Machinehead1.com Metallica ‘s Cliff Burton is one of the most beloved figures in the history of hard rock and metal and his memory lives on with the legacy of the band’s early albums. One of the future rockers who was influenced by the work of Burton and his Metallica bandmates was Machine Head ‘s Robb Flynn , who posted a new journal entry reflecting on what Burton meant to him in honor of the celebration of the bassist’s birthday. “It’s amazing to think how the music world may (or may not) have been different had the tragic bus accident not taken his life,” says Flynn, who has been reflecting on the times he actually got to see Burton perform in his youth. He recalls hanging out with his friend Jim Pittman as a kid and the first time he heard ‘Kill ‘Em All.’ The frontman says, “We’d never heard anything like it. We gleefully stumbled around the running track behind American High School for hours and probably played ‘Whiplash’ fifty times in a row, headbanging wildly the whole time. What a great memory! Still blasting the bootleg, we stumbled back to my house where my parents were gone, we vowed to jam more and to get better at our own band … and to see Metallica the next time they played.” After catching a ride from his dad, Flynn says he had the time of his life. He recalls, “When Metallica took the stage, the world came alive … When it came time for Cliff’s ‘(Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth’ bass solo, I just remember being mesmerized. I’d had so many metal debates with Jim and other friends that there’s no way that was a ‘bass’ solo. It was a ‘guitar’ solo. Fact. End-of-story. My mind was blown.” Flynn says Metallica’s works with Burton have resonated with him to this day. He explains, “The bass lines were hypnotizing me ever-so-subtly to the point where even now, I know every bass line on those albums like it’s part of my DNA. Go and listen to our song ‘Now I Lay Thee Down’; the triad bass line in the chorus? That’s just one of my tributes to Cliff. The three-part lead section in the middle … I wrote that with Cliff looking over me. Hell, I called it ‘the Cliff part.’” When Burton died in a tragic bus crash, Flynn said it was one of those occasions he’ll always remember exactly where he was when he heard the news. “I was at a kegger party in Cliff’s hometown, Castro Valley, wired and drunk when ‘the news’ came on. 10PM, someone I didn’t know came running into the backyard and yelled, ‘Cliff’s dead, Cliff from Metallica is dead!,’” Flynn recalls. “It was unreal. A stunned silence took over the party. They were ‘our’ band. This didn’t happen to ‘us.’” In the years since Burton’s death, Flynn says he’s read the Joel McIver biography on Burton and learned about how some diehard Metallica fans had made a memorial to the bassist at the site of the bus crash in Sweden. To pay homage, Flynn says he too made the pilgrimage during a tour of Sweden and stopped to leave a guitar pick with the mementos that many fans had left. He concludes, “As this Sunday (Feb. 10) comes to pass, I’m sure in our own way, some of us will pay tribute to a man whose attitude, demeanor, vibe, genuine love of music and unequaled talent affected us. I know I will. Happy birthday Cliff Burton, rest in peace.” To read Flynn’s full posting on Burton, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/favorite-cliff-burton-era-metallica-album-readers-poll/” title=”Next: Favorite Cliff Burton-Era Metallica Album – Readers Poll” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com As a woman in the entertainment industry, there is always the question of how much to play up the sex appeal, and Halestorm ‘s Lzzy Hale shared with Playboy.com her thoughts on taking part in sexy photo shoots and the focus on image in the music industry. Hale explained, “I don’t mind dressing up and doing the short skirt and high heels thing. I tell this to a lot of people because the only stipulation that I have about this is that you have to make sure you have something to back it up. You can’t totally ride on the fact that I’m going to show my legs and people are going to show attention. If they can get past the legs, make sure you can actually sing and be good at your instruments. Because in all honesty, all of us that are dressing up on stage, we aren’t going to be wearing fishnets forever, you gotta make sure you have a little something to ya.” With that being said, Hale says she’s come to accept the shoots as part of the industry, adding, “Sex and rock ‘n’ roll have been going together hand-in-hand since the beginning of time. You can’t get away from it.” The frontwoman also says that while image may get the attention of some fans, she’s been enthused by how their female fan base has grown and opened the doors for more women to enjoy hard rock. She explains, “I’m telling you, though, there’s a moment in every show where I’m looking out and I see all of these girls who are not there because their boyfriends dragged them along, you know? They’re very empowered, a little crazy like me, and it’s wonderful to be in a room like that because when we first started out there weren’t a whole lot of girls at the rock shows unless you count the girlfriends of somebody in the band.” Hale adds that she partook in her fair share of mosh pits and rocked out with the guys when she was younger and is thrilled to see girls coming to rock shows and carving their own paths with the world of rock and roll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/halestorm-jimmy-kimmel-live-love-bites-freak-like-me/” title=”Next: Watch Halestorm Perform on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live'” align=”center”]
Anna Weber / Carlos Muina / Karl Walter, Getty Images There were some eyebrows raised last year when Mastodon ‘s Troy Sanders and Soulfly ‘s Max Cavalera revealed they were working on a project together , and the anticipation level grew once it was revealed that Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato and The Mars Volta ‘s former drummer Dave Elitch were involved as well. With some time for the band to work through the specifics, Puciato has offered an update on their new album progress. He tells Noisecreep , “We have 11 songs written … We had a really easy time writing and we may actually be recording really soon, like in the next month or so. And then we’ll have to sit on it. We can’t release it right behind the Dillinger record and we also have to figure out when the Mastodon record is coming out and the same for whatever Max is doing next. It’s going to come out. It’s just going to be a matter of logistics as to when.” Puciato says the idea for the band came together when he was at a Deftones show in Los Angeles and started talking with Cavalera about their shared love for old thrash metal, punk and hardcore. He recalls, “We found ourselves referencing many of the same things and we were like, ‘F– man, we should make a record and do it together as a one-off like Nailbomb.” The Dillinger leader adds, “No one in metal makes collaborative records like people in jazz and hip-hop do. It doesn’t have to be like a band that you’re launching from the ground that you go on tour with. There is something to be said for collaboration and throwing yourself out there and learning something new from working with different people.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-dillinger-escape-plan-when-good-dogs-do-bad-things-top-21st-century-metal-songs/ ” title=”Next: Dillinger Escape Plan – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]
Tool Dissectional Tool are one of the most critically praised and fan-worshipped bands in the world. The experimental quartet are musically complex, influential and incredibly original with both their music and videos. To celebrate the band (and probably to encourage them to finish their fifth studio album), some of today’s finest musicians, such as Tom Morello and Rob Trujillo , have praised the Los Angeles manipulators of sound. In an Artist Direct original column, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello recalls witnessing Tool’s very first show “There was a band called Green Jello, who later changed its name to Green Jelly, and Danny Carey was the drummer,” tells Morello. “Maynard sometimes worked with them and lived in this loft where a lot of musicians lived in Los Angeles. Tool actually had their first show in that loft! A couple of the other guys from Rage Against the Machine were at the gig too, when we had just started writing songs. Maynard had been my roommate for a while, and I had grown up with Adam. I’ll be frank. We did not have the highest expectations for what was going to occur at that loft gig and we went kind of as “friend rock” [Laughs]. They were devastatingly awesome from the very first show though. There’s no other way to say it. They were just awesome. It was unbelievable.” Metallica bassist Rob Trujillo is a huge Tool fan, and so does his son. “My little boy loves Tool!,” states Trujillo. “When I take him to school, we’re playing Tool all the time, so I definitely connect with them. There’s a lot of bass in that group, which is nice. They’re a great band for a bass player to listen to. So believe it or not, my son and I are going through a big Tool phase! It includes every record too.” Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier credits Tool for creating his favorite album and getting him addicted to it in his sleep! “’10,000 Days’ is my favorite record, raves the frontman. “The first time I heard it, I didn’t get it. I forced myself to listen to it two times in a row. Then, I fell asleep with the album repeating, and I spent the whole night with the album in my ears. Maybe that’s why I got addicted! I heard it six or seven times in one night. It got to my brain very deeply. Now, I’m addicted [Laughs].” Check out Artist Direct for more testimonials from members of Iron Maiden , Machine Head , Korn + more. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tool-drummer-danny-carey-new-album-drop-in-2013-talks-vespa-crash/” title=”Tool Drummer Says New Album Will Still See 2013 Release” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Volbeat ‘s ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ had a brief two-week stay at No. 1, but the band is giving up the top spot on this week’s Loudwire Top 20 Countdown to All That Remain ‘s steadily climbing single, ‘Stand Up.’ After hovering in the Top 5 for the last few weeks, the track finally reached the apex of the countdown, where it hopes to remain for a little while. Rounding out the Top 5 this week are Deftones ‘ ‘Tempest,’ which climbs a notch from No. 4 to No. 3; former No. 1 Avenged Sevenfold , whose ‘Carry On’ flip flops with Deftones to fall back from No. 3 to No 4; and Alice in Chains , who crack the Top 5 at No. 5 with ‘Hollow.’ There was some major movement in this week’s Top 20 Countdown. The biggest riser of the week was Halestorm ‘s ‘Freak Like Me,’ which leapt up from No. 13 to No. 9. Meanwhile, Chevelle ‘s ‘Same Old Trip’ took a fairly big tumble, dropping eight notches from No. 5 to No. 13 this week. As for new songs, Hollywood Undead liven things up with their latest single ‘We Are,’ which jumps into the countdown at No. 18. In the process of making their debut, the track knocked out former chart-topper ‘Absolute Zero’ from Stone Sour . Check out the top 20 songs of this week’s countdown below and be sure to tune in and crank it up with Loudwire Radio this weekend. To find out where you can hear the countdown, click the red button below. Loudwire Radio Top 20 Songs of the Week: 20. Soundgarden, ‘Been Away Too Long’ 19. Hinder, ‘Save Me’ 18. Hollywood Undead, ‘We Are’ 17. Otherwise, ‘I Don’t Apologize’ 16. Green Day, ‘X-Kid’ 15. P.O.D., ‘Higher’ 14. Shinedown, ‘Enemies’ 13. Chevelle, ‘Same Old Trip’ 12. Five Finger Death Punch, ‘The Pride’ 11. Three Days Grace, ‘The High Road’ 10. Papa Roach, ‘Where Did the Angels Go’ 9. Halestorm, ‘Freak Like Me’ 8. Young Guns, ‘Bones’ 7. Adelitas Way, ‘Alive’ 6. 3 Doors Down, ‘One Light’ 5. Alice in Chains, ‘Hollow’ 4. Avenged Sevenfold, ‘Carry On’ 3. Deftones, ‘Tempest’ 2. Volbeat, ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ 1. All That Remains, ‘Stand Up’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Air Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]
Chris McKay, Getty Images New York’s annual Governors Ball festival recently revealed its lineup for the 2013 event, and it’s an eclectic mix of primarily indie rock bands and hip-hop acts. But there was one headliner not announced that remained a mystery. Organizers have now filled in that rather conspicuous blank with legendary rockers Guns N’ Roses . The veteran outfit will take their stage show to Randall’s Island park in New York, where they’ll share the spotlight over the June 7-9 three-day weekend with fellow headliners Kings of Leon and Kanye West . The festival will be the band’s first major North American show since their Las Vegas residency and the Neil Young Bridge School benefit last fall. The Governors Ball festival is primarily indie-rock leaning, with GN’R serving as the primary hard rock option for festival-goers. Along with the headliners, fans can also catch the Avett Brothers, Grizzly Bear, Feist, The xx, Best Coast, Animal Collective, Gary Clark Jr., Kendrick Lamar, Nas and more. For ticketing and full lineup details on the Governors Ball festival, check here . Guns N’ Roses have used some of their recent downtime to continue work on a 3D concert film that’s expected later this year. The band is also heading to Australia for a handful of March performances . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/guns-n-roses-offer-first-look-at-3d-concert-film-announce-tour-dates-in-australia/” title=”Next: Catch a Look at Guns N’ Roses’ 3D Concert Film” align=”center”]
Frazer Harrison, Getty Images Tool fans were disappointed to say the least when singer Maynard James Keenan announced that there would be no release from the band in 2013. The modern experimental legends have been working on a new album for some time, and drummer Danny Carey says, along with a bunch of other news, that a 2013 release is still planned. When it comes to the upcoming Tool album, Carey stated that it is still planned to dropin 2013. “Sometime this year … that’s all I can say,” Carey tells TheRockFM about the record. “The sooner the better for us. We’re working everyday but you can never predict it, honestly. We’re really excited about it so I hope all the fans will be too.” Carey also reports that bassist Justin Chancellor has been the “main driving force” to get the album completed. Carey also told the radio station that he plays drums on the soundtrack to the upcoming Superman film ‘Man of Steel.’ In addition, he adds that Tool have a massive amount of live material that may be released on CD or DVD form in the future. “We have tons of stuff recorded,” says Carey. “I hope we do make that happen one of these days. We have lots of video stuff too, we could do a DVD or two whenever we get around to it. We’re kind of trying to focus on the new thing now, so we’ll go back at some point and do it.” In a separate interview with David Farrier , Carey spoke about an epic 20-minute piece being constructed for Tool’s next record. “We’re still – believe it or not! – still working on it,” the drummer says about the piece. “[Laughs] It’s like an ever-evolving thing, it’s probably going to turn into a thing that’s like, a big trilogy type of feel to it, sort of like ‘Disposition’ and ‘Intension’ and ‘Triad,’ like on the ‘Lateralus’ record or something. It will probably be over a 20-minute piece when it’s all finished, so it will be a good part of the record. We’re dealing with it in sections, but it’s coming together really well, we’re having lots of fun working on it, that’s for sure.” Finally, Danny Carey revealed that he was, in fact, the mystery Tool member that sustained injuries from what was reported as a Vespa accident . “It’s been tough lately because I cracked four ribs,” Carey begins, “broke three of them on a motorcycle the other day, so I am kinda laid up at this point, it’s making it really painful to play. It’s not an easy thing to do. [Laughs] … it was just over in the San Fernando Valley, I was just turning to go on the freeway, and I think I hit some antifreeze or oil or something, and the wheels just slipped right out from under me, and I just hit the pavement really hard. [Laughs] … Yeah, I’m still in one piece anyway, but I don’t know how lucky I was the way I feel right now [Laughs]. It’s pretty painful, but some painkillers and some scotch will get you through it.” Tool have also just announced a cluster of tour dates in Australia and New Zealand. Stay tuned for more news on the band’s upcoming record. Tool 2013 Australia + New Zealand Tour Dates: 04/27 – Melbourne, AUS – Rod Laver Arena 04/30 – Adelaide, AUS – AEC Arena 05/03 – Sydney, AUS – Allphones Arena 05/06 – Brisbane, AUS – Entertainment Centre 05/08 – Auckland, N.Z. – Vector Arena [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tool-danny-carey-backs-school-of-rock-kids-offers-album-update/” title=”Next: Danny Carey Jams With School of Rock Kids” align=”center”]