YouTube Slash is once again delving into the animated world, but this time with a more sinister turn in the video for ‘Bad Rain.’ The guitar great and his animated counterparts turn up as the house band at a strip club that holds a dark secret. In the video, an older gentleman enters the club and is immediately transfixed by the fetching redhead with the snake tattoo dancing upon the stage while Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators play in the background. The woman has seemingly every man in the place glued to her every move, but the latest arrival is the one garnering most of her attention. As she continues to mesmerize the gentleman in the front row, he starts to notice that the people around him are not what they seem. But we won’t give any more of the video away. Watch for yourself below. This isn’t the first time Slash has been involved with animation, as Velvet Revolver ‘s ‘ Dirty Little Thing ‘ clip had animated elements. The rocker also appeared in animated form for Disney’s ‘ Phineas and Ferb ‘ film. ‘Bad Rain’ appears on Slash’s latest album, ‘ Apocalyptic Love .’ In other Slash news, the guitarist and his band will perform on TBS’ ‘Conan’ on Oct. 4. The guitarist has been a longtime supporter of the late night host, famously donning a ‘I’m With Coco’ pin while performing on Jay Leno’s late night show. Watch Slash’s ‘Bad Rain’ Video ?
Photo by Mark Seliger Choosing the 10 best Slayer songs is a difficult task, considering the band's prolific career. Having unleashed a brand of unforgiving thrash metal for over 30 years, Slayer are one of the most iconic and influential bands of all time. Beyond the realms of metal, Slayer have almost built an entire ecosystem around their music, which has seen great appreciation and respect from all types of music fans. As one of thrash's 'Big Four,' Slayer have pummeled fans with 11 albums, two live records, four gold-selling discs and five Grammy nominations (including two wins). Slayer are currently in the process of writing their 12th studio album, which is tentatively set for a 2013 release, but for now, we celebrate the band's phenomenal career with our picks of the 10 Best Slayer Songs. ? 10 'Chemical Warfare' From: 'Haunting the Chapel' EP (1984) ? ? After the success of Slayer's debut album, 'Show No Mercy,' Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel reportedly pushed the idea of Slayer releasing an EP. Slayer were already playing 'Chemical Warfare' at their live shows, so releasing the song as soon as humanly possible was an obvious move. The track unveils an incredible power through pure grit, and is a favorite of old-school Slayer fans. 'Chemical Warfare' and the rest of the 'Haunting the Chapel' EP was later included in the 1987 re-release of 'Show No Mercy.' Listen to 'Chemical Warfare' ? ? 9 'Cult' From: 'Christ Illusion' (2006) ? ? After the strong response to 'God Hates Us All,' Slayer continued their challenge against religion with their 2006 full-length, 'Christ Illusion.' Although the album features two Grammy Award-winning songs, 'Eyes of the Insane' and 'Final Six,' track number nine, 'Cult' is arguably the album's greatest creative achievement. The Kerry King-penned track questions Christianity with vivid and intense lyrics that singer Tom Araya delivers with ultimate conviction. Listen to 'Cult' ? ? 8 'Disciple' From: 'God Hates Us All' (2001) ? ? As somewhat of a return to form for Slayer, the band unleashed 'God Hates Us All' in 2001, with 'Disciple' instantly becoming a fan favorite. The unforgettable yell of 'God hates us all!' gave a new iconic phrase for Slayer fans to scream along with frontman Tom Araya. In an incredibly strange coincidence, the 'God Hates Us All' album was released on Sept. 11, 2001, giving the album an additional dark overtone. Listen to 'Disciple' ? ? 7 'Dead Skin Mask' From: 'Seasons in the Abyss' (1990) ? ? It's utterly ridiculous how Slayer were able to cram so many iconic riffs into one album, but they achieved unparalleled creative success with 'Seasons in the Abyss' and the standout track 'Dead Skin Mask.' The prime cut was inspired by infamous murderer Ed Gein, who wore the skin of his dead victims. Adding a further piece of horror to 'Dead Skin Mask,' a voice of a child can be heard in the outro, crying, “I don't want to play anymore, Mr. Gein,” and “Let me out!” Listen to 'Dead Skin Mask' ? ? 6 'Hell Awaits' From: 'Hell Awaits' (1985) ? ? As the title track to one of metal's most influential releases, 'Hell Awaits' is one of the key Slayer tracks that demonstrates the diabolic atmosphere that the band is able to conjure. Although the track is mostly instrumental, 'Hell Awaits' grabs you with a Satanic grip as is drags you down into the fiery pit. This track can only be described as purely terrifying. Listen to 'Hell Awaits' ? ? 5 'War Ensemble' From: 'Seasons in the Abyss' (1990) ? ? Opening the 'Seasons in the Abyss' album with Slayer's classic take-no-prisoners attitude, 'War Ensemble' is without a doubt one of the strongest beginnings to an album in metal history. Still a staple of their live show decades after the release of 'Seasons in the Abyss,' 'War Ensemble' never fails to incite screams of 'Sport the war! / War support!' while Tom Araya concludes the iconic chorus with, 'The final swing is not a drill / It's how many people I can kill.' Listen to 'War Ensemble' ? ? 4 'South of Heaven' From: 'South of Heaven' (1988) ? ? Honing yet another memorable lick that only Slayer could unleash with such undercurrent, 'South of Heaven' is yet another cut that delves its demonic hooks into your flesh. 'South of Heaven' floats somewhere within the many lakes of fire explored by Slayer, taking the listener to an igneous crypt completely new to metalheads at the time, but all too familiar to the devil's favorite band. Listen to 'South of Heaven' ? ? 3 'Angel of Death' From: 'Reign in Blood' (1986) ? ? Beginning with a scream that embodies the suffering felt within the walls of the Auschwitz concentration camp, 'Angel of Death' is written from the perspective of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. The doctor has become infamous for the sadistic experimentations he performed upon Auschwitz prisoners, including children. For this, he was gifted with the title, 'Angel of Death.' Slayer explored the monstrous acts carried out by Mengele with lyrics such as “Surgery, with no anesthesia / Feel the knife pierce you intensely.” Listen to 'Angel of Death' ? ? 2 'Seasons in the Abyss' From: 'Seasons in the Abyss' (1990) ? ? As the closing chapter to the album of the same name, 'Seasons in the Abyss' shows what Slayer can achieve musically without constantly driving at full speed. Much like some of their earlier works, Slayer creates a hellish atmosphere with 'Seasons in the Abyss,' with the feel of the track complementing the title perfectly. Don't go to sleep while this song is playing, because you'll surely dream about walking through the realm of purgatory. Listen to 'Seasons in the Abyss' ? ? 1 'Raining Blood' From: 'Reign in Blood' (1986) ? ? Thunder strikes as the sound of menacing rain and electric shrieks of perdition echo across the realm of the eternally damned. As the demonic sound begins to crescendo, Slayer take hold as they unveil one of the most evil riffs in metal history. From the 'Reign in Blood' album, which many considered to be the heaviest record on history at the time, 'Raining Blood' feels like it was handed down by the devil himself. As a band who perfected the concept of atmospherically evil thrash, 'Raining Blood' is certainly one of metal's highest peaks, as well as the most immortal achievement of Slayer. Listen to 'Raining Blood' ? ? What's Your Favorite Slayer Song? It wasn't easy coming up with a list of the 10 Best Slayer Songs, as there are so many tunes to choose from. Which Slayer song is your favorite? Which songs should have made the list? Let your opinion be known in the comments section below: ?
Photo by Zac Fisher The Devil Wears Prada ‘s new single ’Mammoth’ is one of the most powerful songs off the band’s critically acclaimed 2011 album ‘Dead Throne,’ and now Loudwire is proud to bring you the exclusive premiere of the tune’s equally powerful music video (watch below). The video offers a visual contrast, as the clip opens with a joyful infant inside an open wooden coffin. As the camera opens to wider shots we see the coffin moving in mid-air in a contradicting world. Below there are fields of green, beautiful nature scenes and a ground lit by a sunny day. Above, ominous clouds hover over the child. As the video continues, that joyful infant grows into a young boy and eventually a elderly man, but the expression on his face has grown solemn, mirroring the intensity of the track and the skies above. The Devil Wears Prada themselves are also featured in the video, as Mike Hranica and Jeremy DePoyster deliver their vocals in silhouette against the backdrop of the burned out sky while the other band members pound away on their instruments. Not only is ‘Mammoth’ featured on the album ‘ Dead Throne ,’ it also has become a favorite at live shows and appears on the band’s ‘ Dead & Alive ‘ concert disc. At present, the Devil Wears Prada are catching a break in the schedule after a successful summer on the Mayhem Festival . The group will pick up their instruments again Oct. 18 when they launch a European trek that will keep them on the road through late November. Watch The Devil Wears Prada’s ‘Mammoth’ Video [Exclusive Premiere] [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-devil-wears-prada-mike-hranica-talks-dead-throne-touring-with-slipknot-dance-parties/” title=”Next: The Devil Wears Prada Talk ‘Dead Throne’ + Dance Parties” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Lemmy Kilmister was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. He spoke all about his experience playing festivals, his Motorhead bandmates, this past summer’s Mayhem Festival, his adoration for fellow British band Skunk Anansie and much more. If you missed Jackie’s show, read the full interview with Lemmy Kilmister: There’s going to be ‘The World Is Ours Vol. 2’ release; it’s going to feature Motorhead’s 2011 headlining Wacken Open Air Festival, highlights from Sonisphere in the UK and Rock in Rio in Brazil. What was it like playing that Wacken show, what was it like to headline Wacken last year? All around the world rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay. I think it was 85,000 people the last one we did, it was amazing. We did the full show old show, it’s a great festival. Rio was bigger in fact, Rio was good but you can only see the first 50 rows really. It must look like some crazy sea of people when you look out on the crowd. I’m so used to it now, it’s a funny thing to say you got used to it but I am. You see a lot of people, it’s just a lot of people – you don’t really think about the number, the actual number because they go out over the horizon and they’re out of sight anyway. It’s really funny I got used to that really quick, at first you get intimidated the first time – Reading, I think was our first one, Reading festival, there was like 20,000 people and we were freaked out. After that I really didn’t care ‘cause it’s only good as the one guy who’s applauding, isn’t it? I wanted to ask you how your summer was, you were obviously on Mayhem this summer. Which band did you bond with most over the course of the Mayhem Festival? Let’s see now, Anthrax probably ’cause they’re old friends of ours already – so yeah we had a good time with them. They’re good lads. How was your overall experience on the Mayhem Festival, it was your first time playing obviously. It was my first time playing the Mayhem one, yeah, we just went on when we should just go on and we came off when we should come off and that’s all you have to look after really. There’s things, you have to be punctual – a lot of people aren’t with us because they’re unprofessional. Do your main influences like Buddy Holly and Little Richard still come into play when you record new music? No. Not at all? Well no, it’s a different time now, isn’t it? It’s not 1959 anymore, if it is they didn’t tell me. Do you hear them any different now than when you were a kid? No it sticks with you in that frame, with me it does anyway. You remember the things you were hearing then, little time capsules songs are. It hasn’t changed much over the year so what is it that makes writing and recording a Motorhead album with Phil [Campbell] and Mikkey [Dee] such a comfortable process? It’s not comfortable when we’re doing an album, it’s terrible. I mean we fight like cat and dog over the smallest thing – “That extra beat” “Shut Up!” We always fight over things but that’s how it should be, you should have different points of view or else you’d never get it right. How do you come to some sort of conclusion or agreement at the end of the day? The one who talks last, gets it. [Laughs] The one who shouts out gets it, usually. I’ve heard you compliment your other bandmates in the past and how much of a better musician do you feel you are as a result of the time you’ve spent playing with Phil and Mikkey? I’m not better at all, they just enable to be lazier ‘cause they’re so much better you know. We play what we play, we all got our little niche what we cover for the other two. You’ll never hear us do a mistake onstage, there are lots [Laughs] ‘cause we hate rehearsals but you’ll never hear them because we cover them up real good, usually at least. There’s a couple now and again. I really like playing with these two there some of the best musicians in the world right now and they don’t get enough recognition for it. It’s a shame. You’ve collaborated with a lot of different artists over the years. Is there anybody that you’ve never had a chance to? Yes, Skin from Skunk Anansie is one, Dave Edmunds although I did half a collaboration with him once. He produced our first four tracks ever. Who else? I don’t know really, there’s a lot of people that you think you would like to but then you come down to it and you think about it real hard and you think “No it wouldn’t work.” I’d like to collaborate with Billy Gibbons again ‘cause last time it was only half collaboration, I didn’t get to play in the studio with him. I’ve got to imagine you’ve met everbody that you’ve wanted to in terms of musicians and other artists. Has there ever been anyone who was a letdown when you finally met them in person? Oh I don’t bad mouth people. I’m not asking you to name a name. Yeah you are. You shouldn’t do that, if they got to let you down isn’t that enough dismay you want to share it with people. No, I’ve met most of the people I’ve wanted to and most have been okay. Well I just hope that everybody has been respectful to you because … They should be because I ain’t bad mouthed them, right? [Laughs] You’re a legend, man, and you deserve to be respected and when you sit there and you go to a Motorhead show and you watch the band play live you’re like “Wow there are so many bands that have been influenced by Motorhead over the years.” It’s pretty amazing so they need to respect that. You can’t really hear it though. Motley Crue used to play a couple of songs of ours onstage to get themselves going but you can’t hear it in their music, obviously. It’s like your influences are just your influences, they make you play certain way or they make you realize a certain thing about how it was done. The Everly Brothers are one of my biggest influences and there’s nothing in that obviously ‘cause there’s no one to harmonize with in my band but that was a big valuable influence on me but I couldn’t tell you what for particularly – it isn’t the harmonies which is what I loved them for. So there must be – there’s something else I got from them that I don’t even know about, subliminival. Who do you listen to before you go onstage? I don’t listen to music before we go onstage. There’s enough s— going on without listening to music, as well. [Laughs] Usually I just get up from the table, put a marker in the book and walk onstage and I’m alright. I’m pretty easy to please, I don’t ask for much. Is there any new music that you’ve been listening to lately that’s exciting to you? Not lately, I have not been really looking for any to listen to. Skunk Anansie have a new album coming out though which you should promote and ZZ Top have a really good album out now ‘La Futura.’ The Skunk Anansie one you should listen to, Americans, ‘cause you ain’t got them yet and you should ‘cause they’re excellent. What can we expect in terms of new music and another tour, I guess we’re going to have to wait until next year? Yes we’re going on tour in Europe at the end of October but we’re not playing here until the New Year obviously. I don’t know where we’re going to be, we didn’t set it up yet. For your next record are you going to have a collaboration with any other artists? I’m hoping to get Skin to do a song with me, so I got the solo album almost finished and I just need one more track so I thought I’d do one with her. She said “yeah” but our schedules really odd, they’re not being helpful [laughs] — the schedules themselves. We’ll wait and see, it’s been 10 years anyway, making it. Six months ain’t going to hurt. In terms of another Motorhead record, do you think in 2013? Next year we go into the studio in January so from then on it’s a work in progress. Full Metal Jackie will welcome Canadian film director Sam Dunn, who put together and starred in the ‘Metal Evolution Series’ on VH1 Classics on her next show. Full Metal Jackie can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .
Metal Blade Between the Buried and Me are set to unleash their new album ’The Parallax II: Future Sequence’ on Oct. 9, and Loudwire is giving away a BTBAM prize pack in celebration of the disc’s release. Excited? Of course you are! The winner will receive a zip-up black ‘Parallax’ hoodie (pictured left) and a gray ‘House’ Between the Buried and Me t-shirt (pictured right) along with the ‘Parallex II’ CD, assorted patches and a signed drum head! To enter Loudwire’s Between the Buried and Me, ‘Parallax II: Future Sequence’ contest, fill out the form below. And be sure to visit BTBAM’s Metal Blade Records page , along with the band’s official merch site to see what other BTBAM goodies you could get your hands on. Good luck, space travelers! Between the Buried and Me ‘Parallax II’ Prize Pack Contest Enter your e-mail address for a chance to win a Between the Buried and Me ‘The Parallax II: Future Sequence’ CD, hoodie, t-shirt, patches and autographed drum head. Contest ends October 24, 2012. Click here for official rules . By entering this contest, you will automatically start receiving daily newsletters from Loudwire. You can unsubscribe at any time. You will also be added to Between the Buried and Me’s mailing list. Email T-shirt Size [button href=”http://loudwire.com/between-the-buried-and-me-paul-waggoner-talks-parallax-ii-summer-slaughter-more/” title=”Next: Loudwire Interviews BTBAM’s Paul Waggoner” align=”center”]
Spencer Kaufman, Loudwire Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong may have to put aside some of the band’s promotional activities while he enters rehab for substance abuse , but his appearance as a mentor on NBC’s hit music competition ‘ The Voice ‘ won’t be one of them. Deadline reports that the musician, who was recently announced as a mentor for Christina Aguilera ‘s team, will still be part of the upcoming episodes. “We’re taped and all set,” an NBC representative stated about Billie Joe’s time on the program, which was filmed over the summer and will air in the upcoming weeks. It was a rough weekend for the vocalist, who suffered an onstage meltdown in Las Vegas Friday night after noticing the band’s set time was running low. The vocalist stopped a song to go on a tirade that included numerous expletive-filled outbursts and ended with Armstrong smashing his guitar and flipping off those he felt were responsible for the time constraint. By Sunday, the group had offered a statement that Armstrong was entering rehab to seek treatment for substance abuse. They also apologized for Friday’s outburst at the iHeartRadio Festival in Las Vegas and clarified that their set had not been cut short by organizers. In addition, the band announced that a number of promotional appearances would be affected by the singer’s treatment stint. Green Day’s ‘¡Uno!’ album arrives in stores tomorrow. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/green-day-streaming-uno-album-in-its-entirety/” title=”Next: Green Day Streaming ‘¡Uno!’ Album'” align=”center”]
AEG Live Guns N’ Roses are taking over The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas for this fall with their ‘Appetite for Democracy’ residency. The band is set to perform 12 shows Oct. 31 through Nov. 24 when they make The Joint their new home. If that’s not enough to whet your appetite , then how about winning a package for two to see GN’R in Sin City? Loudwire, along with Ultimate Classic Rock and AEG Live, is offering fans a chance to win an incredible prize pack that includes a pair of tickets to the show on Friday, Nov. 2; two nights hotel stay at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Nov. 1 & 2); dinner at 35 Steaks & Martinis at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino; a $500 gift card (this can be used toward airfare; shopping for clothes for the trip, drinks, etc); $25 gift certificate to Vegas.com; and pre-show Black Jack with Guns N’ Roses (Nov 2). Promo chips are provided for play. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of ‘Appetite for Destruction,’ the band will perform hits from the classic 1987 album through their latest disc, ‘Chinese Democracy,’ with a set list that has been created exclusively for The Joint. They also promise many surprises along the way. So, if you don’t want to miss out on a chance to catch Axl Rose & Company rockin’ Sin City, enter your email in the contest form below. (Contest runs from Sept. 24 through Sept. 30.) If you’re not feeling quite as lucky, you can also purchase tickets at TheJointLasVegas.com or Ticketmaster.com . Guns N’ Roses Las Vegas Residency Prize Pack Enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show on Friday, Nov. 2; two nights hotel stay at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (Nov. 1 & 2); dinner at 35 Steaks & Martinis at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino; a $500 gift card (this can be used toward airfare; shopping for clothes for the trip, drinks, etc); $25 gift certificate to Vegas.com; and pre-show Black Jack with Guns N’ Roses (Nov 2). Promo chips are provided for play. Contest ends Sept. 30, 2012. Click here for official rules . By entering this contest, you will receive email newsletters from Loudwire and Ultimate Classic Rock. You may unsubscribe at any time. Email ?