Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com With the release of their very successful second studio album ‘The Strange Case Of…,’ Halestorm have had one hell of a year, including a recent Grammy nomination, nonstop touring and plans for a new covers EP. Not to mention, the band received multiple nominations in our very own 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. We spoke to Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale shortly after the band’s Grammy nomination , and she was kind enough to share some thoughts on being one of the contenders for the Rock Goddess of the Year and other topics related to the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. “It’s so neat, thank you so much for including us in that,” Hale told us. “It’s funny, we were talking about this and it’s like, we’re the new kids on the block, so it’s neat that all of a sudden we’re part of this rock club. It’s just cool to watch and it’s a lot of fun for the fans, too, because they feel like they’re a part of something — so it’s really great that you’re doing that.” In the Rock Goddess of the Year category, Hale joins her pals Amy Lee of Evanescence , Maria Brink of In This Moment and other female artists who have been prominent this year in music. “It’s funny because just in the past couple years we’ve become really good friends with a lot of the people who are included, so all of us, between myself and Amy and Maria, we’re all voting for each other,” Hale remarks. “Right now, I’m on Twitter with Maria Brink and everyday [laughs] we’ll be like, ‘How many votes do you have now?’ It’s a lot of fun for us too.” Hale also talks about the her little brother Arejay Hale being nominated for Drummer of the Year alongside musicians such as Vinnie Paul . “It’s so funny, he’s so thrilled about that too. He’s like, ‘I’m with Vinnie! It’s so cool.’ I’ve been watching the whole time just getting everyone to vote.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rock-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Vote Now in Loudwire’s 2012 Music Awards” align=”center”]
YouTube: OrgyMusic Welcome back, Orgy ! Frontman Jay Gordon & Co. have re-emerged in the music scene with their new single ‘ Grime of the Century ,’ and Loudwire is bringing you the exclusive premiere of the song’s video. The clip may serve as the introduction of the new Orgy lineup for some, as Gordon is now flanked by guitarist-keyboardist Carlton Bost, guitarist-keyboardist Ashburn Miller, bassist Nic Speck, and drummer Jamie Miller. Musically, ‘Grime of the Century’ is the perfect bridge between the past and present. It’s got the keyboard-heavy vibe that you would hope for, yet it remains infectiously heavy and in the vein of the band’s past work. In the video itself, fans get a good look at each of the band members as much of the clip is performances with each musician shot against a white or red backdrop. There is, however, a narrative part to the video as a lovely young woman attempts to grab Gordon and the other band members’ attention, but the cleaner they are, the dirtier she gets until the “grime” begins to seep in on them as well. Orgy got out for a handful of dates last year to get the lineup sharp before heading into the studio. ‘Grime of the Century’ has emerged as the first new track from the band since their 2011 shakeup and it’s expected that more songs or potentially a new album will follow in 2013. In the meantime, fans can purchase the ‘Grime of the Century’ single at iTunes . Watch Orgy’s ‘Grime of the Century’ Video
Simon & Schuster It’s time for the holidays and you need stuff to add to your various wish lists. We’re assuming that you’ve already asked for the paperback version of Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi ‘s book, ‘Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven & Hell,’ as we suggested in our official Holiday Gift Guide , but another option is now available. The autobiography has been turned into an audiobook, read by former Black Sabbath / Electric Light Orchestra drummer Bev Bevan. The Iommi autobiography has received mostly positive reviews from Sabbath fans, who have called it “inspirational” and “fascinating” within Amazon.com ‘s feedback section. The book has also been praised for capturing the warmth, humor and intelligence of the legendary riff master. Iommi just announced the availability of the audiobook and expressed his excitement regarding Bevan’s involvement. “Good news, the audio version of my book is now available,” begins Iommi, “taken a bit of time but we’ve all been busy! I had a go myself but wasn’t comfortable when I listened back. Normally you just get an actor to voice it but I didn’t want someone who didn’t know me or the music business so I asked my old mate Bev Bevan (former Black Sabbath / MOVE / ELO drummer) as he already has a radio show and lived some of the chapters with me! I’m really pleased how it’s turned out.” The audiobook is no short listen, clocking in at 11 hours and 31 minutes, and is now available for Kindle, iPhone, iPod, Android and other MP3 players that can store over 500 songs. To purchase the new audiobook, or any other form of ‘Iron Man,’ click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ozzy-osbourne-celebrates-64th-birthday-recording-vocals-for-new-black-sabbath-album/” title=”Ozzy Osbourne Tracking Vocals For New Black Sabbath Album” align=”center”]
Ronnie James Dio: Official Facebook A hardy congratulations is in order for the religion of heavy metal … Yes, the religion of heavy metal. In the beautiful United Kingdom, thousands of people claimed “heavy metal” as their religion in a recent census, beating out Druidism, Satanism and Scientology. Bless all you metalheads out there in the U.K., for you’ve chosen to follow the path of Reverend Dickinson, Pastor Halford and Saint Dio, among other blessed musicians within the heavy metal realm. According to The Guardian , 6,242 people answered ‘Heavy Metal’ when asked their religion within the census. Paganism and Wicca ended up with more write-ins than Heavy Metal, but only 4,189 people declared themselves as druids, with even less claiming Scientology as their religion. Additionally, a total of 1,983 chose to label themselves as Satanists and a whopping 176,632 people claim to have mastered “the force” as Jedi Knights. The Heavy Metal outpouring has been spearheaded by Saxon singer Biff Byford, who helped gather the votes of metalheads. “Heavy metal is a tribal music and everyone is a member of the tribe,” Byford told Independent.co.uk in 2010. “The audience is very, very loyal… especially the Germans. It’s not like pop music, where if the next song isn’t good enough then forget about it; with our music, people will allow you to be shit sometimes, and that’s one of the great things.” “The music’s not about love,” Byford adds.” Our songs are more about Richard the Lionheart, steel trains and thunder. But when you do click with a big audience, it can be quite an experience, a massive connection… I suppose you could say it is a religious experience in a way.” Check out Byford’s victory video statement below via Metal Hammer. Saxon’s Biff Byford Celebrates Heavy Metal Religion Victory
Kristian Dowling, Getty Images Queens of the Stone Age are having a little fun with the media leading up to the release of their next album. Singer Josh Homme and band took the time to write up a missive on their forthcoming release for Mojo magazine, admitting a little bit of the pretention that comes with quotes hyping an album. Queens of the Stone Age have been in the studio for a good part of 2012 with Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl coming on board to play drums for the full record and both former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri and Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor lending a hand as well during sessions. The Mojo message , which featured a rather artful drawing of a single eye with a clock face in place of the pupil that’s set to 9:00, reads as follows: Dear Mojo, A stitch in time will save you 9, but … there’s no way we could have prepared for the journey up the river that is this album. In our grand plan, we envisioned our lives and recordings running like clockwerk. However, the reality has been manic and unpredictable. These songs aren’t recollections of the times we had. They are depictions of what we are going through in real time. It means even a bad event can turn into an unforgettable song — at least for us, ha. The record sounds like running in a dream inside a codeine cabaret. I hope you understand what that means, cause we don’t. Sounds like a load of pretentious s—! What? Gotta go, the therapist says our time is up… Queens of the Stone Age Homme recently spoke about the difficulty the band has had in getting their new album to completion. Though a firm title or release date has yet to be announced, it’s expected that the next Queens of the Stone Age album will arrive in the first half of 2013. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/nick-oliveri-vocals-queens-of-the-stone-age-album-rejoins-kyuss-lives/” title=”Next: Nick Oliveri Contributes to New QOTSA Album” align=”center”]
Nuclear Blast Suffocation have had a strange, yet incredibly productive year in 2012. Despite the messy breakup with drummer Mike Smith and the news that vocalist Frank Mullen would no longer be touring extensively with the band, Suffocation have finished recording ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ their first full-length album since 2009′s ‘Blood Oath.’ We had the chance to sit down with Suffocation guitarist Guy Marchais and newly appointed drummer Dave Culross, who manned the kit for the band’s ‘Despise the Sun’ EP, in their swanky hotel before their Stamford, Conn., show on Dec. 8. The duo reassured fans that Mullen is still 100 percent committed to the band, described what fans should expect from ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ clues on who Mullen’s part-time replacement vocalist could be and much more. Check out our in-depth conversation with Guy and Dave of Suffocation. Suffocation Talk to Loudwire
Ben Pruchnie, Getty Images / Twitter: Krist Novoselic Throughout the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, a monumental bulk of talent occupied the grand stage. During the charitable event, which lasted for over five hours, legendary artists such as Bruce Springsteen, the Who and the Rolling Stones performed for a worldwide audience, but the true highlight of the night was the collaboration between Beatles legend Paul McCartney and Nirvana members Dave Grohl , Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear (touring member) on the new song ’Cut Me Some Slack.’ Earlier in the day, there were rumors that McCartney would be singing the late Kurt Cobain’s parts for some Nirvana covers, but the collective instead performed an original track that they had written during an impromptu jam session . Bassist Krist Novoselic tweeted earlier that the song was “kind of ‘Helter Skelter’ meets ‘Scentless Apprentice.’ It rocks with a heavy groove. St. Paul is powerful.” Novoselic also tweeted out the above photo of himself with Grohl and Smear. ‘Helter Skelter’ ended up being the first song Sir Paul played as he finally to, followed by ‘Let Me Roll It,’ ‘Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five’ and ‘Blackbird’ among others before the one-time Nirvana musicians joined the Beatles legend. Throughout the 12-12-12 show, the official Foo Fighters Twitter page had been posting pictures of single letters in succession, eventually spelling out, “Cut Me Some Slack.” Rocking an electric ukelele and a glass guitar slide, McCartney showcased his trademark howl in the new track ‘Cut Me Some Slack,’ which mixed a heavy Nirvana sound with a ‘Helter Skelter’ attitude. The band was so incredibly tight, you would have sworn that the group were playing together for years. Grohl, in particular, was a beast on the drums. (Watch a clip of the performance below.) The song was genuinely mind-blowing, and the good news is that it will be the first cut on the soundtrack to Dave Grohl’s ‘Sound City’ documentary, according to a Foo Fighters tweet after the performance. Before McCartney’s performance with the members of Nirvana, the audience was gifted with the voice of Pearl Jam ‘s Eddie Vedder earlier in the night. The singer took a spot next to Pink Floyd legend Roger Waters to sing the rock anthem ‘Comfortably Numb.’ Vedder’s voice fit perfectly within the Pink Floyd standard, offering a diverse cadence to the track while switching back and forth with Waters. For more on the 12-12-12 Concert, click here . To donate to the relief efforts, click here . Watch a 30-Second Clip of McCartney + Nirvana Members Performing [button href=”http://loudwire.com/20-things-you-didnt-know-about-nirvana-nevermind/” title=”Next: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind'” align=”center”]