This image, which nicely compliments the video below, is for a 1993 metal comp that featured some pretty ripping bands, including Eucharist, Dissection, Impaler, At the Gates, Pitchshifter and Therion, along with a bunch of groups we've never heard of. Good luck tracking it down. But before you try, check out this Norwegian TV ad for some sort of information service like a Scandinavian AskJeeves.com or something.
The commercial reminds us of a story Lemmy Kilmister once told us about a friend who was getting tattooed with the sentence "Born to Lose," and the bassist told us that right before it was too late he stopped the artist from tattooing an extra "o" on the second word - a phrase that would have been fine for, Say Pamela Des Barres or Cynthia Plaster Caster - but wasn't what Lemmy's pal was looking for: "Born Too Lose." Now, check out the clip.
You can spit raw pig organs out into the crowd, play blast beats at deafening volume or wear enough corpse paint to clog your pores until next Halloween, but the real test of whether a musician has balls of steel can b tested most effectively by an eight year old kid asking them where babies come from.
In this clip from the 'Bits of Johnny Orlando Jr. Antibiotic Resistent Metal Show,' a young well-dressed boy named Johnny Orlando Jr Jr asks various extreme metal musicians the question every parent dreads most, and most of the rockers wuss out, including Carnifex, Arsis,
Amusing answers come from Misery Index, who say, "They used to come from Storks, but we ended up killing all the storks. So now it's up to mommies and daddies again." And Fear Factory drummer Gene Hoglan says without flinching that babies come from "The Pits of Hell."
Only Fear Factory Burton C. Bell shoots straight with the kid, explaining, "When a man and woman are in love, or even if they're not in love, when they have something called sex the man inserts his penis into the lady's vagina, and when he ejaculates inside of her, the sperm will flow through her uterus up into her ovaries, and the sperm connected to the ovaries, and that's when the genesis of a baby begins."
Way to go, Burt. You've probably scarred the kid for life.
Thanks to 'Revolver' editor Brandon Geist for exposing us to this clip.
What better way to celebrate Wendy O. Williams' 61st birthday on May 28 (if she hadn't blown her head off at age 48) than with a cute, scantily clad bobblehead doll.
Yes, Aggronautix, the company that, in 2009, presented a bobblehead of GG Allin -- the lovable now-deceased counter culture character who beat up audience members, pooped onstage and threw his feces at the crowd -- is about to launch their limited edition line (2,000 in total) of W.O.W. dolls and to promote the item, anyone who pre-orders the "Throbblehead" through the end of May has the chance to win a prize pack that includes a Plasmatics Coup d'Etat: Revolutionary Rock 'N' Roll T-Shirt, The Plasmatics Wendy O Williams 'Beyond The Valley Of 1984' on vinyl and "Wendy O. Williams The Plasmatics The DVD: 10 Years Of Revolutionary Rock & Roll."
The Wendy O. Williams bobblehead is modeled after the punk icon circa 1982 -- replete with blonde mohawk, spiked arm bands and tattered threads -- stands at seven inches tall and is made of a lightweight polyresin and costs $16.95. The doll comes encased in a tri-window box and if she could talk, she'd surely shout, "Let me out of here you f---ing sh-- eating scumbag!"
To place your order, check out the Aggronautix Web site.
In spring 2009, just as Heaven & Hell (Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio) were getting ready to put out their debut full-length, 'The Devil You Know,' Dio and bassist Geezer Butler sat down in an apartment in New York's East Village to talk about the making of the disc, the sorry state of the world and the current state of heavy metal. It would be the last time we would talk with Dio, who died on May 16 following a six month battle with stomach cancer.
At the time, the singer had everything to live for. He had just co-written and recorded his first full record with Butler and guitarist Tony Iommi in 18 years, and the band was receiving rave responses around the world. Moreover, DIo and his bandmates were enjoying one another's company like never before. Age old ego-battles and petty grievances had been put aside and the guys were having a great time playing Sabbath songs and new material for sold out audiences who, for the moment at least, seemed to forget Dio was not Sabbath's original vocalist.
When we talked with Dio, he was articulate, animated and optimistic about the band's musical future. Even if he had some concerns about the economy and global unrest, he was convinced that music could make a difference. Not only was it a great escape from reality, the messages within could direct a new generation in a more productive path. Hopefully, he was right. Sadly, even if he was, he won't be around to see it.
We would love to be able to present a full interview with Dio about his amazing musical history, covering his years with Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his solo band Dio, but at the time of our discussion, he and Butler were promoting the excellent album 'The Devil You Know,' and, understandably, that was the focus of their conversation. So here it is, our final conversation with a legend. RIP, Ronnie.
If AC/DC aren't cranking out albums fast enough for you and Rhino Bucket don't get your engine revin,' then check out the new Airbourne album 'No Guts, No Glory.' The second disc by these Aussie/DC obsessives is a feast of sleazy, slammin' rhythms, jagged flesh-cleaving guitars and howled melodic vocals that sound like Angus-and-company on a good day -- which is pretty much any day they pick up their instruments.
Okay, Airbourne don't have a hell of a lot of originality to offer. In addition to AC/DC, maybe there's a little bit of Rose Tattoo and a splash of Black Sabbath, but with 'No Guts, No Glory' they're back in black and ready to kill like that runaway 18-wheeler in the movie 'Maximum Overdrive,' which, of course, was chock full of AC/DC tuneage.
This fall, Airbourne will be playing the second stage of the Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival. The tour also features Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Stone Sour, Hellyeah, Halestorm and more. The morning after a long night at the bar, we caught up with guitarist and vocalist Joel O'Keefe to ask him about the creation of 'No Guts, No Glory,' his love of AC/DC and why his band accepts no way but the hard way.
Roll over Betty Ford and tell Promises the news. A new rehab center in South Central, Pennsylvania called Clarity Way is providing its clients the use of an in-house recording studio and a music therapist. So now drug-addled artists can try to get clean and be productive at the same time.
The studio, which is equipped with Pro-Tools and other state-of-the-art gizmos, was built by Blind Melon rhythm guitarist Christopher Thorn, whose frontman Shannon Hoon died of a drug overdose in 1995. Thorn's sister is one of the co-founders of the place, which describes itself thusly: "a medically supervised premier holistic drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility... specializing in individualized treatment programs catering to clients battling all levels of substance abuse and process addictions (i.e. gambling and sex), Clarity Way is an oasis for recovery."
Maybe somebody should tell that to the guys who used to be in Oasis.
Today, the heavy metal world lost a true legend. Ronnie James Dio, who most recently fronted the Black Sabbath-without-Ozzy band Heaven & Hell, lost his battle with stomach cancer at 7:45 a.m. PST. He was 67.
“My heart is broken,” said his wife and manager, Wendy Dio in a statement. “Many, many friends and family were able to say their private good-byes before he peacefully passed away. Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.”
On November 25, 2009, Dio announced that he was diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. Four months later, Wendy Dio posted that he had undergone his seventh session of chemotherapy and his health seemed to be improving. “Our [cancer clinic] visits are now every three weeks instead of every two weeks,” she wrote.
About a month later, on April 8 Dio attended the the Revolver Golden Gods awards, where he won the “Best Vocalist Award.” At the event, he spoke to Sirius Liquid Metal’s Jose Mangin and Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor and discussed his new found lease on life.
Artisan news service also talked to Dio on the black carpet outside the event and Dio was candid about the discomfort of chemotherapy and his faith in the doctors who were treating him. He appeared frail, but was friendly and optimistic; no one could have guessed how little time he had left.
Then on May 4, Heaven & Hell announced that they were canceling all summer tour dates while Dio continued his treatment. After the announcement, Dio issued his own statement. “This setback could be devastating, but we will not let it be,” he said. “With your continued love and support, we will carry on and thrive. There will be other tours, more music, more life and much more magic.”
Late on Saturday, May 15, the Internet was abuzz with reports that Dio had died. In response, his wife issued the statement, "I am at the hospital and Ronnie has NOT passed away!!!! He is not doing good, but he is not dead.”
Ronnie James Dio died at a time when his career was on an upward arc. Since the mid ‘80s, he had been in and out of Black Sabbath three times, but after recording the Heaven & Hell album ‘The Devil You Know’ with his Sabbath band mates in 2009, Dio seemed to be back on top of his game. Tours to support the record were universally acclaimed and the band was making plans to head back into the studio when Dio was diagnosed with cancer.
In addition to singing with Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell, Dio enjoyed an immensely successful solo career in the band Dio, which formed in 1982 after he left Sabbath for the first time, and released 10 albums with them, including the commercially successful discs 1983’s ‘Holy Diver,’ 1984’s ‘The Last in Line,’ 1985’s ‘Sacred Heart’ and 1987’s ‘Dream Evil.’
Dio broke into the music industry with the blues-rock band Elf, where he honed his powerfully resonant vocals. He joined Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow in 1975 and sang with them until 1978, then joined Black Sabbath after Ozzy Osbourne was fired from the group. The band’s 1980 debut ‘Heaven and Hell’ was a thunderous comeback -- one that showcased Dio's expressive, operatic vocals, which were a stark contrast to Osbourne's unschooled howl. Black Sabath followed in 1981 with the equally potent ‘Mob Rules.’ However, while on tour for the album, friction between Dio and his band mates developed and while 'Live Evil,' a concert album of the tour, was being engineered, Dio was fired. He returned to Black Sabbath during the height of the alternative rock movement for the 1992 album ‘Dehumanizer’ but left again shortly after when his band mates reformed their original lineup with Ozzy Osbourne.
Dio’s final reunion with Black Sabbath – and the one that lasted until his death – came in 2006 when Rhino records expressed interest in putting out a greatest hits package of Dio’s years with the band. Since there were no B-sides or live tracks lying around, Black Sabbath made plans to get together with Dio to write, and came up with three new songs, ‘Shadow of the Wind,’ ‘The Devil Cried’ and ‘Ear in the Wall.’ The writing sessions were so enjoyable, the members decided to tour together as Heaven & Hell. Following the tour, they started writing the full-length Heaven and Hell Album ‘The Devil You Know.’
In the final sentence of her statement to fans, Wendy Dio said, “We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us… Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”
When political commentators mention extreme metal on the air it's usually in reference to something tragic like a school shooting, church burning or suicide pact. But when MSNBC liberal correspondent Rachael Maddow invoked the names of Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under, Obituary, Death and Deicide it was mostly to take a stab at Republicans, not metal bands.
After discussing how Phoenix, Arizona and Salt Lake City, Utah have been nixed by the Republican party as the site for the 2012 Republican National Convention in favor of Tampa, Florida, Maddow credited Tampa as being the birthplace of death metal, then showed a video from Cannibal Corpse and namedropped Death, Six Feet Under and Obituary before showing a clip 'Homage For Satan' by Deicide, a band she called "Tampa's pride and joy -- kind of the deans of the Tampa death metal scene."
Okay, Maddow wasn't exactly complimenting death metal, but since she was using the music to mock the Republicans' inability to find a respectable city to host the convention, we'll go along with it. Anyway, when is the last time you saw CSNBC say anything at all about extreme death metal? The blast beats begin at about the one minute mark of this clip.
A YouTube user who calls himself MrMeddled has posted an outrageously amazing surf rock version of Emperor's black metal song 'I am the Black Wizard.' Almost as entertaining as the interpretation/transformation is the accompanying text, which reads in part:
"In 1959, Chip Ihsahn and Rocky Samoth met on the beach in California. They shared a love of crude reverb units, surfing, smoking illicit substances and driving cars with fake wood on the sides. They soon formed a surf band [that] evolved into the now well-known The Thou Shalt Suffers. Soon, however, Rocky Samoth began to write surf music music outside of The Thou Shalt Suffers, and together with Chip Ihsahn and a new bass player called Woody Mortiis (later of his own eponymous band The Mortiises), The Emperors was formed."
First, check out the black metal song surf style, then watch Emperor play their original at the 2006 Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany:
Rockstar Energy Drink is getting ready to corner the metal touring market. On July 10 in San Bernardino, California they’ll launch this year’s Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, which features Korn, Rob Zombie, Lamb of God, Five Finger Death Punch, Atreyu and others. And three days after the tour ends in Aug 14 in Oklahoma City, Rockstar Energy Drink will launch the Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a lineup that includes Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, HaleStorm, Hellyeah, Airborne and others. Dates run through October 4 in Madison, Wisconsin. Take that wimpy, wing-flapping Red Bull drinkers.
It's not exactly on the scale of Rob Halford rejoining Judas Priest or Bruce Dickinson coming back to Iron Maiden, but squealy-voiced original Agent Steel singer John Cyriis has returned to the band following a 22-year absence. The teary reunion was made possible by the departure of Bruce Hall, who waved the Steel for the past 12 years before landing a job that pays.
Now that SPV Records has started up again like a rusty lawnmower, German thrash pioneers Sodom are back in action -- which officially makes the German label renewed Sodomites. The band members are currently looking for a studio to record their next album, the follow-up to 2006's original full-length 'Sodom.' "There has never been a Sodom album which is so wide-ranged, as powerful and as typically Sodom as this one," says frontman Tom Angelripper." The band plans to start recording this summer so they can get the yet-untitled album out by Christmas. Hey, it beats a lump of coal.
'Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage," the illuminating rockumentary of Canadian power trio Rush has won the Heineken Audience Award at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. Good job and all guys, but shouldn't a movie about a Canadian band at least win an award sponsored by a Canadian brewery?
Ex-Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera and his brother and former Sepultura drummer Igor have finished recording the second album by their band Cavalera Conspiracy. The disc, the follow-up to 2008's 'Inflikted,' was produced with Logan Mader (ex-Machine Head, Soulfly) and is scheduled for late 2010. All we have to say is Roooooots, bloody roooots!
