Seven Four Entertainment/Republic With a monstrous 16 year hiatus between Soundgarden ‘s last studio release and their newest offering ‘King Animal,’ the group’s fans likely had a lot of questions leading up to the return of one of rock’s most beloved bands. The biggest question of course lies within their sound. While it helped mold a new revolutionary genre back in the ‘80s and ‘90s, does it have staying power for a whole new century? The answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ ‘King Animal’ settles in nicely, picking up right where the band left off so many years ago and taking care of a lot of unfinished business. ‘King Animal’ displays the familiar sounds of Soundgarden without getting too caught up in nostalgia, something that can often handcuff bands trying to rise up from the ashes of their past. The band, feeling revitalized and a sense of renewal with this disc, see their reunion as more of a rebirth rather than a comeback, and the creative inspiration fueling that sentiment can be felt throughout ‘King Animal.’ Although the vibe is undeniably Soundgarden — moody, groove-laden rock — the band’s evolution is on full display, as Chris Cornell’s iconic vocals and Kim Thayil’s guitar work provide a sonic power that’s impeccably complemented by the the rhythm section of drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd. The first single ‘Been Away Too Long’ serves as a battle cry for the band’s triumphant return. It’s almost as if the band wrote a personal letter to their fans with Cornell’s brooding confessions, “I’ve been away for too long” and “I only ever really wanted a break.” Sixteen years may have been too long indeed, but Soundgarden are clearly back. With everyone in the band with at least one writing credit to their name on ‘King Animal,’ the songs cover a lot of sonic terrain from the explosive drums that fuel ‘By Crooked Steps’ to the ethereal swirling vocals on ‘Blood on the Valley Floor.’ The haunting lingering vibe left by the intricate web of sound spun in ‘Bones of Birds’ is arguably one of the disc’s best offerings, followed by the visual soundscape painted by ‘Taree.’ ‘King Animal’ offers up an eclectic mix of visual imagery, thought provoking prose, all set to a timeless soundscape of flourishing rock with a reminiscent feel. In music, it’s sometimes difficult to stand the test of time but Soundgarden prove with ‘King Animal’ that they did not reassemble simply to preserve a legacy but to build on one that’s already firmly in place.
Yet another rock band has announced that they will launch a Las Vegas residency. With bands such as Motley Crue and Guns N’ Roses having successful tenures in Sin City, Def Leppard are the latest act to confirm a series of shows in Vegas. Def Leppard’s residency will be titled ‘Viva Hysteria!’ and will be focused around the band’s most beloved album, ‘Hysteria.’ The group will be playing the record in its entirety, which features the legendary tracks, ‘Animal,’ ‘Love Bites’ and ‘Pour Some Sugar on Me,’ along with select hits from their other albums. The famed Hard Rock Hotel and Casino will host Def Leppard’s residency, with nine shows scheduled to begin on March 22. “We’re very happy to be part of what I call the first wave of rockers to take Vegas back from the lounge singers — Wayne Newton and his type,” Def Leppard frontman Joe Elliott tells USA Today . “Things like ‘Run Riot,’ ‘Don’t Shoot Shotgun’ and ‘Love and Affection’ got left by the wayside because of the popularity of other songs that, to be frank, if you don’t play them live, you don’t get out of the building alive. The oddest thing is going to be doing ‘Sugar’ fifth. In many respects, it’s like the Troggs opening with Wild Thing.” Elliot continues, “The downtime will not go to waste. Two of the guys in the band live in Dublin and the other three live in California. This is a great opportunity for a band that has decided to live all over the world to be in one room at one time, to look each other in the eyes and to come up with ideas.” Ultimate Classic Rock actually spoke with Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen earlier this year about the possibility of a Las Vegas residency. “We’ve been talking about this for 10 years, me and Joe Elliot, more than anyone else. We [would] do [whole albums like] ‘Hysteria’ or we do ‘Pyromania’ one night and something like that would be great, but we’ve just talked about it. Obviously we haven’t got it into gear, it would be cool. It’s getting the time to do it in a venue; I think that’s brilliant Motley Crue doing it.” Check out Def Leppard’s upcoming Vegas dates below. Tickets go on sale Nov. 16. Def Leppard 2013 Las Vegas Residency Dates: March 22 March 23 March 27 March 29 March 30 April 3 April 5 April 6 April 10
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Thursday (Nov. 8) was a day for family and friends to pay their final respects to late Suicide Silence frontman Mitch Lucker , as the musician was laid to rest following a funeral service. The 28-year-old metal vocalist passed away on Halloween night in California from injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident. He leaves behind a wife and daughter. Lucker’s bandmates in Suicide Silence have been among those most in shock over the tragic death, and bassist Dan Kenny took the lead in reaching out to the band’s fan base from the ceremony with a tweet. He wrote: Had to bury my brother today, he looked peaceful when I saw him. It was very hard but it was needed! To the fans just know Mitch loved yall — Dan Kenny (@DanKenny) November 8, 2012 Sumerian Records founder Ash Avildsen also offered his account of the ceremony via a pair of tweets — one of which featured the funeral program. The other tweet suggested that it was emotion rather than drinking that led to Lucker’s demise. They can be seen below: you went out like a fuckin legend because you are one. thank you for everything. live life hard. one love. y instagr.am/p/RyHSnnP3uF/ — ash avildsen (@ashavildsen) November 8, 2012 @ svitzzzzz he didnt ride away on his bike because he was drunk. it was in a fit of rage. anger is a very dangerous thing.emotions killed him — ash avildsen (@ashavildsen) November 8, 2012 The members of Suicide Silence have started a donation page to help provide for Lucker’s daughter. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-suicide-silence-songs/” title=”Next: Best Suicide Silence Songs” align=”center”]
Roadrunner Nu-metal pioneers Korn have announced that they’ll be playing two shows with former guitarist Brian ‘Head’ Welch , who will be performing his first full sets with the band since 2004. German rock festivals Rock am Ring and Rock im Park will both see Head back in Korn during its 2013 dates. The 2013 festivals will both be held on June 7 – 9 and will feature headline acts such as Stone Sour , Bad Religion, Five Finger Death Punch , Bullet for My Valentine + more. The Rock am Ring festival will be held at the Nurburgring racetrack in the west of Germany, while Rock im Park is around the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg in the south of Germany. Korn announced that they will be playing “two special Korn shows featuring special guest and original member Brian ‘Head’ Welch performing full concerts with the group for the first time since 2004.” Welch is currently fronting a new project called Love and Death. Listen to their song ‘The Abandoning’ here . Welch recently joined the Korn onstage for the first time since his departure to play ‘ Blind ‘ with Korn at the 2012 Carolina Rebellion festival. Soon after, Korn guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer told The Pulse of Radio that he would be open to Welch one day rejoining the band . “It’s just something that has to be super well-planned and it has to come naturally,” says Munky. “And our experience with him on Saturday has all started from a positive place, and it wasn’t forced and it was just natural. So I think if everything optimistically runs like that, that’s all I can hope for. I’m really happy just to reconnect with my old friend.” Check out the websites for the upcoming Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/korn-here-to-stay-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Korn – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Razor & Tie All That Remains return to stores this week with the new album, ‘ A War You Cannot Win ,’ and the band is teaming with Loudwire to bring you the opportunity to win a special prize package based around the new disc. By entering, you could win a bullet USB that’s packed with the songs on the album and all sorts of extras, a “snake” hoodie, an ‘A War You Cannot Win’ t-shirt, an autographed copy of the ‘A War You Cannot Win’ CD, an ‘A War You Cannot Win’ LP, and an All That Remains 11 X 17 poster. That’s a great amount of All That Remains awesomeness, and you can enter to win by posting your contact details in the box below. All That Remains are promoting the newly released album, which has already spawned the rapidly-rising single ‘Stand Up.’ A lyric video for the track is currently circulating online. The group is currently out on tour with Machine Head , Dethklok , and Black Dahlia Murder . You can pick up ‘A War You Cannot Win’ in stores or order one of the bundle options at the band’s website . But you can also enter to win our All That Remains ‘A War You Cannot Win’ prize package featuring the USB bullet, snake hoodie, t-shirt, CD, LP, and poster by delivering your details in the contest box below: All That Remains ‘A War You Cannot Win’ Prize Pack Enter your e-mail address and t-shirt size for a chance to win a bullet USB with the songs on the album and extras, a “snake” hoodie, an ‘A War You Cannot Win’ t-shirt, an autographed copy of the ‘A War You Cannot Win’ CD, an ‘A War You Cannot Win’ LP, and an All That Remains 11 X 17 poster. Contest ends Dec. 6, 2012. Click here for official rules . By entering this contest, you will receive email newsletters from Loudwire and be added to the All That Remains mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time. Email T-Shirt Size
RCA Elvis Presley’s ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ have just been turned blood red, as remix master Andy Rehfeldt has given the classic rock ‘n’ roll track a technical death metal makeover. Originally written by Carl Perkins, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ was taken to new heights by ‘The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ –Elvis Presley. Country legend Johnny Cash also had a hand in creating the concept for the ’50s track after telling Perkins a story about how a military airman, who Cash met while serving in Germany, had dubbed his military regulation air shoes as “blue suede shoes.” Shortly after, Perkins was playing a dance party when he saw a man lambast the girl he was dancing with for stepping on his blue suede shoes. Perkins began to write the classic track that very night. ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ certainly has a rich history, having been covered by acts such as Black Sabbath , Jimi Hendrix, Helloween and the Beatles, but Rehfeldt is likely the first to turn the song into technical death metal madness. Rehfeldt, who has made viral ‘Radio Disney’ makeovers of Slipknot ‘s ‘Wait and Bleed’ and Slayer ‘s ‘Angel of Death,’ along with death metal versions of the Jonas Brothers’ ‘Paranoid’ and Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby,’ has created another hilarious remix spliced with video of Elvis Presley performing ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’ If you want to see Elvis Presley shred on his acoustic guitar and unleash demonic gutturals while shakin’ those morally corrupting hips like only he can, then check out this death metal version of the classic, ‘Blue Suede Shoes.’ Elvis Presley, ‘Blue Suede Shoes’ (Death Metal Version) [button href=”http://loudwire.com/best-death-metal-makeovers-of-pop-songs/” title=”Next: Watch the 10 Best Death Metal Makeovers of Pop Songs” align=”center”]
Nuclear Blast Crossover thrash phenoms Municipal Waste have carved out a unique career for themselves through drinking beer, eating people’s entrails in space, ripping faces, but most importantly creating some truly sick thrash music. Currently on a co-headlining tour with the legendary Napalm Death , we spoke to Municipal Waste guitarist Ryan Waste about some pressing social and philosophical issues … just kidding, we talked about thrashing and hurricane-induced yeast infections. Municipal Waste described their music perfectly at their Connecticut show on Oct. 28: “There’s a gigantic circular storm coming this way tonight, and it’s called the circle pit to this next song.” In a pre-hurricane interview, Ryan Waste talks about the band’s music videos for ‘The Fatal Feast’ and ‘Repossession,’ his signature ‘MW’ guitars, adding the line “ Municipal Waste is gonna f— you up! ” to the second recording of ‘Born to Party’ and much more. Check out our triple-distilled, uncapped interview with Ryan Waste. Municipal Waste’s Ryan Waste Talks to Loudwire [button href=”http://loudwire.com/municipal-waste-born-to-party-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Municipal Waste – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]