Ian Hitchcock, Getty Images When, oh, when will fans get served the uber-anticipated follow-up to Guns N’ Roses ’ 2008 album, ‘Chinese Democracy’? According to guitarist DJ Ashba , new music from GN’R may not be too far away! “[Axl Rose] has tons of stuff done [and] recorded that he’s played for me and wants my input on,” Ashba says in an interview with Rolling Stone . “Axl’s put together such a talented group of musicians and there are so many songs that are already worked out. So we’ve got a good jump on it, for sure.” Right now, Guns N’ Roses are gearing up for their 12-date residency at the Joint at Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas, which kicks off Halloween night. DJ Ashba says the residency provides a great opportunity for GN’R to get serious about writing music for their next album. “[The Vegas residency] is the first time we’re all gonna be in the same place for a month solid and that will be, and already has been talked about, our main focus,” he said. “So I think we’re gonna get a lot of done. He adds, “There’s a lot of stuff recorded and I think it’s just a matter of sitting down and working together as a band, putting together what we feel is gonna be the next best Guns N’ Roses record. And I can’t wait; I’m so excited to dive even deeper into that.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/guns-n-roses-announce-fall-2012-las-vegas-residency/” title=”Next: Guns N’ Roses Announce Vegas Residency” align=”center”]
Archive for October 9th, 2012
Guitarist DJ Ashba: Axl Rose Has ‘Tons of Stuff Done’ for New Guns N’ Roses Album
Converge, ‘All We Love We Leave Behind’ – Album Review
Epitaph Records Converge have just released their greatest achievement since 2001′s ‘Jane Doe,’ and yes, the levity of that claim is understandably huge. ‘Jane Doe’ is almost universally praised as one of the most important, if not the most important extreme record of the 2000s thus far, so with our claim set in stone, here’s the case to back it up. Converge have been on an unparalleled hot streak when it comes to the albums they’ve released throughout their career. ‘Petitioning the Empty Sky,’ although considered as more of a compilation, powerfully issued an open challenge to what a hardcore band could achieve creatively, and as ‘Jane Doe’ hit the shelves in 2001, the barriers violently shattered. Since ‘Jane Doe,’ Converge have released three additional full-length masterpieces, ‘You Fail Me’ (2004), ‘No Heroes’ (2006) and ‘Axe to Fall’ (2009), but ‘All We Love We Leave Behind’ evokes something more visceral. No matter what styles of metal Converge have integrated into their works, even if the band seems to defy all established genres at times, they have always been both adamant and proud to keep their ‘hardcore’ identity. Although that rationale has gone over the head of many listeners, ‘All We Love We Leave Behind’ shines a massive spotlight on the hardcore element of Converge, while continuing to remain highly experimental. New tracks ‘Trespasses’ and ‘Sparrow’s Fall’ are fundamentally hardcore punk songs, which will surely lead to dozens of broken teeth and busted lips if played live. ‘Vicious Muse’ even begins with a poppy Ramones-like drumbeat, though Ben Koller continues to deliver utterly stupefying and rabid drum parts. Guitarist and producer Kurt Ballou lends his trademark touch to ‘All We Love We Leave Behind,’ with the chaotic sound of the album complementing its musicianship perfectly. Along with his monogram spastic tapping style and sluggish, twisted breakdowns, Ballou delivers a … dare we say … gorgeous performance in ‘Coral Blue’ — the album’s standout track. ‘Coral Blue’ is the only Converge song in recent history that could be easily mistaken as the product of another band, as it courses through the same vein as Isis or even Baroness. Yet another change fans will surely notice is that there are no guest vocalists within ‘All We Love We Leave Behind.’ Converge have a rich history of collaboration, but the lack thereof may have directed the band to focus not only on their internal chemistry as a four-man unit, but possibly on the group’s foundation as a predominantly hardcore outfit. Although their past guest vocal spots have added a lot to past recordings, Jacob Bannon’s unmistakable squawks, along with backing help from Ballou and bassist Nate Newton, keep the album sounding full and sturdy. ‘All We Love We Leave Behind’ continues the band’s tradition of recording albums that sound like Converge, but not the Converge you’ve already heard. This record is essential listening (especially if you buy the deluxe edition with three extra songs), and will surely go down as one of 2012′s greatest sonic achievements. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/converge-fault-and-fracture-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Converge – Top Metal Songs of the 21st Century” align=”center”]
Between the Buried and Me Escape Bus Fire in England
Speakeasy PR Between the Buried and Me are doing okay after undergoing a somewhat scary bus fire en route to a show in England. Luckily there were no injuries and the band was able to escape the bus unscathed. Tour manager Courtney Warner says, “As of now, we are at a service area awaiting transportation to a hotel. A new bus is on its way. We shouldn’t miss any shows because of this. All gear, luggage, personal items and most importantly, people, are all good. We just stink like smoke.” Guitarist Paul Waggoner adds, “Fuel line done broke. Dadgum flame come shootin out. Peeewwww eeehhhhh sometin’ stank. Crazy British feller come hollerin, ‘Bus on fire, ya’ll git.’ Climb up the ol’ hill barefoot and look back at them flames shootin sky high. Firemen folk come rushin up real quick like and squirt that fire plum out. It was lucky nobody was hurt, not even a stubbed toe. Luggage stank like a Mississippi cow pie on a mid-July heat. Hopefull, come tomorra, a new horse n’ buggy come. We’ll giddy on up to Belgium town for a good ol’ fashioned hootnanny. Whoo-Doggies!!!” The bus fire comes as the band is in the midst of an overseas trek promoting their ‘ The Parallax II: Future Sequence ‘ album. The band is currently trekking across Europe with Periphery and the Safety Fire, with their next show coming tomorrow night (Oct. 10) in Antwerp, Germany. The band will return stateside Nov. 4 for Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, before once again packing up and heading overseas for dates in Japan, Australia and New Zealand to finish out the year. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/between-the-buried-and-me-colors-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Between the Buried and Me – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]
Gojira vs. Cradle of Filth – Death Match
Roadrunner / Nuclear Blast Gojira have cracked out another win in our latest Death Match, beating out black metal legends Enslaved by a respectable margin. We needed to find a massive and worthy opponent for Gojira this week, because if the French metallers win one more match, their song ‘The Axe’ will be declared as immortal in the Death Match Hall of Fame. Gothic extreme metal veterans Cradle of Filth enter this week’s Death Match, creating a huge battle pitting France against England. Cradle of Filth are set to release their 10th studio album, ‘The Manticore and Other Horrors,’ on Halloween Eve, with the track ‘For Your Vulgar Delectation’ having already been unveiled to the delight of their eager fans. Will Gojira chop their way into the Death Match Hall of Fame? Or will Cradle of Filth scare the French metallers away? The choice belongs to the fans. Vote for your favorite track in the poll below. (This Death Match ends on Tuesday, Oct. 16, 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’ Cradle of Filth, ‘For Your Vulgar Delectation’ ? 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.
Avenged Sevenfold Members Guest on Machine Gun Kelly Track
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Rap/metal collaborations have been common since Anthrax and Public Enemy teamed up for ‘Bring the Noise.’ Now, Avenged Sevenfold vocalist M. Shadows and guitarist Synyster Gates have lent their talents to a new song by hip-hop artist Machine Gun Kelly. ‘Save Me’ (listen below) is the opening song on Kelly’s debut album ‘Lace Up,’ which was released today. He talked about the track recently on MTV’s RapFix Live. “I actually got one of the greatest metal bands to be featured on it, Avenged Sevenfold. It’s definitely an eargasm if you’re into cross genre.” In addition to A7X, ‘Lace Up’ has guest spots from hip-hop luminaries such as Lil Jon, Waka Flocka Flame, Lil Jon, DMX, Young Jeezy, Twista, Tech N9ne, Dubo and Bun B. Speaking of Avenged Sevenfold collaborations, Shadows also shared vocals with Chris Jericho the song ‘Sandpaper’ off Fozzy’s recent album ‘Sin & Bones.’ He recently joined Fozzy onstage in Los Angeles to perform to perform the song. As fans anxiously await a full album of new material, Avenged Sevenfold have released the single ‘ Carry On ,’ which is from the ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’ video game that’s set for a Nov. 13 release. That song has entered the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame after defeating tunes by artists including Five Finger Death Punch, Soundgarden and Marilyn Manson . Listen to Machine Gun Kelly feat. M. Shadows and Synyster Gates, ‘Save Me’ (Explicit Language)