Posts Tagged ‘opinion’

Five Finger Death Punch Eye Summer 2013 Release for Next Album

Instagram: Zoltan Bathory Five Finger Death Punch have been working on new music and fans will be happy to know that there’s now a target date for the band’s next album. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory reveals via a series of Instagram posts that 5FDP are currently recording songs in the studio and aiming for a summer 2013 release. Bathory’s photos, which can be seen here , here , and here , show him having fun jamming with the band in the studio, one with the comment, “Recording the new album. Out this summer.” Another pic teases in its caption, “At the recording studio tracking guitars for new #fivefingerdeathpunch album … Out 2013 summer – the title is … .” Bathory’s photo postings go along with drummer Jeremy Spencer’s recent comments that the band had been “cocooned up” working on a new album. In addition, guitarist Jason Hook revealed last summer that the band had taken a recording rig with them on their tour. At the time, Hook stated, “The idea behind that is just to keep the creative muscle worked out. It’s just like going to the gym; if you stop for a year, you lose all your strength. It’s easy to get lazy and get sort of soft. We’re in the business of making music; touring is great, but we should always be prepared and always exercising that creative muscle — in my opinion, anyway.” He also added that they had “six to eight songs” worked up at that point for when they headed into the studio. Hook said the preparation would make things easier once they hit the studio and gave them plenty of options to work with when it came time to record. 5FDP’s new disc will be the follow-up to 2011′s ‘American Capitalist,’ which has yielded such singles as ‘Under and Over It,’ ‘Remember Everything’ and current hit ‘The Pride.’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/five-finger-death-punch-the-pride-video/” title=”Next: Watch Five Finger Death Punch’s Video for ‘The Pride'” align=”center”]

10 Best Linkin Park Songs

Warner Bros. Choosing a 10 Best Songs list for Linkin Park was no easy task as some very solid and well-known tracks just barely missed our cut. But one thing is for sure, the ever-evolving six-piece of Chester Bennington , Mike Shinoda , Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Dave “Phoenix” Farrell and Rob Bourdon have always kept things interesting with a hybrid mix of rock, metal, rap and electronic music. So, as we present this Top 10 countdown of Linkin Park songs, keep in mind that we tried so hard, but in the end we hope we chose the songs that really mattered. Check out our list of the 10 Best Linkin Park Songs below: 10 ‘Breaking the Habit’ From: ‘Meteora’ (2003) ? ? What started off as Mike Shinoda’s epic instrumental track called ‘Drawing’ eventually turned into a more fleshed-out hit single called ‘Breaking the Habit.’ Though it was the final song released off their ‘Meteora’ album, it’s turned into one of their more enduring tracks, perhaps due to the personal nature of the lyrics. Chester Bennington belts, ” I don’t know how I got this way / I know it’s not alright / So I’m breaking the habit ” with every ounce of emotion. Listen to ‘Breaking the Habit’ ? ? 9 ‘Waiting for the End’ From: ‘A Thousand Suns’ (2010) ? ? ‘Waiting for the End’ just has that bouncy groove that both differentiates itself and makes it a natural fit as one of Linkin Park’s 10 best songs. Bennington described the track as having a “summertime vibe,” and the combination of Rob Bourdon’s drums and Joe Hahn’s samples really give the track that special sound. Add in Shinoda’s rasta-like rapping with Bennington’s more melodic delivery and you’ve got the makings of something special. Listen to ‘Waiting for the End’ ? ? 8 ‘Crawling’ From: ‘Hybrid Theory’ (2000) ? ? ‘Crawling’ will always hold a special place for Linkin Park as it gave them their first Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Bennington delivers one of his fiercest screams to date, but admits it’s one of the more difficult songs to perform. He told Spin , “[It’s] about feeling like I had no control over myself in terms of drugs and alcohol … This is just who I am, this is what I write about, what I do, and most of my work has been a reflection of what I’ve been going through in one way or another.” Listen to ‘Crawling’ ? ? 7 ‘Bleed It Out’ From: ‘Minutes to Midnight’ (2007) ? ? With ‘Bleed It Out,’ Shinoda got a chance to come to the forefront though the ‘Minutes to Midnight’ album as a whole featured less of his rap style that its predecessors. The clap-along rocker was a meta track about the perfection they put into their recording process, with Shinoda spelling out their drive in the opening line: ” Here we go for the hundredth time / hand grenade pins in every line / Throw ’em up and let something shine / Going out of my f—ing mind .” Thankfully they did bleed it out and dig a little deeper, cause this song is no throw away. Listen to ‘Bleed It Out’ ? ? 6 ‘Lying From You’ From: ‘Meteora’ (2003) ? ? ‘Lying From You’ is the perfect example of what the band did best early in their career and is a must for the 10 Best Linkin Park Songs list. It starts with a Joe Hahn viola-infused keyboard sample, then gives way to some hard-hitting Bourdon drumming, gritty guitar and bass work from Brad Delson and Phoenix Farrell and is offset with some of Shinoda’s best rhymes and Bennington’s supreme screams. It’s no wonder the track has become a live favorite over the years. Listen to ‘Lying From You’ ? ? 5 ‘Given Up’ From: ‘Minutes to Midnight’ (2007) ? ? Linkin Park delivered one of their hardest songs to date with ‘Given Up’ off the ‘Minutes to Midnight’ album. Guitarist Brad Delson shines on this track, not only for the infectious guitar lick that drives the song, but also for the keys jingling at the start of the cut. It’s also notable for Bennington’s excessive 17-second scream before the final chorus that drives home the alienation laid out in the lyrics. Listen to ‘Given Up’ ? ? 4 ‘Faint’ From: ‘Meteora’ (2003) ? ? LInkin Park’s early sampling along with a sped up guitar track from Delson and some dexterous drumming from Bourdon make ‘Faint’ one of the band’s more distinguishable songs. Though the title is never uttered in the track, the song itself is about making sure that you’re never so faint that your opinion isn’t heard. As Bennington belts, ” I can’t feel the way I did before / Don’t turn your back on me / I won’t be ignored .” Listen to ‘Faint’ ? ? 3 ‘One Step Closer’ From: ‘Hybrid Theory’ ? ? Need to blow off some steam? ‘One Step Closer’ is the track for you. Linkin Park’s ode to frustration ended up being the song that broke them to a mass audience. As a calling card, you could do a lot worse that Bennington’s in-your-face declaration, “Shut up when I’m talking to you.” As for the question of who was about to make Bennington break, the vocalist revealed in a 2011 with Kerrang that some of the lyrics were inspired by producer Don Gilmore who had repeatedly asked the band to rework the song. Listen to ‘One Step Closer’ ? ? 2 ‘Numb’ From: ‘Meteora’ (2003) ? ? ‘Numb’ is definitely one of Linkin Park’s more powerful songs, speaking heavily about trying to live up to someone else’s expectations. Bennington cuts right to the heart of the matter, singing, ” Don’t know what you’re expecting of me / Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes / Every step that I take is another mistake to you .” Blending equal parts melody and aggression, ‘Numb’ has become one of the band’s most beloved tracks. Listen to ‘Numb’ ? ? 1 ‘In the End’ From: ‘Hybrid Theory’ (2000) ? ? Though ‘One Step Closer’ was the song that broke Linkin Park, ‘In the End’ was the track that made sure that fans were around to stay. The song’s perfect blend of melancholy melody and angst-driven aggression showed the range of what the band could do. While Bennington may say in the track that he tried so hard, but in the end nothing really mattered, Linkin Park fans might disagree. The craftsmanship put on this cut made it a solid choice for the top of the 10 Best Linkin Park Songs list. Listen to ‘In the End’ ? ? What Are Linkin Park’s Best Songs? We’re well aware there are still a lot of great Linkin Park songs that didn’t make the cut and here’s your chance to make your argument to replace one on our list with another. Should chart-toppers like ‘Somewhere I Belong,’ ‘What I’ve Done,’ ‘The Catalyst’ or ‘Burn It Down’ be there? How about favorites like ‘Papercut,’ ‘Leave Out All the Rest,’ ‘Shadow of the Day’ or ‘Lost in the Echo’? Let us know your thoughts on this list in the comments section below.

New Anthrax Guitarist – Readers Poll

Photo by Matthew Rodgers Anthrax fans were dealt a surprise last week when guitarist Rob Caggiano announced his exit from the band . The thrash metal veterans, who have seen a resurgence in recent years, have yet to name Caggiano’s replacement, but that won’t stop fans from speculating who might join the band. We’ve come up with our own list of potential fill-in guitarist candidates and are seeking your opinion as to who you would like to see rocking with the boys. With the ‘Metal Alliance’ tour looming, the most obvious phone call might be placed to Dan Spitz, who held the lead guitarist position from 1983-1995 and then returned to the group from 2005-2007 during their ‘Among the Living’ lineup reunion trek. WIth Anthrax set to play ‘Among the Living’ in full on this tour, Spitz would be a logical choice. Anthrax could stay inside the thrash community for a pair of possibilities. With Metallica off the road and digging through Kirk Hammett ‘s riff catalog , could the guitarist be lured out to join his “Big 4″ buddies? And we know that Exodus ‘ Gary Holt has done an admirable job filling in for Anthrax pals Slayer during Jeff Hanneman ‘s recovery period from a bizarre spider-bite infection. He’s also well versed in the ways of thrash metal and could slide in for Anthrax in a pinch. The rest of our list has more to do with wishful thinking. For instance, Zakk Wylde ‘s name is almost always mentioned when a high profile metal guitarist opening comes up. And after serving under Ozzy Osbourne for years, we know he works well with metal royalty. We also know that Mark Tremonti grew up on thrash metal. As a musician who has juggled many projects successfully, we think he’d be able to join up with Anthrax between  Alter Bridge sessions and Tremonti touring. And what about two prominent guitarists who are currently without bands? With  Rage Against the Machine not recording or lining up performances, how about Tom Morello lending his slight of hand to Anthrax’s tracks? Meanwhile, there’s no talk yet of Disturbed regrouping and David Draiman seems committed to getting his Device project off the ground, so how about drawing Dan Donegan out of hiatus to rock with Anthrax. And our final suggestion is for Anthrax to pull a fellow New York legend out for some shows. Lou Reed already has experience working with thrash titans Metallica, so why not let him take a stab at it (so long as there’s no ‘Lulu’ prose laid over the top of ‘Indians’). There you have it, our dream list of potential guitarists for Anthrax’s upcoming tour. Who would you most like to see perform with the band? Let us know in the Readers Poll below: Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/most-anticipated-2013-metal-tour-readers-poll/” title=”Previous Readers Poll: Most Anticipated Early 2013 Metal Tour” align=”center”]

In Flames Frontman Anders Friden Talks Touring, Plans for Next Album + Love of Beer

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire In Flames frontman Anders Friden was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. Friden spoke about touring all over the world, plans to write for a new album and his overall fondness for golfing and beer. Read Full Metal Jackie’s full interview with Anders Friden below: How are you? It’s great to see you again. I’m excellent. I’m good, extremely jet-lagged. We came from Japan a few days ago but I’m waking up at like seven in the morning but I’m happy. It must be crazy, your body doesn’t know what time zone that you’re in or if you’re supposed to be sleeping or awake. The thing is, we were in Japan just recently and we were there for two nights and three days and came from Sweden – just as I got adjusted to Japanese time it was time to come over here. So I’m totally f—ed in my head, more than usual. What an amazing place to play though. Yeah, I love being in Japan. I love being here as well, we play pretty much anywhere and enjoy it. What makes In Flames such a good fit on a bill with Hatebreed and Lamb of God, in your opinion? We can play with anyone, we are a metal band and we fit in with everyone. We play anywhere, with everyone – I mean we’ve known those guys for a long time. We all have history together so I think it’s really cool and a very relaxed atmosphere. Last night was the first night and there was no tension, no nothing, it was awesome. In Flames have been on and off the road, you guys have only been to the States twice this year? Yeah, we’ve been pretty busy doing Europe. We’ve been in America twice but we’ve been pretty much touring constantly – we had a month of prior to this but it’s been a busy year. Offstage, what do you think the difference is with your comradery with U.S. bands compared to other European bands? We’ve been to America so many times and we have a lot of friends over here and we have a history with them, as I said and we feel a bond somewhere. I believe we are pretty easygoing as people and hopefully they see that. We don’t pretend like we’re someone else, we are who we are and we let the music talk. You guys are on the road now and everyone’s always wondering about a band’s activities when they travel and when they’re touring. What would you say the most essential non-musical item you must have to have with you while you’re on tour? Beer. [Laughs] Well, beer you got anywhere you go. Well it is music and beer, that’s what it is – that’s my life. When I’m on the road I try to get away and play golf once in a while. I love to play golf, I didn’t bring my clubs this time because I thought the weather would be not as good but I do miss them today. It would have been great to go to a course, a golf course – a part from that just walking around a little bit and looking at the city you’re in, shopping for some vinyls, that’s what me and Niclas [Engelin] did today. It was expensive but fun. [Laughs] It’s funny because for us, you’re buying what’s considered an import for you. Yeah, but in Sweden it’s so expensive. You mentioned you were a golfer, is golfing a big deal in Sweden? I think it is, we’re like 9 million and there are a half million people golfing so I consider that a pretty big thing. I’ve never been to Sweden, I just imagine that it’s cold. Right now it’s extremely cold – it’s below zero I think. It’s nice to be here. Rather than write on the road, In Flames seems to be more interested in enjoying the romance of being on tour, good food, good beer and good company. What about such experiences do you think will affect new music once you’re back home? I highly doubt it will affect music whatsoever – I mean I guess you work better if you’re in a good music, somehow. It’s really hard to say what affects our music because I can’t really say what we have as an influence these days, anymore. When we started out it was like “We want to be like our heroes” and a few albums in – I don’t know anymore. Obviously, you guys are still working off the last record ‘Sounds of a Playground Fading.’ What’s the plan in terms of new music? Do you guys have anything new written or a timeline for when you’re going to go back? I wish we can write on the road but we can’t. We have all the time in the world but I don’t know – too much beer to drink. We’re looking into writing and recording something at the end of the next year, I think. So we’re hoping to have a release 2014 – it seems so far away but it’s not. Full Metal Jackie will welcome the legendary Henry Rollins to her program this coming weekend. She can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .

Big Wreck’s Ian Thornley Discusses Band’s Revival, ‘Albatross’ Album + Velvet Revolver Audition

Rounder Hailing from Canada, Big Wreck showed plenty of promise in the late ’90s and early 2000s, but after their sophomore set slumped the band members decided to part ways. Now, a full decade later, singer Ian Thornley reached out to his longtime friend and cohort Brian Doherty and by opening the lines of communication, his onetime guitarist returned and a surprise resurrection of Big Wreck followed. Loudwire spoke with frontman Ian Thornley about how Big Wreck came back into focus, the solid early returns from the band’s ‘Albatross’ album in their native Canada, the breakout success of the title track in the U.S., and Thornley also revealed a little about his onetime audition for Velvet Revolver as well. Thank you for the time and I’ve got to say that I’m so happy that Big Wreck is back as a recording entity again. Can you tell me how that came to be? Well it’s just Brian and I from the original lineup, but it was just my personal relationship with Brian had sort of fallen by the wayside after we parted ways the first time and that was something that was just sort of a sour spot for me. I just missed the guys and we had been roommates in college and had been really tight before and through all of the Big Wreck thing. So I just called and we just started hanging out and then he filled in for Paulo [Neta] for one show because Paulo was going to be in Portugal and then the idea to do a Thornley-slash-Big Wreck tour came up and that’s sort of the band that we have now. I just love the idea of playing with three guitar players and doing the record. We didn’t go in to make a Big Wreck album per se. I was just going in to make a record. And I think it was Nick Rasculinecz, the executive producer, who suggested calling it Big Wreck, which didn’t sit right at first, but eventually I came around to, you know. Well perhaps that is what makes it sound like it does, because a lot of times reunited bands feel like they’re missing something that wasn’t there in the past, but this sounds as fresh like it developed organically without any pressure. Yeah, I’m really proud of the record and the fact that it’s being received at all is just gravy. The fact that it’s being received well is just exceptional at this point and to go out and score a No. 1 up here [in Canada], that’s a big deal for someone who’s been at it as long as me. I’ve had so many Top 5, almost No. 1′s, that finally we get one when we go in to make a record by our rules, you know. There’s some sweet vindication to it and I’m also really proud of it. You mentioned the accolades and already there’s a couple of CASBY Award wins for you even before the disc drops in the U.S. So with that momentum going, how good does it feel to get that recognition right off the bat? It’s great. I don’t know how much that carries over, but it’s great. I’m in a position to … I think Brian and I, as well as the other guys, I think we’re all in a position to enjoy it this time around and really sort of take it all in. Cause I know how fleeting someone digging one of your songs can be. But it feels great, but I think the overall vibe with the guys and myself is a lot of different than it was 10 years ago. Everyone is a lot more positive and a lot more focused and I think the priorities have changed. So, any and all is icing on the cake. And I think the cake is still a record that I still listen to and it’s been out here for almost a year and I still enjoy listening to it. That to me is what I’m most proud of is, in my opinion, making a really kickass record. Having people recognize that and just dig it is just gravy. It’s great that you’ve reconnected with Brian but once you went head on into this thing again, can you talk about how that relationship has evolved? Is it different? The same? Yeah, everything is fantastic. I think all the time we were apart sort of, I think we both matured, a lot. When we started hanging out again, there wasn’t a sort of, ‘OK, well here is what upset me about…’ We didn’t hash anything out. It was just that neither of us were holding any grudges and I just sort of missed my buddy and we were in similar places in a personal way and we both matured a lot in dealing with the things you have to deal with in this industry. We deal with them a lot better now, whereas before a lot of stuff would get swept under the rug and get turned into something great down the line. I don’t think either of us is going to let that happen in this incarnation. One of the things I love about the album is that you can almost feel the room and how live it feels. I know as producer you have a lot of say in that. Can you talk about what you wanted from the sound of this album going in? There was a lot of discussion about the sound and the feel of the record before we even knew what we were going to do. How do we achieve a certain sound? Do we know those tricks? Do we need to know those tricks? But what you’re speaking of is the end result that I wanted. I wanted it to sound like a real band making a real record. It’s so easy now to do it the other way and there’s the pre-packaged guitar sound and pre-packaged drum sound and press ‘Alt’ click whatever and you’ve got drums. But it’s much harder to catch a performance and capture interaction between musicians and all the little ghosts that can make their way into a piece of tape, it’s much harder to get it on a computer screen when you’re putting it into a grid and making it all perfect and correcting this and that. I think as evidenced by a lot of the things you see on television or whatever, and musicians performing live and something goes down and the music’s still going. There’s a lot of that going on and it might be great for some, but it’s not really my cup of tea. I love hearing real sounds made by real people with real fingers and real throats and it’s harder work, but we still made a record in about month. We did it quickly and kept it fresh. Getting into the album, ‘Albatross’ the song, and you mentioned getting things to sound a certain way, I just love the guitar sound at the beginning and it’s got that great psychedelic feel to it. Well, the sound at the beginning is just an electric 12-string with some delay on it, but it’s in an open tuning, which also lends itself to that sound, but nothing was not considered that went into the whole album. Everything wasn’t argued over, but it was discussed. I think it should be this guitar with this amp and we distance mic it so we get more ambiance with it and it’s all those things, but still having said that, it was all very quick. It was a lot of go with your gut and go with what you know sounds good. The psychedelic stuff is fantastic. But a lot of my trick bag is about trying to get the sounds that I know and love from all the albums I grew up listening to. I have to ask, I know that riff for ‘Albatross’ has been hanging around for a long time. So how gratifying is it to not only see it completed, but embraced as a single? [laughs] I didn’t think it was ever going to be single. I was thrilled when the guys at Warner here in Canada were like, ‘Well we want to go with ‘Albatross,” and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s ballsy. Go for it. Have at it.’ But I think for me the satisfaction was hearing that riff finally being in a song. That little na-na-na-na melody has been kicking around for, I can’t put a date on it, but well before the first Big Wreck album. I’ve tried a million different things with it. I tried to put it on the end of a song. I tried to put in the middle of another song. OK, maybe an intro then. But I never tried it as the focal point, the meat and potatoes of the song and then have it be the song. But that’s the thing … sometimes it takes ten years to write the song that writes itself in five minutes. I was listening to Rod Stewart. I was listening to ‘Gasoline Alley’ a lot and it dawned on me that I should just try the 12-string acoustic trick and as soon as I started playing the 12-string acoustic, like the demo of ‘Albatross’ was all acoustic, and then a song popped out and there you go. Finally! But to have it be a single, yeah, why not?! There’s a slide guitar solo on radio. Who would have thunk it? I have to say, ‘A Million Days’ off this album has to be one of my standout tracks. Where did that track come from? It’s hard to say. I had that sort of mellow chorus, the ‘Stay with me for a million days’ which was hooky and pretty if not a little corny. And then I just started surrounding it with things that were going to take the tease out of it. And then then challenge became how do I make this sound like one arcing song with all the mood changes and color changes, but I think it was successful. What I wanted to do, and maybe it’s just me, but contrasting colors to where if you heard one section of the song without the others, there was no way you would say that was the same song. But hearing the whole thing in context, there’s a good arc to it and I think it makes sense. But yeah, I love trying things like that and musical experiments that work out. It’s one of my favorites for sure. Watching some of the videos you’ve done, ‘Wolves’ sounds great live. Is that song starting to be one of the live favorites for the band? Yeah, it’s one of my favorites on the album. Certain songs just have a feel and a vibe and a life to them and it’s a little different than the other ones. For me, ‘Wolves’ has always been that. When we first put it down, I got choked up listening to it. And I still do get a tingle listening to it, but doing it live and seeing people singing those lyrics back to me is just huge. That’s one that is near and dear to me for sure and it’s a lot of fun to sing. ‘Control’ really feels like you have a chance to let loose. Can you tell me what it was like putting that track together and what you were looking for? ‘Control’ is born of me picking up a Strat, with Mark Knopfler being one of my heroes and certainly those first two Dire Straits records being close to me. And you’ve got that chorus, that’s where I was going for that Peter Gabriel vibe and I just thought marrying the two, how do we do that? I just that adding that Fleetwood Mac drum sound laid the whole vibe for that. And then lyrically, it’s pretty well-mined territory, but there’s some room there. And live, it’s one of those things I look forward to every night because you never know what’s going to happen. Sometimes the solo will go on a little too long and sometimes not long enough and sometimes it’s just right, but when it’s just right, that’s when everybody is strumming with their iPhones, you know. I see you’re doing some dates with Theory of a Deadman . What are you thoughts on joining them on the road? Great guys man. I’ve toured with them a few times on the road here and there and Joey, the drummer, is an old friend and they’re just nice guys. I couldn’t say enough nice things about them. It’s been great so far and it does make it a lot easier when the guys in the other bus are easy to get along with. It makes every day go a lot quicker and it’s been great so far. I noticed on Twitter that you’re wife has her black belt. So does that make things a little more dangerous around the house for you? [Laughs] No, but for anybody else trying to get in the house, sure. It’s something that’s a hobby for her and it’s one of her passions. She’s also a chef, so she’ll kick your ass and cook you a nice meal. But it’s been great for her … and both the kids are involved and I love the martial arts. I know a couple of years back your name was mentioned for Velvet Revolver and they’ve gone through so many different people trying to find a singer. What was your experience trying out for the vocalist spot? It was great. They were all great guys, and Slash in particular was really [cool]. I was really taken aback by how genuine and what a real human being he is, well actually all of them are. They’re just really good dudes. But I flew down and jammed with them for a few hours and the music part was great, but I think they were looking for a guy that doesn’t play guitar. At least at that time, they wanted a guy who was a frontguy, like an Axl or Scott Weiland or one of those dudes who doesn’t play guitar — he dances and gets the crowd going and all that stuff, and that’s just never been my thing. So when I was up there, it was like, ‘That was great, but do you mind playing it without the guitar?’ And I was like, ‘Nah, nah, it’s not going to happen.’ What am I gonna do if Slash takes this awesome 10-minute guitar solo. I don’t want to, I don’t know any of those moves. I just think and Slash has said this in interviews too, ‘Well he was great but he wanted to play guitar and that’s why he’s not in.’ And hey, I’m fine with it. Had I tried to do something without a guitar around my neck, it would have felt unnatural and weird, you know. I couldn’t imagine doing that night after night. I gravitate toward the guitar, that’s always been my cool factor. I’m a Keith more that a Mick. I know you did Thornley in between the Big Wreck periods. What do you see for the future of Big Wreck? Will you continue or balance projects? I’ve learned enough to never say never in this biz. But right now everything is going great, sounding great and everybody’s in a really good place, so for the time being, I’ll say absolutely to [more Big Wreck]. Having already sold well in Canada, Big Wreck’s ‘Albatross’ album will arrive in the U.S. Feb. 19. The disc may be pre-ordered here . The ‘Albatross’ single can already be purchased via iTunes here .

Killswitch Engage Singer Jesse Leach Discusses Upcoming Album, Tour With Shadows Fall + More

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire It’s been one hell of a year for Jesse Leach , who reunited with Killswitch Engage at the beginning of 2012. The band’s first performance back together occurred at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, and they were also part of this year’s Trespass America Festival over the summer with Five Finger Death Punch, Trivium and more. Leach, who was the band’s original singer, came back into the lineup after longtime vocalist Howard Jones left the band in late 2011. He and the rest of Killswitch have just finished up recording their first album together in 10 years. They are also celebrating the tenth anniversary of the band’s debut disc, ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ by performing it in its entirety during a headlining trek that features support from Shadows Fall and Acaro. When we recently spoke with Jesse Leach, he expressed his excitement about the upcoming album, the tour and more. I was at the first show at the New England Hardcore and Metal Festival earlier this year – how has your experience of rejoining the band been from that show to now? It’s been amazing and so much fun. It’s hard to put into words, my life’s just completely changed. I’ve had so much fun with these guys and we just finished recording our record that I’m super proud of. It’s been great. What has been the funniest thing a fan has said to you since coming back into the fold? You know probably some of the criticisms that people give me, I think it’s hilarious – to me – about how I don’t sing the same as Howard [Jones]. It’s not necessarily funny to most people but it is for me because we’re such different singers. I think it’s hilarious that people constantly want to compare us — it’s funny in a different kind of way. Fans have definitely been really sweet but occasionally you get the people that don’t care and they say what they want to say. As far as “Ha Ha” funny, [guitarist] Adam [Dutkiewicz] is the one that gets all the funny ones. To play ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ in full after 10 years, what does this mean to you? It’s surreal, it’s strange. I have a lot of love for that record but I had to do a lot of listening to it again – we’re playing it from start to finish. I look back on who I was 10 years ago as a singer and a person and I’ve changed so much. It’s just amazing for the fan to pay tribute to those fans who still care about that record, it’s just astonishing to me and it was definitely a career defining record. It’s and honor is basically how I feel, it’s an honor to perform this record. Again, I’m a different person but those lyrics still ring true for the most part for me. It just feels good to be able to do this for the fans and for us it’s just a fan thing to do in between since the [new] record isn’t out yet, so we wanted to hit the road and have some fun and give the fans something special because it’s been ten years. Looking back on it now, what did recording that album teach you that you took with you to record future albums in your career? [Laughs] Recording that record taught me that I had to use my voice properly and be more confident. I think that process, being under the microscope the way that I was for that record with Adam – we both learned a lot from that record. It made me really want to learn my instrument better and have control over it because what I hear in my head was difficult to produce. What I was hearing in my head and what was coming out wasn’t what I wanted it to be – it was just me being critical of myself but then again you should be. It kind of kickstarted me to be like, “alright I got to figure this thing out.” I wanted to become a better singer and become more confident. You guys killed on the Trespass American Festival – and you’re headed on tour with Shadows Fall later this month. No doubt this tour will be a memorable one what are you looking forward to most about this trek? Probably just hanging out, we got Shadows Fall and my buddies in a band called Acaro. It’s pretty much all of the Massachusetts boys getting together – I live in New York now but it’s going to be a reunion of sorts. I’m sure there’s going to be plenty of antics and stuff going on. That and obviously just playing, if all goes well we’ll slide in another new song. Yeah I can’t wait for this new record – I literally finished just two days ago so I’m still buzzed from it. For you guys going from Trespass America and doing the big festival shows to more intimate clubs, do you prefer the smaller venues versus the bigger ones? I like them both but they definitely offer different things. The one thing I’m looking forward to with smaller clubs, especially for this record, is the intimacy of the crowd. There’s not going to be a huge divide where the audience is ten feet away from the stage and we’re ten feet above them. The intimacy is great the emotion comes off better and for this record it’s important. There was a Facebook post on the vocals being done for the new Killswitch Engage album; how was the recording process like for you? For the new record it was great, I came off tour I was filled with energy, ready to go, we knocked out a bunch of stuff. I had joined the band, the record was there, we’re on tour so I really didn’t have time to write. I took the past two months not only recording but writing so I’m there with an idea, being in the other room writing and going to Adam saying, “Here’s my idea I just wrote, what do you think?” So there’s real spontaneity some of the songs that we just finished up. I had maybe five or six solid ideas when I came off tour and the rest had to be developed as we were recording it. It was exciting but at the same time tough because for me I’m digging deep down into my emotions and my psyche trying to come up with stuff that is honest and emotive and relevant, hopefully for the listener. It’s tiring but well worth, anything that’s worth achieving you got to suffer a little bit for it. I think mentally and spiritually and a little bit physically we were suffering but all of that made for an amazing record that I’m really proud of. How has the vibe of working on the new record been with the other members? These guys have welcomed me back with open arms and just very encouraging and digging the stuff that I’m doing and these guys were just like, “Wow we’re really excited, we feel like it’s been a long time since we’ve been this excited about music,” and that just makes me feel amazing. It makes me feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing. What can you tell me about where you guys are at with the progression of the new album and maybe a possible timeline or when fans can get a single? Yeah it’s funny, I basically said to management and everybody, “I don’t want to know anything, don’t tell me anything” so I couldn’t even tell you when the record is coming out [Laughs] I don’t know if we’re doing a single before the record . As far as what the album is about and how it sounds and feels – it’s everything, it’s emotive, it’s personal, it’s spiritual, it’s political, it’s everything – my view of the world and some of the songs are written through the eyes of someone else like how I living vicariously through somebody trying to be almost like a storyteller. The music is definitely the fastest Killswitch record ever, it’s very heavy but still maintains the signature Killswitch hooky, melodic stuff their too. There’s definitely melody attached but I pulled out some new styles vocally, yelling and screaming and growling and layers and it sounds massive. The newest song ‘No End In Sight’ that you guys play live, how does this song represent what we can expect from the new album? That song is the weakest song on the whole record. [Laughs] That’s my opinion, I actually almost wouldn’t mind if it wasn’t even on the record because I think other stuff is much better but probably since we played it and fans know we’ll put it on but in my opinion that’s definitely the weakest songs. Now that the record is done in retrospect that would not be the song that we would be playing live. When will we see the return of your character Salty Rizz? [Laughs] I don’t know! I don’t think that’s going to be a repeat character, I’ve done other characters for videos for fun and I think that’s the one that got the least amount of attention. My approach to promos and stuff – when you’re on tour, it doesn’t matter who you’re working with, what company they want you to do these video update things and when it comes to music I’m a fairly serious guy when I’m onstage. We had to do these and I was just like, “I’ll do them I don’t care, I’ll do something stupid.” There’s more stupidity to come but I don’t know if it will be Salty Rizz or not. Killswitch Engage kick off their ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ tour with a headlining appearance at California MetalFest on Nov. 24. The trek wraps Dec. 29 in Clifton Park, N.Y. Click here for a full list of dates. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/killswitch-engage-members-discuss-new-song-jesse-leachs-return-more/” title=”Next: Watch Our Video Interview With Killswitch Engage” align=”center”]

What If Every Rocker Turned Into a Zombie?

Charley Gallay, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com If the famed zombie apocalypse were to happen, it’s obvious that rock and metal’s finest musicians would be among the most dangerous. Being starstruck certainly wouldn’t help as you attempt to run for your life, and those brave enough to ask for an autograph would most likely end up as brunch for the undead. It may be a strange experience meeting the zombified version of your favorite musician, so to help in the identification process and limit any sort of uncertainty, we’ve put together a collage with the theme of ‘What If Every Rocker Turned Into a Zombie’ with the help of MakeMeZombie.com . Axl Rose: ‘Live?!’ vs. ‘Like a Suicide’ Even if Axl Rose had the zombie infection consume his brain, leaving the singer as nothing more than a mindless flesh-eater, he probably still wouldn’t appear for a Guns N’ Roses reunion. Perhaps the feud is instinct by this point, where even the most primal areas of his brain retains the opinion that his former bandmates are jerks. Scott Gries, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Corey Taylor vs. Gory Taylor Assuming Corey Taylor isn’t wearing his Slipknot mask when he gets bit, this is the singer’s future zombie face. It’s a shame that those lovely blue eyes will turn a rotten yellow, but Taylor is still in there somewhere, as evidenced by the cigarette carefully placed behind his ear. Ethan Miller, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Nikki Sixx vs. Nikki Sixx Sixx Sixx Now that’s a zombie face! Drug overdoses couldn’t kill Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx , even when he was actually pronounced dead, so this zombified Nikki Sixx is strictly hypothetical. Valerie Macon, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Amy Lee: ‘My Last Breath’ vs. ‘Bring Me to Life’ Zombie or not, Evanescence singer Amy Lee can still inspire a profound rush of blood to you-know-where. If you find zombie Amy Lee during your escape from hoards of flesh-eating freaks, we strongly advise against trying to put the moves on Lee. Such a mistake will result in dire consequences … use your imagination. Danny Martindale, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com James Hetfield vs. James Deadfield Admittedly, Metallica’s James Hetfield looks pretty awesome as a zombie. As one of the kings of the ‘tough metal guy’ face, Hetfield would likely be seen as some sort of zombie elite. Though a zombie Hetfield would be depressing for fans, at least there would be a guarantee of no more ‘Lulu’ performances. Stephen Lovekin, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Rob Halford: ‘Living After Midnight’ vs. ‘Killing Machine’ Here comes the Killing Machine! Not even the ‘Metal God’ is immortal against the zombie virus. Imagine Rob Halford riding full speed on the ‘Painkiller’ motorcycle, sawing through drooling undead monsters in an attempt to save the world. He’d leave a fairly impressive line of entrails behind, but if Halford was to get bit, this would be the result. Theo Wargo, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Dave Mustaine vs. Grave Mustaine Damn, zombie Dave Mustaine looks a little worse for the ware in his zombified state. Apparently, the zombie virus causes a select few to develop a nasty case of lazy eye. Have you ever seen a carrot-topped zombie? If so, kindly tell us what film in the comments section. Seriously, we need to see a redheaded zombie. Kevin Winter, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Maynard James Keenan: ‘The Patient’ vs. ‘The Hollow’ It would be a great tragedy to lose the brains of Maynard James Keenan , especially if they’re eaten by infected freaks. If you stumble upon the brain of Maynard Keenan during your exodus from Arizona, please preserve it in a jar for the possibility of some great post-apocalyptic music. George De Sota, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Trent Reznor: ‘Pretty’ vs. ‘Hate Machine’ Tough break, Trent . One of those damn zombies snatched out your eyeball and sucked out your brilliant brain through the socket. Admittedly, the Nine Inch Nails mastermind still looks pretty handsome, and as long as that gorgeous wife of his remains healthy, an undead life could still have its moments. Ethan Miller, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com ‘The Prince of Darkness’ vs. ‘The Prince of Deadness’ Sharon!!! Ozzy Osbourne looks pretty terrifying as a member of the undead. The ‘Bark at the Moon’ singer would probably be better suited as a werewolf, but unfortunately the choice rarely belongs to the victim. Charley Gallay, Getty Images / MakeMeZombie.com Rob Zombie vs. uhhhhh… Rob Zombie Oh man, we tried to zombify  Rob Zombie , but he ended up looking exactly the same! Could it be that the musician and filmmaker has been among the walking dead this entire time? If so, this whole zombie apocalypse thing could happen during Zombie’s next altercation with Marilyn Manson. If he sinks his teeth into Manson, the virus would spread throughout rock concerts worldwide. We’re not about to stop going to shows, so the infection seems unavoidable. Goodbye, cruel world; a life without rock concerts would turn our brains into mush anyway. Frazer Harrison, Getty Images [button href=”http://ultimateclassicrock.com/rock-zombies/” title=”Check Out More Rockers as Zombies” align=”center”]