Posts Tagged ‘though-the-band’

Bullet for My Valentine, ‘Temper Temper’ – Album Review

RCA Bullet for My Valentine are clicking on all cylinders on their new album, though the band readily admits the title ‘Temper Temper’ comes from some of the internal friction within the group. But rather than letting things fester, they turned lemons into lemonade by allowing it fuel the creative process. Fans of the group may already be familiar with the title track and ‘ Riot ,’ the first two songs released off the record. ‘Temper Temper’ was a solid introductory choice from the band, showing off their speedy guitar work and Michael “Moose” Thomas’ cymbal-heavy drumbeats, with the pacing of the song mirroring what it feels like when you’re just about to explode. ‘Riot,’ meanwhile, is arguably the album’s best song and a natural choice for a single. With guitar work that comes off like a warning alarm and Matt Tuck vocals that beg you to sing along to the “whoa-oh-ohs,” Bullet for My Valentine have an anthem on their hands. The disc as a whole is at its best in the mid-section, with the songs running from ‘Temper Temper’ through ‘Riot’ providing an increasingly diverse and strong stretch of music. ‘Pow’ starts off dialing things back a bit, but by the end of the song Tuck is confidently declaring, “ I will breathe once more .” ‘Dirty Little Secret’ has single potential and may have more style shifts than any song on the record. Keeping in the theme of dealing with aggression, Tuck belts, “ Straight for the throat / Like you’re an animal / In for the kill / Just like you’re an animal .” ‘Leech’ is a solid rocker that tells the story of a delusional person who’s always crashing the party. It’s followed by ‘Dead to the World,’ the album’s moodiest song, which comes at precisely the right time to give the listener a break from the hard-hitting assault that had been the record up to this point. In the introspective track, Tuck digs deep for the lyrics, “ I’ve tried a thousand times before to leave my demons behind me for good / I’m trapped with no escape to find / Lost without hope, hope is not lost as I hang on for one more tomorrow / Heart turns to black, but I’m not coming back cause I feel like I’m dead to the world .” However, by the end of the track, the melancholy gives way to full-on angst-ridden aggression fueled by Tuck and Michael “Padge” Paget’s guitar work. The album also concludes on a high note as ‘Livin’ Life (On the Edge of a Knife)’ is one of the more energetic tracks on the disc. The good news for Bullet for My Valentine fans is that not only will this album truly rock you, it also feels tailor-made for the stage. So get familiar with ‘Temper Temper’ and expect to hear plenty of it over the next couple of years. To catch BFMV on their upcoming tour with Halestorm, click here  for dates. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bullet-for-my-valentine-new-album-temper-temper-exclusive-video-interview/” title=”Watch Our Exclusive Interview With Bullet for My Valentine” align=”center”]

Theory of a Deadman Start Work on New Album

Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images If they have it their way, Theory of a Deadman won’t leave their fans hanging without new music for too long. The group is getting a quick jump on their follow-up to ‘The Truth Is…’ album, confirming that they’ve already started on their next disc. In a new posting on Twitter , the guys revealed, “New album underway!!! New stuff by summer!! Thx Theory fans.” Should the band meet their proposed deadline, new music would arrive in approximately half a year from their last tour date supporting ‘The Truth Is’ album. The group fifth and final single from that record, ‘Gentleman,’ was issued last September, though the band continued with tour dates through December. Little is known about the new disc at this point, but it has lofty goals to reach if it is to surpass the band’s last record. ‘The Truth Is…’ debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart and peaked out at No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Albums, Alternative Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts. Even with the quick turnaround, the Theory of a Deadman members have enjoyed some fun off and on the road. Last year, singer Tyler Connolly played up the band’s anonymity with a series of man-on-the-street webisodes titled ‘ You Don’t Know Me .’ In addition, just last month Connolly and Dave Brenner likely loaded up on gear before hitting the studio by making appearances at Anaheim’s NAMM conference. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/theory-of-a-deadman-tyler-connolly-imparts-insight-into-his-pompadour-hairdo/” title=”Next: Tyler Connolly Shares Pompadour Insights” align=”center”]

British Columbia Metal Shop Wins Initial Trademark Battle Against Metallica

Blackened Recordings Metallica have been diligent over the years when defending their trademark, but one small metal manufacturing company has emerged victorious in retaining their name after an initial challenge from the band. The Burnaby metal shop known as Metallica Manufacturing will continue to operate under their title after a recent court ruling. Owner Bill Lawson told Burnaby Now , “It was a very innocent choosing of such a name from a 12-year-old kid.” Lawson says that the name was chosen in the late ’90s and though the band was around at that point, the Metallica moniker seemed appropriate given their chosen trade as a custom metal shop. According to Lawson, the British Columbia business operated unencumbered for four or five years, but began to receive legal inquiries when they tried to register for a domain name online. After several years of the band’s legal representation trying to stop them from using the name, they filed a trademark application in 2008 seeking to use the moniker in coordination with metal fabrications, welding and machining. Last September, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office ruled that there was no likelihood of confusion between the company and the band, therefore giving Metallica Manufacturing a partial victory by allowing them to continue pursuing their trademark application. “This is not a gloating issue,” said Lawson after the ruling. “We just want to be left alone … We just want to be able to carry on and use the name. The whole city knows us.” It should be noted that Twisted Sister , who have been in the news lately for taking on small mom-and-pop businesses utilizing their name, recently commented on trademark law and not having a decision in who gets targeted. Guitarist Jay Jay French explained, “The fact of the matter is that trademark law doesn’t give me a choice on who and what to defend. The law is very clear: either defend your trademark or lose rights to it.” So while Metallica taking on small businesses over their name may seem like “David vs. Goliath,” should the band choose not to defend their trademark it would open themselves up to potentially allowing everyone access to the brand they’ve taken pride in building. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-metallica-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Metallica Songs” align=”center”]

Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler Offers New Details on Upcoming Album + Tour Plans

Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com The new year is bringing a new Black Sabbath album, their first original disc with Ozzy Osbourne since 1978′s ‘Never Say Die!’ Though the group was unable to work out their contract dispute with drummer Bill Ward , they’re forging ahead with the new music and their first extended touring since regrouping. Bassist Geezer Butler addressed the upcoming disc as well as the band’s drummer situation in a video interview with 96.7 KCAL Rocks . According to Butler, the ‘ 13 ‘ disc has a familiar feel. He explains, “It’s sort of got the feel of the first three albums — back to the basic rawness. And the lyrics are very … they’re just about life … life and death and doom and everything else. You get Prozac with every album.” The bassist revealed that even though the members are very familiar with each other, this was a different recording process as all of the members were completely sober. “It’s been more professional in that way,” says Butler. “We’ve stuck to a schedule every day. We’d go in at one o’clock and finish at six, just to keep everything fresh. Five hours a day — that’s it.” As for the decision to invite Rage Against the Machine ‘s Brad Wilk to play drums on the effort, Butler credits that call to producer Rick Rubin. “He didn’t want a typical heavy metal drummer on the album,” says Butler. “It’s not really a heavy metal album. It’s more of a rock … heavy rock. And Rick Rubin suggested Brad cause he’s more in the vein of Bill Ward. So we jammed with him and he sounded great with the stuff, so we went with that … It’s sort of back to the way we used to be in the ’70s. That’s his feel — sort of a jazzy, bluesy feel to him, and that’s the way the music is now. It was great working with him.” Though the band employed Wilk in the studio and Tommy Clufetos when touring last year, Butler revealed that they hadn’t decided on a touring drummer for this year’s dates. Black Sabbath’s ’13′ album is expected in June. For more on Butler’s discussion on the current health updates of Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi , watch the video interview below. Watch Black Sabbath Bassist Geezer Butler Discuss the Band’s Next Album [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ozzy-osbourne-suffers-injuries-house-fire/” title=”Next: Ozzy Osbourne Suffers Injuries in House Fire” align=”center”]

Asking Alexandria’s Danny Worsnop Offers Video Update on Torn Vocal Cords

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Asking Alexandria ‘s Danny Worsnop is speaking, but is still on the path to recovery from a recent vocal cord tear that knocked him out of action just prior to the holidays. The band was out on tour in early December when Worsnop’s voice finally gave out, though the band was able to salvage their New York stop of the Monster Energy Outbreak tour when the vocalists for support bands As I Lay Dying , Memphis May Fire, I See Stars and Atilla stepped in to save the day. After seeking treatment from vocal specialist Dr. Sugerman, Worsnop feels he is on the path to recovery and he decided to let fans in on the process by shooting a video with the good doc showing one of his recent sessions. The clip was filmed approximately two weeks after the singer’s initial treatment. In it, the viewer gets to see Worsnop’s visit with Sugerman, the singer’s description of the flex camera and the doctor’s eventual shots of Worsnop’s vocal cords. The good news is that Worsnop has some time to rest his vocal cords as the band has finished most of their forthcoming album and have been enjoying the holiday break without any immediate dates looming. Watch Danny Worsnop’s Vocal Cord Checkup [button href=”http://loudwire.com/asking-alexandria-involved-in-tour-bus-accident/” title=”Next: Asking Alexandria Involved in Tour Bus Accident” align=”center”]