Valerie Macon, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Metallica say yes to offering their music via Spotify as drummer Lars Ulrich and former Napster foe Sean Parker make peace. [ Loudwire ] – Anthrax have been nominated for the Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category. Find out what drummer Charlie Benante had to say about it in an exclusive interview. Guitarist Scott Ian has also announced a solo ‘Speaking Words’ tour. [ Loudwire ] – Sully Erna has announced that Godsmack plan to take a year-long vacation throughout 2013. [ Loudwire ] – Our exclusive coverage of the 2012 Shiprocked cruise continues with a recap of Day Four featuring Filter , Korn , Sevendust + more. [ Loudwire ] – Motley Crue singer Vince Neil is set to soar in the new reality TV series ‘Vince Neil Escapes.’ [ Loudwire ] – Metallica christmas light show powered by ‘Creeping Death,’ ‘Battery’ + More. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – Paul McCartney thinks ‘Meat Free Monday’ could help save the planet. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – 43 Years Ago: Rolling Stones Altamont Speedway concert end in homicide. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – 18 Years Ago: Pearl Jam ‘s ‘Vitalogy’ album was released. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Queens of the Stone Age ‘s Josh Homme discusses “Deeper, Richer, Stranger” new album. [ Rock Music Report ]
Recording Academy While hard rock and metal bands were snubbed in most of the categories for the 2013 Grammy Awards that were announced tonight (Dec. 5), the one category devoted to those genres features a diverse range of nominees. The Best Hard Rock / Metal Performance category boasts nominations for Anthrax , Halestorm , Iron Maiden , Lamb of God , Marilyn Manson and Megadeth . Of all those acts, only Iron Maiden has previously won a Grammy. Anthrax are nominated for ‘I’m Alive’ off their album ‘Worship Music,’ while Halestorm got a nod for ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ from their full-length effort ‘The Strange Case Of …’ Meanwhile, Iron Maiden scored a mention for ‘Blood Brothers’ from their ‘En Vivo’ CD/DVD and Lamb of God got a nod for ‘Ghost Walking’ from their ‘Resolution’ album. Finally, Marilyn Manson earned a nomination for ‘No Reflection’ off ‘Born Villain, while Megadeth scored a mention for ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ from their album ‘TH1RT3EN.’ Congrats to all of those acts for representing hard rock and metal at the upcoming 55th annual Grammy Awards taking place on Feb. 10, 2013 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The event will air live on CBS at 8PM ET. In other rock categories, the Black Keys and Jack White led the way with multiple nominations. Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Anthrax, ‘I’m Alive’ Halestorm, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ Iron Maiden, ‘Blood Brothers’ Lamb of God, ‘Ghost Walking’ Marilyn Manson, ‘No Reflection’ Megadeth, ‘Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rock-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next: Vote in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. Adler spoke all about Lamb of God’s current trek with In Flames, Hatebreed and Sylosis as well as awaiting the trial in Prague for frontman Randy Blythe . Adler also spoke of the brotherhood of Lamb of God and the band’s future music. Read the full interview with Chris Adler below: I had the chance to see you guys at the start of this tour, happy to have you guys back and finally doing a tour for ‘Resolution.’ Yeah it feels good, we did a pre-release week of small shows in January and then the plan was to do the longer summer tour but things got derailed a little bit but we’re very happy to get on the road here and work the new record. Has the chain of events from the last few months created a frustration that’s resulting now in greater aggression onstage? I think we’ve come to a point where we’ve realized how fragile, what we do is. Not that we were taking any of it for granted before but it does become a bit routine after 16, 17 years of playing these shows. To have something like this happen you get shocked by it and it definitely was a wakeup call to us all – especially for this tour because with the situation not resolved and Randy [Blythe] having to go back to trial sometime next year, they said somewhere between January and April so we can’t make any plans after this tour. Right now we’re looking at every night as the first and last so it’s really exciting and putting a lot more positive energy into the show. Before you get on tour and you start to turn gray and drink too much and everybody is sleeping all day and now everybody’s up and laughing and we’re having a good time and getting along. The shows have been really good and very energetic. In what ways has the situation in Prague change your appreciation for each other as band mates and also individuals? Yeah I think we’ve all come through some periods with the band that not a lot of bands are able to get through. Obviously we start as friends and things go awry and end up in fist fights and people leave and somehow we made it through that – knowing that together we are much greater than the individual parts. It’s taken a long time but I think we’ve come to the conclusion that we do have a lot of respect for each other and what we’re able to do together. Having this situation go down and having to lose a family member – to us the band is family so to have this happen was just shocking. We’ve all come together as much as we can to support Randy and try to do the right thing. It’s a complicated situation but we’re certainly hoping for the best. Randy has stated that he’ll return to the Czech Republic to stand trial, if necessary. Should that happen what’s the Lamb of God contingency plan for the down time while he’s in Prague? Right now we’re being told that the trial will be between January and April so we can’t really make any plans, we can’t tour. What we may do is begin some sort of preliminary writing process and hopefully the result that we’re hoping for this trial, we’re able to get back out on the road. I think the plan is assuming all is going to go well – which may not be the case but we certainly hope it is – we’re going to do two more world tours on ‘Resolution’ so the idea would really be to go into about the middle of 2014 on this record and then begin writing. If we can get a head start on that – that would be great. All summer long, we spent at home and I was lucky to spend the time with my daughter and wife but I know that Willie [Adler] and Mark [Morton] have already spent some time writing some new material and Randy while he was doing nothing but time, writing some stuff. I think we’ve got the element there to begin this creative process I’m just not sure how quickly we’ll be able to get to it. Do you think there’s going to be any kind of a different direction of the music being as what has happened or in terms of anything that you’ve heard or lyrics of anything that you’ve seen? As you mentioned earlier there certainly is a continuing sense of frustration about this scenario and what happened and obviously the important part of this is that somebody lost their life and we’re not going to glance over that we have to try and do the right thing – so in that there are certainly a lot of deep thoughts on what we do and how we do it and what it is we’re doing with this music. I think what it has in what I’ve heard from the guys and what Randy has explained to me in his time there – I think it is going to be a bit darker. I think it is going to go in some directions that maybe a band like us, at this point – maybe we just kind of lighten up and in the distance rest on our laurels kind of thing but I think this particular circumstance is going to push us even further in a dark direction. Full Metal Jackie will welcome Robb Flynn of Machine Head to her program this coming weekend. She can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com .
As the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards continue, we take a look at the artists keeping things fresh. Sure, there are a lot of bands we all know and love, but the real exciting thing about music is making new discoveries and watching the upstarts you had never even heard of at the beginning of the year emerge to rock your radio or playlist right next to those big time acts. With that in mind, it’s time to select 2012′s Best New Artist. It’s an eclectic group of rockers on our list this year. Five of our ten acts have already established themselves in the rock and metal worlds with other projects but decided it was time to test out a new vehicle. Our other five acts are true newcomers that made significant inroads toward a bright future. Take a look at our 10 Best New Artist nominees and read about what made 2012 a breakout year for them. Then vote for your favorite in the poll below: ? Candlelight Red The seeds of Candlelight Red ‘s promise were sewn in late 2011 with their album ‘The Wreckage,’ which spawned the singles ‘Closer’ and their cover of Roxette’s ‘She’s Got the Look.’ After hopping in the studio with Sevendust’s Morgan Rose producing, things only picked up steam with the release of their ‘Demons’ EP, led by the disc’s title track. ? Dead Sara Childhood friends and musical partners Emily Armstrong and Siouxsie Medley hit on something special after adding bassist Chris Null and drummer Sean Friday to their group Dead Sara . The band’s self-titled debut featured the breakout single ‘Weatherman,’ the anthemic ‘We Are What You Say’ and the stirring ballad ‘Sorry For It All.’ ? Deuce After breaking free from Hollywood Undead, the rap-rock artist Deuce thrived with the ‘Nine Lives’ album, which spawned the breakout single ‘America’ and such fan favorites as ‘I Came to Party’ and ‘Nobody Likes Me’ (which featured a guest appearance by Falling in Reverse’s Ronnie Radke). ? ? Falling in Reverse Former Escape the Fate singer Ronnie Radke re-emerged on the rock scene with his new band Falling in Reverse , who enjoyed solid returns for their debut disc, ‘The Drug in Me Is You.’ It spawned the singles ‘I’m Not a Vampire,’ ‘Raised by Wolves,’ ‘Good Girls, Bad Guys’ and the title track. Plus, the group’s live energy made them a popular concert draw over the past year. ? Huntress Jill Janus emerged as one of the brightest (or shall we say darkest) new voices in the world of metal, pulling from both thrash and doom metal influences. Her band Huntress started garnering attention in late 2011 with the track, ‘Eight of Swords.’ In 2012, the track ‘Spell Eater’ kept the momentum going from the album of the same name. ? Kyng Kyng garnered critical acclaim in late 2011 with their debut album ‘Trampled Sun’ featuring singles like ‘Falling Down’ and ‘Trails in Veins.’ And in 2012, they were true road warriors for the entire year, most recently touring with the one and only Megadeth. ? ? Love and Death After several years of being billed as a solo artist, former Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch gave credit where it was due by deciding to switch to the band moniker Love and Death to show the unity of the musicians. The group garnered some attention with their single ‘Chemicals’ and picked up some momentum late-year single ‘The Abandoning.’ Look for their debut album, ‘Between Here and Lost’ in 2013. ? Otherwise Las Vegas rockers Otherwise enjoyed a breakout year with their ‘True Love Never Dies’ album. ‘Soldiers’ had a long run at radio earlier in 2012 and the hard-edged ‘Full Circle’ and melodic ‘I Don’t Apologize (1000 Words)’ showed some of the range the up-and-comers have. ? ? Storm Corrosion One of the more interesting collaborations of 2012 was that of Opeth singer-guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt and prog rock’s golden boy, Porcupine Tree leader Steven Wilson. The duo formed the band Storm Corrosion and issued a self-titled album back in May that could be best described as avant-garde experimentalism. ? Tremonti What started as a passion project for Creed and Alter Bridge guitarist Mark Tremonti turned into a surprise hit record for the rocker. ‘All I Was’ spawned the major radio single ‘You Waste Your Time,’ while ‘So You’re Afraid’ was picking up spins late in 2012. ? ? 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/most-devoted-fans-2012-loudwire-music-awards” title=”Next Category: Most Devoted Fans” 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
Many will argue that the drummer is often the most important member of any band. Along with acting as a human metronome, drummers facilitate transitions, set the mood for each individual part of a song and add a tremendous amount of character to their band’s music. Simply put, drummers act as the foundation, provided they don’t spontaneously combust! The nominees in the Drummer of the Year category achieved great feats in 2012, driving their groups to new heights by adding a strong sense of identity of connectivity and using it as gunpowder. Check out the nominees below and be sure to vote in the poll below: ? Adam Jarvis, Pig Destroyer / Misery Index Adam Jarvis is a true force in the world of extreme metal. Not only does Jarvis possess the skills to play the most precise brands of metal in existence, he was recruited by Pig Destroyer for their 2012 album, ‘Book Burner.’ Jarvis’ drumming is incredibly strong on ‘Book Burner,’ bringing a noticeably nastier sound to the band. ? Arejay Hale, Halestorm Mainstream radio rock doesn’t tend to focus heavily on technical drumming, but Arejay Hale is an absolute exception. Fans who have seen Halestorm live bear witness to this fact, as Arejay regularly busts on monster drum solos while spinning his sticks like a veteran circus performer. ? Barry Kerch, Shinedown Berry Kerch has been holding down the drums for Shinedown since the band’s inception in 2001. Kerch’s skills have been broadcast on rock radio as much as any other drummer this year due to Shinedown’s domination of the airwaves. ? Blake Richardson, Between the Buried and Me The technicality displayed by Between the Buried and Me drummer Blake Richardson in ‘The Parallax II: Future Sequence in incredible, and his ability to transition the band’s complex music from part to part is extraordinary. Plus, to witness Richardson making a mistake live is like running into a Sasquatch. ? Chris Adler, Lamb of God Chris Adler put some impressive drumming onto tape with Lamb of God’s 2012 album, ‘Resolution.’ Not only does Adler remain tight and powerful, he also showcases his ability to write memorable drum parts, most notably heard in the intro of ‘Desolation.’ ? Gene Hoglan, Dethklok/Testament Gene Hoglan is a robot … actually he’s ‘The Atomic Clock,’ but either way he certainly is not human. The talent that Hoglan possesses is mind-boggling, and he lent his stellar abilities to Testament ‘s 2012 album, ‘Dark Roots of Earth’ and Dethklok ‘s ‘Dethalbum III.’ ? Mario Duplantier, Gojira The metal music community saw the rise of two brothers this year: the Duplantier brothers of Gojira . While Joe handles vocal and guitar duties, Mario Duplantier leads the rhythm section with pummeling drum lines. When listening to Gojira’s ‘L’Enfant Sauvage,’ the character Mario’s drumming adds to the band is unmistakeable. ? Matt Cameron, Soundgarden/Pearl Jam As if drumming for one legendary grunge band isn’t enough, Matt Cameron handles the sticks for both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam . Cameron has been most active with Soundgarden this year with the release of the band’s first full-length album since 1996, ‘King Animal.’ ? Roy Mayorga, Stone Sour Although vocalist Corey Taylor and guitarist Jim Root from Slipknot are funnily enough, the faces of Stone Sour , drummer Roy Mayorga deserves his share of praise. Mayorga’s drumming style is much different than that of Slipknot’s Joey Jordison, allowing Stone Sour to further develop their own sound. ? Vinnie Paul, Hellyeah/Pantera Vinnie Paul has turned 2012 into one of his definitive years with both Hellyeah and the legendary Pantera. With Paul working behind the drum kit, Hellyeah released their third full-length album, ‘Band of Brothers,’ while the legacy of Pantera continued with the release of the new song ‘Piss.’ ? 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 drummer 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
You know them, you love them, and though the singer may get most of the spotlight, we all know that a good guitarist is what typically drives a band. Whether it be a flashy solo or just keeping time with the band, hanging on a heavy chord, the guitarist is one of the most key elements to a group, especially when it comes to hard rock and heavy metal. This Loudwire Music Awards category of Guitarist of the Year to narrow down to 10, as there are simply a lot of great guitarists out there, but here are the nominees for the Best Guitarist of the Year. Check out each and our argument for them, and then let your voice be heard by voting in the poll below: ? Alex Skolnick, Testament As far as thrash metal goes, there aren’t many guitarists that are held in as high regard as Testament ‘s Alex Skolnick . This year he got a chance to shine again on the band’s ‘Dark Roots of Earth’ album. Frequently working in tandem with Eric Peterson, Skolnick’s runs and riffs remain as fresh today as they did way back when. ? Jacky Vincent, Falling in Reverse One of the emerging guitarists on the scene is Jacky Vincent, who is getting plenty of notice for his work alongside vocalist Ronnie Radke in Falling in Reverse . Vincent’s riffing helps make ‘The Drug in Me Is You’ album really go. ? Jim Root, Slipknot / Stone Sour Onstage this year, Jim Root brought his energetic licks to Slipknot ‘s North American trek, and he further showcased his axe skills in 2012 on Stone Sour ‘s latest disc, ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1.’ Working opposite Josh Rand, Root delivered some of the most in-your face licks on the singles ‘Gone Sovereign’ and ‘Absolute Zero.’ ? Herman Li, DragonForce It was a welcome return in 2012 for Dragonforce ‘s Herman Li, whose band got back in the game after changing vocalists. ‘The Power Within’ album got the group back out on tour and refreshed in the minds of fans exactly how quick and masterful that the guitarist is at his instrument. ? Kim Thayil, Soundgarden Kim Thayil has been largely out of the spotlight since the late ’90s, when Soundgarden went their separate ways, but the time apart allowed Thayil to replenish his riff bank and it’s the fans that are reaping the rewards on the stellar new disc, ‘King Animal.’ ? Kurt Ballou, Converge Hardcore rockers Converge returned after a three-year absence with ‘All We Love We Leave Behind,’ an aggressive collection featuring the superb guitar (and production) work of Kurt Ballou. Ballou gets bonus points for doing it all organically, rocking without artificial distortion, triggers or Auto-Tune. ? Mark Tremonti, Tremonti / Alter Bridge /Creed We knew Mark Tremonti was a great guitarist before this year, but the Creed and Alter Bridge member showed he was a true artist with his ‘All I Was’ solo album. If anything, it allowed Tremonti rock even harder than he usually does and show off more of his metal side. ? Paul Waggoner & Dustie Waring, Between the Buried and Me Between the Buried and Me ‘s ‘The Parallax II: Future Sequence’ would not have been the standout set it was without the talents of guitarists Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring. The pair perform in tandem for the majority of the 2012 record, making it nearly impossible to choose just one of the two. ? Siouxsie Medley, Dead Sara While Emily Armstrong is getting the bulk of the attention for her powerhouse vocals, Dead Sara ‘s Siouxsie Medley is the perfect compliment on guitar. It’s her mesmerizing guitar lick that pulls listeners into the lead single ‘Weatherman,’ and her bluesy work on ‘Sorry for It All’ and ‘Timed Blues’ show her versatility. ? Slash A perennial favorite for Top 10 lists anytime he’s involved with a record, Slash got to put more of a stamp than ever on his music with the ‘Apocalyptic Love’ disc. Whether it was the chugging ‘You’re a Lie,’ the hard-driving ‘Standing in the Sun’ or the groovy ‘Bad Rain,’ Slash got a chance to show his range with no real restrictions. ? 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 guitarist wins! Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/bassist-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next Category: Bassist 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
Which rock band stood out among the rest in 2012? These 10 acts all had huge years in 2012, creating notable accomplishments with their records, singles, tours and the growth of their respective fan bases. The list of nominees in the Loudwire Music Awards category of Rock Band of they Year is filled with newcomers, fresh faces, veterans and even modern-day legends to choose from, so check out these 10 bands and be sure to vote in the poll below: Baroness Georgia sludge band Baroness traveled into a new and experimental realm this year with their double album, ‘Yellow & Green.’ Before releasing the album, which turned out to be an absolute masterpiece, the band toured with Meshuggah and Decapitated. Despite a horrific bus accident in England, Baroness refuse to be stopped. ? ? Chevelle Chicago rockers Chevelle had a spotlit year in 2012. Riding off the release of their sixth studio album, ‘Hats Off to the Bull,’ and the single ‘Face to the Floor’ spending 13 weeks at No. 1 on the rock radio charts, Chevelle hit the road on the Carnival of Madness tour along with their own headlining dates. ? ? Dead Sara As one of this year’s most exciting breakout acts, Dead Sara left their mark on 2012 with their self-titled full-length album, along with the raw rock hit ‘Weatherman.’ The band captivated audiences with support slots on various tours, and the band is set to open for Muse’s 2013 U.S. tour. ? ? Deftones Having compiled an incredible discography in their career, Deftones needed to live up to massive expectations with their 2012 album, ‘Koi No Yokan.’ The band succeeded, creating yet another paramount record. The band also toured with both System of a Down and Scars on Broadway throughout 2012. ? ? Halestorm Halestorm had a breakout year with their second full-length album, ‘The Strange Case Of…” The group hit the road with the Mass Chaos and Carnival of Madness tours, along with their own headlining dates. ? ? ? Lacuna Coil ‘Dark Adrenaline,’ Lacuna Coil ‘s sixth studio album hit this year with acclaim from both critics and fans. In addition to their studio accomplishment, the band headlined their Dark Legacy tour and appeared on the 2012 edition of Gigantour. ? ? ? Shinedown Shinedown dominated the world of rock radio in 2012, with ‘Bully’ reaching No. 1 on the modern rock radio charts and sticking around for a very long time, and the tracks ‘Unity’ and ‘Enemies’ have also been mainstays on the rock airwaves. Shinedown also headlined this year’s Uproar Festival tour. ? ? ? Soundgarden Perhaps the most discussed comeback of the year, Soundgarden gifted fans with their first studio album since 1996 with ‘King Animal.’ The band is set to tour North America in 2013, and we can expect some follow-up hits to current single ‘Been Away Too Long.’ ? ? ? Stone Sour ‘House of Gold & Bones Part 1′ gave Stone Sour fanatics their newest fix, and the disc has been embraced with phenomenal passion. Singer Corey Taylor shows his range in the album, proving once again that he is one of the most versatile frontmen in rock or metal music. ? ? ? Volbeat Volbeat dominated the charts with ‘A Warrior’s Call’ and ‘Still Counting’ over the course of 2012. They also spent the year touring on the Gigantour and on their own headlining trek with Hellyeah and Iced Earth. ? ? ? Voting for the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards closes on Jan. 12 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/metal-band-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards” title=”Next Category: Metal Band 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