Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Intensity is a total understatement when Lamb of God come to town, but when you add In Flames , Hatebreed and Sylosis to the mix, the energy is indescribable. New York’s Roseland Ballroom shook to its core these bands took the stage on Friday night (Nov. 16). UK metal band Sylosis kicked off the night with a great performance that got the blood of early concertgoers pumping. Hatebreed fans are ‘As Diehard as They Come’ and the band is one whose music can elicit a variety of emotions. Their live shows enforce these emotions and definitely tested the strength of Roseland Ballroom’s foundation. The pits were complete chaos and security guards could barely keep up with the amounts of bodies flying over the crowd. Frontman Jamey Jasta’s hardcore roots are evident onstage, not to mention his infectious and uncontrollable stage presence had everyone bouncing to the band’s anthems of strength and power such as ‘Perseverance,’ ‘In Ashes They Shall Reap,’ ‘Live For This,’ and ‘I Will Be Heard,’ among others. They ended their set with ‘Destroy Everything,’ and that they did. In Flames were the ideal bridge to go in between the very volatile Hatebreed set and headliners Lamb of God. They broke up the high intensity sets with a little bit of melody and humor. That doesn’t mean fans took a break – the crowd remained steady with massive amounts of crowd surfing, jumping, mosh pitting and singing. Frontman Anders Friden humorously said that any band who directly follows Hatebreed sounds like a fart, well In Flames set that night was far from the sound of flatulence. Friden sounded phenomenal as the group performed tracks from their most recent release ‘Sounds of a Playground Fading’ — such as ‘Where the Dead Ships Dwell,’ ‘Deliver Us’ and ‘Fear Is the Weakness.’ Of course the Swedes pulled out some fan favorites such as ‘Cloud Connected,’ ‘Take This Life’ and ‘My Sweet Shadow’ just to name a few. The booming sound of Lamb of God took control of Roseland Ballroom and everyone in it. Fans lost their minds as the rumbling riffs and galloping drums of ‘Desolation’ took hold. The band went on to perform their debut single ‘Ghost Walking’ off of ‘Resolution.’ As vocalist Randy Blythe spat out the lyrics with venom, the crowd screamed lyrics word for word back to him during tracks such as ‘No You’ve Got Something to Die For,’ ’11th Hour,’ ‘ Ruin,’ ‘Laid To Rest,’ ‘Redneck’ and ‘Black Label,’ among numerous others. With the year Randy Blythe has had to go with the few weeks New York City and the rest of the Tri-State area has had to deal with, this concert and these bands gave many metal fans a sense of normalcy and command that they might have thought they lost for a while. It’s no wonder why this show is one fans at Roseland Ballroom will be remembered for quite some time. Go here to see where you can catch the remaining dates of this phenomenal tour. Photos of Lamb of God, In Flames, Hatebreed + Sylosis in NYC Lamb of God: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire In Flames: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Hatebreed: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Sylosis: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-lamb-of-god-songs” title=”Next: 10 Best Lamb of God Songs” align=”center”]
Pier Marco Tacca / Frank Micelotta, Getty Images Courtney Love has set the wheels in motion on a documentary about her late husband Kurt Cobain . She has reached out to filmmaker Brett Morgen , the man behind the current Rolling Stones documentary ‘Crossfire Hurricane,’ to oversee a project based on the life of the late Nirvana frontman Morgen told the New York Post’s Page Six that he’s already planning out his Cobain documentary with the blessing of Love. He explained, “Courtney is the one that brought me into this. We’ve been trying to find the right time to put this film together and the time is now.” The documentarian went on to add, “Kurt was not only an amazing songwriter and musician, he was an incredible artist and filmmaker. So we are going to do the movie sort of like a third-person autobiography — as if Kurt was around and making a film about his life.” There were recent rumors that Love was interested in telling Cobain’s story on Broadway or as part of a musical film, but she later shot down talk of those projects happening. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/” title=”Next: 10 Best Grunge Bands” align=”center”]
Facebook – Drowning Pool Drowning Pool ‘s as-yet-untitled fifth studio album is due in early 2013, and in advance of its release, the video for the new song ‘Saturday Night’ has been unveiled (watch below). The song features Drowning Pool’s new vocalist Jasen Moreno, who made his live debut as Ryan McCombs’ replacement earlier this summer. Moreno says, “I am extremely happy and very grateful to be a part of the Drowning Pool family. Everyone’s been so welcoming, especially the fans. I can’t praise them enough. They’ve made me feel right at home. This first run of live shows couldn’t have gone any better!” ‘Saturday Night’ is anthemic and very melodic. The video features the band performing in the middle of a crowd of fans and intersperses shots of a party, scantily clad women and other things that happen when you live your life like it’s Saturday night. Bassist Stevie Benton talked about the track with Noisecreep . “The question I am most often asked is ‘What’s life on tour like?’ This song is my best description of a typical day on the road.” The band’s new album is being produced by Kato Khandwala (Cold, Taylor Momsen). Drowning Pool’s best known song is their 2001 hit ‘Bodies,’ which was recently named one of Loudwire’s Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs . Watch Drowning Pool – ‘Saturday Night’ Video
YouTube Black Dahlia Murder are in the midst of a lineup change, with drummer Shannon Lucas leaving the band to pursue outside projects. The split appears to be amicable though, as Lucas says he will continue to support the band as best he can and was instrumental in naming his replacement. In a video posting, Lucas states, “Some of you may have heard that I was sitting out on the current Dethklok tour. That is correct. I’m also stepping back from BDM to pursue some other things in life. Filling in right now is a kid named Alan Cassidy. He played for Abigail Williams for a little while and he is an outstanding drummer. I was active in helping the band pick him as a fill-in. There’s no permanent member yet. Alan’s just filling in for now. He plays the parts just like they are on the record and he’s an outstanding drummer, so if you go see him, show him some love. He’s a good dude.” Lucas went on to thank the fans for coming to the show, buying tickets and merchandise and supporting their albums. As for the group he’s leaving behind, the drummer adds, “I wanna thank the band for giving me some of the best years of my life and records that I am very, very proud to be a part of. I’ve always loved BDM and I will always continue to be in the background and help them out, watch them grow, further their career and put out more records.” At present, Lucas says he’s booked January studio time to track drums on a project he has with Killswitch Engage ‘s Adam Dutkiewicz and Cannibal Corpse ‘s George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. He’s also got a grind project that will follow that’s expected to feature some name players. And on the business side, he and his wife are building up to the launch of a tattoo shop just outside of Richmond, Va. Watch Shannon Lucas’ Black Dahlia Murder Exit Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/the-black-dahlia-murder-lead-guitarist-ryan-knight-talks-metal-new-record-at-orion/” title=”Next: Black Dahlia Murder’s Ryan Knight Talks Metal” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Anthrax bassist Frank Bello was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. He spoke all about the band’s journey and their success with their latest record ‘Worship Music,’ as well as the forthcoming re-release of the album. He also dished about being in the film ‘Greetings From Tim Buckley’ and much more. Read the full interview with Frank Bello below: The last couple of years have been a whirlwind for Anthrax – Joey Belladonna rejoined the band, you had the Big 4 shows, ‘Worship Music’ being released, a year long tour with Testament and Death Angel, how important has all of that been in setting up the future of Anthrax? You just said it – it’s all one. The Big 4 actually gave Anthrax a kick in the ass to really get going, we were working on songs – Scott [Ian], Charlie [Benante] and I and that made us really get back to being a serious band again. We were working and saying “We need to get a record out” and that made us finish the record. I tip my hat to Metallica for doing that for us. They didn’t have to put the Big 4 together and they did and it worked out really nicely and there’s a whole new fan base with that, which it great. Right now, you’re recording a few cover tunes for an expanded re-release of ‘Worship Music’ — like Journey, Boston, Rush – how have those bands influenced a faster, heavier band like Anthrax? Anthrax, we’ve done this stuff forever – those are our influences honestly, whether you want to take Journey and the melodic influences, great band, great musicians. I think it’s like a sponge thing like Boston, great harmonies, great vocals, great guitar. All of these things, these are the things we’ve grown up with and we would probably jam out sound check – we never really play Anthrax songs, music’s supposed to be fun and we play Anthrax for the set but it’s just so much fun to get it together. What we’ve always been known to do is to put these on a b-side and people just really dig it. I dig it – I did the Journey song yesterday, this is what we do and just the fun part about it is to hear the result. Joey [Belladonna] at times can sound like Steve Perry and I haven’t even heard his vocals on it and to hear him sing Boston – it’s going to be fun, I can’t wait to hear the finished product. This is special for the fans – you get the re-release yes but there’s always a little something different on top of it so I think it’s a special thing later on. What did it feel like for you guys to comeback with a new record in this time in terms of music and have it receive such high praise? You know what it is, after eight years first off – it was hard enough to get the record out just because getting management, lawyers out of the way all that garbage that gets in the way of music and personalities. We knew what we wanted Anthrax to be again the real deal so again I’ll go back to Big 4, it really gave us a kick in the ass to get back and really clear everything to go forward – ‘Worship Music’ we knew we had something special, we got Joey in on it and that was the cherry on top of it all. We’re fans of this music so we knew we had something good, thankfully the people, the fan base has taken on this record – this is our biggest selling record in a long time. It’s just done really well, thank God and thank the fans out there, great support- that’s why we’re still on tour. In three weeks we leave for a Motorhead tour – pretty much all sold out in Europe, which is crazy. Think about it, 30 years in, Jackie, who would have thought we’re still around – Anthrax, Motorhead in Europe selling out places, we’re very lucky, we’re humbled. It’s a really nice thing that’s going on and we couldn’t be happier, we’re stoked. I have to tell you a funny old school Anthrax story, I grew up in Jersey and in my backyard was the offices for Megaforce Records and when I was a kid – you know you don’t know what a record label does, you just assume that the bands are hanging out there and working there. I must have been 12 or 13 years old and a buddy of mine and I were like “Hey let’s go over and maybe Anthrax is hanging out” and we went into the Megaforce offices like “Hey what’s up is Anthrax here?” There were times where Scott and I and Charlie did go there. It’s funny because it was way out there too, in Jersey and they would be like “Just come by to the office” and I’m not driving from the Bronx to Jersey. There were times where we would get boxes of our stuff to give out to our families, plus all of the Metallica stuff we’d get that was for free if we went there. In ‘Greetings From Tim Buckley’ you play Richard Hell and you’ve done TV and other films too like ‘One Long Day.’ How does the rush of acting compare to the rush of playing music? It’s weird that you say that and thank you for mentioning it – it’s the same thing for me. It’s really like writing a song and I don’t want to talk acting nonsense but putting little pieces together like a chorus or verse and stuff like that, I like just being somebody else. I think it’s really cool to be somebody else so when you sink yourself into it, it’s just like a song, it’s this little life, you give a song life – it’s the same vibe in my gut that makes me feel good. I have a fire for this music, I’ve always had a fire for acting – who gives a f— about fame, it means nothing, we all know fame is bulls—. The whole thing of being a working actor really turns me on because it’s being somebody else for a little while. Being able to create gets something out of me that I need to get out – I don’t know what it is but it’s a lot of fun and I hope to do more, it was a blast. Compare to ten years ago, twenty years ago, what has been the best thing about being in Anthrax in 2012? Well right now it’s nice to be back and being accepted by not only our audience but there’s a new audience out there: 15-, 16-year-old kids. I got 15-year-old kids coming up to me saying “You’re an influence.” You don’t realize how good that feels – it’s something I’ve done right in my life and I’m very proud of it. It that kid could pick up a bass and feel the way I feel about it and make his day be a little bit better, that’s what it’s all about. It’s like passing the torch a little bit – we’ve been lucky, we’ve had a great time, if I could make somebody feel as good as the bass and music has made me feel that’s what it’s all about at this point. I feel like Anthrax is finally getting the recognition you guys deserve after all of these years, working so hard and putting out music and touring the hell out of your records. I congratulate you guys and I think it’s finally your time. Thank you, well and you know, Jackie people like you and this isn’t a kiss ass – the truth of the matter is we know our friends and people like you have supported the band forever and have been with us along this ride, peaks and valleys. There are no angels in this band, we know you have good times, you have lean times, there have been a lot lean times but it’s good to be back in this kind of way right now. We don’t know where it’s going to go – we hope it goes further but we’re taking it day to day, it’s a good vibe. There’s a metal thing going on right now, there’s a resurgence that we all know is here so we’re very happy to be part of it. We’re humbled that we are still a part of it – 30 years in, come on, we’re having a great time, we’re more relevant than ever, people love this record. For people to say this is our finest work – which we’ve heard in a lot of reviews and thank you for that, God that’s all you could really ask. That means it’s relevant and it made people feel a certain way and that’s what matters. It really got people listening again and we’re ready for it. Full Metal Jackie will welcome Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed 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 .
Jason Merritt, Getty Images / Facebook: I See Stars Falling in Reverse singer Ronnie Radke has courted his own amount of trouble over the years, but he’s doing his best to change that path and that means distancing himself from up-and-coming rockers I See Stars . Radke reveals that the young band has been kicked off ‘The Thug in Me Is You’ tour at his request. Radke, who previously dealt with substance abuse issues of his own, says that the time had come for I See Stars to go after failing to live up to the second chance they were given after their own arrest for drug possession earlier this year. The singer offered a full Facebook posting to explain his reasoning for the band’s exit from the tour. It reads as follows: I wanted to let everyone know I See Stars is no longer on the tour. We had offered them the tour several months back and then not long after we sent the offer, the entire band was arrested for drug possession. If you have been following my story, you know I am very serious about my sobriety and have been sober for 4+ years now. I decided to remove them from the tour at that time as I did not want drug users in my environment. After we informed them they would no longer be on the tour for that reason, their label approached us and asked us to give them a 2nd chance, they assured us the band would not use drugs and they would be professional on my tour. We came to an agreement and I gave them their 2nd chance. Throughout this entire tour, they have been unprofessional. They have rarely showed up on time and have caused undue difficulty on my crew plus employees of the various venues. It’s been next to impossible to keep the show running on time. I feel at this point we have no choice but to continue on without them. We’re simply trying to deliver the best possible show to all you guys and we don’t feel like we can do that with I See Stars. We’re stoked to continue on with Enter Shikari, Letlive and Matt Toka (on select dates). I’ll see you at the shows. Love and respect, Ronnie. Back in late August, multiple members of I See Stars were arrested in Kansas for alleged possession of hallucinogenic drugs. At the time, singer Devin Oliver tweeted about it, calling it “the worst 13 hours of my life” and vowed it would be his “first and last time in jail.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/falling-in-reverse-ronnie-radke-reportedly-arrested-throwing-mic-stands-into-crowd/” title=”Next: Falling in Reverse’s Ronnie Radke Arrested for Microphone Throwing” align=”center”]
Michael Buckner, Getty Images In today’s social media world, we have more access than ever to our favorite rockers, and that means often seeing more than just the idol onstage but the actual person as well. One such case is happening at present with Motley Crue ‘s Nikki Sixx , who is sharing with fans his personal anguish as he deals with his grandfather’s battle with cancer. Sixx has been very open in sharing his own issues with fans over the years. He chronicled his early career drug dependency in the book ‘The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star.’ He then opened up musically about the experience, forming the band Sixx: A.M. to share his thoughts musically. Plus, he’s become a radio personality with his ‘Sixx Sense’ show over the years, which gives him another outlet to speak his mind. In a deeply personal and cathartic letter written to his fans via his Facebook page , Sixx is attempting not only to share what he’s going through, but to open discussion with others dealing with similar issues. The letter reads as follows: I’ve been sharing my insides with you for so long I guess there is no reason to stop now. On some level this is how I connect and hopefully relate some event, place or time to each others lives … I agree it’s odd to do it on Facebook or Twitter (or any other social media portal) but I guess like you, I am trying to work out the wrinkles, iron out the kinks and maybe feel some relief from the pain that comes with life sometimes. It’s been really hard holding it together the last few months with my grandfather Tom being so sick. Watching him change daily breaks my heart as he is slowly breaking down. The doctors gave him 3 to 6 months to live 4 months ago … This prostate cancer is a ticking time bomb and our hearts are breaking in slow motion … The reality of it all is kicking in for my whole family … Why do I tell you this? Cause maybe I am not the only one in pain. We all deal with it in different ways. I can’t run to a bottle or a bindle of powder so I talk about it and as it happens, usually write music about it … This man was there for me like a father. He never let me down … he was a role model and my biggest fan … The water run’s deep between us so the blade of the knife also hits the bone … Love is a two edged swords … So we learn with death at our footsteps… Thank you for listening … I actually would love to hear your story too. We at Loudwire send our positive thoughts to Nikki Sixx as he goes through this difficult period. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/motley-crue-nikki-sixx-sex-twitter-dave-mustaine-sixx-a-m/” title=”Next: Nikki Sixx Talks Twitter + Sixx: A.M.’s Future” align=”center”]