Ethan Miller, Getty Images / Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Shocker alert! Frontman Adam Gontier has resigned from Three Days Grace just weeks prior to their upcoming co-headlining tour with Shinedown. The band has replaced Gontier with My Darkest Days singer Matt Walst for the trek. A brief posting at the band’s website reveals that Gontier has left the group effective immediately citing a health issue for his exit. The band’s bassist, Brad Walst, stated in a press release, “We were surprised and distressed by Adam’s sudden departure. We are however very excited for this upcoming tour and to have my brother Matt stepping in as lead singer.” Three Days Grace, with Matt Walst on vocals, are still on schedule to kick off their co-headlining tour with Shinedown on Feb. 1 in Moline, Ill. At present, the tour runs through March 30 in Fargo, N.D. No further info was given as to the health issue that led to Gontier’s exit. The news comes as a major surprise, as Three Days Grace are one of rock radio’s most successful bands over the past decade, and recently scored a chart-topping single with ‘Chalk Outline’ off their latest album ‘Transit of Venus.’ They’re currently heating up radio again with their new single ‘The High Road.’ The move also puts My Darkest Days ‘ future in a different perspective. The band revealed just last week that guitarist Sal Costa had left the group , but that they were beginning work on their next studio album. With Matt Walst jumping over to Three Days Grace in Gontier’s absence, it is not known how that will affect My Darkest Days. Three Days Grace have also posted audio of Matt Walst performing with the group to give an idea of what the singer switch will sound like. Listen below: Listen to Matt Walst Performing With Three Days Grace [button href=”http://loudwire.com/three-days-grace-chalk-outline-in-the-studio-exclusive-video-premiere/” title=”Next: Watch Three Days Grace Perform ‘Chalk Outline’ in the Studio” align=”center”]
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”]
You lucky, lucky people! We’ve got a great contest to offer all of our readers, and we’re sure that you’ll want to throw your name into the proverbial hat. The winner of this contest will snag a pair of tickets to see Marilyn Manson live on his upcoming 2013 winter tour. Marilyn Manson is heading out on tour once again, and is set to invade North America with rock anthems draped in the vocalist’s infamous stage show. The 2013 trek will kick off on Jan. 18 in Milwaukee, creep into the Northeast and Canada, before heading down the West Coast and wrapping Feb. 23 in Las Vegas. The Butcher Babies will serve as support on the trek. Marilyn Manson’s self-professed 2012 comeback album, ‘Born Villain,’ has received praise for its creativity and craftsmanship, even snagging a 2013 Grammy nomination for ‘No Reflection’ in the Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category. If you don’t have a copy of the album yet, pick up ‘Born Villain’ at iTunes . The winner of the Marilyn Manson contest will receive two tickets to one of the upcoming winter shows (see tour dates below). For a chance to win, simply enter your email address and the city of the show you’d like to attend (tickets only – travel and accommodation not included). With the tour coming up shortly, the contest only runs through Sunday, Jan. 13, so enter below! For those of you who want to ensure yourself entrance into one of Manson’s shows, tickets are available for purchase through his official website . Marilyn Manson 2013 Tour Ticket Giveaway Enter your e-mail address below for a chance to win two tickets to see Marilyn Manson live. Please specify your choice of show in the field below. Travel and/or accommodations not included. Contest ends on Jan. 13, 2012, at 11:59PM ET. By entering this contest, you will automatically start receiving daily newsletters from Loudwire. Email List Date and City of Preferred Show Marilyn Manson Winter 2013 Tour Dates: Jan. 18 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Eagles Ballroom Jan. 19 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Bogart’s Jan. 20 – Columbus, Ohio @ The LC Pavilion Jan. 22 – Detroit, Mich. @ The Fillmore Jan. 23 – Cleveland, Ohio @ House of Blues Jan. 25 – Wallingford, Conn. @ The Dome Jan. 26 – Boston, Mass. @ House of Blues Jan. 28 – Montreal, Quebec @ City Metropolis Jan. 29 – Oshawa, Ontario @ General Motors Centre Jan. 30 – Hamilton, Ontario @ Hamilton Place Theatre Feb. 01 – Sudbury, Ontario @ Sudbury Arena Feb. 04 – Winnipeg, Manitoba @ MTS Centre Feb. 05 – Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan @ Mosiac Place Feb. 06 – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan @ TCU Place Feb. 08 – Calgary, Alberta @ Stampede Corral Feb. 09 – Edmonton, Alberta @ Shaw Conference Centre Feb. 11 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre Feb. 12 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox SoDo Feb. 13 – Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Theatre Feb. 15 – Modesto, Calif. @ Modesto Centre Plaza Feb. 17 – Reno, Nev. @ Grand Sierra Resort Feb. 19 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Warfield Theatre Feb. 20 – Anaheim, Calif. @ The Grove of Anaheim Feb. 21 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Club Nokia Feb. 23 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ House of Blues [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-marilyn-manson-songs/” title=”10 Best Marilyn Manson Songs” align=”center”]
Photo Credit: Sandy Carson The Sword guitarist Kyle Shutt was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. Shutt spoke about the band’s latest album ‘Apocryphon,’ their new drummer Jimmy Vela and what it is about being from Texas that influences their sound. Read Full Metal Jackie’s interview with Kyle Shutt below: Congratulations on another great record, ‘Apocryphon.’ Thank you, it took a long time, sitting around waiting for it to come out. I’m glad it’s finally out and we’re out on the road supporting it. It’s good times. It’s stressful right, when you have this record and you know there are some people that have it. Isn’t it like a freaky, scary time where you’re like ‘Is it going to leak? When is it going to leak?’ and you just want it to be out there and done. Yeah, that’s right. Everything’s going to leak eventually but it was about a week before when we saw some evidence of it leaking so we did a good job, keeping it under wraps. Obviously, a lot had happened since the last time I saw you guys. You have a new member in the band. Yeah we’ve had two drummers since you last saw us but this guy, Jimmy Vela, he’s great. He fit right in with the band, honestly it feel like he’s been in it the whole time – I wish he had been, but that’s okay. [Laughs] Tell us what it’s been like touring with your new drummer. We did some tours with him before we made the album, one with the Kyuss Lives! thing that they did, we did a whole North American tour and it was good. When we started writing songs in January, we got about six of them written in a month. It just started flowing out and he fell right in line with our style of music and he plays with a little more finesse than Trivett [Wingo] did. It was fun just playing off each other and writing new songs. Unlike the last album, the new one ‘Apocryphon’ isn’t a concept album. Musically, these songs aren’t so much about precision either. Was that a conscious decision to cleanse the musical pallet so to speak or was it just naturally distancing yourselves from the previous album cycle? No, honestly we just write ten songs at a time and the only reason the last album was a concept album was because J.D. [Cronise] had written this awesome story and it just felt appropriate to apply it to the songs we had written. These are just the next ten songs we’ve written and we’re moving on, we’re not going to try to rehash old stuff – just shake it up and be original and try to write some great music. It’s not uncommon for bands to alternate setlists but on this tour, you’ve got several – seven I think is what I read. What is the purpose of having that many options? We kind of just shake it up every night so you don’t get board. I’ve seen bands go on an eight week tour and play the exact same set every night. It’s not that ours is wildly different every night but we try to throw in some different songs here and there just to keep things fresh. Sometimes people will drive from show to show so you don’t want to disappoint them, you know they see you four times and it’s all the same set. You guys are from Texas, what about coming from that part of the country affects your approach to metal the most both as players and as fans? Really, I think we have this funky rhythm section that a lot of people when they play metal it’s just a straight forward four-four thing just trying to be as relentless as possible but we just try to be as funky as we can so people can dance to our music. I think that’s what sets us apart from a lot of the things like that – being from Texas, too, you got bands like Pantera and ZZ Top and all kinds of funky, rock and roll music, it’s just in our blood down there. [Laughs] What can we expect from 2013? We’re going to be on the road forever on this one. We’ll be everywhere twice. So just hang tight people: if we haven’t been there yet, we’ll make an appearance very shortly I promise. Full Metal Jackie will welcome As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis 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 .
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Metalheads in New York City got a treat on Friday night (Dec. 14) when Dethklok , All That Remains , Machine Head and the Black Dahlia Murder came into town for their rescheduled show at Roseland Ballroom. The show was a makeup gig for a concert that was canceled in the midst of Hurricane Sandy. The Black Dahlia Murder kicked off the night of metal with a vigorous performance that got fans going early on. Machine Head followed and put on one of the best sets of the night. Their performance was raw and powerful as they started with ‘This Is the End’ off of their latest album ‘Unto The Locust.’ They also dedicated ‘Aesthetics of Hate’ to the late Dimebag Darrell and conducted a moment of silence for Suicide Silence frontman Mitch Lucker. Throughout the tour, Machine Head and All That Remains had switched slots on the bill, but there was a tad bit of drama when Machine Head frontman addressed the crowd to explain that earlier in the day he was hit by a cab and asked All That Remains to go on earlier. Flynn seemed to be a bit irritated as he went on to say that during the tour they had covered for All That Remains when they needed more time by going on right after the Black Dahlia Murder. (Watch Robb Flynn’s rant here .) All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte addressed the situation during their set by saying that they would have switched if they had known about the situation. The fans didn’t seem too phased by the misunderstanding since both bands gave stellar performances. Labonte and his crew kicked off their set with ‘This Calling,’ and performed new tracks such as ‘Down Through the Ages’ and ‘Stand Up,’ as well as their very popular tunes ‘Six’ and ‘Two Weeks.’ Guitarist Oli Herbert was nothing short of phenomenal throughout the band’s entire set and he shredded every note impeccably. Dethklok is truly a special experience whether you are a fan of the show ‘Metalocalypse’ or not. The band plays in front of a massive screen which shows clips from the animated series — it is a theatrical and massively entertaining set to say the least. Frontman and creator of the show, Brendon Small, is a truly talented individual and gave one hell of a performance along with guitarist Mike Keneally, bassist Bryan Beller and legendary drummer Gene Hoglan. As mentioned, the entire show was rescheduled due to Hurricane Sandy, which was fervently cussed out by Brendon Small. Dethklok’s set included fan favorites the ‘Deththeme,’ ‘Murmaider,’ ‘Thunderhorse,’ ‘Awaken’ and many others. Dethklok also delighted the crowd with new tunes such as ‘I Ejaculate Fire,’ ‘The Galaxy’ and ended their set with the awesome tune ‘Crush the Industry’ off of their new record ‘Dethalbum III.’ Check out photos of all the bands performing in New York City: Dethklok: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire All That Remains: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Machine Head: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire The Black Dahlia Murder: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour made its stop in New York City on Sunday night (Dec. 9) for a sold-out show at the Best Buy Theater. Headliners Asking Alexandria set fans into a frenzy, as did As I Lay Dying , Memphis May Fire, I See Stars and Attila. The night was bittersweet. As much as fans enjoyed the performance of the bands, there was also a wistful vibe throughout the night as many fans remembered frontman Mitch Lucker of Suicide Silence, who were supposed to be on the tour’s lineup before the untimely death of their vocalist. The night kicked off with a decent set by party metal band Attila, followed by I See Stars, who got fans bouncing and brought on the first Wall of Death of the night. Memphis May Fire were up next and delivered an intense performance. One of the best sets of the night went to As I Lay Dying, who ripped the place apart with massive pits, a heap of crowd surfers and the night’s second Wall of Death. The main act of the night, Asking Alexandria, kicked off their set but without frontman Danny Worsnop, but fans, who were a tad confused, still sang along. Eventually, Worsnop came out onstage to screaming fans and explained that he tore his vocal cord and wouldn’t be able to perform, but that his buds from I See Stars and Attila would take over the vocal duties. The band also got help from a multitalented roadie, who was busy setting up the equipment and taping down wires before they began, but graced the stage and tore it up on a few Asking Alexandria songs. However, it was the fans who really took over the vocal duties and belted out all of the words to all of the songs they performed. The most poignant moment of the set was the band dedicating their track ‘Someone, Somewhere’ to Mitch Lucker. The tune was sung by Us, From Outside vocalist Kenny Davis. When Asking Alexandria left the stage, the Suicide Silence classic ‘You Only Live Once’ played in honor of Lucker. Fans remembered him in the best way possible with massive pits, some serious crowd surfing and by singing the song word for word. Danny Worsnop did come out for the encore to perform the fan favorite ‘The Final Episode (Let’s Change the Channel).’ Worsnop and a bunch of his buddies destroyed the stage. As he invited fans up onstage with him, security couldn’t keep up with the swarm of crowd surfers. Check out all these bands on the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour; go here for the remaining dates. See photos of the NYC gig below: Asking Alexandria: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire As I Lay Dying: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Memphis May Fire: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire I See Stars: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Attila: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Just a few weeks ago, Shinedown and Three Days Grace announced the first leg of a co-headlining U.S. tour that kicks off in February 2013. Now, the two bands have added a second leg of dates to the trek. With the new leg kicking off on March 9 in Orlando, Fla., at the Amway Center and taking them through March 30 in Fargo, N.D. at the Fargodome, the 16 new dates will have the rock titans out on the road through the end of March. The tour will mark the first time that many fans will be able to catch Three Days Grace playing songs off their new disc ‘Transit of Venus,’ released on Oct. 2. Meanwhile, Shinedown will continue to showcase their latest disc ‘Amaryllis,’ which has already spawned hit singles like ‘Bully,’ ‘Unity,’ and ‘Enemies.’ Three Days Grace are anxious to get back out on the road after playing a handful of sold out shows in small venues for their fans, commenting, “We can’t wait to get back out on the road to play live for our fans; that’s the best part of doing what we do.” Shinedown have already promised to raise the bar for this new tour, which is a pretty hefty pledge considering their successful summer run on the 2012 Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival Both bands are competing in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards for ‘ Rock Song of the Year .’ As they are doing for the first leg, P.O.D. will be opening all of the shows on the new leg of the tour. Check out all the dates and locations below. Three Days Grace + Shinedown + P.O.D. 2013 U.S. Tour Dates: Newly Announced Second Leg: 3/9 – Orlando, Fla. – Amway Center 3/11 – Estero, Fla. – Germain Arena 3/12 – Savannah, Ga. – Civic Center 3/14 – Pensacola, Fla. – Pensacola Civic Center 3/15 – Jackson, Miss. – Mississippi Coliseum 3/16 – Little Rock, Ark. – Verizon Arena 3/18 – Baton Rouge, La. – Baton Rouge River Center 3/19 – Belton, Texas – Bell County Expo Center 3/21 – Oklahoma City, Okla. – Chesapeake Energy Center 3/22 – Lubbock, Texas – Lonestar Event Center 3/23 – Wichita, Kan. – INTRUST Bank Arena 3/25 – Broomfield, Colo. – 1st Bank Center 3/26 – Lincoln, Neb. – Pershing Center 3/28 – Sioux City, Iowa – Tyson Events Center 3/29 – La Crosse, Wis. – La Crosse Center Arena 3/30 – Fargo, N.D. – Fargodome Previously Announced First Leg: 2/1 Moline, IL – iWireless Center 2/2 Madison, WI – Alliant Energy Center 2/5 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center 2/6 Green Bay, WI – Resch Center 2/8 – Nashville TN – Bridgestone Arena 2/9 – Huntington, WV – Big Sandy Superstore 2/10 – Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Auditorium Coliseum 2/12 – Saginaw, MI – DOW Events Center 2/13 – Battle Creek, MI – Kellogg Arena 2/15 – Ft. Wayne, IN – Allen Co War Memorial 2/16 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena 2/17 – Reading, PA – Sovereign Center 2/19 – Baltimore, MD – 1st Mariner Arena 2/20 – Lowell, MA – Tsongas Center [button href=”http://loudwire.com/shinedown-already-recorded-new-album/” title=”Shinedown: We’ve Already Recorded a New Album” align=”center”]