Kevin Winter, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: Beloved Flyleaf singer Lacey Sturm has left the band. Sturm wrote a detailed letter to fans explaining her departure, citing the birth of her first son and the death of the band’s sound engineer after a car accident. [ Loudwire ] After a recent home invasion, Kurt Cobain’s daughter Frances Bean has apparently stated that the man who broke into her Los Angeles home was attempting to kill her fiance. [ Loudwire ] Stone Sour ‘s upcoming album ‘House of Gold & Bones Part 1′ is now available for streaming in full. Listen to the record here. [ Loudwire ] Donald Trump scolds Bruce Springsteen for supporting Barack Obama in the 2012 Presidential election. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder plays surprise Bridge School benefit set along with Guns N’ Roses. [ Diffuser.fm ] Which Metallica album do you prefer; ‘Load’ or ‘Reload’? Vote here! [ Ultimate Metallica ] Ill Nino release new music video preview of ‘La Epidemia.’ [ Rock Music Report ]
Toby Canham, Getty Images / Relapse “Who’s more evil than Larry King?” asks Pig Destroyer vocalist J.R. Hayes before the band’s ultra-violent set in Brooklyn last night (Oct. 18). We got to speak with the entirety of Pig Destroyer for a rare interview, when the subject of discussion took an unexpected turn towards iconic broadcaster Larry King. With Pig Destroyer about to release their punishing fifth studio album, ‘Book Burner,’ we went in depth about the record during our exclusive interview and hit on one of their new tracks, ‘The Bug.’ Widely known for their use of samples within their music, a demonically-manipulated voice begins to recite a quote as ‘The Bug’ leads off: “This is libel, slander, defamation of character. This is a prolonged insult, a gob of spit in the face of art, a kick in the pants to God, Man, Destiny, Time, Love, Beauty … what you will. I am going to sing for you, a little off key perhaps, but I will sing. I will sing while you croak, I will dance over your dirty corpse.” “That’s a pretty famous quote from Henry Miller’s ‘Tropic of Cancer,’” says Hayes. “It’s a book from the ’30s where he’s an ex-patriot in France. He’s very much talking about how art can be offensive but still artful at the same time. That quote always struck me as kind of resonant.” Pig Destroyer guitarist and producer Scott Hull interjected with a fascinating truth about the audio used for the quote. “It’s Larry King,” reveals Hull. “He read ‘Tropic of Cancer’ for a book on tape.” Funnily enough, Hayes was unaware that King possessed the disembodied voice within ‘The Bug,’ and acknowledged that his mind was official blown. ‘Book Burner’ won’t be available to purchase until next week, but to hear ‘The Bug’ along with the rest of the new album, NPR has got an exclusive stream of the record in full. Stay tuned for our full interview with the deathgrind innovators of Pig Destroyer. [button href=”http://www.npr.org/2012/10/14/162728112/first-listen-pig-destroyer-book-burner#playlist” title=”Listen to Pig Destroyer’s ‘Book Burner’ in Full” align=”center”]
Rick Diamond, Getty Images Pearl Jam are working on a new album, but still really don’t have a timeline on when fans can expect it. Bassist Jeff Ament tells Guerilla Candy that even though the band has made some headway , there’s still a long way to go before it’s complete and there’s no rush to finish it. The bassist says, “There really are no plans right now [for 2013]. We have a few shows in South America on the calendar and that’s about it. I think that’s by design. I think the idea is that everybody takes the holidays off and then at some point somebody will pick up the phone, maybe late January or early February, and that will kind of start the [recording] process over again.” Ament says he’s constantly asked about the next Pearl Jam record, but admits that it’s hard to discuss as it hasn’t taken its full form as of yet. He adds, “We still don’t know exactly when we will finish it, so it’s hard to talk about it. It really could be anything at this point. Even though we have seven or eight songs recorded, it’s still sort of a blank slate and that’s exciting.” However, the bassist says that fans shouldn’t worry about the band’s future. He adds, “I don’t think there’s any doubt we’re going to make a record, but when that’s going to be, and when everybody is ready to do it, well that’s another story. And there’s no pressure. So if at any point the guys called up and said, ‘Hey, we’re ready to do this,’ I’d have no problem dropping everything because that’s my first love. I’m going to do whatever works for everyone else.” Ament is well aware of the potential problems of taking too much time, and says he doesn’t envision a Guns N’ Roses situation where ‘Chinese Democracy’ ended up taking a decade-plus to finalize. He adds, “Every day you’re going to improve as a writer and your take on things might be different. At some point you just have to let go and move on to the next thing. That’s always the tricky part of being in a band. When is it good enough? When is there too much paint on the canvas and when isn’t there too much paint on the canvas? That’s always a tricky balance.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”Next: Top 10 Grunge Bands” align=”center”]
Michael Buckner, Getty Images Poison frontman Bret Michaels has found his next television project, as he’s signed on to host the new Travel Channel Series ‘ Rock My RV ,’ which starts production in November. Michaels has a longtime love for RVs, and the Travel Channel is allowing him to join a skilled team of designers and fabricators in turning average, ordinary RVs into outrageous, badass mobile mansions. The series is scheduled to premiere on Travel Channel next year. Network GM Andy Singer says, “For the past 25 years, Bret Michaels has spent at least nine months out of the year in a tour bus that he personally designs from top to bottom. We couldn’t think of a better frontman than Bret for the series. He lives and breathes life on the road and undoubtedly holds the record for the most hours logged in a custom coach.” Michaels adds, “Between touring and traveling, I spend a lot of time on the road and my tricked-out, custom coach is my home away from home. I crisscross the country and live in my tour bus, and I know how to take an RV from ordinary to extraordinary. I can’t wait to put my expertise to use and show people how to make their RVs rock.” The vocalist has enjoyed a number of successful TV projects in recent years, beginning with his VH1 dating series ‘Rock of Love.’ He also let the cameras in on his personal life with the documentary series, ‘Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It.’ From there, he went on to become the winner on a season of Donald Trump’s series, ‘Celebrity Apprentice,’ on which he’ll appear again this spring as part of the show’s all-star season. He’s also appeared on ‘Don’t Forget the Lyrics,’ the ‘Miss Universe’ pageant and ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,’ among other TV appearances. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bret-michaels-and-dee-snider-return-for-all-star-celebrity-apprentice/” title=”Next: Bret Michaels to Return for ‘All-Star Celebrity Apprentice'” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller / George De Sota, Getty Images Zakk Wylde ‘s name has come up more than a few times this year as a fill-in for a potential Pantera reunion, but before that could ever happen, the remaining members would have to determine if a reunion without the full original lineup is in their best interest. Wylde tells Brave Words that Pantera getting back together after the death of Dimebag Darrell is similar to what Led Zeppelin had to consider when offers continued to flood in after the loss of John Bonham. Wylde explains, “The guys … they’d have to talk about it. THEY’RE Pantera (laughs). I mean, they’re the boys. You get em’ in a room, and I mean it should be like Led Zeppelin gettin’ back together. You know, the guys gotta work it out.” The guitarist, who also fronts Black Label Society , says that it’s been nice to hear both Vinnie Paul and Philip Anselmo even suggest that he might be the guy if they were to reunite, but there’s still a long way to go before that could happen. Wylde says, “Put it this way. I’d be beyond flattered if the guys wanted me to do it and were like, ‘Zakk, we really want to do it and we want you to honor Dime’ and everything. I would say, ‘Yeah, of course I would honor Dime.’ But it’d be like the Jimi Hendrix Experience; you know Mitch and Noel, they wanted to get together to celebrate Jimi’s life and they asked Eric Clapton to fill in and play the guitar and sing the songs. I mean, of course Eric would do it, cause he was buddies with him. It would be that type of thing. But that’ll be a bridge we cross, if the guys ever get to that point and they wanted to do it. But I’m friends with all the guys. I always wish the guys the best with whatever they’re doing. I just had Vinnie on my radio show and everything like that, so it’s all cool. Like I said, I’m good with all the guys. So it would just be up to them and like I said, it’d be a bridge we cross when we get there.” While the Wylde rumor has been a hot one for some time, Anselmo stated earlier this week that even though he had met with Wylde recently, talk of the guitarist being part of a potential Pantera reunion had been blown way out of context . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-pantera-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Pantera Songs” align=”center”]
Bradley Kanaris, Getty Images Although Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe has spoken out multiple times about his arrest in the Czech Republic for manslaughter, along with his proclamation of innocence, Blythe has been relatively quiet since his return to American soil in August. Certainly overwhelmed by both media and fan support, Blythe articulated much about his experience in a brand new interview. Sitting down with WTVR-TV, the CBS affiliate based in Blythe’s home town of Richmond, Va., the vocalist revealed that the United States Department of Justice was indeed informed by the Czech government that Blythe was under investigation for manslaughter stemming from a 2010 concert incident. “The Czech government apparently contacted our government and said, ‘Hey, this guy [Blythe]; we want to investigate him,’ and the Justice Department did not cooperate.” Blythe continues, “I don’t think the Czechs were too pleased about that. I’m not too pleased about that. And the least they could’ve done is, if they aren’t going to cooperate, fine, at least let me know I’m wanted for manslaughter in the Czech Republic. We had no idea. As Blythe has stated in the past, he will not run from these charges or hide out in the United States. “I feel ethically responsible to go back there and face this charge,” declares Blythe. [The victim’s] family right now is in a lot of pain, and they deserve some answers. To lose a child is the worst possible thing a human can go through. I want my name cleared. I have to go around the world and tour, you know? That’s what I do. I’m not going to hide here. I’m an innocent man. I’m going to go to court and see what happens.” Lamb of God are set to embark on an extensive U.S. tour with In Flames , Hatebreed and Sylosis . Hellyeah will also be hopping on board for select dates. Watch Randy Blythe’s Full Interview with WTVR [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tags/lamb-of-god” title=”Get More Lamb of God News Here” align=”center”]
Kevin Winter, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Black Sabbath are progressing a new album, as Ozzy Osbourne & company are holed up in a Malibu recording studio. Find out the new details here: [ Loudwire ] – Nine Inch Nails leader Trent Reznor has revealed his involvement as a consultant for the Beats by Dre headphone company and announced that it’s led to “a number of very interesting projects.” [ Loudwire ] – Former Pantera singer Philip Anselmo says that quotes he made about Zakk Wylde taking part in a reunion of the band have been taken out of context. [ Loudwire ] – Ever wonder where the dark and rather spooky lyrics for Metallica ‘s ‘Enter Sandman’ came from? Get the story here. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – Kiss open up about making the ‘Monster’ album, their current lineup, the Kiss Kruise, and their thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Smashing Pumpkins singer Billy Corgan reveals that he contemplated suicide on multiple occasions. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Jane’s Addiction , Slash , and goth godfather Peter Murphy are among the top acts for the inaugural UR1 festival. [ Rock Music Report ]