Facebook: While She Sleeps UK act While She Sleeps are ready to break in America after winning Kerrang’s Best Newcomer Award . Now, in addition to getting to know the band, you can win a signed copy of While She Sleeps’ ‘This Is the Six’ album, as well as a bunch of other great items from the group’s label, The End Records. Included in the bundle is a Skull t-shirt, a Paradise Lost box set, a Cradle of Filth box set, two The End Records beer cozies, an AxeWound flat, an Audio Bullys bag, a “Here’s the Metal” hot sauce, and, of course, the While She Sleeps ‘This Is the Six’ signed CD. To learn a little more about While She Sleeps, check out our interview with the band, and then enter your details in the contest box at the bottom of the story for a chance to win The End Records Bundle Contest. We spoke with While She Sleeps guitarist Sean Long, who discussed the significance of their new album title, how they’re differentiating themselves from their peers, and what it was like to win the Kerrang award at such an early stage in their career. The title track, ‘This Is the Six,’ definitely has a special meaning for the band. Can you talk about where it comes from and if it was the obvious choice to be the first song heard off this record? It’s really hard to find an album title that is original and means something to you, we are really happy we landed on ‘This Is the Six.’ It basically means that we are the 5 and 6th member of the band is the crowd, our fans, anyone who has supported us in anyway, they are the six. So together we are part of the same this, THIS IS THE SIX! Guitarist Mat Welsh has stated that the band wants ‘This Is the Six’ to be an album that people grow up on? What were the qualities that drew you to the bands you listened to growing up and do you feel this album captures that, as well? Just music that stands out to me, I am a big fan of note selection. I believe the slightest change in note selection can change how you feel instantly so picking the right note for a certain song is very important. I really hope we have captured that because there are notes on that album that make me feel great and I get a feeling in my stomach that makes me love music. While She Sleeps have gotten some credit for thinking outside of the box in terms of their sound. What’s your take on the music scene and how do you differentiate yourself from other acts? I guess we just try our hardest to be different inside of all the music we love. I believe that all the music we listen to, which ranges from folk to metal, is captured in our music even without us knowing. You have a hard-rocking sound and there’s definitely a punk ethic to how the band addresses lyrical content. How much do you value having the platform to discuss things like politics, patriotism, and issues affecting the youth in your songs? I’d like to say at least we are singing about things that are real and that we are living in, things we all have experienced and about our lives as friends. The more people who like our band, the bigger voice we will have to let everyone know our opinions and join us! What are a few of your favorite songs off the record and can you discuss why they stand out to you? If I picked one I’d be lying to myself. I honestly love them all so much. We all really surprised ourselves with this so we listen to it like another band. Haha, but why not you know, we are very proud of it and love what we have created. What did winning the Kerrang Best Newcomer Award mean to you this early in your career? You have no idea. I cried for a start and I rarely cry. It just felt so amazing to know that what we are doing is real and people are actually agreeing with what we are doing. It was the best day of my life for sure! Fans wishing to check out While She Sleeps’ ‘This Is The Six’ album can currently pre-order the effort here . To enter to win a signed copy of the disc, along with items from Audio Bullys, AxeWound, Paradise Lost, Cradle of Filth and more as part of The End Record contest bundle, be sure to enter your information in the box provided below: While She Sleeps + The End Records Giveaway Enter your e-mail address for a chance to win a singed copy of While She Sleeps’ ‘This Is the Six’ CD plus a Skull t-shirt, a Paradise Lost box set, a Cradle of Filth box set, two The End Records beer cozies, an AxeWound flat, an Audio Bullys bag, a “Here’s the Metal” hot sauce. Contest ends Nov. 19, 2012. Click here for official rules . By entering this contest, you will receive email newsletters from Loudwire. You may unsubscribe at any time. Email Watch While She Sleeps’ ‘This Is the Six’ Video
Ethan Miller, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Zakk Wylde is flattered about the discussion of him filling in for Pantera , but says like Led Zeppelin before them, there’s a lot to consider after the death of one of their band members. [ Loudwire ] – Lamb of God ‘s Randy Blythe says a “heads up” would have been nice from the U.S. Department of Justice. He claims they were aware he was being investigated for manslaughter and did not notify him or cooperate with the Czech government. [ Loudwire ] – Black Veil Brides now have some tour dates to go along with the recent announcement of their ‘ Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones ‘ album. Catch them in North America in early 2013. [ Loudwire ] – Metallica ‘s James Hetfield makes some of the best “rock faces” out there. Check out several of his best concert photos. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – Black Country Communion guitarist Joe Bonamassa says he’s been bullied by singer Glenn Hughes in the media to alter his solo touring and recording plans in order to support the group’s latest record. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Some albums don’t connect with listeners right off the bat. Check out this list of influential records that initially bombed. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Promising U.K. upstarts Sharks have released the video for ‘Luck’ from their debut album ‘No Gods.’ [ Rock Music Report ]
Nuclear Blast Records On the heels of last week’s release of their latest album ‘RIITIIR’, the Norwegian band Enslaved has debuted the video for the song ‘Thoughts Like Hammers.’ The clip, directed by Jerome Siegelaer, is described as a “visual feast of land, water, sky, and air.” Guitarist Ivar Bjornson talked about the lyrics for ‘Thoughts Like Hammers’: “This is a song that is about what it says it is about from several perspectives – or maybe it is simply just a cool title? Nietzsche coined the phrase ‘philosophizing with a hammer,’ which on an individual level is what this could be about: testing your own values/idols/ego with a hammer rather than the usual light tapping with chopsticks.” Bjornson asks, “Are you man/woman enough to scrutinize your own inner world in the most brutal manner? There are many mythologically and psychologically-based starting points to look at it from. For me it could very well be a tribute to every process and ritual that seeks subjective truth at the merciless expense of objective illusions.” U.S. fans will have a chance to see Enslaved play live when they headline Scion A/V’s Roadburn Records showcase on Saturday, Nov. 10, at The Roxy in West Hollywood, Calif. Also performing are White Hills, Scott Kelly, Earthless and Astra. The show is free, but requires an RSVP . Watch Enslaved’s ‘Thoughts Like Hammers’ Video
Fangoria Anthrax guitarist and horror aficionado Scott Ian recently had his head split in two by a chainsaw … tough break, dude. Fortunately for Ian, it was a stunt head, and luckily for us, a camera crew was there to film the entire scene from beginning to bloody end. As a maniacal fan of all things horror, Ian was able to live out one of his wildest dreams thanks to the people at Fangoria . The third season of ‘The Walking Dead,’ which Ian once made a cameo in, recently premiered with many zombie-philes finally able to get their fix of undead kills. The premiere episode seemed to pack more of a punch due to visibly less digital carnage, with various members of the living-impaired getting their faces beaten in by blunt objects. In a sense of perfect timing, it’s only right that Scott Ian not only follows suit, but tops it completely. Ian states in the video below that one of his lifelong dreams was to have a cast made of his head. The fine people at Fangoria made Ian’s dream come true, as they coated his chrome-dome with alginate, which served as the foundation for creating an incredibly lifelike model of Ian. Unfortunately, Ian didn’t live long enough to see the mold, as he was quickly chainsawed by an overalls-wearing hillbilly. In all seriousness, it’s ridiculous how lifelike the skull-splitting looks, with copious amounts of blood jetting from Ian’s head cast as the chainsaw does its work. Check out the horror-tastic process of creating a human head from scratch along with the gory playoff. Watch Scott Ian Get His Head Sawn in Half
Roger Kisby, Getty Images By now, most people have seen, or at least heard about, Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong unleashing a profanity-laden rant at the recent iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas. Soon after the outburst, Armstrong packed his bags for rehab to deal with issues arising from substance abuse. The band has been relatively quiet about the details on Billie Joe’s health, but bassist Mike Dirnt recently went so far as to say, “I know that my friend’s life is in danger.” In the latest issue of Kerrang magazine, Green Day bassist Mike Dirnt opened up about the band’s current situation, which forced them to cancel an upcoming tour. “Billie doesn’t take things lightly and he wouldn’t take rehab lightly, either,” Dirnt tells Kerrang. “He’s in the middle of some really big things, but we’re going to pull through. It’s killing everyone. Green Day has never been a band that sits still, but sometimes you have to step back and let life go on rather than try to control everything.” Green Day had been preparing themselves for a tour with some warm-up shows, one of which we recently covered at New York City’s Irving Plaza. There was nothing alarming about Billie Joe’s demeanor or the overall mood of the band while onstage, but according to Dirnt, this is an incredibly serious time for the band members as they support their frontman. ‘I know that my friend’s life is in danger and that’s all I care about,’ Dirnt says. ‘We’re brothers-in-arms waiting for Billie to return healthy, but we’re not going to force anything. Tré and I will be standing here for Billie.’ Green Day are currently in the middle of releasing a triple-album, ‘¡Uno!’, ‘¡Dos!’, ‘¡Tre!’. With ‘¡Uno!’ having dropped in September, ‘¡Dos!’ is set for release on Nov. 13 and ‘¡Tre!’ will hit stores on Jan, 14. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/green-day-jesus-of-suburbia-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Green Day: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Facebook: Black Veil Brides Good things come to those who wait, and 2013 is looking especially good for Black Veil Brides fans. In addition to their recent announcement that their new album would be arriving in January, the group has also revealed their first extended tour in support of the album. The band will hit the road for what they’re calling “The Church of the Wild Ones Tour” beginning Jan. 4 in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Café. The North American trek will be broken up into two legs, with the entire month of January filling the first leg and the second leg running Feb. 17-March 8. The group will announce their special opening act on Dec. 8, and info about the group’s ticketing and VIP packages will be announced shortly via their websites and social networking pages. Black Veil Brides recently announced that their latest effort, ‘ Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones ,’ would arrive in stores in January. Pre-orders for the album are expected to start around Halloween. In addition to their 2013 touring, the band has booked an appearance at the California Metalfest in San Bernardino on Nov. 24. Black Veil Brides “The Church of the Wild Ones” 2013 Tour: 1/4 — Las Vegas, Nev. — Hard Rock Café 1/5 — Phoenix, Ariz. — Nile Theatre 1/7 — Denver, Colo. — Ogden Theatre 1/9 — Odessa, Texas — Dos Amigos 1/10 — Dallas, Texas — The Palladium 1/11 — San Antonio, Texas — Backstage Live 1/12 — Houston, Texas — House of Blues 1/14 — Tampa, Fla. — State Theatre 1/15 — Jacksonville, Fla. — The Edge 1/16 — Atlanta, Ga. — The Masquerade 1/18 — Baltimore, Md. — Rams Head Live 1/19 — Philadelphia, Pa. — The Trocadero 1/20 — Sayreville, N.J. — Starland Ballroom 1/22 — Cleveland, Ohio — Peabody’s 1/23 — Buffalo, N.Y. — Infinity 1/25 — New York, N.Y. — Best Buy Theatre 1/26 — Worcester, Mass. — The Palladium 1/27 — Manchester, N.H. — Armory 1/29 — Pittsburgh, Pa. — Alter Bar 1/30 — Toronto, Ontario — Opera House 2/17 — Allentown, Pa. — Crocodile Rock 2/19 — Louisville, Ky. — Headliners 2/21 — Chicago, Ill. — House of Blues 2/22 — Detroit, Mich — Crofoot Ballroom 2/23 — Mexico City, Mexico — El Plaza Condesa 2/27 — Salt Lake City, Utah — In the Venue 2/28 — Boise, Idaho — Knitting Factory 3/1 — Seattle, Wash. — Studio Seven 3/2 — Spokane, Wash. — Knitting Factory 3/4 — Chico, Calif. — Senator Theatre 3/5 — Reno, Nev. — Knitting Factory 3/6 — Sacramento, Calif. — Ace of Spades 3/8 — San Francisco, Calif. — Regency Ballroom [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bert-mccracken-of-the-used-joins-black-veil-brides-in-the-studio/” title=”Next: The Used’s Bert McCracken Joins Black Veil Brides in the Studio” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller / George De Sota, Getty Images Zakk Wylde ‘s name has come up more than a few times this year as a fill-in for a potential Pantera reunion, but before that could ever happen, the remaining members would have to determine if a reunion without the full original lineup is in their best interest. Wylde tells Brave Words that Pantera getting back together after the death of Dimebag Darrell is similar to what Led Zeppelin had to consider when offers continued to flood in after the loss of John Bonham. Wylde explains, “The guys … they’d have to talk about it. THEY’RE Pantera (laughs). I mean, they’re the boys. You get em’ in a room, and I mean it should be like Led Zeppelin gettin’ back together. You know, the guys gotta work it out.” The guitarist, who also fronts Black Label Society , says that it’s been nice to hear both Vinnie Paul and Philip Anselmo even suggest that he might be the guy if they were to reunite, but there’s still a long way to go before that could happen. Wylde says, “Put it this way. I’d be beyond flattered if the guys wanted me to do it and were like, ‘Zakk, we really want to do it and we want you to honor Dime’ and everything. I would say, ‘Yeah, of course I would honor Dime.’ But it’d be like the Jimi Hendrix Experience; you know Mitch and Noel, they wanted to get together to celebrate Jimi’s life and they asked Eric Clapton to fill in and play the guitar and sing the songs. I mean, of course Eric would do it, cause he was buddies with him. It would be that type of thing. But that’ll be a bridge we cross, if the guys ever get to that point and they wanted to do it. But I’m friends with all the guys. I always wish the guys the best with whatever they’re doing. I just had Vinnie on my radio show and everything like that, so it’s all cool. Like I said, I’m good with all the guys. So it would just be up to them and like I said, it’d be a bridge we cross when we get there.” While the Wylde rumor has been a hot one for some time, Anselmo stated earlier this week that even though he had met with Wylde recently, talk of the guitarist being part of a potential Pantera reunion had been blown way out of context . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-pantera-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Pantera Songs” align=”center”]