Facebook: All Shall Perish All Shall Perish guitarist Ben Orum has chosen to leave the band in order to focus on being a father. A statement just released by Orum details his inability to tour with the band while continuing to be an attentive father, while letting fans know that he will continue making music with the new and smaller project, Oblivion. Although Orum manned the guitar for All Shall Perish, he plays bass for the extreme / death metal project Oblivion. Oblivion’s debut album, Called to Rise’ will be independently released by the band on Jan. 1. Orum, who sat out All Shall Perish’s last couple of tours, posted the following message on his official Facebook fan page: I have given over 10 years of my blood, sweat, and tears to pursuing my dream which you all have helped fulfill. Being in All Shall Perish has been the best experience in my life, outside of being a father. While I am deeply saddened by my decision to leave the band it is necessary at this point in my life. As you know I have a family and obligation to provide for them and be here. Unfortunately, I could not fulfill my duty as a touring musician any longer. While I am done with touring, I will never stop writing music. I am joining the extreme metal band Oblivion as a bassist and contributing songwriter. Oblivion’s debut album will be released on January 1st, 2013. We are beyond excited to unleash it onto the metal world. I’ve always been into death metal and extreme music, this is my return to TRUE Death Metal. What makes Oblivion unique and sets us apart from the pack is the fact that our primary songwriter is a world-renown classical composer and professor of music, Dr. Nick Vasallo. His voice gives the music a subtle refinement with the craftsmanship of the compositions. I’ve known Nick since high school and we were in our first band together- Antagony. Nick went on to college and became a classical composer. I went on to a successful career as a touring musician/songwriter in ASP. Now, 10 years later we are working together again. It’s a full circle. While Oblivion were recording their album, Nick injured his thumb and was unable to finish his tracks, which has delayed the album recording. On top of that, he has accepted an appointment as a tenure-track professor at a prestigious university and won’t be able to juggle all the hats of singing, composing, and playing bass for Oblivion. So that’s where I come in–I’ll be fulfilling his duties as a bassist. We also have another Dr. in the making, our guitarist Victor Dods is finishing his PhD in Math. The other guitarist, Ted O’Neil, is a veteran from the original thrash scene in 80′s, and our drummer, Luis Martinez, is a natural phenom. All of this plus me, makes us a huge force to be reckoned with. Stay tuned for the heaviest and darkest music out there. We are Oblivion. Oblivion’s ‘Called to Rise’ is now available to pre-order and the band are now streaming four new songs from their debut album, with the track ‘Reclamation’ available for free download. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/all-shall-perish-talk-drinking-smoking-poop-pranks-much-more/” title=”All Shall Perish Talk to Loudwire About Drinking, Smoking and Poop Pranks” align=”center”]
YouTube Korn fans now have a chance to see singer Jonathan Davis in a different environment, as the rocker’s recent short film, ‘ Wounded Warriors ,’ is streaming online. The 17-minute film follows Davis as he tours Germany’s Ramstein Air Base. The movie, directed by Sebastien Paquet, finds Davis experiencing several of the tasks that soldiers go through on a daily basis. The singer says, “I’m just in shock. This film is not about me. It is about all the troops and what they sacrifice to keep our life going. I am truly grateful for every single one of them.” During his time at the base, Davis gets a tour of the C130J Hercules Aircraft from airmen of the 37th Airlift Squadron and an explosives demonstration from the 886th Civil Engineer Squadron Explosive Ordinance Disposal Flight. In addition, Davis spent part of the trip visiting with soldiers at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and talking with them about their sacrifices. “Reality’s a bitch,” says Davis in the film. “You’re watching the news and you’re seeing everything that’s going on and It doesn’t really hit you until you actually get there and see the actual faces and the actual equipment and you see what’s going on. I really do think that people should go meet these guys and see what goes on. [They’d] be a little bit more appreciative of what they have.” The film made its debut Nov. 10 at the GI Film Festival in Hollywood and won the “Audience Choice Award.” It will make its television debut on the Pentagon Channel as part of the GI Festival next May. Check out the ‘Wounded Warriors’ short film starring Korn’s Jonathan Davis below: Watch the ‘Wounded Warriors’ Short Film [button href=”http://loudwire.com/korn-fan-presents-uniform-of-fallen-marine-brother-to-jonathan-davis/” title=”Next: Jonathan Davis Receives Fallen Marine’s Uniform” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Danish rockers Volbeat have kept quiet for most of the latter part of 2012, but that’s partly because they’ve been working on new music. The group reveal in a new posting that they’re just about ready to share some of their fresh material and will test it out while playing dates in their home country early next year. The band has booked a five-stop Danish trek that will take place between Feb. 19-24 next year. This will mark the band’s first shows in Denmark after nearly two years of life traveling the world in support of their ‘Beyond Hell / Above Heaven’ album. The dates will take place in small clubs, making the experience of being the first to hear the new material all the more special. After the February string of shows, the group will kick off a North American tour in March before heading off to Europe over the summer months to partake in the festival season. As for the new album, there’s not a confirmed title or release date as of yet, but the band is expected to have the disc in stores at some point in 2013. Volbeat 2013 Danish Tour 2/19 — Copenhagen, Denmark — Store Vega 2/20 — Ringsted, Denmark — Ringsted Kongrescenter 2/22 — Odense, Denmark — Posten 2/23 — Aarhus, Denmark — Voxhall 2/24 — Aalborg, Denmark — Multisalen [button href=”http://loudwire.com/volbeat-michael-poulsen-talks-success-in-u-s-upcoming-album-more/” title=”Next: Volbeat’s Michael Poulsen Discusses U.S. Success” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Late last year, All That Remains singer Phil Labonte raised a few eyebrows when using the word “f–got” while talking about a song competition between his band and Black Veil Brides. At the time, he was referencing a photo split that featured himself and the glammed out singer of Black Veil Brides , Andy Biersack. The vocalist later clarified his comments and with some distance now between the remarks, he’s commented further on the outrage over his usage of the term. In a recent issue of Revolver (excerpted by ThePrp.com ), Labonte says, “I don’t worry what people think about me. I’ll call everyone in my band a f–got and some people who read that get really butt-hurt. I just don’t know why. What happened to ‘Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never hurt me’? I don’t advocate hurting someone’s feelings because of their sexual orientation, but at the same time, if it really offends you when someone says ‘f–got,’ you need to man up. It’s just a word.” At the time of the incident and pending backlash, Labonte criticized the metal media for latching onto one aspect and not telling the whole story, like his vocal support of gay rights. He adds in the new interview, “Passing laws against gay marriage is the most ridiculous thing that straight people do. That’s offensive to me, because they’re just people, and it certainly isn’t my right to go ahead and tell people how they can live or cannot live.” For all the hubbub over that incident last year, All That Remains have also done a lot of good. Just last month the band continued their support of the military by visiting a Marine Corps base around the Thanksgiving holiday. The group recently issued the video for ‘ Stand Up ‘ from their newly released ‘ A War You Cannot Win ‘ album. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/all-that-remains-phil-labonte-talks-military-religion-a-war-you-cannot-win/” title=”Next: Phil Labonte Discusses the Military + Religion” align=”center”]
LitaFordOnline.com / Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com / Doromusic.de It’s not uncommon for teen boys to start fantasizing about beautiful and famous women, and Slipknot / Stone Sour singer Corey Taylor reveals that his adolescence was filled with fantasies about ’80s metal goddesses Lita Ford and Doro Pesch . Taylor says that while Joan Jett was hot, he wasn’t quite at the age yet where his fascination with women was such a major part of his life during her heyday. Instead, his love of metal introduced him to the blonde bombshells Lita Ford and Doro Pesch. He tells Armed Forces Network’s Russell Toof the following: “I had this amazing dream about being in a ménage-a-trois with Lita Ford and Doro Pesch, only because they had that great cover in ‘Ripped’ magazine which I used to collect. They had a big pullout poster that was on my wall forever. They were just the hottest women that I’d seen in my life. So that was my [crush].” Taylor also took time to address his comments about potentially pursuing a dance album and reaching out to Justin Bieber for a performance . The vocalist says that some of the commentary was meant in fun, as he admits, “I just love messing with the fans.” However, the attempt to reach out to Bieber for a one-off collaboration at his book event for an acoustic version of the ‘Psychosocial Baby’ was legit and something he thought would be fun even though it didn’t pan out. While he didn’t foresee it going anywhere beyond that, Taylor says, “The funny thing is if he came to me, I’d be all about it. I don’t even care. Because it’s not about what people think at the end of the day. It’s about what you want to do. And trust me, I’ve turned down weirder gigs to be honest.” As for the dance record, that was something that was just in fun that evolved into something much bigger during Twitter conversations with fans. That being said, Taylor adds, “At this point man, anything’s possible. Who am I to not want to make music? It doesn’t matter what kind it is. I would love to do a tune with Prince or Willie Nelson . That to me is the true representation of being a lover of music and not caring about your q points and all that crap, so, hey, you never know, right?” He also addressed pulling double-duty with Slipknot and Stone Sour at Ozzfest Japan next year, explaining, “Obviously I can’t do it all in one night or I’d kill myself, but you know having Slipknot headline an Ozzfest gig, that’s an honor and it makes me proud of what we’ve accomplished and whatnot and then to turn around the next night and basically have Stone Sour open for Black Sabbath , I mean that’s pretty damn sweet. I have no complaints at this point in my life.” To hear more of Taylor’s interview, in which he also discusses reaction to Stone Sour’s ‘House of Gold & Bones Pt. 1′ being named one of Loudwire’s 10 Best Rock Albums of 2012 , his favorite TV theme songs and his relationships with Seether and Halestorm , click play below: Listen to AFN’s Russell Toof Interviewing Corey Taylor [button href=”http://loudwire.com/stone-sour-corey-taylor-house-of-gold-bones-movies/” title=”Next: Corey Taylor Eyes Movie Adaptations of Stone Sour Albums” align=”center”]
Music is all about connectivity, and those who establish that connection in the deepest of ways will surely create a fan base of rabid devotees. The love projected from the fans, to the band and back again is most notable with the following nominees, and if you’re reading this, you will likely pledge your allegiance to one of these 10 acts. From veteran acts to new addictions, these are your choices for Most Devoted Fans. Check it out and be sure to vote in the poll below: ? Avenged Sevenfold It’s no secret that Avenged Sevenfold have some of the most dedicated fans on the planet. Regardless of universal acclaim, mainstream success or negative criticism, A7X fans will be in it for life through thick and thin. ? ? Black Veil Brides Black Veil Brides possessed a massive fan base long before their debut studio album, ‘We Stitch These Wounds.’ The band are experiencing massive success driven by fans reminiscent of the emo and post-hardcore scenes in the mid-2000s. ? ? Dir En Grey When it comes to pure dedication, Japanese metal band Dir En Grey could easily build a legitimate cult with their listeners. Although underdogs from the beginning, the fans of Dir En Grey united with unmatched force for our Extreme Metal Olympics feature, leading the band to a gold medal. ? ? Falling in Reverse Although controversy seems to follow vocalist Ronnie Radke wherever he finds himself, his new band Falling in Reverse have exploded as one of the present day’s most popular ‘scene’ bands. Since the release of ‘The Drug in Me is You’ last year, the band has seen rare success due to their rabid fans. ? Iron Maiden As one of metal’s undisputed greatest bands in history, Iron Maiden fans are a breed of their own. Spanning all generations, Maiden are one of the few New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands who are still releasing brilliant material. Their American fans came in droves during this year’s ‘Maiden England’ tour, boasting the band’s grandest stage show to date. Up the Irons! ? Metallica When you’re the most commercially successful metal band in history, you can do anything and everything you want. For Metallica , this came in the form of their own Orion Music + More festival, where they performed both ‘Ride the Lightning’ and the ‘Black Album’ in full. You don’t need to know much about metal to recognize the ridiculously large following Metallica have gained. ? Suicide Silence Suicide Silence have been one of deathcore’s premiere acts for a number of years, but with the sudden death of vocalist Mitch Lucker on Nov. 1, fans of the band came together by the thousands in unity to memorialize the late singer. ? ? Slipknot Slipknot ‘s fan base of ‘Maggots’ have an animalistic dedication to their masked heroes. Even when headlining over legendary acts such as Slayer, Motorhead and Anthrax, the crowd was noticeably more massive for Slipknot throughout the 2012 Mayhem Fest. Maggots also rushed to the band’s very own two-city Knotfest events in 2012. ? Tool Maynard James Keenan is the Charles Manson of music. He could easily lead his legions of fans into a coup d’etat of the entire world, but luckily, he seems to be content with making wine instead. Each member of Tool is a genuine master of their instrument, while acting as true visionaries through their songwriting, and this has created one of the most notable and naturally-acquired fan bases in history. ? X Japan We witnessed the rabid nature of X Japan fans during a run of Loudwire Cage Matches earlier this year. The band’s followers allowed X Japan to defeat Black Veil Brides, In Flames, the Used, Bush and Jane’s Addiction in consecutive wins, proving how deeply-rooted and powerful their fan base truly is. ? Voting for the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards closes on Jan. 15 at 11:59 PM EST. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite band wins! Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rock-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards” title=”Next Category: Rock Song of the Year” align=”center”] Get Notified When Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the daily Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of our full list of winners in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards, as well as the top stories in rock and metal. Email
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Korn are set to reunite with their founding guitar player Brian ‘Head’ Welch for two German festival gigs in 2013, and perhaps nobody is more stoked about the get-together than Welch. The metal six-stringer rocked out with Korn onstage for the track ‘Blind’ last May at the Carolina Rebellion festival in Rockingham, N.C., and he says jamming with Korn just felt right. “Last [May], I ended up at the Carolina Rebellion show,” he tells Revolver . “Evanescence played, and I had gone with P.O.D., because I was on tour with them. Korn was playing. I was just going to go say hi to them. I saw [Korn guitarist] Munky, and we talked for a long time. It was the first time we talked in seven years. He’s sober now and everyone’s in a good place.” Welch added that once he got onstage with the guys, he felt a connection. “It was all positive,” he said. “When I left Korn, there was all this negative crap everywhere. I went home and thought, ‘That was a cool experience.’ So Munky called me a little bit later about reuniting [for the shows in Germany]. I told him I didn’t think it was the right time, but maybe later. Then I thought about it more and I called him back. I had so much fun jamming I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ It’s a couple shows. I want to connect with the fans. It is the right time. We’re just going slow right now. We’re just gonna do those couple shows and see what happens. Just have a good time.” The big reunion is set to happen at Germanys Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park festivals, scheduled for June 7 and 9. For more on the Korn reunion, check out Loudwire’s exclusive video interview with Munky: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/korn-munky-optimistic-permanent-reunion-brian-head-welch/” title=”Munky Optimistic For Permanent Reunion With Head” align=”center”]