Posts Tagged ‘mayhem-festival’

King Diamond Forced to Perform Without Makeup at Milwaukee Show

King Diamond is one of rock’s most recognizable performers, often decked out in black and white stage makeup with crosses and occult symbols painted upon his face. But Wednesday night at The Rave in Milwaukee, fans got a different looking King Diamond. The singer was forced to take the stage without his familiar stage makeup as […]

Farewell 2014: Your Top 25 Albums So Far (Voting Remains Open)

A week ago we opened up the voting to ask you, our readers to choose the Top 25 albums of 2014. Balloting remains open for another week but we see who is in the lead after the jump. To give you an idea about what an amazing year 2014 has been in our kind of music is that in just a week of voting, we’ve had 66 different records submitted as the Album of the Year. But when we ran the numbers, here’s the Top 25 for the year so far. Before you complain that your favorite album isn’t on the listm, remember, you can change it with your vote.  See the link below the list. Heavy Blog is Heavy Readers Top 25 of 2014 Halfway Through the Votes. 1. Fallujah – The Flesh Prevails 2. Archspire – The Lucid Collective 3. The Contortionist – Language 4. Skyharbor – Guiding Lights 5. Ne Obliviscaris – Citadel 6. Animals as Leaders – The Joy of Motion 7. Black Crown Initiate – The Wreckage Of Stars 8. Job For A Cowboy – Sun Eater 9. Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution 10. YOB – Clearing the Path to Ascend 11. Devin Townsend Project – Z2 12. Intervals – A Voice Within 13. Behemoth – The Satanist 14. Inferi – The Path of Apotheosis 15. Son of Aurelius – Under a Western Sun 16. Rings of Saturn – Lugal Ki En 17. Allegaeon – Elements of the Infinite 18. Destrage – Are You Kidding Me? No 19. Panopticon – Roads to the North 20. Artificial Brain – Labyrinth Constellation 21. Architects – Lost Forever // Lost Together 22. Cannibal Corpse – A Skeletal Domain 23. Monuments – The Amaneunsis 24. Gridlink – Longhena 25. Code Orange – I Am King Vote for Your Top 25 Metal (or Any Other) Releases of 2014. Click Here to Fill Out the Form You’re also welcome to post your lists in comments or on Facebook but only lists submitted through the form count towards our Final Reader’s List. –BS

Daily Reload: Nikki Sixx, Tool + More

Michael Buckner, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – In our exclusive interview with Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx , the icon tells us about the new creative direction he’s taking with his new Schecter Sixx signature bass. [ Loudwire ] – Tool guitarist Adam Jones proposed to his girlfriend live in front of the WWE ‘Royal Rumble’ audience. Watch the footage of Jones’ proposal here. [ Loudwire ] – Tour dates and cities for the 2013 Mayhem Festival have been announced. Check them out here. [ Loudwire ] –  Jason Newsted  on new band dynamics, besting Justin Bieber on iTunes + tour plans. [ Loudwire ] – Bryan Carlstrom, engineer for Alice in Chains , the Offspring and many more bands, has died at the age of 51. Rest in peace. [ Loudwire ] – Don’t forget to vote in the Loudwire Rock Bowl. Pick your favorite songs in the Quarterfinals here. [ Loudwire ] – Iron Maiden expose the hidden danger of onstage pie fights! [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Beatles icon Paul McCartney takes very good care of his sheep. Don’t believe us? See for yourself here. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Punk rock legends Black Flag announce new album and U.S. tour. [ Diffuser.fm ]

Bassist of the Year – 2012 Loudwire Music Awards

Although they can remain low-key, bassists are essential for holding down the rhythm section of a band. Despite a fewer amount of strings, there is something unique about watching or listening to a bassist shred with the same technical expertise as a guitarist. These low-end masters have helped define 2012 through their playing along with their songwriting abilities. Check out the nominees for Bassist of the Year and be sure to vote for your favorite in the poll below: ? Alex Webster, Cannibal Corpse Original Cannibal Corpse member and longtime songwriting force Alex Webster delivered disgusting bass lines within the band’s 12th studio album, ‘Torture.’ Along with his prowess behind a bass, Webster penned tracks such as ‘Scourge of Iron’ and ‘Intestinal Crank’ for the ‘Torture’ album. ? Dan Briggs, Between the Buried and Me If you like your metal bassists to dance around lead parts and create complex polyrhythms, Dan Briggs delivers like few can. His lines can be heard throughout Between the Buried and Me ‘s ‘Parallax II: Future Sequence,’ proving to be one of metal’s most valuable rhythm musicians. ? D.D. Verni, Overkill Along with the thrash-tastic parts showcased by Overkill ‘s D.D. Verni, the bassist is also the primary songwriter for the band. Creating the foundation for every track on Overkill’s must-hear 2012 album, ‘The Electric Age,’ there would be no ‘Come and Get It’ or ‘Electric Rattlesnake’ without the legendary bassist. ? Eric Bass, Shinedown Your name is Eric Bass and you play the bass?! Get right outta town! In fact, the Shinedown bassist has also contributed backing vocals and piano for the band since 2008. Bass also boasts writing credits for tracks such as ‘Unity’ and ‘Enemies’ from Shinedown’s 2012 album, ‘Amaryllis.’ ? Flea, Red Hot Chili Peppers There are few bassists more talented and beloved than Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band released ‘Look Around’ and ‘Brendan’s Death Song’ as singles this year, and although the band share writing credits for such tracks, there is no denying the massive contribution Flea has brought to the band. ? Frank Bello, Anthrax Anthrax bassist Frank Bello has led a stellar year in 2012. Along with headlining the second stage at this year’s Mayhem Festival, Bello took part in both the Los Angeles and New York City ‘Metal Masters’ clinics. ? Lemmy Kilmister, Motorhead Is it of popular opinion that Lemmy Kilmister is, in fact, God. Looking past his divine birth, Lemmy is one hell of a bassist and frontman. Motorhead were one of the 2012 Mayhem Festival’s marquee acts, and the band rocked it like no others can. ? Nikki Sixx, Motley Crue As one of the most beloved hard rock bassists in history, Motley Crue’s Nikki Sixx saw success with the release of the single ‘Sex’ this year. Sixx also helped make Las Vegas history as Motley Crue completed a residency at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, a move that is quickly being adopted by bands such as Guns N’ Roses. ? Steve Harris, Iron Maiden / Solo Legendary Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris embarked on the incredible ‘Maiden England’ tour in 2012, along with releasing his debut solo album, ‘British Lion.’ Harris is showing no signs of slowing down, and his presence has been heavily felt in 2012. ? Wolfgang Van Halen, Tremonti / Van Halen As the son of Eddie Van Halen, there are some monstrous expectations placed above your head when you choose to pursue music. Wolfgang Van Halen has been doing his father proud as a member of Van Halen, but stepping in at the last minute as the touring bassist for Mark Tremonti’s solo project was truly remarkable. Voting for the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards closes on Jan. 15 at 11:59 PM EST. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite bassist wins! Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/drummer-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next Category: Drummer of the Year” align=”center”] Get Notified When Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the daily Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of our full list of winners in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards, as well as the top stories in rock and metal. Email

Slipknot Guitarist Mick Thomson Gets Married

Jo Hale, Getty Images Congrats are in order for Slipknot guitarist Mick Thomson, as Blabbermouth reports he wed girlfriend Stacy Riley Friday (Oct. 5). Photos of the happy couple can be seen on Riley’s Tumblr account . Thomson has enjoyed the fall months after a busy summer out on the road with Slipknot. Not only did the group headline the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival , but they also put together their inaugural two-destination Knotfest event. Having toured Europe and North America over the last two years while celebrating the memory of late bassist Paul Gray , the band members appear to be getting closer to making their musical return. The group also issued their ‘ Antennas to Hell ‘ greatest hits package. Corey Taylor , who had been one of the more reluctant members when it came to discussion of continuing without Gray, recently confirmed that the group had been putting together demos  for their fifth album. However, no timetable has been given for the recording and release of the disc. Slipknot recently were confirmed as one of the headliners for the 2013 Download Festival . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slipknot-the-heretic-anthem-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Slipknot – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]

Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister Talks Touring, Bandmates, New Album Plans + More

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Lemmy Kilmister was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. He spoke all about his experience playing festivals, his Motorhead bandmates, this past summer’s Mayhem Festival, his adoration for fellow British band Skunk Anansie and much more. If you missed Jackie’s show, read the full interview with Lemmy Kilmister: There’s going to be ‘The World Is Ours Vol. 2’ release; it’s going to feature Motorhead’s 2011 headlining Wacken Open Air Festival, highlights from Sonisphere in the UK and Rock in Rio in Brazil. What was it like playing that Wacken show, what was it like to headline Wacken last year? All around the world rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay. I think it was 85,000 people the last one we did, it was amazing. We did the full show old show, it’s a great festival. Rio was bigger in fact, Rio was good but you can only see the first 50 rows really. It must look like some crazy sea of people when you look out on the crowd. I’m so used to it now, it’s a funny thing to say you got used to it but I am. You see a lot of people, it’s just a lot of people – you don’t really think about the number, the actual number because they go out over the horizon and they’re out of sight anyway. It’s really funny I got used to that really quick, at first you get intimidated the first time – Reading, I think was our first one, Reading festival, there was like 20,000 people and we were freaked out. After that I really didn’t care ‘cause it’s only good as the one guy who’s applauding, isn’t it? I wanted to ask you how your summer was, you were obviously on Mayhem this summer. Which band did you bond with most over the course of the Mayhem Festival? Let’s see now, Anthrax probably ’cause they’re old friends of ours already – so yeah we had a good time with them. They’re good lads. How was your overall experience on the Mayhem Festival, it was your first time playing obviously. It was my first time playing the Mayhem one, yeah, we just went on when we should just go on and we came off when we should come off and that’s all you have to look after really. There’s things, you have to be punctual – a lot of people aren’t with us because they’re unprofessional. Do your main influences like Buddy Holly and Little Richard still come into play when you record new music? No. Not at all? Well no, it’s a different time now, isn’t it? It’s not 1959 anymore, if it is they didn’t tell me. Do you hear them any different now than when you were a kid? No it sticks with you in that frame, with me it does anyway. You remember the things you were hearing then, little time capsules songs are. It hasn’t changed much over the year so what is it that makes writing and recording a Motorhead album with Phil [Campbell] and Mikkey [Dee] such a comfortable process? It’s not comfortable when we’re doing an album, it’s terrible. I mean we fight like cat and dog over the smallest thing – “That extra beat” “Shut Up!” We always fight over things but that’s how it should be, you should have different points of view or else you’d never get it right. How do you come to some sort of conclusion or agreement at the end of the day? The one who talks last, gets it. [Laughs] The one who shouts out gets it, usually. I’ve heard you compliment your other bandmates in the past and how much of a better musician do you feel you are as a result of the time you’ve spent playing with Phil and Mikkey? I’m not better at all, they just enable to be lazier ‘cause they’re so much better you know. We play what we play, we all got our little niche what we cover for the other two. You’ll never hear us do a mistake onstage, there are lots [Laughs] ‘cause we hate rehearsals but you’ll never hear them because we cover them up real good, usually at least. There’s a couple now and again. I really like playing with these two there some of the best musicians in the world right now and they don’t get enough recognition for it. It’s a shame. You’ve collaborated with a lot of different artists over the years. Is there anybody that you’ve never had a chance to? Yes, Skin from Skunk Anansie is one, Dave Edmunds although I did half a collaboration with him once. He produced our first four tracks ever. Who else? I don’t know really, there’s a lot of people that you think you would like to but then you come down to it and you think about it real hard and you think “No it wouldn’t work.” I’d like to collaborate with Billy Gibbons again ‘cause last time it was only half collaboration, I didn’t get to play in the studio with him. I’ve got to imagine you’ve met everbody that you’ve wanted to in terms of musicians and other artists. Has there ever been anyone who was a letdown when you finally met them in person? Oh I don’t bad mouth people. I’m not asking you to name a name. Yeah you are. You shouldn’t do that, if they got to let you down isn’t that enough dismay you want to share it with people. No, I’ve met most of the people I’ve wanted to and most have been okay. Well I just hope that everybody has been respectful to you because … They should be because I ain’t bad mouthed them, right? [Laughs] You’re a legend, man, and you deserve to be respected and when you sit there and you go to a Motorhead show and you watch the band play live you’re like “Wow there are so many bands that have been influenced by Motorhead over the years.” It’s pretty amazing so they need to respect that. You can’t really hear it though. Motley Crue used to play a couple of songs of ours onstage to get themselves going but you can’t hear it in their music, obviously. It’s like your influences are just your influences, they make you play certain way or they make you realize a certain thing about how it was done. The Everly Brothers are one of my biggest influences and there’s nothing in that obviously ‘cause there’s no one to harmonize with in my band but that was a big valuable influence on me but I couldn’t tell you what for particularly – it isn’t the harmonies which is what I loved them for. So there must be – there’s something else I got from them that I don’t even know about, subliminival. Who do you listen to before you go onstage? I don’t listen to music before we go onstage. There’s enough s— going on without listening to music, as well. [Laughs] Usually I just get up from the table, put a marker in the book and walk onstage and I’m alright. I’m pretty easy to please, I don’t ask for much. Is there any new music that you’ve been listening to lately that’s exciting to you? Not lately, I have not been really looking for any to listen to. Skunk Anansie have a new album coming out though which you should promote and ZZ Top have a really good album out now ‘La Futura.’ The Skunk Anansie one you should listen to, Americans, ‘cause you ain’t got them yet and you should ‘cause they’re excellent. What can we expect in terms of new music and another tour, I guess we’re going to have to wait until next year? Yes we’re going on tour in Europe at the end of October but we’re not playing here until the New Year obviously. I don’t know where we’re going to be, we didn’t set it up yet. For your next record are you going to have a collaboration with any other artists? I’m hoping to get Skin to do a song with me, so I got the solo album almost finished and I just need one more track so I thought I’d do one with her. She said “yeah” but our schedules really odd, they’re not being helpful [laughs] — the schedules themselves. We’ll wait and see, it’s been 10 years anyway, making it. Six months ain’t going to hurt. In terms of another Motorhead record, do you think in 2013? Next year we go into the studio in January so from then on it’s a work in progress. Full Metal Jackie will welcome Canadian film director Sam Dunn, who put together and starred in the ‘Metal Evolution Series’ on VH1 Classics 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 .

Corey Taylor Hopes for White Zombie Reunion at Future Knotfest + Talks Next Slipknot Album

This summer fans got the opportunity to witness Slipknot’s headlining performance on this year’s Mayhem Festival trek and also their Knotfest shows. In an interview with The Beat, frontman Corey Taylor talks all about both Slipknot and Knotfest’s future. When the The Beat reporter asks Taylor what kind of bands he would like on the future editions of Knotfest, he responds “For me I would like to keep it –