YouTube Simple. Sweet. Badass! There’s nothing too out of the ordinary for the first video from the band known as Newsted as ‘Soldierhead’ is a traditional performance clip, but it packs a powerful punch. Jason Newsted and his new group offer up a rapid fire, hard-hitting performance of ‘Soldierhead’ that shows exactly what they’re all about and serves as a bit of a proving ground before the band ever hits the concert stage. After watching the video, there should be increased anticipation for whenever Newsted takes the stage. The bassist-frontman exclusively tells Loudwire, “I think [‘Soldierhead’] probably came to me in like 10 minutes and I got the main riff down and then the lyrics just came to me and I said ‘this is going to be the one’ and I had it done by that night and it just showed up, because I keep chasing it, man.” As expected with that title, the track comes from a particular point of view. Newsted added, “‘Soldierhead’ is for all of our military service personnel guys and girls … You hear such crazy stories about all of that and I met so many thousands of soldiers in my life traveling around the world and they’ve always been so supportive of the metal, so that’s my tip of the hat to them. I’m glad that everybody loves the song for what it is, because it can represent something for all of us as they represent us.” ‘Soldierhead’ is featured on Newsted’s debut ‘ Metal ‘ EP, which is available now via iTunes . Watch Newsted’s ‘Soldierhead’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/jason-newsted-touring-wont-charge-meet-and-greets/” title=”Next: Jason Newsted Shares His Thoughts on Touring” align=”center”]
Wind-Up Cleveland rock veterans Filter have announced that Wind-up Records will be the new home for their sixth full-length album, tentatively titled ‘Gurney and the Burning Books.’ The album is slated to drop in May, while the disc’s first single will hit the airwaves in March. Filter have released their share of anthems throughout the last two decades, earning their spot as one of ’90s rock’s most definitive bands. For those who remember when MTV actually played music videos, it was a common and welcomed occurrence when ‘Hey Man, Nice Shot,’ ‘Welcome to the Fold’ or ‘Take a Picture’ would pop onto your television screen. Founding member and frontman Richard Patrick will lead with the record’s writing duties alongside guitarist Jonny Radtke and collaborator Marlette. A Perfect Circle / Puscifer drummer Jeff Friedl will also contribute to the new Filter album along with additional drummer Elias Mallin and bassist Phil Buckman. Wind-up Records President Ed Vetri shared his excitement about signing Filter in a new press release. “We’re thrilled to welcome Richard Patrick and Filter into the Wind-up family,” says Vetri. “This is a successful band with an extremely impressive body of work and I’m happy to say that based on the demos I’ve heard, this new album could very well be their best to date. Filter is more committed than ever to delivering great repertoire and bringing these songs to life at their live shows throughout 2013.” Richard Patrick adds, “We’re excited to enter a new phase of our career with Wind-up. They’re expecting great things from us and we plan to deliver.” Stay tuned for more news on Filter’s sixth studio album. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/shiprocked-2012-filter-korn-sevendust-more-day-4-recap-photo-gallery/” title=”See Pics of Filter From ShipRocked 2012″ align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images / Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Art of Dying are digging deeper into their ‘Vices and Virtues’ album by issuing a new lyric video for ‘Raining’ off their breakout disc. The track holds a special place for the band as it features a guest turn from former Three Days Grace vocalist Adam Gontier , and the band has decided to dedicate the release to Gontier and his former group. ‘Raining’ follows the prior ‘Vices and Virtues’ singles ‘Die Trying,’ ‘Get Thru This’ and ‘Sorry.’ In a mailing to fans, Art of Dying discussed the decision to make the dedication and why just beyond Gontier’s guest appearance that they chose to salute the whole band. The statement reads as follows: In light of Adam’s departure from the band last week, we are dedicating this lyric video to Adam, Brad, Neil, Barry and all of the Three Days Grace fans around the world. They have moved us with their music and we wish all of them the best on their new musical path’s and life journeys.??The story behind the recording: As many of you know Cale and Adam are cousins, and grew up together in Ontario. Adam was kind enough to sing the second verse and do some harmonies with us in the studio. It’s been such an honour having Adam on our record and learning from his unique style and benevolent nature. In a solo posting at the band’s Facebook page , Art of Dying frontman Jonny Hetherington added, “You created powerful music that inspired us in so many ways. Wishing you the best on all of your musical paths and life’s journeys.” Those with a keen eye might also recognize another famous rocker in the video, as Disturbed ‘s David Draiman turns up with a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearance. Art of Dying have a close association with Draiman and his Disturbed bandmate Dan Donegan, as the two rockers run Intoxication Records, which signed the group and opened the door to their current success. Watch Art of Dying’s ‘Raining’ Lyric Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/art-of-dying-welcome-fan-involvement-for-acoustic-sorry-video/” title=”Next: Watch Art of Dying’s Fan-Generated ‘Sorry’ Video” align=”center”]
Relapse Baroness have released a new video for their masterful and immersive track ‘March to the Sea.’ Based on footage from their 2012 tour with Meshuggah and Decapitated , ‘March to the Sea’ showcases the mighty Baroness at the hottest point of their career before their catastrophic bus crash only months later. Having experienced a unique year to say the least, Baroness released their self-professed masterwork, ‘Yellow & Green,’ last year, which was met with universal praise from critics. The band’s bus crash in England thankfully left none dead, but the members of Baroness sustained serious injuries after plummeting 30 feet off a roadside cliff. The harrowing experience was detailed to us in a three-part interview Loudwire conducted with frontman John Baizley. The band members continue to lick their wounds, but the Georgia rockers are preparing for a full-on return soon. “So here is another video for everyone out there!” shares guitarist Pete Adams. “This was filmed while we were on tour with Meshuggah in the Spring of 2012. Some of you may recognize the footage from several of those shows and the ‘Take My Bones Away’ video as well. We were excited to be back out as it had been since December of 2010 when we had our last tour before taking time off to write ‘Yellow & Green.’ You can see from the video we were happy to be back on the road. We’re happy now to have this video to share with you all. Enjoy.” ‘March to the Sea’ gives Baroness fans an incredible desire to see the band onstage once again, but until that happens, enjoy the group’s new video for ‘March to the Sea,’ a track that made Loudwire’s list of the 10 Best Rock Songs of 2012. Baroness, ‘March to the Sea’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-rock-albums-of-2012/” title=”Baroness – 10 Best Rock Albums of 2012″ align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images The recent exit of Three Days Grace singer Adam Gontier from the group shocked many in the music industry, but probably no one more than the rest of his bandmates. After offering a very brief statement on Gontier’s exit and revealing that My Darkest Days frontman Matt Walst would be filling in on their upcoming tour with Shinedown, more and more details have begun to leak out. Initially it was stated that a “health issue” was part of the reason for Gontier’s sudden exit , but the vocalist later told fans that he had not suffered a relapse in his sobriety and that he had decided the time had come to “evolve on his own terms.” For their part, Three Days Grace issued another statement after the initial posting stating that they were shocked to hear the news, but were committed to their tour and still felt a passion for what they were doing. Not soon after his exit, it was revealed that Gontier was planning a solo show at a New York City benefit on Jan. 17, which raised a few more eyebrows. Having some time to deal with the aftermath of Gontier’s exit, the group has decided to let fans in on the timeline of the singer’s departure and today (Jan. 16) offered a Facebook posting with more intimate details about the split. It reads as follows: It had been our desire to keep an internal band matter just that, internal. However, after public statements by Adam we feel the need to give our fans the facts. Here’s the exact timeline of events over the past few weeks. On December 21, 2012, Neil and Brad (via email), our manager and business manager (via federal express) received a letter from Adam’s lawyer stating, “Please be advised effective immediately Adam is terminating his involvement with the band Three Days Grace. Adam has been wrestling with a health issue, outlined in the attached letter (a doctor’s letter dated December 14), which would have precluded him from touring with the band in 2013 and he wants the group to continue moving forward as they see fit while not holding them back.” As you can imagine, this came as a complete shock to us. We had just played a series of shows in Hartford and Peterborough the preceding week with no mention from Adam of any health issues or that this resignation letter was coming. We had no idea then that the December 15th Hartford show (which we played one day after the date of the doctor’s note attached to Adam’s lawyer’s letter) would be our final show with Adam as lead singer. After receiving Adam’s lawyer’s letter, Brad sent Adam a text offering to get together to make sure that Adam’s decision was in fact the decision he wanted to make, a final decision, and to talk through any issues. As Brad said, “It would suck to end a twenty year relationship through a lawyer.” Brad’s invitation was declined by Adam via a text stating, “My decision is 100%. My relationship with Three Days Grace is over.” We were then surprised to learn that even though we were told on December 21st that Adam was not able to tour with the band due to health concerns, he apparently planned on participating in a show on January 17 in New York City, as a solo artist. How would you feel if you were in our shoes? Someone you had known for 20 years, whom you had grown up with, gone through ups and downs with, shared dreams with, ends that relationship as if you had known him for a single day with a letter from a lawyer. With a new album and new tour about to begin, and music that everyone in the band is proud to play and promote, we were quickly left to come up with a way to continue what we started. We had a tour for “Transit of Venus” scheduled to start in a month, and we felt we owed it to our fans and ourselves to go through with it. As we have said before, our fans are the best. You have stood with us through good times and bad times and you are the reason we do what we do. We appreciate more than we can say in words the support we have received during this time. This is not about choosing sides or deciding who’s right or who’s wrong. This is about being honest with you. Adam has made his choice and we wish him well. We care about our band, and we care about honouring our commitments to you, the fans. Three Days Grace has never been about one single band member and it never will be. After touring is complete, we will move forward. In what shape and form, that is yet to be determined. What we can tell you is that and are excited to rock live and we can’t wait to see you all on the road. Given the new information from the band, now how would you vote in our recent Readers Poll about the Three Days Grace singer situation? Voice your opinion by clicking on the red button below: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/three-days-grace-singer-swap-readers-poll/” title=”Vote in the Three Days Grace Singer Swap Readers Poll” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com (3) – Congrats to all of the victors of the fan-voted 2012 Loudwire Music Awards. Click through the list of winners, starting here: [ Loudwire ] – Shinedown ‘s Brent Smith says a hurtful comment from Kathie Lee Gifford helped spark his desire to lose weight. [ Loudwire ] – Buckcherry lead us into temptation with the debut of their ‘Gluttony’ video. [ Loudwire ] – Listen to an exclusive stream of Voivod ‘s new ‘Target Earth’ album here: [ Loudwire ] – January may be only midway through, but check out what’s on the horizon with our list of February’s new album releases here: [ Loudwire ] – Thom Yorke has created a new mixtape filled with unreleased solo material and remixes of Radiohead and Atoms for Peace tunes. [ Diffuser.fm ] – One of Pussy Riot ‘s members has been denied in her appeal to defer her jail sentence to be with her young child. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Great White ‘s Jack Russell will mark the tenth anniversary of the tragic concert fire at The Station with a memorial concert. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Phil Lesh and Gov’t Mule will headline the 2013 Mountain Jam Festival. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ]
Ethan Miller / Frazer Harrison, Getty Images Hollywood Undead and Black Veil Brides are reaching new heights with their latest albums. Hollywood Undead’s third release, ‘ Notes From the Underground ,’ landed at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart this week, while Black Veil Brides enjoyed their first-ever Top 10 entry with ’ Wretched and Divine: The Story of the Wild Ones ,’ which arrived at No. 7. Hollywood Undead moved 53,000 copies in their debut week, finishing behind the 73,000 sold by this week’s chart champ, contemporary Christian artist Chris Tomlin. However, ‘Notes From the Underground’ gives the band their highest debut yet in their career, as their last album, ‘American Tragedy,’ arrived at No. 4 back in 2011. As for Black Veil Brides, ‘Wretched and Divine’ sold 42,000 copies in its opening week. The group also shot to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Top Album Chart and the iTunes Rock Chart. To show how the band’s fan base has grown, ‘Wretched and Divine’ nearly doubled in first week sales what the group did on their 2011 release, ‘Set the World on Fire.’ Black Veil Brides are currently on the ‘Church of the Wild Ones World Tour,’ with dates booked through a March 8 finale in San Francisco. Between now and then, the group will have played in four different countries on two continents. The remainder of the itinerary can be seen here . Hollywood Undead, meanwhile, are currently on a tour of their own. Check out the dates here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-used-bert-mccracken-drops-pants-recording-on-black-veil-brides-album/” title=”Next: The Used’s Bert McCracken Records With Black Veil Brides” align=”center”]