Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Legendary Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo has just detonated a pipe bomb regarding the thrash band’s business dealings and internal turmoil. One week ago, on Valentine’s Day, Lombardo was notified by the band’s lawyers that his services behind the kit would not be needed for Slayer’s upcoming Australian tour dates. The entire story feels beyond odd and incredibly cold, and Lombardo has detailed the sudden decision in an official statement. According to a Facebook post from Dave Lombardo’s personal account today (Feb. 21), the drummer alleges that there have been shady practices from the individuals who handle the business of Slayer. Lombardo explains that his efforts to secure more money for the band members themselves led to a butting of heads with guitarist Kerry King, and reveals he was ultimately dismissed from the Australian dates, which primarily consist of their run on the Soundwave Festival. Lombardo posted the following on his Facebook page: I want to personally apologize to all of our fans in Australia who have bought tickets for the tour expecting to see me in my usual place on the drums. So that you all know the truth, as of the end of the business day on February 14th, I was notified that I would not be drumming for the tour in Australia. I’m saddened, and to be honest I am shocked by the situation. Last year, I discovered 90% of Slayer’s tour income was being deducted as expenses including the professional fees paid to management, costing the band millions of dollars and leaving 10% or less to split amongst the four of us. In my opinion, this is not the way a band’s business should operate. I tried rectifying it by letting my band mates know, and Tom and I hired auditors to figure out what happened, but I was denied access to detailed information and the necessary back up documents. I spent the Christmas and New Year holidays realizing I had toured all over the world in 2012, but yet, had not been paid (except a small advance) or provided a proper accounting for a full year’s sweat and blood. On top of this, I was told that I would not be paid until I signed a long form contract which gave me no written assurance of how much or on what basis management would deduct commissions, nor did it provide me access to the financial budgets or records for review. It also forbade me to do interviews or make statements having to do with the band, in effect a gagging order. Last Monday, I sat down with Kerry [King] and Tom [Araya] to rehearse for Australia and to propose a new business model that I felt was the best way forward for Slayer to confidently protect itself so we could do what we do best . . . play for the fans. Kerry made it clear he wasn’t interested in making changes and said if I wanted to argue the point, he would find another drummer. On Thursday, I arrived at rehearsals at 1 pm as scheduled, but Kerry did not show. Rather, at 6:24 pm I received an email from the lawyers saying I was being replaced for the Australian dates. I remain hopeful that we can resolve our issues. But once again, I sincerely apologize to all of our fans in Australia who spent their money expecting to see the 3 of us original Slayer members. I look forward to seeing you in the future. Sincerely, Dave Lombardo As for Lombardo’s replacement, according to a Tweet from Soundwave Festival promoter AJ Maddah, Jon Dette will be manning the drums for Slayer while the band is playing Australia. Dette previously handled drum duties for Slayer in 1996 and 1997. It was also recently revealed that Dette would be filling in for Anthrax ‘s Charlie Benante for the same Australian Soundwave shows, after Benante was forced to take a break due to “ personal issues .” As far as the future of Slayer is concerned, the band is working on a new album, but with guitarist Jeff Hanneman still recovering from a spider bite and Lombardo being kicked off the Australia tour, things seem up in the air right now. We’ll be sure to keep you updated as news on the Slayer situation continues to break. Update: Slayer have issued a statement on the matter. It reads as follows: Slayer confirms that Jon Dette (Testament) will drum for the band on its Australian tour that starts this Saturday, February 23 in Brisbane. As regards Dave Lombardo’s Facebook post, Slayer does not agree with Mr. Lombardo’s substance or the timeline of the events, except to acknowledge that Mr. Lombardo came to the band less than a week before their scheduled departure for Australia to present an entirely new set of terms for his engagement that were contrary to those that had been previously agreed upon. The band was unable to reach an agreement on these new demands in the short amount of time available prior to leaving for Australia. There is more to the account than what Mr. Lombardo has offered, but out of respect to him, Slayer will not be commenting further. Slayer is grateful to its Australian fans for their understanding of this unfortunate last-minute change, and very much looks forward to seeing them at these shows. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slayer-kerry-king-next-album-out-this-year/” title=”Slayer’s Kerry King ‘Very Comfortable’ Saying New Album Will See 2013 Release” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire It’s becoming more commonplace for musicians to ask for a little financial help for their passion projects that have a smaller profile than their main bands, and As I Lay Dying ‘s Tim Lambesis is doing just that for his Austrian Death Machine project. The band, which is a hard-hitting rock outfit loosely based around the theme of Arnold Schwarzenegger catch phrases and films, is about to start work on its third disc, ‘Triple Brutal,’ and Lambesis has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help fund it. Much like other websites used to fund such projects, Lambesis has offered a number of incentives to get fans to donate in order to complete the new album. The frontman says, “The past couple years of my life have been really busy with As I Lay Dying tours, kids, and life in general. While I’ve always wanted to do a third Austrian Death Machine record, it became harder and harder to justify the time. I have however found enough time and made it a priority to get in better shape. Maybe it’s partly because of that, but for whatever reason, a huge percentage of fans started asking me for a new ADM record on the last couple tours … I’m launching this campaign because I believe these are all things that you guys want, and if that’s the case — it justifies leaving the rest of my life unorganized for a while when I focus on Austrian Death Machine.” Lambesis had some fun coming up with the campaign incentives, with two people having the chance to have their initials tattooed on his butt and then enjoying dinner with him after to celebrate. That’s the high-end prize, going for a $5,000 donation. Some of the other lesser cost but still entertaining offers include the chance to punch Tim in the abs as hard as you can. That goes for $99 and he must be fairly confident in his body as he’s offered 33 opportunities for people to receive that option. There’s also 15 opportunities at $500 a pop where Lambesis will serve as your personal trainer for a month. You could also have the singer wear a shirt with your photo on it at shows. That goes for $250. Smaller priced items include early digital downloads, exclusive digipacks, signed vinyl copies of the new ‘Triple Brutal’ record, t-shirt and CD bundles and a ‘Triple Brutal’ pack that comes with the digipack, a workout book and an eating plan designed by Lambesis. To see all the donation options, visit Austrian Death Machine’s Indiegogo campaign here . He’s seeking to reach $63,000 raised with 45 days still left in the campaign. He adds that if he exceeds the goal, the remaining money will be used to fund a ‘Triple Brutal TerminaTour.’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/as-i-lay-dying-metal-band-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next: As I Lay Dying Voted Loudwire’s 2012 Metal Band of the Year” align=”center”]
Facebook – Device In this day and age in the music industry, it’s hard for bands to keep songs under wraps before their official release. Disturbed singer David Draiman ‘s new band Device are no exception, with the first single ‘Vilify’ off their self-titled debut hitting YouTube today (Feb. 17). Listen below. Draiman himself acknowledged the leak via a Twitter post, even including the YouTube link for his fans to hear the song. “It’s out there, so I might as well share it,” tweeted the singer in his usual all caps. As for the song itself, ‘Vilify’ features the rapid-fire vocals Draiman has delivered with Disturbed for more than a decade. Musically, the aggressive tune boasts industrial rock and electronic elements, as Draiman has indicated when he began talking about the direction of Device’s music. Lyrically, Draiman sings of a relationship gone bad, with a chorus that declares, “When you vilify / You begin to nullify / Everything that we’ve ever done / You’re f—ing with my head.” All told, Disturbed fans will likely embrace ‘Vilify,’ as it incorporates Draiman’s trademark vocals while adding a fresh sound to his repertoire. The leak of the song should only increase anticipation for Device’s self-titled debut album. The disc drops April 9 and features such guest musicians as Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler, System of a Down’s Serj Tankian, Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, among others. ‘Vilify’ officially hits radio on Tuesday, Feb. 19, but, with Draiman’s permission, you can listen to the song below and let us know what you think of the tune in our comments section. Device, ‘Vilify’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/david-draiman-device-fan-support-disturbed-future/” title=”Next: David Draiman Talks Device and Future of Disturbed” align=”center”]
Facebook: August Burns Red August Burns Red have enjoyed their break from the road, but now have enough material to begin recording their next studio album. The group confirmed their return to the studio via a series of Facebook posts this past week, with drummer Matt Greiner getting his tracking out of the way first. One of the first studio photos can be seen above. Even before a note was recorded, Greiner had been pounding away. In a photo posting , it was revealed that the drummer physically wore down his drumsticks during the writing process. Guitarist JB Brubacker told Alternative Press , “2012 turned out to be quite intense for us from a touring standpoint. We did more traveling than we had ever previously done in our career and after three straight months on the road to end the year, I think we were all ready to come home and shift into writing/recording mode. Now that the writing is complete, we are all itching to get started with the actual tracking.” Speaking about the sound, the guitarist added, “This new record will push the boundaries of our genre more than we ever have before. We set out to write a record where every song stands out from the last. There is a lot of ground covered here and a ton of meat to this album. It’s full of odd metered rhythms and breakdowns, unexpected twists and turns and some of our most technical riffing to date. Each of us have parts that make our heads spin and we have had to practice like crazy to get some of this stuff together.” Brubaker says that the album, which he calls their “most ambitious album yet,” is expected later this year via Solid State Records. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/august-burns-red-video-empire/” title=”Next: Watch August Burns Red’s ‘Empire’ Video” align=”center”]
Nuclear Blast Records Testament took the stage at Huntington, New York’s Paramount Theatre Friday night (Feb. 15) with the primary goal of filming and recording the experience for an upcoming DVD and live album. In all, the band clocked in a 90-minute-plus performance and a set list from the show has now surfaced. As expected, there was a mix of older favorites and songs from the band’s latest album. The show began with ‘Rise Up,’ which serves as the lead off track from their most recent disc, ‘Dark Roots of Earth.’ ‘Native Blood,’ ‘True American Hate,’ and the ‘Dark Roots of Earth’ title track also made the night’s set list during the body of the show. The performance also featured a pair of encores, with the band rocking out ‘The Formation of Damnation’ during their first return and ‘Over the Wall’ and ‘Disciples of the Watch’ to close out the night. The still untitled live disc would be the band’s first concert release since 2009′s ‘Live at Eindhoven ’87.’ They also released their ‘Live in London’ DVD back in 2005 and ‘Seen Between the Lines’ on VHS in 1991. Though the entire show was recorded and the set list is offered below, things such as which songs make the cut and running order have not been decided. Singer Chuck Billy recently stated prior to the Huntington show, “We haven’t shot a live DVD or CD since our ‘Live in London’ release and we’ve had two killer albums since then. We thought it would be cool to put out a live DVD/CD focusing on the last three records (‘The Gathering,’ ‘The Formation of Damnation’ and ‘Dark Roots of Earth’) mixed in with a good amount of classics too. Last time we recorded anything live in America was for Live at the Fillmore on the West Coast. This time we thought we’d give the East Coast a chance to show the world how crazy and loud they can be. We’re going to be playing an extra-long 17 – 18 song set, which will be our lengthiest set of the tour. Let’s see all you thrashers stirring it up out there and singing along! See ya!” The band is currently on tour with Overkill , Flotsam and Jestam and 4ARM. The remaining dates of the trek can be seen here . Testament — Huntington, N.Y., Feb. 15, 2013 Set List: ‘Rise Up’ ‘More Than Meets the Eye’ ‘Burnt Offerings’ ‘Native Blood’ ‘True American Hate’ ‘Dark Roots of Earth’ ‘Into the Pit’ ‘Practice What You Preach’ ‘Riding the Snake’ ‘Eyes of Wrath’ ‘Trial By Fire’ ‘The Haunting’ ‘The New Order’ ‘D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)’ ’3 Days in Darkness’ Encore 1: ‘The Formation of Damnation’ Encore 2: ‘Over the Wall’ ‘Disciples of the Watch’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/testament-chuck-billy-touring-creating-music/” title=”Next: Chuck Billy Shares His Thoughts on Touring + Creating Music” align=”center”]
Scott Gries, Getty Images 2013 is a year that Danzig will always remember as the band is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Frontman Glenn Danzig and his cohorts have announced their first tour of the year and they plan on making it a real hard rocking celebration. As part of his lineup, Danzig will welcome his former Misfits bandmate Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein on a majority of the shows. In addition, the North American run will feature stellar support from Corrosion of Conformity and The Agonist . Extreme metallers The Agonist expressed their joy at being chosen to open shows during Danzig’s milestone year, especially after their proposed trek with Cradle of Filth fell apart due to unexpected immigration issues . The group stated, “When news of the cancellation came through, we were not only disappointed but heartbroken about losing the entire experience of touring with Cradle of Filth, The Faceless and Decapitated. All the members of The Agonist have been gearing up for this tour since the fall of last year and we were really looking forward to putting on amazing show for both old and new fans alike … But alas, The Agonist moves on and is proud to announce an upcoming tour with the almighty Danzig (!!!) as well as the legendary Corrosion of Conformity in the month of April 2013!” On the recording front, things have been quiet from Danzig of late. The group was reportedly working on a covers disc last year and their last original album was 2010′s ‘Death Red Saboath.’ The 25th anniversary trek launches April 17 in Las Vegas and continues through April 28 in Ventura, Calif. Danzig With Corrosion of Conformity + The Agonist 4/17 — Las Vegas, Nev. — House of Blues 4/19 — Denver, Colo. — Ogden Theater 4/20 — Albuquerque, N.M. — Sunshine Theater 4/22 — Austin, Texas — Stubbs BBQ 4/23 — Corpus Christi, Texas — Concrete Street 4/24 — Dallas, Texas — Palladium 4/26 — Phoenix, Ariz. — Marquee Theater 4/27 — Pomona, Calif. — Fox Theater 4/28 — Ventura, Calif. — Ventura Theater [button href=”http://loudwire.com/glenn-danzig-pulls-in-runaways-singer-cherie-currie-for-duet/” title=”Next: Glenn Danzig + Runaways Singer Cherie Currie Work on Duet” align=”center”]
Instagram: Zoltan Bathory Five Finger Death Punch have been working on new music and fans will be happy to know that there’s now a target date for the band’s next album. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory reveals via a series of Instagram posts that 5FDP are currently recording songs in the studio and aiming for a summer 2013 release. Bathory’s photos, which can be seen here , here , and here , show him having fun jamming with the band in the studio, one with the comment, “Recording the new album. Out this summer.” Another pic teases in its caption, “At the recording studio tracking guitars for new #fivefingerdeathpunch album … Out 2013 summer – the title is … .” Bathory’s photo postings go along with drummer Jeremy Spencer’s recent comments that the band had been “cocooned up” working on a new album. In addition, guitarist Jason Hook revealed last summer that the band had taken a recording rig with them on their tour. At the time, Hook stated, “The idea behind that is just to keep the creative muscle worked out. It’s just like going to the gym; if you stop for a year, you lose all your strength. It’s easy to get lazy and get sort of soft. We’re in the business of making music; touring is great, but we should always be prepared and always exercising that creative muscle — in my opinion, anyway.” He also added that they had “six to eight songs” worked up at that point for when they headed into the studio. Hook said the preparation would make things easier once they hit the studio and gave them plenty of options to work with when it came time to record. 5FDP’s new disc will be the follow-up to 2011′s ‘American Capitalist,’ which has yielded such singles as ‘Under and Over It,’ ‘Remember Everything’ and current hit ‘The Pride.’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/five-finger-death-punch-the-pride-video/” title=”Next: Watch Five Finger Death Punch’s Video for ‘The Pride'” align=”center”]