Frazer Harrison / Ethan Miller / Kevin Winter, Getty Images / Liz Ramanand, Loudwire It’s time to get those devil horns out of hibernation and get ready to rock again in 2013. Some of metal’s top acts are making sure to get things cranked back up to 11 in clubs, theaters and arenas over the next few months and we want to know which tour that you most want to check out. Veteran rockers Anthrax will team up with thrash icons Exodus , High on Fire , Municiple Waste and Holy Grail on the Metal Alliance trek, but they have plenty of competition for your metal attention. Cradle of Filth will headline a package tour featuring The Faceless , The Decapitated and The Agonist . Meanwhile, In Flames will get things rolling again by headlining a multi-band trek that also features Demon Hunter , All Shall Perish and Battlecross. And Hatebreed ‘s forthcoming trek finds the band sharing the bill with Shadows Fall , Dying Fetus and The Contortionist . There are also a number of bills that feature two main acts. For instance, The Devil Wears Prada and As I Lay Dying connect for a pretty impressive double bill of blistering licks. Down and Warbeast figure to be one of the hot tickets of early 2013. Every Time I Die has booked dates with the Acacia Strain . Thrash metal vets Testament team up with Overkill . And for those who like their metal a little proggy, then check out the Coheed & Cambria / Between the Buried and Me double bill. Plus, 2012′s breakout band Gojira is hitting the road with Devin Townsend. In addition, the always excellent Meshuggah are crossing the pond for another North American tour to kick off the year. So there you have it — some of the bigger metal tours kicking off 2013. Here’s your chance to tell us which trek you’ll be lining up to get tickets for. Vote for your most anticipated 2013 metal tour in the Readers Poll below: Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/most-anticipated-early-2013-rock-tour-readers-poll/” title=”Previous Readers Poll: Most Anticipated Early 2013 Rock Tour” align=”center”]
A&M / Octone Hollywood Undead continue to step up their game with the release of their third album, ‘ Notes From the Underground .’ The disc not only shows the wealth of talent the rap-rock collective has, but also the eclectic tastes they possess, as well. The 11-track album provides a variety of styles even though they’ve enjoyed their biggest successes to date with harder-edged rap-rock tracks. For those looking for what they’ve come to expect from Hollywood Undead, the lead single ‘ We Are ‘ is the perfect way to introduce the new album. With military-like drums providing an ominous opening, the band blasts into an anthemic track about fighting for your dreams no matter what obstacles may fall in your way. Hollywood Undead also deliver a pair of obvious radio-ready singles with two different slants. ‘Dead Bite,’ which opens the album, is more of a sinister track, complete with a demented child’s prayer that goes, “ Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the dead bite .” From there, the various members riff on personal conflicts, with Charlie Scene going so far as to rap about chloroforming his prey. The song offers several clever lines and a chorus that’s sure to get stuck in your head. Meanwhile, ‘Another Way Out’ is a full-on foot-tapper, with the band speeding up the beats-per-minute into what could easily become a club track. In fact, the song is so infectious you might overlook its stalker-y perspective on an obsessive relationship. ‘Notes From the Underground’ also features a handful of tracks that shows the band’s desire to push their boundaries. ‘From the Ground’ is as schizophrenic of a song as you will hear, with its piano opening and melodic chorus offset by moments of pure thrash metal. ‘Lion’ feels like something that came out of the Linkin Park songbook, with its intimate and haunting moments mixed with elements of in-your-face rapping. And the album closer, ‘Outside,’ is a surprisingly moving track that comes from somewhere deeply personal and may connect with audiences more than any track in their career. On a less serious note, Hollywood Undead also offer the bravado-filled ‘Pigskin,’ with its hip-hop leaning, sports and sex metaphors, and the unbelievably catchy sing-along, “ Hut one, hut two, hut three, go .” The band also add their bouncy weed-friendly track ‘Up in Smoke,’ stamped with their own sense of humor. All in all, ‘Notes From the Underground’ is not the most cohesive album and is not an aggressive rock record throughout, but with the band’s mining of several different genres, the group most certainly hits on something for just about everyone. ? [button href=”http://music.aol.com/new-releases-full-cds/#/3″ title=”Stream ‘Notes From the Underground at AOL.com” align=”center”]
Columbia Records The supergroup Mad Season , which included vocalist Layne Staley ( Alice in Chains ), guitarist Mike McCready ( Pearl Jam ), bassist John Baker Saunders (The Walkabouts) and drummer/percussionist Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees), released just one album, 1995′s ‘Above.’ Now, a deluxe edition of that album will be released on April 2. The three-disc set includes the original album along with previously unreleased tracks from Mad Season’s unfinished second album with new lyrics and vocals from Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees). Lanegan had previously provided guest vocals and some lyrics on ‘Above.’ The second CD is audio from the band’s final show. The third disc is a DVD of the ‘Live at the Moore’ show along with another previously unreleased Seattle show and other bonus footage. In addition to the digital and physical releases, an expanded two album vinyl edition will be released on Record Store Day, April 20. After its release in 1995, ‘Above’ went gold (shipping 500,000 copies). Work was started on a follow-up, with McCready, Saunders and Martin recording the basic tracks for 15 new songs. Due to health issues, Staley wasn’t able to make the recording sessions and the album was eventually shelved as band members moved on to other projects. Saunders died in 1999, and Staley passed away in 2002. In 2012, McCready, Martin and ‘Above’s’ original producer Brett Eliason got together and revisited material from the second album’s sessions. Mark Lanegan wrote lyrics and sang three of those songs, including one co-written by Peter Buck (R.E.M.) Mad Season – ‘Above’ Deluxe Edition Track Listing: ‘Wake Up’ ‘X-Ray Mind’ ‘River of Deceit’ ‘I’m Above’ ‘Artificial Red’ ‘Lifeless Dead’ ‘I Don’t Know Anything’ ‘Long Gone Day’ ‘November Hotel’ ‘All Alone’ ‘Interlude’ (previously unreleased) ‘Locomotive’ (lyrics/vocals by Mark Lanegan) ‘Black Book Of Fear’ (lyrics/vocals by Mark Lanegan) ‘Slip Away’ (lyrics/vocals by Mark Lanegan) ‘I Don’t Wanna Be A Soldier’ (remix) CD 2 – ‘Live at The Moore’ Previously unreleased full audio set of ‘Live at The Moore’ performance from Seattle, April 29, 1995. DVD – ‘Live at The Moore’ + Bonus Footage [button href=”http://loudwire.com/mark-lanegan-to-contribute-vocals-to-upcoming-mad-season-album/” title=”Next: More on Lanegan’s Contribution to New Mad Season Material” 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 .
Razor & Tie Connecticut hardcore titans Hatebreed have just released a fiery new video for ‘Put It to the Torch.’ The video consists of everything a Hatebreed fan would ever hope for; violence, blood and mystical tribes of ancient warriors initiating businessmen into their group through gladiator fire battles. ‘Put It to the Torch’ is Hatebreed’s first single from their upcoming sixth studio album, ‘The Divinity of Purpose,’ due out Jan. 29. The newest single from Hatebreed was released in November, and has been praised by fans ever since. ‘Put It to the Torch’ even made it to Loudwire’s Death Match Hall of Fame by defeating Destruction , Nile , the Contortionist and Upon a Burning Body in a series of Death Matches. The new Hatebreed video begins with an irritable young businessman bumping into a metalhead on the street before suddenly facing an attack by mysterious voodoo magic. After being thrown around like a rag doll in the streets, the man encounters a strange tribe in the woods who use fire as fuel for their wizardry. The businessman is handed a giant, flaming mace and is ordered into battle. We won’t give away what happens, but we can only wish that ‘Put It to the Torch’ was more than just over two-minutes long so we could enjoy this video for even longer. Check out Hatebreed’s blazing music video for ‘Put It to the Torch’ in the player below. Hatebreed, ‘Put It to the Torch’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/hatebreed-singer-jamey-jasta-cover-art-the-divinity-of-purpose-new-album-trailer/” title=”Hatebreed’s Jamey Jasta Talks ‘The Divinity of Purpose’ Artwork” align=”center”]
Roadrunner Records Killswitch Engage have announced that their new album will be titled ‘Disarm the Descent’ and will hit stores on April 2. This disc is the band’s sixth album, but first with original lead singer Jesse Leach since 2002′s ‘Alive or Just Breathing.’ The first single ‘In Due Time’ will be available digitally on Feb. 5, around which time pre-orders for the new album will also commence. Killswitch Engage have been touring continuously since Leach rejoined the band in early 2012 after the group parted ways with Howard Jones. They recently celebrated the 10 year anniversary of ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ with a tour across the States. Check out photos and a recap from the New York City show here . In a press release, Leach states, “It is with a grateful spirit that we prepare for this record’s release,” Leach said. “From the music, to the lyrics, to the artwork, we are all proud of what we have accomplished.” ‘Disarm the Descent’ is being produced by the band’s guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, and Leach reveals that he’s thrilled with the result. “To me, this is by far my best vocal performance, much thanks to Adam’s guidance and faith in my abilities. I am very grateful to be where I am in life, back in an amazing band with a record we are all excited for the world to hear. Thanks to all the fans for their warm welcome back and their undying love for Killswitch Engage.” Killswitch Engage have been confirmed for this year’s Soundwave Festival in Australia, as well as other festivals. To see a full list of current tour dates, go here . ‘Disarm The Descent’ Track Listing: ‘The Hell In Me’ ‘Beyond the Flames’ ‘New Awakening’ ‘In Due Time’ ‘A Tribute to the Fallen’ ‘The Turning Point’ ‘All That We Have’ ‘You Don’t Bleed for Me’ ‘The Call’ ‘No End in Sight’ ‘Always’ ‘Time Will Not Remain’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/killswitch-engage-singer-jesse-leach-discusses-upcoming-album-tour-with-shadows-fall-more/” title=”Next: Jesse Leach Talks New Killswitch Engage Album” align=”center”]
Kevin Winter, Getty Images Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has once again taken to his computer keyboard to share his beliefs with all who will listen. The subjects of Mustaine’s many posts via social media platforms have been both diverse and controversial, and this time, Mustaine has been talking to his fans about “chemtrails.” The theory of chemtrails is a belief that our world is being sprayed with various chemicals via aircraft for unknown reasons. However, one theory is that these chemtrails are being used to affect our climate. We’ve all seen the white trails that airplanes can leave behind while in-flight; these lines have been dubbed called “contrails” by aircraft specialists. It is universally agreed within the scientific community that contrails are most often made of water, triggered by the water vapor in the exhaust of an aircraft engine. Despite scientific consensus, there is still a contingent of people that believe these aircrafts are spraying chemicals such as aluminum oxide and barium salts into our atmosphere. Mustaine addressed his chemtrails belief in a set of tweets on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6, respectively: Shame on the pilots spraying the grid lines in the once beautiful skies of San Diego. Shame, shame, shame! — Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) January 5, 2013 It’s aluminum oxides & barium salts. They know what their cargo is. Only a fool or an accomplice would argue the unarguable. #chemtrails — Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) January 6, 2013 Mustaine also recently used his Twitter page to blast an CNN article posted on Jan. 4, detailing the Megadeth frontman’s tiff with Men’s Wearhouse . The CNN writer ended his piece by stating, “Mustaine still holds a grudge against the more successful Metallica .” The shredder tweeted: Get yer facts right @ cnn ! I don’t still have a grudge w/Metallica, but I do w/you now. Guess ya missed the Big 4 tour? twitter.com/DaveMustaine/s… — Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) January 7, 2013 Do you think Mustaine’s opinions on chemtrails have merit or are they based in an unfounded conspiracy theory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/new-species-tarantula-named-after-megadeth-dave-mustaine/” title=”New Tarantula Species Named After Dave Mustaine” align=”center”]