Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com (2) / Karl Walter, Getty Images The ever-evolving music industry endured another shift recently when Vivendi SA’s Universal Music Group agreed to sell Sanctuary Records, the onetime label of metal giants Black Sabbath , Iron Maiden and Megadeth , to BMG Rights Management. The Los Angeles Times reports that the deal was part of divestitures required by European Commission regulators. Sanctuary Records was among the assets requested by European regulators and sources report the label was sold for $62 million. In addition to Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Megadeth, Sanctuary released albums from Motorhead , The Kinks and more. Sanctuary is the second label sold off by Universal Music this month, with Parlophone recently being sold to Warner Music Group. Parlophone had the rights to past releases from Coldplay , Pet Shop Boys and Tina Turner. Universal has yet to sell off two additional assets — Co-op, a British independent marketing and sales company and EMI’s European stake in the ‘NOW!’ musical venture. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-megadeth-songs/” title=”Next: 10 Best Megadeth Songs” align=”center”]
Facebook: Within Temptation Great news for fans of Dutch symphonic rockers Within Temptation . The band has just announced that in addition to signing with a new label partner, BMG Rights, they are aiming to put out a new album in the fall. Having formed in 1996, Within Temptation have been treating fans to their signature brand of symphonic goth rock for over 15 years, with five full-length albums released within that time period. Fans of the band have shown a stunning devotion to their Scandinavian heroes, with the outfit taking home 2011 Loudwire Music Awards for Artist of the Year, Rock Album of the Year (‘The Unforgiving’) and Rock Goddess of the Year for vocalist Sharon den Adel . Within Temptation broke the good news to their fans via the band’s official website: Hi everyone, We have been, and we are still hiding in our studios since winter started. With every writing session new things are happening. We are experimenting a lot and are trying to hold on to this magical feeling. We are looking forward to the moment that we can share with you where this journey has taken us. We are excited to have found a new enthusiastic label partner, BMG Rights, with whom are aiming for a release in autumn, which perfectly fits the mood of the album. As soon as we can, we will share more information about the new album. In the mean time we will see you on the road this summer! Sharon, Ruud, Stefan, Martijn, Jeroen, Mike and Robert So far, Within Temptation have signed on to perform at three European summer festivals, but stay tuned for more dates to be announced. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/within-temptation-cover-bruno-mars-gnarls-barkley-gotye-more/” title=”Within Temptation Cover Songs by Bruno Mars, Gnarls Barkley, Gotye + More” 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”]
Metallica.com – Metallica have taken control of their own recording career by regaining the rights to their masters and launching their own record label. [ Loudwire ] – Hollywood Undead have announced the track listing and unveiled the album artwork for their ‘Notes From the Underground’ album. [ Loudwire ] – Soundgarden ‘s Kim Thayil reveals he once attempted a supergroup with Nirvana ‘s Krist Novoselic . [ Loudwire ] – Machine Head ‘s Phil Demmel discusses the band’s writing schedule for their next release. [ Loudwire ] – Duff McKagan challenges a Bon Jovi lyric, asking the musical question if they really “rocked” them all. [ Loudwire ] – Lars Ulrich is one of the more demonstrative drummers going. Check out some of the best live photos of the Metallica skinbeater. [ Ultimate Metallica ] – Muse have canceled three of their European dates after singer Matt Bellamy broke two bones in his foot. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Tomahawk have unveiled their ‘Stone Letter’ video and announced their first batch of 2013 tour dates. [ Rock Music Report ] – Congrats to Roger Waters ! The former Pink Floyd member, bolstered by ‘The Wall’ tour, is 2012′s highest paid musician. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – It’s Billy Idol ‘s 57th birthday today. Celebrate with a whiplash smile while rocking out to the Top 10 Billy Idol Songs. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire When Gwar comes to town, all of the earthlings know to break out their white t-shirts and get ready for some gore, as these talented alien warlords put on one hell of a show. Earlier this week New Yorkers got a serious treat as DevilDriver, Cancer Bats and Legacy of Disorder graced the stage with Gwar at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg. As Gwar seized the stage in front of us mere mortals, we watched the band claim their first victim of the night who was none other than presidential candidate Mitt Romney (or some guy dressed up like Romney who was later decapitated). Other casualties included Adolf Hitler and Jesus Christ, just to name a few. Plus, the evening provided multiple robot/monster fights and massive amounts of (fake) blood drenching the crowd. Gwar front-thing Oderus Urungus also did not hesitate to take jabs at those humans named Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson , who were set to play New York the night after. In between the mockery and the slaughter, Gwar played favorites such as ‘Sadaam a Go-Go,’ ‘Bring Back the Bomb’ and ‘Sick Of You,’ the latter of which found new guitarist Pustulus Maximus doing some serious shredding. They also played a new tune called ‘Madness at the Core of Time,’ a cover of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and their take on Kansas ’ ‘Carry On My Wayward Son’ among numerous others. Direct supporting band DevilDriver infected the venue with their venomous tracks. Frontman Dez Fafara sounded impeccable, despite troubles with the mic at the beginning of the set. The band also got some hair flying as headbangers belted out the words to anthems such as ‘Not All Who Are Lost Wander,’ ‘I Could Care Less,’ ‘Dead to Rights,’ ‘Meet the Wretched,’ ‘End of the Line,’ and more. DevilDriver’s vigor and energy was much too large for the minuscule stage at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier avoided the stage altogether as he spent the entire set face-to-face with the front row. These young Canadians won over a new set of East Coast fans as they pulled on the heart strings of the New York crowd, who exploded when they performed their rendition of ‘Sabotage’ by the Beastie Boys . New Zealanders Legacy of Disorder opened the night with a hard hitting set of metal madness. For a full list of remaining dates where you can have a bloody good time with these bands, check here . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/gwar-oderus-urungus-slams-rob-zombie-claims-credit-for-slipknot/” title=”Next: Gwar Slams Rob Zombie” align=”center”] Gwar: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire DevilDriver: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Cancer Bats: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Legacy of Disorder: Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Liz Ramanand, Loudwire
Troy Augusto, Getty Images Pearl Jam made good on playing their lone political fundraiser as a full band this past weekend, packing the Adams Center in Missoula, Mont., to help out the re-election campaign of Sen. Jon Tester. The group has personal ties to Tester, as bassist Jeff Ament grew up with the senator in a small Montana town. “I can vouch for how much he cares for Montana,” said Ament at a pre-show event. “I couldn’t be prouder to be up here with the band.” The senator and his wife were seated alongside Pearl Jam fan club members watching the show. Tester told Billboard that the show was not the traditional campaign fundraiser, but they did sell some premium ticket packages. However, the Senator says the primary goal was “to get people to vote and have fun in the process. If we can get everybody to vote who is eligible, that’s really what’s most important. And then everything will turn out right.” While Pearl Jam do tend to work in a few cover songs into their sets, the band added several that were very specific to the issues at hand. They rocked through the Clash ‘s ‘Know Your Rights,’ Neil Young ‘s ‘Rockin’ in the Free World,’ and Creedence Clearwater Revival ‘s ‘Fortunate Son.’ They would also perform MC5 ‘s rocking anthem ‘Kick Out the Jams’ with longtime cohorts Mudhoney, who opened the show. As is typical, Eddie Vedder , who recently played solo for a Barack Obama benefit , took the chance to speak openly to the audience. In this case, he used the platform to discuss Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, stating, “The candidate on the other side talks as if 47 percent of people are living off the country, taking welfare and living on food stamps. The person that said that has never had the thrill or terror of walking on the tightrope without a net. He doesn’t understand that that doesn’t represent half the country. We can all agree on that. Only maybe one percent can relate to him.” Meanwhile, Mike McCready , speaking with Folha de S. Paulo , opened up about the progress of their latest album. The told the Brazilian press, “There are seven songs recorded and at least 15 ideas on which we’re working. But we’re taking it slowly. Eddie Vedder is on a solo tour. Matt [Cameron] is playing with Soundgarden , and I’m playing with Duff McKagan .” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/pearl-jam-the-fixer-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Pearl Jam: Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
The battle for Queensryche rages on. After being booted from the band earlier this year and then engaging in legal battles with the former members over the rights to the name, former Queensryche singer Geoff Tate has posted the lineup for his version of the band. This situation is turning into a soap opera. Tate is planning to embark on an anniversary tour, backed by an all-star cast of musicians.