Karl Walter, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor unleashes new single ‘Keep it Together’ with his project How to Destroy Angels . Listen to the track here. [ Loudwire ] We racked our brains and lost sleep on many a night, but we finally came up with our list of the 10 best Metallica songs of all time. Check it out here and let us know what you think we missed. [ Loudwire ] Industrial metal veterans Static-X pull out of tour with Emmure + Ill Nino as Wayne Static undergoes medical procedures. Read about it here. [ Loudwire ] Mumford and Sons have just matched a 48-year-old chart record set by the Beatles. See which one it was here. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] Screaming Females have been forced to cancel their upcoming fall tour due to singer’s illness. Read all about it here. [ Diffuser.fm ] What’s your favorite Metallica album? Vote for your No. 1 pick on this new Metallica fan site. [ Ultimate Metallica ] Musical mad scientist Devin Townsend to stream sold out ‘Retinal Circus Extravaganza’ live online. Don’t miss out! [ Rock Music Report ]
Relapse Hooded Menace are one of modern metal’s leading doom bands. Having just conjured up their third full-length album, ‘Effigies of Evil,’ the band have released a must-hear album for fans of all heavy music. Without losing their edge or sacrificing their creative vision, ‘Effigies of Evil’ is arguably the band’s most accessible creation to date, and we recently had the chance to ask Hooded Menace vocalist / guitarist Lasse Pyykkö a few questions. Pyykkö tells us about ‘Effigies,’ the incredible artwork the album showcases, the future of the doom genre and much more. Is there anything you tried to accomplish on ‘Effigies of Evil’ that you didn’t attempt previously on your past records? I know the album is a bit more melodic and there’s more mid-tempos to bang your head to, but it all came out so naturally that I can’t really say we “tried” to accomplish that. I guess we only set out to make a good successor to “Never Cross the Dead”. The album art for ‘Effigies of Evil’ is incredible. How does the art act as an extension of the record? It’s slightly more elegant than before and I guess you can say the same about our music. It all intertwines even better than I dared to hope. Our trademarks (The Blind Dead references) are there, but the approach is different. There’s some kind of mystic and epic vibe to it. I hope you can get lost in it just as well as in the music. Tell us about the concept of the ‘Crumbling Insanity’ video. To put it shortly, there’s a wanderer who finds an ancient mystical text with illustrations. The pages tell a story of hooded figures terrorizing humanity and crumbling civilization. Hooded Menace has been a part of many splits. Are there any future splits planned and if you could do a split with any band, who would it be? We’re currently working on our song for the vinyl split with the US doomgodz Loss. As usually it will be released by Doomentia Records. As for the ultimate split … man, there´re so many bands to choose from, but if I can pick ANY band I suppose I’m almost obligated to say Black Sabbath. We’ve shared a wax with bands such as Asphyx and Coffins, so I consider us very fortunate already. Who are your biggest influences inside and outside the doom metal genre? Inside doom and doomy death metal genre: 80s Candlemass, Cathedral, Autopsy, two first Paradise Lost albums and Asphyx. Outside: 80s Maiden, Metallica (3 first albums only), Goblin, Fabio Frizzi… Where do you see the future of doom and do you believe that it is becoming a more accessible genre? Well, doom is now more popular than ever. I feel like it’s peaking already. Maybe this trend will go on for some time but there must be a downhill sooner or later. A lot of people will be somewhere else. I wish I was wrong, but that’s how I see it really. Hopefully the better bands will be around and there’ll be an audience for them. Stream Hooded Menace’s ‘Effigies of Evil’ album in full here and check out the band’s Facebook page. Watch Hooded Menace’s ‘Crumbling Insanity’ Video
Roger Kisby, Getty Images There is plenty of excitement in the Coheed and Cambria camp over their upcoming album, ‘ The Afterman: Ascension ,’ but at least one part of their album rollout isn’t going according to plan as the deluxe edition releases are being delayed. Coheed and Cambria, perhaps as much as any band over the years, have taken great pride in the overall presentation of their albums and the same thing is happening here with the group making sure the physical package is up to their standards before it arrives in the hands of fans. The group posted a message on both their Facebook and Modlife websites explaining the delay and thanking fans for their support and patience. They also revealed that those who’ve ordered the deluxe edition package will still get the digital portion of the music on time, with the physical sets not following too far behind the original schedule. The full posting can be read here: First of all, thank you. Since you are reading this, it means you are a massive supporter of ours – many of you we know or have met. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to play shows, record our records or follow our creative urges on a daily basis like we are allowed to do. Without you, we wouldn’t be here, and we never lose sight of that. Because of that, and our desire to deliver to you art that we are truly proud of; that we feel you will enjoy and appreciate many years from now; ‘The Afterman Amory Award Edition’ has not shipped yet, and therefore will miss our targeted delivery date of next Tuesday. All digital music, including the 9 demos will be delivered to you 24 hours early, on Sunday night at Midnight. We are told the physical sets will begin shipping mid to late next week. There are several reasons for this delay. The biggest reason is quality. We rejected several prototypes that would have saved us money and a little time, but that has never been what we are about. We made a conscious decision that we would not be taking shortcuts. We want each deluxe album to be better than the last, and as ‘The Afterman’ began taking shape, it just kept growing and evolving, and so even if you are a little pissed right now, we feel like a year from now, 2 years from now, 5 years from now, you will still appreciate this set. So much time went into the recording of this album, the creation of concept, the painting of the art – that we couldn’t cut corners. From Nathan’s Art, to the certificate, to the coin, to the paper it was printed on – there were a lot of moving parts, and pretty much each one had Its own pitfalls – but in turn, made the package stronger. Despite all of this, our printer told us that they had made up time and we would be able to ship this week, and we were very relieved to hear that. Unfortunately, we were told yesterday that another hiccup occurred in the pressing plant that pushed completion back at least a week. So in addition, we have decided that your VIP laminate will not only get you in early to our headline shows (you still need tickets) from now through next Spring, and select shows after, but for all these shows we will perform a special acoustic song before doors for you. You can be assured that we will be embarking on a major US headliner as well as touring all over the globe next year. For those of you who ordered in time for signatures – we decided to sign the laminates instead of the certificates. The first run of certificates were rejected because of the quality of the paper. It was a nice paper, but was just too thin, and when it was shipped to us, and as we began signing, the corners were getting bent, wrinkles began to form and it just didn’t cut it. The new certificates are a much better paper and without us handling them, will hopefully allow them to maintain a pristine quality. We apologize greatly for this inconvenience. We hope the music can hold you over for the short delay. We appreciate your patience and look forward to sharing the journey of ‘The Afterman’ with you. Meanwhile, singer Claudio Sanchez took the time to recently speak with Noisecreep about his feeling concerning the upcoming set. “Maybe we’re kind of coming out of the tunnel and into the light with this one,” explained the singer. “There’s just something about it with the good energy coming from the guys in the band, with the material that’s on the record and the message that we’re trying to convey with that stuff, the concept that translates from it. I just think that overall, it’s just really well done.” Sanchez also stated how personal ‘The Afterman’ is, explaining, “I find myself a lot more in the character of Cyrus Amory than I ever have in Coheed or Cambria or any of them. Because of the way we wrote this record, it was just an extension of myself and utilizing those emotions to compel that character, Cyrus Amory, to do his thing. Like the All Mother says at the beginning of the record, ‘I’ll be there every step of the way,’ and I feel like that. I feel like that to Cyrus.” Coheed and Cambria’s ‘The Afterman: Ascension’ arrives Oct. 9. Watch Coheed and Cambria’s Claudio Sanchez Share His Excitement Over Their New Album [button href=”http://loudwire.com/coheed-and-cambria-explore-the-afterman-concept-video-series/” title=”Next: Coheed and Cambria Post ‘The Afterman’ Concept Video” align=”center”]
Jason Merritt, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – It’s a busy time for Ozzy Osbourne right now. The singer will join wife Sharon Osbourne for her 60th birthday bash next week on ‘The Talk.’ He also got some great news regarding his son Jack Osbourne . [ Loudwire ] – Three Days Grace have been all over radio with ‘ Chalk Outline .’ Now the band takes the song to the streets in their new video. [ Loudwire ] – Deuce is ready to take at least a couple of his former Hollywood Undead bandmates to court over an alleged beatdown he claims to have received earlier this year. [ Loudwire ] – Kiss are heading to the ‘Late Show With David Letterman’ for an appearance and post-show concert webcast next week, but first, the new single ‘Long Way Down’ has arrived. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – There’s a new sales king for 2012. Mumford & Sons have toppled Justin Bieber’s previous mark with a stellar opening week for the ‘Babel’ album. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Like Moths to Flames have dipped back into the well to add a couple of new songs to make a deluxe edition of the ‘When We Don’t Exist’ album. [ Rock Music Report ]
The End Welsh post-hardcore act Funeral for a Friend will be releasing their sixth studio album early next year. The band’s upcoming 2013 full-length, ‘Conduit,’ will be the follow-up to their 2011 effort, ‘Welcome Home Armageddon.’ Funeral for a Friend rose to prominence in 2003 with their debut album ‘Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation,’ as well as the 2005 sophomore release, ‘Hours.’ Now that nearly 10 years has passed since their debut, the Welsh musicians are also set to unveil the music video for new song ‘Best Friends and Hospital Beds’ on Oct. 10. The band shared their excitement about the upcoming release: Five people on a stage, a conduit for the message and the music, delivering that to people who want to listen in, be a part of whatever it is that we’re doing and being involved. It’s purely about delivering the message. After 10 years of being a band, we see how much what we’ve done has effected people who care about our stuff. Whether it’s lyrics or whatever, these songs transcend us and become something more to a lot more people. It sounds lofty I know but that’s how it feels to us when we meet the folks who dig our band and who treat these songs with so much love and respect. It blows our minds constantly. ‘Conduit’ will be Funeral for a Friend’s first release on The End Records. The disc is set for a Jan. 28 release in Europe with a Feb. 5 release reported for the United States.
Paul Kane, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: Could there be some new music from Rage Against the Machine in the works? Bassist Tim Commerford offers an answer to that question. [ Loudwire ] How far did Creed singer Scott Stapp fall during his past drug days? The vocalist recounts a crazy tale of falling off a balcony, fracturing his skull and being rescued by rapper T.I. [ Loudwire ] Baseball’s regular season is done, but before the hunt for the World Series title continues, we count down the Top 10 Songs for the MLB Playoffs. [ Loudwire ] Will the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame right past snubs? Newly announced nominees like Rush , Heart , Deep Purple , Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, and Procol Harum certainly hope so. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] Now that Geoff Tate has moved on from Queensryche , check out his new lyric video for his solo track, ‘Dark Money.’ [ Rock Music Report ] You know, there are actually more instruments that drums, guitar, keyboards, and bass! Check out which acts used a vacuum cleaner, a didgeridoo, and a melodica in the 10 Weird Instruments Heard in Rock Songs list. [ Diffuser.fm ]
Frank Micelotta, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – We’re wishing Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee a happy 50th birthday, and we’re not the only ones. [ Loudwire ] – Deftones are through teasing us with album cuts (‘ Leathers ,’ ‘ Rosemary ,’ and ‘ Roller Derby ‘). The official first single ‘Tempest’ from their ‘ Koi No Yokan ‘ album has hit the airwaves. [ Loudwire ] – Soundgarden ‘s Chris Cornell and his wife Vicky have been sued by their former maid, who claims she was forced to work overtime without pay and let go after refusing to work beyond her shift one day. [ Loudwire ] – Political pundit Glenn Beck likes Muse . Muse doesn’t like Glenn Beck back. What’s a host to do other than write an open letter back to the band still declaring his undying respect? [ Diffuser.fm ] – One more week until the ‘ Monster ‘ album, Kiss fans. But to tide you over in the meantime, check out the newly posted songs ‘Long Way Down’ and ‘All for the Love of Rock & Roll.’ [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Just in time for Halloween, Bay Area metal pioneers Autopsy are issuing the ‘Autopsy: Feast for a Funeral’ comic book. [ Rock Music Report ]