Posts Tagged ‘freedom’

Rise Against Plan To Take Break Before Recording Next Album

Ethan Miller, Getty Images For a band like Rise Against , the creative process is always ongoing, but frontman Tim McIlrath says that it may actually be a little while before we hear from them again. The singer tells Rolling Stone that the group wants to “recharge” a bit before starting in on a new record. “We always have new ideas floating around, we always have new songs and new ideas,” says McIlrath. “[But] we’re kind of focusing on recharging our batteries right now. We’ve been a band for 12 years. We’ve been hitting it hard and looking at this band like a marathon, not a sprint. We realize we need to invest time in our music and our songs, as well as invest time into ourselves, our lives, so I think for the next few months, that’s what we’ll be doing.” McIlrath says getting away from the touring life for a while and getting back to normal surroundings will give them a better perspective when it comes time to write again. The vocalist also stated that while they are known for hard-hitting anthemic rock songs, he’s anxious to explore a softer side. That was partly inspired by their cover of Bob Dylan ‘s ‘The Ballad of Hollis Brown’ for the Amnesty International ‘Chimes of Freedom’ compilation. He explains, “It was something we hadn’t done before and I think we all walked away from the studio experience saying, ‘When we come back here, we need to tap into some of the things that we tapped into in this Bob Dylan cover. We took our foot off the gas a little bit, allowed the guitar tones to come out a little more, played things more deliberate instead of as fast as a speeding train, and we realized this could still be heavy.” For more from the interview with Tim McIlrath, visit RollingStone.com . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rise-against-savior-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Rise Against – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]

Behemoth Singer Nergal Receives Support From European Commission in Blasphemy Case

Photo by KOBARU Earlier this week it was reported that Behemoth frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski could be facing some jail time in Poland after ripping up a bible and calling the Catholic church “the most murderous cult on the planet” onstage during the band’s performance in Gdynia. But it turns out that the vocalist may have an ally in the European Commission, who have weighed in on Poland’s national blasphemy law. According to the EU Observer , the European Commission has stated that the prosecution of a rock group for “blasphemy” is against European values. They added in a written letter that “national blasphemy laws are a matter for the domestic legal order of the member states.” The letter also stated that EU countries must respect international pacts. The European Commission cited the European Convention of Human Rights that Poland had signed about the freedom of expression, which explains, “This right protects not only information or ideas that are favorably received or regarded as inoffensive or as a matter of indifference, but also those that offend, shock and disturb.” “[The decision] is negative and restricts the freedom of speech,” stated Nergal’s attorney Jacek Potulski to Reuters. “The court decided that this is allowed in a democratic system. We are still arguing that we were dealing with art, which allows more critical and radical statements.” The case will now be taken to a smaller court for another trial. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/behemoth-at-the-left-hand-ov-god-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Behemoth – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]

Polish Supreme Court Rules Against Behemoth’s Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski in Bible-Tearing Incident

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Behemoth frontman and leukemia survivor Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski ran into some legal troubles after tearing up a Bible onstage during a Sept. 2007 performance in Gdynia, Poland. He did so while calling the Catholic church “the most murderous cult on the planet.” Nergal was cleared of any criminal charges by Polish judge Krzysztof Wieckowski in 2011, but the Supreme Court of Poland has now ruled that the vocalist has in fact committed a crime in the Bible-tearing incident. This new development opens up the possibility of the Behemoth frontman serving up to two years in prison. Poland’s penal code states, “Whoever offends religious feeling of other people by publicly insulting an object of religious cult or a place for public holding of religious ceremonies, is subject to a fine, restriction of liberty or loss of liberty for up to two years.” This law is a direct opponent to the concept of Freedom of Speech, and may claim two years of Nergal’s life behind bars. “[The decision] is negative and restricts the freedom of speech,” said Nergal’s attorney Jacek Potulski to Reuters (via Blabbermouth ). “The court decided that this is allowed in a democratic system. We are still arguing that we were dealing with art, which allows more critical and radical statements.” The case will now be taken to a smaller court for another trial. Behemoth had been tearing up the Bible onstage for two years before the Poland incident, with no ramifications until Sept. 2007. “Behemoth fans know what Behemoth is about, know what the lyrics are about, and know at least a little of the philosophy behind the band,” bassist Tomasz ‘Orion’ Wróblewski told Decibel Magazine in 2009. “So, it’s kind of surprising that there are people coming to the shows and feeling offended with what we do onstage. If such a person comes to a show, he comes with the purpose of being offended, I guess, and it shouldn’t be like that. We’re not offending any particular person. We’re just offending the religion that we’ve been raised in.” Stay tuned for more news on Behemoth’s Adam ‘Nergal’ Darski as further legal proceedings occur. Watch Footage of Nergal’s 2007 Bible-Tearing Incident in Poland

Daily Reload: Randy Blythe, Korn + More

In today’s Daily Reload, Randy Blythe is finally released from Czech jail after serving over a month’s time; rockers react on Twitter to the news of his freedom; Lamb of God confirm that they will play at Knotfest + embark on a headlining tour in the fall; and Blythe gives his first post-release interview. Also, we celebrate James Hetfield’s birthday with a Favorite Metallica Single readers poll; Korn bassist Fieldy