Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com – Avenged Sevenfold ‘s M. Shadows reveals the band is about “six songs” into writing for their next studio album. [ Loudwire ] – Slipknot ‘s M. Shawn Crahan will step behind the lens to direct the ‘We Are’ video for Hollywood Undead . [ Loudwire ] – Rage Against the Machine ‘s Tom Morello says that there are no plans to write or record new music. [ Loudwire ] – Courtney Love has started a Kurt Cobain documentary project on his life. [ Loudwire ] – Machine Head ‘s Robb Flynn checks in with everything you may have wanted to know (and perhaps what you didn’t) about his recent hernia surgery. [ Loudwire ] – Emmure have been rocking long enough to reach their 1000th show. [ Rock Music Report ] – Check out Led Zeppelin ‘s performance of ‘Black Dog’ from the ‘Celebration Day’ film. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Bruce Springsteen , Paul McCartney and The Who are just a few of the rock heavyweights taking part in a Hurricane Sandy benefit. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno let loose with some Bruce Dickinson bashing after audience members started chanting the singer’s name at one of his shows. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Phish ‘s Trey Anastasio has detailed his past drug and alcohol addictions. [ Diffuser.fm ]
YouTube Ozzy Osbourne ‘s ‘Crazy Train’ has become one of the great songs in metal history and as such, it’s also been one of the most covered tracks in the genre. The latest artist to take a stab at the song is Broadway veteran Rena Strober, who along with acclaimed cellist Tina Guo, serve up a more clean-cut version of the classic song. Strober and Guo both make appearances in the new video, which has been dubbed ‘Crazy Train: The Wizard of Ozzy.’ While the wholesome look of Strober in the clip may not be exactly what some would expect to match the song’s lyrical content, the singer no less delivers the track with a full voice and a hint of “crazy” in her eyes and smile. Meanwhile, Guo is ferociously awesome on the standup electric bass and the fury at which she’s attacking the instrument is embellished a bit by the shaky camera movements. Strober has enjoyed a solid run on the stage, appearing the Broadway version of ‘Les Miserables,’ staging her one-woman show ‘Spaghetti & Matzo Balls,’ and touring the country in a production of ‘Fiddler on the Roof.’ She’s also released her own album called ‘Finding Home.’ Guo has managed to meld both classical playing and a rock/metal fusion into her cello style. She’s worked primarily creating music for motion pictures, video games and television scores. Most recently, Guo has been the featured soloist on the electric cello for Cirque du Soleil’s Michael Jackson ‘The Immortal’ World Tour. She was also featured as part of the Foo Fighters lineup for the Grammy Awards. As for Osbourne, he’s enjoyed a career as both a solo artist and member of Black Sabbath . He also was recently named President of Heavy Metal in a Loudwire election. Watch Rena Strober and Tina Guo’s Video for ‘Crazy Train’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ozzy-osbourne-little-nicky-cameo/” title=”Next: Ozzy Osbourne – Musician Movie Cameos” align=”center”]
YouTube Against Me! singer Laura Jane Grace will have reconstructive dental surgery after a crowd surfing audience member managed to accidentally knock the microphone stand into her mouth during a show, resulting in the early conclusion of the performance. The band was playing in Wilmington, N.C., on Wednesday night (Nov. 7) when it’s alleged that an audience member was pushed toward the stage into the stand that managed to shatter Grace’s teeth and led to an angry equipment throw down from the singer. Punk News reports here was no video of the incident, but fans began making online comments about what happened. One fan, Matt H., posted that he apologized for the “douchebags that stormed the stage and stopped the show,” and begged the vocalist not to think any less of the rest of the crowd because of what happened at the show. Grace offered her comments on the situation in a series of tweets that read: For those asking, last night my mic was kicked into my face and it shattered a couple of teeth. It was an accident, but still really hurt… — Laura Jane Grace (@LauraJaneGrace) November 8, 2012 I’m also pretty upset about the idea reconstructive dental surgery. — Laura Jane Grace (@LauraJaneGrace) November 8, 2012 I’m gonna start a kickstarter to get a diamond grill like Kanye — Laura Jane Grace (@LauraJaneGrace) November 8, 2012 Against Me! have been working on a new album called ‘Transgender Dysphoria Blues,’ that will reportedly touch on Laura Jane Grace’s transformation over the past year. Grace, formery Tom Gabel, came out as transgender in May. Bassist Andrew Seward told MTV Hive of the album, “It just sounds f—ing killer. I don’t know if ‘brutal’ is the right word, but it sounds really f—ing tough, and good. Laura is recording the whole thing herself — engineering, producing, build the studio — full on everything.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/against-me-singer-laura-jane-grace-discusses-fan-reaction-to-transgender-transformation/” title=”Next: Laura Jane Grace Reveals Fan Reaction to Transgender Transformation” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Falling in Reverse may be the headliners of their ‘The Thug in Me Is You’ tour, but not every person in attendance is necessarily there for them, as the band found out Friday night in Detroit. Shortly after news of I See Stars ‘ ousting from the trek by Falling in Reverse’s singer Ronnie Radke went public, the singer saw a bit of a backlash from the audience. In fan-shot video from the show (seen below), there’s a break in the action while Falling in Reverse is on stage, during which time several audience members started chanting “I See Stars, I See Stars” repeatedly. Radke, who had his back turned to the audience when the chant started, asked for the crowd lights to be brought up once the cat calls became more audible. He pointed in the general direction of the chants and stated, “Can you kick the five people who are saying ‘I See Stars’ out of here? Right here, please!” Radke’s request was met by audible cheering by the crowd. As security moved toward the vicinity of the people who chanted but had since become quiet, Radke pointed again, and added, “The people who are too afraid to say anything … right there. I see you, right there. Kick these motherf—ers out. I don’t care where they’re from, I don’t give a f—. You better show some f—ing respect to me, motherf—er.” After the show, a number of people who were tossed from the venue expressed their dissatisfaction in a rather profane manner in interviews after their ejection. The singer ousted I See Stars from the tour on Friday, revealing that he initially attempted to get them off the bill after their drug arrest this summer, as he was working hard to maintain his sobriety and didn’t want that element around. He added that he was persuaded by the group’s management that they would be responsible and deserved a second chance, but they failed to live up to that promise. I See Stars issued their own statement saying their ousting had nothing to do with drugs or being late, and that they had documented proof to that effect. They revealed that Sumerian Records would be issuing an official statement revealing the truth of their removal shortly. Watch Falling in Reverse’s Ronnie Radke Ejecting I See Stars Fans [button href=”http://loudwire.com/falling-in-reverse-ronnie-radke-kicks-i-see-stars-off-fall-tour/” title=”Next: Falling in Reverse Boot I See Stars From Their Tour” align=”center”]
Nuclear Blast Records Tracking a band’s progress throughout 10 studio albums is a long and complex process. The growth and change of a band, especially that of a cult phenomenon like Cradle of Filth , is forever branded within their many works, and without fail, shines the brightest of lights on an act’s strengths and weaknesses. Cradle of Filth, as a band, are growing to become more and more accessible as they continue to put out material. The British extreme metal band were shrouded in an eerie and dark fog during the ’90s, creating a mystique which brought legitimate fear to those who happened to hear the band or stumble across a Cradle of Filth album cover or t-shirt. The sound of the band added to that uneasy feeling, as Cradle of Filth continued to unleash a disturbing and sonically disgusting brand of gothic and extreme metal. Cradle of Filth was essentially a cult horror film in audio form, but once an increasing majority was coaxed to take a peek behind the scenes, some of the band’s most significant strengths began to fade. ‘The Manticore and Other Horrors’ is distinctly a Cradle of Filth album, with vocalist Dani Filth once again presenting his incredible vocal range in prime form. Throughout the record, Dani continues to paint elaborate pictures with his words and vocal inflections with a depth of character that few singers can profess. His tea kettle-like highs remain in tact and his low gutturals, although used sparingly, remain powerful, but a masterful performance by Dani Filth isn’t enough to carry an album by itself. The guitar work and female vocal presence in ‘The Manticore and Other Horrors’ leaves much to be desired, with too few memorable parts to create an addictive quality in that respect. The orchestration, which has always been essential to the band’s resonance, presents a beautiful and bewitching quality in stronger tracks such as ‘Illictus’ and ‘Manticore,’ but not a horrifying one. Composed solely by Cradle drummer Martin ‘Marthus’ Skaroupka, the orchestration is well-written and enchanting, although it seems a bit delicate at times and doesn’t contain the demonic presence of Cradle of Filth’s past works. As Dani Filth described during our recent interview with the singer, ‘The Manticore and Other Horrors’ contains an evident dose of punk rock influence. Prevalent in tracks such as ‘For Your Vulgar Delectation’ and ‘Succumb to This,’ the newer influence creates a different type of progression for the band that excites on some level, but may prove to be polarizing amongst fans due to its approachable nature. In closing, although Cradle of Filth’s ‘The Manticore and Other Horrors’ makes for a fine listen, it doesn’t quite deliver the trademark ‘edge’ accomplished so diligently in past efforts.
Scott Gries / Lisa Maree Williams, Getty Images The news keeps coming out of the Black Sabbath camp. Not long after it was revealed that the band was planning an April 2013 release and Australian tour , the group was officially confirmed for Japan’s inaugural Ozzfest . They’ll headline night two on May 12 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City, Japan, while Slipknot have now been confirmed to finish out night one on May 11. Sharon Osbourne recently announced the return of Ozzfest, stating, “ Ozzy [Osbourne] and I want to tell you that [in] May 2013, we’ll be bringing Ozzfest to Japan for the first time ever. We are so excited. Please be there because we love you Japan.” Osbourne has spent a good portion of the last year with the reunited Black Sabbath working on their first studio album together since 1978. The group had plans to tour last year, but settled for a handful of one-off performances while guitarist Tony Iommi recovered from chemotherapy dealing with his cancer. By the time Black Sabbath reaches Ozzfest, they will be plenty warmed up as the group just announced four shows in Australia in late April and early May. Slipknot, meanwhile, are on what Corey Taylor calls a “ hiatus ,” but the singer admitted that the group would be playing sparingly next year. Ozzfest now joins an appearance at the Download Festival . Watch Ozzy Osbourne Announce Ozzfest Japan [button href=”http://loudwire.com/black-sabbath-horror-movies-that-inspired-band-names/” title=”Next: Black Sabbath – Horror Movies That Inspired Band Names” align=”center”]
Robert Cianflone, Getty Images Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose is certainly one of the most beloved, but also detested musicians in rock history. It’s almost impossible to run into anyone who doesn’t have an opinion on Rose as a human being, but the GN’R icon recently partook in an interview that went pretty deep into the mind of one of rock’s most polarizing figures. In Rose’s in-depth interview with USA Today , the singer attributed the lengthy process of writing the ‘Chinese Democracy’ album to mental abuse caused by former Guns guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan . “[Slash and McKagan] did more damage to my ability as a writer,” claims Rose. “To those three, it was all crap. It beat me down so much. At the time of the [‘Use Your Illusion’] tours, Slash and Duff said, ‘You’re an idiot, you’re a loser.’ I didn’t write for years. I felt I was hindered for a very long time. I was also trying to figure out what I wanted to say, when it’s right to be venting and when you’re digging a bigger hole. Lyrics on ‘Chinese’ took a long time.” Rose also explored the idea of how the classic GN’R lineup could have lasted longer. “Maybe if we could have worked together in the way ‘Appetite’ was put together. I was really naïve,” says the singer. “I thought the success of that record would bring everyone together more. It did the exact opposite. They got success and wanted to run in their own directions. I thought they’d go, ‘Whoa, it did work.’ But they wanted to do their own huge bigger success off of Guns.” On the possibility of a truce amongst the classic members, Rose comments, “I feel that ball’s not in my court. I’m surviving this war, not the one who created this war.” Additionally, when asked about fans who consider the current Guns N’ Roses lineup as illegitimate, the singer simply responded, “They can think whatever they want. I’m not interested in their opinions.” Rose says that the band is currently writing and working on their next release, and added, “[The next album] will come out sooner.” Check out the full Axl Rose interview at USAToday.com . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slash-wife-critiques-axl-rose-jimmy-kimmel-appearance-weighs-in-on-his-weight/” title=”Next: Slash’s Wife Criticizes Axl Rose’s Appearance on ‘Jimmy Kimmel'” align=”center”]