Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com The U.S. government may not have been forthcoming with information to Randy Blythe before the Lamb of God singer traveled to the Czech Republic and found himself serving a jail stint over the summer, but they’re definitely keeping an eye on his alleged manslaughter case now. A Lamb of God fan from Brandenburg, Ky. was responsible for creating a petition on the White House website asking for the government’s help as the singer prepares to head back to the Czech Republic to answer to the charges. The vocalist was arrested this past summer when the band returned to play a show in Prague. Local officials claimed that Blythe was involved in tossing an audience member from the stage and that the man in question later died from an injury sustained when he hit the ground. The petition garnered 29,000 signatures over a 30-day period, which is 4,000 more signatures than necessary for it to receive the requisite attention. Michael Posner, the Assistant Secretary of State of Democracy for Human Rights and Labor, drafted a statement on the Randy Blythe matter. It reads as follows: We appreciate your inquiry about the case of D. Randall Blythe, who was released from detention in the Czech Republic on August 3, 2012, and returned to the United States shortly thereafter. Mr. Blythe has publicly stated his intention to return to the Czech Republic to face trial for the alleged manslaughter of a Czech man at a concert in 2010. He recently told MTV, ‘It’s the correct thing for me to do … this poor young man’s family deserves some answers.’ Pending Mr. Blythe’s trial, we cannot discuss the details of his case. We are closely monitoring the progress of his trial. The Department Of State noted in its 2011 Human Rights Report that in the Czech Republic, ‘The laws provide for the right to a fair trial, and the independent judiciary generally enforced this right.’ We expect that the Czech government will make all efforts to ensure a fair, transparent, and timely trial for Mr. Blythe, and guarantee full protection of his legal rights under Czech law and his welfare. If you would like to know more about what the Department of State does for U.S. citizens overseas, please visit our website at Travel.State.Gov. General information on U.S. human rights policy is available at HumanRights.gov. On Nov. 30, the Czech state attorney filed criminal charges against Blythe after reading the case file presented to him about the investigation. The Prague court has three months to set a trial date. Blythe, who already served a 37-day stint behind bars this summer, could face a long-term sentence if convicted. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-lamb-of-god-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Lamb of God Songs” align=”center”]
Posts Tagged ‘summer’
Fan-Generated Randy Blythe Online Petition Receives U.S. Department of State Response
December 8th, 2012 
Metalkult 
Posted in News 
Tags: blythe, case, czech, department, family-deserves, labor, lamb of god, prague, randy-blythe, singer, summer, united-states, white 
No Comments »Stone Sour + Papa Roach Team Up To Co-Headline 2013 U.S. Tour
December 5th, 2012 Metalkult Michael N. Todaro, Getty Images / Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com There’s a pretty powerful one-two punch coming to audiences across the United States early next year as Stone Sour and Papa Roach will team up for a co-headlining tour. The trek launches Jan. 20 in Bethlehem, Pa., with Stone Sour closing out the shows. Stone Sour have spent much of the latter half of 2012 promoting their ‘ House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1 ‘ album, which has already spawned the hit singles ‘Absolute Zero’ and ‘Gone Sovereign.’ The timing for the tour works out perfectly for them as it will lead up to the release of ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 2,’ which is expected in the spring. At present, the band is receiving positive reviews as they trek across Europe. Papa Roach, who also are enjoying a successful European run at the moment, have rebounded quite well after singer Jacoby Shaddix ‘s vocal surgery earlier this year. The group issued their hit album, ‘ The Connection ,’ featuring the hard-hitting single ‘ Still Swingin’ ,’ over the summer and have also received some love for the track ‘ Before I Die ‘ off the album. This will be the group’s first major run through North America in support of their latest release. Joining the two bands on the run will be one of 2012′s breakout bands, Otherwise , who are promoting their ‘ True Love Never Dies ‘ album. The disc has already spawned the singles ‘ Soldiers ‘ and ‘I Don’t Apologize.’ Beginning Dec. 7, links to purchase tickets will be included here . Stone Sour / Papa Roach 2013 Tour Dates (more to be added): 1/20 — Bethlehem, Pa. — Sands Bethlehem Events Center 1/22 — Niagara Falls, N.Y. — Rapids Theatre 1/23 — New York, N.Y. — Terminal 5 1/25 — Milwaukee, Wis. — Eagles Ballroom 1/27 — Chicago, Ill. — House of Blues 1/29 — Minneapolis, Minn. — The Myth 1/30 — Kansas City, Mo. — Midland Theater (Stone Sour only) 2/1 — Amarillo, Texas — Aztec Music Hall 2/2 — Lubbock, Texas — Lonestar Pavilion 2/4 — Midland, Texas — Midland Horseshoe Arena 2/5 — College Station, Texas — Hurricane Harry’s 2/7 — Corpus Christi, Texas — Concrete Street Amphitheatre 2/8 — Pharr, Texas — Pharr Entertainment Center 2/9 — Laredo, Texas — Laredo Energy Center 2/12 — Tempe, Ariz. — Marquee theatre 2/13 — Los Angeles, Calif. — Club Nokia 2/15 — Las Vegas, Nev. — The Joint 2/16 — Salt Lake City, Utah — Salt Air 2/17 — Denver, Colo. — Fillmore [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-rock-songs-of-2012/” title=”Next: Best Rock Songs of 2012″ align=”center”]
Metal Band of the Year – 2012 Loudwire Music Awards
December 4th, 2012 Metalkult Here we have a batch of stellar bands who just happened to shape the metal music landscape in 2012. The accomplishments made by the following acts cannot be underestimated, as metal as a genre continues to dominate the underground music world. Once again, we’ve got veterans facing new-school heroes for the title of Metal Band of the Year, and it’s the fans who will decide who deserves the award. Check out the 10 nominees in the Metal Band of the Year and be sure to vote in the poll below: Anthrax Having released ‘Worship Music’ in 2011, the thrash legends of Anthrax released ‘I’m Alive’ as a single in 2012, along with headlining the second stage at this year’s Mayhem Festival and touring extensively with Testament and Death Angel. ? ? ? As I Lay Dying Metalcore leaders As I Lay Dying had a strong year in 2012, releasing the album ‘Awakened’ to critical acclaim. The band turned the tracks ‘Cauterize’ and ‘A Greater Foundation’ into singles this year, along with performing on the 2012 Mayhem Festival. ? ? Between the Buried and Me Guitarist Paul Waggoner was hoping to create similar excitement for their 2012 album, ‘The Parallax II: Future Sequence’ that they conjured with ‘Colors’ in 2007. From fan reaction, Between the Buried and Me succeeded with their 2012 masterpiece. The prog metal act even gave fans a taste of ‘The Parallax II’ during the 2012 Summer Slaughter tour. ? Down Phil Anselmo and the rest of Down crunched their Southern sludge into an EP this year with ‘Down IV Part 1 – The Purple EP.’ Fans are absolutely rabid to check out these new tracks live, and they’ll get the chance to do so when Down hit the road early next year. ? ? Gojira The French mad scientists of Gojira absolutely exploded in 2012 with the album ‘L’Enfant Sauvage.’ The masterful album brought in a massive new group of fans while keeping the old ones happy, a feat that is among the most difficult of accomplishments for a progressive act. ? ? Lamb of God Having released ‘Resolution’ in early 2012, Lamb of God embarked on various tours before being stopped in their tracks by the arrest of vocalist Randy Blythe in the Czech Republic. Lamb of God persevered through the controversy, hitting the road once again later in the year to a red-hot ‘Welcome Home’ from fans. ? Machine Head Along with creating a more-than-impressive video for the song ‘Darkness Within’ in 2012, Machine Head treated fans worldwide to a string of live performances. After headlining a tour with support from Suicide Silence and Darkest Hour, Machine Head continued to play gigs with Dethklok, All That Remains and the Black Dahlia Murder. ? Napalm Death The British grindcore legends of Napalm Death blew away grind fans with their 2012 album, ‘Utilitarian.’ Having created one of this year’s most brutal and imaginative albums, Napalm took grindcore into a new realm proceeding their tour with Municipal Waste and Exhumed. ? ? Pig Destroyer After a five-year wait, grind masters Pig Destroyer released yet another pummeling triumph, ‘Book Burner.’ Under the influence of mastermind Scott Hull, ‘Book Burner’ showcases brilliant sonic attacks by all involved, including Kat Katz, Richard Johnson and broadcasting legend Larry King via his reading of Henry Miller’s ‘Tropic of Cancer’ audiobook. ? Testament Boasting one of metal’s most purely talented lineups, Testament crushed the world of thrash with their ‘Dark Roots of Earth’ album. The band made memorable videos for ‘True American Hate’ as well as ‘Native Blood,’ while touring with fellow thrash legends Anthrax and Death Angel. ? ? Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. 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
10 Best Metal Albums of 2012
November 28th, 2012 Metalkult Liz Ramanand, Loudwire This year 2012 will be remembered as one that was incredibly rich with quality metal albums. With some of extreme music's most consistent bands having issued near-perfect additions to their discographies this year, many of the albums listed here could have easily come in at No. 1 if released in past years. Albums from Between the Buried and Me , Converge , Pig Destroyer and Gojira made 2012 an incredibly competitive year, and certainly one of the best so far in the 21st century. The year also saw stellar new releases from the likes of Down and Lamb of God , among others. For fans who lean more rock than metal, we've got a separate list for you. But here, we present our picks for the 10 Best Metal Albums of 2012: ? 10 'Blood for the Master' Goatwhore ? ? Coming in at No. 10 is Goatwhore 's blackened death metal gem 'Blood for the Master.' Released on Feb. 13, the band unleashed one of their heaviest and greatest career achievements early in the year. With 'Blood for the Master' fueling an ever-increasing fanbase, Goatwhore earned a place on this year's Summer Slaughter tour along with opening shows for High on Fire, Hate Eternal and 3 Inches of Blood, among others, in 2012. Listen to 'Collapse in Eternal Worth' ? ? 9 'Resolution' Lamb of God ? ? Lamb of God continued their streak of creating addictive “pure American metal” with 'Resolution.' The band stays the course with their latest album, with powerful consistency and flawless execution. While there is no mistaking the album's tracks as anyone but Lamb of God, the band experiments with some doom with 'Straight for the Sun' and spoken word parts with 'King Me.' Add pummeling tracks such as 'Desolation' and Ghost Walking,' and you've got a killer album. Listen to 'Ghost Walking' ? ? 8 'Down IV, Part 1 – The Purple EP' Down ? ? Although 'Down IV, Part 1 – The Purple EP' contains only six songs, the tracks within offer a sustaining energy that carries the weight of a full-length. The vocal prowess of Phil Anselmo remains powerful, especially when delving low into his range, while the rest of Down pump out monstrous sludge into the groove-driven 'Levitation' and the anthemic 'Witchtripper.' Listen to 'Witchtripper' ? ? 7 'Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light' Woods of Ypres ? ? The tragic death of Woods of Ypres mastermind David Gold in December 2011 was a massive loss to the metal world, and tragically, Gold did not live to see the release of 'Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light.' Gold harnessed immense depth and introspective thought, using death itself as the album's central theme. 'Woods 5' follows a man who sees death after being struck by lightning and finds neither a God nor an afterlife. Listen to 'Lightning & Snow' ? ? 6 'Book Burner' Pig Destroyer ? ? With an album so good even Larry King contributed to it (kind of), Pig Destroyer ended a five-year wait for new material in 2012 with 'Book Burner.' The addition of Misery Index drummer Adam Jarvis to the lineup delivered a much dirtier and twisted sound to the new record, displayed prominently in 'The Diplomat.' Along with the all-knowing guitarist / producer Scott Hull and tremendous guest vocalists accompanying J.R. Hayes, the grind of Pig Destroyer remains second to none. Listen to 'The Bug' ? ? 5 'L'Enfant Sauvage' Gojira ? ? Although Gojira already possessed mountains of fans and a solid discography, the band is widely considered to be the breakout metal act of 2012. The French metallers unveiled 'L'Enfant Sauvage' to universal acclaim, successfully balancing the band's key components of brutality, beauty and progression with flawless production attached. For songs like 'The Axe,' 'Explosia,' the title track and much more, we say 'merci beaucoup' to Gojira. Listen to 'L'Enfant Sauvage' ? ? 4 'De Vermis Mysteriis' High on Fire ? ? High on Fire gifted fans with the incredible trippy sludge-fest 'De Vermis Mysteriis' in 2012, which explores the story of Jesus Christ's time-traveling stillborn twin brother who drinks a serum to see the past through his ancestors eyes in order to discover how his brother became a religious icon. Still with us? Even if the concept goes over your head, the brilliance of tracks such as 'Fertile Green' and 'King of Days' will bring you to sonic enlightenment. Listen to 'Fertile Green' ? ? 3 'All We Love We Leave Behind' Converge ? ? Converge possess one of extreme music's most impressive discographies, and 'All We Love We Leave Behind' ranks among the band's crowning achievements. The group strides closer to their hardcore roots with 'Trespesses' and 'Sparrow's Fall,' continue the legacy of Kurt Ballou's ingenious shredding with 'Sadness Comes Home' and even create experimental beauty with 'Coral Blue.' Listen to 'Sadness Comes Home' ? ? 2 'Utilitarian' Napalm Death ? ? Many metalheads expected just another grind record with Napalm Death 's 15th studio album, 'Utilitarian.' Those people were wrong. 'Utilitarian' turned out to be not just a phenomenal album, but a monumental achievement for the British legends. Barney Greenway's unmatched voice remains terrifying and demented, while the band's songwriting created an avant-garde niche consisting of scattered saxophone solos and otherworldly clean vocals. Listen to 'The Wolf I Feed' ? ? 1 'The Parallax II: Future Sequence' Between the Buried and Me ? ? 'The Parallax II: Future Sequence' is metal music's greatest conceptual accomplishment of the year. Set in outer space, BTBAM have created the most complex music you'll ever zone out to, performed by the strongest group of pure musicians within the realm of metal. Much like the band's 2007 album, 'Colors,' the record takes unexpected twists and turns while sonic plates spin without the slightest wobble. For that, we crown it the Best Metal Album of 2012. Listen to 'Telos' ? ? What's Your Favorite Metal Album of 2012? Which one of our 10 picks is your favorite? Did we get the order right? Did we miss your favorite metal album of 2012? Tell us our hits and misses in the comments section below: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-rock-albums-of-2012/” title=”Next: 10 Best Rock Albums of 2012″ align=”center”] ?
Posted in News Tags: album, band, british, destroyer, div-alignment, enfant-sauvage, ghost walking, green, high on fire, jesus, metal, napalm-death, sadness-comes, summer, walking No Comments »Killswitch Engage Guitarist Says Leaked Song Does Not Represent Whole Album
November 18th, 2012 Metalkult Liz Ramanand, Loudwire There are a lot of interested ears just ready to latch onto to anything from Killswitch Engage after the return of former singer Jesse Leach , but guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz is quick to point out that the band’s one leaked track, ‘No End in Sight,’ does not truly represent their new album. The guitarist told Guitar World (excerpted by Blabbermouth ), “It’s actually the one tune that’s pretty different from the other stuff. Overall, the rest of the album is a little faster, a little meaner, a little growlier — thrashy but with lots of clean parts. We’re going a little more extreme this time.” Leach resumed his spot as the band’s vocalist after the exit of Howard Jones due to continued health issues. He was with the band this summer when they took part in the Trespass America tour. Dutkiewicz produced the band’s next album, and they’re currently mixing the disc with Andy Sneap for an expected early 2013 release. Killswitch Engage will finish the year by celebrating the 10th anniversary of their ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ album during special headlining shows in November and December. Listen to Killswitch Engage’s ‘No End in Sight’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/killswitch-engage-the-end-of-heartache-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Next: Killswitch Engage – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]
Drowning Pool Unleash ‘Saturday Night’ Video
November 13th, 2012 Metalkult Facebook – Drowning Pool Drowning Pool ‘s as-yet-untitled fifth studio album is due in early 2013, and in advance of its release, the video for the new song ‘Saturday Night’ has been unveiled (watch below). The song features Drowning Pool’s new vocalist Jasen Moreno, who made his live debut as Ryan McCombs’ replacement earlier this summer. Moreno says, “I am extremely happy and very grateful to be a part of the Drowning Pool family. Everyone’s been so welcoming, especially the fans. I can’t praise them enough. They’ve made me feel right at home. This first run of live shows couldn’t have gone any better!” ‘Saturday Night’ is anthemic and very melodic. The video features the band performing in the middle of a crowd of fans and intersperses shots of a party, scantily clad women and other things that happen when you live your life like it’s Saturday night. Bassist Stevie Benton talked about the track with Noisecreep . “The question I am most often asked is ‘What’s life on tour like?’ This song is my best description of a typical day on the road.” The band’s new album is being produced by Kato Khandwala (Cold, Taylor Momsen). Drowning Pool’s best known song is their 2001 hit ‘Bodies,’ which was recently named one of Loudwire’s Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs . Watch Drowning Pool – ‘Saturday Night’ Video
Posted in News Tags: bassist-stevie, drowning, drowning-pool, extremely-happy, life, live, recently-named, right-at-home, saturday-night, summer, taylor-momsen, video No Comments »Digital Summer vs. Hollywood Undead – Cage Match
November 12th, 2012 Metalkult Photos: Facebook: Digital Summer / Octane Digital Summer and their new song ‘Forget You’ have taken down every opponent thus far but can they reach the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame with their fifth and final victory? Hollywood Undead take the Cage Match by storm with their brand new single ‘We Are’ off of their forthcoming third album ‘Notes From the Underground.’ Vocalist Johnny 3 Tears talks about the new track by stating “The song is about collective resistance. It’s the silent majority, but we’re using Los Angeles as the backdrop.” ‘Notes From the Underground’ is set to drop in January 2013. So will Hollywood Undead rise up and takeover this matchup with ‘We Are’ or will Digital Summer have an unforgettable win with ‘Forget You’ and head to Loudwire’s Cage Match Hall of Fame? Get in on the action and vote for your favorite track in the poll below! (This Cage Match will run until Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 8AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Listen to Digital Summer, ‘Forget You’ Listen to Hollywood Undead, ‘We Are’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? Email Me When Cage Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the daily winner of the Cage Match, as well as our top stories of the day. Email Rules of Cage Match: Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!
Posted in News Tags: bands, cage, digital, digital summer, loudwire, loudwire-cage, match-hall, match-winners, notes-from, poll, summer, vocalist-johnny No Comments »
