Puscifer Entertainment Rock and metal music’s greatest workaholic, Maynard James Keenan , has announced the upcoming release of new Puscifer material. Keenan is famous for his work with Tool and A Perfect Circle , but Puscifer is another beast entirely, mixing electronic elements with bizarre imagery and gorgeous songwriting. Puscifer’s next release, ‘Donkey Punch the Night,’ is set to drop on Feb. 19 and will consist of eight tracks. The EP will showcase the talents of Keenan, singer-songwriter Carina Round , Mat Mitchell, Josh Eustis and A Perfect Circle musicians Matt McJunkins and drummer Jeff Friedl; the same solid lineup featured throughout the band’s 2011 album, ‘Conditions of My Parole.’ Out of the eight tracks featured on the record, there will be two original songs: ‘Breathe’ and ‘Dear Brother.’ ‘Donkey Punch the Night will also house various remixes, along with covers of Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and Accept’s ‘Balls to the Wall.’ Keenan spoke about the inclusion of the two covers on the band’s forthcoming EP. “While continuing our tradition of releasing a few new songs at a time,” explained Keenan. “I also had an itch that needed scratching, and that itch was ‘Balls to the Wall.’ Which was followed by an even harder to reach itch known as ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’ And scratch them we did.” Check out the full track listing for Puscifer’s ‘Doney Punch the Night’ EP below. Puscifer, ‘Donkey Punch the Night’ Track Listing: 1. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – “O.G. Mix” 2. ‘Breathe’ 3. ‘Dear Brother’ 4. ‘Balls To The Wall’ – “PIllow Fight Mix” 5. ‘Breathe’ – “Drumcell rework” 6. ‘Dear Brother’ – “Denton rework” (Big Black Delta) 7. ‘Balls To The Wall’ – “Silent Servant El Guapo Mix” 8. ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ – “Sonoio rework”
Ron Galella Archive, Wire Image, Getty Images Since the news broke of a new documentary chronicling the life of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain , there have been conflicting reports as to whether the legendary musician’s widow Courtney Love will be a part of its creation. Brett Morgen, directior of HBO’s new documentary on the Rolling Stones, ‘Crossfire Hurricane,’ was recruited by Love to oversee the Cobain project, but it seems as if that will be Love’s only contribution to the project. Morgen recently told the New York Post , “Courtney [Love] is the one that brought me into this… We’ve been trying to find the right time to put this film together and the time is now. We are going to do the movie sort of like a third-person autobiography — [as] if Kurt was around and making a film about his life.” This quote led to the assumption that Love would assert creative control over the documentary, but a representative for the Hole frontwoman has asserted otherwise. Morgen has now gone on-record to clear up any misunderstandings concerning Love’s role in the film. “Back in 2007, I had a meeting in L.A. with Courtney Love to discuss my possible involvement in a Kurt Cobain documentary,” he told EW in a statement. “She had seen my film ‘The Kid Stays in the Picture,’ and thought that I had the right vision and passion to bring Kurt’s story to life. Since that time, I have been speaking exclusively with Kurt Cobain’s estate, who have given me their full cooperation in order to make the film.” He continues, “Courtney isn’t currently involved with the project in any capacity. The estate and I will be releasing more information about our plans in the coming weeks. Production on the film will begin in the coming months and we are aiming for a 2014 release.” This news comes shortly after rumors that Courtney Love was planning to create a Nirvana-based musical to Broadway or the big-screen; a claim Love was quick to deny. Stay tuned for more news on the upcoming Kurt Cobain film as news continues to break. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”Next: 10 Best Grunge Bands” align=”center”]
RCA Records Bullet for My Valentine are gearing up to release their fourth album, ‘Temper Temper,’ in February 2013, and Loudwire is proud to present a behind-the-scenes look at the Welsh rockers in the studio. The band recently released the title track as the first single and video off the album, and the tune can be heard throughout this behind-the-scenes clip, which features frontman Matt Tuck and producer Don Gilmore discussing the disc. In this exclusive video clip (watch below), Tuck says that BFMV’s recording process on this album was inspired in part by his work in his recent side project AxeWound. “We approached the record a lot differently this time around,” explains the frontman. “It was kind of more inspired by the way I did the AxeWound record. And that was basically: Get in the studio and write and record as you went along.” Tuck goes on to reveal that BFMV went to Thailand with no demos, and wrote and recorded the album on the spot. Bullet for My Valentine’s ‘Temper Temper’ drops Feb. 12, 2013. Fans who pre-order the album here will receive an instant download of the title track. Watch Bullet for My Valentine Discuss ‘Temper Temper’ [Exclusive Video] [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bullet-for-my-valentine-music-video-temper-temper/” title=”Next: Watch BFMV’s ‘Temper Temper’ Music Video” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Intensity is a total understatement when Lamb of God come to town, but when you add In Flames , Hatebreed and Sylosis to the mix, the energy is indescribable. New York’s Roseland Ballroom shook to its core these bands took the stage on Friday night (Nov. 16). UK metal band Sylosis kicked off the night with a great performance that got the blood of early concertgoers pumping. Hatebreed fans are ‘As Diehard as They Come’ and the band is one whose music can elicit a variety of emotions. Their live shows enforce these emotions and definitely tested the strength of Roseland Ballroom’s foundation. The pits were complete chaos and security guards could barely keep up with the amounts of bodies flying over the crowd. Frontman Jamey Jasta’s hardcore roots are evident onstage, not to mention his infectious and uncontrollable stage presence had everyone bouncing to the band’s anthems of strength and power such as ‘Perseverance,’ ‘In Ashes They Shall Reap,’ ‘Live For This,’ and ‘I Will Be Heard,’ among others. They ended their set with ‘Destroy Everything,’ and that they did. In Flames were the ideal bridge to go in between the very volatile Hatebreed set and headliners Lamb of God. They broke up the high intensity sets with a little bit of melody and humor. That doesn’t mean fans took a break – the crowd remained steady with massive amounts of crowd surfing, jumping, mosh pitting and singing. Frontman Anders Friden humorously said that any band who directly follows Hatebreed sounds like a fart, well In Flames set that night was far from the sound of flatulence. Friden sounded phenomenal as the group performed tracks from their most recent release ‘Sounds of a Playground Fading’ — such as ‘Where the Dead Ships Dwell,’ ‘Deliver Us’ and ‘Fear Is the Weakness.’ Of course the Swedes pulled out some fan favorites such as ‘Cloud Connected,’ ‘Take This Life’ and ‘My Sweet Shadow’ just to name a few. The booming sound of Lamb of God took control of Roseland Ballroom and everyone in it. Fans lost their minds as the rumbling riffs and galloping drums of ‘Desolation’ took hold. The band went on to perform their debut single ‘Ghost Walking’ off of ‘Resolution.’ As vocalist Randy Blythe spat out the lyrics with venom, the crowd screamed lyrics word for word back to him during tracks such as ‘No You’ve Got Something to Die For,’ ’11th Hour,’ ‘ Ruin,’ ‘Laid To Rest,’ ‘Redneck’ and ‘Black Label,’ among numerous others. With the year Randy Blythe has had to go with the few weeks New York City and the rest of the Tri-State area has had to deal with, this concert and these bands gave many metal fans a sense of normalcy and command that they might have thought they lost for a while. It’s no wonder why this show is one fans at Roseland Ballroom will be remembered for quite some time. Go here to see where you can catch the remaining dates of this phenomenal tour. Photos of Lamb of God, In Flames, Hatebreed + Sylosis in NYC Lamb of God: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire In Flames: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Hatebreed: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Sylosis: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-lamb-of-god-songs” title=”Next: 10 Best Lamb of God Songs” align=”center”]
NewstedHeavyMetal.com As we reported Friday (Nov. 16), Jason Newsted has reconnected with fans through a new website , but now the former Metallica bassist has laid out details of his musical comeback. In an appearance on the ’Friday Night Rocks’ radio show, Newsted revealed that he’s ready to rock more than just your Web browser. Blabbermouth has posted a transcript from Newsted’s chat with host Eddie Trunk, in which the bassist says he’s going to release material under the name Newsted Heavy Metal Music. “I’ve thought about this for a long time, putting my name on a project other than just coming up with a clever name, like Echobrain or Papa Wheelie or something,” explained Newsted. “We have a lot of cool names for projects, but this is the first time with my name and really trying to get out to the people that I played for by the millions in the past with Metallica.” He went on to say, “Whatever it ends up being — if it’s five songs, 20 songs, 50 songs … I don’t even know what the heck I’m gonna do. I have so much music from over the years. I have a bunch of new stuff … I’m just trying to figure out exactly what I wanna unleash on everybody first. That’s kind of what it’s coming down to — the timing of things and how I wanna hit people with it.” While assuring Trunk that he still thinks vinyl is “the most endearing and the most personal” format, so “I wanna make sure that that part is there,” Newsted sounds ready to take advantage of digital distribution by releasing a slew of shorter projects, a la the bands who are “doing four tracks at a time in EP form every few months, letting people have some fresh metal.” For Newsted, it’s a progression of his early days as a tape-trader, and the drive to share that he credits with getting him the Metallica gig in the first place. But instead of having to rely on tapes, envelopes, and postage, “Now I can do that with one push of a button and it’s a squillion people. I know about the labors and what it takes one at a time, and I’m not afraid to do that, but I know that I have the chance now, from all of my hard work for 30 years, I’m gonna be able to share with a bunch of people at once. Anybody that really gives a snot about the music and cares about what I’m doing, I wanna share with them.” All this renewed activity is the culmination of an odyssey that started when Newsted left Metallica over a decade ago. As he put it, “I did a very serious, reclusive deal. I built a ranch in Montana in the center of a forest of millions of acres of nothing. That kind of thing where I just said, ‘OK, screw it, man! I’m outta here.’ I went that far opposite of my connection with the people. It took me 12 years to come back to earth, and here I am now. And my big, black boots are on the ground and I’m ready to go.” Click here to view the full transcript of Newsted’s conversation with Eddie Trunk. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-metallica-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Metallica Songs” align=”center”] Watch Jason Newsted Reconnect With His Fans
Chuck Armstrong, Loudwire Metallica have created some of the most critically acclaimed music in the world of rock and metal over the course of three decades. And one of the foundations of their music has been Kirk Hammett's stellar guitar playing. He's behind some of the biggest face-melting tunes in history and he's never shown any signs of slowing down. From creating ripping leads in the 1980s to still shredding like a pro today, Hammett will go down in the history books as one of the premiere lead guitarists of all time. As we celebrate the axeman's 50th birthday on Nov. 18, we also celebrate his music. We took the painstaking task of handpicking 10 of his best solos, but we weren't even going to try to attempt ranking them. So, without further adieu, we present our favorite Hammett guitar solos (in no particular order): ? 'Master of Puppets' From: 'Master of Puppets' (1986) ? ? What can we say about 'Master of Puppets?' Not only is it one of Metallica's best songs, it features a Hammett solo that has become so memorable that fans cheer along with it at concerts. As James Hetfield slows things down in the tune, he can rely on the thousands and thousands of screaming fans to help his bandmate nail the solo. And without a doubt, Hammett always delivers. Listen to the solo in ''Master of Puppets' ? ? 'Fight Fire with Fire' ? ? Starting at the bottom-end of the wah pedal, Hammett blazes into an absolutely crazy solo in the middle of this classic thrash tune. Just like the song itself, the solo never slows down. At times, it's almost unbelievable how fast Hammett is shredding on his guitar, and just when you think things are wrapped up near the three minute mark, Hammett blazes into an even more mind-numbingly fast solo. Listen to the solo in 'Fight Fire with Fire' ? ? 'Harvester of Sorrow' From: '…And Justice for All' (1988) ? ? By no means is 'Harvester of Sorrow' a speedy metal tune. Somehow, though, Hammett works in his magic to make his guitar solo just fast enough to elevate the intensity of the song while not completely dismissing the original rhythm. At times, his guitar work keeps beat with the mild rhythm while at other times it takes the song to a completely new level, most notably around the 3:50 mark. Hammett is a master at keeping pace with the rest of the band while letting his fingers ignite a face-melting solo. Listen to the solo in 'Harvester of Sorrow' ? ? 'Motorbreath' From: 'Kill 'Em All' (1983) ? ? It doesn't last very long, but Hammett's first solo in 'Motorbreath' is such a shredder that if it lasted any longer, you'd run the risk of having your face completely melt off. Hammett expertly executes the solo in a matter of seconds – 10 to be exact – halfway through the song, and it take 'Motorbreath' to an even thrashier level than before. Oh, and did we mention that Hammett wails on a second solo for twice as long as the first one to wrap up the song? In the world of favorite Hammett guitar solos, it doesn't get much better than that. Listen to the solo in 'Motorbreath' ? ? 'My Friend of Misery' From: 'Metallica' (1991) ? ? In a 2012 interview discussing his guitar solos on Metallica's 1991 self-titled album, Hammett says, “They just kind of formed themselves. It was kind of an amazing process for me. That’s what every musician wants, they just want it to flow out.” No solo stands out more on this album than 'My Friend of Misery.' After Jason Newsted's bass contribution is highlighted, Hetfield begins a very melodic guitar solo. It doesn't take long for Hammett to join his bandmate to add another layer of sound to the solo, and soon after that, Hetfield turns things over completely to Hammett who finishes the solo. Combined with Hetfield's efforts, this is easily one of Metallica's most unique guitar solos to date. Listen to the solo in 'My Friend of Misery' ? ? 'One' From: '…And Justice for All' (1988) ? ? 'One' is one of Metallica's most dynamic songs, beginning with a very simple and even-tempered guitar riff. That mild-mannered rhythm ends abruptly when the band tears into the part of the song that is founded on Lars Ulrich's double-bass drum beat. Helping keep the rhythm as in-your-face as possible, Hammett rips into an unimaginably fast guitar solo around the 5:45 mark. By the end of the nearly seven-and-a-half minutes, there is absolutely no memory of the clean guitar from the beginning of the song, only the thought of Hammett's unforgettable solo. Listen to the solo in 'One' ? ? 'Stone Cold Crazy' From: 'Rubaiyat: Elektra's 40th Anniversary' (1990) ? ? No list of favorite guitar solos is complete without a mention of Metallica's 'Stone Cold Crazy.' Originally a Queen tune, 'Tallica's cover takes an already fairly fast song and cranks up the ferocity with slightly altered lyrics and a couple of insanely fast solos. In one of Metallica's shortest songs – clocking in at two minutes and 18 seconds – Hammett wastes no time by introducing listeners to his first solo less than a minute into the tune. Things really explode during the second solo when it sounds like Hammett lets loose, which fits this song perfectly. 'Stone Cold Crazy' made its first debut as part of the compilation 'Rubaiyat,' an album that celebrated Metallica's the 40th anniversary of Metallica's record label, Elektra. Listen to the solo in 'Stone Cold Crazy' ? ? 'Whiplash' From: 'Kill 'Em All' (1983) ? ? There's no arguing that Metallica's debut album is their thrashiest. Even though it wasn't a huge success at the time of its release, 'Kill 'Em All' has turned into a part of thrash metal's foundation and legacy. There might be no other song that perfectly encapsulates the attitude of the album than 'Whiplash.' An absolutely in-your-face song, 'Whiplash' is non-stop thrash at its finest, especially when Hetfield screams, “Here we go,” and Hammett rips into a mind-blowing guitar solo. Just when you think it's done, Hetfield belts out “Whiplash,” and Hammett keeps things going with another 12 seconds of screaming guitar solo perfection. Listen to the solo in 'Whiplash' ? ? 'Disposable Heroes' From: 'Master of Puppets' (1986) ? ? Listening to Hammett's guitar work on 'Master of Puppets,' it's obvious that he was trained by none other than the great guitar maestro, Joe Satriani. During the crushing tune 'Disposable Heroes,' it's almost expected that when Hammett begins his solo, it's going to be intense, but nobody could expect just how intense. Lasting for a minute, Hammett delivers a breathtakingly extreme guitar solo that lives up and exceeds all expectations. In the song, Hetfield sings, “I was born for dying.” It's safe to say that if the song was about Hammett, the lyrics would be altered to, “I was born for shredding.” Listen to the solo in 'Disposable Heroes' ? ? 'Hero of the Day' From: 'Load' (1996) ? ? Not every guitar solo has to be a facemelter. Hammett's solo in 'Hero of the Day' isn't considered a shredding solo, but that doesn't mean it's any less rocking to fans or important. In an exclusive interview with Ultimate Metallica , the guitarist was asked about his favorite solo, and 'Hero of the Day' was the song that first came to his mind. The axeman says about the solo, “It’s very melodic, it’s very dynamic. I think that guitar solo serves the song in a way that I want all my guitar solos to serve their songs.” Listen to the solo in 'Hero of the Day' ? ? What Is Your Favorite Kirk Hammett Guitar Solo? Obviously, we couldn't include all of Kirk Hammett's memorable guitar solos in this list of 10 tunes. What solos on this list are your favorite, and what ones did we miss? Let your thoughts be known in the comments section below: ?
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire There are a lot of interested ears just ready to latch onto to anything from Killswitch Engage after the return of former singer Jesse Leach , but guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz is quick to point out that the band’s one leaked track, ‘No End in Sight,’ does not truly represent their new album. The guitarist told Guitar World (excerpted by Blabbermouth ), “It’s actually the one tune that’s pretty different from the other stuff. Overall, the rest of the album is a little faster, a little meaner, a little growlier — thrashy but with lots of clean parts. We’re going a little more extreme this time.” Leach resumed his spot as the band’s vocalist after the exit of Howard Jones due to continued health issues. He was with the band this summer when they took part in the Trespass America tour. Dutkiewicz produced the band’s next album, and they’re currently mixing the disc with Andy Sneap for an expected early 2013 release. Killswitch Engage will finish the year by celebrating the 10th anniversary of their ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ album during special headlining shows in November and December. Listen to Killswitch Engage’s ‘No End in Sight’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/killswitch-engage-the-end-of-heartache-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Killswitch Engage – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]