Photo by Rick Fagan Rob Zombie is the special guest on Loudwire Radio this weekend. He talks to host Mike ‘Sandman’ Sanders about his new movie ‘The Lords of Salem,’ his fall tour with Marilyn Manson and his upcoming album. Tune in to hear Sandman’s chat with Zombie, and read a preview of the interview below: You have some big things on the horizon, the first of which—I got to ask you about, I’m very excited about, as are all Rob Zombie fans—is the movie Lords of Salem. It had its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, apparently scary as hell, as you tend to make some of your movies. Give us a little bit of the background. I know you were at a wedding in Massachusetts and you got interested in the Salem lore…maybe you could give me a little background from there. Well, I grew up in Massachusetts, so I was always very aware of the Salem Witch Trials even as a little kid sometimes the class field trip would be to go to Salem and, you know, they would have reenactments of the witch trials and, you know, lovely things like this for the kids to watch, but I was always well aware of it, you know, the wax museums in that area would have witch trial displays and things. But I hadn’t really thought of it in a long, long time. And about seven years ago, I went to a wedding in Massachusetts and I was just bored and I was in the hotel lobby in the gift store and I bought a book about Salem Witch Trials just to read it and kill time, and it just got me thinking about it and I just came up with this idea for the Salem, a very rough idea. And I kind of jotted down a few notes and forgot all about it. And then, about seven years later, the opportunity came up to make a film but, the only stipulation was — I mean, the budget was the first stipulation but, they just wanted something with a supernatural edge and I remembered this idea and that’s how I sort of dug it out of mothballs and brought it out and started working on it. And, yeah, the movie’s done. We had its premiere in Toronto last week at the Toronto Film Festival and it was fantastic. I don’t know exactly when it’s coming out, I actually have a meeting with Anchor Bay, the company that purchased the film, about the release date and everything…I don’t know it today but I probably will know it tomorrow. So, unfortunately, I can’t tell you. We’ll find out soon enough. Is it going to be — now, you said ‘supernatural’ — is it going to be, maybe, less visceral than some of your previous films? It’s not like a violent, gory movie — that wasn’t really what I wanted to do. I wanted to do something that was more like … It’s a very long, slow, descent of a movie and by the end … it’s just a weird disturbing, mind-altering, trip. It’s a very different type of movie, but that was the goal, I don’t want to keep doing the same thing over and over, that’s just crazy. I’m very excited, I can’t wait. I know it’s a very polarizing film, too, which I find really, really cool. I know some people are just going to love it to death, it’ll be their favorite movie, and other people will just be like, ‘What the hell was that all about?’ Well, you’re certainly no stranger to that, I would say. Pretty much everything I’ve ever done has had that reaction and I don’t really expect anything else to happen, or would I want anything else to happen. I think if I made something that everyone could agree on, I would feel as if I had somehow failed. I was going to say, if you were looking for approval you probably wouldn’t launch a co-headlining tour with Marilyn Manson. It’s always been like that. I never look for approval from anybody because times change and critics change and everything changes. I remember White Zombie, which now, everybody likes to talk about very favorable — like the fans and how great the records were and how great the band was. But I remember on our Geffen release, the first review we got, and I remember it clearly, it was in this magazine called Alternative Press, and the review started off by saying “This is the worst band ever…” And then the review went downhill from there! But now everyone [says] “Oh, classic record, blah, blah, blah.” I don’t give a crap. The tour with Manson is going to be phenomenal. I like touring with other artists who I feel that our audiences are similar. It makes for a really great night. Because, you know, it’s hard to do that. I had that experience at Alice Cooer but sometimes you tour with bands and you can tell their fans don’t like you and your fans don’t like them and…its better when everybody is there for the same reason. A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to talk to John 5. I mean, of course we talked about the soundtrack to ‘The Lords of Salem,’ which I know he worked on and we talked a little bit about the next Rob Zombie album. Can you give us a little cue as to when we might be hearing some of that music? Well, probably not ‘til after Christmas, that’s probably when we’ll release it. The record is done and the recording is done, we’re actually mixing it now, so in about another week the record will be a 100-percent finished. For what its worth — and I know everybody says this — I really think it’s our best record ever. You know, you struggle at times writing songs and other times you feel very inspired, this is a very inspired record and I think it’s the perfect combination of what I’ve done on my own and what White Zombie has done in the past combined. And the few people that have heard it had that reaction. You know, my wife is very honest when I play her music she won’t say something good, if she doesn’t like it she’ll just go “That sucks.” She’s very honest, which is good. She’s been there for everything, she was on the White Zombie tour. I mean, she loves it. The only person that’s been to more shows of mine than her is me. And she heard it the first time and that was exactly her response, she was like, “Wow. That seemed like the best of the old days mixed with the best of the new days.” So, I’m excited for people to hear it. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Air Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]
Megaforce Records Yesterday (Sept. 26) marked the 26th anniversary of Metallica bassist Cliff Burton ‘s shocking death, prompting an outpouring of memories from fans — as well as a tribute from his surviving bandmates. Metallica posted its Burton remembrance on its Facebook page , offering fans a free download from its November 22, 1984 date on the ‘Ride the Lightning’ tour. Recorded in Toulouse, France, the 10-song set kicks off with ‘The Four Horsemen’ and rocks for nearly a solid hour, concluding with ‘Metal Militia’ — and bearing only a couple of minor tape flaws, which is impressive for a recording that’s nearly 30 years old. As longtime fans are already well aware, Burton’s life was cut short in 1986 during an early morning crash that occurred when the band’s tour bus hit a patch of black ice on the road between gigs in Sweden. While continuing to mourn the late bassist, fans can enjoy his work in this classic live set — as well as the tunes in our list of the Top 10 Metallica songs of Burton’s era. Turn up the volume and remember: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/top-cliff-burton-metallica-songs/” title=”Top 10 Cliff Burton Metallica Songs” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: Soundgarden have unleashed the first official single from of their upcoming album ‘King Animal.’ Check out the new track, ‘Been Away Too Long’ by clicking here. [ Loudwire ] Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose has filed a cease-and-desist notice to stop an L.A. art show titled ‘Axl Rose Was My Neighbor.’ Compiled by Laura London, the photographer took a number of pictures of Axl Rose when they were neighbors along with a “docudrama based on an interpretation and depiction of actual events.” [ Loudwire ] We remember legendary Metallica bassist Cliff Burton on the 26th anniversary of his tragic death with a list of the band’s Top 10 songs from his era. [ Loudwire ] Prior to his onstage blowup in Las Vegas, a source has claimed that Green Day ‘s Billie Joe Armstrong was a year sober prior to the incident. [ Diffuser.fm ] Ill Nino have invited their fans to become a part of their music video for ‘La Epidema.’ [ Rock Music Report ]
Universal Republic What a fitting title for Soundgarden ‘s brand new single, since for all intents and purposes, they had ‘Been Away Too Long.’ Diehard fans of the Seattle band have missed them for the past several years, and while the reunion, live performances and ‘Avengers’ song ‘Live to Rise’ have been rad and appreciated, this is the beefy, puts-hair-on-your-chest Soundgarden rocker we’ve been waiting for. ‘Been Away Too Long’ is a frenetic, fast-paced song that calls to mind the band’s earlier catalog, thanks to raw, booming riffs, jackhammer percussion and Chris Cornell’s bluesy, soulful pipes. It’s got an anthemic and urgent quality, especially in the chunky verses. So if you’ve got long hair, this song is designed to get you to start whipping it around while rocking out with furious, reckless abandon. Overall, there’s not an overabundance of polish, and it’s not pretty, which is preferred. Instead, it’s potent, hell yeah, high-five hard rock. Just like we like it. The song will appear on the band’s upcoming album ‘King Animal,’ due out Nov. 13. After tearing through this song a few times, check out our 10 Best Soundgarden Songs list . Listen to Soundgarden, ‘Been Away Too Long’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/soundgarden-king-animal-album-cover-track-listing-trailer/” title=”Next: Soundgarden Unveil ‘King Animal’ Album Cover + Track List” align=”center”]
Earache If you were to blindly listen to Cerebral Bore, whether on tape or at a live show, there would be absolutely no hint that the band’s vocalist is female. As metal vocalists are continually searching for lower registers to base their screaming techniques, Cerebral Bore’s Simone ‘Som’ Pluijmers can bring low, rumbling vocals that could match almost any man. Having joined the Scottish band in 2010, Som was only 18 when she started in Cerebral Bore. The Dutch vocalist, along with the other members of the band, were given a contract by Earache Records later that year. Cerebral Bore’s debut album, ‘Maniacal Miscreation,’ which had originally been self-released, was given a wide release in June 2011. Som’s techincal capabilities are no less than jaw-dropping. Get ready for the brain-scrambling frontwoman to assault your eardrums in the videos below. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/landmine-marathon-grace-perry-brutal-female-metal-vocalists” title=”Next Female Vocalist: Metal’s Praying Mantis” align=”center”] Cerebral Bore, ‘The Bald Cadaver’ Cerebral Bore, ‘Entombed In Butchered Bodies’ (Live)
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Charm City Devils have been flying high on the success of the first single from their latest studio album, ‘Sins.’ Their cover of ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ has received a lot of radio airplay and has turned into a fan favorite at the band’s live shows. Opening for Mark Tremonti ‘s solo-project in New York City, we were able to grab a few minutes with lead singer John Allen. Allen filled us in on everything from their new record label, the band’s latest single ‘Unstoppable’ and some new music that he’s been excited about. During tonight’s set, you mentioned this was your first show in New York City. Well, I guess we played a little showcase for a distribution company at a club years ago, but we really haven’t been back since. Ever since Crue Fest 2, we never got back, the closest we came was in Sayreville [New Jersey] at the Starland Ballroom, just an awesome place. But to be back in New York City, the crowd was so awesome, so warm. It was really nice. You’ve got a few shows with Mark Tremonti’s solo project, you’ve got the new album that’s been out for a few months now. How is everything going? Everything is great, it’s just tremendous. We released the record on a very small independent label and then [our new label] eOne Music picked it up and released it for real, like nationwide in late July. Things have gone great. We pick back up with Theory of a Deadman on Oct. 20 and that’ll carry on for a little while. We just did the Rock Allegiance Festival at Hershey Park with some legendary bands like Stone Temple Pilots , Fuel , Three Days Grace and Buckcherry . It was an honor for us to be on that show. It was incredible. The first single from ‘Sins’ is also the song you closed tonight’s set with, ‘Man of Constant Sorrow.’ I know you’ve talked about that song a lot in past interviews, choosing to cover it because you’re a blues fan and you loved the movie ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ When you were deciding which song to cover, what other songs were brought up in the conversation? I don’t want to give anybody ideas! What if we go back and want to pick it up? A lot of the songs were blues-based, but of course this song is more bluegrass and we completely mangled it and changed it. It’s tricky, we were trying to think outside of the box. But you know what? You can always whip out a Foghat song, man! On the next album and in future live sets, will you bust out any more covers? I’ve got no problem playing a cover song here or there. Early when we started we’d play ‘Highway to Hell’ in our set. We used to play a Black Keys song every now and again. When we play our stuff, I feel more of a responsibility to really honor the record and play it as close as possible to the original version. If you play a cover, it feels a lot more freeing and relaxed for me. We can have a lot of fun up there with it. ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ isn’t the case, though, because it took on a life of its own. We did change it, though, I mean, I did write a chorus for it that wasn’t there. Certainly there is still a responsibility there for that song. You could tell you were having a lot of fun when you guys busted into Hendrix’s ‘Voodoo Child’ during tonight’s performance of ‘I Got Mine.’ There is so much pressure to be perfect, but then with a song like that you can just let your guard down and have a good time. Your second single is out now, ‘Unstoppable.’ You told the audience tonight that the theme of the song follows along the lines of, “Things will get better.” Certainly the title of it was something that I wind up talking about a lot. Never say die, you know, that kind of attitude. I’ve never given up, I’ve been doing this a long time. We’re lifers, man. I stopped playing music for a very brief time and I got pulled right back in. Earlier you mentioned eOne Music, your new label. They’ve got quite the roster including Saving Abel , Hatebreed , Smile Empty Soul and Black Label Society . How does it feel to be a part of that family? It’s crazy, they have such a wide array of bands, man. We’re very fortunate to be a part of that label. Hanging out with those guys, they’re good people. It’s really refreshing in our industry to be around those types of guys. It feels great. It is wonderful to be there. 2012 has brought with it a lot of new releases, some from familiar bands and others from brand new up-and-comers. Has there been anything out there that’s caught your ear? Outside of the genre, I’ve been listening to Alex Clare. Her song, ‘Too Close,’ is incredible. I know it’s not what the rockers want to hear, but it’s incredible. I still love AWOLNATION. Monster Truck, I dig them. I love the new Three Days Grace track. The Shinedown record is awesome and so is the Halestorm album. There’s just so much good stuff out there. It’s a great time to be out and playing. Since he covered ‘Man of Constant Sorrow,’ I have to ask if you’ve heard the new Bob Dylan album. I love Bob Dylan. I’ve got his first album and it’s just incredible. He’s just a great lyricist and poet. I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for him. I didn’t know he did a cover of the song when we decided to pick up that challenge. Had I known that Dylan did a cover of it, I don’t think we would’ve gone into it. But, I will say, a lot of people covered that song, and none of them are like ours. We wrote our own chorus, we got rid of all the music, we just kept the basic melody of the song. We’ve had tons of positive responses to it. We did have one lady, though, who was so emotionally connected to the original song that her response was just awesome. She Tweeted at us and called our version of the song an abortion and said we should all die in a fire! I figured we must have done something right, man! So what’s on the horizon for Charm City Devils? Now that I’ve been home for a couple of weeks, I have definitely started coming up with a ton of new ideas, but an album is a little ways away. I’ll get busy here in the next few weeks, but I think we’ll be working this latest album for awhile now. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/mark-tremonti-crushes-new-york-city-with-assist-from-wolfgang-van-halen/” title=”Read Our Review of Tremonti + Charm City Devils’ Show In NYC” align=”center”]
Prospect Park Congrats are in order for Five Finger Death Punch , as the group’s latest record, ‘ American Capitalist ,’ has been certified gold for shipping over 500,000 copies in the United States. The band’s previous two albums — 2007′s ‘The Way of the Fist’ and 2009′s ‘War Is the Answer’ — also achieved the mark. ‘American Capitalist’ shot out of the gate with a solid start, debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart back in October 2011. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory says of the accomplishment, “I think it’s a huge win for all of us, not just for us as a band but for the entire genre of hard rock and heavy metal. This is a loud and clear indicator that heavy music is in demand and if a relatively new band like us can accomplish something like this, then maybe this is just the prelude for the shape of things to come.” The album sales also coincide with the band’s chart success with their singles, as the group has surpassed 3.6 million songs sold. In total, the group has scored ten Top 10 singles at Active Rock radio and a No. 1 song with the current single ‘ Coming Down .’ Singer Ivan Moody says, “Radio stations across the U.S., and basically the whole world, have been very supportive of the band. We are grateful and remain indebted to them for stepping behind us, and as our fan base continues to grow year after year, it is clear that rock radio is far from dead. People are listening.” Five Finger Death Punch spent the summer headlining the Trespass America tour, and they’re currently catching a breather before finishing up 2012 with their performance on the Shiprocked Cruise leaving from Fort Lauderdale, Fla,. on Nov. 27. Guitarist Jason Hook recently stated that the group is looking ahead to the ‘American Capitalist’ follow-up and have an eye toward January to start work on the effort. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/five-finger-death-punch-invite-next-generation-of-heavy-metal-onstage/” title=”Next: Five Finger Death Punch Teach Next Generation of Metal” align=”center”]