EXMORTUS Talks To The Blaze 1330 AM
Check out this interview I did with California metal virtuosos Exmortus! They just signed a 3-album deal with Prosthetic Records, home of Holy Grail and Skeletonwitch. You can hear the full interview here!
SACRED REICH Talks to The Blaze 1330 AM
Check out this interview I did with Jason Rainey from Sacred Reich! He talks about the band’s early days, SR’s reunion, and returning to Metal Blade Records. Sacred Reich plans to tour Europe and South America next year. You can hear the full interview here!
This Week in Metal: Moshing, Lemmy, Megadeth, and More
These past several days have been interesting ones in the metal community.
In perhaps one of the biggest recent controversies, rumors spread that moshing would be outlawed. This tweet by Oliver Sykes from Bring Me The Horizon fueled the speculation.
Moshing was made illegal in the city of Boston in 2012, and to the best knowledge of TBOS, there hasn’t been any more recent legislation put into action. Kevin Lyman, the promoter of Warped Tour, where BMTH are performing, assured his Twitter followers that moshing has not been outlawed on the tour, but bands are not allowed to encourage it due to possible legal problems.
Motörhead was forced to cancel three shows after singer/bassist Lemmy Kilmister suffered a hematoma. But the band released a statement proclaiming that their frontman was doing well. Motörhead will release their latest album, Aftershock, in September.
Tickets for Iron Maiden’s upcoming London show sold out in a mere 12 minutes. The band have since added a second show. It will be their last show in the UK before they tour the States and headline Rock In Rio and other shows in South America. The band also launched an online store for their Trooper beer this week.
Megadeth announced they will donate the proceeds from their upcoming Gigantour show in Oklahoma City will be donated to the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. According to Loudwire, singer Dave Mustaine said, “Many amazing bands have come forward to aid Oklahomans since the May tornadoes came and tore apart their homes and lives. Now it’s time for Heavy Metal to give to this community!”
A 6-year-old girl wowed audiences on “America’s Got Talent” by singing an original death metal song called “Zombie Skin”. Surprisingly, the kid band (called Murp) progressed to the next level of the show.
Another metal-related video went viral this week. The Badpiper, an Australian street performer, made headlines by performing AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” complete with pyrotechnics.
In other news:
- Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival (a.k.a Mayhem Fest) kicked off Saturday night in San Bernardino, Calif.
- Andrew WK will be opening for Black Sabbath on their upcoming North American tour.
- Avenged Sevenfold announced that their next album, “Hail to the King” will be released August 27.
- Germany’s Wacken Open Air Festival will be the subject of a 3D documentary.
- Full Metal Jackie now has her own iHeartRadio station.
Thus concludes TBOS’s “This Week in Metal”.
Interview with Holy Grail for KASC The Blaze 1330 AM
Alec Damiano (me) with James Paul Luna, singer of Holy Grail.
Last night, I interviewed up-and-coming metal band Holy Grail before their show in Mesa, Ariz.
It’s pretty funny. They open up about Metal Alliance Tour and their drunken adventures with Exodus, their musical guilty pleasures, and how they might tour Europe in the fall.
You can check it out here.
Album Review: MEGADETH “Super Collider” Deluxe Edition (2013)
Before I begin this review, let me make my biases known.
I am a major-league Megadeth fan. I am a card-carrying member of the Megadeth Cyber Army. If you look at the “about” page of this blog, you will see me happily nestled between the two MegaDaves, singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson.
Naturally, I was very excited about the release of the band’s latest effort, Super Collider.
With Super Collider, you can’t just say something like, “It’s Cryptic Writings-meets-Th1rt3en” and be accurate. SC is truly a culmination of all things ‘Deth, with some flashbacks to their thrashier days, elements of their more melodic and experimental albums like Risk, and the newer 2000s material. If you were expecting Rust in Peace II, you will be disappointed. But if you approach it with an open mind, you might be pleased.
SC kicks off with “Kingmaker”, which was released as a single approximately two weeks ago. It renewed people’s faith in Super Collider after so many had been disillusioned by the previous single, the 70s-road-trip-rock title track. “Kingmaker” is like a cross between Black Sabbath’s “Children of the Grave” and ‘Deth’s own “Sweating Bullets,” a tribute to the band’s own musical heritage while adding the thrash elements Megadeth have become known for.
Then comes the infamous “Super Collider,” in a very stark contrast to the opening song. For those who haven’t heard it, it sounds more like Foghat than Megadeth. It’s a middle-of-the-road hard rock song that doesn’t really go anywhere. Mustaine revealed that the band filmed a humorous music video to promote the lead single, and perhaps his intention behind the song will be known once the video is released.
The title “Burn!” sounds like Mustaine’s yell in “Take No Prisoners,” but the song itself is an average rocker, with a chorus that feels more at home in a KISS, Motley Crüe, or even a disco song (“Burn, baby burn… ’cause it feels so good”).
“Built For War” is definitely the worst song on the album, maybe even Megadeth’s worst song, period. Meme Theater posted a review of the album right after it leaked, and their critique of this track says it all:
“…it feels like there was Megadeth playing a toned down Megadeth song in one room while Dave Mustaine sings an unrelated melody and lyrical arrangement in another room, while a 2ND DAVE MUSTAINE stood in yet another separate room in said ‘Built for War!’ at random times, as bored as possible…”
“Off the Edge” has a very nice, dark intro and segues into an average metal song but with sub-par lyrics, at least for Megadeth (“Lately, it seems the world is going crazy / It won’t be long till they replace me / And nothing seems to faze me, anymore”). Think of “Fast Lane” from Th1rt3en, but with worse lyrics.
“Dance in the Rain” is the turning point of this album. David Draiman (Disturbed, Device) lends songwriting and guest vocals to this amazing song, which is one of Megadeth’s best since Youthanasia. The song is about American politicians/government taking advantage of We The People as we struggle to make ends meet. It reminds me why I love Megadeth in the first place: chugging guitar rhythms, Shawn Drover’s fast feet at the double bass drums, Chris Broderick’s wailing leads perfectly complementing Dave Mustaine’s eternally stark lyrics. The song starts off slow and progressively speeds up, eventually ripping into a blazing riff and brutal drums backing Draiman’s powerhouse vocals. It would be right at home on United Abominations or Endgame.
“Beginning of Sorrow” is another good , somewhat slow song with heavy lyrical content, about a neglected child. Mustaine’s daughter Electra contributes some backing vocals.
“The Blackest Crow” is one of the most anticipated songs on this album, since video previews on the band’s website showed instruments like a banjo, fiddle, and slide guitar being used. There were also talks of country legend Willie Nelson guesting on this track. Though Nelson did not appear, the song does its hype justice, serving as a strange but pleasant bridge between bluegrass and heavy metal.
Mustaine wrote “Forget To Remember” about his mother-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Though it is an upbeat song for Megadeth, the lyrics are some of their most poignant: “If this is living, what the hell is living for? / You’ve boarded up your eyes, your mind has locked the door”. Broderick’s fills and Mustaine’s voice are beautifully in sync, with the fogginess of some of Mustaine’s vocal lines possibly representing the fogginess of the woman’s memory. This is definitely a highlight of the album, though it is more radio-friendly than most Deth fans are used to.
“Don’t Turn Your Back…” starts off with an impressive bluesy guitar solo and progresses into a badass riff, then into a poppy chorus with more cheesy lyrics (“The best advice I can lend is / Don’t ever turn your back on a friend”). Kinda My Little Pony for Megadeth, even though the musical elements are fantastic.
Though “Cold Sweat” is a Thin Lizzy cover, ironically, it is one of the most Megadeth-sounding songs on the album. Great cover that sounds at home on Endgame.
“All I Want”, the first bonus track, has a vibe similar to Th1rt3en’s “Wrecker” and has obvious KISS influences in the lyrics (“We took off on a rocket ride”). Decent medium-tempo metal song.
“A House Divided” should have been released on all versions of the album. It is truly a shame that it is only available on the deluxe edition. It has an interesting trumpet intro by Bob Findley (who played on Megadeth’s “Silent Scorn”), and like “Dance in the Rain,” reminds me why I’m a fan of this band. Once again, Mustaine sings about injustice (“This is a sad day for violence / When speech results in silence”) as gang vocals creepily chant “We all know something’s wrong” in the background. It gave me goosebumps. It is a suiting finale to the new material.
The final track is a live version of “Countdown to Extinction,” recorded in Pomona, Calif. in December of last year. It is a preview of Megadeth’s next CD/DVD release, Countdown to Extinction Live, which should come out this fall.
Super Collider is just one of those albums that is so different, it has to grow on you. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve seen it called “Risk II”. But the truth is, there are so many different elements on SC, you can’t compare it to one single item in the Megadeth catalogue. It stands alone.
Final verdict: 7/10
Track Listing:
1. Kingmaker
2 .Super Collider
3. Burn!
4. Built For War
5. Off The Edge
6. Dance In The Rain
7. Beginning Of Sorrow
8. The Blackest Crow
9. Forget To Remember
10. Don’t Turn Your Back…
11. Cold Sweat (Thin Lizzy cover)
12. All I Want (Bonus Track)
13. A House Divided (Bonus Track)
14. Countdown To Extinction (Live In Pomona, CA) (Bonus Track)
WARHEAD Debut Album Set For Release May 15
Phoenix thrash metal band Warhead will release their debut album, “Death Row,” tomorrow May 15. You can stream three of the tracks from the album here.
Warhead will also tour in support of the album.
Upcoming shows:
May 17 – Maya’s Cafe – Corona, CA
May 18 – Riff Haus – Fullerton, CA
May 22 – Musichead – Medford, OR
June 8 – Rocky Point Cantina – Tempe, AZ
MEGADETH “Super Collider” Album Cover Revealed
You can also hear a snippet of their new song, “Don’t Turn Your Back,” here.
Interview with Warhead
Warhead is a Phoenix-based classic thrash metal band who pull influence from the likes of Metallica, Megadeth and Iron Maiden. Over the past few weeks, TBOS has been collaborating with them on a set of videos, chronicling the history of the band up to the release of their debut album, “Death Row”.
Here are some excerpts from the interview.
Sam Bollard, bass guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.
The Blog of Shredding: What inspired you to pursue music in the speed metal genre?
Sam Bollard (bass guitar): It’s what we write. It’s just what we write. We don’t write anything else.
Nolan Castles (lead vocals & guitar): Like yeah, it’s totally natural. It’s not like we’re going like for speed metal, or thrash, death, whatever. You know what I mean? It was just like, we got together, wrote some songs, and that’s what it came out to be.
Cody Bailey, lead guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.
TBOS: What moment made you realize, “I wanna pursue music for the rest of my life?”
Cody Bailey (lead guitar): Definitely watching a lot of live videos of just bands that I liked.
Dane White (drums): Metallica.
Cody Bailey: Yeah, I definitely just wanted to be in their position and get them the hell off the stage and put me there.
Drummer Dane White. Photo by Alec Damiano
TBOS: What differentiates you from the rest of the Phoenix metal scene?
Dane White: Our stage show is probably one of the (things). I mean, music is one thing for us, but we have electricity when we play that I don’t really see in a lot of other bands when I look at other local bands. No offense to any of them, but I feel there’s definitely a stronger performance chemistry we have when we play together, and I think the audience notices that too. So I think that’s one of the things that sets us off from the others.
Nolan Castles, lead vocalist and guitarist. Photo by Alec Damiano.
TBOS: How do you get your hair to be so fabulous?
Nolan Castles: To be honest, my hair is all-natural.
Sam Bollard: Head and Shoulders.
Nolan Castles: I wash my hair with dirt, shampoo. Hopefully someone leaves some regurgitation in the sink here.
Dane White: Oh God! (laughs)
Sam Bollard: We wash our hair with brew, take showers with dirt. (others laugh) And that’s about it. We’re thrash. We eat pizza. We drink. We f——- party and we get 45 seconds of sleep and we do it all over again!
Dane White: We literally do none of those things! (laughs)
Nolan Castles: Yes, we party hard. And then when we’re all done, we all go home for dinner.
Sam Bollard: We have a curfew.
Nolan Castles: “Two minutes to midnight” (in reference to the Iron Maiden song of the same name).
Sam Bollard: The f—— thrash curfew!… (laughs) Then we have to “hit the lights” (in reference to the Metallica song).
Warhead will perform at the Nile Theater in Mesa, Ariz. on April 18. Their debut album, “Death Row,” will be released May 16. They will also be interviewed on RockDefRadio Friday, April 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
You can hear their cover of Megadeth’s “Take No Prisoners” below.
Welcome to Warhead
Warhead is a speed/thrash metal band based out of Phoenix, Ariz. Their songs are written in the vein of the Big Four of Thrash Metal (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer). They look like they got time-warped into 2013 straight from the 80s, and they sound like it too.
TBOS got the opportunity to interview Warhead and film them as they were rehearsing for their upcoming show. You can also hear their song, “Death Row,” in the video below.
Tomorrow March 15, they will perform at the Rocky Point Cantina in Tempe, Ariz. Other bands on the bill include: Hemoptysis, Scattered Guts, Existence AD, and Fail to Reason. The show is all ages and tickets are $5. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Warhead will be touring in May in support of their debut album, “Death Row”. The full-length interview and more concert footage will be posted on TBOS closer to the album’s release date.
Warhead “Death Row” West Coast Tour 2013:
May 16 – Phoenix
May 17 – San Diego
May 18 – Los Angeles
May 19 – San Francisco
May 21 – Sacramento
May 22 – Eugene
May 23 – Portland
May 25 – Seattle
May 26 – Boise
May 27 – Salt Lake City
May 28 – Las Vegas
For more updates, visit their Facebook page.
DORO, SISTER SIN and More Live in Tempe, Ariz.
Last month, TBOS had the honor of interviewing the Metal Queen, Doro Pesch. The interview was transcribed in four parts, and the audio was featured on Blabbermouth.net.
Doro Pesch onstage. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Saturday, we had the pleasure of seeing and hearing Doro do what she does best–making people headbang till their necks turn sore!
Tempe’s Rocky Point Cantina held an epic mini metal-fest Saturday night, with a total of six bands performing.
Local Phoenix bands Unconscious Minds, Hands of a Traitor, Epyon and NightSphere primed the audience for Sister Sin and DORO.
First up were classic/thrash metal outfit, Unconscious Minds. They made Pantera fans proud with their soaring vocals and melodic bass lines.
Vocalist Manny Lopez of Unconscious Minds. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Unconscious Minds were the first act of the night and played a thrashing set. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Next were metalcore group Hands of a Traitor. They were definitely the youngest out of all the local bands, and they had a dedicated fanbase moshing in the audience. If you’re into newer metal like Asking Alexandria, this band is for you.
Hands of a Traitor tear it up as their fans moshed in the background. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Epyon played an impressive instrumental set that reminded concertgoers of classic Metallica (think “Orion”) and Death Angel. They also announced that they had found a singer, though the band performed as an instrumental quartet.
Members from Epyon played an instrumental classic metal set. Photo by Alec Damiano.
The last local band to perform was power metal act NightSphere. They made an impressive stage entrance with dimmed lights and fog floating through the air.
Power metal outfit NightSphere. Pictured are singer CJ McConnell and guitarist Elsthon Gomez. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Next were Swedish glam metallers Sister Sin. They played a nine-song setlist, which included tracks from all their albums. Four of the songs were from their latest record, “Now and Forever”. Liv Jagrell interacted energetically with the crowd, actually stepping off the stage to greet fans at one point. The audience was left clamoring for more after they finished.
Liv Jagrell, the energetic frontwoman from Sister Sin. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Finally, at 11:20 p.m., headliners DORO took the stage. They played 20 songs, about half of which were from Pesch’s previous band, Warlock. Highlights from the set were “Hero,” which was written as a tribute to the late Ronnie James Dio, a cover of Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law”, and the Warlock anthem “All We Are,” where the members from Sister Sin returned to the stage to sing along and engage with the crowd.
Doro Pesch, DORO’s frontwoman and namesake, interacts energetically with the clamoring crowd. Photo by Alec Damiano.
Saturday night was an unforgettable night for Tempe metalheads. The headliners more than delivered and great local talent was also showcased.
Sister Sin joined DORO onstage for a memorable rendition of “All We Are”. Photo by Alec Damiano.
This Week In Metal: Slayer, Machine Head, Mayhem Fest and more
- In what came as as a shock to metalheads everywhere, Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo was allegedly fired for questioning contractual matters. You can read the full statement on his Facebook page.
Slayer released a statement shortly afterward, confirming that John Dette from Testament will be replacing Lombardo on the upcoming Australian tour. It is unclear when or if Lombardo will be readmitted into the band.
- Another shocking lineup change. Machine Head bassist Adam Duce has left the band. Robb Flynn remains the sole original member. An official statement released on the band’s website describes the split as “amicable,” and they wish Duce the best in his future endeavors.
- Loudwire premiered Anthrax’s new cover of AC/DC’s “T.N.T.” Their covers album, “Anthems,” will be released March 19.
In other Anthrax news, former guitarist Rob Caggiano performed onstage with Volbeat for the first time.
(link from Blabbermouth.net)
- Ghost B.C. (formerly known as Ghost) released the music video for their single “Secular Haze”. They also released the album artwork for “Infestissumam,” which goes onsale April 19.
- A new TV commercial was unveiled to promote the 2013 Revolver Golden God Awards, which will take place May 2. The video features Chris Jericho, Zakk Wylde, Sebastian Bach and others. Metallica is headlining the show. You can vote for the award recipients here.
- Skid Row debuted a preview of their new single, “Kings of Demolition” and announced that they have signed a deal with Megaforce Records. Their new EP, “United World Rebellion – Chapter One,” will be released in North America April 16.
- Other bands that have released studio updates this week: Megadeth, Children of Bodom, Steel Panther, Deep Purple.
- The official Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival lineup for 2013 will be released on March 18. A rumored lineup includes Rob Zombie, Five Finger Death Punch, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom and Amon Amarth.
Thus concludes this week in metal.
This Week in Metal: NAMM, Ozzfest Japan, Whitesnake and More
This week in metal was a hard one to cover due to the excitement surrounding NAMM. So here are the highlights of this week:
- Ozzfest Japan 2013 will take place in May and feature Black Sabbath. Other bands include: Slipknot, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Deftones, Tool, The Treatment, Dir En Grey and Steel Panther.
- Dave Mustaine revealed that Megadeth will embark on a short tour with Iron Maiden in Spain, Italy, and France. He said that Megadeth is nearly finished recording their fourteenth album, but did not reveal what record label they have signed with. Mustaine also gave some hints as to what bands will be on Gigantour 2013. He said they are “notorious bad boys”. Perhaps they will tour with Mötley Crüe once again?
- Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) was the subject of an all-star roast featuring Lita Ford, Zakk Wylde and Jim Norton.
- Ray Burton, father of deceased Metallica bassist Cliff Burton, signed autographs at the ARIA Guitars booth at NAMM.
David Ellefson of Megadeth (2nd from left) and Ray Burton (2nd from right) at the ARIA Guitars booth at NAMM 2013. Photo credit: Metallica official Facebook.
- Drummer Tommy Aldridge rejoined Whitesnake.
- A preview of the new 3D Guns N’ Roses concert film is now available.
- L.A. Guns posted the first photo of their new lineup featuring guitarist Michael Grant (Endeverafter).
New lineup of L.A. Guns. Photo credit: L.A. Guns official Facebook page.
- A preview of the new Motörhead book “Roadkill” went online.
- Geoff Tate’s Queensryche revealed a new lineup.
- The Dillinger Escape Plan and Trapped Under Ice were added to New England Metal and Hardcore Fest.
- A Sepultura biography is due for release later this year.
- Roadrunner Records signed Kvelertak.
- Poison drummer Rikki Rockett will star in a new reality series called “American Drums”.
- Flotsam and Jetsam bassist Jason Ward will not be joining the band on their upcoming tour with Testament and Overkill due to family commitments.
- Drummer Lyle Cooper quits The Faceless.
- A rumored lineup of Mayhem Fest includes Rob Zombie, Amon Amarth, Deftones, and Children of Bodom. The official lineup will be released Mar.18.
Thus concludes TBOS’s “This Week In Metal”.
The Blog of Shredding 