Motorheadphones.com Now that the world’s loudest band has released their own signature brand of headphones, Motorhead are looking to take down rapper Dr. Dre and his ‘Beats’ empire. Frontman Lemmy Kilmister himself presented the new headphones this week in Las Vegas at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Along with introducing the headphones, Lemmy offered some priceless quotes while answering questions at a Motorheadphones press conference. Motorheadphones brand manager Andres Nicklassen describes what make the new product different from the various headphones released by hip-hop musicians. The main difference is that Motorheadphones are engineered to focus on mid-range sounds, rather than Beats headphones and the like, which are more about the bass. Nicklassen went as far to say that Beats “takes the soul out of rock,” after which Lemmy compared the Beats experience to “listening through a towel.” Lemmy was full of dry British wit when interviewed by reporters: Reporter 1: “There’s a lot of lines of headphones; celebrity headphones…” Lemmy: “Oh, is there? I didn’t know.” Reporter 1: “So why are these different?” Lemmy: “Because they’re from Motorhead.” Reporter 1: “So is the sound quality different?” Lemmy: “These are for deaf people, you see. Our fans are deaf, remember?” Lemmy is exactly right when he says that Motorheadphones are for deaf people, as the speakers are 6-10 times more powerful than a standard set of headphones. “These new headphones are not like the weak-kneed, lily-livered, tin-pot, skinny sounding little pieces of garbage out on the market today,” says Lemmy. “We designed these headphones to deliver everything louder than anything else and with the sort of range, clarity and TRUE rock reproduction you’d expect from a band of warriors like us.” Meanwhile, Lemmy took some time to mess with some additional reporters: Reporter 2: “When you were developing this did you listen to a lot of your music when you were playing it back and make sure they sounded the way you wanted them to sound?” Lemmy: “I didn’t have a chance to do that, but we told them what to do with them … very specifically. And we threatened them with terrible violence if they didn’t get it right, so I’m sure they got it right.” Reporter 3: “Lemmy, do you like hip-hop?” Lemmy: “No.” Reporter 3: “Why are these headphones better than any headphones out there?” Lemmy: “Because we’ve said they are.” We’re sold! Motorheadphones come in various shapes and sizes and run anywhere from $49.99-$129.99. They are currently available in Europe, and will begin shipping in the United States in April. Check out Motorheadphones at its official website . Lemmy Kilmister Messes With Reporters at Motorheadphones Showcase ? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/robot-band-compressorhead-performance-motorhead-ace-of-spades/” title=”Motorhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ Played By Evil Robots” align=”center”]
Megaforce Anthrax ‘s potential EP of cover songs has been discussed about for a while, but now there’s finally confirmation that the thrash legends will indeed release the effort, titled ‘Anthems,’ on March 19. It will include covers of songs by AC/DC , Rush , Cheap Trick and more. During an interview we conducted with Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante in June 2012, we got the exclusive scoop of the EP, which Benante claimed would serve as a celebration for the one-year anniversary of ‘Worship Music,’ which came and went in September 2012. Shortly after Benante broke the news, guitarist Scott Ian denied the drummer’s claims, while singer Joey Belladonna stated that it was “ a possibility ” and that he hoped the EP would come to fruition. Six months after Benante’s original statement, the covers EP will finally be getting a release date of March 19. The 2013 Grammy nominees have also released some of the EP’s track listing, which includes renditions of Rush’s ‘Anthem,’ Thin Lizzy’s ‘Jailbreak,’ AC/DC’s ‘TNT,’ Cheap Trick’s ‘Big Eyes,’ Boston’s ‘Smokin” and Journey’s ‘Keep on Runnin’,’ among others yet to be confirmed. According to our original interview with Benante, the drummer referred to the effort as a tribute to some of their favorite songs from some of their favorite bands. Anthrax, who just tapped Shadows Fall guitarist Jon Donais to replace outgoing axeman Rob Caggiano, are set to headline the 2013 New England Metal and Hardcore Festival , along with this year’s Metal Alliance tour, where they’ll share the stage with Exodus , High on Fire , Municipal Waste and Holy Grail. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/anthrax-tap-shadows-fall-guitarist-jon-donais-to-fill-vacant-band-slot-on-upcoming-tour/” title=”Next: Anthrax Name Fill-In Guitarist for 2013 Tour” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images With a 3D film and a new album in the works, Metallica may not be able to spend a huge amount of time on the road this year. Given that thought, the announcement that the band will headline Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival in August makes that ticket much more valuable. The group will headline at Tokyo’s QVC Marine Field on Aug. 10, then turn around and finish things out at Osaka’s Maishima Summer Sonic site the following night (Aug. 11). In addition to Metallica, top concert draw Muse and the reunited Stone Roses have also been confirmed for the event. Aside from Summer Sonic, Metallica will kick off 2013 with dates as part of Australia’s traveling Soundwave festival running Feb. 23 through March 4. They’ve also booked a pair of shows in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa in April. In addition, Metallica have announced plans to bring back their Orion Music + More Festival for a two-night stand in June, this time located in the Detroit area. Their current final headlining appearance of the year comes Sept. 19 at the Rock in Rio festival. Though Metallica are working on new music, there’s not a high probability of any new material appearing during the band’s shows this year. The group has already stated that a 2014 release is more likely for their next disc. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metallica-red-hot-chili-peppers-highest-grossing-touring-acts-2012/” title=”Next: Metallica Amongst 2012’s Highest Grossing Touring Acts” align=”center”]
Facebook: Three Days Grace Three Days Grace definitely shocked fans Wednesday (Jan. 9) with the news that they were replacing frontman Adam Gontier with My Darkest Days ‘ Matt Walst after Gontier resigned from the band due to a “non life threatening health issue.” In his own letter to fans, Gontier stated, “After twenty years of being part of an ever evolving band, I have been inspired by life, to move on and to continue to evolve on my own terms,” suggesting that his decision was more about starting a new chapter than a health concern. Gontier has been not only the voice of the band, but arguably the group’s most recognizable face, as well. Given that the group had already committed to a co-headlining run with Shinedown this spring, it’s understandable that they would want to honor that commitment, but the question remains of whether or not it was the right decision. Our Readers Poll today asks whether or not you think Three Days Grace should continue without Gontier still part of the band. There are several schools of thought on this. One is that the band members have every right to want to continue to play their music and given Gontier’s sudden departure, to stop now would not offer themselves or the fans any sense of closure. Plus, at present, the group has only listed Walst’s participation as “temporary,” meaning a decision on whether or not to continue beyond their current tour is not a definite and these dates could either be their farewell or a springboard to a fresh start. However, It could also be argued that Gontier’s voice is indelibly tied to the band and by playing (or even potentially recording) without him, they risk altering how fans view their legacy. Then there’s the idea that maybe it’s too early to render a judgment as to whether this was the right decision to continue playing or not until Walst is given a chance to play for audiences and fans can have some time to sit with it. So what is your take on the Three Days Grace singer situation? Let us know your position by voting in the Readers Poll below: Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/new-anthrax-guitarist-readers-poll/” title=”Previous Readers Poll: New Anthrax Guitarist” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Killswitch Engage have finally revealed the name of their next album, when they expect to release the first single and more juicy details about one of this year’s most anticipated albums. [ Loudwire ] – Alter Bridge have begun working on their fourth studio album. Find out more details here. [ Loudwire ] – Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has gone on another online rant, this time about aircrafts spraying toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. He also took a shot at CNN for not getting their facts right. [ Loudwire ] – Want to see Marilyn Manson live in concert? We’re giving away a pair of tickets to one of his Winter 2013 tour dates. Enter to win here. [ Loudwire ] – Hatebreed gave come out with a blazing new video for ‘Put It to the Torch.’ Watch all the fire, violence and blood here! [ Loudwire ] – Scorpions cancel their retirement plans and intend to continue rocking like a hurricane. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – New film ‘Imagines’ has been greatly inspired by Beatles legend John Lennon. Find out more here. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – The Black Keys and The Flaming Lips have announced a tour together in Spring 2013. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Royal Thunder premiere ‘Blue’ video + announce North American and European tour dates. [ Rock Music Report ]
Photo Credit: Sandy Carson The Sword guitarist Kyle Shutt was the guest on Full Metal Jackie’s radio show this past weekend. Shutt spoke about the band’s latest album ‘Apocryphon,’ their new drummer Jimmy Vela and what it is about being from Texas that influences their sound. Read Full Metal Jackie’s interview with Kyle Shutt below: Congratulations on another great record, ‘Apocryphon.’ Thank you, it took a long time, sitting around waiting for it to come out. I’m glad it’s finally out and we’re out on the road supporting it. It’s good times. It’s stressful right, when you have this record and you know there are some people that have it. Isn’t it like a freaky, scary time where you’re like ‘Is it going to leak? When is it going to leak?’ and you just want it to be out there and done. Yeah, that’s right. Everything’s going to leak eventually but it was about a week before when we saw some evidence of it leaking so we did a good job, keeping it under wraps. Obviously, a lot had happened since the last time I saw you guys. You have a new member in the band. Yeah we’ve had two drummers since you last saw us but this guy, Jimmy Vela, he’s great. He fit right in with the band, honestly it feel like he’s been in it the whole time – I wish he had been, but that’s okay. [Laughs] Tell us what it’s been like touring with your new drummer. We did some tours with him before we made the album, one with the Kyuss Lives! thing that they did, we did a whole North American tour and it was good. When we started writing songs in January, we got about six of them written in a month. It just started flowing out and he fell right in line with our style of music and he plays with a little more finesse than Trivett [Wingo] did. It was fun just playing off each other and writing new songs. Unlike the last album, the new one ‘Apocryphon’ isn’t a concept album. Musically, these songs aren’t so much about precision either. Was that a conscious decision to cleanse the musical pallet so to speak or was it just naturally distancing yourselves from the previous album cycle? No, honestly we just write ten songs at a time and the only reason the last album was a concept album was because J.D. [Cronise] had written this awesome story and it just felt appropriate to apply it to the songs we had written. These are just the next ten songs we’ve written and we’re moving on, we’re not going to try to rehash old stuff – just shake it up and be original and try to write some great music. It’s not uncommon for bands to alternate setlists but on this tour, you’ve got several – seven I think is what I read. What is the purpose of having that many options? We kind of just shake it up every night so you don’t get board. I’ve seen bands go on an eight week tour and play the exact same set every night. It’s not that ours is wildly different every night but we try to throw in some different songs here and there just to keep things fresh. Sometimes people will drive from show to show so you don’t want to disappoint them, you know they see you four times and it’s all the same set. You guys are from Texas, what about coming from that part of the country affects your approach to metal the most both as players and as fans? Really, I think we have this funky rhythm section that a lot of people when they play metal it’s just a straight forward four-four thing just trying to be as relentless as possible but we just try to be as funky as we can so people can dance to our music. I think that’s what sets us apart from a lot of the things like that – being from Texas, too, you got bands like Pantera and ZZ Top and all kinds of funky, rock and roll music, it’s just in our blood down there. [Laughs] What can we expect from 2013? We’re going to be on the road forever on this one. We’ll be everywhere twice. So just hang tight people: if we haven’t been there yet, we’ll make an appearance very shortly I promise. Full Metal Jackie will welcome As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis 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 .
Roadrunner Records Killswitch Engage have announced that their new album will be titled ‘Disarm the Descent’ and will hit stores on April 2. This disc is the band’s sixth album, but first with original lead singer Jesse Leach since 2002′s ‘Alive or Just Breathing.’ The first single ‘In Due Time’ will be available digitally on Feb. 5, around which time pre-orders for the new album will also commence. Killswitch Engage have been touring continuously since Leach rejoined the band in early 2012 after the group parted ways with Howard Jones. They recently celebrated the 10 year anniversary of ‘Alive or Just Breathing’ with a tour across the States. Check out photos and a recap from the New York City show here . In a press release, Leach states, “It is with a grateful spirit that we prepare for this record’s release,” Leach said. “From the music, to the lyrics, to the artwork, we are all proud of what we have accomplished.” ‘Disarm the Descent’ is being produced by the band’s guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, and Leach reveals that he’s thrilled with the result. “To me, this is by far my best vocal performance, much thanks to Adam’s guidance and faith in my abilities. I am very grateful to be where I am in life, back in an amazing band with a record we are all excited for the world to hear. Thanks to all the fans for their warm welcome back and their undying love for Killswitch Engage.” Killswitch Engage have been confirmed for this year’s Soundwave Festival in Australia, as well as other festivals. To see a full list of current tour dates, go here . ‘Disarm The Descent’ Track Listing: ‘The Hell In Me’ ‘Beyond the Flames’ ‘New Awakening’ ‘In Due Time’ ‘A Tribute to the Fallen’ ‘The Turning Point’ ‘All That We Have’ ‘You Don’t Bleed for Me’ ‘The Call’ ‘No End in Sight’ ‘Always’ ‘Time Will Not Remain’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/killswitch-engage-singer-jesse-leach-discusses-upcoming-album-tour-with-shadows-fall-more/” title=”Next: Jesse Leach Talks New Killswitch Engage Album” align=”center”]