Posts Tagged ‘game’

Rob Zombie vs. Five Finger Death Punch – 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl, Round 1

Photos by Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Hope you’ve got your pads on for this one! The 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl continues its quest to uncover the best hard rock football theme by matching up Rob Zombie ‘s ‘Superbeast’ against Five Finger Death Punch ‘s ‘Back for More.’ On one hand, you’ve got Rob Zombie’s ‘Superbeast,’ a highly-aggressive, hard-driving track certain to amp up just about any listener. And when you think of a super beast, a few of the NFL’s elite, most pumped up offensive and defensive linemen definitely come to mind. And where else but in the trenches would you expect to find a super beast? On the other hand, there’s Five Finger Death Punch, who’ve been cranking out aggressive hit after hit over the last half-decade. The band’s hot streak included the song ‘Back for More,’ which delivers the messages, “ Let’s get it on / It’s time to get in the game / You gotta fight til it hurts and then you do it again .” This dog-eat-dog track is about emerging victorious and not sparing the weak. So does it stand a fighting chance against the likes of Rob Zombie? You tell us. Vote between Rob Zombie and Five Finger Death Punch in this 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl matchup in the poll below. You can listen to both tracks and judge for yourself which one should advance. Vote once per hour in this first round until Sunday, Jan. 27, at 11:59PM ET. To vote in the next 2013 Loudwire Rock Bowl matchup, click the red button at the bottom of the page. Hear Rob Zombie’s ‘Superbeast’ Hear Five Finger Death Punch’s ‘Back for More’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metallica-vs-volbeat-2013-loudwire-rock-bowl-round-1/” title=”Next Rock Bowl Matchup: Metallica vs. Volbeat” align=”center”] ?

P.O.D. to Perform During Halftime of NFC Championship Game in Atlanta

Payableondeath.com P.O.D. may be homers for the San Diego Chargers, but with their team out of the playoff picture, they’ll travel to Atlanta this weekend to serve up some hard-hitting rock for those in attendance at the NFC Championship game. The rockers have been chosen as the halftime performers at the event, in part, due to the popularity of one of their tracks during Falcons football games. Roddy White, the director of event marketing for the Atlanta Falcons (not related to the wide receiver of the same name), told San Diego’s NBC affiliate , “This is kind of a neat thing. Since 2002, when I came to work for the Falcons, their song ‘ Boom ‘ has been a fan favorite. Virtually every game we have played since then, their song has been played as part of our presentation.” Singer Sonny Sandoval also tweeted about their appearance at the event: Excited to be playing the @ nfl @ atlanta_falcons @ 49ers #Playoff Game #Halftime Show this Sunday!!!! @ pod @ thewhosoevers — Sonny Whosoever (@SonnyWhosoever) January 15, 2013 ? This isn’t the band’s first foray into NFL promotions. Back in 2007, P.O.D. created a theme song for their hometown San Diego Chargers. In addition to P.O.D., the Falcons have lined up country superstars the Zac Brown Band to perform the national anthem for the game. Sunday’s game between the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers will air at 3PM ET on FOX. Aside from the NFL appearance, P.O.D. will be plenty busy in the coming months. The band will continue to promote their ‘Murdered Love’ album on tour , opening shows for Shinedown and Three Days Grace . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-songs-for-the-nfl-season/” title=”10 Best Songs for the NFL Season” align=”center”] ?

Hollywood Undead, ‘Notes From the Underground’ – Album Review

A&M / Octone Hollywood Undead continue to step up their game with the release of their third album, ‘ Notes From the Underground .’ The disc not only shows the wealth of talent the rap-rock collective has, but also the eclectic tastes they possess, as well. The 11-track album provides a variety of styles even though they’ve enjoyed their biggest successes to date with harder-edged rap-rock tracks. For those looking for what they’ve come to expect from Hollywood Undead, the lead single ‘ We Are ‘ is the perfect way to introduce the new album. With military-like drums providing an ominous opening, the band blasts into an anthemic track about fighting for your dreams no matter what obstacles may fall in your way. Hollywood Undead also deliver a pair of obvious radio-ready singles with two different slants. ‘Dead Bite,’ which opens the album, is more of a sinister track, complete with a demented child’s prayer that goes, “ Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the dead bite .” From there, the various members riff on personal conflicts, with Charlie Scene going so far as to rap about chloroforming his prey. The song offers several clever lines and a chorus that’s sure to get stuck in your head. Meanwhile, ‘Another Way Out’ is a full-on foot-tapper, with the band speeding up the beats-per-minute into what could easily become a club track. In fact, the song is so infectious you might overlook its stalker-y perspective on an obsessive relationship. ‘Notes From the Underground’ also features a handful of tracks that shows the band’s desire to push their boundaries. ‘From the Ground’ is as schizophrenic of a song as you will hear, with its piano opening and melodic chorus offset by moments of pure thrash metal. ‘Lion’ feels like something that came out of the Linkin Park songbook, with its intimate and haunting moments mixed with elements of in-your-face rapping. And the album closer, ‘Outside,’ is a surprisingly moving track that comes from somewhere deeply personal and may connect with audiences more than any track in their career. On a less serious note, Hollywood Undead also offer the bravado-filled ‘Pigskin,’ with its hip-hop leaning, sports and sex metaphors, and the unbelievably catchy sing-along, “ Hut one, hut two, hut three, go .” The band also add their bouncy weed-friendly track ‘Up in Smoke,’ stamped with their own sense of humor. All in all, ‘Notes From the Underground’ is not the most cohesive album and is not an aggressive rock record throughout, but with the band’s mining of several different genres, the group most certainly hits on something for just about everyone. ? [button href=”http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/3″ title=”Stream ‘Notes From the Underground at AOL.com” align=”center”]

Anthrax Guitarist Rob Caggiano Announces Departure From Band

Megaforce Breaking news from the legendary thrash metallers of Anthrax . Lead guitarist Rob Caggiano has left the band to focus on production work. Having joined Anthrax in 2001, Caggiano stuck with the New York thrash band until the group’s ‘Among the Living’ lineup reunited in 2005. However, Caggiano was brought back in 2007, remaining as Anthrax’s lead guitarist until now. The announcement comes as a big surprise, as Anthrax have been experiencing their greatest success in years on the heels of their critically acclaimed 2011 album, ‘Worship Music,’ which just yielded a Grammy nomination for the track ‘I’m Alive.’ Caggiano explains his departure in statement just released by the guitarist himself: I’m extremely proud of my time in Anthrax. Actually, that’s an understatement! We accomplished so many great things together over the years and I shared some of the best times of my life with these guys. As a band, we also weathered quite a few storms along the way. It’s been a wild ride (to say the least) from Day One and I wouldn’t change one single thing about the last 12 years. This is an extremely difficult and emotional decision for me to make but my heart is just steering me in a different direction right now. I’ve always been one to follow my heart in everything that I do and while this might be one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make, it feels like the right one for me at this time. Scott, Charlie, Joey, Frankie (and John Bush) will always be part of my family and this decision doesn’t change the way I feel about that in the slightest. I would also like to say thanks to all the amazing fans I’ve met and hung out with worldwide over the years. You guys always were and always will be the reason why I make music! In this day and age, being a musician isn’t always easy -also an understatement- but the fans truly make it worthwhile for me. I hope to see each and every one of you again really soon. The fact that Anthrax is at the top of their game right now and totally ‘out for blood’ after all these years is a testament to this band’s longevity and conviction! I’m truly honored to have been a part of their brilliant legacy. As for this future, the former Anthrax shredder will continue his career as an in-studio producer: I can’t wait to get back in the recording studio again! Over the years, I’ve been blessed with the privilege of working with a wide range of great bands/artists from Anthrax and Cradle of Filth all the way to Bruce Springsteen, and I look forward to a hopeful continuation of that side of my career while I figure out my next move as an artist. BTW in case anyone was wondering after reading all of this, I do FULLY intend to get back out there on the road very soon in some way shape or form….it’s in my blood! Anthrax have also released their own statement, wishing their friend the best on his new path: Rob has been an integral part of Anthrax for so many years, as our lead guitarist, in a production capacity, but most of all, as our close friend.  His contributions to the band have been enormous. While we are sad that he is leaving, we wish him nothing but great success going forward, and hope to share the stage with him again sometime down the road. With the Metal Alliance Tour on the horizon, we have been considering several lead guitarist options, and will be making an announcement on that shortly. Stay tuned for Anthrax’s decision on who will replace Caggiano on lead guitar for the 2013 Metal Alliance tour, along with Caggiano’s future plans as a producer. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dates-revealed-2013-metal-alliance-tour-anthrax-exodus-municipal-waste/” title=”Anthrax – 2013 Metal Alliance Tour Dates” align=”center”]

Slash Confirms Participation in Upcoming ‘Band Fuse: Rock Legends’ Video Game

Jo Hale, Getty Pictures Slash has been keeping busy of late while focusing his energies on another offshoot of his music career. The guitar great confirmed his participation in the upcoming ‘Band Fuse: Rock Legends’ video game in a new Twitter posting . Video games like ‘Rock Band’ and ‘Guitar Hero’ were great in both drawing attention to a wide variety of bands and in some cases providing an entry point for some beginners to explore their interest in playing an instrument. However, one common bone of contention amongst those who play music for a living was that these games were not quite what the real experience was like. That’s where ‘Band Fuse: Rock Legends’ comes in. The game boasts “industry standard tablature animated for an authentic experience.” Between one and four players can take part at the same time, playing along to the music as it would typically be read by musicians as they learned themselves. Slash says in his posting, “Hands down, best guitar game.” In addition, musicians like Slash, Zakk Wylde and bass great Bootsy Collins have filmed their own tutorials within the game teaching the players how to play certain tracks. But don’t worry about keeping up with these real life master musicians, as the game supports all skill levels — from the first-time player to professional musicians. The game features 55 songs on the disc from acts like Rush , Pantera , Pearl Jam , Jane’s Addiction and more and much like some of the guitar video game predecessors, there is a career mode where you advance to different challenges the better you perform. The ‘Band Fuse: Rock Legends’ video game is expected for Xbox and PlayStation 3 this coming spring. You can watch a trailer for the game below. Watch the Trailer for the ‘BandFuse’ Video Game [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slash-deftones-tool-stone-sour-join-ozzfest-japan-lineup/” title=”Next: Slash Joins Ozzfest Japan Lineup” align=”center”]

10 Best Rock Songs of 2012

Frazer Harrison, Getty Images / Chelsea Lauren, WireImage / Kevin Winter, Getty Images There were some incredible rock songs unleashed in 2012 from a diverse group of artists. Bands like Three Days Grace , Stone Sour and Papa Roach maintained their excellence with standout tracks at rock radio. There was a welcome return this year from Marilyn Manson , and breakout tracks from female-led bands like Halestorm and Dead Sara . It was tough to narrow the picks down to 10, but after some heated debate and occasional fisticuffs among our staff members, Loudwire has made its choices for the year's best tunes. So check out our list of the 10 Best Rock Songs of 2012: ? 10 'Chalk Outline' Three Days Grace ? ? From: 'Transit of Venus' We kick off our 10 best songs of 2012 list with Three Days Grace's 'Chalk Outline,' a track that many people loved as evidenced by its 12-week reign atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and 10-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Active Rock Chart. The jarring opening notes definitely catch the listener right off the bat, while singer Adam Gontier belts out lines about being cursed by a love that's left him behind. Listen to 'Chalk Outline' ? ? 9 'Still Swingin'' Papa Roach ? ? From: 'The Connection' Papa Roach have battled against the odds to establish themselves as one of rock's enduring bands, and 'Still Swingin'' provided the group with the perfect anthem to qualify their journey. It's got blistering guitars, hard-hitting drums and a rap-like delivery in the verses before Jacoby Shaddix shows his melodic side in the chorus. As long as they keep cranking out songs like 'Still Swingin',' Papa Roach will continue to stay on top of their game. Listen to 'Still Swingin'' ? ? 8 'Harakiri' Serj Tankian ? ? From: 'Harakiri' (2012) System of a Down singer Serj Tankian delivered one of the best rock albums of the year with his solo effort 'Harakiri,' and standing tall among the disc's songs is the title track. Featuring perhaps the most beautifully melodic chorus in a rock song in 2012, the tune 'Harakiri' questions if today's environmental factors may be playing a part in the freakish mass deaths of various animals over recent years. It's a thought-provoking tune that is both memorable in its lyrics and its music. Listen to 'Harakiri' ? ? 7 'Bully' Shinedown ? ? From: 'Amaryllis' Bullying has become an increasing problem in schools and the guys of Shinedown take on the issue with this blistering tune. The aggressive nature of 'Bully' fits perfectly with the band's condemnation of bullying and encouragement to those being bullies to stand up for oneself. Add in Brent Smith 's infectious sing-along lyrics and you've got a track that's not only inspirational but also rocks. Listen to 'Bully' ? ? 6 'No Reflection' Marilyn Manson ? ? From: 'Born Villain' Marilyn Manson experienced a musical rebirth with his 2012 album 'Born Villain' and the first single, 'No Reflection,' made it clear that the singer had recaptured the old magic that led to his superstardom in the first place. The fuzzed out opening guitars, the catchy but dark lyrical content, and a chorus where the emotion in Manson's voice takes hold as he digs deep into his soul makes this one of 2012's best rock tracks. Listen to 'No Reflection' ? ? 5 'Gone Sovereign' Stone Sour ? ? From: 'House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1' 'Gone Sovereign' was half of a two-part single that Stone Sour released in late summer (the other half being 'Absolute Zero'), and the hard-hitting nature of the song immediately connected with fans. The frenetic power and fury of the guitar play between Jim Root and Josh Rand stands out, while Roy Mayorga's thunderous drumming drives the song. Corey Taylor starts the song by singing, 'No one's laughing now,' but the vocalist probably has a smile knowing that 'Gone Sovereign' has turned into one of 2012's standout songs. Listen to 'Gone Sovereign' ? ? 4 'March to the Sea' Baroness ? ? From: 'Yellow & Green' Baroness had one of the year's better, yet often overlooked, albums and one of the tracks that makes it such a standout disc is 'March to the Sea.' The song starts innocently enough, with some nifty psychedelic picking before the power of the drums kicks in. The track provides a hypnotic feel throughout, as the band tell the tale of a friend lost to drugs, comparing it to someone who tied themselves up and jumped in the sea never to come home again. Listen to 'March to the Sea' ? ? 3 'Love Bites (So Do I)' Halestorm ? ? From: 'The Strange Case Of…' Halestorm got 2012 off to a rocking good start with the single 'Love Bites (So Do I),' a song that was an infectious concoction of punk, thrash and rock all in one foot-tapping, fist-pumping package. Drummer Arejay Hale absolutely kills the drumkit, while Lzzy Hale tells the tale of a girl honing in on a guy with a girlfriend and explaining why she should be his. 'Love Bites' became the first song ever from a female-fronted act to be No. 1 on the Active Rock charts. Well done, Halestorm! Listen to 'Love Bites (So Do I)' ? ? 2 'Leathers' Deftones ? ? From: 'Koi No Yokan' Fans certainly were excited when Deftones announced the impending release of their album 'Koi No Yokan,' but it was the first song unleashed from the disc that truly sent the band's devotees into a frenzy. While not the official first single, 'Leathers' is the most dynamic song on a disc that took the top spot on our 10 Best Rock Albums of 2012 list. Chino Moreno's voice soars to new heights when he sings the line 'Shedding your skin / Showing your texture.” All told, 'Leathers' just might be the most powerful rock song of 2012. Listen to 'Leathers' ? ? 1 'Weatherman' Dead Sara ? ? From: 'Dead Sara' Every once in a while, the rock world needs a swift kick in the butt from a new band. And in 2012, it was Los Angeles rock act Dead Sara who delivered the most dynamic song of the year. 'Weatherman' is a raw, uninhibited tune that perfectly melds frontwoman Emily Armstrong's incredible voice with a no-holds-barred musical attack led by guitarist Souixsie Medley. The track features the memorable line 'Go for the kill,' and that's exactly what Dead Sara did with 'Weatherman,' making it the No. 1 tune on our list of the best rock songs of 2012. Listen to 'Weatherman' ? ? What Was Your Favorite Rock Song Of 2012? Well, that rocked! Do you agree? Let us know what you think about our 10 Best Rock Songs of 2012 list. Is there a song we missed and if so, what would you knock out? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below. ?

Avenged Sevenfold Singer M. Shadows: We’re Introducing New Drummer to Pantera + Metallica

Theo Wargo, Getty Images There’s lots of activity in the Avenged Sevenfold camp right now. The band released the new song ‘Carry On’ for ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II,’ and the boys even make an appearance in the game, post-credits, as an animated A7X, playing the song. But most recently, word has come that the band is hard at work on a new album. In a new interview, frontman M. Shadows sheds a little light on the sonic focus of its new album and how their new drummer is fitting in during the recording process. The group’s new drummer, Arin Ilejay, is manning the kit on the upcoming album, something former Dream Theater skinsman Mike Portnoy did for ‘Nightmare’ after the band’s original drummer The Rev tragically passed away. Portnoy’s exit from his post as temporary touring drummer was a bit dramatic, but the band has moved on and is enjoying its experience with Ilejay pounding skins. “A lot of it’s been us refreshing him on what our influences are and where we’re coming from as a band,” Shadows tells Revolver about how the process is coming along. “There’s a lot of things that he was never brought up on that we have to quickly get him acquired to such as Pantera and Metallica and Slayer and Megadeth and we’re introducing him to these records that were literally the biggest records when we were growing up. Just records that you have to know. He’s much younger and he grew up listening to Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet for My Valentine , ya know?” The band remedied Ilejay’s “newness” by handing him Pantera’s ‘Far Beyond Driven and Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’ as required listening and homework. Shadows said that A7X told him, “‘Learn these albums. You need to learn these things” because when we’re talking about ‘groove metal,’ we’re not talking about some Warped Tour band. We’re talking about f—ing Pantera! We’re talking about Black Sabbath , ya know? So we’re getting him acquired to that and I think he’s learning really quickly what we’re looking for. We’re not looking for an overly technically proficient drummer. We’re looking for a guy that knows how to fit the song and be in the groove and play the right thing in the right moment. It’s been cool. It’s been good. He’s been doing really, really well.” All in all, Shadows declared, “I wanna write a classic metal record, a classic rock record in 2013. So that’s our goal.” Meanwhile, Shadows revealed to Revolver that the satellite radio channel Ozzy’s Boneyard factored into the writing of ‘Carry On’ for inclusion on the recently released ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’ video game. Shadows and guitarist Synyster Gates were listening to the channel a lot when they got the call from the video game developers to do the song. “They asked for something uplifting and uptempo,” the singer recalled. ‘We were like, ‘Dude, let’s do a song like if a modern band was gonna do something that was gonna be played on Boneyard.’ Like, very thrash but melodic, more thrash riffs with a more Maiden-type vocal. So we just had fun with it. We only had a couple days to put the song together.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/avenged-sevenfold-perform-carry-on-as-characters-in-call-of-duty-black-ops-ii/” title=”See Avenged Sevenfold as Characters in ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II'” align=”center”]