BLACK STAR RIDERS, the new band formed by THIN LIZZY alumni Ricky Warwick (guitar, vocals), Damon Johnson (guitar), Scott Gorham (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass) with new addition Jimmy DeGrasso (ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES) on drums, made its live debut this past Thursday, May 30 at The Marshall Theatre in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom.
The set featured a mix of music from BLACK STAR RIDERS' debut album, "All Hell Breaks Loose", along with classic THIN LIZZY tracks.
BLACK STAR RIDERS' setlist was as follows:
01. All Hell Breaks Loose 02. Jailbreak 03. Bloodshot 04. Waiting For An Alibi 05. Hey Judas 06. Massacre 07. Kingdom Of The Lost 08. Kissin' The Ground 09. Suicide 10. Valley Of The Stones 11. Before The War 12. Emerald 13. Bound For Glory 14. Cowboy Song 15. The Boys Are Back In Town
Encore:
16. Hoodoo Voodoo 17. Rosalie
As previously reported, BLACK STAR RIDERS filmed a video for the song "Hey Judas" on Monday, May 27 with Northern Irish photographer, music video director and typographical designer Mark Hylands. Photos from the video shoot can be found at this location.
"All Hell Breaks Loose" was released on May 28 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.
The "All Hell Breaks Loose" artwork features a painting by Gil Elvgren (March 15, 1914 - February 29, 1980), the legendary U.S. painter best known for his work on pin-up girls, advertising and illustration.
"All Hell Breaks Loose" was recorded and mixed by producer Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, RUSH) at his The Cave studios in Malibu, California. Mastering duties were handled by Bob Ludwig (JIMI HENDRIX, RUSH, KISS, LED ZEPPELIN) at Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine.
The album was released as a standard CD and also as a special-edition digipak featuring a bonus track, "Right To Be Wrong", and a "making-of" DVD.
Dutch singer Floor Jansen, who has been fronting Finnish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH on the road for the past eight months, has uploaded a ten-and-a-half-minute video recap of the band's recent Japanese tour. Check it out below.
NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen told Finland's MTV.fi in November that he was pleased with the addition of Jansen to the group and that she was only getting better with each performance.
"We have done 13 shows with her [so far] and every concert has been better than the last," he said. "We are taking it day by day as much as we can. The vibe in the band is marvellous. We are enjoying every moment."
Holopainen has known Jansen, who is Dutch, for more than 10 years already, having previously toured with her former band, AFTER FOREVER.
"We are very much on the same wavelength and we have a similar sense of humor," Holopainen said of his new bandmate.
Stepping into NIGHTWISH was made easier for Jansen by the fact that she has extensive experience in both classical and rock music.
Following AFTER FOREVER's split, Jansen launched a brand new project called REVAMP, which has thus far released one album and recently entered the studio to record a follow-up effort.
"We have been in the same circles since the late '90s," says Tuomas. "She has toured a lot and has spent a lot of time recording and performing this genre of music. So it was easier for her to come into the band."
Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of the past five years, Anette Olzon.
"[Floor is] a vocal coach herself, so she's very professional," said Tuomas. "The fact that she had about 40 hours to learn 15 songs is quite revealing. She practically learned our tour set on the flight from Amsterdam to Seattle. We're talking about a high-level professional and her attitude is fabulous as well. It can be seen in her stage presence. She clearly enjoys what she does."
Asked about the reasons for Olzon's sudden exit from the group, Tuomas told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine: "I'm sure it came as a shock to everybody. We came out with a statement [regarding the split], which pretty much says it all. It still is a private matter, and that's all we wanna say about it, like, ever. It was an amicable divorce, so to say, and made in good spirit, and we are just looking to the future. There really is no reason to go back into all the details and all that. I mean, this is not politics, this is a rock band."
Regarding whether there is a chance that Floor will become the official new NIGHTWISH lead singer, Tuomas said: "The way that we have decided is that we're gonna continue with her until the end of the festival season in 2013 — just have fun, just do the shows the best we can. I mean, the atmosphere in the band is so good at the moment, [we want to] just enjoy this what we have right now. They try not to think about NIGHTWISH at all for a few months. Everybody take a little vacation. And we already have the rehearsal place for the next album booked in 2014 — from July to September. So that's how far we have planned. But when we do the last festival show next August, after that, it's gonna be total nothing for a few months. So I would say everything is possible, but that's really not the thing that we want to be thinking about right now, because there's absolutely no reason to."
"I'm No Angel", the new video from THE WINERY DOGS, the power trio featuring Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) and Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON), can be seen below. The song comes off the band's self-titled debut album, which will be released in North America on July 23 via Loud & Proud Records. Issued in Japan on May 15 via Victor Entertainment, the CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER. Sheehan previously stated about the effort: "I'm really pleased with it. Richie sang his ass off and played amazingly unique stuff, and, of course Mike annihilated on drums. [It's a] really cool, unique record."
Of THE WINERY DOGS' signing, Portnoy commented: "I am so excited about THE WINERY DOGS and am proud and honored to be working with two of the greatest musicians on the planet!
"Richie Kotzen is such an unbelievable talent, as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. I think THE WINERY DOGS will finally get him the attention and recognition that he so richly deserves.
"And what can be said of Billy Sheehan that hasn't been said already? He is one the true pioneers of the instrument and a legend.
"I am looking forward to working with the great staff of Loud & Proud Records, some of whom I worked very closely with during their time at Roadrunner and my time with DREAM THEATER. I look forward to continuing that relationship with THE WINERY DOGS!"
Loud & Proud owner and president Tom Lipsky added: "The debut by THE WINERY DOGS absolutely rocks and we are very excited that Loud & Proud is their label partner. This body of work showcases not only their renowned skills as musicians and vocalists, but also the depth of their talent as songwriters. Billy, Mike and Richie delivered some of the best performances of their illustrious careers and I am confident this album will be recognized as one of the truly great rock albums of the year."
Regarding how THE WINERY DOGS got its name, Portnoy said: "It was Richie's name. We had a list of about 50 names. I had about 10 that I preferred over THE WINERY DOGS, but you know, when you're in a band, you have to give and take and choose your battles, and Richie really, really loved this band name. So, you know, it was, like, 'OK.' A name is a name. If you feel that strongly about it, then go for it. So that's who we are."
THE WINERY DOGS will kick off its world tour by playing two shows in Japan this summer: July 16 in Osaka and July 17 in Tokyo. Dates for the rest of the world will be announced soon.
"The Winery Dogs" track listing:
CD:
01. Elevate 02. Desire 03. We Are One 04. I'm No Angel 05. The Other Side 06. You Saved Me 07. Not Hopeless 08. One More Time 09. Damaged 10. Six Feet Deeper 11. Criminal 12. The Dying 13. Regret
DVD (limited edition, only available in Japan):
01. Elevate 02. Desire 03. I'm No Angel
"We Are One" is available for free download using the widget below (e-mail sign-up required).
At the end of 2011, Portnoy and Sheehan tapped Kotzen to be the guitarist/vocalist of their new project following the departure of John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY).
Although Portnoy and Sykes demoed a dozen or so songs at a Los Angeles studio in 2011, their vastly different work ethics and conflicting schedules were solely to blame for the dissolution of their collaboration.
During an interview that aired on the July 13, 2012 edition of Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, Portnoy said, "I love John personally, and we get along great — he's a sweetheart of a guy — but I need to keep moving. I can't sit still and kind of wait to make an album over the next three years, I need to put things on the calendar and move forward and get them done, and John's kind of just a 'wait, wait, wait' guy. Sadly, it kind of just stopped in its tracks, and Billy and I said, 'Look, let's do something.' And you [Eddie] were the one, actually, that suggested Richie Kotzen and I thought it was a brilliant suggestion, because he's an unbelievably underrated talent, not only [as] a guitar player but a phemonal singer, and just an amazing songwriter and artist. I think people just kind of lump him, or write him off as the guy that was with POISON and MR. BIG. I think they have no idea what he's really capable of."
When asked to describe the musical direction of the project, Portnoy said, "It's a classic-rock kind of power-trio sound. If you picture the classic-rock bands of… the classic ones — [LED] ZEPPELIN, CREAM, [JIMI] HENDRIX, GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] — if you take that classic-rock power-trio sound of the early '70s, and then you sprinkle it on top with some of the modern kind of sounds of SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS or BLACK CROWES or LENNY KRAVITZ… It's in that vein; it's kind of a [mixture] of all of those bands. But on top of it all you've got the phenomenal playing that Richie and Billy do, and I could play a couple of things on the drums as well [chuckles], so... And all three of us are singing — Richie is the lead vocalist, obviously, but me and Billy are also singing."
KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons made an appearance at the Hard Rock Cafe in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday (Saturday, June 1) prior to the opening concert of the band's European tour. He also gave an interview to Expressen TV (see video below) in which he spoke about the day when it will finally be time for KISS to retire.
"One day it will end," Simmons explained. "And I hope on the day that we end, we end on a high note instead of going down. You don't wanna stay one day longer than when it's great; you wanna be great 'till the end." Asked how long he gives the band before it will be time to call it quits for good, Simmons said: "We probably have another 5 to 10 years at the most."
Back in June 2008, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley issued a statement in order to "set the record straight" regarding the possibility of KISS continuing with all-new members long after he and Simmons decide to take off the make-up for good. "If we were to do a 'KISS II,' and I don't rule that out, it would be in addition to, and never in place of, KISS," he said. "If we were to do it, I know it would be done in a groundbreaking way and would be tremendously entertaining. KISS has always defined itself by the rules we break, so what's the big surprise?"
In a 2009 interview, Stanley was asked about fans being upset that guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer have been sporting the costumes previously worn by Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.
Stanley explained, "That there are people who take issue with it is all well and good," he said. "To say the vast majority don't agree would be an understatement. The fact is, there are four iconic figures that are what KISS is. To change that because someone is no longer in the band cheats me, because I busted my butt for 35 years making this what it is. So why would I let somebody deny me and the majority of the fans what they expect? That's what we owe to people; the representation and embodiment of what KISS has been since the beginning."
Stanley added that if he left the group, he wouldn't be upset if someone took on his persona. He explained, "I would hope it would happen. It would only affirm that the band is bigger than any of us. That the band is about an ideal, about a point of view, about a way to deliver a show, about a philosophy that puts the fans first. I'm not delusional enough to think I couldn't be replaced."
Former THE GATHERING singer Anneke Van Giersbergen will release a new studio album on September 27. A single will precede the full-length effort on August 27.
A short video clip from the new CD's recording sessions can be seen below.
Anneke played two exclusive U.S. shows in Chicago at the end of March. Also appearing on the bill both nights were Anneke's "dear friends" NOVEMBERS DOOM.
Anneke van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since released four albums on her own and with her AGUA DE ANNIQUE solo project: "Air" (2007), "Pure Air" (2009), "In Your Room" (2009) and "Everything Is Changing" (2012).
"Everything Is Changing" was released on January 20, 2012 via PIAS Holland. The CD was recorded at Ultrasound Studios in Braga, Portugal with producer Daniel Cardoso.
Los Angeles rock act SMILE EMPTY SOUL will release its new album, "Chemicals", in the fall. The CD will mark the band's first release through their own imprint, Two Disciples Entertainment, in conjunction with a unique business venture through Chicago's Pavement Entertainment. Distribution and marketing will be handled through Pavement via RED (a division of Sony Music Entertainment) and MRI in North America and through RSK Entertainment in Europe and the rest of the world.
Pavement Entertainment president Mark Nawara states: "I am happy to be a part of the new SMILE EMPTY SOUL album. I've been a huge fan of the band for years and look forward to big things to come from these guys."
Pavement's director of A&R; Tim King adds: "I've been close to these guys and a strong supporter of them since the early 2000s. It's great to finally be working with them on a much larger scale."
Says SMILE EMPTY SOUL's Sean Danielsen: "With all that the band has been through over the years, we finally feel at home with forming our own imprint and calling all our own shots. We are also pleased to announce that we will finally have a proper European release this time around and look forward to getting overseas to the many fans that have waited to see us over the years."
SMILE EMPTY SOUL is currently putting the finishing touches on "Chemicals" and will embark on a summer tour before the album is released.
Legendary rockers KISS unveiled their brand new stage show earlier tonight (Saturday, June 1) at the opening concert the European leg of their "Monster" world tour in Stockholm, Sweden.
Video footage of the "Psycho Circus" performance from the Stockholm gig can be seen below.
"It's really great," KISS frontman Paul Stanley told VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner about the new tour. "You know, for so many years, we've talked about a new stage show and basically what we've been doing has been an extension of the old stage show. So people would sometimes come and, obviously, the band does a great show and it's great to be there, but some people would say, 'Gee, it doesn't look that different.' This is a completely different stage, it follows a really great theme, the lights are like nothing you've ever seen before."
When pressed for more details, Paul said, "Um… I hate to give anything away but when you see first photos of this new tour, and we're headlining festivals all over Europe, I think people will be blown away by what we're doing onstage."
During a recent question-and-answer session with a group of fans, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons revealed that the new stage includes a 70-foot screen and a giant spider that shoots fireballs out of its tentacles.
"This spider is just beyond anything you've seen," he said. "It'll be able to be flat and come up and walk almost to the front of the stage. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen."
He added: "We’re gonna levitate and go 30 rows into the audience. Oh — and play songs! It'll be the best tour yet, you'll see."
KISS recently completed an Australian tour with very special guests MÖTLEY CRÜE.
"Monster", the 20th studio album from KISS, sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman Scott Weiland kicked off a new leg of his "Purple At The Core" tour dates this past Wednesday, May 29 at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California.
Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.
The singer's tour with his solo band THE WILDABOUTS features him playing the first two STP albums.
THE WILDABOUTS' lineup includes multi-instrumentalist Doug Grean, bassist Tommy Black and guitarist Jeremy Brown.
Weiland has spoken out in his first interview since last week, when the band filed a lawsuit against him and announced LINKIN PARK's Chester Bennington as their new vocalist. Speaking with AZCentral, Weiland said, "Is that how I want to see STP now? Not at all. Not the band that I started. Not the band that I named. Not the band that when I was in Huntington Beach, took a shot and called Robert DeLeo at his apartment, doing nothing in music, living with his girlfriend, and said, 'Hey man, would you like to do a band?'"
Asked where things stand with him and his former bandmates, Weiland replied, "I don't really think about it a lot. I think about how disrespectful they are, sometimes, in between a sip of coffee and a hit of my cigarette. I think about how selfish they are and how much it blows me away that after two times of trying this, they still think they have any opportunity of doing it without me."
Weiland said that he and the rest of the band disagreed over how to handle their career, explaining, "I said, 'Look, we need to take a break. We need to make an album. We've been playing the same (expletive) set for four years, without a change. We've been watching ourselves go from playing 20,000-seat arenas to country fairs and 2,000-seat casinos.'"
He continued, "They had different management. Their managers, who are just basically booking agents, to put it lightly, they have no problem with STP and its legacy being destroyed . . . So I wouldn't (expletive) do it. And they can't do it without me . . . they've already done two bands (TALK SHOW and ARMY OF ANYONE) and failed."
Weiland said that the group was supposed to play the entire "Core" album on a 20th-anniversary tour, in conjunction with a boxed set and a new hits collection, but that guitarist Dean DeLeo scuttled those plans.
The rest of STP filed their lawsuit against Weiland on May 24, accusing him of using the band's name to advance his solo career while claiming that his own poor performances, late arrivals at concerts and addiction struggles harmed the band's career.
The suit asks a judge to block Weiland from performing any STP songs in his solo shows and from even calling himself a former member of the band.
STP made a surprise appearance on May 18 at a Los Angeles-area radio festival and debuted Bennington on vocals, playing six old songs while also premiering "Out Of Time". Bennington will continue to work with the group while also remaining a member of LINKIN PARK.
Video footage of POISON frontman Bret Michaels talking to Fox News about Travel Channel's new original series, "Rock My RV With Bret Michaels", can be seen below.
From childhood road trips in his family's Winnebago to touring the U.S. in his own custom coach, rock musician Bret Michaels is the ultimate road dog who has logged more than three million miles in RVs. As a hands-on aficionado, Michaels knows the ins and outs of the RV lifestyle and now, for the first time, he's sharing this passion and expertise with travelers and RV fans everywhere in "Rock My RV With Bret Michaels", which premiered last Sunday, May 26. The 16-episode series — 15 half-hours and a special one-hour finale — debuted with back-to-back episodes, and kicked off Travel Channel's "We Are Summer" multiplatform programming initiative. Each episode features the transformation of one of 16 beaten and bruised RVs into a customized RV — culminating in a show-stopping reveal — designed and built under the direction of RV enthusiast Michaels.
"I am a self-proclaimed 'drealist' — a dreamer and a realist — and consider myself to be the ultimate RV adventurer," says Michaels. "For me, RVs are so much more than just a mode of transportation — they're a tradition and a huge part of both my personal and professional life.
"Some of my best childhood memories are from RV road trips, and a pastime I now share with my own kids. This is a passion project for me. We're doing things that have never been done before. I'm amped to work with each of the owners and take their RV experience to rock star status."
"The amount of energy, creativity and knowledge Bret brings to this series will blow our viewers away," says Andy Singer, GM, Travel Channel. "In fact, saying he's poured his blood and sweat into these vehicles is an understatement. He's out there working hard because he cares. No matter how intense and crazy the projects get, Bret's determination and chemistry with the design team allow him to wildly transform these RVs beyond their owners' imaginations."
"Rock My RV With Bret Michaels" follows Michaels as he leads a highly skilled design/build team as they transform well-worn, dilapidated RVs into the most luxurious, over-the-top, hooked up mobile mansions on the road. While rock stars have a reputation for destroying hotel rooms and living life like it's a non-stop party, when it comes to RVs Michaels is all business. He gets down and dirty as he brings beaten down RVs back to life. As nervous RV owners turn their keys over to a rock star, Michaels always asks, "Do you trust me?"...and in this series, they unquestionably should!
Each vehicle is outfitted with deluxe amenities, state-of-the-art technology, and pushes the bar on RV design — creating groundbreaking tailor-made vehicles that open road dreams are made of. Along with Michaels, the dream team includes master fabricator Bodie Stroud — a creative visionary and founder of BS Industries, Inc., an award-winning company that designs and builds customs and hot rods, and lead builder Jake Scott — a skilled artist well-versed in home design, a variety of mediums and a flair for building one-of-a-kind custom items.
Some highlights of the RV transformations that will be featured in the series include:
* "Stealth Bomber" 1966 GM Buffalo tour bus — this rig has spent 40 years on the road as the tour bus for a bluegrass band. Owner Kevin wishes to take it back out there with his wife, in honor of his late musician uncle.
* "TapouT" 2006 Fleetwood Providence — this RV is the mobile leg of TapouT, the official retailer of MMA clothing, training gear and accessories. Owners Dan "Punkass" and Tim "SkyScrape" need a fun yet functional coach to also double as a promotional tool and extension of their brand.
* "Scum Scouts" 1992 Coachman Royal — the Mendonsa family first bought their RV in hopes of fixing it up for family vacations. But after the tragic loss of one of their sons, their dreams of restoring it were put on hold. Now, they're ready to transform it into a rolling tribute to their son.
* "Sausage Wagon" 1973 GMC Canyonlands — owner Bill needs a major fix-up to his retro bus, which serves as the food truck for his side venture "Bite Me Gourmet Sausages." Bill feeds hundreds of hardworking local firefighters with his home cooking, but is in dire need of a proper kitchen!
* "RoXor" 1973 RoXor — originally designed to transport generals during wartime, this is one of the rarest RVs in the world. Owner Roark wants to make this vintage rig into an RV experience his family and kids will always cherish.
"Rock My RV with Bret Michaels" is produced by BCII Productions for Travel Channel. For BCII, the executive producers are Bud Brutsman and Bret Michaels. For Travel Channel, the executive producer is Patrick McManamee.
Fan-filmed video footage of the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE performing on May 31 at Toledo Harley Davidson during Ohio Bike Week in Toledo, Ohio can be seen below.
The self-titled album from the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE will be released on June 25 via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created by Craig Howell, who has previously worked on designs for "Star Wars", SLIPKNOT and "American Idol", to name a few.
"It's a rebirth and it's a fresh energy and we're firing on all cylinders," QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton told Metalholic.com about the response to the band's new lineup. "It is incredible. The fans love it and the industry loves it as well."
Regarding the addition of La Torre to QUEENSRŸCHE following a three-decade run with the band's original lead singer, Geoff Tate, Wilton said: "It's been a seamless integration. The fans love [Todd], they accept him, and he definitely knows all the in-between-the-breaths, all the nuances [in the old songs] — everything — and it's amazing that we found him and that he has that talent. And as well as on the new QUEENSRŸCHE, the elements of his own personal voice break through as well."
On the topic of what Todd has contributed to the songwriting process for the new QUEENSRŸCHE album, Wilton said: "This was a whole band participation; there was no outside writers. Todd brings his elements and his creativity and his entity into the band. And it's on all cylinders. He is very gracious; [there is] no ego [involved]. And if it's lyrics, if it's melodies, if it's a suggestion on a drum part or a guitar part, everybody's open-minded. This is a democracy and it is a beautiful element."
Audio samples of all the songs that are set to appear on "Queensrÿche" can be streamed at Amazon.com.
"Queensrÿche" marks the debut release from the lineup comprised of La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY), Michael Wilton (guitar), Parker Lundgren (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums). The drums for the album were recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with producer James "Jimbo" Barton — the man who engineered and mixed the band's classic 1988 LP, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its 1990 follow-up, "Empire", and co-produced 1994's "Promised Land". The rest of the music and vocals were laid down at several different facilities on the West Coast.
Astraeus Airlines, the Gatwick, U.K.-based carrier for which IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson worked as a pilot, went out of business in November 2011 and Dickinson subsequently launched aircraft maintenance business, Cardiff Aviation Limited, which is based at the Twin Peaks Hangar at St Athan, Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, United Kingdom.
In a brand new interview with The Telegraph, Dickinson says that Cardiff Aviation is in discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority about setting up an airline.
"Subject to approvals, we'll be in the air within the next 50 days," he reveals. "Clearly that fits with the maintenance — both operations need each other."
He adds: "The next stage is rebuilding Astraeus, but with proper governance. The market is ripe for an outsourcing airline that provides extra capacity.
"We want to provide British jobs, British pilots and British-operated aircraft."
According to Dickinson, Cardiff Aviation is now employing 60 to 70 people, with salaries being paid from profits, which Dickinson is proud of.
"We have, at the moment, one full-time maintenance shift, and as we've funded it all ourselves, our costs are nailed to the floor," he says.
"We've identified what I think is a gap in the market, at a time when people are outsourcing in very narrow ways saying we need to send our aeroplanes thousands of miles away from one place to another place for different types of maintenance and painting. "We are a one-stop shop," he says. "The first thing we did was set up a paint facility, as 70 percent of the work we get is as a result of people saying 'we need to paint an aircraft.'"
Fan-filmed video footage of NEWSTED — the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted — performing at the Spanish edition of the Sonisphere festival on May 31 at Auditorio Miguel Ríos in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Madrid can be seen below.
NEWSTED has been confirmed for this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are headliners MEGADETH, along with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, DEVICE, HELLYEAH and DEATH DIVISION.
NEWSTED kicked off its first-ever U.S. tour on April 19 at Red House in Walnut Creek, California. The 14-date trek concluded on May 23 in Asbury Park, New Jersey and has led into a number of European festival appearances for the band, which is rounded out by STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, drummer Jesus Mendez Jr. and guitarist Jessie Farnsworth.
NEWSTED has just completed recording its first full-length album, to be released later this year. Jason told Billboard.com the 13-song album, which he hopes to finish mixing during August, will be very similar to the band's debut EP, "Metal", which sold around 6,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 62 on The Billboard 200 chart. "The EP was always intended to be the primer, a sampler of what was to come on the LP," he said. "It's all metal all the time. It's not all fast, but it is all heavy."
NEWSTED is:
Jason Newsted - Bass, Lead Vocals Jesus Mendez Jr. (THE NAPOLEON BLOWNAPARTS) - Drums Jessie Farnsworth - Guitar, Backing Voice Mike Mushok (STAIND) – Guitar
Decibel magazine’s July issue (on newsstands in June) features a nine-page tribute to late SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman in the form of a moving retrospective obituary, some of Hanneman's most biting quotes, and a litany of heartfelt remembrances from EXODUS, Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA), AT THE GATES, TESTAMENT, CANNIBAL CORPSE and countless other contemporaries, including EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt, who has been filling in for Jeff on stage with SLAYER for more than two years.
"I will never forget the first time SLAYER came to the Bay Area to play with EXODUS at Ruthie's Inn," Gary said. "After their show at the Keystone Berkeley, we all headed over to their hotel and proceeded — with their permission, of course — to absolutely destroy the place! Pizza nailed to the ceiling with screwdrivers and shit — which we pulled down and ate the next day! We scattered like roaches with the lights on when the cops were called. We felt bad for about five minutes! It was a whole new level of destruction, to say the least: me ripping the mattress to shreds with Jeff's upside-down cross guitar slide, the one on 'Show No Mercy'. He gave that to me that night; it was still in my possession up until around 1994, when it vanished in a move. l would give anything to still have that thing: a piece of metal history right there.
"But through all the one-off shows, the VENOM tour — with SLAYER and EXODUS, dubbed 'The Ultimate Revenge' — etc., Jeff was always the one guy [Paul] Baloff [late EXODUS frontman] and myself would wreck shit and just go crazy with. A true legend, one who didn't care about being a legend in the first place.
"R.I.P., Jeff. You were a true original and one of the greats."
Hanneman passed away on May 2 from liver failure at the age of 49.
Members of SLAYER released a statement on May 9 saying that Hanneman died of alcohol-related cirrhosis.
Hanneman had actually not been playing with SLAYER for more than two years since he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard in January 2011. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.
Hanneman's last appearance with SLAYER was in April 2011, when he played an encore with the band at the "Big Four" concert in Indio, California.
Former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones has set DEVIL YOU KNOW as the name of his new band, also featuring Francesco Artusato, celebrated solo artist and guitarist with ALL SHALL PERISH and THE FRANCESCO ARTUSATO PROJECT; and John Sankey, drummer for the Australian band DEVOLVED, who has also worked with FEAR FACTORY and DIVINE HERESY.
In late 2011, after a three-year hiatus from recording, the KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bandmembers — including Howard — got together to discuss what would eventually become the Jones-less "Disarm The Descent" album.
"lt was cool seeing everyone all together again." Howard told Metal Hammer magazine. "We shared some ideas, and I said. 'OK, see you guys tomorrow.' And I just never went back. Eventually, the guys were just, like, 'Dude, we're gonna have to move on.' Because more and more with me, it had just been a struggle. It too me a while, but I realized I just didn't want to do it anymore. And they said, 'Listen, it'll be fine.' And it was. They put out a great album."
Early this year, Artusato and Sankey began writing songs together and needed a vocalist to bring them to life.
"I knew the guys, but didn't really know them," Howard said. "They got in touch and asked if I wanted to throw down some vocals on this stuff, and I said, 'OK, let me take a listen to it,' and I was, like, 'Hmm, this is interesting. Why not? I didn't really expect it to even go this far, because, in all honesty, I wasn't sure if I was even going to do music again. But it seemed right, so I jumped right into it."
He added: "It's fun to branch out and do some different stuff. I got to write a little more deep and a little more dark. It's been fascinating so far."
DEVIL YOU KNOW is currently writing material for its debut album, which is expected out before the end of the year via an as-yet-undetermined record label.
The first photo of Artusato and Sankey at a Los Angeles studio rehearsing for the upcoming CD can be seen below.
As for the band's future plans, Howard said: "We're gonna put some clothes in a bag and head out on the road. It's been fun, so why not?"
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE was rejoined by singer Jesse Leach early last year following the departure of Jones after nine years and three successful albums.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio told BostonGlobe.com that the band's split with Jones was necessitated by the singer's struggle with personal issues, including diabetes that had gone untreated for several years. "It became very apparent we had to move on without him," D'Antonio said. "Howard didn't quit."
"Finding out you're diabetic is pretty dramatic," Jones told Metal Hammer of his surprise diagnosis last year, following dizzy spells and blackouts that led him to wake up in a hospital bed. "I just started feeling weird, and then I started getting really clumsy. I fell down some stairs and broke a finger, then fell down some other stairs and broke a toe. Then I collapsed. I was in a coma for three days. They basically told me I had the highest sugar level they'd ever seen. Afterwards, they told me I had a 50/50 chance of coming out with brain damage."
DEF LEPPARD vocalist Joe Elliott recently spoke to South Africa's Cape Times about his upcoming tour with KINGS OF CHAOS, the touring project featuring former GUNS N' ROSES members Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke and Duff McKagan. along with former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach, Glenn Hughes from BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION and DEEP PURPLE, and COLLECTIVE SOUL's Ed Roland.
KINGS OF CHAOS will perform in Cape Town on June 7 and June 8 at the Grand West Grand Arena, and on June 15 and June 16 at the Sun City Superbowl, North West.
Due to scheduling conflicts with the recording of his forthcoming studio album and the production schedule for a new major network television show, Bach will not be able to perform with KINGS OF CHAOS in South Africa. Replacing Bach for the South African KINGS OF CHAOS dates will be ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH singer Myles Kennedy.
"Matt Sorum put the band together," Elliott told Cape Times. "We've known each other for years. To quote Ozzy Osbourne, he asked if we wanted to 'get aboard this crazy train.' Join in, sing a few songs and have a bit of fun — with no pressure."
He added: "And what a lineup! We have a great rhythm section from GUNS N' ROSES, Glenn Hughes from DEEP PURPLE, then there's Slash and Myles Kennedy."
KINGS OF CHAOS will perform some of the individual bandmembers' greatest hits in a two-hour display of frenzied guitar riffs, pounding drums, resonating bass and trademark raspy vocals.
"The songs kind of picked themselves," said Elliott. "We'll do [DEF LEPPARD's] 'Pour Some Sugar On Me' and 'Animal', of course. And we've put in an acoustic segment for South Africa.
"Fresh songs come with fresh blood. We may even end up writing songs together. Who knows?"
He added: "It's a wonderful experience to work with these guys. They just smile all the time. Everyone has been in a band for 30 or 40 years, and we all have great jokes and stories."
KINGS OF CHAOS made its Australian live debut on April 20 at the Stone Music Festival at Sydney's ANZ Stadium (see video below).
"I couldn't believe the number of people totally going bananas. It was an eye-opener to see how much they dug it," said Elliott.
"It's building, it's a curiosity. You wonder how it's going to work, Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke and Duff McKagan playing a DEF LEPPARD song… Will it work? And it does!"
KINGS OF CHAOS toured South and Central America last year under the name ROCK 'N' ROLL ALLSTARS.
