Archive for October 2nd, 2012

Underoath To Break Up Following Farewell Tour and Career-Spanning Compilation

Solid State Records After 15 years, seven albums, Grammy and Dove award nominations and 1.3 million albums sold, the metalcore band Underoath has announced they are calling it a day. The band will release a retrospective album ‘Anthology 1999-2013′ on Nov. 6 via Solid State Records. “It’s sad to say that we feel like it’s time to close this chapter, but we have never seen things more clearly,” says vocalist Spencer Chamberlain. “These have been the best years of my entire life, and I owe that to every single person who ever supported this band along the way. This wasn’t a quick decision by any means. It’s just time for us to move on.” The compilation will include songs from all of Underoath’s albums, from 1999′s ‘Act of Depression’ through 2010’s ‘Ø (Disambiguation)’. In addition to previously released material, the collection also includes two newly recorded songs: ‘Sunburnt’ and ‘Unsound,’ the final material recorded by the band. Fans will get a chance to see Underoath one last time, as they are planning a farewell tour. “Over the past decade or so of our lives, we have been able to live a dream traveling the world, playing music that excites us, and meeting more amazing people than we could have ever fathomed,” says keyboardist Chris Dudley. “This couldn’t be a more bittersweet moment for us. We have accomplished more, met more friends, seen more places and have just done more than we could have ever imagined, and we really wanted to just go out on the highest note possible.” “That’s why we have put together a group of great friends and musicians for what will be our final tour ever,” Dudley continues. “We are taking every moment of this tour as an opportunity to say goodbye to you all, as well as celebrate what has taken place over all these years. The love we have and the debt of gratitude that we owe to all of you is not able to be measured in any way.” More information about the farewell tour, which will embark in 2013, will be announced soon. “We don’t take this very lightly and it’s heartbreaking for all of us,” Chamberlain says of the band’s announcement, “but all good things must come to an end. We love all of you and hope to see you again soon.” Underoath – ‘Anthology 1999-2013′ Track List 1. ‘Sunburnt’ 2. ‘Unsound’ 3. ‘In Division’ 4. ‘Catch Myself Catching Myself’ 5. ‘Paper Lung’ 6. ‘Desperate Times, Desperate Measures’ 7. ‘Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear’ 8. ‘In Regards To Myself’ 9. ‘You’re Ever So Inviting’ 10. ‘Writing On The Walls’ 11. ‘A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White’ 12. ‘Reinventing Your Exit’ 13. ‘It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door’ 14. ‘I’ve Got Ten Friends And A Crowbar That Says You Ain’t Gonna Do Jack’ 15. ‘When The Sun Sleeps’ 16. ‘Cries Of The Past’ 17. ‘Heart Of Stone’

A Perfect Circle Drummer Josh Freese Announces His Departure From Band

Virgin Longtime A Perfect Circle drummer Josh Freese has announced his departure from the band. The group performed a handful of shows in 2011, but Freese was unable to accompany APC due to a scheduling conflict concerning  Weezer , with whom Freese was touring member of from 2009-2012. Freese now seems to have other priorities, as he officially announced his exit from APC earlier today (Oct. 2). For those unfamiliar with the career of Josh Freese, he’s played drums for seemingly every band ever. Along with A Perfect Circle, Freese has played with acts such as Nine Inch Nails , the Offspring , Motley Crue , Paramore, the Vandals, Guns N’ Roses + many more. The prolific drummer has also appeared on nearly 400 albums. Along with Weezer, Freese currently drums for Devo and Sublime with Rome. Freese tweeted the following from his personal account: After 13 years, I’ve decided to leave @ aperfectcircle with no plans of returning. Apologies to those inquiring about the upcoming shows. — Josh Freese (@joshfreese) October 2, 2012 Jeff Friedl is A Perfect Circle’s current touring drummer and has also appeared live with one of  Maynard James Keenan ‘s other musical endeavors,  Puscifer . Both APC and Puscifer will be performing at Lollapalooza Brazil and Chile in 2013. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/a-perfect-circle-judith-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”A Perfect Circle: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]

Bill Ward Hopes for Return to Black Sabbath

Kevin Winter, Getty Images The year of 2012 was supposed to find a reunited  Black Sabbath playing festivals all over the world. But due to guitarist Tony Iommi’s battle with cancer and drummer  Bill Ward ‘s absence because of a contract dispute, they only played three shows, all minus the band’s original stickman. Ward was recently interviewed by Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes as part of the six-part Vice series ‘Black Sabbath and the Birth of Heavy Metal’ (watch below), and spoke about his current situation with Sabbath. In regard to his relationship with Sabbath members and what might happen in the future, Ward said, “There have been some very uncomfortable situations in the last six months. We’ll see how that works out. But I stand for myself today. As much as I love them… I’ll always play; that’s my life.” Ward adds,”If there’s some longevity with Black Sabbath, then I’d like to be a part of it. I wanna play hard rock. I wanna play loud drums. I love playing with Terry (Geezer Butler], I love playing with Ozz (Ozzy Osbourne) and I love playing with Tony (Iommi). When Tony opens up with huge chords, I still get the same shiver up my back that I got when we were 18-year-old kids. It ain’t gone away. It’s still there.” In a recent interview , Osbourne and Iommi did not close the door to a Ward return. “There was no row. There was no argument,” Osbourne said. “The door ain’t closed. Whether we work something out up the road, I don’t know.” Tony Iommi echoed those sentiments, adding, “It’s not a personal thing. If he phoned us up tomorrow, which he hasn’t, but if he did…” Sabbath are also working on a new album, and if Ward is to rejoin his former bandmates in time to play on it, the clock is ticking. [button href=”http://www.vice.com/on-the-road/on-the-road-black-sabbath-and-the-birth-of-heavy-metal” title=”Watch ‘Black Sabbath and the Birth of Heavy Metal’ Video” align=”center”]

Royal Bliss Raise the Stakes with ‘Crazy’ Video

New Ocean Media Royal Bliss have struck a chord with their single ‘Crazy,’ and there’s now a striking new video that accompanies the track. At first, the clip seems like a normal tale of a father on the road who’s missing his family, with the song featuring lyrics like, “ I wish you knew that if I could I’d stay ” and “ I’m crazy for you baby, can’t you see, and I’m wondering if you’re crazy just like me .” However, the Chris Le-directed short film takes the seemingly familiar theme of a musician being away from home and ups the ante with a more intense conclusion. Singer Neal Middleton exclusively tells Loudwire, “‘Crazy’ is a song that means a lot to me personally. It’s a hard one to sing sometimes. I wrote it originally about my son, and being away from him on the road. You really do miss out on a lot of moments that you can never get back. I now have two boys so it is double hard. I also have an amazing wife that has been a huge support for me. She is my other ‘Baby.’” Because of his attachment to his family, Middleton says the Chris Le treatment really hit home with him. He recalls, “We didn’t want the video to be a boring literal depiction. So Chris came up with the concept of the video being based in a post-apocalyptic scenario. I have to leave my family again because we are one of the only bands left on the planet and we must help rebuild the world with rock and roll – bring people together ya know. He sold us on it for sure and we think he did a hell of a job with very, very little budget.” The clip will also always have a special meaning for Middleton, who says of his co-stars, “The beautiful girl and handsome lil’ man is my real wife and son. It meant a lot to me to have them involved. They did a great job. Everyone who worked on this video worked for free. Even where we filmed it was donated. The hangar you see us playing in was the hangar that housed the Enola Gay. They did all their training there at the Wendover airport to drop the bomb. Kind of a fitting backdrop for a post-apocalyptic based video. We hope you enjoy it.” Royal Bliss are currently on tour, with North American dates lined up into December. They are set to unleash ‘With a Smile’ as the next single off their latest album, ‘Waiting Out the Storm.’ Watch Royal Bliss’ ‘Crazy’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/royal-bliss-neal-middleton-performs-i-heard-it-through-the-grapevine-on-the-voice/” title=”Next: Royal Bliss’ Neal Middleton Performs on ‘The Voice'” align=”center”]

Foo Fighters Officially Announce Hiatus

Larry Busacca, Getty Images Frontman Dave Grohl  has officially announced that  Foo Fighters  will indeed be taking an extended hiatus. There’s no word on when Foo Fighters will play a show or record an album again, with Grohl himself writing, “I was serious. I’m not sure when the Foo Fighters are good to play again.” As we recently  reported , Grohl told a New York City crowd during his band’s set at the Global Citizen Festival on Saturday (Sept. 29) that Foo Fighters have no additional shows planned. “We’re not making a big deal out of this, but this is it,” stated Grohl. “We don’t have any more shows after this. This is it. We don’t have any ones after this. This is the show where we play as many songs as we can in a short period of time because honestly, I don’t know when we’re gonna do it again, but this is the perfect place to do it right now tonight.” Now, Grohl elaborates further in a post on Foo Fighters’ Facebook page: Hey everyone… Dave here. Just wanted to write and thank you all again from the bottom of my heart for another incredible year. (Our 18th, to be exact!) We truly never could have done any of this without you… Never in my wildest dreams did I think Foo Fighters would make it this far. I never thought we COULD make it this far, to be honest. There were times when I didn’t think the band would survive. There were times when I wanted to give up. But… I can’t give up this band. And I never will. Because it’s not just a band to me. It’s my life. It’s my family. It’s my world. Yes… I was serious. I’m not sure when the Foo Fighters are going to play again. It feels strange to say that, but it’s a good thing for all of us to go away for a while. It’s one of the reasons we’re still here. Make sense? I never want to NOT be in this band. So, sometimes it’s good to just… put it back in the garage for a while… But, no gold watches or vacations just yet… I’ll be focusing all of my energy on finishing up my Sound City documentary film and album for worldwide release in the very near future. A year in the making, it could be the biggest, most important project I’ve ever worked on. Get ready… it’s coming. Me, Taylor, Nate, Pat, Chris, and Rami… I’m sure we’ll all see you out there… somewhere… Thank you, thank you, thank you… Dave [button href=”http://loudwire.com/foo-fighters-best-of-you-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Foo Fighters: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]

Gojira vs. Enslaved – Death Match

Roadrunner / Nuclear Blast The battle between Gojira and As I Lay Dying became pretty fierce in its closing hours, with the Death Match songs being separated by less than a one-percent difference. As the match came to an end, Gojira received a huge push from their fans, clinching the competition in its final moments. With two wins under their belt, Gojira and ‘The Axe’ will now face one of black metal’s most legendary acts. Enslaved enter this week’s Death Match with their new track ‘Veilburner’ from the band’s upcoming 12th album, ‘RIITIIR.’ The veteran Norwegian black metallers have been going strong since 1991 and have been releasing a steady stream of albums since their 1994 debut, ‘Vikingligr Veldi.’ Can Gojira make their next step on their way to Death Match Hall of Fame immortality? Or will the black metal legends freeze the French metal outfit in their tracks? The choice belongs to you. Vote for your favorite track now! (This Death Match ends on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 10AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Gojira, ‘The Axe’ Enslaved, ‘Veilburner’ ? Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? Email Me When Death Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the weekly winner of the Death Match, as well as our top stories of each day. Email Rules of Death Match Two bands fight to the death each week. Fans can vote once per hour. The triumphant band goes on to compete in the next Death Match. If a band wins four straight Death Matches, its song will be honored as immortal in the Loudwire Death Match Hall of Fame.

Hinder Announce New Album, ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’

Photo via Republic Records. Ready to rock? Good, because Hinder are back with a new album, ‘Welcome to the Freakshow,’ out Dec. 4 on Republic Records. Fans already have a taste of the new tracks in the Oklahoma City band’s new single, ‘Save Me.’ Take a listen to the heavy tune via the lyric video for ‘Save Me’ below. ‘Save Me’ features Hinder’s characteristic heavy, chugging riffs, anthemic chorus and gutsy lyrics. “Already made the news / Slipped out of every noose / I’ve cut my demons loose / Get out of my face, I don’t need you to save me / Raged on fumes / There’s nothing left to use / My middle names abuse / Get out of my face, I don’t need you to save me!” vocalist Austin Winkler belts out. ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ was co-produced by Hinder drummer Cody Hanson and Marshall Dutton at their hometown studio. On the set, the guys promise a variety of sounds: rock, pop, country. Check out the rock-packed track listing below. Hinder ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ Track Listing: 1.      Save Me 2.      Ladies Come First 3.      Shoulda Known Better 4.      Freakshow 5.      Talk to Me 6.      Get Me Away From You 7.      Is It Just Me 8.      I Don’t Wanna Believe 9.      See You In Hell 10.  Anyone But You 11.  Wanna Be Rich Watch the Lyric Video for Hinder New Song, ‘Save Me’