Nuclear Blast Suffocation have had a strange, yet incredibly productive year in 2012. Despite the messy breakup with drummer Mike Smith and the news that vocalist Frank Mullen would no longer be touring extensively with the band, Suffocation have finished recording ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ their first full-length album since 2009′s ‘Blood Oath.’ We had the chance to sit down with Suffocation guitarist Guy Marchais and newly appointed drummer Dave Culross, who manned the kit for the band’s ‘Despise the Sun’ EP, in their swanky hotel before their Stamford, Conn., show on Dec. 8. The duo reassured fans that Mullen is still 100 percent committed to the band, described what fans should expect from ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ clues on who Mullen’s part-time replacement vocalist could be and much more. Check out our in-depth conversation with Guy and Dave of Suffocation. Suffocation Talk to Loudwire
Ben Pruchnie, Getty Images / Twitter: Krist Novoselic Throughout the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a monumental bulk of talent occupied the grand stage. During the charitable event, which lasted for over five hours, legendary artists such as Bruce Springsteen, the Who and the Rolling Stones performed for a worldwide audience, but the true highlight of the night was the collaboration between Beatles legend Paul McCartney and Nirvana members Dave Grohl , Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear (touring member) on the new song ’Cut Me Some Slack.’ Earlier in the day, there were rumors that McCartney would be singing the late Kurt Cobain’s parts for some Nirvana covers, but the collective instead performed an original track that they had written during an impromptu jam session . Bassist Krist Novoselic tweeted earlier that the song was “kind of ‘Helter Skelter’ meets ‘Scentless Apprentice.’ It rocks with a heavy groove. St. Paul is powerful.” Novoselic also tweeted out the above photo of himself with Grohl and Smear. ‘Helter Skelter’ ended up being the first song Sir Paul played as he finally to, followed by ‘Let Me Roll It,’ ‘Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five’ and ‘Blackbird’ among others before the one-time Nirvana musicians joined the Beatles legend. Throughout the 12-12-12 show, the official Foo Fighters Twitter page had been posting pictures of single letters in succession, eventually spelling out, “Cut Me Some Slack.” Rocking an electric ukelele and a glass guitar slide, McCartney showcased his trademark howl in the new track ‘Cut Me Some Slack,’ which mixed a heavy Nirvana sound with a ‘Helter Skelter’ attitude. The band was so incredibly tight, you would have sworn that the group were playing together for years. Grohl, in particular, was a beast on the drums. (Watch a clip of the performance below.) The song was genuinely mind-blowing, and the good news is that it will be the first cut on the soundtrack to Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ documentary, according to a Foo Fighters tweet after the performance. Before McCartney’s performance with the members of Nirvana, the audience was gifted with the voice of Pearl Jam ‘s Eddie Vedder earlier in the night. The singer took a spot next to Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters to sing the rock anthem ‘Comfortably Numb.’ Vedder’s voice fit perfectly within the Pink Floyd standard, offering a diverse cadence to the track while switching back and forth with Waters. For more on the 12-12-12 Concert, click here . To donate to the relief efforts, click here . Watch a 30-Second Clip of McCartney + Nirvana Members Performing [button href=”http://loudwire.com/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-nirvana-nevermind/” title=”Next: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind'” align=”center”]
If you missed Marilyn Manson and his band during their 2012 tour, you’ve got another shot to see them in 2013. Manson & Co. have just announced dates for a North American Winter 2013 trek. The tour kicks off Jan. 18 in Milwaukee and wraps up Feb. 23 in Las Vegas. Joining Marilyn Manson on the trek as special guests will be the Los Angeles band Butcher Babies. Marilyn Manson was recently nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for his track ‘No Reflection’ off his latest album, ‘Born Villain.’ He’s also competing for Rock Song of the Year, Rock Album of the Year and Rock Video of the Year in our very own 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. Voting is open here . See the dates for Marilyn Manson’s 2013 tour below. Visit Marilyn Manson’s website for ticket info. Marilyn Manson 2013 North American Tour Dates: 1/18 – Milwaukee, WI – Eagles Ballroom 1/19 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogart’s 1/20 – Columbus, OH – The LC Pavilion 1/22 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore 1/23 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues 1/25 – Wallingford, CT – The Dome 1/26 – Boston, MA – House of Blues 1/28 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis 1/29 – Oshawa, ON – General Motors Centre 1/30 – Hamilton, ON – Hamilton Place Theatre 2/1 – Sudbury, ON – Sudbury Arena 2/4 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre 2/5 – Moose Jaw, SK – Mosiac Place 2/6 – Saskatoon, SK – TCU Place 2/8 – Calgary, AB – Stampede Corral 2/9 – Edmonton, AB – Shaw Conference Centre 2/11 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre 2/12 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo 2/13 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre 2/15 – Modesto, CA – Modesto Centre Plaza Feb 17 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort 2/19 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre 2/20 – Anaheim, CA – The Grove of Anaheim 2/21 – Los Angeles, CA – Club Nokia 2/23 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues [button href=”http://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-born-villain-is-my-comeback/” title=”Next: Read Loudwire’s Exclusive Interview With Marilyn Manson” align=”center”]
Alter Bridge Facebook Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Alter Bridge have announced that they plan to release a new album and embark on a world tour in 2013. [ Loudwire ] – Linkin Park are set to play only one live show in 2013. Find out where you can see them here. [ Loudwire ] – Zakk Wylde is recording a Hurricane Sandy benefit song with members of Sevendust and Candlebox . [ Loudwire ] – Lacuna Coil have released a new music video for ‘End of Time.’ Check it out here. [ Loudwire ] – All Shall Perish guitarist Ben Orum has announced his departure from the band. Orum has also joined a new band who will be releasing an album on Jan. 1, 2013. [ Loudwire ] – Metallica offer fans another sneak peek of ‘Quebec Magnetic’ with a video of the band performing ‘Damage, Inc.’ live. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – Musical legend Ravi Shankar has passed away at the age of 92. Slash , the Who + more react on Twitter. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – 42 years ago: Jim Morrison plays his final show with the Doors. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Rocket From the Crypt announce reunion tour. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Fleetwood Mac announce expanded + deluxe ‘Rumours’ reissue [ Rock Music Report ]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com North American fans will have only one chance to see Linkin Park live in 2013. The band has announced they will play their lone U.S. show of the year at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on Feb. 16. With this being Linkin Park’s one show of the year on the continent, demand will probably be through the roof. And having the show in a venue like Planet Hollywood, instead of an arena or stadium will make seats even more scarce. Tickets go on sale to the public on Friday (Dec. 14) at 10AM. Last weekend, Linkin Park performed at L.A. radio station KROQ’s ’23rd Annual Almost Acoustic Christmas.’ In an interview taped before the show, Chester Bennington talked about his first encounter with Kiss’ Gene Simmons. “So the first time I met Gene Simmons, I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s Gene Simmons. He’s like right here,’” Bennington explained. “So I went over and introduced myself. He grabs me by the shoulders, and he says, ‘You are a powerful and talented young man.’ He’s staring at me in my eyes and says, ‘If we were in prison, I would make love to you.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’” If you’re not able to make it to Vegas to see the band, you’ll have to travel across the world to see them in 2013. Linkin Park have dates scheduled in Australia and New Zealand next February and March. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/linkin-park-announce-clean-energy-promotion-rock-american-music-awards/” title=”Next: Linkin Park Announce Clean Energy Promotion” align=”center”]
Beginning at 7:30 PM ET tonight (Dec. 12), fans around the globe can tune in above to stream 12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief at Madison Square Garden in New York, with all proceeds benefiting the Robin Hood Relief Fund. Although musicians from a wide range of genres are participating in the humanitarian effort, the rockers are definitely coming out in record numbers. Heavyweights like Dave Grohl , Eddie Vedder , Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Roger Waters and the Who rank among the star-studded lineup, joining forces with pop and hip-hop acts like Alicia Keys and Kanye West. One rumored performance that music fans won’t want to miss is Sir Paul McCartney playing with the surviving members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. However, instead of performing a Nirvana or Beatles tune, the all-star collaboration will apparently debut an all-new song for the special event. The stacked lineup for the charitable affair opens up a world of possible collaborations with some already confirmed performances to look forward to. The legendary Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame has gone on record to say that he’ll be performing with Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder. The historic event will bring together celebrities from actors and actresses to athletes and comedians to support the worthy cause, working the live phone-banks and taking donations from the general public to assist those in the Tri-State area impacted by superstorm Sandy. For more on ’12-12-12,’ visit the official website , and to donate, click on the button below: [button href=”https://donate.121212concert.org/” title=”Click Here to Donate to ’12-12-12′ Now” align=”center”]
Facebook: All Shall Perish All Shall Perish guitarist Ben Orum has chosen to leave the band in order to focus on being a father. A statement just released by Orum details his inability to tour with the band while continuing to be an attentive father, while letting fans know that he will continue making music with the new and smaller project, Oblivion. Although Orum manned the guitar for All Shall Perish, he plays bass for the extreme / death metal project Oblivion. Oblivion’s debut album, Called to Rise’ will be independently released by the band on Jan. 1. Orum, who sat out All Shall Perish’s last couple of tours, posted the following message on his official Facebook fan page: I have given over 10 years of my blood, sweat, and tears to pursuing my dream which you all have helped fulfill. Being in All Shall Perish has been the best experience in my life, outside of being a father. While I am deeply saddened by my decision to leave the band it is necessary at this point in my life. As you know I have a family and obligation to provide for them and be here. Unfortunately, I could not fulfill my duty as a touring musician any longer. While I am done with touring, I will never stop writing music. I am joining the extreme metal band Oblivion as a bassist and contributing songwriter. Oblivion’s debut album will be released on January 1st, 2013. We are beyond excited to unleash it onto the metal world. I’ve always been into death metal and extreme music, this is my return to TRUE Death Metal. What makes Oblivion unique and sets us apart from the pack is the fact that our primary songwriter is a world-renown classical composer and professor of music, Dr. Nick Vasallo. His voice gives the music a subtle refinement with the craftsmanship of the compositions. I’ve known Nick since high school and we were in our first band together- Antagony. Nick went on to college and became a classical composer. I went on to a successful career as a touring musician/songwriter in ASP. Now, 10 years later we are working together again. It’s a full circle. While Oblivion were recording their album, Nick injured his thumb and was unable to finish his tracks, which has delayed the album recording. On top of that, he has accepted an appointment as a tenure-track professor at a prestigious university and won’t be able to juggle all the hats of singing, composing, and playing bass for Oblivion. So that’s where I come in–I’ll be fulfilling his duties as a bassist. We also have another Dr. in the making, our guitarist Victor Dods is finishing his PhD in Math. The other guitarist, Ted O’Neil, is a veteran from the original thrash scene in 80′s, and our drummer, Luis Martinez, is a natural phenom. All of this plus me, makes us a huge force to be reckoned with. Stay tuned for the heaviest and darkest music out there. We are Oblivion. Oblivion’s ‘Called to Rise’ is now available to pre-order and the band are now streaming four new songs from their debut album, with the track ‘Reclamation’ available for free download. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/all-shall-perish-talk-drinking-smoking-poop-pranks-much-more/” title=”All Shall Perish Talk to Loudwire About Drinking, Smoking and Poop Pranks” align=”center”]