‘Blood Into Wine’ A Monday morning is perhaps the most dreaded part of any person’s week. There are few moments more frustrating than being shocked into consciousness in order to face a 40-hour block of work or school, with Carly Rae Jepsen’s diabolical infection known as ‘Call Me Maybe’ creeping out through your alarm clock. Thankfully, musical mastermind Maynard James Keenan ( Tool , A Perfect Circle , Puscifer ) is here to save you from the mundane, with yet another introspective article from Phoenix New Times. Last month, we reported that Keenan was to write a bi-weekly column for the publication, seemingly being given carte blanche concerning the many subjects of his writings. This morning (Oct. 8) the beloved musician posted ‘What is Puscifer?,’ acting as somewhat of a manifesto for the experimental act. For those who have seen Puscifer live, Maynard’s latest column may seem familiar, but if you’ve never experienced the musical collective in concert, allow Maynard Keenan to explain the foundation of Puscifer. “At some point in human history we became aware of our own mortality,” begins Keenan. “When confronted with the death of a companion, we had the epiphany that this was simply no longer just a pile of inanimate meat and bone. This was our companion and whatever energy made them who they were is no longer present. And then reality sinks in: Someday I will no longer be here. And for the first time we asked the question. Why? Why are they no longer here? What can I do to prevent that from happening to me? Or at the very least, ‘What can I do to put off the inevitable?’” The singer continues, “We were now aware that our very survival was directly connected to and contingent upon how creative we could be. Our instincts to Fight or Run were not enough. We weren’t as fast or strong as our larger and ferocious opponents. Instead, we needed to use every fiber of our imagination, every spark of our creative energy to stay ahead of these daily threats on our lives.” So how does Puscifer act as an extension to this notion? Keenan offers three explanations: 1. “An attempt to reconnect with that seemingly lost balance between the Artistic and Utilitarian.” 2. “An attempt to reawaken our inner storyteller, and our ability to Observe, Interpret, and Report all the fun stuff we’ve witnessed.” 3. “An attempt to remind us all to dance before the inevitable End of the World. (Make checks and money orders payable to Chicken Little ?…etc.)” Keenan concludes, “Because we at Puscifer feel that Life is too short not to create something with every breath we draw.” Check out Maynard James Keenan’s newest article at Phoenix New Times , and give your Monday morning a welcome jolt. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/maynard-james-keenan-advice-for-apocalypse-new-editorial-column/” title=”Previous Maynard Keenan Column: ‘These Are the ‘End of Days'” align=”center”]
Warner Bros. After five straight wins and relentless voting from their fans, Avenged Sevenfold have entered the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame with their latest single ‘Carry On,’ which is featured in the video game ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II.’ The men from ‘Bat Country’ took down their fifth and final opponent the Offspring after beating heavy hitters like Five Finger Death Punch and Soundgarden , as well as Volbeat and Marilyn Manson . Congrats to Avenged Sevenfold and their fans on this impressive achievement. Their song ‘Carry On’ now joins tunes from such bands as Down, Fozzy, Anthrax, Korn, Trivium and more in Loudwire’s Cage Match Hall of Fame. Listen to Avenged Sevenfold, ‘Carry On’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/fozzy-avenged-sevenfold-m-shadows-surprise-sandpaper-performance/” title=”Next: Watch M. Shadows Perform ‘Sandpaper’ With Fozzy” align=”center”] ?
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Static-X have dropped off the remaining dates of their trek with with Emmure and Ill Nino due to medical issues affecting frontman Wayne Static . The singer-guitarist had to return to Los Angeles in order to prepare himself for some medical procedures to help remedy unspecified health issues that have been affecting his performance. In a press release, Wayne Static states, “I’m so sorry to all my fans but I cant give you the 1000% you deserve from Static-X every night right now. Evil disco will continue in 2013. Just wait until you see whats next!!!” Emmure and Ill Nino will be continuing on the tour for the remaining dates, during which Emmure will be headlining. In a few weeks, Static-X will be able to perform two local shows in Lancaster, Calif., on Oct. 27, and Ventura, Calif., on Oct 28. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/static-x-new-york-city-concert-review-photo-gallery/” title=”Check Out Photos of Static-X Performing in New York City” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Machine Head guitarist Phil Demmel was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. He spoke all about his enthusiasm for the band’s upcoming tour with Dethklok, All That Remains and The Black Dahlia Murder, as well as the band’s very successful album ‘Unto the Locust’ and why Machine Head isn’t sticking to a specific timeline for the next album. If you missed Jackie’s show, read the full interview with Phil Demmel below: First and foremost, I saw Phil randomly in Las Vegas recently and as it turns out we should congratulate Phil who is now married. So, congratulations! Thank you very much, yeah we bumped into each other in the lobby and you were there for the convention and I was there I actually jammed out with Steel Panther that weekend. Yeah we got it done – kind of impromptu but yeah I married the love of my life. [Note: Demmel recently married Bleeding Through’s Marta Peterson.] That’s the way to do it too, there’s no planning and craziness. Anybody who I’ve known who’s gotten married and gone throw all that it seems like exhausting all the picking things and who to put at what table. You guys did it right, congratualtions. Yeah we had both been married previously and we just wanted it to be us, so we’re selfish and that’s what we did. [Laughs] Machine Head is part of the North American tour with Dethklok that was announced recently, also All That Remains and The Black Dahlia Murder. It’s starting at the end of October, what a great line-up. Are you excited about being on tour with Dethklok? Had you seen Dethklok before? You know I’ve seen bits and pieces of the cartoon and not really all too familiar with it but I know that it’s a whole different demographic that’s coming to a Machine Head show and touring with bands like All That Remains and Black Dahlia it’s such a diverse group and such a cool, eclectic bill. I’m looking forward to touring with all of the bands, I think it’ll be great. Phil, now that you’ve got the distance of a whole year since it was released what’s changed about what you like about your last record ‘Unto the Locust.’ The record is my favorite Machine Head record, I’ll revisit every once in a while and I’ll get stuck on a tune that really grabs me but the constant has been ‘Darkness Within’ we’re kind of working on doing a radio push for the song and we did a video for it – kind of a real f—ed up video, it’s only available on YouTube [ after debuting on Loudwire ]. Yeah, it’s been a year – kind of crazy but Machine Head records have that steady lock, we’re not in a rush, we milk them out as long as we can. You’ve played with Rob Flynn for something like 30 years, going back to Vio-Lence in the ’80s, what aspects of those earlier years together still come into play as the foundation of Machine Head in 2012 and beyond? I think in the previous band we played together, there was a different dynamic in the fact that, that was my band – I was the main song writer for that band and he kind of came in as this new part of that. So that dynamic has been 180 where that’s my role in Machine Head now but still kind of geeking out on guitarists and learning stuff and playing stuff together. We still have that real symmetry when we get together and our harmonies – we know when each other’s going to go somewhere and we just have that really weird connection so that’s been the constant through our playing together. We’re men now, we have children [Laughs] it’s been 25 years but that’s been the one constant. What are your preparations for such a rigorous tour schedule having been diagnosed with Cardiogenic Syncope. It’s been a while since my last episode on the road. I was dealing with the death of my father in 2007 and went on the Mayhem tour and then a tour with Hellyeah directly after that so hanging out with Vinnie Paul [Laughs] wasn’t the most sobering of tours for sure. It’s really easy to do being a touring musician, especially in a metal band, it’s around you every night, it’s easy to fall into that – just getting drunk every night and self medicating and just numbing down feelings that you should be processing at some point. We were on the Mayhem tour and I had an episode and I decided to stop drinking and that’s when all these feelings I had been numbing down, all these emotions came to me and it coincides with the condition that I have and it really affected me. I was having these pass outs sometimes half a dozen in a day, I wouldn’t tell the band about them, it happened on stage a couple times and we had to pull off the Slipknot European tour at the very end. It was just time for me to clear my had with a lot of these issues and going through depression, it was just a process I had to go through. It’s been gone through – I think in ’09 it was the last episode I had onstage. It helps being with the girl that I am who keeps me really grounded and helps me. [Laughs] The last time I saw Dethklok, you guys played that day too – Dethklok played that first Mayhem date in San Bernadino not this past Mayhem but the Mayhem before. I think it’s going to be an awesome crowd between fans of the two bands and even the openers as well. I think it’s going to be a diverse group of metal fans that are all going to be coming together. Are you looking forward to bringing in a different crowd? Absolutely, it’s the main reason Machine Head is doing this tour – all the different bands that are on here to reach the people that wouldn’t normally come to a Machine Head show. I didn’t get a chance to see them at that Mayhem date, I had my son and my now wife with me and had to drive them back home after we played. I’m looking forward to seeing those guys who are crazy good musicians and the All That Remains guys are awesome guitar players and Black Dahlia too. The musicianship on this tour is going to be crazy good. Phil, the last three albums from Machine Head have been separated by four years time, does that mean that there won’t be a new Machine Head album until 2015 or are new ideas already being developed? I think that Robb is putting some stuff together, I have a couple ideas and maybe [drummer Dave] McClain has been working on some stuff too. The reason for the last one taking so long was that we got offered all these crazy tours. We thought we were about to wind it down and then Slipknot said, “Hey come on, let’s tour the world” and then Metallica comes around and says “Hey let’s go tour all over the place” you can’t say no to the biggest metal bands in the world. We don’t know what’s going to happen, we didn’t plan it that way, we’re not planning to have that big of a space between these but if the big bands come around again and want us to go we’re definitely going to go. We have an idea to kind of fill the gap but I don’t think I can really talk about how that’s going to be but we’ve got something in the works that might fill the gap. I’m going to be as vague and vanilla as I can. There will be something coming up pretty soon that’s going to make that happen. We want to keep it fresh, we want to keep the ball rolling and all the momentum that we have with ‘Locust’ going. I don’t think it’s going to be that long in between. You guys take your time, I think that sometimes bands make a mistake of sticking to some sort of timeline and some promise of dates or whatever and I guess you can’t really control creativity or when it’s going to come or how long it’s going to take. Props to your guys for doing it on your own terms, for when you felt ready. Yeah that’s exactly how we operate too, it amazes me how these bands go “Oh yeah we’ve got like 25, 30 songs that we’ve written in six months” and it’s like oh geez – granted a Machine Head tune is sometimes between 8 to 10 minutes long but that’s just how we operate. We’re comfortable in just letting the song simmer and letting the album just kind of cook and when it’s ready then it’s time to go. It’s nice having that opportunity and luxury to do. If we didn’t have that we might be putting out less quality records in a shorter amount of time. Full Metal Jackie will welcome David Vincent of Morbid Angel on her next show. Full Metal Jackie can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .
Relapse Hooded Menace are one of modern metal’s leading doom bands. Having just conjured up their third full-length album, ‘Effigies of Evil,’ the band have released a must-hear album for fans of all heavy music. Without losing their edge or sacrificing their creative vision, ‘Effigies of Evil’ is arguably the band’s most accessible creation to date, and we recently had the chance to ask Hooded Menace vocalist / guitarist Lasse Pyykkö a few questions. Pyykkö tells us about ‘Effigies,’ the incredible artwork the album showcases, the future of the doom genre and much more. Is there anything you tried to accomplish on ‘Effigies of Evil’ that you didn’t attempt previously on your past records? I know the album is a bit more melodic and there’s more mid-tempos to bang your head to, but it all came out so naturally that I can’t really say we “tried” to accomplish that. I guess we only set out to make a good successor to “Never Cross the Dead”. The album art for ‘Effigies of Evil’ is incredible. How does the art act as an extension of the record? It’s slightly more elegant than before and I guess you can say the same about our music. It all intertwines even better than I dared to hope. Our trademarks (The Blind Dead references) are there, but the approach is different. There’s some kind of mystic and epic vibe to it. I hope you can get lost in it just as well as in the music. Tell us about the concept of the ‘Crumbling Insanity’ video. To put it shortly, there’s a wanderer who finds an ancient mystical text with illustrations. The pages tell a story of hooded figures terrorizing humanity and crumbling civilization. Hooded Menace has been a part of many splits. Are there any future splits planned and if you could do a split with any band, who would it be? We’re currently working on our song for the vinyl split with the US doomgodz Loss. As usually it will be released by Doomentia Records. As for the ultimate split … man, there´re so many bands to choose from, but if I can pick ANY band I suppose I’m almost obligated to say Black Sabbath. We’ve shared a wax with bands such as Asphyx and Coffins, so I consider us very fortunate already. Who are your biggest influences inside and outside the doom metal genre? Inside doom and doomy death metal genre: 80s Candlemass, Cathedral, Autopsy, two first Paradise Lost albums and Asphyx. Outside: 80s Maiden, Metallica (3 first albums only), Goblin, Fabio Frizzi… Where do you see the future of doom and do you believe that it is becoming a more accessible genre? Well, doom is now more popular than ever. I feel like it’s peaking already. Maybe this trend will go on for some time but there must be a downhill sooner or later. A lot of people will be somewhere else. I wish I was wrong, but that’s how I see it really. Hopefully the better bands will be around and there’ll be an audience for them. Stream Hooded Menace’s ‘Effigies of Evil’ album in full here and check out the band’s Facebook page. Watch Hooded Menace’s ‘Crumbling Insanity’ Video
John Shearer, Getty Images Drummer Matt Sorum looks upon his tenure with Velvet Revolver as some of the best times of his career, but he definitely has some reservations about whether the band will continue. Speaking with ‘Source of the Sound With Wendy Campbell’ (audio below), Sorum initially referred to the band in past tense while using the term “broke up,” before correcting his wording and explaining, “I can’t say we’ve broken up because it’s a hiatus.” When asked about the possibility of continuing with former frontman Scott Weiland , he moved on from the notion quickly and changed the topic to Slash and his satisfaction with his current band. Sorum explained, “I think Slash is really kind of happy being Slash and not really dealing with the drama of being in a band. He’s the leader of his band and they go on stage on time and they play songs. And I’ve gotta kind of respect Slash for that, because he spent most of his career waiting around for people to show up. [laughs] [So he wants to just] go out on the road and have a nice easy go of it. Get on a tour bus [with] a new band, play songs. I totally respect that.” Sorum says of his time with the band, “Velvet Revolver, in my opinion, was a miracle, in a way. Because here we are, guys in our 40s, putting together a band that’s gonna be [perceived] as a modern rock and roll band. And we achieved that. We were competing against much younger guys, we had a huge success with it. I got my first Grammy, which was amazing and it was really, for me, one of the highlights of my life, because number one, I was an original member for the first time ever; I was always the guy that came in and took somebody’s place. Velvet Revolver [consisted of] guys that I already played with before, but it was considered a new band.” Though Velvet Revolver continues to be on hold, Sorum hasn’t let it stop his musical pursuits. He’s been working with a group of rock vets called Kings of Chaos, and also taking on more production roles of late. He recently finished a record with Diamond Baby and is heading into the studio to oversee another band’s record. Sorum also turns up on the ‘ Re-Machined ‘ Deep Purple tribute album. Listen to Matt Sorum Discussing Velvet Revolver [button href=”http://loudwire.com/duff-mckagan-velvet-revolver-lead-singer-search-nowhere/” title=”Next: Duff McKagan Discusses Velvet Revolver Singer Search” align=”center”]
Karl Walter, Getty Images Iron Maiden guitarist Steve Harris is working in a solo album between his regular band duties, and Harris assures the quality of the disc will be up to par as these songs were not leftover Iron Maiden tracks. In the November edition of Decibel magazine (excerpted by Blabbermouth ), Harris explains, “This is not throwaway Maiden stuff. These are not riffs that I could’ve used in Maiden because, like I said, it was done with other people. As soon as that happens, it’s not gonna be used in Maiden.” The guitar great adds, “I’ve got ridiculous amount of ideas that I’m probably never gonna get out the door in my lifetime. There’s no shortage of ideas for Maiden. And this stuff is different, anyway. It’s more heavy rock than heavy metal, but to me the influences are all from the well.” Harris, who is using the title ‘ British Lion ‘ for his disc, says the effort has been in the works since 1993, but because of his extended involvement in Iron Maiden, he’s never really had much time between discs to work on it. He laughs, “It’s been so long, it’s ridiculous. I’m just so relieved to get this thing out, really, because it’s finally there. I’m really pleased with the results, but it’s taken a long while.” The guitarist says that when Iron Maiden hasn’t been touring and recording, he’s often taken the lead on things like video editing that help fill the time between records, so his time left over to record his own music has always taken a back seat. “I get a lot less downtime than the others,” says Harris. “That’s why it’s taken so long, really. I was just trying to fit bits in here and there when the other people were available to work on stuff while I was back in the U.K., which over the last few years has not been very often.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/iron-maiden-the-talisman-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Iron Maiden – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]