Metal Blade The Vans Warped Tour — it’s not just for skater punks and emo kids anymore. In recent years, the traveling festival has increasingly added some harder rocking bands and the Black Dahlia Murder have just been announced as participants in the 2013 trek. As they’ve done in recent years, organizers for the festival are announcing a new batch of bands weekly until revealing the full lineup sometime next spring. The announcements are only a couple of weeks in at this point, but already the Black Dahlia Murder will join I See Stars , Like Moths to Flames and Stick to Your Guns as some of the hardest rocking acts the festival has seen. Black Dahlia Murder vocalist Trevor Strnad says of their participation: “We in the Black Dahlia Murder look forward to seeing you and your friend’s fancy haircuts this summer at the Van’s Warped Tour. I think it’s safe to say that all of us in TBDM have attended this tour at various points and have fond memories of this great American punk rock freak show. This time, we shall be the freaks … the sore thumb poking at your eyeball. We are proud to be the fastest, craziest, and most evil band that has ever played Warped Tour … hundreds of bands will enter, one band will leave. Us. We will emerge from the rubble like the giant cockroach men we are. See ya this summer… let’s get warped!!!” The 2013 Vans Warped Tour gets under way June 15 in Auburn, Wash., and runs through an Aug. 4 finale in Houston, Texas. 2013 Vans Warped Tour Dates: 6/15 — Auburn, Wash. — White River Amphitheatre 6/16 — Portland, Ore. — Expo Center Parking Lot 6/19 — Chula Vista, Calif. — Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre 6/20-1 — Pomona, Calif. — Pomona Fairplex 6/22 — Mountain View, Calif. — Shoreline Amphitheatre 6/23 — Ventura, Calif. — Ventura County Fairground at Seaside Park 6/26 — Las Cruces, N.M. — NMSU Practice Field 6/27 — Mesa, Ariz. — Quail Run Park 6/28 — Las Vegas, Nev. — TBA 6/29 — Salt Lake City, Utah — Utah State Fairpark 6/30 — Denver, Colo. — Sports Authority Field at Mile High 7/3 — Noblesville, Ind. — Klipsch Music Center 7/5 — Toronto, Ontario — The Flats – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre 7/6 — Darien Center, N.Y. — Darien Lake Performing Arts Center 7/7 — Holmdel, N.J. — PNC Bank Arts Center 7/9 — Virginia Beach, VA — Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach 7/10 — Columbia, Md. — Merriweather Post Pavilion 7/11 — Mansfield, Mass. — Comcast Center 7/12 — Camden, N.J. — Susquehanna Bank Center 7/13 — Uniondale, N.Y. — Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 7/14 — Hartford, Ct. — Comcast Theatre 7/16 — Scranton, Pa. — Toyota Pavilion 7/17 — Burgettstown, Pa. — First Niagara Pavilion 7/18 — Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio — Blossom Music Center 7/19 — Auburn Hills, Mich. — The Palace 7/20 — Tinley Park, Ill. — First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre 7/21 — Shakopee, Minn. — Canterbury Park 7/23 — Kansas City, Kan. — Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre 7/24 — Maryland Heights. Mo. — Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 7/25 — Atlanta, Ga. — Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood 7/26 — St. Petersburg, Fla. — Vinoy Park 7/27 — West Palm Beach, Fla. — Cruzan Amphitheatre 7/28 — Orlando, Fla. — TBA 7/29 — Charlotte, N.C. — Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre 7/30 — Cincinnati, Ohio — Riverbend Music Center 7/31 — Milwaukee, Wis. — Marcus Amphitheatre 8/2 — Dallas, Texas — Gexa Energy Pavilion 8/3 — San Antonio, Texas — AT&T Center 8/4 — Houston, Texas — Reliant Center Parking Lot [button href=”http://loudwire.com/black-dahlia-murder-drummer-shannon-lucas-exits-band-to-pursue-other-projects/” title=”Next: Black Dahlia Murder Drummer Shannon Lucas Exits Band” align=”center”]
Metal Blade Swedish ambient heavy metallers Ghost have just released their first offering from their upcoming sophomore album. This offering comes in the form of a new song titled ‘Secular Haze.’ Even better, Ghost are giving it away for free. If ‘Secular Haze’ is any indication of what the band’s highly anticipated 2013 album will provide our ears, we’ve got something great to look forward to next year. For those who are unaware of Ghost, the band consists of five nameless ghouls draped in pious robes and masks, while the collective’s singer dons the exterior of an evil Pope. Ghost’s vocalist, Papa Emeritus, is the only member given a name, although he now goes by Papa Emeritus II, perhaps to signify the proceedings of a second album. Ghost’s debut album, ‘Opus Eponymous,’ received an incredibly positive response from critics and metal / rock fans, mostly due to its originality, atmosphere and strong composition. Be sure to keep your ears tuned to Ghost throughout 2013, as they could certainly be one of the year’s most important breakout acts. To download ‘Secular Haze’ for free, head on over to Ghost’s official website and type in your email. Also, see below to check out ‘Secular Haze’ performed live to take in both the sonic and visual elements of that which is Ghost. Ghost, ‘Secular Haze’ (Live)
Tenth Street Entertainment Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Motley Crue singer Vince Neil battled with some of his Twitter followers about gun control following the horrific Newtown Elementary School shooting. [ Loudwire ] – Anthrax have been named as the headlining act for the 2013 Metal Alliance tour with support from Municipal Waste , Exodus and more. Anthrax will also be playing one of their classic albums in its entirety. [ Loudwire ] – Exclusive: In This Moment release Sluggo Remix of their song ‘Blood.’ [ Loudwire ] – Machine Head ‘s Robb Flynn struck by taxi in New York City and later slams All That Remains onstage for an additional issue. [ Loudwire ] – Hatebreed vocalist and Connecticut resident Jamey Jasta offers heartfelt comments on the recent school shooting. [ Loudwire ] – Jason Newsted posts letter revealing his self-titled band’s ‘Metal’ EP. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – KISS characters to star in 2013 individual comic book issues. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – 49 Years Ago: First Beatles airplay on American radio. Find out which song it was here. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Nirvana reunion rumors are “nonsense” according to rep of Dave Grohl. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Social Distortion announce additional West Coast dates. [ Rock Music Report ]
A benefit concert in memory of Suicide Silence vocalist Mitch Lucker will be held on Friday (Dec. 21) at the Fox Theater in Pomona, Calif., and the latest batch of guest vocalists has been announced. Phil Bozeman ( Whitechapel ), Austin Carlile ( Of Mice & Men ), Cameron “Big Chocolate” Argon and Ricky Hoover (Ex-Suffokate) have all been added to the bill. It was previously announced that Hellyeah / Mudvayne frontman Chad Gray , As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis and All Shall Perish vocalist Eddie Hermida would also be participating in the show. A post on Suicide Silence’s Facebook page also lists ex-Bury Your Dead singer Myke Terry and After The Burial frontman Anthony Notarmaso as guest vocalists. Each song at the concert will feature a different guest vocalist, with more announcements forthcoming. Proceeds from the show will go toward a memorial fund to raise money for the future education of Lucker’s daughter Kenadee. Ticketmaster is also donating a portion of its fees to Kenadee’s education fund. The concert will be hosted by Sirius/XM’s Jose Mangin. Lucker died at the age of 28 after a Halloween night motorcycle accident in Huntington Beach, Calif. He is survived by Kenadee and his wife Jolie Carmadella. Watch Mitch Lucker Memorial Show Announcement
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Metalheads in New York City got a treat on Friday night (Dec. 14) when Dethklok , All That Remains , Machine Head and the Black Dahlia Murder came into town for their rescheduled show at Roseland Ballroom. The show was a makeup gig for a concert that was canceled in the midst of Hurricane Sandy. The Black Dahlia Murder kicked off the night of metal with a vigorous performance that got fans going early on. Machine Head followed and put on one of the best sets of the night. Their performance was raw and powerful as they started with ‘This Is the End’ off of their latest album ‘Unto The Locust.’ They also dedicated ‘Aesthetics of Hate’ to the late Dimebag Darrell and conducted a moment of silence for Suicide Silence frontman Mitch Lucker. Throughout the tour, Machine Head and All That Remains had switched slots on the bill, but there was a tad bit of drama when Machine Head frontman addressed the crowd to explain that earlier in the day he was hit by a cab and asked All That Remains to go on earlier. Flynn seemed to be a bit irritated as he went on to say that during the tour they had covered for All That Remains when they needed more time by going on right after the Black Dahlia Murder. (Watch Robb Flynn’s rant here .) All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte addressed the situation during their set by saying that they would have switched if they had known about the situation. The fans didn’t seem too phased by the misunderstanding since both bands gave stellar performances. Labonte and his crew kicked off their set with ‘This Calling,’ and performed new tracks such as ‘Down Through the Ages’ and ‘Stand Up,’ as well as their very popular tunes ‘Six’ and ‘Two Weeks.’ Guitarist Oli Herbert was nothing short of phenomenal throughout the band’s entire set and he shredded every note impeccably. Dethklok is truly a special experience whether you are a fan of the show ‘Metalocalypse’ or not. The band plays in front of a massive screen which shows clips from the animated series — it is a theatrical and massively entertaining set to say the least. Frontman and creator of the show, Brendon Small, is a truly talented individual and gave one hell of a performance along with guitarist Mike Keneally, bassist Bryan Beller and legendary drummer Gene Hoglan. As mentioned, the entire show was rescheduled due to Hurricane Sandy, which was fervently cussed out by Brendon Small. Dethklok’s set included fan favorites the ‘Deththeme,’ ‘Murmaider,’ ‘Thunderhorse,’ ‘Awaken’ and many others. Dethklok also delighted the crowd with new tunes such as ‘I Ejaculate Fire,’ ‘The Galaxy’ and ended their set with the awesome tune ‘Crush the Industry’ off of their new record ‘Dethalbum III.’ Check out photos of all the bands performing in New York City: Dethklok: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire All That Remains: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Machine Head: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire The Black Dahlia Murder: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Japanese metallers Dir En Grey released their latest album ‘Dum Spiro Spero’ in 2011, but vocalist Kyo had throat problems that caused them to cancel a U.S. tour supporting that album earlier this year. However, he has recovered and the band has issued a new single called ‘Rinkaku’ (listen below). The single will be officially released on Wednesday (Dec. 19). It will include ‘Rinkaku,’ a new version of ‘Kiri to Mayu’ (originally released on their 1997 debut EP ‘Missa’) and a remix of ‘Rinkaku’ by Akira Yamaoka, known for his sound design work on the horror game series ‘Silent Hill.’ A couple of other versions will also be available. The limited edition will feature a bonus DVD featuring scenes from the recording of ‘Rinkaku’. There’s also a limited order-only deluxe version that includes the single along with a DVD that has an entire concert that was recorded in November of 2011 in Tokyo along with the behind the scenes footage from the ‘Rinkaku’ recording. In a description on the band’s website, the song is described as a departure for the band in terms of its sound. It reads as follows: “The track is unlike anything you have heard before, almost overturning the band’s musical concept on a new scale, coming in with a range full of depth with Kyo’s vocals that evoke classical elements in this beautiful and intricate melodic track which builds up dramatically with the intertwining guitars and bass.” Dir En Grey are known for their loyal fan base, and have been nominated in the Most Devoted Fans category in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards . Listen to Dir En Grey – ‘Rinkaku’
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire We’re all used to seeing singer Jamey Jasta tear it up onstage with Hatebreed but the rocker we see in concert is also a prideful Connecticut native and a father of a young daughter. We spoke with Jasta earlier today (Dec. 17) about Hatebreed’s upcoming album, but we also took the opportunity to discuss the tragic elementary school shooting that took place on Friday in Newtown, Conn. Jasta not only offered his feelings about the horrific incident, but also relayed his own personal story of how his day unfolded, since it all happened so close to home for him. “I haven’t even really wrapped my mind around it yet,” Jasta told Loudwire. “I got my nephew off the bus on Friday and I was running around earlier in the day and me and my nephew we usually go get a snack right after school and then we go get my daughter at her school – both schools are about 20-25 minutes from Newtown.” Jasta continued, “When I went into the place where we usually get his snack, there’s a big TV above the register and the guy who we know behind the counter just had his hands over his mouth and he was just staring at the television in shock. I was like, ‘What’s going on?’ and he was like, ‘I don’t know it looks like there was a shooting but they said that a teacher got shot and that the gunman is dead.’” “When we walked out I was like, ‘Wow, that’s disturbing’ and we walked out of there, I got gas, my nephew had asked me what happened and what was on the TV and he’s only five and I said that something bad had happened but we don’t know and we’ll have to see.” Jasta went on to say, “We went to my office and I started getting a couple of frantic calls like, ‘Hey are you near there? Where does your daughter go to school? Hey where do your nieces and nephews go to school? Is Everything okay?’ Then I got a call from someone who was crying and I knew something really bad had happened but I didn’t know the whole story yet.” “I got in my car and turned on the news and headed over to get my daughter and they had locked down the doors at every school in the area. Parents were already lined up early to get their kids out of school and I could see parents in their cars looking very distressed and upset. When the kids got out of school, there were definitely people rushing to hug their kids.” He then proceeded to describe his weekend as follows: “On Saturday, I had to get on a flight – I spent most of Saturday traveling and most of Sunday traveling. I was probably traveling eight to 10 hours each day so that was a little bit of a distraction so this morning when I got up and dropped my daughter off at school and finally got back and turned on the news I saw that funerals had begun and that’s when it really started to set in – the overall tragic, senseless feeling of it all.” Jasta concluded, “ I think today is going to be my day to really wrap my mind around it. I don’t think anybody, whether you’re a child or not – I don’t think anybody deserves to have senseless violence taken out upon them. It’s going to be bigger than just me and my thoughts, hopefully it will start a national conversation to make the kids safer in school.” Stay tuned for our full Jamey Jasta interview, in which he talks about Hatebreed’s upcoming album + more. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/connecticut-school-shooting-rock-musicians-condolences/” title=”Next: Rockers Offer Condolences” align=”center”]