It’s been a great year for rock music, and the 10 nominees in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards category for Rock Song of the Year reflect certainly reflect that. We’ve got several perennial chart rulers, a veteran rocker making his self-proclaimed comeback and pair of female-led rock bands who enjoyed major success this past year. Who will take the title? That’s up to you! Check out the nominated songs and be sure to vote in the poll below: Baroness, ‘March to the Sea’ Baroness had one of the year’s standout albums in ‘Yellow and Green,’ and the single ‘March to the Sea,’ the band’s ode to a friend lost to drugs, is a powerful statement set against an equally chugging and forceful beat. Dead Sara, ‘Weatherman’ Dead Sara frontwoman Emily Armstrong’s powerful vocals caught the attention of many in 2012, and the song ‘Weatherman,’ with a monster riff from guitarist Souixsie Medley, is about as an infectious piece of ear candy as you could find in rock in 2012. Deftones, ‘Leathers’ Deftones carried over the success from the ‘Diamond Eyes’ album in a big way, and ‘Leathers’ is the ‘Koi No Yokan’ track that shows the group was truly clicking on all cylinders, with equal parts moody atmospherics and intense chugging rock. Halestorm, ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ It is punk! It is rock! It is thrash! Whatever you want to call it, Halestorm ‘s ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’ is an aggressive, fist-pumping anthem that grabbed everyone’s attention in 2012! Marilyn Manson, ‘No Reflection’ From the opening notes of ‘No Reflection,’ it is clear that the Marilyn Manson we’d all come to know from his ’90s heyday is back with full force. The track stands right alongside some of Manson’s best. Papa Roach, ‘Still Swingin” Does anyone know their way around a rock anthem like Papa Roach ? The band kicked off support of their latest album ‘The Connection’ with the standout rocker ‘Still Swingin” and have kept fans rocking throughout most of 2012. Serj Tankian, ‘Harakiri’ While Serj Tankian has been exploring his musical boundaries over the last few years, the title track to his latest album ‘Harakiri’ brought him full circle to the rock spotlight with one of the year’s most melodically beautiful choruses and a powerful statement about today’s growing environmental concerns. Shinedown, ‘Bully’ Shinedown was on message with their first single of 2012, ‘Bully,’ offering up an anti-bullying sentiment with a rocking twist that motivated the listener to stand up for themselves. It’s inspirational and it rocks. Stone Sour, ‘Gone Sovereign’ Stone Sour unleashed the fury on 2012′s ‘Gone Sovereign’ with some blistering guitars, thunderous drumming and a driving track where Corey Taylor sings about being at an emotional low point and trying to stay alive. Three Days Grace, ‘Chalk Outline’ Three Days Grace found themselves with another major hit, deservedly so, with the jarring single ‘Chalk Outline.’ With its gritty guitar and one of Adam Gontier’s best choruses yet, it deserves the accolades it’s received. Voting for the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards closes on Jan. 15 at 11:59 PM EST. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite band wins! Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metal-song-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next Category: Metal Song of the Year” align=”center”] Get Notified When Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the daily Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of our full list of winners in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards, as well as the top stories in rock and metal. Email
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Rock Song of the Year – 2012 Loudwire Music Awards
December 3rd, 2012 
Metalkult 
Posted in News 
Tags: a-monster-riff, a-rocking-twist, band, daily, emily-armstrong, green, latest, loudwire, marilyn manson, Music, souixsie-medley, still-swingin-, Stone Sour, title 
No Comments »Stone Sour, ‘House of Gold & Bones Part 1’ – Album Review
October 23rd, 2012 Metalkult Roadrunner Records Stone Sour singer Corey Taylor knew early on he wanted to do something special with their latest disc, and with ‘ House of Gold & Bones Part 1 ,’ the band doesn’t disappoint. In fact, this dark tale of a person’s inner battles getting over a traumatic relationship break leaves us yearning for more (thankfully, there will be a ‘Part 2′). The singer says of the disc , “It’s really a morality play. It’s about a person trying to find himself, or herself. You know, everyone in their lives finds themselves inevitably at a crossroads when it comes to a personal evolution and whatnot, trying to figure out what they want to do with the rest of their lives.” Much like a person trying to move on from a difficult split, ‘House of Gold & Bones Part 1′ plays like the emotions of that experience, spanning from bitter, vitriolic, and selfish to broken, mournful and depressive. Listeners got their first introduction with the release of the double-single, ‘Gone Sovereign’ and ‘Absolute Zero.’ The two songs lead off the album and descriptively show where the title character is at their life — a splintered shell of themselves feeling that every legend has been shattered in ‘Gone Sovereign’ and that they’re so filled with hate that there’s nothing left to offer in ‘Absolute Zero.’ Both tracks are filled with hard-hitting guitars courtesy of Josh Rand and James Root and at times powerful and thunderous drumming from Roy Mayorga. Rand recently stated , “‘House of Gold & Bones’ takes everything that’s great about this band and amplifies it. The riffs, the lyrics, the grooves and the songs are like Stone Sour times 10. There’s also heavy stuff that’s like nothing we’ve ever done before. It’s dark as hell and a complete experience from the first track to the last.” Taylor vocally is hitting on all cylinders with this album. ‘A Rumor of Skin’ shows him delivering a deeper register; ‘RU486′ and ‘Last of the Real’ unleash a full blast of his aggression; and ‘Taciturn’ allows the listener to feel every ounce of emotion he’s pouring into the track. ‘ Taciturn ‘ received its live debut by Taylor earlier this year, with the singer primarily on acoustic guitar. While it can pass as a solo song live, on the album there’s some extra pieces as the track builds from an intimate and sorrowful song into something more epic and filled-out by the end with Taylor begging, “ Give me a sign / Show me a light / Maybe tonight I’ll tell you everything .” ‘The Travelers, Pt. 1′ and ‘Tired’ also flow particularly well together in the middle of the record, with the string-backing coming to the forefront. ‘The Travelers, Pt. 1′ provides ‘A Day in the Life’-type conclusion to the title character’s downward spiral, while in ‘Tired,’ the strings pick up the pace and provide a building feel of the character’s increasing instability. While we’re not sure how many singles ‘House of Gold & Bones Part 1′ may have, that’s not the point of the record. Stone Sour have provided the story of a character’s personal voyage and their inner dialogue that works as one album-length idea, and in that aspect they have definitely succeeded and left us anxious to see where the story continues in ‘House of Gold & Bones Part 2.’
Posted in News Tags: absolute-zero, album, bones-part, first, life, new-albums, songs, Stone Sour, story, title No Comments »Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Discusses New Book ‘Too Much Horror Business,’ Scary Movies + More
October 16th, 2012 Metalkult Abrams Books On Sept. 25, 2012, iconic iconic Metallica axeman Kirk Hammett , released his first book, ‘Too Much Horror Business,’ which chronicles his massive horror movie memorabilia collection. In it, fans get a sneak peek at all of the goodies Hammett has been collecting since he was a child, laid out by decade beginning with the 1920s. The book not only allows readers to gawk at gorgeous photos of movie posters, costumes, toys, props and other collectibles, but it also offers an in-depth dialogue between Hammett and Steffan Chirazi, editor of ‘So What!,’ the official magazine of the Metallica Club. Just minutes after finding out Metallica will be headlining New Orleans’ Voodoo Music + Arts Experience on Oct. 27, we had the chance to sit down with Hammett and chat about all things horror. In promoting your book, you’ve often talked about how you saw your first horror movie, ‘The Day of the Triffids,’ when you were 5 years old. It seems like horror movies speak to something inside all of us, even to the 5-year-old Kirk. Why do you think horror movies appeal to nearly everyone? They’re just fun. They’re a fun experience. It’s not unlike a roller coaster ride, you know? A good horror movie should have peaks and valleys, a good horror movie should move you emotionally, a good horror movie should be exciting to watch and energizing in a weird kind of way. Those are all sensations that everyone loves, or I would think everyone loves. Horror movies deliver that. I’ve always been attracted to the darker things in life. I was never one to go for light, airy stuff, even as a child. My whole aesthetic has always been one of the darker side. That rings true also in my tastes in music. It’s just always something I’ve gravitated to naturally. You’ve also been sharing some insight on your favorite collectibles, including two outfits worn by Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Moving from your own collection and looking just at the genre of horror, what are some of your favorite movies? That’s a hard one for me and I always give a different answer every time. I have a lot of favorites. Right off the bat, I love the original ‘Mummy’ movie from 1932. I love this movie from 1935 called ‘Mad Love.’ Jumping up into the ’70s, there was this low-budget movie called ‘Dracula vs. Frankenstein’ that I just love to death. To me, it’s just endless. I think about certain movies and I think, “Oh, that’s my favorite.” Then I think about others and I say, “No, that’s my favorite.” It’s so difficult for me. When we heard your the title of your book, we immediately thought, “Too much horror business? That’s a lyric from the Misfits!” Before you made the book, did you reach out to any members of the band about the title? I told Glenn [Danzig] that I was making this book when I saw him last December. He seemed alright with it. I think by now if he wasn’t alright with it I would’ve heard something. When I first heard that title, ‘Too Much Horror Business,’ I thought, “Wow, what a great title. If I ever do a book, that’s going to be the title.” And then, well, here we are. You could have made this a standard photo book, but there is a lengthy conversation between you and Steffan Chirazi featured throughout. Why did you decide to include the dialogue between the two of you? It was important for me to be able to interject some of my own personality into the book, to bring it to a different place. I didn’t want it to be a stock coffee table art book, I didn’t want it to be a reference book, I didn’t want it to look like an auction catalog, which a lot of art books end up looking like, at least to me. It was important to me to interject some of my own personality and some of my own humor and my own opinion on this stuff. How and why I’m into all this stuff. It was a way for me to make it more my book than just another coffee table book. ‘Too Much Horror Business’ is available for order from Abrams Books. And don’t worry, metalheads, we also talked to Kirk Hammett about all things Metallica. Stay tuned for our exclusive news items in which the guitarist offers the latest on the band’s next album and more. [button href=”http://ultimatemetallica.com/kirk-hammett-talks-too-much-horror-business-at-book-signing-in-new-york-city/” target=”_blank” title=”Check Out The Full Recap From Hammett’s Book Signing in NYC” align=”center”] Photos from ‘Too Much Horror Business’ Pgs. 26-27, Abrams Books Pgs. 32-33, Abrams Books Pgs. 58-59, Abrams Books Pg. 105, Abrams Books
Posted in News Tags: a-great-title-, a-stock-coffee, abrams, abrams-books, band, book, books, darker, exclusive, hammett, horror-business, metallica, movie, title No Comments »Flyleaf Announce Release Date for Upcoming Album ‘New Horizons’
October 10th, 2012 Metalkult 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’
Posted in News Tags: a-pretty-good, flyleaf, ground, heart, like-the-songs, memento-mori-, news, octone-records, saving-grace, songs, title, track-listing No Comments »10 Best Slayer Songs
September 26th, 2012 Metalkult Photo by Mark Seliger Choosing the 10 best Slayer songs is a difficult task, considering the band's prolific career. Having unleashed a brand of unforgiving thrash metal for over 30 years, Slayer are one of the most iconic and influential bands of all time. Beyond the realms of metal, Slayer have almost built an entire ecosystem around their music, which has seen great appreciation and respect from all types of music fans. As one of thrash's 'Big Four,' Slayer have pummeled fans with 11 albums, two live records, four gold-selling discs and five Grammy nominations (including two wins). Slayer are currently in the process of writing their 12th studio album, which is tentatively set for a 2013 release, but for now, we celebrate the band's phenomenal career with our picks of the 10 Best Slayer Songs. ? 10 'Chemical Warfare' From: 'Haunting the Chapel' EP (1984) ? ? After the success of Slayer's debut album, 'Show No Mercy,' Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel reportedly pushed the idea of Slayer releasing an EP. Slayer were already playing 'Chemical Warfare' at their live shows, so releasing the song as soon as humanly possible was an obvious move. The track unveils an incredible power through pure grit, and is a favorite of old-school Slayer fans. 'Chemical Warfare' and the rest of the 'Haunting the Chapel' EP was later included in the 1987 re-release of 'Show No Mercy.' Listen to 'Chemical Warfare' ? ? 9 'Cult' From: 'Christ Illusion' (2006) ? ? After the strong response to 'God Hates Us All,' Slayer continued their challenge against religion with their 2006 full-length, 'Christ Illusion.' Although the album features two Grammy Award-winning songs, 'Eyes of the Insane' and 'Final Six,' track number nine, 'Cult' is arguably the album's greatest creative achievement. The Kerry King-penned track questions Christianity with vivid and intense lyrics that singer Tom Araya delivers with ultimate conviction. Listen to 'Cult' ? ? 8 'Disciple' From: 'God Hates Us All' (2001) ? ? As somewhat of a return to form for Slayer, the band unleashed 'God Hates Us All' in 2001, with 'Disciple' instantly becoming a fan favorite. The unforgettable yell of 'God hates us all!' gave a new iconic phrase for Slayer fans to scream along with frontman Tom Araya. In an incredibly strange coincidence, the 'God Hates Us All' album was released on Sept. 11, 2001, giving the album an additional dark overtone. Listen to 'Disciple' ? ? 7 'Dead Skin Mask' From: 'Seasons in the Abyss' (1990) ? ? It's utterly ridiculous how Slayer were able to cram so many iconic riffs into one album, but they achieved unparalleled creative success with 'Seasons in the Abyss' and the standout track 'Dead Skin Mask.' The prime cut was inspired by infamous murderer Ed Gein, who wore the skin of his dead victims. Adding a further piece of horror to 'Dead Skin Mask,' a voice of a child can be heard in the outro, crying, “I don't want to play anymore, Mr. Gein,” and “Let me out!” Listen to 'Dead Skin Mask' ? ? 6 'Hell Awaits' From: 'Hell Awaits' (1985) ? ? As the title track to one of metal's most influential releases, 'Hell Awaits' is one of the key Slayer tracks that demonstrates the diabolic atmosphere that the band is able to conjure. Although the track is mostly instrumental, 'Hell Awaits' grabs you with a Satanic grip as is drags you down into the fiery pit. This track can only be described as purely terrifying. Listen to 'Hell Awaits' ? ? 5 'War Ensemble' From: 'Seasons in the Abyss' (1990) ? ? Opening the 'Seasons in the Abyss' album with Slayer's classic take-no-prisoners attitude, 'War Ensemble' is without a doubt one of the strongest beginnings to an album in metal history. Still a staple of their live show decades after the release of 'Seasons in the Abyss,' 'War Ensemble' never fails to incite screams of 'Sport the war! / War support!' while Tom Araya concludes the iconic chorus with, 'The final swing is not a drill / It's how many people I can kill.' Listen to 'War Ensemble' ? ? 4 'South of Heaven' From: 'South of Heaven' (1988) ? ? Honing yet another memorable lick that only Slayer could unleash with such undercurrent, 'South of Heaven' is yet another cut that delves its demonic hooks into your flesh. 'South of Heaven' floats somewhere within the many lakes of fire explored by Slayer, taking the listener to an igneous crypt completely new to metalheads at the time, but all too familiar to the devil's favorite band. Listen to 'South of Heaven' ? ? 3 'Angel of Death' From: 'Reign in Blood' (1986) ? ? Beginning with a scream that embodies the suffering felt within the walls of the Auschwitz concentration camp, 'Angel of Death' is written from the perspective of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. The doctor has become infamous for the sadistic experimentations he performed upon Auschwitz prisoners, including children. For this, he was gifted with the title, 'Angel of Death.' Slayer explored the monstrous acts carried out by Mengele with lyrics such as “Surgery, with no anesthesia / Feel the knife pierce you intensely.” Listen to 'Angel of Death' ? ? 2 'Seasons in the Abyss' From: 'Seasons in the Abyss' (1990) ? ? As the closing chapter to the album of the same name, 'Seasons in the Abyss' shows what Slayer can achieve musically without constantly driving at full speed. Much like some of their earlier works, Slayer creates a hellish atmosphere with 'Seasons in the Abyss,' with the feel of the track complementing the title perfectly. Don't go to sleep while this song is playing, because you'll surely dream about walking through the realm of purgatory. Listen to 'Seasons in the Abyss' ? ? 1 'Raining Blood' From: 'Reign in Blood' (1986) ? ? Thunder strikes as the sound of menacing rain and electric shrieks of perdition echo across the realm of the eternally damned. As the demonic sound begins to crescendo, Slayer take hold as they unveil one of the most evil riffs in metal history. From the 'Reign in Blood' album, which many considered to be the heaviest record on history at the time, 'Raining Blood' feels like it was handed down by the devil himself. As a band who perfected the concept of atmospherically evil thrash, 'Raining Blood' is certainly one of metal's highest peaks, as well as the most immortal achievement of Slayer. Listen to 'Raining Blood' ? ? What's Your Favorite Slayer Song? It wasn't easy coming up with a list of the 10 Best Slayer Songs, as there are so many tunes to choose from. Which Slayer song is your favorite? Which songs should have made the list? Let your opinion be known in the comments section below: ?
Posted in News Tags: band, christianity, div-alignment, gold, illusion, most, original features, skin, songs, time, title, track No Comments »Flyleaf Bassist Pat Seals on Inspiration Behind Title of ‘New Horizons’ Album
September 11th, 2012 Metalkult Texas-based rockers Flyleaf have a hot new single in ‘New Horizons,’ which is also the title track off their much-anticipated upcoming full-length disc. We caught up with Flyleaf bass player Pat Seals, and asked him to explain the inspiration behind the album’s title. “We started listening to all of the songs and looked for a commonality between them,” Seals told us. “We asked, ‘Is there something they all said?’ We
Posted in News Tags: a-hot-new, also-the-title, and-asked, and-looked, explain-the, inspiration, seals, songs, there-something, title, title-track No Comments »Maynard James Keenan Offers Advice for the Apocalypse in New Editorial Column
September 10th, 2012 Metalkult As we reported a few days ago, Tool, A Perfect Circle and Puscifer singer Maynard James Keenan has signed a deal with the Phoenix New Times to write a bi-weekly column for the newspaper. Now, Keenan has jumped into his role as a gonzo journalist, as the Phoenix New Times has published the first textual offering from the prolific creator. ‘These Are The “End of Days“‘ is the title of
Posted in News Tags: a-deal-with, first, has-jumped, has-published, into-his, keenan, maynard, newspaper, perfect, perfect-circle, the-first, times, title No Comments »
