Rick Diamond, Getty Images Pearl Jam are working on a new album, but still really don’t have a timeline on when fans can expect it. Bassist Jeff Ament tells Guerilla Candy that even though the band has made some headway , there’s still a long way to go before it’s complete and there’s no rush to finish it. The bassist says, “There really are no plans right now [for 2013]. We have a few shows in South America on the calendar and that’s about it. I think that’s by design. I think the idea is that everybody takes the holidays off and then at some point somebody will pick up the phone, maybe late January or early February, and that will kind of start the [recording] process over again.” Ament says he’s constantly asked about the next Pearl Jam record, but admits that it’s hard to discuss as it hasn’t taken its full form as of yet. He adds, “We still don’t know exactly when we will finish it, so it’s hard to talk about it. It really could be anything at this point. Even though we have seven or eight songs recorded, it’s still sort of a blank slate and that’s exciting.” However, the bassist says that fans shouldn’t worry about the band’s future. He adds, “I don’t think there’s any doubt we’re going to make a record, but when that’s going to be, and when everybody is ready to do it, well that’s another story. And there’s no pressure. So if at any point the guys called up and said, ‘Hey, we’re ready to do this,’ I’d have no problem dropping everything because that’s my first love. I’m going to do whatever works for everyone else.” Ament is well aware of the potential problems of taking too much time, and says he doesn’t envision a Guns N’ Roses situation where ‘Chinese Democracy’ ended up taking a decade-plus to finalize. He adds, “Every day you’re going to improve as a writer and your take on things might be different. At some point you just have to let go and move on to the next thing. That’s always the tricky part of being in a band. When is it good enough? When is there too much paint on the canvas and when isn’t there too much paint on the canvas? That’s always a tricky balance.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”Next: Top 10 Grunge Bands” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Linkin Park deliver an emotionally gripping new video for ‘Castle of Glass’ dealing with the hardships of military families. [ Loudwire ] – While we wait for a new album from Nine Inch Nails , check out our list of the the band’s 10 Best Songs. [ Loudwire ] – Chevelle frontman Pete Loeffler took a frightening tumble during a show in Tucson earlier this week. He’s still rocking though … from a chair. [ Loudwire ] – There’s sad news to report from the world of death metal, as 29-year-old Sons of Azrael frontman Joe Siracuse has passed away. [ Loudwire ] – What better way to wish David Lee Roth a happy 57th birthday than by counting down the Top 10 Van Halen Songs. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – The Stone Roses reunion many thought would never happen is actually thriving and surviving into 2013. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Metal vets Voivod keep on rocking with the release of their new digital single, ‘Mechanical Mind.’ [ Rock Music Report ]
Reprise Deftones are inching closer to a new album, and have now revealed the artwork for their ‘Koi No Yokan’ collection (posted to the left). The visually intriguing cover, which they debuted at their website and Facebook pages, appears to be mirrored sections of a dark room, with only a dulled green entryway and glowing orange floor lights reflecting back. The ‘Koi No Yokan’ album is due Nov. 13, and earlier this week Deftones unveiled that ‘ Tempest ‘ would be the lead single. The song features a drifting vocal line balanced with a certain amount of aggression, once again showing the dramatic shifts the band is able to pull off. The track follows the cuts ‘ Leathers ,’ ‘ Rosemary ,’ and ‘ Roller Derby ,’ which all surfaced in either live or studio preview form over the last few months. Speaking of those dramatic shifts, singer Chino Moreno spoke about how the dynamics will play out on their new album in a recent interview. He told NME , “It’s not a super fast or slow record. It’s very dynamic. Some of my favorite things about Deftones are the dynamics. Yes, we’re a heavy band, but we’re not just in-your-face aggro the whole time, punching you in the face. There’s a lot of aggression in some of the music, but there’s also this very soothing element where there’s a lot of soundscapes rather than attack, attack, attack the whole time.” While Deftones are known for their hard rocking intensity, Moreno says he also has a soft spot for electronic elements. He opened up to San Francisco’s Live 105 about his personal love of electronic music, but added that he’d likely never pursue dubstep like some of his rock and metal peers. He explained, “I’m not a big fan of dubstep, but there is so much good electronic music out there. I grew up in the ’80s, that’s probably why I like some of the earlier electronic [material] from Kraftwerk to all throughout new wave and things like that. A band like Depeche Mode would go out and record them hitting a trash can with a steel rod or something and recording it. And that would be one of their sounds of the drums. I love the creativeness of that kind of raw sampling.” Deftones are currently out on tour building up to the ‘Koi No Yokan’ release. They’re sharing stages with Scars on Broadway , with shows lined up through the end of October. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-deftones-songs/” title=”Next: Top 10 Deftones Songs” align=”center”]
Photo via Republic Records. Ready to rock? Good, because Hinder are back with a new album, ‘Welcome to the Freakshow,’ out Dec. 4 on Republic Records. Fans already have a taste of the new tracks in the Oklahoma City band’s new single, ‘Save Me.’ Take a listen to the heavy tune via the lyric video for ‘Save Me’ below. ‘Save Me’ features Hinder’s characteristic heavy, chugging riffs, anthemic chorus and gutsy lyrics. “Already made the news / Slipped out of every noose / I’ve cut my demons loose / Get out of my face, I don’t need you to save me / Raged on fumes / There’s nothing left to use / My middle names abuse / Get out of my face, I don’t need you to save me!” vocalist Austin Winkler belts out. ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ was co-produced by Hinder drummer Cody Hanson and Marshall Dutton at their hometown studio. On the set, the guys promise a variety of sounds: rock, pop, country. Check out the rock-packed track listing below. Hinder ‘Welcome to the Freakshow’ Track Listing: 1. Save Me 2. Ladies Come First 3. Shoulda Known Better 4. Freakshow 5. Talk to Me 6. Get Me Away From You 7. Is It Just Me 8. I Don’t Wanna Believe 9. See You In Hell 10. Anyone But You 11. Wanna Be Rich Watch the Lyric Video for Hinder New Song, ‘Save Me’
Kevin Winter, Getty Images Slayer have sparingly worked on new music this year, focusing mostly on their touring with the Mayhem Festival, but according to singer Tom Araya, the group is working hard to make sure their twelfth studio album arrives next year. Araya tells Seven Sisters Post , “We are working on a new album, aiming for a 2013 release. We are experimenting with a lot of sounds. What we can tell you is that the new album will be very Slayer.” The vocalist says that even though they are now elder statesmen in the world of metal, it hasn’t mellowed them out any. He adds, “We have maintained our signature intensity, which is the heavy and fast. Age, huh? Slayer has lived up to its signature intense music and crazy lyrics for the last 30 years with every new album that we come out with.” Over the summer, guitarist Kerry King had stated that while it was still early in the process, the fact that fellow guitarist Jeff Hanneman was still recovering from the flesh-eating spider bite had no role in their progression. The guitarist stated that they had secured engineer Greg Fidelman for a 12-day window that yielded two new songs, with several other tracks in various forms of completion, but that it was his hope that the band would block out some time in October to fully attack the record. At present, there are four late October shows in India and Japan, and then nothing on their tour schedule until the Soundwave Festival in February 2013. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slayer-disciple-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Slayer: Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]
Who wouldn’t want to be rockin’ with Dokken? The veteran hard rockers will be back with a new album called ‘Broken Bones‘ on Sept. 25 and Loudwire has a chance for you to win a deluxe edition of the disc, plus so much more. Dokken have been rocking it since the ’80s with standout releases like ‘Under Lock and Key,’ ‘Tooth and Nail’ and ‘Back for the Attack,’ and have
Mastodon are still making the rounds in support of ‘The Hunter’ album, but the days promoting their latest release appear to be winding down. Singer/bassist Troy Sanders revealed that a new album is definitely on their minds. He told Onslaught Radio (via Blabbermouth) at the Reading Festival, “The future is very unknown, I think. After these two festivals – the Reading and Leeds – we’ll take some time off and