departure of Glenn Rogers (lead guitars), Angelo Espino (bass), Dave Chedrick (drums) and Dave Watson (lead guitars).
"Our deepest regrets that the Japan tour is cancelled," Glenn said in a statement. "We were all ready to go. But Katon [W. De Pena, vocals] wanted to commit career suicide. He does not know how to keep his obligations."
The affected dates are as follows:
Nov. 23 - Urbam Square - Kobe, JAPAN
Nov. 24 - Nanba Rockets - Osaka, JAPAN
Nov. 25 - Club Chaos - Yokkaichi, JAPAN
Nov. 26 - Taurus - Nagoya, JAPAN
Nov. 27 - Sanctuary - Tokyo, JAPAN
Burnt by the Sun To Reunite For Final Album
Burnt by the Sun's original line-up, including recently departed vocalist Mike Olender and drummer Dave Witte, will be reuniting (along with new guitarist Nick Hale) to write a final album for Relapse Records in 2006. After over a year of patting back and forth on the prospects for a reunion, the band has decided to work around conflicting schedules, careers and family obligations to write another record.
"After hearing the new material and thinking about what could be done, the feelings of leaving something unfinished made themselves very present and also re-confirmed the lost connection between us, said Witte. “I am happy that we have grown in the time that has past and will be able to finish what we started."
With Witte now based in Richmond and constantly on tour with Municipal Waste and Melt Banana, and Olender having limiting career obligations and commitments to Nora and For the Love Of, the band is going to do what it takes to satisfy its needs for a final record.
Fans can expect a conceptual continuation of the last record but much heavier music, in the spirit of the older material. "Frankly, the new material knocked me out," added Olender. "It is layered, dark and very heavy. It is music that speaks of the times we’re in."
Recording is expected in 2006. So far, one new track, "Tacolypse Now", has been written. The record will also feature a re-recorded track from the split ep with Luddite Clone.
Matt Bayles will once again be producing the band.
Beyond The Embrace Part Ways With Drummer
New Bedford, Massachusetts-based sextet BEYOND THE EMBRACE have parted ways with longtime friend and drummer Kevin Camille. The band will be auditioning drummers throughout November. If you live in the New Bedford, MA area and are interested in auditioning, please send a recording of your playing to:
Beyond the Embrace
P.O. Box 40544
New Bedford, MA 02744
Or e-mail MP3s to mail@beyondtheembrace.com.
"We are hoping to find a new drummer by the end of the year so that we can resume the songwriting process," the band write in a press release. "We are also currently working on some touring plans for February 2006. More info on that will be available soon."
DragonForce Forced to Cancel US Show
Taken from DragonForce's official website:
Due to unforeseen circumstances DragonForce will not be able to gain entry to the US this time around to play the show at CBGB's on November 22nd. The band are as stunned by this news as their fans who have waited a long time to see them will be. The band have vowed that they will be back however and sincerely apologise for this disappointment, which was entirely beyond their control.
DragonForce are still scheduled to play the Quebec International Metal Fest in Canada on November 20th.
Mortician Vocalist Arrested In Poland
According to an article in the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza, MORTICIAN vocalist/bassist Will Rahmer was arrested by the Polish police after threatening a taxi driver with a knife and stealing a taxi cab following the group's performance in the Polish city of Zielona Gora on Sunday (Nov. 13).
Rahmer reportedly called a cab after MORTICIAN's concert in Zielona Gora (which the other MORTICIAN members performed without Rahmer) and requested to be taken to the Berlin airport so that he could fly back to the United States. He allegedly went berserk in the car and threatened to stab the driver of the cab with a small knife. The taxi driver escaped and called the police. In the meantime, Will stole the car and drove himself to the Polish/German border crossing in Swiecko where he was subsequently picked up by the authorities.
According to the report, Rahmer was placed under arrest and is being held on several charges which carry a maximum penalty of 3 to 15 years.
To view the original Gazeta Wyborcza article (in Polish), click here.
MORTICIAN were in the middle of a European tour with BLOOD RED THRONE and AKERCOCKE when the incident took place. The group are said to be continuing the trek, with members of BLOOD RED THRONE and AKERCOCKE assisting with bass and vocal duties.
American Head Charge Cancel Remaining Tour Dates
AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE have cancelled three weeks' worth of dates on their current tour following their Nov. 13 performance in Atlanta. The group's next appearance will take place on December 8 in Omaha, Nebraska. A statement from the band is expected soon.
As previously reported, AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE will be teaming up with SOIL and PANIC CELL for a European tour beginning in late January.
AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE's rescheduled benefit show for the family of former AHC guitarist Bryan Ottoson — who died in April from a prescription drug overdose while the group was on tour with MUDVAYNE — took place on October 7 at First Ave. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band were forced to postpone the originally announced Aug. 27 gig "due to an emergency hand surgery needed for bassist Chad Hanks."
The cancellation of dates comes on the heels of Diecast dropping off the tour due to their drummer departing unexpectedly and Bleed The Sky having their trailer full of equipmnent stolen.
Defleshed Split Up
Swedish death/thrash metallers DEFLESHED have officially split up. The group's bassist/vocalist Gustaf Jorde has issued the following statement on the matter:
"Fellow comrades, with a schizophrenic mixture of grief and relief we hereby announce our departure from all DEFLESHED activities. Activities that has become more of obligations with the years, which has driven us individually to become more ambitions or less. We are in no way splitting up as unfriends, if anything reversed, and we'll thank you all for your the support through the years in the only way we know how to: a farewell to the flesh gig at Fellini, Uppsala, Sweden the 25th of December. This night we'll do anything in our power to BLAST YOUR FUCKING FLESH OFF!!! However, since we've never been to the States (which is an old dream of ours), we'll still try to nail that DISMEMBER tour in April, but this is up to our U.S. label & co.
"Hope you understand our wish not to become tired, blood-drain has-beens but to end this while we're still potent. We will still go on with metal in diverse bands and future projects of course, of which I'm sure you will hear of in a near future, but as for DEFLESHED we've simply feel the last chapter has been written. After all, you don't stop playing 'cause your getting old — you get old 'cause you stop playing. Be well and thanks for your attention in our band."
DEFLESHED's latest album, "Reclaim the Beat", is available now on Sweden's Regain Records. The follow-up to 2002's "Royal Straight Flesh" was recorded at Dug-Out Studios in Uppsala, Sweden and contains 12 songs plus a "slightly demolished" cover version of MÖTLEY CRÜE's "Red Hot".
Diecast Drop Off Tour After Drummer Sneaks Off
Boston-based metallers DIECAST have been forced to drop off the U.S. tour with AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE, INDEX CASE and BLEED THE SKY following the apparent departure of drummer Jason Costa. The band have issued the following statement on the matter:
"To our fans and friends: We apologize for dropping off the AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE tour. AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE, INDEX CASE and BLEED THE SKY were the best tourmates that we could have asked for. The tour was going amazingly and our fans came out in force to support us. We even made the best of the only dud of a show in Cleveland by closing the bar. Together with the rest of our tourmates a few old friends and Matt and Kevin from CHIMAIRA, we nearly drank the place dry. The problem came the next day on a day off we had in Nashville. We (Kirk, Jeremy, Paul and Jon) aren't really sure what happened. It all started with an argument about Brendan Fraser's acting skills, (mature, huh?) and ended with a valued member of the DIECAST family (Jason) sneaking off onto a bus in the middle of the night without explanation or warning. Needless to say we are all devastated, saddened and disappointed. We always considered Jason to be one of the nicest guys in the band and obviously an amazing musician, phenomenal drummer and most importantly a friend. We aren't sure why he left, but when we know more we will make everyone privy to the information. The rest of us would like to apologize to our label, our manager, our agents, the rest of the bands on the tour and most importantly our fans."
DIECAST's latest album, "Tearing Down Your Blue Skies", continues to garner critical acclaim led by the strength of the hit singles "Medieval" and "Rise and Oppose", which remains in heavy rotation on both "Metal Asylum" and "Headbanger's Ball". The disc will officially be reissued early next year with a new track, a cover version of SLAYER's "Raining Blood", new artwork and video clips.
Masacre Drummer Passes Away
Victor Gallego (photo), drummer of the Colombian death metal band MASACRE, passed away on October 30. The cause of death has not yet been disclosed.
Gallego joined MASACRE in 1992 and recorded three full-length CDs with the group, including their most recent release, "Total Death", which came out in 2004. The follow-up to 2001's "Muerte Verdadera Muerte", "Total Death" was recorded at Sirio Studio in Bogota, Colombia in March-April 2003 and was mixed and mastered by Erik Rutan (MORBID ANGEL, HATE ETERNAL) at Mana Recording Studios in Tampa, Florida in July-August 2003. Gallego reportedly studied history before playing in MASACRE.
Fleshgrind Split Up After 13 Years
Illinois-based death metallers FLESHGRIND have officially split up. The group's statement on the matter reads as follows:
"We regretfully wish to inform everyone that FLESHGRIND has officially called it quits. For some that's good news, for others it's gonna suck. The reasoning behind this decision was not an easy one after 13 years, but we feel this is the best time to move on.
"Before our last show about a month ago vocalist Rich Lispcomb formally stepped down from the position. Instead of contemplating replacing Rich with another vocalist, the remaining three members — Steve Murray, James Genenz, and Jesse Kehoe — have decided to move on in a new project. It just wouldn't be right calling ourselves FLESHGRIND if Rich isn't involved. Rich has decided he needs a life change. His heart just wasn't into it anymore, business-wise and artistically, so he is moving on. He sold his business, United Guttural Records, and will be moving to Michigan to get on with his life. The three of us have no hard feelings towards Rich and his decision, and respect him even more for coming out about how he felt, and we are excited about the uninhibited possibilites for our new project. We are currently undergoing a group soul search to determine our direction in our future endeavors, and will be looking for a singer and possibly a second guitarist to fill out the group, although that search has yet to get underway. For now we just wish to respectfully put FLESHGRIND to rest. We wish to thank every single person that has ever supported us in any way. You all know who you are.
"The MySpace page at www.myspace.com/fleshgrind will stay active for some time to come. News and information on our future efforts will be available here until everything is set in stone. We will be looking for members in the coming weeks. Again, we thank everyone for their support!"
Nightwish Vocalist Kicked Out Of The Band
Finland's NIGHTWISH have posted the following message on the band's official website:
"Dear Tarja,
It's time to choose whether the story of NIGHTWISH ends here or whether it will still continue an undetermined period of time. We've been working with this creation for 9 years and we are not ready to give up yet. Nightwish is a way of life, something to live for, and we're certain we can't let it go.
Equally certain is the fact that we cannot go on with you and Marcelo any longer. During the last year something sad happened, which I've been going over in my head every single day, morning and night. Your attitude and behavior don't go with NIGHTWISH anymore. There are characteristics I would never have believed to see in my old dear friend. People who don't talk with each other for a year do not belong in the same band. More...
Nasum Members Form New Project
Nasum drummer Anders Jakobson has revealed that he and other former Nasum members Urban Skytt and Jon Lindqvist are starting a new project, which will ultimately include Jesper Liveröd, another Nasum alumnus. Here's what Jakobson had to say about the development:
"It's all ex-Nasum members in this project, and yes, there will be a great amount of grinding done, but no - this is not Nasum part 2, this is just a couple of friends who happen to like playing together catching up and making some music at the same time.I'll tell you more when there is something more to tell, this weekend we'll just write some songs I guess and see what happens. A recording is planned sometime, but nothing more than that."
Orphanage Split Up
Dutch gothic doom/death metal band ORPHANAGE have officially split up. The group's statement on the matter reads as follows:
"From recent internal discussions it appeared that there was too much irritation and a lack of mutual trust to be able to make a new ORPHANAGE product by the high-quality standards that the band has been known for throughout the years. An end has come to 11 years of 'innovative gregorian celtic groovy melodic doom death metal.' We've had a great time. A lot of special moments are in our hearts forever. We were there, YOU were there.
"Please send the news to all that have supported us in all these years, in what form whatsoever. Doesn't matter if you read this for the 100th time, just be sure that we want to thank YOU ALL!!!
"No ORPHANAGE without you; everyone that visited our concerts, that listened to our music, those who have worked for us, worked together with us, those who have shared the ENERGY with us . . . . forever: THANKS!!!"
ORPHANAGE's fourth full-length album, "Driven", was released in April 2004 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Vehemence Calls It Quits
Arizona-based death metallers VEHEMENCE have posted the following message on the band's official website:
"8 years after it all started, we decided that now is the time to throw in the towel. It was fun, and we would like to thank all the people who have supported us along the way. VEHEMENCE was and is a huge part of our lives, but at this point its time to start fresh. The death of Vehemence has since spawned 3 new bands from its ex members. ABIGAIL WILLIAMS featuring Mark, Andy and Bjorn of VEHEMENCE (www.myspace.com/abigailwilliams), HE WHO BINDS HIMSELF featuring Nathan (www.myspace.com/hewhobindshimself), and as John stated “I'm looking for members for a new band and I am also available for touring. Currently I'm also affiliated with several other side projects which I will release soon.”
We still have a batch of new shirts coming this year, as well as a new remixed version of our first self released disc entitled The Thoughts From Which I Hide, that will be available exclusively at www.vehemence.com. VEHEMENCE may do shows every now and then, but will not be a full time band. Just keep checking our website as that will still be up and running."
Rigor Mortis Announce First Shows In 15 Years
RIGOR MORTIS have announced their first shows together in 15 years. The band will head out as part of the "Re-Animate Tour" which will include a number of dates throughout Texas and performances in Arkansas, and New York. More shows are expected to be announced for St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Worcester, Richmond, Spartanburg, and Atlanta. The band's lineup is as follows:
Bruce Corbitt
Mike Scaccia (MINISTRY, REVOLTING COCKS)
Casey Orr (GWAR, X-COPS, THE HELLIONS, THE BURDEN BROTHERS)
Harden Harrison (PERVIS, SPEEDEALER, MITRA)
There are also tentative plans for the band continue touring after the first of the year, which would then be followed by a new album.
Dates are as follows for the "Re-Animate Tour":
October 21 - Austin, TX @ The Backroom
October 22 - Dallas, TX @ The Galaxy
October 23 - San Antonio, TX @ Jacks
October 24 - San Marcos, TX @ Lucy's
October 28 - Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's
October 29 - Ft. Worth, TX @ The Axis
October 31 - Fayetteville, AK @ The Dart Room
November 4 - Brooklyn, NY @ Northsix
February 4-5 - Grapevine, TX @ Grapevine Convention Center
Biohazard Is Done, Frontman Comments
In a recent interview with Britain's Zero Tolerance magazine, BIOHAZARD guitarist/vocalist Billy Graziadei confirmed that the band's recently released tenth album, "Means to an End", will also be their last: BIOHAZARD are splitting up.
"It was a natural progression with the band," Billy said. "We've grown in different areas. I have a daughter and I'm focusing now on my other band SUICIDE CITY [also featuring former KITTIE bassist Jennifer Arroyo]; Danny [Schuler, drums] has three kids now, so things have really changed for him; Evan [Seinfeld, vocals and bass] is doing his big porno-acting thing now, and that's cool. One of the things about BIOHAZARD is that it's your life, your way. So to each his own.
"I think over the years we just grew apart," Billy continued. "I've come to a stage in my life where I've come full circle and music is only for pleasure now. Don't get me wrong, I always dug it, always enjoyed it, I've had a fucking great time, but I didn't know any better. All I had was music. But my reality now is that I have a family and we've got to pay the bills. I'm no different from you — we've both got to buy the same token to ride a train, you know? So I'm back in the workforce, hanging out with my buddies at the weekend and dealing with the bullshit so I can enjoy the pleasures of life, like making music."
"Means to an End" is available now on SPV Records.
Curl Up And Die Call It Quits
Curl Up And Die are officially calling it quits. The band recently cancelled their tour with Still Remains. No explanation was provided, other than to say that the group "sends their apologies and apprieciates your understanding." Curl Up And Die's Mike Minnick has now released the following statement:
"After almost seven years of being a band we have decided to call it quits. We want to say to everyone who has ever supported us in any way; thank you, this has truly been an amazing experience."
The group will play three final shows (a Las Vegas show hasn't been scheduled yet):
Saturday, November 12th
@ The Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA
w/ Kylesa, Coliseum, Torche and special guests
Show starts @ 7:30pm
Tickets available at Tickmaster
Sunday, December 11th
@ The Livery Theatre in Ventura, CA
w/ Countervail, Six Different Ways & more TBA
Show starts @ 7pm
Tickets at the door or through ticketweb.com
Will Haven Reform With Original Lineup
California's Will Haven have officially announced their reformation. The group put out several albums with Revelation Records prior to breaking up at the end of 2002. The following statement has been released by the band:
"Will Haven is officially back together and working. The only way we would ever do will haven again was with the original line-up which includes, Grady Avenell (vocals) Jeff Irwin (guitar) Mike Martin (bass) and Mitch Wheeler (drums). So everyone is back on board. We are right now in the process of writing new songs. We are going to put out a 5 song EP and couple of B side songs, which will include 'Sammy.' After the EP is recorded we will infact be doing a reunion show most likely here in Sacramento. If all goes well and there is enough demand we will do some more. Right now we are just focusing on getting some new good music out there."
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