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Interviews (265)
The interviews - both video, audio and text - from the world of rock!
Epiphone conducted an interview with the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE on the "black carpet" at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods awards on May 2 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, California. You can now watch the chat below.
The Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE will release its new album, simply titled "Queensrÿche", 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.
"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.
"Queensrÿche" track listing:
01. X2
02. Where Dreams Go To Die
03. Spore
04. In This Light
05. Redemption
06. Vindication
07. Midnight Lullaby
08. A World Without
09. Don't Look Back
10. Fallout
11. Open Road
Several versions of "Queensrÿche" are now available for pre-order:
*** Standard Jewel Case Version
Regular CD that includes a 4x4 patch.
*** Deluxe Box Set Edition CD (North America only)
Regular CD with the following bonus tracks:
* Queen Of The Reich (live)
* En Force (live)
* Prophecy (live)
Housed in a small box with an exclusive patch, sticker, guitar pick and button pack.
*** 2-CD Media Book (For Europe only)
Standard CD, plus 2nd CD with the following bonus tracks, all recorded live in Snoqualmie, WA on October 27, 2012:
01. Queen Of The Reich (live)
02. En Force (live)
03. Prophecy (live)
*** LP Version
One LP with the standard cd inserted into the sleeve as a bonus.
Side A
01. X2
02. Where Dreams Go To Die
03. Spore
04. In This Light
05. Redemption
06. Vindication
Side B
01. Midnight Lullaby
02. A World Without
03. Don't Look Back
04. Fallout
05. Open Road
06. Queen Of The Reich (live)
07. En Force (live)
*** iTunes Digital Version
Standard CD version, plus the following bonus tracks:
01. Queen Of The Reich (live)
02. En Force (live)
Fans were treated to a taste of the new album when the band released "Redemption" and it has been garnering praise ever since. The song has been listened to over 185,000 times on YouTube since it was unveiled in March.
"This gets said often by a lot of bands, but we believe we have recorded some of our finest music in years," says drummer Scott Rockenfield.
"The collaborative effort of everyone on this album is something we are extremely proud of.
"Working with Jimbo and the addition of Todd has revitalized the band in ways we never knew until we heard the final results.
"We know you have to wait a little longer but are excited for all of our fans to hear it. QUEENSRŸCHE wouldn't be in this position if not for your unwavering support."
Asked which album in QUEENSRŸCHE's catalog would most closely compare to what the band is doing now, Scott told "Noize In The Attic": "Our big goal was, once we kind of made our transition last year and moved on as a band, and Todd being in the band, and our focus of the live shows and everything, it's always kind of been about looking at what really made QUEENSRŸCHE special. And for the live show, it's the old stuff. And we've been focusing a lot, in the show, doing that, for the last year, and we're continue to focus on doing that. On the record, I think the vein of what the record is a combination of all that great old stuff that we're kind of known best for. I mean, for me, I kind of summarize it by saying, to me, it's everything from the [debut] EP up to 'Empire', or maybe even 'Promised Land' at that point, which is, to me, the most defining catalog that we've ever done. And I think for this record, it's visiting that and taking that into the future."
Added guitarist Michael Wilton: "I also think that when you hear this record, each song is gonna be unique in its own. For people that have heard the single that's on YouTube called 'Redemption'. Everybody's asking, 'Is the album gonna sound just like that?' And I can say, 'No.' What's great about this record is that every individual here was in the creative process and the writing — there was no outside writers, like [there were] on the last few albums. And it really shows, and it's a real great blend of everybody's strength and their creative elements, and the songs are definitely reflective of the personalities of this band right now."
Continued Scott: "I think that's important. Especially what Michael was saying. I think the focus of that earlier stuff, there was a massive chemistry between all of us that really worked, and we wanted to find that chemistry again, 'cause we've, unfortunately, had to struggle with that the last few years. But we always knew that that's what we wanted to do, so now that we're able to do that, finding that chemistry and that energy that got us to make those records is what that energy now is in this record. And Michael's right: the songs, there's a great variety of things in it, but they're all QUEENSRŸCHE, they're all us doing it, it's our chemistry of working together."
Said Michael: "If you listen to all the other albums, like from 'Promised Land' back to the EP, you're gonna hear all these dynamics, from song after another song — you're gonna hear those dynamics, and that's the same sort of approach we wanted to take on this new one."
SLAYER's estranged drummer Dave Lombardo has paid tribute to the band's guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away on Thursday (May 2) from liver failure at the age of 49.
Said Lombardo: "This picture [see below] was taken at the Troubadour in Hollywood around 1982.
"Jeff was the guy that shaved his head and shared the music he was so inspired by. I enjoyed DEAD KENNEDYS, CIRCLE JERKS, BLACK FLAG and THE GERMS with him.
"My drumming was getting faster and Jeff was writing original songs with a punk attitude.
"The fusion of heavy metal and punk took over SLAYER's early mediocre style, hence a new force was born.
"Thank you, Jeff, for your inspiring discovery of punk rock that has continued to shape my personal drumming style."
Lombardo sat out SLAYER's recent Australian tour due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX).
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.
It is not clear whether the cause of his death was linked to his struggle with the flesh-eating infection.
Hanneman recalled in a 2011 interview with Classic Rock magazine that he initially didn't even feel the spider bite, adding, "But an hour later, I knew that I was ill. I could see the flesh corrupting. The arm was real hot. I got to the emergency room, and thank god the nurse knew straight away what it was . . . At that point, I was an hour away from death."
SLAYER was founded in 1981 in Los Angeles and went on to become one of most popular bands of the speed/thrash metal movement, eventually being considered one of the "Big Four" alongside METALLICA, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX.
While never a band that got any substantial radio airplay, the group has long been considered a major influence on the metal genre and acclaimed as one of the best live metal acts of the past 30 years.
SLAYER guitarist Kerry King received a huge ovation from the crowd at the Revolver Golden Gods awards show on May 2 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, where he said that Hanneman would have wanted "noise" rather than a moment of silence and then drank two shots in his bandmate's honor.
On May 1, Steve Baltin of RollingStone.com conducted an interview with former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist and current NEWSTED frontman Jason Newsted. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
RollingStone.com: Do you appreciate [performing on stage again] more after the hiatus?
Newsted: I think the deeper the challenge — I had a bunch of shoulder surgeries to get myself together — whatever that level of thing, you come back with that same level of matching appreciation. It's new eyes, new mind, new world to recognize and appreciate, there's no question about that. It did happen so fast. We wrote the songs in fall of last year, recorded 16 or 20 songs since that time, put the EP out in January. I've got an LP done already, a world tour at our feet in six months' time, so that's pretty quick for all that to be coming around and for me to fathom it. In a big band like METALLICA, in METALLICA in particular, it is such a machine, and especially when I was in, the same people working together for 25 years for us, same band, same crew guys working for us — it was such a fine-tuned thing, that's what I got conditioned to. And so many of the detail things were kept from me because they're not gonna bother you with all the bullshit. So I skipped over this part that I'm doing right now in the first 30 years of my career. October of 1986 on Halloween I played the last show with FLOTSAM AND JETSAM — 10 days later onstage in Japan, sold out Budokan with METALLICA. I didn't ever do the van around the countryside, slugging it out place to place, come to the Roxy to play or anything like that. I skipped over it. Now I'm doing it, and appreciate it.
RollingStone.com: Now you're doing it, though, with a different wisdom.
Newsted: That's the thing. That was Lars [Ulrich] in METALLICA — I never recognized it. I used to give him grief because, "Dude, how come you're not practicing more? How come you're not on time?" And he's like, "If you only knew what I had to do." I didn't realize, but he was so on top of that kind of stuff, and geographically aware and all these things. "We gotta go here, they're letting Western music in here, now we're going here," that kind of thing. He was so on top of it, but I didn't realize it until now. I've gained so much respect for all those guys in the camp, but especially him in particular.
RollingStone.com: Have you told him that?
Newsted: No, but I will tomorrow (at the Revolver Golden Gods in L.A.). We're seeing each other for the first time since the reunion. We've seen each other two times since the Hall Of Fame. They're busy, I'm busy. April of 2009 was the Hall Of Fame for us and December of 2011 was the reunion. We've become so much closer as far as that goes, with respecting each other. He came to my first gallery shows of my paintings, and he's the one who actually turned me on to Basquiat. For him to come and do that, we get that special bond we didn't have before. There's some cool shit going on. We're life partners in business. We are forever. I'm always a part of METALLICA, and we're always gonna be sharing decisions about different kinds of crazy stuff.
RollingStone.com: Would you see yourself playing with them again?
Newsted: I'll always jam with them, but I'll pretty much jam with everybody. I'll always jam with them if they ask me.
Read the entire interview from RollingStone.com.
On April 10, journalist and musician Barbara Caserta of Linearock conducted an interview with Finnish/Swedish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS at Radio Lombardia Studios in Milan, Italy. You can now watch the chat below.
STRATOVARIUS' latest full-length album, "Nemesis", was released via earMUSIC. Hailed by the media as, "the best STRATOVARIUS album in many, many years" by Metal Hammer Germany, "a collection of the band’s greatest hits that you never heard until now" by Metal Underground in the U.S. and "the strongest STRATOVARIUS album since the beginning of the century" by KaaosZine in Finland, STRATOVARIUS was once again able to live up to its reputation as one of the leading names of the metal genre, once again exceeding fans' and critics' expectations and charting all over the world: Finland at #3, Czech Republic at #12, Switzerland at #30, Spain at #32, Germany at #41, Sweden at #44, France at #56, Norway at #56, Austria at #62 and Canada at #126.
"Nemesis" has a dark and more modern sound compared to the band's last album, "Elysium". It clearly shows how much the band has matured and grown as songwriters. At the same time, the band focused all their attention and work into creating and recording "Nemesis". Singer Timo Kotipelto spent three weeks recording the vocals in a cottage in the Finnish countryside.
"Nemesis" track listing:
01. Abandon
02. Unbreakable
03. Stand My Ground
04. Halcyon Days
05. Fantasy
06. Out Of The Fog
07. Castles In The Air
08. Dragons
09. One Must Fall
10. If The Story Is Over
11. Nemesis
STRATOVARIUS in June 2012 announced the addition of drummer Rolf Pilve to the group's ranks.
On March 11, GetYourRockOut conducted an interview with singer Lzzy Hale of Pennsylvanian rockers HALESTORM before the band's concert in Nottingham, England. You can now watch the chat below.
The members of HALESTORM told Swedish web site Metalshrine that the band has finished recording its second covers EP. The follow-up to 2011's "ReAnimate" will be out sometime in the next few months, "probably summer," according to Lzzy. While she and guitarist Joe Hottinger did not reveal the track list, Hale said that the EP will feature "a few things that I didn't think we'd pull off, but I think we did." The band recorded seven songs, with six likely to make the final release.
Hale said about covering the songs, "We're definitely building each one in our own way. Sometimes that's hard, but we learned a lot as musicians by doing that. You can take the 'Oh, is this a good song?' thing out of it because it's already a proven song, so you just have fun and experiment."
Hale told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago why she thinks so many bands enjoy playing cover songs. "It's a reminiscent thing of when you're trying to make it and coming up in the club scene and also maybe it's kind of nostalgic, like when you're first learning how to play guitar, some of the songs that you used to jam to with your bandmates, and it's really cool," she said."
The "ReAnimate" EP featured remakes of songs by SKID ROW, GUNS N' ROSES, LADY GAGA and THE BEATLES.
HALESTORM, which won the Grammy last month for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance", will return to the U.S. to begin the "HardDrive Live Tour" with BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, starting April 12 in Denver.
ultureTV conducted an interview with vocalist Jacoby Shaddix of Californian rockers PAPA ROACH at Brixton Academy in London, England in December 2012. You can now watch the chat below.
PAPA ROACH's fall 2012 European trek with STONE SOUR marked the band's first extended tour since Jacoby Shaddix had surgery on his vocal cords in September. Asked by the Armed Forces Network how his voice was holding up, Shaddix said, "Voice is great. I'm slaying it on the shows so far and I feel really good. I was definitely blessed to go to the right doctor and get my surgery performed by him. It was scary, but I'm good."
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Shaddix said that during his recovery, he got to spend some time with his kids and also learn the latest musical trends. He explained, "After my surgery, I had some time at home so I was helping coach my son's tackle football team . . . I'd turn around and they're behind me doing the 'Gangnam' dance. I was like, 'Alright, we save that for after practice.'"
Even before his vocal problems started, Shaddix admitted in several interviews that he came close to committing suicide earlier in the year as he struggled with both marital problems and falling off the wagon.
Dean (a.k.a. Trauma) of Metal Nation Radio recently conducted an interview with Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE). You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's long-talked-about "Unblackened" DVD, which was previously scheduled to be filmed in late August at The Mayan in Los Angeles, California, and was then pushed back to January, was finally shot on March 6 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The set contained intimate versions of some of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's most popular songs, as well as songs from mainman Zakk Wylde's solo album "Book Of Shadows" and his Southern rock band PRIDE & GLORY. The show featured Wylde on guitar and piano, alongside the members of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, as well as a four-piece string section, pedal steel, and special guests. The concert was also broadcast live exclusively on AXS TV. A CD/DVD will be released later this year.
Anchor Shop TV recently conducted an interview with Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES. You can now watch the chat below.
BLACK VEIL BRIDES' new album, "Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones", sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on January 8 via Lava/Universal Republic, the CD was produced by by John Feldmann (PAPA ROACH, THE USED, ATREYU) and is a full-fledged concept effort. The cover artwork for the album was created by the band's longtime friend, artist Richard Villa.
BLACK VEIL BRIDES screened their brand new movie, "Legion Of The Black", at the Silent Movie Theater in Los Angeles, California in December.
Directed by Patrick Fogarty, written by Andy Biersack, Patrick Fogarty and Richard Villa III, "Legion Of The Black" tells the visual story of "Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones". The film follows a group of rebels known as "The Wild Ones" as they defend their hearts, minds and bodies against F.E.A.R.
ADRENALINE MOB — the band featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen, guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (SONIC STOMP) and DISTURBED bassist John Moyer — will release "Covertá", an eight-track EP featuring cover versions of some of the group's favorite songs, on March 12. Longtime fans of Portnoy are aware of the multiple cover CDs he has released with DREAM THEATER and with Neal Morse. "Covertá" is the first CD of covers recorded by ADRENALINE MOB.
"Covertá" track listing:
01. High Wire (BADLANDS)
02. Stand Up And Shout (DIO)
03. Break on Through (THE DOORS)
04. Romeo Delight (VAN HALEN)
05. Barracuda (HEART)
06. Kill The King (RAINBOW)
07. The Lemon Song (LED ZEPPELIN)
08. The Mob Rules (BLACK SABBATH)
The videos below show Moyer and Allen recording VAN HALEN's "Romeo Delight" and commenting on the process.
The second in a series of video clips featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the "Covertá" recording sessions can be seen below.
In support of their album, "Omertá", and "Covertá", ADRENALINE MOB will embark on a U.S. tour on March 12. The trek will consist of two legs this spring. The dates for the first leg are as follows:
NOTHING MORE will be the support act on the first leg.
"Omertá" sold around 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 70 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in Europe on March 19, 2012 in Europe via Century Media Records and in the U.S. on March 13, 2012 through the newly formed Elm City Music in conjunction with EMI Label Services.
The 11-song effort — which was produced by ADRENALINE MOB and mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked on ANTHRAX's "Worship Music" and STEEL PANTHER's "Balls Out" — includes a blistering reinterpretation of DURAN DURAN's classic "Come Undone" featuring guest vocals by Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM.
ADRENALINE MOB's "Indifferent" video was filmed in March 2012 in the desert in California and throughout Los Angeles with director Scott Hansen, who has previously worked with A DAY TO REMEMBER, UNEARTH and WILLIE NELSON, among others.
Mike Gitter of AOL's Noisecreep recently conducted an interview with heavy metal vocalist John Bush (ARMORED SAINT, ANTHRAX). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Noisecreep: What are you up to these days?
Bush: My wife has a casting studio called Silverlane Studios, that she started twelve years ago and has since built as a business that is pretty strong and going really well. I pretty much entrenched myself in her world. I help her with the studio and I also help her as a casting director. We've cast a bunch of commercials and done some movies and videos. We have a facility here where we provide that for other people. We are a little mom-and-pop business that's really cool and really fun and pretty much consumes most of my time. I've done a bunch of voice over work myself. There were a few years where I was basically the voice of Burger King. I still try and do as much voice over work as possible. It's fun to do and it's me using my voice. It's cool to do some acting and not be an actor. I don't really want to be an actor. I spent enough years trying to convince people about being a great singer.
Noisecreep: Why are you OK with not doing music full time anymore after so many years with ANTHRAX and ARMORED SAINT?
Bush: I do love making music. I actually think I'm a better singer now than I've been at any point in my life. I totally know my voice and know what I can and can't do. It's still super-strong but I'm more in touch with the dynamics and soulfulness of it. I do love singing and writing lyrics. I just don't really have a desire to be a touring guy anymore. When I first left ANTHRAX the first time in '05, it was right around the time my daughter was born. At that time, it just didn't feel like it was time to go pursue another band. I didn't want to. I was happy to just be at home and raise my daughter. Now, leaving my kid and my business for a month at a time is something I don't want to do. I do love making music and playing live shows still. I just want to do it on my terms.
Noisecreep: What's going on in ARMORED SAINT right now?
Bush: We started writing some new songs, most of which are in a very embryonic state. Since way back when Dave [Prichard; original SAINT guitarist who succumbed to leukemia in 1990] died, Joey [Vera, bass] has taken over the role of being the pilot for the band. He's got a lot of music running through his bones and his DNA and I trust him and believe in his abilities. He's written a lot of stuff and I just keep telling him to push the envelope. When we write, I want to be as broad as possible and not to put any limitations on what we do. If something doesn't work, then it doesn't work. Joey says he's written a couple eight-minute songs. It'll be fun to put out another record. I don't when it would come out but it's probably not going to be too long from now.
Read the entire interview from Noisecreep.
