Photo by Stevie D. Buckcherry have a busy year ahead of them with the release of their sixth studio album ‘Confessions,’ which drops Feb. 19. They are also in the midst of a U.S. tour with Kid Rock that runs through early April. Loudwire had the privilege to speak to frontman Josh Todd about the new album and the things in his life that influenced its theme of the seven deadly sins. We also discussed the film project he is working on to compliment the new disc. Check out our interview with Josh Todd below: You’ve said that ‘Confessions’ is based on the seven deadly sins, and I’m wondering if you can expand on that and also tell me what the album title means to you personally? There was a point in my life – when I was a youth, when I lost a family member and I acted out in my grieving process through the deadly sins so that’s kind of what the story’s about on the record. I think the seven sins are timeless and that everybody struggles with them in their daily lives all the time – it’s something that we’ve been throwing around for a long time, [guitarist] Keith [Nelson] and I as far as doing a record. There’s a lot of people who’ve done it but we wanted to do our take on it and I feel like we really did it justice. As a lyric writer, I wrote all the lyrics — it was really challenging for me and fun, as well. When I sit back and listen to this I’m so proud that it’s part of the Buckcherry catalog. The record makes me look at the seven deadly sins in a different way – when I listened to ‘Sloth,’ I didn’t expect it to be so soulful. When thinking about specific sins, did you already have a certain direction in your mind that you would go with them? I’m glad you brought that up about ‘Sloth,’ because nobody’s really talked about it. That was the hardest song for me to get through. When you look up sloth it relates to suicide and my father committed suicide when I was 10. It’s about how I felt when that happened – when he actually called my sister and I on the phone that night before he did it. I can’t remember what he said to me because I was just too young to process it. He was just saying goodbye and I didn’t know what that meant, until the next day. It was heavy and I struggled getting through recording those vocals and Keith worked with me and was really sensitive about what I was going through to get it out, but I think it turned out to be really beautiful. There are songs named after the seven deadly sins, but there’s a total of 16 tracks on the record. How did you choose what other songs would accompany the theme of the album — such as ‘Nothing Left But Tears,’ ‘Water,’ ‘The Truth’ etc. I wrote a short film to go along with the record and we’ve had such a hard time with the funding and we’re still working on that. The original idea was to have the record be the soundtrack to the film and we wanted to incorporate some of the elements like ‘Air’ and ‘Water’ and that’s why those are there. ‘The Truth’ coincides with the love interest in the story and it’s a real beautiful story but I also wanted to write songs that were memorable and mean something to somebody else not just me and what I was focused on at the time. That’s part of the challenge with writing songs – you want to take enough of your personal experiences so that you can get excited about performing it every night and you can go back to that place and get motivated because you have to sing your songs thousands of times. What did you notice about writing a screenplay that differed from writing songs for you? I’m a really big fan of storytelling and writing and I read a lot of books and I’ve done some acting and I’ve read a lot of scripts. Maybe about six or seven years ago I took a swing at writing a screenplay on my own, and I wrote a comedy actually, and Stevie D., our guitar player read it at one point and was like, “Why don’t you ressurect a character that was in the comedy?” and make it about this film. At the time I was just writing a screenplay based on my life so I just combined the two. What’s the progress on the film project? We got a great director, his name is Billy Jayne and he just directed both of our first two videos ‘Gluttony’ and ‘Wrath,’ and we introduce the character in the movie. His name is Gilby Stretcher. He basically is me in the movie as an adolescent 17-year-old kid. It’s going to be good, it’s a beautiful little journey about a kid that comes home from school and finds his dad dead and acts out through his behavior and the seven sins and then finds a love interest. In the end, he forgives his father and his this girl that he’s down with who’s the complete opposite of him. It’s really cool. If you had to choose a well-known actor to play you in a biopic, who would it be and why? Let’s see I’d like a young Leonardo DiCaprio. He did ‘Basketball Diaries’ and I think he’s just a great f—ing actor. I’m a big fan of his and I think he’d do a good job. ‘Confessions’ is the sixth studio album for Buckcherry. How was the recording process of this album for you? This record took a long time and it was aggravating at times – a lot of writing and re-writing, we just put a lot of work into it. I think it’s going to pay off and I think it’s our best record, honestly. As a whole, as a body of work, I think people will take us a little more seriously than they have in the past. We did it again with Keith [Nelson] who produced it with Marti [Frederiksen] and that’s how we’ve been doing the last two records so that was familiar which I like. I like having Keith there because he and I have a long history and I can talk to him in ways that nobody understands. What is one of your favorite tracks off the record and why? Probably the one I’m most lyrically proud of and spent a lot of time on is ‘Pride.’ I think that’s a very cool song for us and really off the beaten path. It was more poetry, that song and I’m a big fan of The Doors and Jim Morrison. I wanted a song that was poetry and the verses are like that so I’m proud of that song. Buckcherry’s ‘Confessions’ drops on Feb. 19. The album is available for pre-order in a few cool bundles through the band’s merch site or digitally via iTunes . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/buckcherry-josh-todd-new-single-gluttony/” title=”Next: Josh Todd Digs Deep Into New Single ‘Gluttony'” align=”center”] Check Out the Video for Buckcherry’s New Single ‘Gluttony’
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Godsmack have been one of the most consistent hard rock bands over the past 15 years, cranking out hit after hit after hit for fans to digest. But the big question is what is your favorite Godsmack? That’s what we want to find out from you — the Loudwire readers — in today’s Readers Poll. Did Godsmack do their best work early? It’s hard to argue against the breakout tracks from their self-titled debut album. You’ve got the solid rocker and live favorite ‘Whatever,’ the infectious ‘Keep Away,’ the moody and bewitching ‘Voodoo’ and a fourth rocking single, ‘Bad Religion’ all vying for your attention. The band’s ‘Awake’ album featured the powerful and commercially successful title track and the hard-hitting ‘Greed.’ That was followed by the ‘Faceless’ album which spawned the ‘Scorpion King’ soundtrack single ‘I Stand Alone,’ the defiant rocker ‘Straight Out of Line,’ the moody curveball ‘Serenity’ and another rocker ‘Re-Align.’ Feeling the momentum of the ‘Faceless’ album’s stripped back moments, ‘The Other Side’ EP delivered the more acoustic-based ‘Running Blind’ and ‘Touche.’ Godsmack returned to rocking with their next two discs. The ‘IV’ album featured such upbeat tracks as ‘Speak’ and ‘The Enemy,’ alongside their mid-tempo favorite ‘Shine Down. And 2009′s ‘The Oracle’ unleashed tracks that provided just a little more bite like ‘Whiskey Hangover,’ ‘Cryin’ Like a Bitch’ and ‘Love-Hate-Sex-Pain.’ We don’t envy you as this will definitely be a tough decision, but vote in our Readers Poll below and tell us which track is your favorite Godsmack song: Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/hard-rock-metal-performance-grammy-award-readers-poll/” title=”Previous Readers Poll: Best 2013 Hard Rock-Metal Grammy Performance” align=”center”]
eOne Arkansas rockers Spoken have taken things up a notch with their latest disc, ‘Illusion,’ and you can check it out for yourself with Loudwire’s exclusive album stream, available right here in advance of next Tuesday’s (Feb. 12) release. The hard-hitting rockers definitely grab your attention right out of the gate with a pair of brutal tracks — ‘I Stand Alone’ and ‘Beneath the Surface.’ But it’s not all in-your-face aggression as songs like ‘Don’t Go’ and ‘Through It All’ show off a more melodic side. ‘Through It All’ and the anthemic ‘Take Everything’ are already targeted as singles from the effort. Singer Matt Baird says, “We wanted a record that both fans and musicians would appreciate. We spent so much time on it, rewriting and reworking over a period of years. This is the most fast, heavy, riffy stuff we have done.” The singer cites Slipknot and As I Lay Dying as bands that might have comparable sounds on some of the tracks, but he adds, “In the end, we are a rock band that has really aggressive moments. This is more accessible as we have ever gone, as well as heavier than we have ever gone.” For Spoken, ‘Illusion’ is the culmination of a period of determination and Baird says he’s anxious to share his passion for their work with fans. He explains, “‘Dedicated beyond reason’ has always been our philosophy and it has brought us through the storms to this point. I feel like I have been called to this from above, and this record is another evidence of that in my life. I can’t wait to see the impact it has, the people we will be able to bless in the process.” Spoken will play a handful of February shows around the album’s release and will then join Volbeat for their North American trek in March and April. Check out their tour dates here . Take a listen to Spoken’s ‘Illusion’ album below and if you like what you hear, you can order the album or any of its bundle packages here . Listen to Spoken’s ‘Illusion’ Album [button href=”http://loudwire.com/2013-albums/” title=”Next: Most Anticipated 2013 Albums” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Marilyn Manson has been known to heighten the shock value at shows, but what happens when the “shock” is unintentional? During a show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, on Wednesday night (Feb. 6), Manson collapsed and vomited onstage in the midst of the fan-favorite track ‘The Beautiful People.’ According to the Ottawa Citizen , the vocalist was rocking just like normal during the performance, then went down to one knee, which seemed like a traditional rock star move to get closer to the audience, but as seen in the video below, he falls to the stage and begins to vomit. The band kept rocking along as if everything was okay, but after a brief period members of Manson’s road crew made their way to the stage and carried the singer off. ‘The Beautiful People’ is Manson’s usual set-closer, so it is assumed that it would have been the last song of the night. During the show, Manson performed a mixture of new songs (‘Hey Cruel World,’ ‘No Reflection’) and classics (‘mOBSCENE,’ ‘Personal Jesus,’ ‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘The Dope Show’). At press time, an update on Manson’s condition has not been released and it is not known how this will affect his current itinerary . Update: TMZ reports that Manson was suffering from the flu. Read more here . Watch Marilyn Manson Collapse During His Saskatoon Performance [button href=”http://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-rock-album-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Marilyn Manson Voted 2012 Rock Album of the Year Winner” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com As reported, it was announced yesterday (Feb. 6) that Randy Blythe ‘s manslaughter trial in the Czech Republic would be adjourned until March 4 to accommodate a witness who is currently ill. However, it was also revealed that there would be one more witness set to testify today (Feb. 7) before the one-month break. During a session that only lasted 45 minutes, the latest witness spoke in defense of the Lamb of God frontman. According to the TV station WTVR in Richmond, Va., the witness, Lukas Havlena, who attended the 2010 concert in which Daniel Nosek allegedly suffered a fatal head injury, told the court that he contacted Blythe’s defense team this week after reading about damaging testimony against the vocalist that took place on Day 2 of the trial Tuesday. Havlena refutes accounts by the prosecution’s witnesses that Blythe was very aggressive during the concert. He said Blythe was not aggressive at all and, moreover, he was very clear to fans during the gig that they were not allowed onstage. Also today, the judge explained that it was not only the sick witness that led to the delay of the trial. He revealed that there is also testimony expected by two criminal psychologists who were unable to attend the proceedings this week, as well as additional witness. It is expected that all of them will take the stand when the trial resumes on March 4. Blythe is expected to return to his hometown of Richmond, Va., this week before returning to the Czech Republic in March for the trial’s resumption. Lamb of God are nominated in the Best Metal / Hard Rock Performance category at this Sunday’s Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. It is not known whether the band will attend the ceremony. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tags/randy-blythe” title=”See All the Recent Randy Blythe Updates Here” align=”center”] ?
Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images If they have it their way, Theory of a Deadman won’t leave their fans hanging without new music for too long. The group is getting a quick jump on their follow-up to ‘The Truth Is…’ album, confirming that they’ve already started on their next disc. In a new posting on Twitter , the guys revealed, “New album underway!!! New stuff by summer!! Thx Theory fans.” Should the band meet their proposed deadline, new music would arrive in approximately half a year from their last tour date supporting ‘The Truth Is’ album. The group fifth and final single from that record, ‘Gentleman,’ was issued last September, though the band continued with tour dates through December. Little is known about the new disc at this point, but it has lofty goals to reach if it is to surpass the band’s last record. ‘The Truth Is…’ debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart and peaked out at No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Albums, Alternative Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts. Even with the quick turnaround, the Theory of a Deadman members have enjoyed some fun off and on the road. Last year, singer Tyler Connolly played up the band’s anonymity with a series of man-on-the-street webisodes titled ‘ You Don’t Know Me .’ In addition, just last month Connolly and Dave Brenner likely loaded up on gear before hitting the studio by making appearances at Anaheim’s NAMM conference. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/theory-of-a-deadman-tyler-connolly-imparts-insight-into-his-pompadour-hairdo/” title=”Next: Tyler Connolly Shares Pompadour Insights” align=”center”]
IHeartRadio.com Slash is digging a little deeper into his ‘ Apocalyptic Love ‘ album with a new video for the track, ‘Anastasia.’ The clip is a live performance of the song, presented by I Heart Radio, that shows off the guitarist and his band’s live prowess. Slash, in particular, is featured within this clip as his dexterity on the guitar is on full display. The musician rocks some serious scales while Myles Kennedy delivers the powerhouse vocals on the track. ‘Anastasia’ follows ‘You’re a Lie,’ ‘Standing in the Sun’ and ‘Bad Rain’ as the fourth single from the ‘Apocalyptic Love’ disc. Slash is currently on tour in Europe with dates booked through March 4 in Dublin. The guitarist and his band will also perform at Ozzfest in Tokyo, Japan May 11. Slash’s promotion may take a bit of a back seat as the year rolls on as singer Myles Kennedy has been working toward Alter Bridge ‘s next album . Watch Slash’s ‘Anastasia’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slash-guitarist-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next: Slash Voted 2012 Loudwire Guitarist of the Year” align=”center”]