Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Sebastian Bach is moving on after coming to a contractual dispute with guitarist Nick Sterling. The singer has named Jeff George as his new guitarist, and the musician stepped in Friday night in Halifax, Nova Scotia for his first performance with the group. George had previously played with Asking Alexandria singer Danny Worsnop, and is based out of Los Angeles. He joins the band after Bach and Sterling had a falling out last month over a live television broadcast. In the interim, the singer has been utilizing special guests to help fill the voice, with Black Veil Brides ‘ Jinx and Wildside’s Brent Woods among those joining Bach onstage. Leading up to the first performance, Bach tweeted , “My new guitar player ROCKS!! We are gonna destroy Halifax tonight! Welcome to the band.” After the first show was over, Bach posted a photo of George on his Facebook page , with the caption: “My new guitar player Jeff George KICKS ASS! We are going to start on new music immediately!” He also posted a photo he took of the new guitarist (which is at the bottom of this story). Footage from the band’s Halifax show with George on guitar can be seen below. At present, Bach has some spacing in his itinerary to begin recording if he wants. The singer will take part in the Las Vegas-based Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camp Oct. 13, and there’s a Loudpark Festival stop in Japan at the end of October. There are also three November stops toward the end of the month, with two of them in New York and a third in Wales. Facebook: Sebastian Bach Watch Jeff George Joining Sebastian Bach for ’18 and Life’ Watch Jeff George Joining Sebastian Bach for ‘Youth Gone Wild’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/sebastian-bach-explains-the-absence-of-guitarist-nick-sterling/” title=”Next: Sebastian Bach Explains Guitarist Nick Sterling’s Absence” align=”center”]
Eagle Rock Slash fans in the U.K. and Europe are in for a special treat this winter when a limited run of a new deluxe packaged Slash CD/DVD box sets will hit the market on Dec. 3. The special set includes the ‘Made In Stoke 24/07/11’ DVD where Slash rocks out some of his best solo tunes combined with songs from the Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver catalog in addition to a single CD edit of the concert. The set also includes Slash’s latest studio release ‘Apocalyptic Love,’ and his previously unreleased DVD, ‘Live From New York.’ The four-disc set will come packaged with a 60-page hardcover book sporting many previously unreleased photos of the top-hatted one. Fans in the U.S. hoping to score a copy of the box set will have a small window of opportunity as well. SlashOnline will have a handful of imports but supplies will be limited. Slash is currently winding down his North American touring, with a show in Springfield, Mo. tonight, and performances in Oakland and Los Angeles Tuesday and Wednesday before jetting off to Europe and South America for a majority of the remainder of the year. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slash-animated-video-bad-rain/” title=”Next: Slash Reveals Animated ‘Bad Rain’ Video” align=”center”] View the full track listing for all four discs below: Disc One: ‘Made in Stoke 24/07/11’ DVD 1. ‘Been There Lately’ 2. ‘Nightrain’ 3. ‘Ghost’ 4. ‘Mean Bone’ 5. ‘Back From Cali’ 6. ‘Rocket Queen’ 7. ‘Civil War’ 8. ‘Nothing to Say’ 9. ‘Starlight’ 10. ‘Promise’ 11. ‘Doctor Alibi’ 12. Speed Parade 13. ‘Watch This’ 14. ‘Beggars & Hangers On’ 15. ‘Patience’ 16. ‘Godfather Solo’ 17. ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ 18. ‘Slither’ 19. ‘By the Sword’ 20. ‘Mr. Brownstone’ 21. ‘Paradise City’ Bonus Features: Interviews with Slash, Myles Kennedy and Uncle Ian Disc Two: ‘Made in Stoke 24/07/11′ CD 1. ‘Been There Lately’ 2. ‘Ghost’ 3. ‘Mean Bone’ 4. ‘Back From Cali’ 5. ‘Starlight’ 6. ‘Promise’ 7. ‘Doctor Alibi’ 8. ‘Speed Parade’ 9. ‘Watch This’ 10. ‘Patience’ 11. ‘Sweet Child O’Mine’ 12. ‘Slither’ 13.’By the Sword’ 14. ‘Paradise City’ Disc Three: ‘Apocalyptic Love’ CD 1. ‘Apocalyptic Love’ 2. ‘One Last Thrill’ 3. ‘Standing in the Sun’ 4. ‘You’re a Lie’ 5. ‘No More Heroes’ 6. ‘Halo’ 7. ‘We Will Roam’ 8. ‘Anastasia’ 9. ‘Not for Me’ 10. ‘Bad Rain’ 11. ‘Hard & Fast’ 12. ‘Far and Away’ 13. ‘Shots Fired’ Disc Four: ‘Live From New York’ DVD 1. ‘Mean Bone’ 2. ‘Dirty Little Thing’ 3. ‘Nightrain’ 4. ‘One Last Thrill’ 5. ‘Back From Cali’ 6. ‘Ghost’ 7. ‘Standing in the Sun’ 8. ‘Rocket Queen’ 9. ‘Doctor Alibi’ 10. ‘Speed Parade’ 11. ‘Apocalyptic Love’ 12. ‘Watch This’ 13. ‘Starlight’ 14. ‘Just Like Anything’ 15. ‘Halo’ 16.’ You’re a Lie’ 17. ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ 18. ‘Slither’ 19. ‘By the Sword’ 20. ‘Paradise City’
YouTube Down ‘s video for ‘Witchtripper’ is more like an old school, black & white, occult horror movie than it is a music video. You know what that means? It’s much more fun than your average metal video. The clip opens with a coven of cloaked ladies aka witches tossing eyeballs and other items like chicken feet into a cauldron and then burying nooses, hands and more in the sand. We’re not sure what they are doing or why, and it’s probably best not to ask. It’s intriguing nonetheless and we couldn’t look away. Overall, the video has a bit of a ‘Night of the Living Dead’ vibe with the grainy way it’s filmed. The fact that a muscular metal song provides the sound, as opposed to dialogue, makes it that much more ominous. But it also has a bit of camp to it, too. The Down boys are having fun while paying homage to a genre they clearly love. Several occult symbols, like pentagrams, are featured, throughout, too. The entire band factors into the plot, with frontman Philip Anselmo as Magus, wearing eyeliner and a wig. We can’t do it justice, especially if you a horror buff (like Anselmo is) with an eye for detail. Just watch it and come up with your own conclusions about the plot and the nefarious goings on! ‘Witchtripper’ appears on the just-released ‘Down IV, Part 1 – The Purple EP.’ You can read our review of the EP here . Watch Down’s ‘Witchtripper’ Video [via Fuse] [button href=”http://loudwire.com/down-perform-with-former-bassist-rex-brown-in-dallas/” title=”Next: Down Perform With Ex-Bassist Rex Brown in Dallas” align=”center”]
Photo by Danny Clinch It’s been a long three years for Pearl Jam fans since the band’s last album of original material, ‘Backspacer,’ was released — but it looks like some new music is finally on the way. Grunge Report points out an excerpt from the latest issue of Rolling Stone in which bassist Jeff Ament reveals the band’s plans to finish its next record in early 2013. Asked to compare the new material’s sound to ‘Backspacer,’ Ament responded, “Hopefully the next thing is something more out there. I think we’re about due for some songs that are way outside of where our comfort level is.” Speaking of going outside one’s comfort level, drummer Matt Cameron — who’s been with the band since 1998 and is currently pulling double duty with the reunited Soundgarden — was asked during a recent interview about the possibility of having the two bands tour together. “After I play like, I don’t know, two hours with Soundgarden, my day is done,” chuckled Cameron. “When we did the PJ20 show, Chris [Cornell] came out to that and we played some Temple of the Dog stuff, and it was awesome. Maybe there might be a one-off where that could happen, but I’m not 25 anymore.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/upcoming-grunge-albums-readers-poll/” title=”Readers Poll: Most Anticipated Upcoming Grunge Album” align=”center”]
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Lucky, lucky England! Two headliners were recently unveiled to close out the Saturday and Sunday night dates of the three-day 2013 Download Festival. The legendary Iron Maiden will finish up the Saturday show (June 15) and German metal phenomenon Rammstein will be headlining the Sunday lineup (June 16). After a bit of a wait, Slipknot have now been confirmed as the headlining act for Friday, June 14. Now that all three headlining bands have been announced, fans can have high hopes for Download 2013, as the festival has three major bands already confirmed, with a ton of acts yet to be announced. Download has an incredible track record for bringing in quality acts, with Black Sabbath, Metallica, Megadeth, Soundgarden and many more having played the 2012 Download fest. As for Slipknot, this will be the second time the band has headlined a Download Festival date, making their presence felt in 2009. Slipknot percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan shared his enthusiasm for the band’s upcoming date. “We are extremely honored to have been asked once again to headline the Download Festival. It’s always good to have the church of the Knot, the alter of the Knot, giving the sermon of the Knot to the congregation of the Knot, the culture of the Knot.” Clown concluded his ‘Knot’-filled statement, “This summer cannot come soon enough. Partake in the imagination or don’t bitch.” Download 2013 presale tickets are currently available for Download subscribers, with general ticket sales beginning tomorrow (Sept. 28) at 9am London time. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/slipknot-clown-talks-knotfest-antennas-to-hell-legacy-of-paul-gray-more/” title=”Watch our Exclusive Interview with Slipknot’s Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan” align=”center”]
Universal Republic What a fitting title for Soundgarden ‘s brand new single, since for all intents and purposes, they had ‘Been Away Too Long.’ Diehard fans of the Seattle band have missed them for the past several years, and while the reunion, live performances and ‘Avengers’ song ‘Live to Rise’ have been rad and appreciated, this is the beefy, puts-hair-on-your-chest Soundgarden rocker we’ve been waiting for. ‘Been Away Too Long’ is a frenetic, fast-paced song that calls to mind the band’s earlier catalog, thanks to raw, booming riffs, jackhammer percussion and Chris Cornell’s bluesy, soulful pipes. It’s got an anthemic and urgent quality, especially in the chunky verses. So if you’ve got long hair, this song is designed to get you to start whipping it around while rocking out with furious, reckless abandon. Overall, there’s not an overabundance of polish, and it’s not pretty, which is preferred. Instead, it’s potent, hell yeah, high-five hard rock. Just like we like it. The song will appear on the band’s upcoming album ‘King Animal,’ due out Nov. 13. After tearing through this song a few times, check out our 10 Best Soundgarden Songs list . Listen to Soundgarden, ‘Been Away Too Long’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/soundgarden-king-animal-album-cover-track-listing-trailer/” title=”Next: Soundgarden Unveil ‘King Animal’ Album Cover + Track List” align=”center”]
Facebook: Three Days Grace ‘Transit of Venus,’ the fourth studio album from Three Days Grace , is due out on Oct. 2, but fans can hear the entire album online now thanks to an advance stream on IGN.com. The debut single ‘Chalk Outline’ from the forthcoming disc, has been heating up radio and music charts alike. ‘Transit of Venus’ also includes a rendition of Michael Jackson’s ‘Give in To Me.’ In IGN.com ’s exclusive interview with drummer and backing vocalist Neil Sanderson, he talks about what Three Days Grace were going for with this new album. “This one is definitely a little tighter and more articulated. We wanted to take a different approach with this record, and we wanted to push the boundaries as far as our sound and what we’re singing about — dig a little bit deeper than a lot of the other rock bands that we’re hearing out there these days” says Sanderson. He goes on to say, “We thought outside the box a little bit and tried not to be as formulaic, experimenting with multiple layers … We wanted to have songs that felt more progressive … without alienating our original sound. We still sound like Three Days Grace, and we wanted to keep it real.” Three Days Grace will keep it real with a North American tour in support of ‘Transit of Venus,’ which starts in October. For a full list of dates and cities, go here . [button href=” http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/09/26/three-days-grace-premieres-transit-of-venus ” title=”Listen to Three Days Grace’s ‘Transit of Venus’ at IGN.com” align=”center”]