UTO California-based hardcore group the Bronx have created a truly awesome album with their fourth full-length record. After creating two punk-meets-mariachi albums in 2009 and 2011, respectively, the Bronx have returned to the grit with ‘The Bronx (IV),’ and it’s being streamed in full online. The Bronx attacked the underground punk and hardcore scene with their first full-length in 2003, boasting powerful modern classics such as ‘False Alarm,’ ‘Heart Attack American’ and ‘They Will Kill Us All (Without Mercy).’ The band released two more albums before venturing into mariachi territory, but now the Bronx are back to hard-hitting and catchy hard rock tracks with their 2013 album. ‘The Bronx (IV)’ showcases a more melodic style than their grittier-than-dirt sound 10 years ago. Drummer Jorma Vik explains this change, along with how it’s affected the performance of vocalist Matt Caughthran. “Matt doesn’t scream as much, but he’s got that thing in his voice where he can scream in pitch,” Vik describes to NME . “Mariachi has helped his confidence as a singer and ours as songwriters.” This album is definitely a must-hear recording, and may even become one of the defining underground rock albums of 2013. We certainly love it, so we give ‘The Bronx (IV)’ our seal of approval and highly recommend you give standout tracks such as ‘Along for the Ride,’ ‘Too Many Devils’ and ‘Torches’ a good listen courtesy of Rolling Stone . [button href=”http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-bronx-deliver-hooks-on-the-bronx-iv-album-premiere-20130129″ title=”Click Here to Listen to The Bronx, ‘IV'” align=”center”]
Gareth Cattermole, Getty Images Five Finger Death Punch drummer Jeremy Spencer has embraced the rock and roll lifestyle and all that comes with it over the years, and now that he’s sober he’s ready to tell his tales in the new autobiography, ‘Deathpunched: Cheers to My Sobriety.’ The book, which is expected next year, features Spencer on the cover with adult film legend Ron Jeremy. The drummer told Los Angeles’ ‘ Heidi & Frank Show ,’ “The story behind that is … obviously being in a rock band, you dabble in the party lifestyle from time to time. So after years of that catching up to me, I got sober. But we always used to have this saying about doing cocaine, like you would get so cranked on sexually in your brain when you do it — like everything is exciting — but then you get numbed out beneath the belt line area. So we always said, ‘Man, you feel like Ron Jeremy from the neck up and Christopher Reeve from the neck down.’ So the cover of the book is me in, like, a Superman kind of costume in a wheelchair cheersing a martini glass with Ron Jeremy and two hot chicks. So that’s the cover of my book.” Spencer, who just past a year of sobriety on Jan. 8, says he initially planned to self-release the book but now has a deal in place with a publisher and expects it out next year. As for the Five Finger Death Punch’s current status, he reveals that the band are “cocooned up” at the moment working on new music, but do have plans for some spring shows in Europe followed by a summer North American trek. Watch Five Finger Death Punch’s Jeremy Spencer Discuss His Upcoming Book on KLOS 95.5 FM [button href=”http://loudwire.com/five-finger-death-punch-the-pride-video/” title=”Next: Watch Five Finger Death Punch’s ‘The Pride’ Video” align=”center”] ?
Orgymusic.com Orgy continue their return to the music scene, as the band just revealed dates for their 2013 ‘Wide Awake and Dead’ North American tour. The trek launches March 2 in Phoenix and continues through an April 2 finale in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Joining Orgy on the tour will be upstart acts Vampires Everywhere and Davey Suicide. In late 2010, Orgy’s original lineup underwent a shakeup with singer Jay Gordon retaining the rights to the name and restocking the band with new musicians. In the time since, Gordon and new Orgy members Nic Speck (bass), Jamie Miller (drums), Carlton Bost and Ashburn Miller (guitars) have sparingly toured and ducked into the studio to record the recent single, ‘ Grime of the Century .’ The band also released a video for the track last fall. In the downtime between touring, the group has been working on a new album and while details have yet to be revealed on the forthcoming disc, the return to the road is a good sign that more music may be coming from the band fairly soon. Orgy’s 2013 ‘Wide Awake and Dead’ North American Tour 3/2 — Phoenix, Ariz. — Joe’s Grotto 3/4 — Dallas, Texas — Trees 3/6 — Houston, Texas — Scout Bar 3/7 — San Antonio, Texas — Backstage Live SA 3/8 — Broussard, La. — The Stations Bar and Grill 3/10 — St. Petersburg, Fla. — The State Theater 3/12 — Jacksonville, Fla. — The Roc Bar 3/13 — Atlanta, Ga. — The Masquerade 3/15 — Jacksonville, N.C. — Hooligans 3/16 — Spartanburg, S.C. — Ground Zero 3/17 — Springfield, Va. — Empire 3/19 — Lakewood, Ohio — The Foundry 3/20 — New York, N.Y. — Marlin Room @ Webster Hall 3/21 — White Marsh, Md. — House of Rock 3/22 — Amityville, N.Y. — Revolution 3/23 — Hampton Beach, N.H. — Wally’s Pub 3/24 — Hartford, Conn. — Webster Theater 3/26 — West Chester, Pa. — The Note 3/27 — Pittsburgh, Pa. — Altar Bar 3/28 — Toledo, Ohio — Headliner’s 3/29 — Columbus, Ohio — Al Rosa Villa 3/30 — Flint, Mich. — The Machine Shop 3/31 — Louisville, Ky. — Diamond Pub & Billiards 4/2 — Lincolnshire, Ill. — Viper Alley [button href=”http://loudwire.com/alice-in-chains-2013-must-see-rock-concerts/” title=”Next: Check Out Other 2013 Must-See Rock Concerts” align=”center”]
Frank Micelotta, Getty Images Before he was ‘Alive’ with Pearl Jam , Eddie Vedder was a struggling singer just hoping to catch a break. But, as with most success stories, there’s always a link to the pre-fame days. In this case, Vedder’s pre-Pearl Jam demos have been uncovered and posted online by Antiquiet . The 13-track collection features material recorded between 1988 and 1989, with several of the songs being strictly solo efforts, while others included material recorded with San Diego outfit Bad Radio. Over time, some of the tracks that initially existed on tape have since been digitized and now the songs have turned up for everyone’s listening pleasure. Included in this collection is an early live version of what would eventually become the Pearl Jam song ‘Betterman,’ as well as Vedder’s acoustic and studio versions of ‘Homeless’ and a brief snippet of the Sam Cooke classic, ‘Wonderful World.’ Also of interest is Vedder’s take on Kenny Rogers ‘ ‘Something Inside So Strong.’ Antiquiet claims to have obtained the music from a tape that Vedder dubbed for a co-worker at his old job at San Diego Petroleum. To listen to the downloadable Vedder demos, click here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-pearl-jam-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Pearl Jam Songs” align=”center”]
Tool Dissectional An unidentified member of Tool recently suffered serious injuries after crashing his Vespa scooter along icy roads. The accident left the musician with several broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, thus pushing back jamming and writing sessions meant for Tool’s massively anticipated fifth full-length album. Posted on the band’s website on Jan. 26 as a Tool newsletter, the Vespa accident was described in detail while keeping the identity of the member affected hidden. Strangely enough, yet another anonymous person involved with Tool also wound up in the hospital from a separate Vespa crash, suffering a head injury along with multiple cuts and bruises. Tool were hoping to begin 2013 with some good news that would energize fans long awaiting a new record, but unfortunately, that turned out not to be the case. However, in a turn for the better, the band is now back to work on the album. Here’s an excerpt from the latest newsletter detailing the situation: The New Year started off on a bad note as far as writing and arranging sessions for Tool’s next record. For the most part this was due to a ‘minor’ accident on a Vespa scooter (slick road conditions being the cause) by a certain band member that resulted in several broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. Because of the physical nature of the musical instrument involved, 9 DAYS of jamming were lost, although I’m happy to report that the person involved is recovering nicely, so much so, in fact, that writing sessions resumed last Monday (January 21), despite it being a holiday for many. Coincidently (?), a few days prior to the mishap on the scooter, another person involved with Tool also wound up in the hospital after crashing his Vespa in Hollywood. Although he suffered a head injury (as well as multiple cuts and bruises to his body), I’m quite certain that if you were to order an “Entaphiosis” Hoddie, you would receive an “Entaphiosis” Hoodie. Several days ago members of the press (from different magazines) conducted interviews with band members about upcoming events, and I would imagine that these writers, etc. also inquired as to how things were progressing with regards to the band’s next record. So, there’s something to look forward to reading, and I will certainly try to give updates as to when these publications hit the newsstands. I was hoping to be able to throw some of you a bone the first week of the New Year, but for certain reasons this announcement has been pushed back a month. Therefore, look for a news post that will be exciting to some towards the end of the first week in February. Maynard James Keenan and his side project Puscifer are set to release their latest EP, ‘ Donkey Punch the Night ,’ on Feb. 19. As for news on Tool’s upcoming record, stay tuned as news continues to break. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/tool-guitarist-adam-jones-proposes-to-girlfriend-wwe-royal-rumble/” title=”Tool Guitarist Adam Jones Proposes to Girlfriend Live at WWE ‘Royal Rumble'” align=”center”]
NewstedHeavyMetal.com In the first part of our exclusive interview with Jason Newsted , he discussed his new EP ‘Metal,’ as well as the influence of his former Metallica bandmate James Hetfield, among other topics. In Part 2 of our interview, Newsted delves into the relationships he has with the members of his new band (which aptly goes by the name Newsted), the satisfaction of beating pop star Justin Bieber on an iTunes chart and plans for future releases from his new group. Read Part 2 of our Jason Newsted interview below: How much of the sound of this new material came down to the fact that you did this as a three-piece. There are certain points where I hear almost jazz-like drumming and then it just turns around and kills. And interaction and response like that sometimes seems to come more easily when you have three guys that are focused on each other and locked in. Right and these three people, you know, the one thing that’s the most valuable in any [grouping of] players is the years that they’ve spent together and how they’ve learned to become one and how they learned to become that gelling thing, like any great band that finds that place. So we’ve been together for long enough and we all have enough chops under our belts from previous [bands] and other things that we’re able to do that. Now that we have five years together as a trio, we know what’s going on and [guitarist] Jessie [Farnsworth] and Jesse [drummer Jesus Mendez] have 10 years together playing, so you can’t deny that stuff. And that’s why it does sound the way it does, the way it syncs up like that. You can’t replace that. It’s the very most invaluable thing to have in a band. I could have put together a supergroup — and I had it all drawn out and everything and I still might [do that] someday — but that’s not what’s going on here for these songs. These cats are hard workers — they’re disciplined and they’re not drugged and they’re ready to go at it with me. They’ve paid their dues and it’s time for some credit for them. Being able to live vicariously through them as they [experience things for the first time], like when we finished the video and they saw the first clip the other day, they were just freaking out. And I remember that feeling, you know? And I’m really happy for them in that way. If I got supergroup guys — people bring in their baggage and they also bring in the stuff that we were just talking about. How could we get in all of those years with the guys you want to put in the supergroup if you already spent all of your years with another group? You wouldn’t have that [same feeling]. There’d be great music and everybody’s like a virtuoso and great players and all of that kind of thing, but in order to get that real, real long sink your teeth into it kind of riffs, it takes a while to gel it. It seems like it’s very important for you to make music with friends these days. It’s definitely important to get along with everybody. That’s really the thing, now that so much time has passed and I’ve played with lots of people. If I’m going to get serious about something, it has to be people that I really dig that are strong in their own right — go-getters and all of that. Jessie Farnsworth — the guitar guy — he’s done his own records, writing all of the songs, lead guitar guy, frontman — all of that stuff on his own. [He’s] very accomplished. Jesus has been in all kinds of different bands, for a long, long time. They’re already accomplished in their own way, to step up and support me and believe in my vision and all of that kind of thing. It’s very helpful to have people that are that in tune with it and still are that hungry. I don’t really have to be hungry, but I am and that’s kind of cool. What were the lyrical drivers for these songs? Looking at the lyrics, there’s a lot of different things going on, topically. I’ve been writing lyrics for a long, long time. You look around you and see what you’re taking in from all of the data that’s in front of our faces all of the time. And that’s kind of from different stories and different things that mean something to me personally. ‘King of the Underdogs,’ there’s a little personal story vibe in there. ‘Skyscraper’ is about terrorists and you’ve gotta read in between the lines there. ‘Soldierhead’ is for all of our military service personnel guys and girls … you hear such crazy stories about all of that and I met so many thousands of soldiers in my life traveling around the world and they’ve always been so supportive of the metal, so that’s my tip of the hat to them. I’m glad that everybody loves the song for what it is, because it can represent something for all of us as they represent us. ‘Godsnake’ is a little bit deeper and it has to do with judging people. I’ve made the mistake in my travels of judging people and then getting really slapped in the face with it. I think [that’s a problem] in our society with modern day [society] anyway, at least in North America, with reality shows and all of these things where people are almost encouraged to judge others. You know, ‘The Biggest Loser’ and this guy and this addict and this person [let’s] judge these girls for being too skinny and these girls for being too beautiful and blah blah blah. We’re really more than ever, encouraged to judge and I think that this one is about: don’t judge – be careful. If God came down as a snake, how would you judge him? I have my notebooks and stuff and I’ve been writing poems for a long, long time. So I just pull stuff out that makes sense to me and adheres to the music. It has to tell the story. I don’t want to do any wasted words anymore. These aren’t Flotsam lyrics anymore, you know? [Laughs.] This is the first of a three-pronged release plan. How representative is the material on this EP in comparison to the next two EPs and ultimately, the full album that’s going to come out? That’s a good question — I can’t give up too much! [Laughs] I’ve got a little plan. It’s all heavy music – like we started our conversation – it’s all heavy music. The logo says “Newsted Heavy Metal Music” and that’s what all of the 11 songs are. Some are more musical than others — some are heavier than others, some are more metal than others, but they’re all three, every one of them, [made up of “heavy music”], so that’s all I can really say about that. The plan is to do three batches and depending on how the fans respond to it — how long the legs are on each one — I’ll release them accordingly. But we’ve got them already recorded. They’re already done. Anthony Focx came in and helped us record. We just went in for a couple of weeks and did 11 songs. He’s the guy that worked on Aerosmith and the Metallica stuff for ‘Guitar Hero,’ so that was a big deal that he came in and helped us out and captured our thing, because he pretty much put the mics on, turned the light on and we just went for it. We were able to capture the moment, so we were lucky in that way for sure. So, will the final album going to lay out in the sequence that we’re hearing it on the EPs? Yeah. The full plan is that like today, being the initial release day for the iTunes download….which is No. 1 today on iTunes by the way. I’m pretty psyched up about that. Actually right now, I have three albums that I played on in the Top 10 in iTunes. We’re No. 1 and ‘Justice’ is three and ‘Black Album’ is seven or something like that, so that’s kind of crazy. I did something right there along the way. So anyway, we do the iTunes release first and [now you can visit] NewstedHeavyMetal.com [to order] the actual CD package with lyrics, and that will happen each time. So it will be available to start shipping physical copies, two weeks after each iTunes release. And then at the end of that when the final one comes and it’s the culmination of all three EPs in one thing, it will be out on vinyl with some of my artwork and all of that stuff. So it’s kind of a grand plan and I want to have it out in all forms eventually, however each individual likes to take their music on. That’s my ultimate goal is to have it out on CD, vinyl and for iTunes. And it seems like all of this material is coming out conveniently with the last round arriving just in time for you to hit the road for summer touring. Yeah, that’s kind of the plan. I’m getting a lot of offers now and some pretty cool ones. People are coming with respect and that’s what has to happen. It doesn’t have to be big money, because that’s definitely not what it’s about this time. As long as we’ve got good gigs and we’re at a good place on the bill and my band is safe with decent accommodations and the venues are reputable, we’ll take it wherever we possibly can. With the current state of the industry, it seems like everytime you make music, you’re forced to adjust to all of the things that have changed since the last time you put something out. Putting this new material out in stages, was it difficult to break it up into pieces instead of just putting it out as a full traditional album? It was actually easier and better this way and seemingly more comfortable. I think there’s about 30 or 40 percent of the old avenues left that I knew when I stepped out on the top of the metal mountain. It was different then. Things had just started coming with piracy and all of that stuff and it was just a different world when we went out with ‘Black Album’ and ‘Load’ and all of those things, it was a very, very different world. So now there’s 30 or 40 percent of the same old ones, where you’ve got to take it to the people, no two ways about that and then the 60 or 70 percent that’s all new avenues that I need to maybe unlearn some of the old ones and relearn the new ones. And I’m trying to embrace it, like we were talking about with the social media stuff and all of that, getting it out to the people and reconnecting with the fans is the main thing first. As long as they know that it’s there and that I’m going to be playing somewhere, they’re going to show up – I’m confident of that. There’s a lot for me to learn … a lot of unknown territory for me as far as the marketing stuff and the live stuff, so I’ve got some good people in my corner. We have a team of four people right now, including myself, and we got the EP to number one [on iTunes] the first day with just the four of us coming out of the Chophouse. We just passed up [Justin] Bieber an hour ago and the freakin’ overall charts went up to 15, ahead of the Beatles and Bieber and all this other stuff and that’s pretty crazy considering our little metal show [that’s happening] out of my garage, you know? So we’ve been able to harness it pretty good. I’ve actually been quite enlightened by all of this. I repelled the technology for years and years. I will always keep one big black boot in the analog — you’re not going to get that out of there — but the other one, I am reaching it out and stepping on new ground and there’s a whole lotta new stuff going on for me with this thing, man. [There’s] new roles to be played. I’m going to be the frontman. Sometimes I’m going to be playing guitar and fronting — most of the time I will be playing bass and fronting — but we will switch instruments onstage and all of that crazy stuff to keep it interesting. So, playing guitar in front of people when I’ve just got a very much Roky Erickson approach to guitar — I know two chords and I rock it up and down the neck as hard as I can instead of [stressing about] placing it in the right places and the other guys put the color on it. I don’t pretend to be a great guitar player, I just know how I can do it and I just do it that way. The bass player [position] is a different thing because I feel very comfortable that way and when I get up to scream with it on, I’m feeling strong. But it’s some new roles that I’m assuming here, for sure. The ability for you to announce something like this and have music out only a couple of months later probably hearkens back a little bit to your DIY beginnings as an artist. The only difference is that you’ve got the social media to help spread it now instead of having to take a tape to everybody that you want to hear about your band. You are insightful. You think about this for a second, man, if we go for a 60 year ride back right now. ‘53, B.B. King [is] driving around the B.B. King Review in a nine door Checker cab station wagon thing, with “B.B. King Review” painted down the side. He drove that thing around with his people and they had their record [or] 45 selling out of the trunk or whatever [and they were getting] a nickel per song or a quarter per show and [building up fans] one person at a time [with] a juke joint here and this place there, back of somebody’s place … all of that — and you have to do that today again, except that you’ve got the Internet and social media to let people know that you’re going to be there. That’s the difference. It’s hard to sell any music or anything [like that], you get out and get as many copies sold as you can, but mostly, it’s going to be stolen and spread around the world and you just have to accept that. The new way and always way to do it, is to take it out to the people. You have to be determined to work hard, take it to the people and just let them know that you’re coming. That’s the only difference. But it’s gotta be your CD sold at your show, your t-shirt sold at your show, your trinket [with] your emblem, your Newsted Heavy Metal pendant [is] sold at the show and I know that. That’s just going to make sure that we cover the gas and stuff. Stay tuned for Part 3 of our exclusive Jason Newsted interview, in which he talks about his current relationship with the guys in Metallica and more. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/jason-newsted-talks-metal-ep-soldierhead-single-james-hetfields-influence-more/” title=”Read Part 1 of our Jason Newsted Interview Here” align=”center”] ?
Rockstar Mayhem Festival Since its launch in 2008, the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival has quickly become one of top U.S. metal tours. Some of the biggest names in music have headlined the fest in the past, including Motorhead , Slayer and Slipknot in 2012. No bands have been announced yet, but the dates and cities for this year’s trek have just been unveiled. For the first time, the Mayhem Festival will play in Bangor, Maine, and Austin, Texas. 2013 also marks a return to Toronto. Who will be playing Mayhem this year? We’ll have to wait until March 18, when the lineup will be unveiled, but organizers promise that “2013 will bring a heart pounding heavy lineup like never before.” There is a short teaser video you can watch below. One thing we do know is that this year’s festival will have four stages, the most ever. They include The Rockstar Energy Drink main stage, the Jagermeister Festival Stage, the Musician’s Institute Festival Stage and the Sumerian/Headbang for The Highway Stage. Tickets will be going on sale starting Friday March 22 and 23 with more details coming soon. See the full list of cities and dates below the video: Watch the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Teaser Video 2013 Mayhem Festival Dates 6/29 San Bernardino, Calif. 6/30 Mountain View, Calif. 7/2 Nampa, Idaho 7/3 Auburn, Wash. 7/5 Phoenix, Ariz. 7/6 Albuquerque, N.M. 7/7 Denver, Colo. 7/10 Toronto, Ontario 7/12 Burgettstown, Pa. 7/13 Camden, N.J. 7/14 Darien Center, N.Y. 7/16 Mansfield, Mass. 7/17 Bangor, Maine 7/19 Scranton, Penn. 7/20 Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 7/21 Hartford, Conn. 7/23 Holmdel, N.J. 7/24 Bristow, Va. 7/26 Noblesville, Ind. 7/27 Tinley Park, Ill. 7/28 Clarkson, Mich. 7/30 Atlanta, Ga. 7/31 Tampa, Fla. 8/2 Austin, Texas 8/3 The Woodlands, Texas 8/4 Dallas, Texas [button href=”http://loudwire.com/mayhem-festival-rocks-connecticut-exclusive-photos/” title=”See Our Photo Gallery of the 2012 Mayhem Festival” align=”center”]