Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Kid Rock Says Rap-Rock 'Turned Out to Be Pretty Gay'
As Kid Rock promotes his upcoming album "First Kiss", he has also taken a critical look back at a musical movement that he helped popularize. While Rock rose to fame on the rap-rock wave of the late 1990s, he had managed to remain relevant by shifting musical gears, while many of his contemporaries have faded into obscurity.

Rock addressed his current view of the rap-rock movement in a new op-ed that he wrote for England's Guardian newspaper. Here is an excerpt via Radio.com, "Rap-rock was what people wanted at the time, and they still love those songs at shows. But it turned into a lot of bulls- and it turned out to be pretty gay."

He anticipated some blowback from the use of the term "gay" by writing, "If someone says you can't say 'gay' like that you tell them to go f- themselves. You're not going to get anything politically correct out of me."





Lamb Of God Fan Reportedly Sues Live Nation For Concert Injury
A Lamb Of God fan has reportedly filed a lawsuit against the concert promoter Live Nation after he allegedly suffered injuries at one of the band's shows, according to gossip site/bloid TMZ.

The bloid reports that the fan, named William Tarantino, is seeking $75,000 for the alleged injuries he suffered at a Lamb of God concert in Connecticut in November of 2012. The report did not name the venue, but the band's itinerary at the time listed a November 23rd concert in Wallingford, CT at the Oakdale Theater.

According to the report, Tarantino watched the show from the "standing-only" section and he reportedly alleges that the "crowd went crazy, trampling him and causing traumatic fractures of the cervical spine which required surgical fusion. He says the surgery didn't fully heal him... he has permanent spinal injuries."

There has been no independent confirmation that such a lawsuit has been filed and the report did not disclose the court Tarantino where allegedly filed his suit. Read the report here.




Ozzy Osbourne Bringing Hell To Vegas For Halloween?
This Halloween, Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne will be the latest hard rocker to bring an elaborate show to fans in Las Vegas, according to a British media report.

"I'm working right now on a Vegas production for Ozzy," Sharon reportedly told British newspaper The Sun (via Belfast Telegraph.) 'It'll be in time for Halloween and be called Hellgate.'

If the comes to fruition, Ozzy will join the ranks of KISS, Guns N' Roses and Def Leppard, who have all had successful shows in Las Vegas in recent years.



The Faceless, Animosity, Animals As Leaders Supergroup Preview EP
The new supergroup Entheos, featuring former members of The Faceless, Animosity, and Animals As Leaders, are giving fans the first taste of their upcoming release.

The band features singer Chaney Crabb along with former The Faceless, Animosity member Evan Brewer, Frank Costa of Animosity fame and former Animals As Leaders star Navene Koperweis.

The new group posted the following message along with a preview video of their forthcoming EP on their Facebook page, "We just finished writing and making demos of our first EP!! Quick clip for you guys!"

Check it out the preview clip here.




Rammstein Frontman Launches New Project
(TeamRock Radio) Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann has formed a new project with Swedish producer Peter Tagtgren. The duo will go by the name Lindemann, although further details remain sketchy.

The group's official Facebook page is short on information, but Raubtier singer Par Hulkoff says on his own band's Facebook page that Lindemann's music "blew my mind."

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Tagtgren also fronts death metal outfit Hypocrisy and his own project, Pain. Last year, Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe hinted that his involvement with the band could be over. Read his comments here.




Fall Out Boy Premiere New Song 'Irresistible'
(Radio.com) Fall Out Boy have released their new single "Irresistible," which is the fourth song to be released from the group's forthcoming album American Beauty/American Psycho.

Available for an immediately download on iTunes, the new single follows previously released songs "The Kids Aren't Alright, "American Beauty/American Psycho" and "Centuries," the latter of which currently claims the No. 2 position on Billboard's Rock Songs chart.

All three tracks are available as instant downloads when you pre-order the $7.99 album. "When I think of 'Irresistible' it brings this image to my head, whether it's fictional or real, of Sid and Nancy in an alley garbage raining down on them in an eternal spiral of romance and poison," explained Pete Wentz of the song. "Sometimes it hard not to love what can hurt us the most."





Kataklysm Reveal New Album Details
Kataklysm have revealed more information, including the title, of their forthcoming album, the follow up to their 2013 release "Waiting for the End to Come."

The band revealed in an online teaser video on Monday that they will be calling the new album, "Of Ghosts And Gods" and they will be releasing the effort this summer.

Late last week (January 1), the band posted on Facebook, "2015 is here and Kataklysm is ready to claim it, Guitarist J-F Dagenais is hard at work in his studio in Texas tracking the new album and as promised we will unveil the title of the new album tomorrow, so come back and check in with us, cheers and a Happy New year to the best fans in the world, the Kataklysm legions \m/

And then on Monday (January 5), the band posted a short teaser video along with the following message on their Facebook page on Monday "Here you go brothers and sisters the new Kataklysm album title is unleashed \m/ spread it, share it !! ‪#‎newalbum‬ ‪#‎summer2015‬"





Some Skid Row Fans Don't Realize Bach Left The Band
(Classic Rock) Skid Row's Dave 'Snake' Sabo finds it "amusing" that some fans still turn up to gigs expecting to see Sebastian Bach. The guitarist says some fans who are "out of the loop" might not realize Bach left the band in 1996 and that vocal duties are now handled by Johnny Solinger.

But Sabo says he is comfortable with that, as long as the fans don't leave the show feeling disappointed once they realise Bach isn't involved. Sabo tells Talk Is Jericho: "I find it amusing. I mean, you know what, how can you judge stupidity?

"Johnny, he's fine with it. The thing is, he's a singer of Skid Row with long, blond hair, and some people might not be aware - they're just not in the loop. I get it. It's fine." Read more here.




Papa Roach and Seether Kicking Off Tour This Week
Papa Roach will be kicking off their North American co-headlining tour with Seether on Friday. The band is launching the tour ahead of the release of their new album.

The new album, entitled F.E.A.R. (Face Everything And Rise), is scheduled to be released on January 27th. Apart from the headliners the tour will feature support from Kyng and Islander.

The tour will be launching from the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach, SC on January 9th and is scheduled to conclude on February 7th at The Joint at the Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix had this to say about the tour, "We are super excited to roll out on this tour with our brothers in Seether. Not only is it gonna be rad for the fans it's gonna be rad for us as well! We love and respect the guys in Seether.

"Can't wait to see the American fans and most importantly we can't wait to play our new material live!! The fans are in for a killer night of rock n roll at its finest."

Seether frontman Shaun Morgan adds, "We're really looking forward to going back out with our good friends Papa Roach and we're super excited to be bringing out our buddies Kyng and newcomers Islander too. It will be an awesome show for all our fans. Can't wait to play some new music for you all!" Check out the dates here.




As They Burn Announce Break Up
As They Burn have announced that they are breaking up. The French metal band formed in 2007 and has released two studio albums and one EP. Their final effort was 2013's "Will, Love, Life," which was released by Victory Records.

The band released the following statement about their decision to disband,
"We are deeply moved to announce the end of the band. As they burn was an amazing way to let our artistic energy flow for a fabulous seven years. We lived and grew up in rhythm with what is for us much more than a musical adventure - a real humane endeavour which embraced a lot of people. It is because we honour and respect you guys that we have taken this difficult decision.

"Up until now, we have provided you with ourselves in the best possible way and we never want to put that aside. As we are now, we are incapable of providing you with the As They Burn you expect us to be. And it is impossible for us, musically and artistically to be less than what we expect and aspire to be, and we will NEVER accept to be half of ourselves.

"By taking this decision we value honesty above become a band that we would never want to be. It is time for us to follow our own independent paths, each cradled by the memories of the past years and the brotherly love that unites all six of us. And it is the same desire of honesty and same willpower that we have decided to part ways with you guys on stage and not by a simple press release! We will be playing several farewell shows in 2015 so we can meet one last time on stage.

"From the bottom of our hearts, thank you! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!"



Armageddon Recruit Nightrage Singer For Upcoming Tour
(TeamRock Radio) Armageddon have brought in Nightrage singer Antony Hamalainen to front the band on their upcoming US tour. The band - led by former Arch Enemy guitarist Christopher Amott - parted company with singer Matt Hallquist last month, who left for "personal reasons."

But their nine-date US jaunt in February will go ahead after Hamalainen - who has also worked with Nervosia and Meridian Dawn - was recruited in the short term at least.

Amott says: "We're pleased to reveal that Antony Hamalainen will be joining us as vocalist on our US tour in February. Thank you Antony for keeping the metal alive." Read more here.



Issues Member Won't Be Touring With The Band
(TeamRock Radio) Issues keyboardist Tyler 'Scout' Acord won't tour with the band this year, he's confirmed - but his departure isn't permanent. The US metalcore outfit take to the road across Europe starting in March and have lined up 11 UK dates - but Acord has announced he's stepped back from live commitments to concentrate on other musical projects.

However, he's still part of the band and will join them later this month to begin work on the follow-up to their self-titled debut album which launched last year via Rise Records.

He says in a statement: "This decision has come from a very deep place in my heart, and was in no way an easy one to make. The reasons are simply because I want to be able focus on other things musically.

"Touring as keys and turntables in a band is fun but isn't what I want to be doing with my career. I have a passion for music production and drums and want to see how far I can take them. However, I will still play the same roll I've always had in the studio with Issues, helping to write and co produce the record."






Dave Lombardo Explains How To Form Your Own Style
(Classic Rock) Philm mainman Dave Lombardo has passed on some sage advice to young drummers. The former Slayer sticksman says he's a firm believer of picking and choosing bits and pieces from other acts and blending them together to form his own unique style.

Recalling some of the bands that influenced him as a child, Lombardo says he taught himself how to drum and he would advise any would-be drummers to do the same.

He tells WSOU: "To give you an idea of the 45s that I bought as a kid, I had Superstition by Stevie Wonder, Bachman Turner Overdrive Taking Care Of Business, The Doobie Brothers Long Train Running. A lot of different styles.

"I'm self-taught. That matters because I didn't learn from a school curriculum, I learned from the records I bought. Practice what you're taught in school, if you're taking lessons, but don't be afraid to venture out and search for new music and music that is inspiring, and try to develop your own style. Take from different genres and apply them to what you like.

"Take your favourite genres and then create your own style." Stream the full interview clip here.




John 5 & The Creatures Announce Tour Dates
Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 has revealed the initial North American tour dates for his band John 5 & The Creatures and their trek in support of his latest solo album.

The group, which also features Ian Ross (bass) and Rodger Carter (drums), will be kicking off the tour on February 8th in Ramona, Ca and have announced dates through February 27th in Ft. Defiance, Az and promise that more dates are still to be announced.

John 5's camp says in the announcement that the tour will feature performances of songs that have never been played live including tracks from his latest album "Careful With That Axe," as well as previous efforts "Vertigo," "Songs For Sanity and "The Devil Knows My Name". See the tour dates here.




Killswitch Engage Frontman Jesse Leach Plans Solo Tour
Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach is heading Down Under next week to launch his very first solo DJ and spoken word tour that will be hitting various cities in Australia.

The trek will feature three DJ shows that kick off on January 15th in Sydney at Hot Damn and concludes on January 24th in Melbourne at The Gasometer and Leach will host a spoken word show on January 21st in Melbourne at Eureka Rebellion Trading.

According to the announcement, the spoken word show will be called "Memories, Words and Songs," and will feature Leach "sharing childhood memories, opening up about his musical inspiration, discussing his lyrical themes, and reading personal poetry."

Jesse had this to say about the tour, "I am eager and excited to kick off my first DJ tour. I have been at this on and off for six years in the Northeastern U.S. and I love sharing music that moves me! There is an amazing rush I get when I play a song and watching the crowd react or when someone approaches me wanting to know what song I played. I do this because I love it. However, I also do this to bring to light and give attention to some of the underground bands that have inspired me and music in general."

Leach also had this to say about the spoken word show, "My spoken word night is something I've wanted to do for a while and it being my first one, I am nervous and quite excited to see how it turns out! I just want to give a little insight into my life and give something back to all of the fans that have supported me over the years through thick and thin..." Check out the dates here.





Metallica's Kirk Hammett Pays Tribute By Playing Legendary Guitar
(Gibson) For many players, the idea of keeping a beautiful vintage guitar in a vault instead of playing it is sacrilege. Last year Metallica's Kirk Hammett ensured that one particularly magical axe will continue to sing, by purchasing the 'Gary Moore/Peter Green Les Paul.'

On the weekend Kirk - whose Twitter handle is @FearFestEviL in honor of his horror festival - explained to a fan on Twitter why he purchased the legendary 1959 Les Paul Standard: "The best tribute is that it's being played again instead of being neglected by people who only bought it for the investment," he said.

Kirk has already been using the instrument onstage, particularly to play Metallica's cover of "Whiskey in the Jar," the traditional Irish song popularized in its rock form by Thin Lizzy in the early 1970s. Read more here.






Status Quo Reach Chart Milestone
(Classic Rock) Status Quo have spent a total of 500 weeks in the UK Official Albums Chart, it's been confirmed. The rock veterans released acoustic album Aquostic (Stripped Bare) in October. And, with their 31st studio outing sitting at no.34 in this week's official album chart, it means the band join a select group of just 50 artists who have racked up 500 weeks or more in the charts.

Mainman Francis Rossi tells the Official Charts Company: "To be celebrating 500 weeks in the Official Album Chart - that's almost 10 years - feels incredible. It's almost surreal that this band that we formed all those years ago could reach this point. It's a tangible achievement though, and a milestone we're very proud of.

"Aquostic (Stripped Bare) is itself our highest charting album for 18 years and has just been certified Gold, so it's not been a bad few weeks. I rarely believe in looking backwards though, we're by no means done yet - 2015 will be another interesting year for Quo." Read more here.





Heart Rock Paul McCartney Classic On Kimmel
(hennemusic) Heart performed the 1973 Paul McCartney and Wings classic, "Band On The Run", during their appearance on ABC-TVs Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday.

The Seattle band recorded a version of the song as part of "The Art Of McCartney", the recently-released collection featuring a variety of artists joining the former Beatle's long time band to perform songs from the bassist's legendary songwriting catalog.

Heart also contributed a second track to the project: a version of "Letting Go", the single from Wings' 1975 album, "Venus And Mars." Other guests include Def Leppard, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, The Cure, Brian Wilson, Dr John, KISS, Chrissie Hynde and ELO's Jeff Lynne.






The Scorpions Announce Russian Leg Of 50th Anniversary Tour
(hennemusic) The Scorpions have announced dates for an extensive spring tour of Russia as part of their 50th anniversary tour this year. The German rockers will play 9 shows in the country starting May 14 in Novosibirsk.

The group also revealed a July 2 appearance as Festival Beauregard in Hérouville-Saint Claire, France. The new dates follow the previously-announced first series of shows, which are set to begin May 8 in the Czech Republic.

The Scorpions recently premiered "We Built This House", the lead single from their forthcoming album, "Return To Forever." Read more and check out the tour dates here.



Slash's Full Glasgow Concert Streaming Online
(hennemusic) Slash performed live on the MTV World Stage at O2 Academy in Glasgow, Scotland on November 7 and professionally-filmed footage of his complete show has surfaced.

The concert - part of Slash's UK tour in support of "World On Fire" - was two days before the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards were held at the same venue, where Slash paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by presenting him with the MTV Global Icon Award and closed the event with a performance of Ozzy's 1980 classic, "Crazy Train."

Slash continues his world tour in support of "World On Fire" next month with a Japanese tour followed by dates in New Zealand and Australia. Watch the Glasgow show here.



Aerosmith's Steven Tyler To Rock Super Bowl Event
(hennemusic) Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will perform at Rolling Stone magazine's Super Bowl Party on January 31 in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The paper reports that the event will be held the night before Super Bowl 49 at the Venue Scottsdale with about 1,000 guests. This will be the magazine's fourth year hosting a big event at the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl 49 will be held at University Of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Sunday, February 1. Last month, Tyler performed at the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize concert in Oslo, Norway on December 11. Read more here.




Moonspell Release New Song, Set Spring Album Release
(TeamRock Radio) Veteran Portuguese goth metal outfit Moonspell will launch their 10th album in March, they've confirmed. Extinct will be released via Napalm Records and it will be the follow-up to 2012's Alpha Noir/Omega White.

The record will be launched as a two-disc edition containing the full album along with bonus tracks and a behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of the album titled Road To Extinction. It will also be issued as a mediabook, limited deluxe edition and on vinyl.

A statement about Extinct reads: "It puts the D of darkness back into dark metal. It's a true lesson for the new generations of goth metal about how it's played and felt with body and soul - a lesson taught by no others than our Portuguese gentlemen wolves."

To mark the announcement, they've released a stream of latest track The Last Of Us. Hear it here.




Our Oceans Launch Crowdfunding Drive For New Album
(Prog) Our Oceans have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise cash to record their debut album. The outfit features guitarists Tymon Kruidenier and Michel Nienhuis along with bassist Robin Zielhorst from Exivious. They're joined in the project by singer/songwriter Noora Hakkinen and drummer Jasper Barendregt.

And Kruidenier says he decided to form the band as he needed another outlet for his music away from Exivious' purely instrumental material. And he reveals when he found singer Hakkinen, everything fell into place.

He says, "Shortly after the release of Exivious' debut album in 2009, I wanted to change our musical direction in a very drastic manner. I felt there wasn't much left to say for me as a guitar player and composer in the context of instrumental fusion inspired music. So the plan was to go for a more song driven approach and add a singer to our lineup.

"I spent weeks scouring every corner of the internet, trying to find a suitable singer. Eventually I found Noora. She just started composing her own music for which she played the piano and sang. I immediately fell in love with her voice. So I contacted her and we started talking. As it turned out, she actually knew about Exivious and liked what we were doing. What are the odds?" Read more and watch the campaign video here.




Video From Alice Cooper New Year's Benefit Show Posted Online
(hennemusic) Alice Cooper hosted his annual New Year's Benefit show supporting the Maui Food Bank on December 31st and several videos from the show have been posted online.

Hosted by actor Tom Arnold, the event at the ballroom of the Wailea Mariott saw Cooper and his band run through a set of classic tracks plus covers of Jimi Hendrix's "Foxy Lady" and "Revolution by The Beatles.

Joining Cooper at the event were Steven Tyler, Extreme guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, Dexter Holland and Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman of The Offspring, Michael McDonald and Pat Simmons of the Doobie Brothers, producer Bob Rock and Weird Al Yankovic.

The 2013 event featured an appearance by Sammy Hagar and many of the regular guests. Cooper spent the fall as the opening guest on the North American run of Motley Crue's farewell tour.






IO Earth Announce One-Off Orchestra Show
(Prog) UK prog outfit IO Earth will perform with string and brass sections for a one-off show in their hometown of Birmingham in May, they've confirmed. They're currently working on their third album New World and will perform tracks from the record at the city's Crescent Theatre on May 23.

They'll be joined by the seven-piece Orchestra Of Sound & Emotion on the night - and founding member Dave Cureton reveals they want to give fans a gig to remember.

He says: "We decided to put on a show which is truly that - a show. We feel that people expect value for money and that's what we are trying to create. We want to make something really special.

"Every genre we cover and every song in the catalogue can benefit from being tweaked for this 14-piece band - and some may be tweaked a little more than others." Read more here.




Queen's Brian May The Subject Of New Book
(NDB) Music biographer Neil Daniels today released his new book about legendary Queen guitarist Brian May. Entitled, "A Casual Guide To The Music Of Queen's Brian May" the book also features previously unseen live photographs.

Here is the synopsis: "Brian May is undoubtedly one of rock music's greatest and best-known guitarists. Regularly appearing in 'The World's Greatest Guitarists' polls and such, Brian May is a living legend and an icon to musicians of all ages. As a member of Queen, he is a household name and his innovative signature guitar riffs are world famous.

"But there is more to this fiercely talented and intelligent man than Queen. He is a passionate activist and animal welfare charity enthusiast, an avid and popular blogger as well as an author and holds a PhD in Astrophysics.

"Back To The Light, however, charts his musical career outside of Queen from the pre Queen band Smile to the Brian May Band in the 1990s and his two solo albums Back To The Light and Another World as well as his soundtrack compositions and many musical collaborations as a guitarist, producer and songwriter.

"Back To The Light celebrates May's musical legacy and offers titbits of information and trivia about his career as well as a biography, discographies, a timeline, reviews and tributes from leading musicians and music writers."