Posts Tagged ‘villain’

Marilyn Manson Wins Rock Album of the Year in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards

Mary Ouellette, shewillshootyou.com You voted, we tabulated and, in the end,  Marilyn Manson  had an incredibly decisive victory for Rock Album of the Year in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. The singer’s ‘Born Villain’ album took home a whopping 31.7 percent of the overall vote. ‘Born Villain,’ which featured the hit lead single ‘No Reflection’ and the follow-up tracks ‘Slo-Mo-Tion’ and ‘Hey, Cruel World …,’ led Manson to a landslide victory, with Stone Sour’s ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1′ being the closest competitor at just shy of 19 percent of the vote. The only other act to receive a double-digit percentage was Halestorm’s ‘The Strange Case Of …,’ which placed third with 14.5 percent of the final tally. Add in winning Loudwire’s Rock Video of the Year for ‘No Reflection’ and 2012 was a pretty good year for Manson. The musician will kick off 2013 on the road with Butcher Babies, continuing the promotion of the ‘Born Villain’ disc. See the full voting results below and click the red button for the next category: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/lamb-of-god-metal-album-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next Winner: Metal Album of the Year” align=”center”] Voting Results: Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll.

Marilyn Manson Seeking Apology From Seraphim Ward Over False Engagement Claim

Frazer Harrison / Allen Berezovsky, Getty Images Marilyn Manson has had enough and TMZ reports the rocker has reached out via his lawyer to Seraphim Ward demanding a public apology for the false stories she’s spread about him, including one last year that was widely circulated about the couple being engaged . Shortly after the engagement story came out last year, Manson denied it and has maintained that he has “no romantic or other association” with Ward. At the time, Manson’s publicist issued a statement that read: “Marilyn Manson is not engaged as reported erroneously by Life & Style. Manson has never met Seraphim Ward and does not know who she is.” But that didn’t stop the stories or commentary from Ward hitting media outlets, with her claims of his alleged racism and Nazi sympathy making for tabloid fodder. In an attempt to stop Ward’s publicity-seeking ways, Manson’s lawyer has fired off a letter demanding an apology and threatening legal action should she continue to talk publicly about their supposed relationship. With the legalities being taken care of, Manson is back to focusing on his career. The vocalist returns to the road Jan. 18 in Milwaukee, supporting his ‘Born Villain’ album. You can currently enter a Loudwire contest (which ends Jan. 13 at 11:59PM ET) to win a pair of tickets for his upcoming tour here . Manson also is set to make a guest appearance on the upcoming season of Showtime’s ‘Californication’ and contribute his cover of Depeche Mode ‘s ‘Personal Jesus’ to the soundtrack. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-marilyn-manson-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Marilyn Manson Songs” align=”center”]

Black Veil Brides, ‘Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones’ – Album Review

Lava/Universal Republic Black Veil Brides kick off 2013 with the release of their third studio album, a concept record titled ‘Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones.’ With 19 tracks, this massive opus begins with ‘Exordium,’ one of several spoken word cuts on the disc. It speaks of religion, God, inner strength and more. ‘In the End’ is the first single off the album and leads a series of anthems such as ‘I Am Bulletproof,’ ‘ New Years Day,’ ‘Devil’s Choir,’ and ‘Nobody’s Hero.’ Throughout the album, guitarists Jake Pitts and Jinxx provide stellar riffs, while Ashley Purdy delivers pounding bass lines and Christian Coma offers some thunderous drum patterns on the skins. Despite the heaviness, there are also flashes of beautiful orchestration album, especially on the instrumental piece ‘Overture.’ Frontman Andy Biersack shows off his softer side in tracks like ‘Done for You’ and ‘Lost It All,’ the latter of which features Biersack’s girlfriend, Juliet Simms, a finalist on ‘The Voice’  and member of the band Automatic Loveletter. Black Veil Brides also call on some of their other comrades, such as the Used’s Bert McCracken, who offers his raw vocals on the track ‘Days Are Numbered,’ which features a ‘Crazy Train’ like riff throughout. Wil Francis (also of William Control) is the voice of Fear on the record’s powerful spoken word tracks ‘F.E.A.R.: Transmission 1: Don’t Stay’ ‘ F.E.A.R. Transmission 2: Trust,’ ‘F.E.A.R. Transmission 3: As War Fades’ and ‘ F.E.A.R. : Final Transmission.’ In our interview with Biersack, he talks about the ‘F.E.A.R.’ tracks by saying, “I’ve sort of just like the whole Orwellian, dystopian future – I like the idea that it doesn’t seem to crazy or far off that there could be someone who is this omnipotent, omniscient power that tells you what to do.” Biersack continues, “I like the idea of having the narrative told through the perspective of the bad guy more than anything else. You rarely ever hear something narrated through the villain’s perspective and it was fun.” Other notable tunes on the album include the title track, ‘Wretched and Divine,’ which maintains a balance of heaviness and melody, and ‘We Don’t Belong,’ which has soft yet menacing vocals in its verses, mixed with a catchy chorus. Biersack shows a bit of vocal range with ‘Resurrect the Sun,’ where he starts off soft and almost lullaby-like, but then belts out the chorus. Meanwhile, ‘Shadows Die’ is a rollercoaster of emotion and tempo that is one of the best, if not the best track, on the album. For a relatively young band that has achieved a rabid fan base in such a short time, Black Veil Brides could have rested on their laurels and delivered a standard rock album. However, ‘Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones’ is an ambitious effort that shows the band is willing to take chances in their fast-rising career. ? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/black-veil-brides-singer-andy-biersack-everybody-is-wretched-and-divine/” title=”Next: Andy Biersack Talks ‘Wretched and Divine'” align=”center”]

Marilyn Manson Requires 24 Stitches on His Ear Following Fight in Switzerland

Liz Ramanand, Loudwire / Marilyn Manson Twitter Marilyn Manson is not afraid to stand up for himself, but in doing so recently in Switzerland the rocker came out a little worse for wear. In fact, the musician needed 24 stitches to sew up part of his air after a brawl. The entertainer who once released the track ‘The Fight Song’ did not go into detail about the scuffle, other than to reveal that the injury came about when he was struck with a glass table. Manson discussed the incident via Twitter and also included a photo of his ear after the procedure. Manson has been touring through Europe along with  Rob Zombie  as part of the “ Twins of Evil “ tour. The rocker has enjoyed a career resurrection this past year, with the single ‘ No Reflection ‘ and album ‘ Born Villain ‘ both making the cut in the Loudwire  Best Rock Songs  and  Best Rock Albums  of 2012 lists. Check out his tweets about his scuffle and ear injury here: I was hit by a glass table in a dangerous fight. I was however, the victor but had to have 24 stitches to keep my ear from becoming Van Goth — Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) December 11, 2012 ? My ear. twitter.com/marilynmanson/… — Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) December 11, 2012 [button href=”http://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-2013-north-american-winter-tour/” title=”Next: Marilyn Manson Winter 2013 North American Tour Dates” align=”center”]

2013 Grammy Nominees for Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance: Anthrax, Halestorm, Iron Maiden, Lamb of God, Marilyn Manson + Megadeth

Recording Academy While hard rock and metal bands were snubbed in most of the categories for the 2013 Grammy Awards that were announced tonight (Dec. 5), the one category devoted to those genres features a diverse range of nominees. The Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category boasts nominations for Anthrax , Halestorm , Iron Maiden , Lamb of God , Marilyn Manson and Megadeth . Of all those acts, only Iron Maiden has previously won a Grammy. Anthrax are nominated for ‘I’m Alive’ off their album ‘Worship Music,’ while Halestorm got a nod for ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ from their full-length effort ‘The Strange Case Of …’ Meanwhile, Iron Maiden scored a mention for ‘Blood Brothers’ from their ‘En Vivo’ CD/DVD and Lamb of God got a nod for ‘Ghost Walking’ from their ‘Resolution’ album. Finally, Marilyn Manson earned a nomination for ‘No Reflection’ off ‘Born Villain, while Megadeth scored a mention for ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ from their album ‘TH1RT3EN.’ Congrats to all of those acts for representing hard rock and metal at the upcoming 55th annual Grammy Awards taking place on Feb. 10, 2013 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will air live on CBS at 8PM ET. In other rock categories, the Black Keys and Jack White led the way with multiple nominations. Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Anthrax, ‘I’m Alive’ Halestorm, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ Iron Maiden, ‘Blood Brothers’ Lamb of God, ‘Ghost Walking’ Marilyn Manson, ‘No Reflection’ Megadeth, ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rock-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next: Vote in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards” align=”center”]

Rock Album of the Year – 2012 Loudwire Music Awards

As the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards continue, we turn our attention to full bodies of work — that’s right — the Rock Album of the Year. We’ve got 10 stellar discs in contention for the title and need your assistance in determining the best. We’ve got a mixture of major radio acts, door-busting female-led hard rock outfits, ’90s mainstays enjoying a career resurrection and a handful of lesser-known acts who deserve consideration for potential breakout releases. But in the end, the final word comes down to you. Check out the nominated albums, read our cases for each, and be sure to vote in the poll below: Baroness, ‘Yellow & Green’ It’s a shame that Baroness ‘ year was cut short due to injuries sustained from a bus crash, but that doesn’t lessen the fact that ‘Yellow & Green,’ the band’s third album, was one of the year’s standout efforts. With ‘Take My Bones Away’ and ‘March to the Sea’ leading the way, this double-disc offered heavy rock with a sense of subtlety. ? Dead Sara, ‘Dead Sara’ Every year there’s the search for a new voice, and Dead Sara ‘s Emily Armstrong, with the emotion-filled rasp of a modern-day, hard-rock Janis Joplin, made her presence known. ‘Weatherman’ became the breakout single, but the remainder of their self-titled debut is a stellar effort, front-to-back. ? Deftones, ‘Koi No Yokan’ Deftones ‘ resurgence in recent years only continues with ‘Koi No Yokan,’ a magnificent disc led by the mood-shifting single ‘Tempest’ and the all-out aggression of ‘Leathers.’ The band, who’s made a career about exploring dynamic, continue to click on all cylinders with the highs, lows and atmospherics we’ve come to love. ? Halestorm, ‘The Strange Case Of…’ Sophomore slump? Never! If anything, Halestorm made significant strides with their second release ‘The Strange Case Of …’ ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ was the kind of anthemic rocker that most bands would kill for and the angsty ‘I Miss the Misery’ struck a chord with listeners. ? Lacuna Coil, ‘Dark Adrenaline’ The ever-evolving Lacuna Coil actually took a step backward into their past, much to the delight of fans of their more gothic-sounding early years. ‘Dark Adrenaline’ connected with the lead single ‘Trip the Darkness,’ while the infectious drumbeat of ‘Fire’ was undeniable. There’s a comfort level and joy within almost every track. ? Marilyn Manson, ‘Born Villain’ Marilyn Manson , at least creatively, rediscovered his niche this past year. The ‘Born Villain’ album was reminiscent of the albums that made him a huge success in the ’90s, with the lead single ‘No Reflection’ sitting alongside the best tracks of his career. Other highlights included ‘Slo-Mo-Tion’ and ‘Hey Cruel World.’ ? Serj Tankian, ‘Harakiri’ After experimenting with a variety of styles in recent years, Serj Tankian ‘s return to rock was widely hailed. The vocalist provided a distinct point of view on a majority of his songs, with ‘Harakiri’ speaking to environmental concerns with aggression and ‘Figure It Out’ showing unrest with many of our corporate leaders. ? Shinedown, ‘Amaryllis’ Shinedown  followed up ‘The Sound of Madness’ with another hits-filled set in ‘Amaryllis’ that’s definitely connecting with audiences. The topical ‘Bully’ was an early-year hit that not only delivered a message, but some ear-candy hooks to rope you in. Other standouts include the earnest ‘Unity’ and the in-your-face rocker ‘Enemies.’ ? Soundgarden, ‘King Animal’ Soundgarden  showed no rust with ‘King Animal,’ there first album in 16 years. ’Been Away Too Long’ is the band’s new battle cry, signifying their official return with a track that connects as well as some of their biggest hits. ‘Non-State Actor,’ ‘Bones of Birds’ and the recently previewed ‘Rowing’ also show that the group is back to cranking out quality music. ? Stone Sour, ‘House of Gold & Bones Part 1′ Stone Sour ‘s ‘House of Gold & Bones, Part 1′ is highlighted by the double-single, ‘Gone Sovereign’ and ‘Absolute Zero,’ which provide the story of a man on a downward spiral. They’re both aggression personified. However, songs like ‘Taciturn’ and ‘Tired’ deliver a more melodic, yet no less powerful, statement. ? Voting for the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards closes on Jan. 15 at 11:59 PM EST. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite band wins! Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metal-album-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next Category: Metal Album of the Year” align=”center”] 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 Rock Songs of 2012

Frazer Harrison, Getty Images / Chelsea Lauren, WireImage / Kevin Winter, Getty Images There were some incredible rock songs unleashed in 2012 from a diverse group of artists. Bands like Three Days Grace , Stone Sour and Papa Roach maintained their excellence with standout tracks at rock radio. There was a welcome return this year from Marilyn Manson , and breakout tracks from female-led bands like Halestorm and Dead Sara . It was tough to narrow the picks down to 10, but after some heated debate and occasional fisticuffs among our staff members, Loudwire has made its choices for the year's best tunes. So check out our list of the 10 Best Rock Songs of 2012: ? 10 'Chalk Outline' Three Days Grace ? ? From: 'Transit of Venus' We kick off our 10 best songs of 2012 list with Three Days Grace's 'Chalk Outline,' a track that many people loved as evidenced by its 12-week reign atop the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and 10-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard Active Rock Chart. The jarring opening notes definitely catch the listener right off the bat, while singer Adam Gontier belts out lines about being cursed by a love that's left him behind. Listen to 'Chalk Outline' ? ? 9 'Still Swingin'' Papa Roach ? ? From: 'The Connection' Papa Roach have battled against the odds to establish themselves as one of rock's enduring bands, and 'Still Swingin'' provided the group with the perfect anthem to qualify their journey. It's got blistering guitars, hard-hitting drums and a rap-like delivery in the verses before Jacoby Shaddix shows his melodic side in the chorus. As long as they keep cranking out songs like 'Still Swingin',' Papa Roach will continue to stay on top of their game. Listen to 'Still Swingin'' ? ? 8 'Harakiri' Serj Tankian ? ? From: 'Harakiri' (2012) System of a Down singer Serj Tankian delivered one of the best rock albums of the year with his solo effort 'Harakiri,' and standing tall among the disc's songs is the title track. Featuring perhaps the most beautifully melodic chorus in a rock song in 2012, the tune 'Harakiri' questions if today's environmental factors may be playing a part in the freakish mass deaths of various animals over recent years. It's a thought-provoking tune that is both memorable in its lyrics and its music. Listen to 'Harakiri' ? ? 7 'Bully' Shinedown ? ? From: 'Amaryllis' Bullying has become an increasing problem in schools and the guys of Shinedown take on the issue with this blistering tune. The aggressive nature of 'Bully' fits perfectly with the band's condemnation of bullying and encouragement to those being bullies to stand up for oneself. Add in Brent Smith 's infectious sing-along lyrics and you've got a track that's not only inspirational but also rocks. Listen to 'Bully' ? ? 6 'No Reflection' Marilyn Manson ? ? From: 'Born Villain' Marilyn Manson experienced a musical rebirth with his 2012 album 'Born Villain' and the first single, 'No Reflection,' made it clear that the singer had recaptured the old magic that led to his superstardom in the first place. The fuzzed out opening guitars, the catchy but dark lyrical content, and a chorus where the emotion in Manson's voice takes hold as he digs deep into his soul makes this one of 2012's best rock tracks. Listen to 'No Reflection' ? ? 5 'Gone Sovereign' Stone Sour ? ? From: 'House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1' 'Gone Sovereign' was half of a two-part single that Stone Sour released in late summer (the other half being 'Absolute Zero'), and the hard-hitting nature of the song immediately connected with fans. The frenetic power and fury of the guitar play between Jim Root and Josh Rand stands out, while Roy Mayorga's thunderous drumming drives the song. Corey Taylor starts the song by singing, 'No one's laughing now,' but the vocalist probably has a smile knowing that 'Gone Sovereign' has turned into one of 2012's standout songs. Listen to 'Gone Sovereign' ? ? 4 'March to the Sea' Baroness ? ? From: 'Yellow & Green' Baroness had one of the year's better, yet often overlooked, albums and one of the tracks that makes it such a standout disc is 'March to the Sea.' The song starts innocently enough, with some nifty psychedelic picking before the power of the drums kicks in. The track provides a hypnotic feel throughout, as the band tell the tale of a friend lost to drugs, comparing it to someone who tied themselves up and jumped in the sea never to come home again. Listen to 'March to the Sea' ? ? 3 'Love Bites (So Do I)' Halestorm ? ? From: 'The Strange Case Of…' Halestorm got 2012 off to a rocking good start with the single 'Love Bites (So Do I),' a song that was an infectious concoction of punk, thrash and rock all in one foot-tapping, fist-pumping package. Drummer Arejay Hale absolutely kills the drumkit, while Lzzy Hale tells the tale of a girl honing in on a guy with a girlfriend and explaining why she should be his. 'Love Bites' became the first song ever from a female-fronted act to be No. 1 on the Active Rock charts. Well done, Halestorm! Listen to 'Love Bites (So Do I)' ? ? 2 'Leathers' Deftones ? ? From: 'Koi No Yokan' Fans certainly were excited when Deftones announced the impending release of their album 'Koi No Yokan,' but it was the first song unleashed from the disc that truly sent the band's devotees into a frenzy. While not the official first single, 'Leathers' is the most dynamic song on a disc that took the top spot on our 10 Best Rock Albums of 2012 list. Chino Moreno's voice soars to new heights when he sings the line 'Shedding your skin / Showing your texture.” All told, 'Leathers' just might be the most powerful rock song of 2012. Listen to 'Leathers' ? ? 1 'Weatherman' Dead Sara ? ? From: 'Dead Sara' Every once in a while, the rock world needs a swift kick in the butt from a new band. And in 2012, it was Los Angeles rock act Dead Sara who delivered the most dynamic song of the year. 'Weatherman' is a raw, uninhibited tune that perfectly melds frontwoman Emily Armstrong's incredible voice with a no-holds-barred musical attack led by guitarist Souixsie Medley. The track features the memorable line 'Go for the kill,' and that's exactly what Dead Sara did with 'Weatherman,' making it the No. 1 tune on our list of the best rock songs of 2012. Listen to 'Weatherman' ? ? What Was Your Favorite Rock Song Of 2012? Well, that rocked! Do you agree? Let us know what you think about our 10 Best Rock Songs of 2012 list. Is there a song we missed and if so, what would you knock out? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below. ?