Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Comic Con attracts all walks of life, and this year some metal luminaries made appearances at the Jacob Javitz Center in New York City over the weekend. Slipknot / Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor pulled up a chair at the Dark Horse Comics booth to greet fans to spread the word about his comic book series ‘House of Gold & Bones.’ Twisted Sister frontman and horror enthusiast Dee Snider was also there for a signing, as well as Iced Earth axe-man Jon Schaffer and Testament guitarist Alex Skolnick , who played some serious riffs at the Metal Sucks booth. Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett also made a special appearance at this year’s convention in order to promote his forthcoming book ‘Too Much Horror Business – The Kirk Hammett Collection.’ We were there to catch Taylor, Skolnick and Schaffer in action. Check out our photos below, as well as video of Skolnick shredding on guitar: Check Out Photos of the Metal Invasion at Comic Con 2012: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Watch Alex Skolnick play guitar at Comic Con 2012
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com / Kevin Winter, Getty Images Several months ago it was revealed that Slipknot / Stone Sour vocalist Corey Taylor was one of the artists recording music with Foo Fighters frontman / ex- Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl for the latter’s ;Sound City’ documentary. Now Taylor has revealed more about the collaboration in an interview with Phoenix radio station KUPD (watch below). Taylor reveals, “[Dave Grohl] sent an email to me, basically explaining this huge project he was doing – the documentary around the infamous board that he got from Sound City, which so many people have recorded on – myself included – we did ‘Iowa’ on that board…He bought it, and I loved the idea that he was like ‘how many albums have been made on this board?” He adds, “He wrote the song, he sent me a demo of it and I was like ‘this is fantastic’ and I just basically wrote the first thing that came off the top of my head. He didn’t even hear it until I went down there to record it. And I laid it down and he was just like ‘wow.’ Because we did it old school – two inch tape, take after take after take. And with that board, man. It just sings, it was really, really cool.” Countless legendary albums were recorded at Sound City, including Nirvana ‘s ‘Nevermind,’ Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours,’ Neil Young’s ‘After The Gold Rush,’ Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ ‘Damn the Torpedoes’ and Rage Against the Machine ‘s self-titled debut. While an official release date for the documentary has still not been revealed, the web site for the film has several video clips and other info. Watch Corey Taylor’s Interview on KUPD
Dark Horse Comics As an extension of Stone Sour ‘s double album ‘House of Gold & Bones,’ vocalist Corey Taylor is creating a comic book. A four-issue miniseries will be written by Taylor and published by Dark Horse Comics to accompany the two-part Stone Sour album. Set to drop on Oct. 23, ‘House of Gold & Bones – Part 1,’ Stone Sour’s fourth full-length album is one of the most anticipated releases of 2012. The second part of ‘House of Gold and Bones’ does not have an official release date as of this posting, but we know that Corey Taylor, who also provides vocals for Slipknot , will be appearing at New York’s Comic Con this week (Oct. 11-14), according to Roadrunner Records . Corey Taylor recently spoke about his passion that led to his animated endeavor. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” says Taylor. “I’ve always been very critical of when comics go south and basically pull the fan out of what the potential is. It’s me pretty much putting my money where my mouth is.” He continues, “Especially in (the music) industry, you’re encouraged to not only appear to be as youthful and arrogant as possible, but you’re encouraged to make your own terrible decisions and have this kind of abhorrent behavior. People think that it sells. I figured out a long time ago that that’s so boring and so clichéd. To me, it was about shuffling that off and figuring out who do I want to be? Who do I want to try to be? Who do I want to aspire to be?” Get ready for Stone Sour’s ‘House of Gold & Bones,’ which will drop on Oct. 22. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/corey-taylor-involvement-in-anthrax-worship-music-stone-sour-the-travelers-pt-1-snippet-unveiled/” title=”Next: Corey Taylor on Almost Singing for Anthrax” align=”center”]
Facebook: Johny Chow Stone Sour guitarist Josh Rand let the beans spill in a recent interview about Cavalera Conspiracy and Soulfly bassist Johny Chow helping the band out with their touring bassist vacancy, but now the band has made an official announcement with Rand telling fans the news via a Facebook posting . In the recent interview, the guitarist said of Chow, “He came in, a super cool guy and did all 24 songs in five days. It was insane! I don’t think people realize how great of a player he is. It was just insane to watch him knock these songs out. With him coming in and doing that, it just added another level of energy to the whole project and he took a lot of the songs to a different level.” Chow was invited to play with the band after Rachel Bolan’s schedule with Skid Row would not allow for him to tour with the group. Bolan handled bass duties on ‘ House of Gold and Bones, Parts 1 & 2′ records after the band dealt with the exit of bassist Shawn Economaki earlier this year. In making the official announcement, Rand stated: Dear Friends, I am pleased to announce that Johny Chow will be playing bass guitar with Stone Sour on the House of Gold and Bones Parts 1 & 2 tour cycle. Johny is a fantastic player and a long-time friend of the band. We are all excited to have him be part of what will be our most exciting and ambitious album cycle yet. All the best, Josh Rand Stone Sour will begin their support of the two releases by touring overseas . Dates start Oct. 27 in Japan and continue through South America and Europe for the remainder of the year. The group will kick off 2013 with shows in Australia as part of the traveling Soundwave Festival. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/corey-taylor-talks-new-stone-sour-music-knotfest-slipknots-future-more/” title=”Next: Corey Taylor Discusses New Stone Sour Album” align=”center”]
Roadrunner Records Stone Sour ‘s ‘ House of Gold & Bones Part 1 ? is set to be released Oct. 23 as the first of a two part concept album, with the second part expected in May of 2013. In a new interview, singer Corey Taylor and guitarist Josh Rand spoke with Metal Shrine about a number of topics, including the band’s new touring bassist. Taylor explains the genesis of the album, saying, “I’ve had the idea for the concept for a few years actually, but I’ve never given myself the time to really flesh it out and see it clearly. It was right about the time when we did the Sonisphere shows that for some reason “Boom!”, it f—ing hit me! I saw it as clear as day, beginning, middle and end. I knew the characters, I knew the world that I wanted to create, I knew what I wanted to do.” After the exit of Stone Sour bassist Shawn Economaki earlier this year, the band recruited Rachel Bolan from Skid Row to play bass on ‘House of Gold & Bones.’ Rand says it was a great experience: “He’s a phenomenal writer on top of being a phenomenal bass player and he brought this style into it that we felt had been lacking. Instead of following the guitars, he actually plays bass and it elevated all of the songs to a whole new level.” Rand adds, “He came in, a super cool guy and did all 24 songs in five days. It was insane! I don’t think people realize how great of a player he is. It was just insane to watch him knock these songs out. With him coming in and doing that, it just added another level of energy to the whole project and he took a lot of the songs to a different level.” Bolan’s schedule with Skid Row won’t allow him to play live shows with Stone Sour, and Rand revealed the touring bassist will be Johny Chow. Chow has played with Cavalera Conspiracy, Soulfly and Fireball Ministry. Stone Sour will embark on a European tour at the end of October that will last for the rest of the year. They”ll also play Australia in early 2013. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/stone-sour-lyric-video-double-single-gone-sovereign-absolute-zero/” title=”Watch Stone Sour’s Lyric Video for ‘Gone Sovereign / Absolute Zero'” align=”center”]
Marshall Over the weekend, the lineage of Marshall Amps, as well as its last founder, Jim Marshall, was celebrated at the ‘Marshall: 50 Years of Loud’ event. Held at Wembley Arena in London, ’50 Years of Loud’ showcased an unparalleled lineup of musicians, all known for their electric acts. Members of Iron Maiden , Slayer , Motorhead , Judas Priest , Deep Purple , Slipknot , Black Label Society , along with guitar masters Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Satriani paid their respects to Marshall by performing an incredible collection of rock masterpieces. With musicians constantly interchanging throughout the night, songs such as Iron Maiden’s ‘Flight of Icarus,’ Motorhead’s ‘Ace of Spades,’ Pantera’s ‘Mouth For War,’ along with various Black Sabbath and Judas Priest songs were unleashed by the slew of rock and metal legends. Check out this fan-filmed footage of Judas Priest’s ‘Living After Midnight’ (featuring Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and Tim ‘Ripper’ Owens on vocals) and Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the Water,’ along with the full ’50 Years of Loud’ setlist below. Judas Priest’s ‘Living After Midnight Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the Water’ Full ’50 Years of Loud’ Setlist with Musicians 01. Instrumental Jam * Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman 02. Lil’ Devil (THE CULT cover) * Corey Taylor?* Billy Duffy?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy 03. Heaven And Hell (BLACK SABBATH cover) * Tim “Ripper” Owens?* Doug Aldrich?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman 04. Slide It In (WHITESNAKE cover) * Tim “Ripper” Owens?* Doug Aldrich?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman 05. Flight Of Icarus (IRON MAIDEN cover) * Tim “Ripper” Owens?* Doug Aldrich?* Nicko McBrain?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George 06. Living After Midnight (JUDAS PRIEST cover) * Tim “Ripper” Owens?* Doug Aldrich?* Nicko McBrain?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Corey Taylor?* Nick Bowcott 07. Cheap Sunglasses (ZZ TOP cover) * Paul Gilbert?* Mike Portnoy?* Eli Gilbert?* Jaz Lochrie 08. Manic Depression (JIMI HENDRIX cover) * Paul Gilbert?* Mike Portnoy?* Eli Gilbert?* Jaz Lochrie 09. Rocky Mountain Way (JOE WALSH cover) * Paul Gilbert?* Mike Portnoy?* Eli Gilbert?* Jaz Lochrie 10. Still In Love With You (THIN LIZZY cover) * Corey Taylor?* Phil Campbell?* Jaz Lochrie?* Brian Tichy?* Tyler Campbell 11. Ace Of Spades (MOTÖRHEAD cover) * Corey Taylor?* Phil Campbell?* Jaz Lochrie?* Brian Tichy?* Kerry King 12. Mouth For War (PANTERA cover) * Kerry King?* Nick Bowcott?* Jaz Lochrie?* Brian Tichy?* Corey Taylor 13. Hell Bent For Leather (JUDAS PRIEST cover) * Kerry King?* Nick Bowcott?* Jaz Lochrie?* Brian Tichy?* Tim “Ripper” Owens 14. Fairies Wear Boots (BLACK SABBATH cover) * Zakk Wylde?* Kerry King?* Jaz Lochrie?* Brian Tichy 15. Into The Void (BLACK SABBATH cover) * Zakk Wylde?* Nick Bowcott?* Jaz Lochrie?* Brian Tichy 16. Stillborn (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) * Zakk Wylde?* Nick Bowcott?* Jaz Lochrie?* Brian Tichy 17. Baroque And Roll * Yngwie Malmsteen?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman 18. Evil Eye * Yngwie Malmsteen?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman 19. Guitar Solo 20. Far Beyond The Sun * Yngwie Malmsteen?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman 21. Satch Boogie * Joe Satriani?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy 22. Always With Me, Always With You * Joe Satriani?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy 23. Goin’ Down (FREDDIE KING cover) * Joe Satriani?* Paul Gilbert?* Nicko McBrain?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George 24. Black Country (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) * Glenn Hughes?* Søren Andersen?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman 25. Soul Mover * Glenn Hughes?* Søren Andersen?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman 26. Mr. Big (FREE cover) * Glenn Hughes?* Søren Andersen?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman?* Andy Fraser 27. Mistreated (DEEP PURPLE cover) / Rock Me Baby (B.B. KING cover) * Glenn Hughes?* Søren Andersen?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman?* Yngwie Malmsteen 28. Smoke On The Water (DEEP PURPLE cover) * Glenn Hughes?* Tim “Ripper” Owens?* Joe Satriani?* Yngwie Malmsteen?* Phil Campbell?* Paul Gilbert?* Doug Aldrich?* Søren Andersen?* Nicko McBrain?* Tobi Earnshaw?* Jaz Lochrie?* Chris George?* Brian Tichy?* Adam Wakeman
Mary Oullette, SheWillShootYou.com Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – How does Corey Taylor keep it all straight? The singer tells all about Slipknot ‘s future, Stone Sour ‘s ambitious concept album and his thoughts on the inaugural Knotfest. [ Loudwire ] – Green Day ‘s ‘¡Uno!’ record isn’t due in stores until next week, but you can get an early listen to the disc via the band’s Facebook page. [ Loudwire ] – Soundgarden are ramping up quickly to their first album since 1996. Now’s as good of a time as any to reflect on the 10 Best Soundgarden Songs. [ Loudwire ] – Does the new Killers album kill? Check out the review on ‘Battle Born’ and see where it stacks up to their past work. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Kids 40 years ago had some pretty great music to listen to. David Bowie , Rolling Stones , Pink Floyd ! See what were the 10 Top Albums of 1972. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – How’s the buzz on indie upstarts Citizen? Check them out for yourself when the band hits the road Sept. 25 in support of their debut EP, ‘Young States.’ [ Rock Music Report ]