Photo by Matthew Rodgers Anthrax have just released a triumphant and in-depth video about their road from nearly calling it quits to gaining a Grammy nomination for ‘I’m Alive.’ The New York thrash masters have completed an incredible journey in the past few years, and according to the video, we all owe Lars Ulrich of Metallica a great debt. The introspective video begins with the story of how the very first ‘Big 4′ show was finally concocted. The video begins: “April 3, 2009: Challenges have brought Anthrax to the brink of an uncertain future… Charlie Benante , Scott Ian and Lars Ulrich are having a drink at a Cleveland bar just prior to Metallica’s being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lars suggests the idea of The Big 4: Metallica, Slayer , Megadeth and Anthrax in concert. It’s just the kick in the ass that Charlie and Scott need…” From there onward, the video documents vocalist Joey Belladonna rejoining the band on May 10, 2010, the recording of ‘Worship Music,’ the various ‘Big 4′ shows that were performed, the declaration of ‘Anthrax Day’ in the Bronx and even the fact that Anthrax became the first metal band in history to have their music played on Mars. Anthrax are now enjoying one of the peaks of their career and are now awaiting the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, where they will face formidable competition in the Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category . Check out the story of Anthrax’s resurgence in the video below. Anthrax ‘I’m Alive’ Grammy Nomination Video
Ethan Miller, Getty Images For a band like Rise Against , the creative process is always ongoing, but frontman Tim McIlrath says that it may actually be a little while before we hear from them again. The singer tells Rolling Stone that the group wants to “recharge” a bit before starting in on a new record. “We always have new ideas floating around, we always have new songs and new ideas,” says McIlrath. “[But] we’re kind of focusing on recharging our batteries right now. We’ve been a band for 12 years. We’ve been hitting it hard and looking at this band like a marathon, not a sprint. We realize we need to invest time in our music and our songs, as well as invest time into ourselves, our lives, so I think for the next few months, that’s what we’ll be doing.” McIlrath says getting away from the touring life for a while and getting back to normal surroundings will give them a better perspective when it comes time to write again. The vocalist also stated that while they are known for hard-hitting anthemic rock songs, he’s anxious to explore a softer side. That was partly inspired by their cover of Bob Dylan ‘s ‘The Ballad of Hollis Brown’ for the Amnesty International ‘Chimes of Freedom’ compilation. He explains, “It was something we hadn’t done before and I think we all walked away from the studio experience saying, ‘When we come back here, we need to tap into some of the things that we tapped into in this Bob Dylan cover. We took our foot off the gas a little bit, allowed the guitar tones to come out a little more, played things more deliberate instead of as fast as a speeding train, and we realized this could still be heavy.” For more from the interview with Tim McIlrath, visit RollingStone.com . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rise-against-savior-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Rise Against – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
There’s nothing like a little Death Angel music when you’re trying to set a sinister mood and that’s exactly what the creators behind the latest Carl’s Jr. advertisement were looking for in promoting their Jalapeno Turkey Burger. The hard-riffing Death Angel’s song ‘The Ultra-Violence’ provides the soundtrack to the 30-second spot, which centers on a man taking a solid chomp on the restaurant chain’s latest sandwich. The star of the spot eyes the burger over slowly before defiantly going in for the first bite as a cymbal crash coincides with the sound of him crunching through the sandwich. He pulls out one of the jalapenos, staring it down before cockily flicking it in his mouth only to have the heat from the jalapeno better him in the end. As he sweats upon his brow and tries to cool his tongue, a shot of the sandwich appears with the text reading, “Lean, But Mean.” The spot ends with the announcer teasing the sandwich, “The Jalapeno Turkey Burger, with pepper jack cheese and spicy Santa Fe sauce … new at Carl’s Jr,” over some major guitar riffage from the band. ‘The Ultra-Violence’ song itself clocks in as a 10-minute-plus instrumental. It’s featured on the band’s 1987 debut, also titled ‘The Ultra-Violence.’ Death Angel spent much of 2012 on tour with Anthrax and Testament and expect to release their highly anticipated ‘A Thrashumentary’ DVD early this year. The group is also eyeing some spring recording time to start work on their next album. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/death-angel-mark-osegueda-talks-nonstop-touring-a-thrashumentary-dvd-more/” title=”Next: Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda Discusses ‘A Thrashumentary’ DVD” align=”center”]
YouTube / Ethan Miller, Getty Images This may seem like an odd story for us to be reporting, but believe us when we say it … Kenny G’s son absolutely shreds on guitar. Yes, that Kenny G. Don’t believe us? We’ve got the proof right here. Max Gorelick is the son of the curly haired smooth jazz saxophonist, who has somehow sold over 75 million albums worldwide and has been the butt of an endless amount of jokes in his time. Regardless, musical prowess definitely runs in the family, as demonstrated by Gorelick’s shredding for a YouTube-based Mayones / Seymour Duncan guitar solo contest . Polish guitar company Mayones and Seymour Duncan pickups are hosting the contest, where the player of the sickest solo will win a brand new Mayones Reguis 7 Custom guitar. The worldwide competition will also award the five finalists with a set of Seymour Duncan pickups. Even Megadeth gave Gorelick their stamp of approval via Facebook , by posting, “His dad may live in your elevator, but Kenny G’s kid shreds!” Not a bad endorsement at all, especially when Megadeth share the video with their 5 million Facebook fans. Check out Max Gorelick’s guitar work for yourself in the video below. Kenny G’s Son Max Gorelick Shreds!
Jo Hale, Getty Images / Men’s Warehouse Breaking news from Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine ! According to the legendary thrash musician, the Men’s Warehouse shop in Salt Lake City, Utah, has sub-par delivery service. That’s right: As of 11:11 PM PST on Dec. 28, 2012, Megadeth tour manager Jim Carroccio was yet to receive a gift certificate that Mustaine ordered from the outlet. Thankfully, Mustaine has documented the case and posted a lengthy description on Megadeth’s Facebook page. Megadeth’s 5 million Facebook followers were treated to the story right before the new year. In a note aptly titled, ‘ Men’s Warehouse ,’ Mustaine detailed his recent trouble with the chain, all stemming from a gift certificate the red-headed shredder gave to Jim Carroccio. Beginning with the perfect intro for a Mustaine rant, “You know me, I don’t complain much in writing,” the Megadeth frontman writes: Droogies, I know that not all of you have the kind of job that requires a suit, or wear a suit when you (if you) go to any kind of faith-based service, court date, wedding or funeral, but if you do…you are going to want to read this. You know me, I don’t complain much in writing, but I gotta get this off my chest. A few days before Christmas I purchased a gift certificate from the Men’s Warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah as a gift for our awesome tour manager Jim Carroccio. You know the Men’s Warehouse…the old geezer with the voice that sound like he has chain-smoked since he was a fetus; the one that espouses, “I absolutely guarantee you’re gonna like the way you look,” or some manure like that, right? Well, I was talking to Jim today and wondering why he didn’t say anything (I think we all wonder sometimes when our loved ones or friends get gifts if they actually like them) and it turns out that they decided to hold my order, otherwise called by them as “pending,” and told no one. For almost 9 days now I have been waiting for delivery of this gift certificate, and I wouldn’t say anything because it IS the holidays, but these salesmen promised that they would GUARANTEE a two-day delivery of the certificate to Jim (it seems they throw this word GUARANTEE around quite a lot). So, we called and asked what happened and they have no explanation whatsoever, they didn’t care, and when we asked if they were going to do anything to remedy this, they made no effort whatsoever for this mix-up…although they did promise me the same GUARANTEE that they gave me when I bought it; that is that they will send it “two-day delivery,” but I already was promised this. Maybe they mean 12 day delivery. I really think that it sucks when people make false claims, that they don’t care to make good on a problem that is clearly their fault, and with all of the “ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE IT” crap I just had to say something. We are all living in very tight financial times right now, and like I said, you may not wear a suit for your job or for an event or occasion, but if you do, I would strongly recommend you wear someone else’s suits. Go to Jos. A Bank instead. I for one, will never set foot in a Men’s Warehouse, even for shelter from a blizzard. I absolutely GUARANTEE it. Dave Mustaine We’ll be sure to update fans immediately as soon as we hear any word of the gift certificate safely arriving. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/dave-mustaine-inspiration-jesus-clint-eastwood-upcoming-megadeth-album/” title=”Dave Mustaine Influenced by Clint Eastwood and Jesus Christ” align=”center”]
SoundgardenWorld.com We’ve got an awesome prize to offer Soundgarden fans nationwide. To celebrate the release of the band’s 2012 album, ‘King Animal,’ and the legendary grunge act’s upcoming tour, we’re going to give one lucky winner a full-on prize pack to see Soundgarden live in Seattle. This Soundgarden prize pack includes round-trip airfare for two from the winner’s city to Seattle, Wash. (Feb. 7 – 9), two nights at a nearby hotel, a meet-and-greet with the members of Soundgarden, $500 in spending cash and, of course, two tickets to Soundgarden’s Feb. 8 concert at the Paramount Theatre. This once-in-a-lifetime prize pack is one you won’t want to miss out on and it’s 100 percent free to enter. For a chance to win our Soundgarden contest, just click the button below and sign up! This contest will end on Jan. 12, so enter now! [button href=”http://loudwire.com/vip/contest/featured-contests/see-soundgarden-live-in-seattle/” title=”Enter the Soundgarden in Seattle Contest Here” align=”center”]
Facebook: Halestorm With a new album, massive amounts of touring and a Grammy nomination, 2012 proved to be incredibly successful for Halestorm . Now, 2013 is looking bright for the band, as well. Loudwire recently had the chance to chat with singer Lzzy Hale about the band’s upcoming plans for 2013, and the frontwoman expects the year to be just as big as 2012, if not bigger. “Well, if 2012 is any indication of 2013, I think we’re all going to die of happiness – there’s no end in sight to the touring,” she told us. “We’re just going to keep going and we’re going overseas again. We have a lot of things in the works: we’re definitely recording more videos and going to put out more singles.” She adds, “There’s going to be a lot of traveling, which is awesome, and some opportunities have opened up; we might be going to some other countries that we’ve never been to. It’s going to be awesome.” Hale concludes, “It’s just going to be a lot of fun I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next. We just continue to do what we love with the people we love.” There’s still time to vote for Lzzy Hale and Halestorm in several categories in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards, including Rock Goddess of the Year, Rock Song of the Year and more. Start voting here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/halestorm-lzzy-hale-on-grammy-nomination-personal-victory-for-the-four-of-us/” title=”Next: Lzzy Hale Talks Grammy Nomination” align=”center”]