Ethan Miller, Getty Images We’d like to send out a very happy 50th birthday today (Oct. 3) to legendary Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee . Having manned the kit for Crue since 1981, Tommy Lee has been a crucial part of rock and metal’s musical fabric for over three decades. Known for his infamous exploits both on and offstage, we celebrate the unique life of Tommy Lee. Motley Crue perhaps set the benchmark for pure debauchery during the ’80s hair metal era. Along with his contributions to Motley Crue’s music, Lee added to the band’s reputation of consuming superhuman amounts of alcohol and drugs, escapades with an immeasurable amount of women, constantly adding new ink to their bodies and having numerous run-ins with the law. Crue dominated the airwaves during the ’80s with tracks such as ‘Girls, Girls, Girls,’ ‘Dr. Feelgood,’ ‘Kickstart My Heart,’ ‘Shout at the Devil’ and many more. After 18 years of drumming for Motley Crue, Tommy Lee left the band in 1999 to pursue other interests. Lee went on the build a career with Methods of Mayhem, along with two solo records, an album with supergroup Rock Star Supernova and a number of guest appearances with Nine Inch Nails , Rob Zombie and more. But thankfully, Lee rejoined the Crue in 2004 and has been rocking out with them since. Tommy Lee is one of the world’s most entertaining live drummers, with stunt-like feats constantly being performed by the percussionist. Along with his 360 degree spinning drum contraption and flying around stadiums to hidden percussion kits, Lee now brings his drum rollercoaster to Crue performances, upping the insanity level to a new high. We wish Tommy Lee a very happy 50th birthday, as does his bandmate Nikki Sixx in the tweet below: HAPPY B DAY to my brother @ mrtommyland .I love you. — Nikki Sixx (@NikkiSixx) October 3, 2012 Tommy himself tweeted out to all his well-wishers, with a big thank you: HOLY F@cking B-DAY WISHES!! My laptop’s smokin! Thank you n I love you guys… #rage — TOMMY LEE (@MrTommyLand) October 3, 2012 Check out Lee’s awesome live drum solo in the following video, which features the insane drum roller coaster. Then, click below that to see Ultimate Classic Rock’s list of the Top 10 Motley Crue Songs. Tommy Lee Rollercoaster Drum Solo [button href=”http://ultimateclassicrock.com/motley-crue-songs/” title=”Next: Top 10 Motley Crue Songs” align=”center”]
Cooking Vinyl Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: Marilyn Manson has released his third music video from the polarizing rock icon’s eighth album, ‘Born Villain.’ Check out Manson’s new video for ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ here. [ Loudwire ] Rob Zombie talks to Loudwire Radio about his new movie ‘The Lords of Salem,’ the upcoming tour with Marilyn Manson, Zombie’s upcoming album + much more. [ Loudwire ] In memory of the late bassist Cliff Burton , Metallica have offered a free download of a classic concert featuring Burton in action. Yesterday (Sept. 27) marked the 26th anniversary of Burton’s passing. [ Loudwire ] Neil Young shares how Kurt Cobain ‘s suicide affected him. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] Mumford and Sons’ ‘Babel’ nearing record-breaking first-week album sales. [ Diffuser.fm ] Slipknot ‘s Sid Wilson (aka DJ Starscream) joins the Rob Zombie / Marilyn Manson ‘Twins of Evil’ tour. [ Rock Music Report ]
Angela Weiss, Getty Images Korn ‘s Jonathan Davis will not be joining the Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson -led ‘ Twins of Evil ‘ tour after all, as exhaustion has taken its toll on the singer. The vocalist has kept a busy schedule in 2012, not only supporting Korn’s ‘The Path of Totality’ album on tour, but also exploring his budding electronic music career under the stage name ‘JDevil.’ The rocker has been doing remixes for other artists like his ‘Twins of Evil’ tourmate Rob Zombie and taking the opportunity to do DJ sets here and there. But apparently the full schedule of 2012 has caught up with him as he informed fans of his decision to back out of the tour via a Facebook posting . It read: Hey Guys- we wanted to let you know right away that JDevil will no longer be able to join Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson on their co-headlining Twins Of Evil Tour this October. Due to exhaustion from his recent eight week overseas tour with KORN, Jonathan’s doctors have ordered him to refrain from any travel and performing for the next few weeks while he recuperates. We got this from management: “Jonathan is really bummed right now and regrets having to disappoint anyone, especially his fans and his good friends Marilyn Manson and Rob.” We’ll keep you updated here, everyone expects he’ll be back on track soon. The singer also tweeted to fans, “I’m sorry guys. My head and my body are really f—ed up. Back on meds trying to get better. Dr. said no way I could perform. F—! I’m sorry. I really love you guys. I’m so depressed.” Davis announced his participation in the ‘Twins of Evil’ Tour at the end of July, revealing that it would allow him to pursue his EDM side project. At the time of the announcement, the vocalist stated , “I like to think of JDevil as the ‘anti-christ’ of EDM. To play along side Zombie and Manson is going to be a f—ing sinister night all around, and an unbelievable experience. I can’t wait.” Even without Davis, the pairing of Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson is a formidable bill. The ‘Twins of Evil’ tour launches Sept. 28 in Phoenix. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/korn-co-headliners-shiprocked-2012-cruise/” title=”Next: Korn to Co-Headline 2012 Shiprocked Cruise” align=”center”] ?
Karl Walter / Ethan Miller / Frank Micelotta, Getty Images Looking back on the best albums of 1992, we find an eclectic mix of acts who helped lead a creative infusion of new ideas on the standard hard rock and metal formulas. It was a time when we learned that hard rock and metal could be grungy ( Stone Temple Pilots , Alice in Chains ), groovy ( White Zombie ), proggy ( Dream Theater ) and politically infused ( Rage Against the Machine ). And it also proved to be a year when some established bands like Pantera and Megadeth delivered their most essential works. So let's take a look back in time with our list of the Top 10 Albums of 1992. ? 10 'Angel Dust' Faith No More ? ? It's hard to dismiss Faith No More 's 'Angel Dust' from the Top 10 Albums of 1992 when it yielded so many quality songs. The album, the band's second disc featuring Mike Patton as frontman, proved to be a worthy successor to 1989's 'The Real Thing.' Songs like 'Land of Sunshine,' 'A Small Victory,' 'Everything's Ruined,' and their odd cover of the Commodores' 'Easy' all connected with audiences, but it was the lead single, 'Midlife Crisis,' that ended up being the big hit on this record. Listen to 'Midlife Crisis' ? ? 9 'Meantime' Helmet ? ? Was there a bigger buzz band in 1992 than Helmet ? It seemed as though everyone caught up to the rockers with their sophomore set 'Meantime.' The unique riffs of singer/guitarist Page Hamilton combined with the powerful low-end coming from drummer John Stanier and bassist Henry Bogdan made Helmet a critics list favorite. 'Unsung' became an anthem for the alt-metal scene and 'In The Meantime' earned the band their first Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance. Listen to 'Unsung' ? ? 8 'Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs' Ministry ? ? Industrial metal favorites Ministry continued to evolve with 'Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs.' This was arguably the band's biggest release, with the propulsive 'N.W.O.' leading the way. Al Jourgensen 's 'ding-danging' on 'Jesus Built My Hotroad' was pure genius. Plus, the sample-infused 'Just One Fix' kept things interesting. Listen to 'N.W.O.' ? ? 7 'La Sexorcisto: Devil Music, Vol. 1' White Zombie ? ? The music world caught up to White Zombie in 1992. Though grunge had taken over, there was room for some variations on the metal genre, and White Zombie's groove-and-funk metal filled a niche. The hard-hitting yet equally danceable 'Thunder Kiss '65' became the first radio hit for the band, while 'Black Sunshine' went on to become one of Zombie's most popular live songs. Listen to 'Thunder Kiss '65' ? ? 6 'Images and Words' Dream Theater ? ? Dream Theater's 'Images and Words' has to be included among the best albums of 1992 as it was the disc that put the band in the collective conscious of metal and prog-loving fans. James LaBrie 's vocals on 'Pull Me Under' made it worthy of becoming the band's first commercial hit. Plus, the overall playing of guitarist John Petrucci , bassist John Myung, and drummer Mike Portnoy on this record set the tone for plenty of masterful records to follow. Listen to 'Pull Me Under' ? ? 5 'Rage Against the Machine' Rage Against the Machine ? ? Rage Against the Machine's first three singles didn't connect, but 'Freedom' finally brought Rage to the masses almost a full year after their debut album release. Once they finally hit, new fans discovered such concert gems as 'Killing in the Name' and 'Bullet in the Head.' Zack de la Rocha 's politically-charged vocals and Tom Morello 's dextrous guitar playing was unlike anything going on in rock at the time and provided a blueprint for many acts of that ilk to come. Listen to 'Freedom' ? ? 4 'Core' Stone Temple Pilots ? ? The second wave of grunge began in '92, and Stone Temple Pilots led the way. With the blistering opening of 'Sex Type Thing,' Scott Weiland introduced a brand new voice to the game. But while STP showed they could rock out with tracks like 'Wicked Garden,' it was the bluesier, moodier songs like 'Plush' and 'Creep' that set them apart from their peers. 'Plush' became one of the biggest hits of the '90s. Listen to 'Plush' ? ? 3 'Countdown to Extinction' Megadeth ? ? Megadeth's 'Countdown to Extinction' is a must for the 10 Best Albums of 1992, and is one of their best works. There was plenty of rich material for Dave Mustaine to address on this classic effort. 'Symphony of Destruction' spoke to themes of political power, and the memorable video ended up being censored due to MTV's concern over an “assassination” scene. 'Sweating Bullets,' meanwhile, offered a schizophrenic look at society and how our conscious handles events. Listen to 'Symphony of Destruction' ? ? 2 'Dirt' Alice in Chains ? ? Alice in Chains released possibly their best album, 'Dirt,' in '92. Buoyed by support from their 'Singles' soundtrack song 'Would?,' the disc got off to a fast start. A string of hard rocking hits including 'Them Bones,' 'Angry Chair,' and 'Down in a Hole' followed, but their fourth single 'Rooster' proved to be their most ambitious song. Finding the perfect blend of moody and aggressive vocals, Layne Staley took Jerry Cantrell 's words about his soldier father and helped craft an instant classic. Listen to 'Rooster' ? ? 1 'Vulgar Display of Power' Pantera ? ? Coming in at No. 1 on our list is Pantera's 'Vulgar Display of Power,' which was a must for any self-respecting metalhead in 1992. 'Mouth of War' became the band's first-ever charting single with sibling rockers Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell leading the way. The album's fourth single, 'Walk,' with its stop-and-go time signature and Phil Anselmo's legendary vocals, would eventually become an iconic track. Twenty years later, it's one of the most covered songs in metal. Listen to 'Walk' ? ? What Are The Best Albums Of 1992? There you have it, the best albums of 1992, in our humble opinion. There was plenty of great music that arrived that year and here's your turn to let us know what we missed. Should iconic metal acts like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath be there for 'Fear of the Dark' and 'Dehumanizer'? What about the very solid Social Distortion record 'Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell' or a pre-'Dookie' Green Day with 'Kerplunk.' What album is missing and what disc shouldn't have made the list at all? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. ?
It was recently announced that All That Remains would be hitting the road with Dethklok, Machine Head and Black Dahlia Murder for a massive fall tour. Before this trek, ATR will play Rock Vegas with numerous heavy-hitting hard rock acts such as Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Shinedown, Godsmack and Staind. The two-day event takes place Friday, Sept. 28, and Saturday, Sept. 29. We recently caught up with All That Remains
Rob Zombie‘s latest vision has made it to the big screen as ‘The Lords of Salem’ premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival over the weekend. The singer/director and a few members of his cast and crew took part in a Q&A session as well discussing the film. ? Zombie said of his initial idea, he explained, ‘Truthfully the inspiration came from five or six years ago. We went to
The 2012 Rock Vegas fest already boasts a massive lineup that includes headliners Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Shinedown and Godsmack. Now, the two-day event, which takes place Sept. 28 and 29 at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, just got a little more rockin’ as a few more big names have been added to the bill. Hellyeah have stepped in for Papa Roach, who had to drop out of the festival because of