Archive for October 18th, 2012

Enslaved Unveil ‘Thoughts Like Hammers’ Video

Nuclear Blast Records On the heels of last week’s release of their latest album ‘RIITIIR’, the Norwegian band  Enslaved has debuted the video for the song ‘Thoughts Like Hammers.’ The clip, directed by Jerome Siegelaer, is described as a “visual feast of land, water, sky, and air.” Guitarist Ivar Bjornson talked about the lyrics for ‘Thoughts Like Hammers’: “This is a song that is about what it says it is about from several perspectives – or maybe it is simply just a cool title? Nietzsche coined the phrase ‘philosophizing with a hammer,’ which on an individual level is what this could be about: testing your own values/idols/ego with a hammer rather than the usual light tapping with chopsticks.” Bjornson asks, “Are you man/woman enough to scrutinize your own inner world in the most brutal manner? There are many mythologically and psychologically-based starting points to look at it from. For me it could very well be a tribute to every process and ritual that seeks subjective truth at the merciless expense of objective illusions.” U.S. fans will have a chance to see Enslaved play live when they headline Scion A/V’s Roadburn Records showcase on Saturday, Nov. 10, at The Roxy in West Hollywood, Calif. Also performing are White Hills, Scott Kelly, Earthless and Astra. The show is free, but requires an RSVP . Watch Enslaved’s ‘Thoughts Like Hammers’ Video

Anthrax’s Scott Ian Gets His ‘Head’ Split in Two By a Chainsaw

Fangoria Anthrax guitarist and horror aficionado Scott Ian recently had his head split in two by a chainsaw … tough break, dude. Fortunately for Ian, it was a stunt head, and luckily for us, a camera crew was there to film the entire scene from beginning to bloody end. As a maniacal fan of all things horror, Ian was able to live out one of his wildest dreams thanks to the people at Fangoria . The third season of ‘The Walking Dead,’ which Ian once made a cameo in, recently premiered with many zombie-philes finally able to get their fix of undead kills. The premiere episode seemed to pack more of a punch due to visibly less digital carnage, with various members of the living-impaired getting their faces beaten in by blunt objects. In a sense of perfect timing, it’s only right that Scott Ian not only follows suit, but tops it completely. Ian states in the video below that one of his lifelong dreams was to have a cast made of his head. The fine people at Fangoria made Ian’s dream come true, as they coated his chrome-dome with alginate, which served as the foundation for creating an incredibly lifelike model of Ian. Unfortunately, Ian didn’t live long enough to see the mold, as he was quickly chainsawed by an overalls-wearing hillbilly. In all seriousness, it’s ridiculous how lifelike the skull-splitting looks, with copious amounts of blood jetting from Ian’s head cast as the chainsaw does its work. Check out the horror-tastic process of creating a human head from scratch along with the gory playoff. Watch Scott Ian Get His Head Sawn in Half

Green Day’s Mike Dirnt on Billie Joe Armstrong’s Health: ‘I Know That My Friend’s Life is in Danger’

Roger Kisby, Getty Images By now, most people have seen, or at least heard about, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong unleashing a profanity-laden rant at the recent iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas. Soon after the outburst, Armstrong packed his bags for rehab to deal with issues arising from substance abuse. The band has been relatively quiet about the details on Billie Joe’s health, but bassist Mike Dirnt recently went so far as to say, “I know that my friend’s life is in danger.” In the latest issue of Kerrang magazine, Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt opened up about the band’s current situation, which forced them to cancel an upcoming tour. “Billie doesn’t take things lightly and he wouldn’t take rehab lightly, either,” Dirnt tells Kerrang. “He’s in the middle of some really big things, but we’re going to pull through. It’s killing everyone. Green Day has never been a band that sits still, but sometimes you have to step back and let life go on rather than try to control everything.” Green Day had been preparing themselves for a tour with some warm-up shows, one of which we recently covered at New York City’s Irving Plaza. There was nothing alarming about Billie Joe’s demeanor or the overall mood of the band while onstage, but according to Dirnt, this is an incredibly serious time for the band members as they support their frontman. ‘I know that my friend’s life is in danger and that’s all I care about,’ Dirnt says. ‘We’re brothers-in-arms waiting for Billie to return healthy, but we’re not going to force anything. Tré and I will be standing here for Billie.’ Green Day are currently in the middle of releasing a triple-album, ‘¡Uno!’, ‘¡Dos!’, ‘¡Tre!’. With ‘¡Uno!’ having dropped in September, ‘¡Dos!’ is set for release on Nov. 13 and ‘¡Tre!’ will hit stores on Jan, 14. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/green-day-jesus-of-suburbia-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Green Day: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]

Black Veil Brides Announce ‘The Church of the Wild Ones’ 2013 North American Tour

Facebook: Black Veil Brides Good things come to those who wait, and 2013 is looking especially good for Black Veil Brides fans. In addition to their recent announcement that their new album would be arriving in January, the group has also revealed their first extended tour  in support of the album. The band will hit the road for what they’re calling “The Church of the Wild Ones Tour” beginning Jan. 4 in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Café. The North American trek will be broken up into two legs, with the entire month of January filling the first leg and the second leg running Feb. 17-March 8. The group will announce their special opening act on Dec. 8, and info about the group’s ticketing and VIP packages will be announced shortly via their websites and social networking pages. Black Veil Brides recently announced that their latest effort, ‘ Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones ,’ would arrive in stores in January. Pre-orders for the album are expected to start around Halloween. In addition to their 2013 touring, the band has booked an appearance at the California Metalfest in San Bernardino on Nov. 24. Black Veil Brides “The Church of the Wild Ones” 2013 Tour: 1/4 — Las Vegas, Nev. — Hard Rock Café 1/5 — Phoenix, Ariz. — Nile Theatre 1/7 — Denver, Colo. — Ogden Theatre 1/9 — Odessa, Texas — Dos Amigos 1/10 — Dallas, Texas — The Palladium 1/11 — San Antonio, Texas — Backstage Live 1/12 — Houston, Texas — House of Blues 1/14 — Tampa, Fla. — State Theatre 1/15 — Jacksonville, Fla. — The Edge 1/16 — Atlanta, Ga. — The Masquerade 1/18 — Baltimore, Md. — Rams Head Live 1/19 — Philadelphia, Pa. — The Trocadero 1/20 — Sayreville, N.J. — Starland Ballroom 1/22 — Cleveland, Ohio — Peabody’s 1/23 — Buffalo, N.Y. — Infinity 1/25 — New York, N.Y. — Best Buy Theatre 1/26 — Worcester, Mass. — The Palladium 1/27 — Manchester, N.H. — Armory 1/29 — Pittsburgh, Pa. — Alter Bar 1/30 — Toronto, Ontario — Opera House 2/17 — Allentown, Pa. — Crocodile Rock 2/19 — Louisville, Ky. — Headliners 2/21 — Chicago, Ill. — House of Blues 2/22 — Detroit, Mich — Crofoot Ballroom 2/23 — Mexico City, Mexico — El Plaza Condesa 2/27 — Salt Lake City, Utah — In the Venue 2/28 — Boise, Idaho — Knitting Factory 3/1 — Seattle, Wash. — Studio Seven 3/2 — Spokane, Wash. — Knitting Factory 3/4 — Chico, Calif. — Senator Theatre 3/5 — Reno, Nev. — Knitting Factory 3/6 — Sacramento, Calif. — Ace of Spades 3/8 — San Francisco, Calif. — Regency Ballroom [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bert-mccracken-of-the-used-joins-black-veil-brides-in-the-studio/” title=”Next: The Used’s Bert McCracken Joins Black Veil Brides in the Studio” align=”center”]

Zakk Wylde Likens Potential Pantera Reunion to Led Zeppelin Getting Back Together

Ethan Miller / George De Sota, Getty Images Zakk Wylde ‘s name has come up more than a few times this year as a fill-in for a potential Pantera reunion, but before that could ever happen, the remaining members would have to determine if a reunion without the full original lineup is in their best interest. Wylde tells Brave Words that Pantera getting back together after the death of Dimebag Darrell is similar to what Led Zeppelin had to consider when offers continued to flood in after the loss of John Bonham. Wylde explains, “The guys … they’d have to talk about it. THEY’RE Pantera (laughs). I mean, they’re the boys. You get em’ in a room, and I mean it should be like Led Zeppelin gettin’ back together. You know, the guys gotta work it out.” The guitarist, who also fronts Black Label Society , says that it’s been nice to hear both Vinnie Paul and Philip Anselmo even suggest that he might be the guy if they were to reunite, but there’s still a long way to go before that could happen. Wylde says, “Put it this way. I’d be beyond flattered if the guys wanted me to do it and were like, ‘Zakk, we really want to do it and we want you to honor Dime’ and everything. I would say, ‘Yeah, of course I would honor Dime.’ But it’d be like the Jimi Hendrix Experience; you know Mitch and Noel, they wanted to get together to celebrate Jimi’s life and they asked Eric Clapton to fill in and play the guitar and sing the songs. I mean, of course Eric would do it, cause he was buddies with him. It would be that type of thing. But that’ll be a bridge we cross, if the guys ever get to that point and they wanted to do it. But I’m friends with all the guys. I always wish the guys the best with whatever they’re doing. I just had Vinnie on my radio show and everything like that, so it’s all cool. Like I said, I’m good with all the guys. So it would just be up to them and like I said, it’d be a bridge we cross when we get there.” While the Wylde rumor has been a hot one for some time, Anselmo stated earlier this week that even though he had met with Wylde recently, talk of the guitarist being part of a potential Pantera reunion had been blown way out of context . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-pantera-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Pantera Songs” align=”center”]

Randy Blythe: The U.S. Government Knew I Was Wanted by Czech Authorities

Bradley Kanaris, Getty Images Although Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe has spoken out multiple times about his arrest in the Czech Republic for manslaughter, along with his proclamation of innocence, Blythe has been relatively quiet since his return to American soil in August. Certainly overwhelmed by both media and fan support, Blythe articulated much about his experience in a brand new interview. Sitting down with WTVR-TV, the CBS affiliate based in Blythe’s home town of Richmond, Va., the vocalist revealed that the United States Department of Justice was indeed informed by the Czech government that Blythe was under investigation for manslaughter stemming from a 2010 concert incident. “The Czech government apparently contacted our government and said, ‘Hey, this guy [Blythe]; we want to investigate him,’ and the Justice Department did not cooperate.” Blythe continues, “I don’t think the Czechs were too pleased about that. I’m not too pleased about that. And the least they could’ve done is, if they aren’t going to cooperate, fine, at least let me know I’m wanted for manslaughter in the Czech Republic. We had no idea. As Blythe has stated in the past, he will not run from these charges or hide out in the United States. “I feel ethically responsible to go back there and face this charge,” declares Blythe. [The victim’s] family right now is in a lot of pain, and they deserve some answers. To lose a child is the worst possible thing a human can go through. I want my name cleared. I have to go around the world and tour, you know? That’s what I do. I’m not going to hide here. I’m an innocent man. I’m going to go to court and see what happens.” Lamb of God are set to embark on an extensive U.S. tour with In Flames , Hatebreed and Sylosis . Hellyeah will also be hopping on board for select dates. Watch Randy Blythe’s Full Interview with WTVR [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tags/lamb-of-god” title=”Get More Lamb of God News Here” align=”center”]

New Music Releases – November 2012

Reprise November is right around the corner and there’s a bunch of music to look forward to. Experimental rock, death metal, punk, classic hard rock and a ton more are waiting to occupy our ears next month. After what seems like an incredibly anxious wait, Deftones are set to unleash ‘Koi No Yokan’ on Nov. 13. Having already bestowed fans with two awesome songs, ‘Leathers’ and ‘Tempest,’ the excitement for the new Deftones album has reached a fever pitch. Also on Nov. 13,  Soundgarden will be releasing ‘King Animal,’ their first full-length album since ‘Down on the Upside’ dropped in 1996. On the same day, Green Day will release ‘¡Dos!’ the second installment of their three-part album series, ”¡Uno!’ ‘¡Dos!’ and ‘¡Tre!’. Other November 2012 releases include All That Remains ‘ ‘A War You Cannot Win,’ Kid Rock ‘s ‘Rebel Soul,’ Machine Head ‘s live album ‘Machine F—king Head Live,’ Kylesa ‘s ‘From the Vaults: Vol. 1,’ and many more. Check out our list of releases below. November 2012 Music Releases: Nov. 6 Aerosmith, ‘Music From Another Dimension’ All That Remains, ‘A War You Cannot Win’ Fear, ‘The Fear Record’ General Surgery, ‘Like an Ever Flying Limb’ Geoff Tate, ‘Kings & Thieves’ Megadeth, ‘Countdown to Extinction’ (20th Anniversary Edition) Rainbow, ‘On Stage: Deluxe Edition’ Nov. 13 Aaron Lewis, ‘The Road’ Deftones, ‘Koi No Yokan’ Green Day, ‘¡Dos!’ Machine Head, ‘Machine F—ing Head Live’ Soundgarden, ‘King Animal’ Nov. 20 Bad Brains, ‘Into the Future’ Cryptopsy, ‘The Best of Us Bleed’ (Compilation) Kid Rock, ‘Rebel Soul’ Kylesa, ‘From the Vaults, Vol. 1′ Porcupine Tree, ‘Octane Twisted’ Trapt, ‘Reborn’