Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Lit have had one heck of a journey as a band, releasing their fifth studio album, ‘The View From The Bottom,’ last year after an eight year break. They were also recently part of 2012’s ShipRocked Cruise, which featured numerous talented acts on a boat sailing from Florida to the Bahamas and back. While on the cruise, we had the chance to chat with frontman A. Jay Popoff about the new how, how the tragic death of their drummer Allen Shellenberger affected the band, as well as future plans for Lit and much more. Lit have endured numerous hardships as a band; how has that made you stronger individually and as a group? It definitely changed perspective on the big picture. This band has always been a brotherhood, you hear any band say that but our band literally grew up together. To lose a brother, it’s hard enough not only when you’re best friends and you’re partners in something like Lit – it’s our business and our life, it’s like losing a limb. It definitely brought the rest of us together — Kevin [Baldes] and Jeremy [Popoff] and I –and [we] pulled some deeper, sentimental songs when we wrote ‘The View From The Bottom.’ There are songs that are therapeutic for us. Lyrics have always been important to us but it’s a little less about the partying and drinking – we have those songs on here but it’s more about, just life. What does the title ‘The View From the Bottom’ specifically mean to you? It was an image that came to us more than what it actually says. On the cover, it’s us raising our glasses and it’s sort of like this new beginning in a way and we have a song called ‘Here’s To Us’ – this whole record is all about family and unity and that’s just the toast. ‘The View From the Bottom’ is looking up at the bottom of a glass. It was great seeing you onstage [during your ShipRocked set]. You guys have been away for a while – what did you guys miss most about playing shows and touring? That was the part we missed the most – getting out there. We did continue to do occasional one off shows, it was just enough to keep us going but really getting out on the road over the summer was awesome – just everyday waking up on the tour bus, hanging out after. You have nowhere else to go except back on the bus so it’s cool to hang out with people and reconnect with fans, new fans that were too young to come out to the shows before –we’re meeting a lot of those people and now they’re old enough to drink, so a lot of raising glasses with new people. What made you guys decide to write and create music again? Nathan Walker, our drummer now, he was really close with Allen [Shellenberger], it was when we decided to induct him into the group — I don’t know it was weird, everything just lined up and that’s when songs started to flow. We continued to write because we’re songwriters outside of the band, as well, but actual Lit music just wasn’t coming to us, everything we would right we’d be like “That’s not Lit.” My brother and I we do most of the writing and the songs just started feeling like Lit again and so we just went for it. Was there every a moment where you thought you and the rest of Lit might not ever make music together again or did you feel that it would take some time and happen naturally? We knew that we would always make music together because there really isn’t any other option. We’ve spent our entire lives doing this and it’s just what we are and we just have such a cool fanbase all over the world and constantly getting hit up by people who want new music. I just felt like we owed it to ourselves as a band, we owed it to the fans that have been so patient and we didn’t want to put out some half assed record just because it had taken so long. We wanted to deliver something that we’re proud of. What are plans for Lit in 2013? We’re planning on getting back out on the road and probably writing another record, too. We’re not going to sit around and wait, we’re feeling creative. The fire’s back and passion’s there and we just want to keep it going. Watch Lit’s Music Video for ‘The Broken’ ? [button href=”http://loudwire.com/shiprocked-2012-korn-in-this-moment-p-o-d-more-day-2-recap-gallery/” title=”Check Out Photos of Lit Performing on 2012 ShipRocked Cruise” align=”center”]
Simone Joyner, Getty Images Bring Me the Horizon continue to evolve with each album and the band is ready to kick off 2013 by showing a bit of their musical growth with the new song ‘Shadow Moses.’ The group debuted the track Friday (Jan. 4) on BBC Radio 1, giving fans their first taste of the forthcoming album, ‘ Sempiternal .’ The song provides a haunting opening before kicking in with singer Oli Sykes delivering the key line, “ Can you tell from the look in our eyes / We’re going nowhere / We live our lives and we’re ready to die / We’re going nowhere .” The “ We’re going nowhere ” line has already worked masterfully as an audience call-and-response in the band’s recent live performances. In addition, the group has managed to work in the album title into the tune, with Sykes screaming on a couple of occasions, “ This is sempiternal .” For those wondering what the title means, it’s definition is “eternal and unchanging” or “everlasting,” thus making the concept of “going nowhere” in the track a rather dreary thought. Along with the brutal subject matter, the song comes with the requisite force, aggression and driving guitar work that one would expect from Bring Me the Horizon, along with a chorus that’s incredibly infectious. Sykes recently said of the band’s forthcoming disc, “I’ve never been so confident about an album. It makes our last record just sound s—. We’re doing stuff we could never dreamed of doing before.” A firm release date for the ‘Sempiternal’ album has not been revealed, but given the fact that the song has now debuted, an early 2013 street date is likely to follow. To listen to ‘Shadow Moses,’ click on the button below and drag the player to the 2:12:02 mark: [button href=”http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/b01pfb5f” title=”Listen to Bring Me the Horizon’s ‘Shadow Moses’ (at 2:12:02 mark)” align=”center”] ?
Ethan Miller, Getty Images For a band like Rise Against , the creative process is always ongoing, but frontman Tim McIlrath says that it may actually be a little while before we hear from them again. The singer tells Rolling Stone that the group wants to “recharge” a bit before starting in on a new record. “We always have new ideas floating around, we always have new songs and new ideas,” says McIlrath. “[But] we’re kind of focusing on recharging our batteries right now. We’ve been a band for 12 years. We’ve been hitting it hard and looking at this band like a marathon, not a sprint. We realize we need to invest time in our music and our songs, as well as invest time into ourselves, our lives, so I think for the next few months, that’s what we’ll be doing.” McIlrath says getting away from the touring life for a while and getting back to normal surroundings will give them a better perspective when it comes time to write again. The vocalist also stated that while they are known for hard-hitting anthemic rock songs, he’s anxious to explore a softer side. That was partly inspired by their cover of Bob Dylan ‘s ‘The Ballad of Hollis Brown’ for the Amnesty International ‘Chimes of Freedom’ compilation. He explains, “It was something we hadn’t done before and I think we all walked away from the studio experience saying, ‘When we come back here, we need to tap into some of the things that we tapped into in this Bob Dylan cover. We took our foot off the gas a little bit, allowed the guitar tones to come out a little more, played things more deliberate instead of as fast as a speeding train, and we realized this could still be heavy.” For more from the interview with Tim McIlrath, visit RollingStone.com . [button href=”http://loudwire.com/rise-against-savior-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Rise Against – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire In this week’s edition of Loudwire’s Top 20 Countdown, Soundgarden continue to hold the top spot with their single ‘Been Away Too Long’ from their first album in 16 years, ‘King Animal.’ Shinedown and their latest single ‘Enemies’ remain in the No. 2 spot this week. Avenged Sevenfold also stay steady at No. 3 with their track ‘Carry On,’ while Volbeat ’s latest single ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ jumps a few sports to come in at No. 4 this week. Slash ’s new single ‘Standing in the Sun’ featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators rounds out the Top 5. Other songs of note on the list include Stone Sour ‘s tune ‘Absolute Zero,’ as well as All That Remains ‘ new track ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Same Old Trip’ by Chevelle . Papa Roach make their return to the Top 20 list this week with their track ‘Where Did the Angels Go’ off of their latest release ‘The Connection.’ Check out the Top 20 songs below and be sure to tune in to Loudwire Radio this weekend to blast these tracks at full volume. Loudwire Radio Top 20 Songs of the Week: 20. Papa Roach, ‘Where Did The Angels Go’ 19. Linkin Park ‘Lost in the Echo’ 18. P.O.D., ‘Higher’ 17. Adelitas Way, ‘Alive’ 16. Nonpoint, ‘Left for You’ 15. Green Day, ‘Let Yourself Go’ 14. Three Days Grace, ‘Chalk Outline’ 13. 3 Doors Down, ‘One Light’ 12. Young Guns, ‘Bones’ 11. In This Moment, ‘Blood’ 10. Deftones, ‘Tempest’ 9. Five Finger Death Punch, ‘The Pride’ 8. Chevelle, ‘Same Old Trip’ 7. All That Remains, ‘Stand Up’ 6. Stone Sour, ‘Absolute Zero’ 5. Slash, ‘Standing in the Sun’ 4. Volbeat ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ 3. Avenged Sevenfold, ‘Carry On’ 2. Shinedown, ‘Enemies’ 1. Soundgarden, ‘Been Away Too Long’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Air Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]
Roadrunner Swedish progressive metal masters Opeth have posted a mystery teaser via Roadrunner Records. We can only speculate as to what it means, but the video depicts a spinning Planet Earth with the signature Opeth logo appearing as the globe stops over North America. Accompanying the band’s logo, ‘Spring 2013′ materializes before the short teaser fades away. Immediately after the mystery video was posted, various theories began to float around the internet, and although no official announcement has been revealed along with the 30-second clip, a recent quote from frontman Mikael Akerfeldt suggests an upcoming North American tour. “We still have a few details to work out,” Akerfeldt told Roadrunner in a November 2012 interview, “but we were supposed to be in the U.S. in the fall [of 2012] and we didn’t do it, so we’re gonna be in the U.S. in the spring, I think. But it’s not completely settled yet, so I’m not sure. I can’t say 100 percent that we’re gonna be there. But 90 percent sure, we’re going on a North American tour, which will be the last lengthy tour that we do for this record.” Opeth blazed through North America in 2012 for an incredible tour with Mastodon and Ghost , and although it’s been less than a year since we interviewed Akerfeldt ourselves and checked out Opeth’s live show, WE WANT THEM BACK! Here’s hoping for a 2013 North American tour from our Swedish friends in Opeth. Watch Opeth’s Mystery ‘Spring 2013′ Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/opeth-blackwater-park-top-21st-century-metal-songs/” title=”Opeth – Top 21st Century Metal Songs” align=”center”]
NewstedHeavyMetal.com Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted is back rocking again and fans are getting the first taste of his new self-titled band with the just-released single ‘Soldierhead.’ The song comes from the four-track release, ‘ Metal ,’ due Jan. 8 via iTunes. Newsted shot a video for the song over the week that’s expected to debut shortly, but in the interim fans can check out ‘Soldierhead’ in the player below. The hard-driving track finds the bassist exploring his metal roots and delivering the type of head banging song that most fans would hope for. The bassist steps up to the mic on the ‘Metal’ EP and does an admirable job, but it’s the bass breakdown in ‘Soldierhead’ that stands out and makes it uniquely Newsted. In addition to ‘Soldierhead,’ fans can keep an ear out for ‘Godsnake,’ ‘King of the Underdogs’ and ‘Skyscraper,’ the three other songs that make up the ‘Metal’ EP. Though full versions of the tracks have yet to hit the Internet, song snippets can be heard at iTunes, where the disc is currently available for pre-order. ‘Godsnake’ is more a chugging track, while ‘King of the Underdogs’ finds the band rocking with reckless abandon and ‘Skyscraper’ is more of a straight-up, attitude-filled rocker. To hear the song snippets or to pre-order the ‘Metal’ EP, click here . Newsted has not announced any tour dates as of yet, but it is likely he’ll play some shows as some point. Listen to Newsted’s ‘Soliderhead’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/ex-metallica-bassist-jason-newsted-details-plans-for-musical-comeback/” title=”Next: Jason Newsted Details Musical Comeback Plans” align=”center”]
Charlemange Productions Love metal? Dig Christmas? Then let legendary actor Christopher Lee entertain you with heavy metal versions of classic Christmas songs. The 90-year-old Lee is famous for his roles in ’Dracula’ and ‘Lord of the Rings,’ among countless other films. He has been crafting his voice for many years, having famously lent his pipes to the soundtrack for horror flick ‘The Wicker Man,’ released in 1973. Although Lee is a classically trained singer, the ‘Dracula’ icon released his first metal album, ‘Charlemange: By the Sword and the Cross,’ in 2010, receiving Metal Hammer’s Spirit of Metal award at their 2010 Golden Gods ceremony. Lee’s ‘Charlemange’ sequel, ‘The Omens of Death,’ is expected to see a 2013 release. “I was first introduced to metal when I sang with a [band] called Rhapsody,” Lee tells BBC Radio. “But what I sang was not heavy metal; I sang with a tenor. Then I worked with Manowar as a narrator, I think it was in Germany, and again, that was not me singing metal. I became rather fascinated by this, ’cause in terms of history of music, it’s fairly recent, really. And if it’s properly done and you can understand the story and you can understand what the people are singing and you have the right bands and the right singers, I think it’s rather exciting.” Christopher Lee’s surprisingly crushing renditions of ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ and ‘Silent Night’ are now available to purchase via iTunes and Amazon . Check out a preview of both tracks in the player below. Christopher Lee, ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ + ‘Silent Night’ (Teaser) [button href=”http://loudwire.com/lord-of-the-rings-actor-christopher-lee-recording-metal-album-at-90-years-old/” title=”Next: More on Christopher Lee’s Upcoming Metal Album” align=”center”]