Ipecac Records / Photo by Tim Moss Tomahawk just finished their West Coast swing in support of the ‘Oddfellows’ album and have just announced a new string of dates in June that will take them to the Eastern part of the United States. The trek launches June 1 in Boston at the Paradise Rock Club and continues through New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. before the finale June 7 at The Vic in Chicago. The dates come after a busy spring that also sees the band performing in Australia and South America. While on their West Coast leg, frontman Mike Patton and Co. let the cameras from NBC’s ‘Last Call With Carson Daly’ catch part of their set and the group will be featured on two tracks during the late night show’s Feb. 27 broadcast. ‘Oddfellows’ arrived in stores last month and has already spawned a pair of tracks. The video for ‘Stone Letter’ can be seen here , while the music video for the ‘Oddfellows’ title track premiered on Loudwire just last month. Tomahawk 2013 Tour: 2/23 — Brisbane, Australia — RNA Showgrounds 2/24 — Sydney, Australia — Olympic Park 2/26 — Sydney, Australia — The Metro 2/27 — Melbourne, Australia — Billboard 3/1 — Melbourne, Australia — Flemington Racecourse 3/2 — Adelaide, Australia — Bonython Park 3/4 — Perth, Australia — Claremont Showground 3/30 — Sao Paulo, Brazil — Lollapalooza 4/2 — Buenos Aires, Argentina — Malvinas Argentinas Stadium 4/4 — Santiago, Chile — Teatro La Cupula del Parque O’Higgins 4/6 — Santiago, Chile — Lollapalooza 6/1 — Boston, Mass. — Paradise Rock Club 6/2 — New York, N.Y. — Best Buy Theater 6/4 — Philadelphia, Pa. — Union Transfer 6/5 — Washington, D.C. — 9:30 Club 6/7 — Chicago, Ill. — Vic Theatre [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rocklahoma-2013-must-see-rock-concerts/” title=”Next: Check Out 2013’s Must-See Rock Concerts” align=”center”]
Neurot Recordings Neurosis singer and guitarist Steve Von Till was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. He spoke about the band’s new album ‘Honor Found in Decay,’ as well as creating music independently and on their own time. Read Full Metal Jackie’s interview with Steve Von Till below: It was five years between albums before ‘Honor Found in Decay’ was released late last year. Creatively, how has that time between albums broken down? Is it a lot of time spent consciously thinking about new music or is it more about living a life of adventure that will ultimately manifest itself musically? It’s more about just surrendering to the flow – it’s complete chaos, we have no set method and it’s definitely not time spent in the brain trying to conceive. This music comes from the heart and soul and it’s really just finding the time together over the years that are the hard part because we live quite spread out but most of it’s just waiting for it to demand attention. It must be kind of cool not having people say, “Oh you have to put out this many records in this certain timeline,” so you sort of have creative freedom to let it come when it’s ready. Absolutely, I mean we all work day jobs and have families and we run our own record label, so there’s no external pressure and that’s the way we like it. This music is so important to us as a form of expression that we really feel the need to keep it pure and the only way to really keep it pure is to keep all external influence out. ‘Honor Found in Decay’ is now being released on vinyl. What’s more obvious about Neurosis in that format compared to digital? I think that’s the era we come from, the album time – where you sit and you put on an album and you absorb the whole thing while holding the artwork in your hand and reading the lyrics and just surrendering to it. I still love that format best myself, I think it sounds best and more natural, there’s more soul in it. Would you consider yourself a purist when it comes to the styles of music that you listen to and recording and everything? No, because you always go for what’s convenient too. I’ve got an iPod, probably like everyone else, but I still prefer to sit and play an album if I can. What kind of stuff are you listening to these days? All across the board, lately a lot of Joy Division and Amebix. Visual presentation has always been such an integral part of Neurosis. You very recently announced discontinuing that element of the band; what made such a drastic change necessary at this point in the band’s career? We always feel the need to push our boundaries and evolve and to go to new places we haven’t been and we’ve had visuals as part of our live performances since 1992. It just felt like it was time for a major change in that way. We started to feel that maybe it was a bit of a burden or that time has caught up to the multimedia aspect of what we’re doing and it no longer feels vital at this point – at least not the way we were doing it. It was time to just destroy it and put it away for a while and see what else comes new. Right now we’re enjoying just being completely liberated and playing under bright light and going for it. Who exercises greater influence over what you do musically: other bands and musicians or the non-musical people central to your life? I’d say the entire world probably influences us but it definitely has nothing to do with what other musicians are doing. I think music is the least influence on our music in some way because when you’re trying to find something original even though we’re all music fans and we love music and listen to a lot of music – when it comes time to create Neurosis music we have to let all of that slide and dissipate and not have other people influencing it. Everything we see, everything we hear, everything we feel must influence some aspect of what we’re doing – it’s probably our emotional world and the world around us that influences us the most. How do you feel about Neurosis being an influence to so many bands today? That’s pretty much the biggest honor that we could have. We think about what our musical heroes meant to us and how we play this really unique, strange, self-centered, self-absorbed music and the fact that anybody else likes it is kind of amazing. The fact that it might go out in the world and be a positive influence and inspire other people to pick up guitars or find their own true musical path or artistic expression, that’s just a great feeling. What can we expect from the band this year? We’ll definitely be playing a few more shows around the United States and we’re hitting Europe in the summer and we’ll just see where it takes us. Full Metal Jackie will welcome Kvelertak frontman Erlend Hjelvik to her program this coming weekend. She can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Testament and Overkill have been rocking stages hard over the past month, but being out on the road during cold and flu season is not always easy. Overkill frontman Bobby Blitz has been dealing with a cold over the course of the trek that recently turned into something more serious. Overkill bowed out of the tour’s show Friday night (Feb. 15) in Huntington, N.Y, which led the band to reveal Blitz’s worsening ailment as the reason for canceling the show and potentially other dates in the immediate future. Their statement on the matter reads as follows: We are terribly sorry that we had to cancel our performance last night [February 15], but let’s put the rumors to rest, before speculation runs rampant. Blitz [singer Bobby Ellsworth] was diagnosed with what is called ‘walking pneumonia,’ and was medically advised to not perform due to it potentially getting worse if he did. When the health risk is no longer an issue, he’ll be ready to kick ass once again. Overkill’s dates with Testament and support acts Flotsam and Jetsam and 4ARM are scheduled to run through the end of the month. To see the remaining stops, click here . The band has been out on the road promoting their ‘The Electric Age’ album. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/overkill-bobby-blitz-east-coast-thrash-metal-young-fans-more/” title=”Next: Bobby Blitz Talks East Coast Thrash Metal + More” align=”center”]
Adam Bettcher, Getty Images David Draiman is making the most of his break from Disturbed with his industrial-leaning project Device and the band’s self-titled effort is one of the most anticipated discs of 2013 . In advance of the new album, Draiman has posted a new message online thanking fans for their support. Device’s first single is expected this next week and Draiman is prepared to see what the reaction to his new band is. In addition, the vocalist took the opportunity to address Disturbed and the group’s ongoing hiatus and give longtime fans of his band some assurance that they will return at some point. The vocalist, in his usual ALL CAPS typing, posted: MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, MY BLOOD;?? I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR COMING WITH ME ON THIS NEW JOURNEY THAT IS “DEVICE.” ??I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL FOR THE LOVE THAT YOU ALL HAVE FOR DISTURBED, AND I ALSO UNDERSTAND THE DEFENSIVENESS THAT CAN COME WITH ANY THING THAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE PERCIEVED AS A CATALYST TO SOME SORT OF “BREAK UP THEORY,” THAT I ASSURE YOU, HAS NO BASE IN THE FIRST PLACE. ??IF YOU READ THE DEVICE BIO THAT WAS POSTED ON THE DEVICE FACEBOOK PAGE FACEBOOK/DEVICETHEBAND, YOU WILL LEARN THAT THE WHOLE PROJECT CAME TOGETHER QUITE ACCIDENTALLY, AND I’M VERY GLAD IT DID. I THINK YOU WILL BE TOO. ??DISTURBED IS STILL ON HIATUS. A HIATUS IS AN EXTENDED BREAK, NOT “BREAK-UP”. WE HAVE FOUGHT LONG AND HARD TOGETHER, ALL OF US, TO MAKE DISTURBED WHAT IT HAS BECOME, AND ARE NOT JUST WALKING AWAY FROM IT. WE ALL NEEDED TO JUST GIVE OURSELVES SOME TIME AWAY FROM IT.??THE EXISTENCE OF DEVICE, DOES NOT IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM, MEAN THE END OF DISTURBED. THEY ARE TWO COMPLETELY SEPARATE ENTITIES, AND I HOLD THEM BOTH IN THE HIGHEST REGARD. ??YOU ARE ABOUT TO GET YOUR FIRST TASTE THIS COMING WEEK. ??YOU HAVE ALL OF MY LOVE AND RESPECT,??-DAVID On the heels of the new music, fans can look for Device playing a number of hard rock festivals this spring. The group has been confirmed for Rock on the Range , Welcome to Rockville , Carolina Rebellion , Rocklahoma and the inaugural Fort Rock festival. Device’s self-titled album arrives April 9. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/david-draiman-device-teaser-video-self-titled-debut-album/” title=”Next: Device Offer Album Teaser Video” align=”center”]
Nirvana.com – Who would you cast if you were making a Nirvana movie? Here are three interesting suggestions: [ Loudwire ] – Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory reveals when we might expect a new album from the band. [ Loudwire ] – Three Days Grace have extended their touring with singer Matt Walst to include some spring dates. [ Loudwire ] – The Offspring , 3 Doors Down + Stone Sour are among the top acts booked for the inaugural Fort Rock Festival. [ Loudwire ] – It may be the middle of February, but we’ve got a guide showing you what albums you should be saving your money for in March. [ Loudwire ] – Lynyrd Skynyrd have postponed tour dates while guitarist and founding member Gary Rossington is hospitalized. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Don Henley and Glenn Frey discuss the possibility of the Eagles making a new record. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Video footage of the Thom Yorke -led Atoms for Peace performing ‘Judge, Jury and Executioner’ from the Fuji Rock Festival has surfaced. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Wilco have unveiled the lineup for their 2013 Solid Sound music festival. [ Diffuser.fm ]
Instagram: Zoltan Bathory Five Finger Death Punch have been working on new music and fans will be happy to know that there’s now a target date for the band’s next album. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory reveals via a series of Instagram posts that 5FDP are currently recording songs in the studio and aiming for a summer 2013 release. Bathory’s photos, which can be seen here , here , and here , show him having fun jamming with the band in the studio, one with the comment, “Recording the new album. Out this summer.” Another pic teases in its caption, “At the recording studio tracking guitars for new #fivefingerdeathpunch album … Out 2013 summer – the title is … .” Bathory’s photo postings go along with drummer Jeremy Spencer’s recent comments that the band had been “cocooned up” working on a new album. In addition, guitarist Jason Hook revealed last summer that the band had taken a recording rig with them on their tour. At the time, Hook stated, “The idea behind that is just to keep the creative muscle worked out. It’s just like going to the gym; if you stop for a year, you lose all your strength. It’s easy to get lazy and get sort of soft. We’re in the business of making music; touring is great, but we should always be prepared and always exercising that creative muscle — in my opinion, anyway.” He also added that they had “six to eight songs” worked up at that point for when they headed into the studio. Hook said the preparation would make things easier once they hit the studio and gave them plenty of options to work with when it came time to record. 5FDP’s new disc will be the follow-up to 2011′s ‘American Capitalist,’ which has yielded such singles as ‘Under and Over It,’ ‘Remember Everything’ and current hit ‘The Pride.’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/five-finger-death-punch-the-pride-video/” title=”Next: Watch Five Finger Death Punch’s Video for ‘The Pride'” align=”center”]
Kevin Winter, Getty Images As part of the cross-promotion for the new Metallica -created shoe line with Vans, each of the band’s members have been meeting with some of Vans-backed sports athletes for new video features. Robert Trujillo’s clip went up first, with the bassist meeting with Vans team skater Tony Trujillo. Incidentally, both Trujillos, along with Tony’s wife Ashley, have formed the Trujillo Trio and they have tracks that can be downloaded for free here . On the heels of Trujillo’s video comes new featurettes pairing James Hetfield with pro skateboarder Steve Caballero and guitarist Kirk Hammett with pro surfer Nathan Fletcher. In Hetfield’s video, Caballero is treated to a tour of the frontman’s vintage car collection as well as the Metallica HQ studio. Once inside, the skateboarder visits the band’s “jam room,” which is covered with the fan banners they collected over the years. There’s also the inspiration hallway, filled with photos of iconic acts like the Sex Pistols , Kiss and Black Sabbath , and what Hetfield calls “the frustration zone,” where the members can work out their anger on punching bags. Hammett, meanwhile, reminisces with Fletcher about one of their standout performances, playing alongside Van Halen in the late ’80s. The guitarist also uses the clip to discuss his new Vans shoe. He explained, “The inspiration comes from the fact that I like wearing black and I like the fact that this is a Vans shoe that is completely black. Inside you have a little guitar pick shape stamped in there and what you see is a version of a Ouija board on the guitar pick and the inspiration from that came from one of my guitars.” As for the target audience, he adds, “It’s very subtle. It’s made to cater to those individuals out there who like it none more black.” Watch James Hetfield Give Skater Steve Caballero a Tour of Metallica HQ video platform video management video solutions video player Watch Kirk Hammett + Pro Surfer Nathan Fletcher Catching Some Waves + Licks video platform video management video solutions video player [button href=”http://loudwire.com/casting-call-metallica/” title=”Next: Casting Call – Metallica” align=”center”]