Donald Kravitz, Getty Images When we arrived at Bader Field the day before Metallica ‘s Orion Music + More festival, we were greeted with the band rocking out to one of our favorite tunes, ‘Creeping Death.’ It turned out that they were performing their usual pre-show soundcheck, working out all the kinks before they kicked off their first ever two-day fest. For those who weren’t lucky enough to be in Atlantic City to experience Orion, the band released both nights’ performances as downloads via LiveMetallica.com . While those cost money to download, Metallica has now released that Friday soundcheck as a free download . The soundcheck includes the aforementioned ‘Creeping Death,’ ‘Hell and Back’ from the ‘Beyond Magnetic’ EP and the instrumental ‘The Call of Ktulu.’ With this being a soundcheck, the band was not playing as serious as they would during an actual live performance. This is obvious when frontman James Hetfield, while jamming on ‘Creeping Death,’ decides to skip out on singing the first verse. This looseness provides a unique listening experience for ‘Tallica fans, making this a download you won’t want to miss. Orion Music + More was held at Bader Field in Atlantic City on June 23 and 24, 2012. It was Metallica’s first music festival that they created and the band has promised to turn it into an annual tradition. Download Metallica’s Orion Music + More Soundcheck here. [button href=”http://ultimatemetallica.com” target=”_blank” title=”Click Here For Complete Metallica Coverage” align=”center”]
Dark Horse Comics As an extension of Stone Sour ‘s double album ‘House of Gold & Bones,’ vocalist Corey Taylor is creating a comic book. A four-issue miniseries will be written by Taylor and published by Dark Horse Comics to accompany the two-part Stone Sour album. Set to drop on Oct. 23, ‘House of Gold & Bones – Part 1,’ Stone Sour’s fourth full-length album is one of the most anticipated releases of 2012. The second part of ‘House of Gold and Bones’ does not have an official release date as of this posting, but we know that Corey Taylor, who also provides vocals for Slipknot , will be appearing at New York’s Comic Con this week (Oct. 11-14), according to Roadrunner Records . Corey Taylor recently spoke about his passion that led to his animated endeavor. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” says Taylor. “I’ve always been very critical of when comics go south and basically pull the fan out of what the potential is. It’s me pretty much putting my money where my mouth is.” He continues, “Especially in (the music) industry, you’re encouraged to not only appear to be as youthful and arrogant as possible, but you’re encouraged to make your own terrible decisions and have this kind of abhorrent behavior. People think that it sells. I figured out a long time ago that that’s so boring and so clichéd. To me, it was about shuffling that off and figuring out who do I want to be? Who do I want to try to be? Who do I want to aspire to be?” Get ready for Stone Sour’s ‘House of Gold & Bones,’ which will drop on Oct. 22. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/corey-taylor-involvement-in-anthrax-worship-music-stone-sour-the-travelers-pt-1-snippet-unveiled/” title=”Next: Corey Taylor on Almost Singing for Anthrax” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Three Days Grace and Papa Roach make strong showings on the latest Billboard 200 album chart, as both bands’ new discs debut in the Top 20. ‘Transit of Venus’ from Three Days Grace lands at No. 5 in its first week, selling 48,000 copies. Our review of the album states, “They’ve stepped out of their comfort zone, ditched the formula, and went all in, holding nothing back in the true spirit of rock. The reward clearly outweighed the risk on this one and the additional elements enhance the songs without taking them hostage and the identity that Three Days Grace has forged for the past 20 years is clearly better for it.” Papa Roach’s new album ‘The Connection’ also debuted in the upper echelon of Billboard 200, coming in at No. 17 with 22,000 copies sold. Our review of ‘The Connection’ reads, “The band mines the well of interpersonal connections again with their latest record. Jacoby Shaddix, a master at baring his soul in tracks like ‘Last Resort,’ ‘Scars,’ and ‘Broken Home,’ puts his heart clearly on his sleeve with the standout track ‘ Before I Die .’ ” After debuting at No. 2 last week, Green Day ‘s ‘ ¡Uno! ‘ slips to No. 11 this week, selling another 29,000 copies. Topping the album chart this week is ‘Babel’ from Mumford and Sons, followed by Muse’s ‘The 2nd Law.’ New albums from Between the Buried and Me , Converge and Nonpoint were all released this week, and we’ll see how they do on next week’s Billboard 200.
Metal Blade New York death metal band Sons of Azrael’s vocalist Joe Siracuse (pictured far right, above) has passed away at the young age of 29. Details regarding the cause of his death have not yet been revealed. Sons of Azrael posted the simple message, ‘Joseph R. Siracuse 1983-2012,’ on their Facebook page late last night (Oct. 9). Canadian hardcore band Liferuiner offered their condolences to the family and friends of Siracuse. “A very old friend of ours Joe has passed away,” the band posts . “We wanna send all our love out to the Sons of Azrael family and friends. We did some of our first tours together with those boys and he will be missed dearly. R.I.P.” Sadly, this is the second tragedy Sons of Azrael have experienced in less than a year. Guitarist Tony Lorenzo was shot in the back during an armed robbery on Oct. 26, 2011, which paralyzed the musician from the waist down. News channel WIVB reported on the incident last year, with Lorenzo offering his explanation of the shooting. “The kid asked me, ‘Give me what you got.” And before I could even get my wallet out, he shot me. I was robbed. I can’t feel my legs right now.” We like to send our condolences to the family, friends and bandmates of Joe Siracuse. To celebrate the life of Siracuse, please take a minute and listen to some of his music. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/adam-yauch-death-2012/” title=”See the Rockers We’ve Lost in 2012″ align=”center”] Sons of Azrael, ‘A Numbing Flood’
YouTube Linkin Park pack a powerful emotional punch with their latest video for ‘Castle of Glass,’ which tells the story of a military family losing their father to war. The clip, which was shot in association with the creators of the upcoming ‘Medal of Honor: Warfighter’ video game, centers on a young boy who is greeted at the door by a soldier preparing to break the news of his father’s death while his mother returns to his side crying about their loss. Inside the house, Mike Shinoda stands alone as the foundation begins to crumble around him, mirroring the emotional shock that is impacting the family. The powerful song takes on more resonance as the young boy begins to explore his father’s belongings and starts to understand what he sacrificed to serve his country and even though the boy has lost his father, he prepares to follow in his footsteps. Prior to the video’s premiere, the band offered fans a chance to unlock the clip by taking part in a ‘Medal of Honor: Warfighter’ beta test. The group coordinated with EA Games to create their new clip, and ‘Medal of Honor: Warfighter’ footage is worked into the ‘Castle of Glass’ video itself. Watch Linkin Park’s ‘Castle of Glass’ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/linkin-park-in-the-end-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Linkin Park – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Ethan Miller, Getty Images Godsmack singer Sully Erna is extending the life of his ‘Avalon’ solo album with a limited edition box set . Only 5,000 copies of the collection will be sold, and Erna had done his best to pack the box sets full of material that will bolster its value for those who purchase it. Described as “the ultimate Sully Erna fan package,” the box set includes a full performance of the ‘Avalon’ record live from Boston’s Wilbur Theatre that was recorded last December. During the set, the singer displayed his many musical talents by tackling drums and piano, as well. The collection also includes the ‘Sully Erna: Journey to Avalon’ documentary, ‘The Making of Avalon Live’ featurette, and seven discs of material in total. There’s also a bloopers CD, an audio CD of the album, and plenty more. As if that weren’t enough, Erna is also packing the collection with a number of collectible items. Fans will get a coffee table book, hat t-shirt, guitar pick, poster, incense, Sully’s biography, a commemorative backstage pass, and a Sully Erna necklace. The entire set comes in a custom metal Sully Erna-engraved box with a suede lining. There will also be several golden tickets included with the box set, and those receiving them will have a chance to join Sully on all-expense paid trips to Las Vegas, Catalina Island, Napa, New York, and Boston. Other items like autographed guitars, handmade drums, and handwritten lyrics may also turn up as prizes for those purchasing the box set. Though an official release date has not been announced, the ‘Avalon’ box set is expected in November. Watch a Trailer for Sully Erna’s ‘Avalon’ Box Set Watch Sully Erna’s ‘Eyes of a Child’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/godsmack-awake-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Godsmack – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
A&M/Octone Records After debuting the title track several weeks ago right here on Loudwire, Flyleaf have announced that release date for their latest album ‘New Horizons’ will be Oct. 30 via A&M/Octone Records. The second single ‘Call You Out’ is now available, as well (listen below). “’Call You Out’ was one of the first songs written during the ‘New Horizons’ sessions,” says bass player Pat Seals. “The stomping opening verse evolved over time into this aggressive but very calculated track that closes with Sameer using chaotic guitar sounds to sort of burn it to the ground – engages you all the way through.” Seals also spoke with Loudwire about the title track and the theme of the album. “A lot of the album is different [musically] from the song [‘New Horizons.’] I think, lyrically, [that song] is indicative of the rest of the record. It’s all about rebirth and how you embrace new horizons. It’s about letting go of old things and embracing the future. Sonically, it’s a pretty good spectrum of variety.” ‘New Horizons’ is Flyleaf’s first album since 2009′s ‘Memento Mori.’ The band took a break after singer Lacey Sturm had a baby in 2011, then regrouped earlier this year. They entered the studio with producer Howard Benson ( Halestorm , Papa Roach ) and recorded ‘New Horizons’ in just six weeks. Seals says the process for this album went really smoothly. “Even though the length of time between albums was longer — three years — the process itself felt a little shorter and easier and it felt like the songs were coming out of us instead of us trying to make them come out. Before, we were it felt more deliberate. These had more of a flow.” Flyleaf – ‘New Horizons’ Track Listing 1. ‘Fire Fire’ 2. ‘New Horizons’ 3. ‘Call You Out’ 4. ‘Cage On The Ground’ 5. ‘Great Love’ 6. ‘Bury Your Heart’ 7. ‘Freedom’ 8. ‘Saving Grace’ 9. ‘Stand’ 10. ‘Green Heart’ 11. ‘Broken Wings’ Listen to Flyleaf – ‘Call You Out’