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Theo Wargo, Getty Images There’s lots of activity in the Avenged Sevenfold camp right now. The band released the new song ‘Carry On’ for ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II,’ and the boys even make an appearance in the game, post-credits, as an animated A7X, playing the song. But most recently, word has come that the band is hard at work on a new album. In a new interview, frontman M. Shadows sheds a little light on the sonic focus of its new album and how their new drummer is fitting in during the recording process. The group’s new drummer, Arin Ilejay, is manning the kit on the upcoming album, something former Dream Theater skinsman Mike Portnoy did for ‘Nightmare’ after the band’s original drummer The Rev tragically passed away. Portnoy’s exit from his post as temporary touring drummer was a bit dramatic, but the band has moved on and is enjoying its experience with Ilejay pounding skins. “A lot of it’s been us refreshing him on what our influences are and where we’re coming from as a band,” Shadows tells Revolver about how the process is coming along. “There’s a lot of things that he was never brought up on that we have to quickly get him acquired to such as Pantera and Metallica and Slayer and Megadeth and we’re introducing him to these records that were literally the biggest records when we were growing up. Just records that you have to know. He’s much younger and he grew up listening to Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet for My Valentine , ya know?” The band remedied Ilejay’s “newness” by handing him Pantera’s ‘Far Beyond Driven and Metallica’s ‘Master of Puppets’ as required listening and homework. Shadows said that A7X told him, “‘Learn these albums. You need to learn these things” because when we’re talking about ‘groove metal,’ we’re not talking about some Warped Tour band. We’re talking about f—ing Pantera! We’re talking about Black Sabbath , ya know? So we’re getting him acquired to that and I think he’s learning really quickly what we’re looking for. We’re not looking for an overly technically proficient drummer. We’re looking for a guy that knows how to fit the song and be in the groove and play the right thing in the right moment. It’s been cool. It’s been good. He’s been doing really, really well.” All in all, Shadows declared, “I wanna write a classic metal record, a classic rock record in 2013. So that’s our goal.” Meanwhile, Shadows revealed to Revolver that the satellite radio channel Ozzy’s Boneyard factored into the writing of ‘Carry On’ for inclusion on the recently released ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’ video game. Shadows and guitarist Synyster Gates were listening to the channel a lot when they got the call from the video game developers to do the song. “They asked for something uplifting and uptempo,” the singer recalled. ‘We were like, ‘Dude, let’s do a song like if a modern band was gonna do something that was gonna be played on Boneyard.’ Like, very thrash but melodic, more thrash riffs with a more Maiden-type vocal. So we just had fun with it. We only had a couple days to put the song together.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/avenged-sevenfold-perform-carry-on-as-characters-in-call-of-duty-black-ops-ii/” title=”See Avenged Sevenfold as Characters in ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II'” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Kid Rock has announced dates for the first leg of his 2013 U.S. tour in support of his recently released new album ‘Rebel Soul.’ He’ll be bringing along Buckcherry and Hellbound Glory for the ride. The trek, which follows his two-night stand in Hollywood, Fla., on Dec. 30 and 31, kicks off Feb. 2 in Kansas City, Mo., and is currently scheduled through a March 2 gig in Louisville, Ky. More dates are expected to be announced shortly. Rock will be touring with his longtime backing group the Twisted Brown Trucker band. Kid Rock recently unveiled the video for ‘Let’s Ride,’ the first single off ‘Rebel Soul.’ He’ll be performing that tune at the WWE Tribute to the Troops airing on the USA network on Dec. 19. Buckcherry, meanwhile, will be out in support of their upcoming album ‘Confessions,’ which is due in 2013. Check out the full list of dates for the first leg of Kid Rock’s 2013 tour below: Kid Rock 2013 U.S. Tour With Buckcherry and Hellbound Glory Feb 2 Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center Feb 5 Springfield, MO – JQH Arena Feb 7 Beaumont, TX – Ford Park Event Center Feb 9 Tulsa, OK – BOK Center Feb 10 Wichita, KS – INTRUST Bank Arena Feb 13 Bossier City, LA – CenturyLink Center Feb 15 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena Feb 16 Greenville, SC – Bi-Lo Center Feb 18 Fort Myers, FL – Germain Arena Feb 20 Pensacola, FL – Pensacola Civic Center Feb 21 New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Arena Feb 23 Birmingham, AL – BJCC Arena Feb 24 Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center Feb 26 Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Coliseum Complex Feb 27 Knoxville, TN – Knoxville Civic Auditorium Mar 1 Memphis, TN – FedEx Forum Mar 2 Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
Sony The best Rage Against the Machine songs showcase the band's unique ability to deftly mix rap and rock to deliver music of the most powerful kind: politically charged, pointed and with a purpose. Frontman Zack de la Rocha's venom and vitriol was wrapped around a message, and he was often seen performing maniacally, with his signature dreads flailing around his head, while Tom Morello's guitar functioned like a turntable, thanks to whammy bars and wah-wahs. The rhythm section of bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk added some bluesy and jazzy heft. All those factors combined were what made the music so explosive and incendiary. While RATM's catalog of studio albums isn't vast by any means, the superb quality of the music the band has produced is undeniable. Here, we present our picks of the 10 Best Rage Against the Machine Songs: ? 10 'Freedom' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? 'Freedom' closes out the band's debut album, and it's full of bluesed out, groovy riffing, chippy percussion, pulsing tension, a blunt theme, pregnant pauses and false outros, a jazzy breakdown (starts at 2:09) and mostly rapped lyrical delivery. The slowly builds to a monster breakdown and the moment when Zack de la Rocha screams, “Freedom? Yeah right!,” RATM have you in their musical vice grip. It's one of the 10 Best Rage Against the Machine songs because the music is as combustible as the message. It must've sucked to have been a politician when RATM were in their prime, pointing out all that ails the government machine. Listen to 'Freedom' ? ? 9 'Testify' From: 'The Battle of Los Angeles' (1999) ? ? 'Testify' features an effects-laden performance from Tom Morello, while Zack de la Rocha is as fired up as ever. There is a lot of distortion and chaos all over the song, so much so that it might mess with your equilibrium. The song encapsulates all the elements that Rage fan have come to love: anger, groove, aggressive, turntabling guitars. It's also clearly a band favorite, since they opened several of their reunion shows with the song. Listen to 'Testify' ? ? 8 'Bombtrack' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? It could be argued that all Rage Against the Machine tracks are bombtracks, but the actual (and literal) 'Bombtrack' is another exercise in RATM's deftness with rising and falling tension, which is executed with masterful precision. On a purely sonic level, it fuses just the right amount of rap and rock. It's probably the least overly political song of the band's self-titled debut, but it's still fun to scream “Burn, burn, yes you're gonna burn” in the chorus. Fire it up. Listen to 'Bombtrack' ? ? 7 'People of the Sun' From: 'Evil Empire' (1996) ? ? 'People of the Sun' is one of the 10 Best Rage Against the Machine tracks, partly due to the story that Morello dragged a pencil and a wrench against his guitar strings in the beginning to make those definitive sounds. We can't even begin to come up with a name for that sound, but it's inimitable. The song features de la Rocha largely rapping in his clear and concise way. There were other versions of this song floating around prior to 'Evil Empire' being released, but this is the most well known and it made quite the impact. Listen to 'People of the Sun' ? ? 6 'Sleep Now in the Fire' From: 'The Battle of Los Angeles' (1999) ? ? 'Sleep Now in the Fire' addresses the plight of Native Americans in the context of American colonialism. The point is hammered home by de la Rocha's rapid-fire raps, and since his syntax and diction are always clear as a bell, it's hard (but not impossible) to ignore what he's ranting about. Morello drops a feedback-fueled solo and it again leaves us wondering if he moonlighted as DJ Tommy M during the band's heyday. Listen to 'Sleep Now in the Fire' ? ? 5 'Know Your Enemy' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? 'Know Your Enemy' opens with funkdafied riffing, before quickly escalating into a punky rock track. Some of Morello's riffage sounds influenced by Metallica in a few parts of the song. It's one of the most noteworthy RATM songs because it features a guest vocal from Tool's Maynard James Keenan, who delivers his distinct, nasally vocal over a chunky breakdown, singing “I've got no patience no / So sick of complacence now.” Two '90s alt metal titans collided in the space of one song. “Legendary” pretty much sums it up. Listen to 'Know Your Enemy' ? ? 4 'Bulls on Parade' From: 'Evil Empire' (1996) ? ? Lyrically, 'Bulls on Parade' addresses the governments usage of military contracts for revenue purposes. Musically, well, Morello whammies like his life depends on it. Then there's the solo (which comes in at the 2:30 mark), where he sounds like he is scratching vinyl, 1985 rap music style. See what we mean about Morello making his axe sound like a turntable? That sound is most prominent on 'Bulls on Parade,' and that's why it is a standout track. Listen to 'Bulls on Parade' ? ? 3 'Bullet in the Head' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? Rage Against the Machine raged against the fact that the media is controlled by the government in this fan favorite anthem, easily one of the band's best songs. 'Bullet in the Head' is erected on thudding rhythms, rising and falling tension throughout the song and more of Morello's whammy barring away. It sounds like he is playing a sampler onstage. In 1992, that was unheard of. Take that, Electonic Dance Music fans! The groove-laden breakdown at three minutes in a moshpit igniter. De la Rocha also gets credit for screaming “a bullet in your f—ing head” with such fervor that our blood pressure went up a few notches. Listen to 'Bullet in the Head' ? ? 2 'Guerilla Radio' From: 'The Battle of Los Angeles' (1999) ? ? 'Guerilla Radio,' which earned the band a Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance, is more polished than anything on their debut, but it's still frontloaded with chaos, wah-wahs, some '70s bass thwap courtesy of Commerford and Morello's “spinning.” When Zack de la Rocha barks, “Turn that s— up,” the listener is compelled to follow his orders…stat. And damn if Morello's riffing doesn't sound like a MacBook at 2:30 in. He was so ahead of his time and ahead of the curve. Listen to 'Guerilla Radio' ? ? 1 'Killing in the Name' From: 'Rage Against the Machine' (1992) ? ? 'Killing in the Name' is the most explosive RATM song. It's funky, bass-driven opening, it's subsequent build up of tension throughout the verses and choruses, de la Rocha's repeated whispering, “Now you do what they told ya” to Morello's wailing during the 'F— you I won't do what you tell me' crescendo embodies everything that RATM were about. It's not pretty, the music blows up in your face like a nailbomb and makes you stare down things that are difficult. You don't need to see it live to know de la Rocha's veins in his temples are bulging when he spews those lyrics best accompanied by a middle finger salute. That's why 'Killing in the Name' tops our list of the best Rage Against the Machine songs. Listen to 'Killing in the Name' ? ? Favorite Rage Against the Machine Song? Now that you've gone through and combed our 10 Best Rage Against the Machine Songs list, how about you tell us your thoughts. Agree? Disagree? Is there anything we left off, of which you feel you can argue a strong case for inclusion? Let us know in the comments section below: ?
Razor & Tie / Nuclear Blast Hatebreed have successfully scored a win in their Death Match debut. The band defeated German thrash masters Destruction, so Hatebreed now continue their march to the Death Match Hall of Fame against a new challenger – technical death metal veterans Nile . Nile have just unleashed a new video for ‘Enduring the Eternal Molestation of Flame.’ Don’t worry about the title; your private parts are safe from a fiery and painful incident. Nile are currently trekking across Europe and are set to tour the U.S. once again in 2013, with the legendary band to play two massive sets spanning their 20-year history. See their current itinerary here . Can Hatebreed continue their winning streak? Or will Nile sacrifice the band with a Death Match victory? The choice is yours and yours alone. Vote now! (This Death Match ends on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 10AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Hatebreed, ‘The Divinity of Purpose’ Nile, ‘Enduring the Eternal Molestation of Flame’ ? Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? Email Me When Death Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the weekly winner of the Death Match, as well as our top stories of each day. Email Rules of Death Match Two bands fight to the death each week. Fans can vote once per hour. The triumphant band goes on to compete in the next Death Match. If a band wins four straight Death Matches, its song will be honored as immortal in the Loudwire Death Match Hall of Fame.
Nuclear Blast Records After dazzling North American audiences on a tour earlier this year, Swedish titans Meshuggah will be making a triumphant return to the continent in early 2013. The tour will kick off Feb. 11, 2013 in Orlando, Fla. Animals as Leaders and Intronaut will be opening for Meshuggah. Guitarist Marten Hagstrom talks about the upcoming trek as follows: “Finally, we’re getting our asses back over the pond to deliver a second helping of the Ophidian trek across North America. We are excited. We WILL see you there!” The band is touring in support of ‘ Koloss ,’ which was released to rave reviews in March. It has sold more than 42,000 copies in the United States. The single ‘Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion’ from that album entered Loudwire’s Death Match Hall of Fame in April. Advanced presale tickets & V.I.P bundles for Meshuggah’s North American tour are available here . The login is “meshuggah” and the password is “tickets.” The regular onsale date is Friday, Nov. 30. Meshuggah are currently on tour in Europe. After next year’s North American run, the road warriors will return to Scandinavia for another leg of the Ophidian tour in April, 2013. Meshuggah Tour Dates 02/11/13 – Beacham Theatre – Orlando, Fla. 02/12/13 – Center Stage – Atlanta, Ga. 02/13/13 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, N.C. 02/14/13 – Theater of Living Arts – Philadelphia, Pa. 02/15/13 – Roseland Ballroom – New York, N.Y. 02/16/13 – The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, Md. 02/17/13 – House of Blues – Boston, Mass. 02/19/13 – Sound Academy – Toronto, ON – CANADA 02/20/13 – House of Blues – Cleveland, Ohio 02/21/13 – Bogart’s – Cincinnati, Ohio 02/22/13 – House of Blues – Chicago, Ill. 02/23/13 – Pop’s – Sauget, Ill. 02/24/13 – Mill City Nights – Minneapolis, Minn. 02/26/13 – Union Hall – Edmonton, AB – CANADA 02/27/13 – MacEwan Hall Ballroom – Calgary, AB – CANADA 03/01/13 – Ace of Spades – Sacramento, Calif. 03/02/13 – Wiltern Theater – Los Angeles, Calif. 03/03/13 – House of Blues @ Mandalay Bay – Las Vegas, Nev.
Century Media In This Moment ‘s fourth studio album ‘ Blood ‘ was released in August, and on Dec. 18 a special double-disc set will be released exclusively via Hot Topic. The package will include the original version of ‘Blood’ along with a second disc with In This Moment’s version of the Nine Inch Nails classic ‘Closer.’ There are also four remixed songs from the album: ‘Blood’ (Sluggo Remix), ‘Adrenalize’ (Mr. Kane Remix), ‘Whore’ (Nikka Bling Remix) and ‘The Blood Legion’ (Mitch Marlow Remix). The title track from ‘Blood’ cracked the Top 10 of the Active Rock chart, and has become the top selling single of all time for the band’s label, Century Media Records. When it was released in August, the album sold more than 20,000 copies in its first week and landed at No. 15 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. The deluxe edition of ‘Blood’ can be pre-ordered at this location . In This Moment have been on tour with Halestorm and Eve to Adam . They are currently on the Shiprocked Cruise , and will rejoin the Halestorm tour Nov. 30 in Omaha. Check out our recent review and photo gallery of the Los Angeles show here: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/halestorm-in-this-moment-eve-to-adam-deliver-blistering-performances-in-los-angeles/” title=”Halestorm + In This Moment – Los Angeles Concert Review” align=”center”] Watch In This Moment – ‘Blood’ Video
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Soundgarden are now back in full force after announcing their reunion in 2010, and to help welcome them back in style, the band performed on the Monday night (Nov. 26) episode of ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ In front of a standing-room-only crowd, Soundgarden took the outdoor stage to play ‘By Crooked Steps’ and ‘Been Away Too Long’ before surprising the live audience with three extra tracks off the air. The legendary grunge band released their first all-new album in 16 years, ‘King Animal,’ on Nov. 13, selling 83,000 copies in its first week and debuting at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album has received mostly positive reviews from critics and fans, including the ‘Kimmel’ audience, which gave Soundgarden a red-hot reception as they jammed on two of their newest tracks. After plowing through ‘By Crooked Steps’ and ‘Been Away Too Long,’ Soundgarden gave their fans performances of ‘Rowing,’ ‘Rusty Cage’ and ‘Beyond the Wheel.’ Soundgarden may be seen by some as simply a gem from the past, but when checking out the band’s new material, especially played live, music addicts of all ages and backgrounds are sure to embrace Soundgarden in the present. Check out love footage of Soundgarden performing on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ along with fan-shot footage of the band continuing their set after the cameras had been shut off. Soundgarden Performs ‘By Crooked Steps’ on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Soundgarden Performs ‘Been Away Too Long’ on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ Soundgarden Performs ‘Rowing’ Off the Air