Def Leppard Star Vivian Campbell's Cancer Returns(hennemusic)
Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell has revealed that his cancer has returned. Campbell was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013 and, after extensive chemotherapy treatments, has been battling the health issue both on and off the road after undergoing a stem cell transplant last fall.
"I'm saddened by the fact that my cancer has returned," says Campbell. "However, I'm beyond consolation that it's return will prevent me from being able to do my job for a while. I'm still working on a schedule of treatment with my doctors, but I will see you all very soon. My apologies."
Def Leppard are scheduled to kick off a North American tour with Styx and Tesla in Tampa, FL on June 23. At press time, the band had yet to announce plans for the trek without Campbell; last fall, the group brought in Steve Brown of Trixter to perform a series of dates in his absence from the lineup.
On June 2, Campbell revealed he was experiencing his first illness since the transplant. "Oslo tonight, and I have a sniffle," he wrote. "This is the first time I've been ill since the stem cell transplant and it's hit me rather hard; I feel very weak, so apologies to all who expected more of me tonight. Going back to the hotel to sleep." Read more here.
Sammy Hagar Slams Eddie Van Halen Over Controversial Interview(hennemusic)
Sammy Hagar has slammed Eddie Van Halen as a liar after the guitarist made disparaging remarks about former Van Halen bassist and vocalist Michael Anthony in a new interview with Billboard.
"Every note Mike ever played, I had to show him how to play," Van Halen tells Billboard. "Before we'd go on tour, he'd come over with a video camera and I'd have to show him how to play all the parts."
Eddie also downplayed Anthony's role in the Van Halen sound, saying "Mike's voice is like a piccolo trumpet. But he's not a singer. He just has a range from hell. Mike was just born with a very high voice. I have more soul as a singer than he does. And you know, people always talk about Mike's voice on Van Halen songs, but that's a blend of Mike's voice and my voice. It's not just him."
For his part, Anthony took the high road when asked by Billboard to react to Eddie's claims. He said, "I am proud to say that my bass playing and vocals helped create our sound. I've always chosen to take the high road and stay out of the never-ending mudslinging, because I believe that it ultimately ends up hurting the Van Halen fans."
Hagar, however, was not so kind in issuing a statement of his own defending Anthony, who he has continued to work with in Chickenfoot and The Circle. "It's really irritating to see them go after Mikey," responds Hagar. "Mikey didn't do anything - ever - to Van Halen. Mikey was the most loyal guy in the band. He was the first guy there at rehearsal, the last guy to leave, the guy that was… the first guy at the gig, the guy that flew the… carried the banner, the flag, the VH banner… he carried it every night. And the horseman with the flag, the flagman on the horse in the calvary. That was Michael Anthony, okay?! [He was] a hundred percent dedicated. [He] never did anything to hurt those guys. And they try to hurt him again, and again, and again.
"For Eddie to say he had to show Michael what to play and had to teach him all those songs, that is the biggest line of bullsh*t I've ever heard in my life," Hagar continued. "I was in that band for eleven years, and there was never a video camera involved of Eddie showing him what to play. Eddie would tell him what to play once in a while, and say, 'No, Mike, don't play with that many notes. Just stay on one note - boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom - so that I can f*** up and nobody will know it.' It was that kind of sh*t.
"And I am telling you straight up, especially on the '04 reunion tour, if Mike would have played any more than one note, it would have been showing that Eddie wasn't playing the right chords again and again and again; I couldn't sing to 'em, you couldn't play bass to 'em. So… that is a lot of bullsh*t.
"I don't know why they go after him like that," he added. "He doesn't deserve it. He's one of the greatest rock and roll bass players ever in the world. Michael Anthony is Top 5 rock and roll bass player in the world. Any bass player will tell you that, any musician will tell you that. Listen to him play on The Circle. He ain't going 'boom boom boom boom boom boom boom boom' unless it was called for.
"Michael Anthony is a bad motherf***er. F*** you, Eddie Van Halen, for saying that about Mikey. You're a liar." Read more and see Hagar's video here.
Slipknot Plan To Take 2-Year Break(TeamRock Radio)
Slipknot plan to take a two-year break after their current touring schedule comes to an end. The metal giants are out on the road in support of fifth album .5: The Gray Chapter - named in honor of late bassist Paul Gray - and recently headlined the Main Stage at Download.
Percussionist Shawn 'Clown' Crahan recently said the follow-up could arrive as early as 2017, but frontman Corey Taylor expects it to be a little later than that.
Taylor tells Rock Sverige: "We're gonna finish touring and then we're gonna take a couple of years off again to let everything chill. I'm gonna go do my thing, everybody else's gonna go do their thing.
"I know Clown's got movies that he wants to make, which is very cool. He just wrapped his first feature a couple of months ago, which I'm pretty stoked for him about." Read more here.
Gene Simmons Blames Fans Not Labels For Music's Downfall(TeamRock Radio)
Gene Simmons has defended record labels, insisting bands like KISS wouldn't have existed without them. Repeating his view that "the fans are killing music" via illegal downloads, the Kiss bassist adds that record labels were once the only business model in the world that gave money to artists without them ever having to pay it back.
He tells Planet Rock: "Record companies were a gift from heaven. Yeah, they're greedy, but they wanna make money just like you do. But they gave you money - millions. And if it wasn't for record companies, there'd be no Sex Pistols, there'd be no punk, there'd be no nothing. There would be punk, but it would be in a small club. It would never become huge.
"Record companies gave bands money that they never had to pay back. If the band failed and the records were a complete disaster, the advance money was all yours. What other business would give you that? If you go to a bank and they give you a million dollars, and your business goes under, they don't care it failed - they want their money back."
On how the fans are to blame, Simmons adds: "I blame the fans. Because the fans have decided en masse that they should get free music, download, fileshare." Read more here.
Slayer Streaming 'Repentless' Title Track(Classic Rock)
Slayer have revealed the tracklist for upcoming 11th album 'Repentless' and released an online stream of the album's title track via a new visualizer video to coincide with the digital release of the single.
The band's first album in six years is issued on September 11 via Nuclear Blast and is their first since the death of guitarist Jeff Hanneman. They recently unveiled the album artwork and the contents of the limited edition Metal Eagle boxset version.
A stream of title track - described by Kerry King as his "Hannemanthem" in tribute to the late guitarist . King says: "I wrote that for Jeff. It's fast as f*** - you don't know what the f***'s coming." Check out the stream here.
Aerosmith's Joe Perry Doesn't Remember Spat With Rush(Classic Rock)
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has said he doesn't recall his band treating Rush badly on tour - but he hopes he apologized. The prog icons have previously discussed how they were denied sound checks and had their volume cut while they supported Steven Tyler and co in the 1970s.
Rolling Stone this week repeated a long-standing story that, when the Joe Perry Project later supported Rush, frontman Geddy Lee made sure they were well-treated and told the guitarist: "I would never want anyone to feel the way we did when we opened for you." Lee says he doesn't remember the conversation, but that Perry apologised.
Now the guitarist has responded, telling Rolling Stone: "Frankly, I don't remember playing with Rush." But he adds: "The competition between bands was stiff, the competition between crews even stiffer, so I don't doubt Geddy's word."
He says Aerosmith were always given "the short end of the stick" when they opened for English bands, and so he always told their crew to "take care of our openers." Read more here.
Northlane Frontman Has Emergency Surgery(TeamRock Radio)
Northlane have cut their European tour short after frontman Marcus Bridge underwent emergency surgery last week. They haven't revealed details of his condition, but report that he's expected to make a full recovery.
The Australian outfit played an instrumental set in Dessau, Germany, for fans who were unable to change travel plans in time. But they won't appear as planned at Graspop in Belgium today or at the Southside Festival in Germany tomorrow.
Northlane said last night: "Marcus had been feeling increasingly ill over the last few days, causing us to seek medical assistance. It was revealed he had an issue that needed to be operated on immediately due to a high risk of the problem getting worse.
"While we can't go into specifics, we can tell you that he will be absolutely fine. We will be skipping the festivals and waiting for Marcus to heal before heading back home to Australia together." Read more here.
Mastodon Release 'Asleep In The Deep' Video(hennemusic)
Mastodon are premiering the video for "Asleep In The Deep", the latest single from their 2014 album, "Once More 'Round The Sun." Directed by Video Rahim and co-directed by special effects guru Shane Morton and Oakland, CA-based artist Skinner, the clip tells the psychedelic journey of a house cat who unknowingly travels into a bizarre gypsy catacomb where it encounters a giant bullfrog, a three-headed evil rat king, cat gnomes, cheese slaves and a warrior squirrel.
"This concept was birthed out of my curiosity about what a cat really does at night while we are asleep," explains Skinner. "Where do they go? Cats have a very mysterious myth to them and I thought it would be cool to explore that, as little nocturnal heroes.
"I decided to put a sort of Joseph Campbell hero myth spin on it and add some Jodorowsky psychedelia as well. I'm more than excited about the way it came out! I love it!"
Mastodon recently wrapped up a North American tour with Clutch and are currently playing dates in Europe, where they'll perform throughout the summer. Watch the new video here.
Dave Mustaine's Symphony Experience Impacted New Megadeth Album(Classic Rock)
Dave Mustaine says playing with classically trained musicians has had an impact on his work on the upcoming 15th Megadeth album. Mustaine worked with the San Diego Symphony in April 2014 and reckons that experience will shine through on the follow-up to 2013's Super Collider, which is due out later this year.
And as well as the more refined edge to the new material, he says it'll be "aggressive" and "dark" keeping fans of the band's heavier work happy. Mustaine tells Guitar World: "I think a lot of people are gonna be happy, because the music is really aggressive again. There's nothing too out of the ordinary on the record. I think probably the most noticeable thing will be how my playing with the San Diego Symphony affected some of my guitar work.
"Learning Vivaldi and Bach and all that, there's some stuff on the album where you can tell that made an impression on me. These songs are definitely very dark." Read more here.
Angry Music Brings Happiness Finds New Study(Classic Rock)
Music with angry lyrics can help calm listeners down and make them feel happier, a study has suggested. Researchers in Australia have concluded that aggressive lyrics from tracks like Slipknot's Opium Of The People and Tesseract's Of Matter - Retrospect actually help relax listeners.
University of Queensland honours student Leah Sharman and Genevieve Dingle, doctor of psychology, deliberately angered test subjects by asking them to recall frustrating or irritating events in their lives. They were then given the option of listening to 10 minutes of music of their choice, or spending the same time in silence.
They report that those who listened to heavy music became "inspired" and "mellow" after their listening sessions. Sharman says: "It was interesting that half of the chosen songs contained themes of anger or aggression, with the remainder containing themes like isolation and sadness.
"Yet participants reported they used music to enhance their happiness, immerse themselves in feelings of love and enhance their wellbeing." Read more here.
Late AC/DC Singer Bon Scott's Close Friend Looks Back(TeamRock Radio)
Late AC/DC icon Bon Scott has been recalled as a hard worker with strong ethics by close friend Peter Head. The pair knew each other for five years in the 1970s. They toured Australia as members of separate bands, then worked together in the Mount Lofty Rangers, before Scott became frontman of Malcolm and Angus Young's outfit.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of his death after a drinking session in London. Head tells Classic Rock's Rod Yates: "The very first time I met Bon he was a worker, mowing lawns and picking up rubbish. He'd work really hard, fast and efficiently - I thought, 'Wow, this guy has got direction in his life.'
"You could see he wasn't your average person, no matter what he did. He also had a sense of humour. He'd be cracking jokes and doing funny things. He worked hard, he was funny and he had a good sense of ethics."
Head remembers how Scott went out of his way to find unusual ways of doing things. "If there was as staircase he wouldn't walk down the stairs, he'd slide down the bannister. That sense of being a clown stayed with him - it's one of the main things about AC/DC.
"He did outrageous things. He was on Countdown dressed as a girl smoking a huge cigarette which looked suspiciously like a joint. Other people would think about it but they wouldn't do it." Read more here.
Lacuna Coil Singer Reveals New Album Plans(TeamRock Radio)
Lacuna Coil plan to start recording their eighth album later this year, and aim to release it in 2016. The Italian outfit recently described the material that'll appear on the follow-up to 2014's Broken Crown Halo as "heavier" - but with a more "electronic" feel.
Vocalist Andrea Ferro tells TotalRock in a new video interview clip from this year's Download festival: "By the time we record it, promote it and put it out, it's going to be two years from the previous one.
"We have a lot of music right now, and we're just starting with the vocals. We're going to keep going, recording at the end of the year and release it next year. That's the plan."
Lacuna Coil played at this month's Download festival. Their final date for this year is at Eindhoven Effenar in the Netherlands on October 16. Stream the full interview clip here.
Thunder Release 'Black Water' Video(Classic Rock)
Thunder have released a video for their latest single Black Water. The track is taken from the album Wonder Days, released earlier this year. The follow-up to 2008's Bang debuted at no.9 in the UK chart in February.
In the clip for Black Water, the band are seen in the studio and onstage. Thunder had to cancel a gig in Paris this week after frontman Danny Bowes was struck down with a viral infection.
They say: "We're told Paris will be re-scheduled, later in the year. Once again apologies to those who bought tickets for that show." Earlier this month they played the Encore stage at Download. They'll play a number of European shows this summer, including a support slot for ZZ Top at Wembley, London. See the dates and watch the video here.
Praying Mantis Announce New Album 'Legacy'(Classic Rock)
NWOBHM veterans Praying Mantis have announced their 10th album will be released in August. The new album, entitled Legacy, will be release on August 21 via Frontiers Music.
It is their first album to feature Dutch duo, vocalist John Cuijpers and drummer Hans Zandt. The lineup is rounded out by guitarists Tino Troy and Andy Burgess, along with bassist Chris Troy.
It will be the follow-up to 2009's Sanctuary. Tino Troy says: "We had some great laughs doing this album, as usual. But at the same time we took it very seriously to get the right sound." See the artwork and track details here.
More on Praying Mantis - Praying Mantis Music, DVDs, Books and more - Praying Mantis T-shirts and Posters
Slayer's Kerry King Talks Return Of Paul Bostaph(Classic Rock) Slayer guitarist Kerry King says it was easy to bring back drummer Paul Bostaph for a third stint. He replaced original sticksman Dave Lombardo again in 2013, and appears on the band's 11th album Repentless, due in September.
King tells Fuse: "Paul's a machine. I don't worry about him at all. He would never have been out of Slayer if he didn't quit twice. It was never over anything personal. He was always my friend so it was very easy for him to come back and be a part again."
He adds that there's a "weird" coincidence surrounding Bostaph's return. "The new album comes out September 11 again, and the last time we put out a record on September 11 it was God Hates Us All, and that was the last record Paul was on. It's kind of like lost time for him." Read more here.
Pink Floyd's Dark Side Named Top Prog Album Of All Time(Prog)
Pink Floyd classic The Dark Side Of The Moon has been named the best prog album of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. The 1973 epic - which has sold over 50 million copies worldwide and topped many previous lists - leads a top 10 that also includes King Crimson, Rush, Yes, Genesis and Jethro Tull.
Eight of the chart-toppers were released during the first half of the 1970s, with only Crimson's In The Court Of The Crimson King and Rush's Moving Pictures coming from other decades.
And only eight later-generation prog acts make the magazine's top 50 - The Mars Volta at number 25, Opeth at 28, Dream Theater at 29, Tool at 33, Porcupine Tree at 39, Meshuggah at 42, Marillion at 47 and Ruins at 49.
Rolling Stone say of Dark Side: "Easily the peak of prog rock's commercial success, Pink Floyd's lean concept album has soundtracked countless planetarium light shows and just as many critical unpackings." Read more and see the top 10 list here.
Pierce The Veil Stream New Song 'The Divine Zero'(TeamRock Radio)
Pierce The Veil have made their single The Divine Zero available to stream and buy. The song is from the Californian band's as-yet-untitled upcoming fourth album.
Singer Vic Fuentes says: "This first single, The Divine Zero, goes out to all of our incredibly supportive fans out there who have been waiting for it. There is nothing more special to us than being able to share new music with all of you, and this is the very first glimpse into our upcoming album.
"We're looking forward to playing this song live and singing along with all of you at the Vans Warped Tour this summer. See you at the shows." The track can be purchased now via digital retailers and streamed here.
The Devil Wears Prada Reveal Space EP Details(TeamRock Radio)
The Devil Wears Prada have given more details of their upcoming EP Space. The six-track CD will be issued on August 21 via Rise Records and marks their first official release since 2013's 8:18. As previously announced, the lead track will be Supernova, which is now available to stream below.
The band issued the Zombie EP in 2010 and they say they learned lessons that have been used in making Space.
Vocalist Mike Hranica says: "We learned a lot from the Zombie EP. We wanted each song on the Space EP to have a specificity about it, to have its own identity separate from the others, to have its own sound, but still have them all united in concept. We talked about a lot of different themes, but 'space' just felt right.
"Making this EP was a great experience because it allowed me to open up my imagination and creativity, not to be hindered by having too much knowledge of the subject and become overly analytical, being able to write a more fictional narrative. We really look forward to making more records like this." Read more here.
Chris Braide Explains Launch Of This Oceanic Feeling Project(Prog)
Award-winning songwriter and producer Chris Braide has revealed how his prog project This Oceanic Feeling was born in an exclusive Prog video. The trio features acclaimed session drummer Ash Soan and veteran bassist Lee Pomeroy, and they'll launch debut album Universal Mind on July 17.
The concept was inspired when Braide and Soan, who'd been members of The Producers with Trevor Horn, wanted to work together again. Braide says: "I started writing songs last November about dualism - ego death and the fight between the fake self and the real self. These songs started pouring out so I got in touch with Ash.
"It started sounding like a band. We got Lee involved. He's an amazing bass player who's played with everybody worth playing with." He describes the results as "glossy pop with good production," adding: "There are references to things like Yes' 90125, these big shiny pop records. We were all influenced by that and wanted to make our own." Watch the video here.
Mantra Vega (Mostly Autumn - Sound of Contact)
Premiere 'Islands' Video(Prog) Mantra Vega, featuring ex Mostly Autumn vocalist Heather Findlay and former Sound Of Contact man Dave Kerzner, have premiered their debut video with Prog.
Island appears on their album The Illusion's Reckoning, set for launch on October 5. It features musicians Dave Kilminster, Chris Johnson, Alex Cromarty and Stu Fletcher.
Findlay recalls feeling a "huge wave of healing energy" as she heard Kerzner's instrumental track for the first time. She tells Prog: "A lush, mysterious, musical cocktail of uplift and joy was playing out before me. It somehow rang with a tiny hint of wistfulness and seemed to perform a series of inner resets. Through a slightly teary haze I realised this band was to be no ordinary collaboration."
Kerzner adds: "We enjoyed making the video on a sunny day at the beach. The weather, the location, and Heather and I having fun on camera represented the good vibes and layered meaning of the lyrics.
"The idea behind the song is that we can go to a peaceful unreachable place - an island in our minds or the silence within - when the chaos of everyday life gets to us." Watch the video here.
Faith No More's Billy Gould Surprised At Sol Invictus Reaction(Classic Rock)
Faith No More's Billy Gould says he keeps expecting the band's latest album to be bashed by critics. So far, he says, the reaction to Sol Invictus has been overwhelmingly positive - including scooping Best Album at last week's Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony - and adds that he's relieved that has been the case. But the bassist reckons a bad review is just around the corner.
He tells Kerrang: "It's a relief. We've always put out things and we don't know what the reaction is gonna be. But it is nice seeing something that gets received so well.
"I'm kind of wondering when the shoe's gonna drop and somebody's just gonna bash the sh*t out of this. Like, it's too good, the reaction. But no, it's fine. Great."
Gould adds that Faith No More are working on future touring plans to follow their 2015 dates, which currently run up to October. But they won't commit to more than they can handle. He says: "I think there will be some stuff, but we're doing this now in steps.
"Because one of our big things that we did wrong back in the day was commit to too much all at once. And we found ourselves sometimes in situations that we didn't choose to be in. We were stuck in them." Read more here.
Elvin Bishop's Parents Were Horrified With His Blues Ambition
The Blues Elvin Bishop has revealed he only accepted a scholarship to university in Chicago so he could learn the blues. And the veteran guitarist admits his parents, who'd lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s, were horrified when they discovered his plan.
He left his Oklahoma home to study physics, but spent much of his time touring the blues clubs of Chicago's Southside, picking up pointers for what would be a five-decade career In music.
Bishop tells the Greeley Tribune: "They were people of their time and place. Dropping out was the worst mistake in the world to them." He adds: "I wasn't necessarily living the blues, but I found out what the blues was all about - the connection of the music to real life." Read more here.
Counterparts, Senses Fail, Capsize Plan Fall Tour(TeamRock Radio)
Counterparts have announced a UK tour for October. Support comes from Senses Fail - who launch Pull The Thorns From Your Heart on June 29 - and Capsize.
They will be launching the tour in support of fifth album Tragedy Will Find Us. The follow-up to 2013's The Difference Between Hell And Home is to be launched on July 24 via Pure Noise Records.
The label say: "The records finds the band in their most honest and revealing state yet, with a level of raw emotion matched only by their fierce sonic assault." See the tour dates here.
Every Time I Die Announce UK Tour(TeamRock Radio)
Every Time I Die will return to the UK in November, with a tour that includes a run of intimate shows in London. Tour support comes from Superheaven and Muck.
They'll cross England and Scotland before delivering three gigs with three different setlists at London's Dome, Barfly and Underworld. Frontman Keith Buckley says:
"If you've ever been to an Every Time I Die show in the UK, you'll understand why we want to spend almost an entire month playing shows there. Intimate venues, cold pints, good mates. Don't miss out - these gigs will be ledge."
Meanwhile, one of the sketches Buckley co-wrote for Comedy Central has been broadcast and can be seen along with the tour dates here.
Breaking Benjamin Frontman Has Mystery Illness(TeamRock Radio)
Breaking Benjamin frontman Ben Burnley says he is still searching for answers over his long-standing health problems. The singer reformed the band last year with a new lineup and they release fifth album Dark Before Dawn on June 22. He has spoken previously of a number of phobias he has, as well as his battle with alcohol addiction.
Burnley tells Loudwire: "Unfortunately, I've gotten no answers from the medical community whatsoever. So I'm still very sick and I've tried everything i could to get to the bottom of my health issues, but the medical community hasn't helped me to find the answers.
"I'm pushing through because it is either lay down and give up or get up and play music for my fans. If I go down, I'll go down doing what I love for the people I love."
The band have a number of US tour dates lined up. See them here.
Singled Out: Rosetta's (Untitled V)Rosetta release their brand new album "Quintessential Ephemera" today (June 22nd) and celebrate we asked guitarist Matt Weed to tell us about the song "(Untitled V)". Here is the story:
"(Untitled V)" inadvertently ended up being a kind of love-letter to 90s rock. The intro riff was something that our new guitar player, Eric, came up with at home and then emailed to everyone. It had a dirgy Soundgarden quality to it that everyone liked, and we had actually covered a Soundgarden song ("4th of July") a few years before. As we worked on it, the song developed a weird alternating major/minor tonality that reminded everyone of Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile.
In the studio, we just threw in any and every ridiculous stunt we could think of. The song sprouted a bunch of unruly improvised guitar noise and barbershop quartet vocals and became something else entirely. We knew it would piss off some of our longtime fans, but it was just one of the most fun-to-play things we've written. Harmonically, it's new territory for the band, but still feels familiar because of how it harks back to the music that we loved when we were kids, just picking up guitars for the first time. It has an exuberance to it that's new for us.
It also spawned one of the more memorable lyrical motifs on Quintessential Ephemera, the repeating choral line "made out of nothing..." which in many ways encapsulates what the whole record is about. There's a lot of meditation on how transient and empty our digital lives are, how we spend all this time sculpting and curating online identities that have no basis in reality, and how we consume so much online media that we end up totally inert and never excited by anything. Eric originally wrote the line as "I came to find basically nothing," but during the demo process, Matt kept incorrectly singing "made out of nothing" over and over. Eventually, we liked the 'wrong' version enough that we kept the line in the song, and had everyone sing it together as a 3-part harmony. Because we could.
No comments:
Post a Comment