It Books / HarperCollins The history of metal music is not an easy story to tell. With over 45 years of the world’s most brutal music genre having already passed, the realms of progression, brutality and experimentation are constantly expanding thanks to both metal legends and new school heroes. Despite the difficulty of the challenge, rock journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman have crafted the upcoming book ‘Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal,’ which will see a May 14 release date. To create a truly definitive portrayal on metal music, ‘Louder Than Hell’ was assembled from more than 300 interviews with metal’s finest icons, including members of Metallica , Megadeth , Iron Maiden , Slayer , Death , Motley Crue , Pantera and many more. As if 300 interviews wasn’t legitimate enough, the comprehensive book will include an introduction by Scott Ian of Anthrax and an afterword by Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford . ‘Louder Than Hell’ promises to deliver all the info without censorship, delving into topics such as traumatic upbringings, drug addiction and bizarre sexual exploits, along with stories of the music business, songwriting, touring and a lot more. Metal musicians themselves have come out to praise ‘Louder than Hell,’ along with its authors. “Katherine Turman and Jon Wiederhorn know metal,” gushes Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello . “Louder than Hell is an amazing gathering of different breeds of heavy metal rockers telling the tales metal fans want to hear.” Heavy metal legend Alice Cooper also endorses the book. “This is the book every metal fan should own,” says Cooper. “A fascinating high-octane chronicle of metal mayhem that takes readers on a wild ride, from metal’s earliest days to the head-banging present. I’m not saying this just because I’m in the book, but . . . if you love metal, great stories, and music history told by the people who made it, then Louder than Hell is a must-read.” Jon Wiederhorn is a senior writer for Revolver magazine, a former editor of MTV2′s Headbangers Blog and has worked for publications such as Rolling Stone, Spin, Entertainment Weekly and Guitar World. Wiederhorn has also penned a biography on Ministry mastermind Al Jourgensen , ‘Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen,’ which will see a July 2013 release. Katherine Turman currently produces the syndicated radio show ‘Nights with Alice Cooper,’ and has written for publications such as Metal Hammer, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone and RIP, the last of which she was the editor. Get ready for the release of ‘Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History of Metal’ on May 14. To pre-order the book, click here . Check Out a Video of Alice Cooper Promoting ‘Louder Than Hell’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-metal-albums-of-2012/” title=”10 Best Metal Albums of 2012″ align=”center”]
Posts Tagged ‘book’
Nikki Sixx Provides Update on Sixx: A.M. Album + ‘The Heroin Diaries’ Broadway Production
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Nikki Sixx has a lot on his plate at the moment, but the Sixx: A.M. bassist and creative force took some time to speak with Loudwire and other reporters during a roundtable interview at the NAMM conference in Anaheim Saturday (Jan. 26). Sixx was at NAMM to promote his new Schecter Sixx signature bass, which we detailed in our previous article, but the following Q&A focuses on the status of Sixx: A.M.’s next album and Sixx’s foray into launching a Broadway production based on his memoir, ‘The Heroin Diaries.’ You’re taking ‘The Heroin Diaries’ to Broadway. Can you tell us how the idea came about and what all it entails? The book inspired me, [and Sixx: A.M. bandmates] James Michael and DJ Ashba to write a soundtrack to that book. It was always in my head [either] a movie or a play. And when we met the right partners to start that process happening, it was interesting how we’re referencing the book and referencing the music in the play as we’ll also be writing new music. We’ll also be writing new music and continuing to flush out the story. It’s a different environment like having the book and the music in a real 3D experience, and I think it’s the perfect next step. How far along are you at this point and when might we expect it to premiere? It’s moving really quickly … We just finished our third time through, what you would call a script, it’s called a book, and we’re placing characters and music and making our changes and I just met with a fantastic set design person and we have directors and producers and investors, so it’s moving along quickly. In a perfect world, I’d love to see something maybe spring of 2014, but since this is my first at bat doing something like this, I don’t know. These things do take time. It’s very creative and very exciting. Following up on Sixx: A.M., in general, the first two albums accompanied books. Will you be following a similar format this time? This time we really want to fly on our own. We started out the songwriting process by having conversations about how far we can push ourselves musically … Our conversations were, ‘Let’s go as far to the left as we can, musically’ and once we finish up a handful of songs that are pretty out there … I don’t even want to use any kind of references because it’ll throw people and they won’t really understand what I’m talking about. But we’re just taking a lot of chances musically and at this point nothing sounds at all like Sixx: A.M. that you would know, because we’re taking such huge leaps of faith that we’re going to land on our feet. But once we finish what we have now, we’re going to start backtracking into who we are as a band that we know at least. I think you’re going to end up with some songs on the album that are sort of surprising and bands that always did that for me were like Queen . There would be songs on Queen’s albums that would be like, ‘I can’t even believe that came out of a rock band,’ and that’s what we want to do. We want to take those leaps of faith and in the end, we are a rock band so we’ll go back to that at some point. What’s the status on Sixx: A.M.’s album at the moment? How far are you along? We’ve got six [songs] done, so we’ll probably knock another 10 around and then we’ll figure out which 10 we put on a record and then we’ll figure out when we’re gonna release it. The biggest problem for Sixx: A.M. is that I’m in Motley Crue . It’s a great thing because people know of Sixx: A.M. because if they like me in Motley Crue then they’re willing to give it a listen. But, Motley Crue is a big machine and it’s busy and it takes up a lot of time. So there’s very little amount of time for me to take [Sixx: A.M.] out and tour. I think I would like to go out in 2013 and do some shows, maybe a month’s worth of shows, just to kind of feel what it feels like. I think at some point I would like for Sixx: A.M. to be a bigger priority as far as a live act than it is now. Stay tuned for the third part of our Nikki Sixx interview from the NAMM convention. He talks about what’s next for Motley Crue and more. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/nikki-sixx-bassist-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next: Nikki Sixx Named 2012 Loudwire Bassist of the Year” align=”center”]
Five Finger Death Punch Drummer Jeremy Spencer Penning Autobiography
Gareth Cattermole, Getty Images Five Finger Death Punch drummer Jeremy Spencer has embraced the rock and roll lifestyle and all that comes with it over the years, and now that he’s sober he’s ready to tell his tales in the new autobiography, ‘Deathpunched: Cheers to My Sobriety.’ The book, which is expected next year, features Spencer on the cover with adult film legend Ron Jeremy. The drummer told Los Angeles’ ‘ Heidi & Frank Show ,’ “The story behind that is … obviously being in a rock band, you dabble in the party lifestyle from time to time. So after years of that catching up to me, I got sober. But we always used to have this saying about doing cocaine, like you would get so cranked on sexually in your brain when you do it — like everything is exciting — but then you get numbed out beneath the belt line area. So we always said, ‘Man, you feel like Ron Jeremy from the neck up and Christopher Reeve from the neck down.’ So the cover of the book is me in, like, a Superman kind of costume in a wheelchair cheersing a martini glass with Ron Jeremy and two hot chicks. So that’s the cover of my book.” Spencer, who just past a year of sobriety on Jan. 8, says he initially planned to self-release the book but now has a deal in place with a publisher and expects it out next year. As for the Five Finger Death Punch’s current status, he reveals that the band are “cocooned up” at the moment working on new music, but do have plans for some spring shows in Europe followed by a summer North American trek. Watch Five Finger Death Punch’s Jeremy Spencer Discuss His Upcoming Book on KLOS 95.5 FM [button href=”http://loudwire.com/five-finger-death-punch-the-pride-video/” title=”Next: Watch Five Finger Death Punch’s ‘The Pride’ Video” align=”center”] ?
Down and Warbeast Dedicate Winter Tour to Late Rigor Mortis / Ministry Guitarist Mike Scaccia
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire / Housecore Records The music world was shocked over the holidays when Rigor Mortis and Ministry guitarist Mike Scaccia died after collapsing onstage during a performance in Texas. The musician was performing with Rigor Mortis, which is fronted by singer Bruce Corbitt (picured right, above). The vocalist, who is returning to rock with Warbeast on tour this month, says both his band and the trek’s headliners Down intend on dedicating the entire run to Scaccia’s memory. Corbitt stated after Scaccia’s passing, “Mike Scaccia left this Earth doing what he loved to do. Tragically, the music world has lost an extremely talented, gifted and unique guitar virtuoso. His music and his legend will live on forever.” Meanwhile, Down singer Phil Anselmo came up with the idea for Warbeast to write some lyrics about Scaccia, with the end result being two new songs. One of the tracks is about Corbitt’s late brother Jeff, while the other track was penned specifically about Scaccia. The two songs will eventually be released with a picture of Scaccia on one side and a picture of Jeff Corbitt on the other. Meanwhile, Anselmo also offered his remembrances in a posting relayed by Corbitt. It reads: I have traveled the world playing music, and I’ve been fortunate to play, with extremely talented guitarists, and to have seen living legends right in front of my eyes. But when it came down to extremities, I’ve known since 1987 who the fastest, most precise player on this planet was, and that was the one and only Mike Scaccia. The playing field is now even. I can’t put into words what it meant for me to be accepted into the Rigor Mortis horde back when I was the new guy in town, and playing in a rival band back in the late ’80′s. But we were kindred spirits, and Mike Scaccia’s kindness helped that bonding process which I still cherish today. Underneath Mike’s soft-spoken, quiet demeanor, there lived a monster of mythical size, unbridled passion, and a practitioner of inhuman feats that will never be replicated. We called his picking hand, “The Hummingbird” because of its blinding speed and accuracy. But now, ‘The Hummingbird’ has flown. Let his body of work speak for itself, as a legacy of success not many can achieve. When Mike played, you knew it was him, and with that, he left a mark in music that can’t be touched. The DFW area has lost our era’s two greatest guitarists in Mike Scaccia and Dimebag Darrell Abbott, and that is a terrible blow. But their accomplishments will be considered sacred ground for aeons. When I think of my fallen comrade Dime, I think of him as a star in the cosmos. I will think of Mike in the same way, in honor of his legacy and friendship. Celebrate this great man’s life. With all my love, sincerely. – Philip H. Anselmo In addition, Scaccia’s daughter Sarah is putting together a book to honor her father and she’s currently welcoming personal stories about her father from fans and peers. She can be contacted at sjska21@gmail.com and will use the remembrances to put the book together. Those wishing to donate to the Mike Scaccia Family Fundraiser can click here and follow the link. Down / Warbeast 2013 Tour: 1/5 — Fort Worth, Texas — The Rail Club (Warbeast only) 1/11 — Houston, Texas — Warehouse Live Ballroom 1/12 — San Antonio, Texas — Backstage Live 1/14 — Tempe, Ariz. — The Marquee 1/15 — Las Vegas, Nev. — Fremont Country Club 1/16 — West Hollywood, Calif. — Key Club 1/18 — Anaheim, Calif. — City National Grove of Anaheim 1/19 — Sacramento, Calif. — Ace of Spades 1/20 — San Francisco, Calif. — Regency Ballroom 1/22 — Seattle, Wash. — Showbox at the Market 1/23 — Portland, Ore. — Roseland Theater 1/24 — Boise, Idaho — Knitting Factory Concert House 1/26 — Denver, Colo. — The Summit Music Hall 1/28 — Minneapolis, Minn. — First Avenue 1/29 — Milwaukee, Wis. — The Rave 1/30 — Cincinnati, Ohio — Bogart’s 2/1 — Chattanooga, Tenn. — Track 29 [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ministry-rigor-mortis-guitarist-mike-scaccia-cause-of-death-revealed-memorial-show-planned/” title=”Next: Mike Scaccia Memorial Show Planned” align=”center”]
Former Black Sabbath Drummer Bev Bevan Voices Audiobook For Tony Iommi Autobiography
Simon & Schuster It’s time for the holidays and you need stuff to add to your various wish lists. We’re assuming that you’ve already asked for the paperback version of Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi ‘s book, ‘Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell,’ as we suggested in our official Holiday Gift Guide , but another option is now available. The autobiography has been turned into an audiobook, read by former Black Sabbath / Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan. The Iommi autobiography has received mostly positive reviews from Sabbath fans, who have called it “inspirational” and “fascinating” within Amazon.com ‘s feedback section. The book has also been praised for capturing the warmth, humor and intelligence of the legendary riff master. Iommi just announced the availability of the audiobook and expressed his excitement regarding Bevan’s involvement. “Good news, the audio version of my book is now available,” begins Iommi, “taken a bit of time but we’ve all been busy! I had a go myself but wasn’t comfortable when I listened back. Normally you just get an actor to voice it but I didn’t want someone who didn’t know me or the music business so I asked my old mate Bev Bevan (former Black Sabbath / MOVE / ELO drummer) as he already has a radio show and lived some of the chapters with me! I’m really pleased how it’s turned out.” The audiobook is no short listen, clocking in at 11 hours and 31 minutes, and is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPod, Android and other MP3 players that can store over 500 songs. To purchase the new audiobook, or any other form of ‘Iron Man,’ click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ozzy-osbourne-celebrates-64th-birthday-recording-vocals-for-new-black-sabbath-album/” title=”Ozzy Osbourne Tracking Vocals For New Black Sabbath Album” align=”center”]