Today's Day in Rock News!

Today's Day in Rock


Scott Weiland and The Wildabouts Reveal New Guitarist
(hennemusic) Scott Weiland and The Wildabouts have announced the addition of guitarist Nick Maybury to the lineup following the passing of Jeremy Brown from undisclosed causes on March 30 at the age of 34.

Maybury was a member of the Australian band Mink before he relocated to Los Angeles; he has since worked with Perry Farrell, Debbie Harry, Michele Branch, The Madden Brothers, the Sayers Club, Alice Cooper, the Veronicas and Dave Navarro, among others.

Brown's death came on the day Weiland and the group released their debut album, "Blaster." "Jeremy had big shoes and no one can fill them," says Weiland. "He was my best friend and my collaborator. But we have to soldier on. Nick is an incredible player and is a great fit for the Wildabouts." Read more here.




Metallica's James Hetfield Unusual Inspiration Revealed
(Classic Rock) Metallica frontman James Hetfield asked how to sing like pop star Chris Isaak before recording the iconic Black Album, producer Bob Rock has recalled. The frontman had been inspired by Isaak's trademark hit Wicked Game, and wanted to match the vocal emotion in his own performances.

Rock tells Talk Is Jericho: "He said, 'Bob, I've never really sung before - I've just kind of yelled.' He played me a Chris Isaak record and said, 'On Nothing Else Matters and The Unforgiven, I want to sing. How do you sing like this?'"

The solution was "a great vocal sound" so that Hetfield didn't have to double-track, the producer explains. "I said, 'What you hear in Chris Isaak's voice is the nuances when he sings. He isn't doubled, he's actually performing. You perform.' We set it up so he had a great sound and then he sang." Read more and hear comparisons between Hetfield and Isaak's vocals here.




Def Leppard and Stone Temple Pilots Members Launch New Project
(hennemusic) Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen is launching a new blues project called Delta Deep. The lineup includes Collen on guitar and vocals, singer Debbi Blackwell-Cook, Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo, and drummer Forrest Robinson.

Due June 23, the band's self-titled debut album includes guest appearances by Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott, Whitesnake's David Coverdale, Sex Pistols/Manraze drummer Paul Cook, and Girl/Manraze bassist Simon Laffy.

Delta Deep formed from a series of jams between Collen and Blackwell-Cook, who were eventually joined by DeLeo and Robinson. "Blues was created out of something completely different from what we hear today," explains Collen. "I grew up listening to rock music but then I found out it was all based on blues. Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimi Hendrix, all of those guys….they got it from the blues.

"When I hear Debbi sing, I can hear the pain. She's an incredibly beautiful 62 year old black woman who has been through things and she can sing through her pain. Not everyone can do that and not everyone sounds like Debbi."

Delta Deep have issued a preview of the album's lead single, "Bang The Lid." Check it out here.




Megadeth Gig Turned Down By Another Guitarist
(Classic Rock) Guitarist Rusty Cooley says he was approached with an offer to join Megadeth but turned them down as he didn't want to play "everybody else's solos."

The Texan musician and guitar tutor claims he was approached in January to replace Chris Broderick who quit the thrash giants with drummer Shawn Drover last November and while he thought it would be a good move at first, he soon had a change of heart.

He tells The Sick Room podcast (via Blabbermouth), "Initially, I was, like, 'Oh, sh*t, I need to do this,' just because it's Megadeth and it would be great for my career and whatnot, and I was learning songs, and I was gonna do it. [But] the more I started to think about it, I kind of started second-guessing myself, because I started to realize that I didn't really think I was doing it because I wanted to do it; I was doing it because I thought that that's what everybody around me, including the companies that I work with, and friends and family, because they wanna see me succeed at another level. So it was, like, 'I'm not doing this for me.'

"And on top of that, my daughter had just moved in with me, and she's 15, going on 16. And she just moved in. If I take this gig, I'm gonna be gone, and in a few years, she's gonna be in college, and I don't wanna miss these years of her life; that's more important to me than being out on the road touring in Megadeth. And not to say that I'm not gonna tour and do things, but the amount of touring involved [with Megadeth] would require her to go move back with her mother, and I'm just not gonna do that, man. I've already missed enough of her life, being divorced in 2011. So I decided not to do it pretty much because of that, and on top of the fact that… I just felt like I was doing it because everybody else wanted me to do it, and I've never done that; I've always made decisions based on what I wanna do." Read more and listen to the interview here.




Slayer Brought Closer Together By Jeff Hanneman's Death
(Classic Rock) Slayer frontman Tom Araya says the death of Jeff Hanneman has brought the band closer together. Araya tells Metal Hammer that he and Kerry King have had to change their working relationship since Hanneman's passing in 2013.

He says: "Losing Jeff has brought us together somewhat. We've had to open up a line of communication. Kerry's very black and white. I'm not a black and white person, but that's Kerry. We've had to talk and that's not been the case in the past.

"I talked to Jeff a lot. I could pick up the phone and call him and we'd talk, but that's not been the norm with me and Kerry. But with everything that's been going on, we've had to open up a dialogue to make sure we can communicate our thoughts to each other without pissing each other off." Read more here.




Jack White Makes Large Donation To National Blues Museum
(hennemusic) Jack White has made a large donation to help support The National Blues Museum in St. Louis. The museum reports White's six-figure contribution will fund the "Mix It Up" creative Blues experience within the state-of-the-art facility, which is scheduled to open later this year.

The museum bills "Mix It Up" as the culminating experience of every guest's visit to the new museum. Traveling through the Museum's chronological galleries, visitors will be able to sample a variety of musical styles and influences within the complete history of the Blues. Ultimately, visitors will conclude their experience by entering "Mix It Up" where using intuitive editing tools, they can blend their selections together and share their new compositions with others.

"Perhaps as well as anyone, Jack White understands that the Blues is truly the foundation of all American music and remains relevant today," says the museum's Chairman Of The Board Rob Endicott. "Through Jack's vision and generosity, we hope to inspire the next generation of Blues artists, historians and fans." Read more here.




Vince Neil Performs Motley Crue Classics At Long Beach Grand Prix
(hennemusic) Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil was on hand to perform on April 18 as part of the 41st Toyota Grand Prix Of Long Beach weekend and fan filmed video has been posted online.

Neil waved the green flag for the Pro/Celebrity Race on Saturday before headlining the annual Rock-N-Roar concert ahead of the full race on Sunday.

Neil and Motley Crue will resume their farewell tour next month with shows in Australia and New Zealand, followed by appearances at three European festivals in June.

A North American summer run starts July 22 in Eugene, OR, and a newly-announced final leg kicks off October 5 in Hidalgo, TX. Motley Crue will wrap up their live career with three shows at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, closing things out on New Year's Eve.





Slash Already Working On Next Album
(Gibson) Even as he continues to tour behind World On Fire, the album he released last September, Slash has his sights fixed the next album with his solo band Myles Kennedy and The Conspirators.

"We're working on new material now, for another record," he tells Al.com. "[I'm into] just trying to do what's the most inspiring thing, and picking up some new stuff along the way.

"There's always that element of new discovery that ends up on the next record. But the one thing [people] can always expect, it's going to be really sort of from the heart, hard-rock material, whatever it is that I end up putting out. I'm always true to the school." Read more here.






Anthrax's Charlie Benante Sitting Out Upcoming Shows
(Classic Rock) Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante will miss another run of shows due to ongoing problems with his hand, he's announced. He'll be replaced by Jon Dette, who covered for him in 2013 while he underwent surgery for carpal tunnel syndrome, then again last year when he released he hadn't fully recovered.

Benante is set to be absent for the first few weeks of Anthrax's US tour with Volbeat, which kicks off tomorrow (Saturday), but hopes to appear at later shows.

Benante reports: "This was a difficult decision to make. But the fact is, playing a show five or more times a week just isn't realistic right now. I found that out when we were making our new album. Read more here.




Rival Sons Member Rejects New Led Zeppelin Label
(Classic Rock) Rival Sons bassist Dave Beste rejects the idea that his band are the new Led Zeppelin - but he agrees that they're carrying the weight of trying to save rock'n'roll.

The band's latest album, Great Western Valkyrie, was named 2014 album of the year by Classic Rock readers, and they're receiving rave reviews on their continuing world tour.

Beste tells WikiMetal: "We always hear Led Zeppelin - but even before I was in Rival Sons I never associated with Led Zeppelin."

Asked about their 70s sound he responds: "We don't think of ourselves that way. When we go into the studio, the way we record is more of a traditional 60s or 70s way.

"But when we're writing songs, we're not thinking, 'Let's write stuff that sounds like the 70s.' We're just writing songs we like. Maybe they come across that way because of the way we record them." Read more here.




Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda Guest Hosting Nikki Sixx's Radio Show
Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda has announced that he will be filling in for Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx as the co-host of The Side Show Countdown with Nikki Sixx this weekend, April 25 and 26.

Sixx won't be able to appear do to touring commitments with Sixx:.A.M. Shinoda had this to say about the appearance, "I'm happy to fill in for Nikki, and always look forward to chatting with Jenn and their crew!"

Shinoda is expected to discuss Linkin Park's upcoming activities, including their upcoming performance at Rock in Rio in Las Vegas on May 9, and "Darker Than Blood," the band's collaboration with Steve Aoki from Aoki's forthcoming album "Neon Future II", as well as topics like tour bus hazing, concert pranks, and this year's Coachella festival. Find more information here.




Classic Faith No More Albums Getting Reissued
(Radio.com) Not only will Faith No More release Sol Invictus, their first album in 18 years, on May 19, they (well, their former record label) are also putting out deluxe reissues of their two most celebrated albums the following month.

Their 1989 breakthrough album (and their first with frontman Mike Patton) The Real Thing and the 1992 follow up, Angel Dust, will each be re-released with a second disc of bonus material.

The Real Thing's bonus material will include rarities like "Sweet Emotion" (not the Aerosmith classic, by the way), "The Grade" and "Cowboy Song," as well as previously released but out of print live performances from the era.

Meanwhile, Angel Dust's extras will include their classic cover of the Commodores' easy-listening hit "Easy," as well as their version of "Let's Lynch the Landlord," which sounds nothing like the original by the Dead Kennedys. Check out the details here.




Shineback's To Deliver 'Epic Slabs Of Sound'
(Prog) Simon Godfrey has promised to deliver "epic slabs of sound" on Shineback's second album. The Tinyfish frontman has been working on the follow-up to 2013's Rise Up Forgotten, Return Destroyed in Philadelphia and reports he's settled on the tracklist for the record.

He states he had to move on from Shineback's first release and Tinyfish's The Big Red Spark from 2010 as he "had nothing new to creatively offer in that format."

He continues: "All you get with the new album are big, f***ing epic slabs of sound. This isn't something I've attempted since the debut Tinyfish album and it feels both scary and exciting at the same time." Read more here.




Iced Earth Back In Action Following Jon Schaffer's Surgery
(Classic Rock) Iced Earth are set to start work on a new album after mainman Jon Schaffer's recovery from neck surgery. Schaffer went under the knife last year to repair a long-standing problem in his neck - the second time he has been through the procedure. The band were forced to cancel a number of shows in the run-up to the surgery.

But with the guitarist back to full fitness, the band will shortly begin writing their 12th album, tentatively titled The Judas Goat. They plan to launch a full touring cycle in early 2016.

Schaffer says: "The recovery after this surgery has been more difficult than the first time around in 2000. Although there have been a few setbacks, I am confident that I'm ready to resume my duties in Iced Earth, directing my full attention to the creative process, production, and touring future of the band."

He continues: "We are looking forward to songwriting and getting back in the studio. The creative direction of the new album is rife with intense and heavy emotions, as one would expect from an Iced Earth record, as well as a wide variety of lyrical inspirations and themes." Read more here.




The Gentle Storm Release Live Video For 'The Storm'
(Prog) The Gentle Storm have issued a live video for their track The Storm. It's lifted from Arjen Lucassen and Anneke van Giersbergen's The Diary, which launched last month.

The new vudei was filmed in the Netherlands on April 3 ahead of the band's three UK shows this week. Mainman Lucassen won't appear on the live dates - although last month he put his stage fright behind him to play some acoustic sets with van Giersbergen. He said: "When Anneke asked me to do a little acoustic tour, at first I was like, 'Nah.'

"But then I thought, 'Damn it, we worked on this album for a year. Everything turned out right about it. It has to succeed - and I'll do anything to make it work.'" Watch the video here.




Mike Vennart (Oceansize/Biffy Clyro) Streaming Song From Solo Album
(Prog) Former Oceansize man and Biffy Clyro touring guitarist Mike Vennart has announced his debut solo album will be called "The Demon Joke" and he is streaming the track "Infatuate".

He's signed a deal with Superball Music to launch the album on June 22. Vennart says: "I'm delighted to be back in the artsy bosom of Superball Music, the label imprint set up specifically for my old band Oceansize.

"They take good care of me in the way that every record label should - by encouraging me to make the records I wanna make. It's a simple and beautiful arrangement."

He's joined by ex bandmates Steve Durose of Amplifier and Richard 'Gambler' Ingram of British Theatre on the album, which is described as "a rich, densely layered, emotional psychedelic fuzz-rock odyssey." Read more and stream the song here.




SikTh's Mikee W Goodman Forced To Change Outpatients Name
(TeamRock Radio) Mikee W Goodman's Outpatients have been forced to change their name to Outside The Coma and will support Japanese outfit Dir En Grey in London next month.

He's joined in the outfit by vocalist Yuuri, bassist/keyboardist Kieron Pepper, guitarist Charley Olsen and drummer Will Romain. Goodman explains: "We had to change the name as some other band already had it. The meaning of the new name is metaphorical, meaning 'outside the deep sleep.'"

He's continuing with his SikTh project but is also working on fresh material with Outside The Coma and has released a promo for their track Nosebleed to coincide with the band's support slot with Dir En Grey at the city's O2 Academy Islington on May 24. Read more here.




The Darkness Release 'Open Fire' Video
(Classic Rock) The Darkness have released a new music video for the song "Open Fire." It's the first single to be taken from the bands Last Of Our Kind album, the follow-up to 2012's Hot Cakes.

Open Fire's video was filmed on Valentia Island, Country Kerry, in Ireland, where the album was recorded. It features drummer Emily Dolan Davies, who joined the band in time for the recording but left the band earlier this week just weeks after completing a short tour of Ireland.

The audio for Open Fire was first released last month, and followed the publication of a video for Barbarian in February. The single release will be on June 1, the same day as the album. Watch the video here.




Byzantine Release 'You Sleep, We Wake' Lyric Video
(TeamRock Radio) Byzantine released their fifth album To Release Is To Resolve earlier this month and Metal Hammer have premiered the lyric video for the new single "You Sleep, We Wake".

Speaking to Metal Hammer about the track, frontman Chris 'OJ' Ojeda says it's "part four of a continuous story of alien intervention among the human race.

"I started this story on our debut album with the song Slipping On Noise and have carried it throughout our career. You Sleep, We Wake is the point where the alien race has decided to finally push the reset button and intervene with a mass extinction to let Mother Earth heal from our abuse. It's quite possibly one of my favourite topics to write about." Check out the song here.




Singled Out: Nightrage's Desperate Vows
Today Marios Iliopoulos from Nightrage tells us about the song "Desperate Vows" from their brand new album "The Puritan," which was released today (April 24th). Here is the story:

One of the first songs that we have wrote for the new album, "The Puritian," is Desperate Vows" and we wanted to really keep it simple, arranging wise, and not bothering playing complex riffs, or difficult fast tempos that is confusing the listeners most of the time. My idea was to create a song that has some sort of rock, almost acoustic vibe to it, but played in a melodic death metal context, and that was for us a cool challenge to accomplish.

We have tried to leave a lot of room for the vocals to kick in on the chorus. The harmonies on the guitars along with the 12 string acoustics on the bridge, adds a little bit more depth and color to the song, before the rocky lead comes in. I think also the fact that we added some clean guest vocals, (on top of Ronnie's brutal vocals) on the chorus, from Lawrence Mackrory from Darkane, gave to the song the hit potential mark. So we have 2 different vocal lines on the chorus, not fighting but complementing each other.

Overall, I think we have created a song that characterizes Nightrage, this special combination of heaviness and melodic hooks, probably opens some new doors for us, and make us sounding more refined and heavy at the same time, and I think that mentality proves that we are open minded, and we really want to play interesting metal music that is exciting for us, driving us, and most importantly we want that people gets the musical message that we are delivering.

We have written the lyrics along with Ronnie and this time we have tried to reach the essence of the human soul a bit more, talking about the dark past that you need to leave behind you and reach the light at the end of the tunnel, whatever that is, really find the reason to live, and fight for your dreams without losing itself.