Today's Day in Rock
U2 Tour Manager Dennis Sheehan Found Dead
(Radio.com) Dennis Sheehan, the longtime tour manager of U2, has died. Sheehan was found unconscious in his room at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, just as his band had begun to kick off multiple shows in the area--including one at the Roxy in Los Angeles tonight, May 28.
The band was coming off the first of five shows at the Forum last night, May 26. According to paramedics, he was pronounced dead at the scene after being called there for reported cardiac arrest around 5:30 a.m. PT.
Sheehan had been the band's manager for over 30 years, his first tour with the band coming in 1982. He had also worked with Led Zeppelin. He grew up in Ireland and took his first such job at just 19 years old.
U2 confirmed the news with a statement on their website. Read it here.
Sammy Hagar Fires Back At Van Halen's David Lee Roth
(hennemusic) Sammy Hagar has responded to recent comments by David Lee Roth over credibility issues regarding material from the Van Hagar years as Van Halen prepare for their summer tour of North America.
"The boys are out on tour - happily doing well, I hope," Hagar said during his new weekly radio countdown show, "but they're not playing any Van Hagar songs. My buddy Diamond said it was something about a quality issue.
"I laughed. I'm cracking up. You know, sometimes the guy says the wackiest things. But there's a lot of truth in that. A quality issue - you think about that. Think about them with Diamond, singing this next song, it would definitely be a quality issue, OK? [Chuckles.] It would definitely be a quality issue."
Hagar then played a live version of Van Halen's 1992 hit, "Right Now", as performed by his latest supergroup The Circle. Following Van Halen's appearance at the recent 2015 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas, Roth was asked if the group would be performing any Hagar-era material, to which he replied, "Well, there's a credibility issue there. Good, bad or in the middle, you know Roth means it; the other guy doesn't. And that's why it sold half as well. Literally, Midas Bible half. Never did better than half.
"And why would you bring that into the proceedings? This hamburger don't need no helper. Ain't no rehearsing pants in my closet." Read more here.
B.B. King Estate Lawyer Calls Poisoning Allegations 'Baseless'
(Radio.com) Death is never easy to rationalize, but that's been even more so the case than usual for B.B. King's daughters Karen Williams and Patty King. Earlier this week, the sisters alleged that their father had been poisoned by two of his close confidants, his former business manager LaVerne Toney and assistant Myron Johnson. Their beliefs, however, aren't shared by King's estate lawyer Brent Bryson.
According to Bryson, those claims are "baseless and unfounded and are unsupported in reality." The attorney defended Toney in a press statement: "Unfortunately even musical icons die. Ms. Toney did everything she could to carry out the wishes of Mr. King while he was alive, and continues to carry out Mr. King's wishes after his death. I hope over these next few days we can focus on Mr. King's musical gifts to the world and not fictional statements made by those seeking attention at the expense of Mr. King."
That doesn't change the fact though that Nevada homicide detectives are looking into the case and have conducted an autopsy. Still, Toney, who's serving as the appointed executor of King's estate, has provided three doctors' statements stating that King "was monitored on a 24-hour basis by Certified Nursing Assistants" and that "no action [was] taken to hasten the demise of Mr. King," who died "peacefully in his sleep."
Bryson's statement in full here.
Jack White Camp Slam Retiring From Music Reports
(Radio.com) Jack White has once again taken the internet by storm with something that isn't exactly true. Now his label, Third Man Records is trying to put a stop to it with a lengthy Facebook post titled "JACK WHITE CLICK BAIT BINGO EXHAUSTION," which proves the internet doesn't know Jack about Jack.
After White did a Q&A on the label's fan forum that covered topics ranging from touring to his relationship with Meg White, some things got lost in translation. Now, Third Man is setting all the "friends, family, journalists, naysayers, believers, tweeter & 'grammers" straight. And they're certainly not happy about it: "fear not because you are in the age of instantaneous negative internet gratification."
In the post, Third Man shoots off a list of headlines that hit websites after his Q&A including that he is retiring, will never play festivals again and that Meg White isn't taking his calls.
So, no, White is not retiring and that comment he made about 'I don't belong here" wasn't about earth, he just meant the fan forum. He is taking a break from touring, but not forever. He is not quitting music, but is getting ready to head into the studio with Dead Weather and is "involved in several projects we're not even gonna tell you about right now cause we don't want to ruin the surprise."
As for Meg, Third Man says, she doesn't have to answer her phone and Jack isn't complaining about it "nor is it depressing" him in anyway. "The White Stripes is over and it's been said a hundred times, and maybe that's just the quickest way for him to answer that question he gets asked a dozen times a day. Jack loves Meg, and she's an incredible drummer - nobody can do what she does and did with the White Stripes- but those days are unfortunately gone. Let's move on, Jack and Meg have. And in the meantime we're still selling their records (WINK!)"
Third Man also has a little advice for all the bloggers out there: "No offense to any journalists that are 'just doing their job' in this current 1 hour news cycle environment, pull quote, tabloid atmosphere but this is what happens when you isolate aspects of a conversation between a musician and his fans in a private forum and put it out into the blogosphere in a sensational way. It completely changes the context and intent of those statements, and the conversation."
Adding, "Anyway, let's move on. We need to get back to inventing a turntable that runs purely on tweet retractions and apologies."
Read the full Facebook post from White's label here.
Asking Alexandria Cancel First Shows With New Singer
(TeamRock Radio) Asking Alexandria have cancelled their first shows with new frontman Denis Shaforostov - just hours after naming him as Danny Worsnop's replacement.
The metal outfit announced Wednesday morning that the former Make Me Famous singer was their new vocalist, replacing Worsnop who quit in January to focus on We Are Harlot.
But they've since revealed Shaforostov has been unable to secure a visa in time for the gigs at Manchester Academy on May 31 (Sunday) and London Underworld on June 1 (Monday).
Guitarist Ben Bruce says: "It is with a heavy heart and a great deal of frustration that I must regrettably inform you that our two UK shows have been cancelled due to visa problems.
"We have spent the last few days doing everything we possibly can to make sure that these shows wouldn't be cancelled but at the end of the day the US government took far longer than anyone could have predicted giving Denis his visa which has left us no time to finish his visa process to enter the UK." Read more here.
Slayer's Kerry King Explains Split With Rick Rubin
(Classic Rock) Slayer's split with producer Rick Rubin came after his label offered an "insulting" deal for their 11th album, says Kerry King. Repentless, due via Nuclear Blast on September 11, is their first without Rubin since 1985's Hell Awaits.
And Tom Araya says that, despite the perception that the band made the split, it was the producer who cut the connection with his label American Records.
Slayer previously said the switch took place because the band wanted to foster a more direct connection with fans. But King tells The Metal Hammer Magazine Show's Alexander Milas: "Solidarity is far stronger than jumping ship and going somewhere else. I thought we'd still be on American - but when we got the offer from American, I was insulted.
"That to me just said, 'Good luck, you're not gonna have good luck here anymore.' So we found our new friends at Nuclear Blast." Repentless was helmed by Terry Date, who's previously worked with Slipknot, Pantera and Deftones, among others. King says: "I think this is gonna be a nice little progression going forward. However many records we do in the future, I hope Terry's free." Read more here.
Thom Yorke Composes Soundtrack That Runs For 432 Hours
(Prog) Radiohead mainman Thom Yorke has composed a soundtrack that runs for 18 days - without repeating. He's written Subterranea for artist Stanley Donwood to accompany his exhibition titled The Panic Office which runs until June 6 in Sydney, Australia.
The pair have been friends since their university days, and Donwood has designed all Radiohead's album covers and posters since their full-length debut The Bends in 1994.
Radio station Triple J describe the music as "an eerie mix of ambient textures, experimental sounds, and field recordings," adding: "Subterranea is closest in tone and style to the more ambient moments of Tomorrow's Modern Boxes or the music for Radiohead's Polyfauna app than anything else in the band's catalogue." Read more here.
Metallica's Master Of Puppets Gets St. Anger Makeover
(TeamRock Radio) Metallica's "St Anger" featured one of the most talked about and understandably disliked snare sounds of all time, so how would it sound slotted into one of heavy metal's greatest songs?
You don't have to guess as YouTuber data_dreams 2000 (we're guessing the 2000th member of the data_dreams family) has replaced every snare hit on Metallica's Master Of Puppets with the snare sound on St Anger.
The results are interesting to say the least, but we'll let you decide on whether or not it's an improvement... Check out the stream of "Master of Puppets" (St. Anger version) here.
Twenty One Pilots Score No. 1 Hit With New Album Blurryface
(TeamRock Radio) Twenty One Pilots have scored their first-ever number 1 hit in the US. Their fourth album Blurryface topped the Billboard 200 chart this week, selling a total of 146,000 during its first seven days on sale.
The group's previous outing Vessel reached number 58 on the chart, although the chart firm says its sales have remained consistent since its 2013 launch.
Ohio duo Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun say: "We created Blurryface for you - 14 songs that you accepted and embraced. This is your album. Thank you for putting it on top. Stay strong. Live on. Pass on these songs." Read more here.
Paul McCartney Turned Down Role On 'Friends'
(Radio.com) Paul McCartney was almost there for you. Unfortunately, he did not get by with a little help from his Friends. In a new interview with the Huffington Post, Leslie Litt, the casting director for the sitcom Friends, admitted that they tried to get McCartney to appear on the show during the season 4 two-part finale in 1998.
If you recall, that was the finale where Ross marries Brit Emily Waltham. The show wanted McCartney to play Ross' father-in-law who spends his time threatening the groom with lines like "You want a piece of me, sir?" and "I could kill you with my thumb, you know." But, could you blame him really? Ross does go on to say the wrong name at the altar.
Litt explained that she tried to convince McCartney to play the role by giving the details to his manager. "One day, someone in the office brought me a faxed letter written to me by Paul himself!" Litt said, but unfortunately it was a letter to politely decline. Read more here.
Motley Crue Ask Fans To Vote For Cities On Farewell Tour Leg
(hennemusic) Motley Crue have launched a fan vote to decide which cities they will play on their upcoming farewell European tour. While no official announcement has been made about the timing of a European leg, the band are offering fans the opportunity to have their say as the group winds down its 34-year career this year.
Votes can be cast daily at demand.motley.com and by using the hashtag #demandthecrue across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and fans can track the progress through an interactive heatmap on the website.
Motley Crue have just completed a tour of Australia and New Zealand and will perform at three European festivals in June: the Sweden Rock Festival, Austria's Nova Rock and UK's Download.
A North American summer run starts July 22 in Eugene, OR, and a recently-announced final leg kicks off October 5 in Hidalgo, TX. Read more here.
Blink-182 Talk Friendly Divorce From Tom Delonge
(Radio.com) The drama surrounding Blink-182 and their replacement of Tom DeLonge with Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba for a few live appearances quieted down once those shows concluded, as the band had no immediate necessity to continue on with or without DeLonge.
But, the next chapter in Blink-182 seems to be beginning, with a new Rolling Stone story highlighting a recent NME interview with Blink leader Mark Hoppus, in which he revealed that "we are right now going through what so far has been a friendly divorce with our former guitarist. Hopefully things clear up and it doesn't get all manager-y and lawyer-y and all that and we can move forward."
As for what "moving forward" means, replacement guitarist Skiba has been quoted to saying that the possibility of him recording an album with Blink remains open. Read more here.
Slipknot Lead Aftershock Festival Lineup
(Classic Rock) The Aftershock Festival is returning for its fourth year this October and it's packing one helluva line-up! Taking place over two days at Gibson Ranch near Sacramento, California, the weekend extravaganza is topped by Slipknot, Faith No More, Deftones, Shinedown, Marilyn Manson and Jane's Addiction!
Speaking about the headline opportunity, Corey Taylor says "We are really looking forward to playing Aftershock in Sacramento! Can't wait to see everyone, from Manson to Clutch. Sacramento won't know what hit it when me and my friends are through."
Elsewhere on the bill you've got the likes of Bring Me The Horizon, Eagles Of Death Metal, Beartooth, Helmet, Glassjaw and more. You can see the full line-up here.
Vinnie Paul Reveals Hellyeah's New Album Plans
(Classic Rock) Hellyeah will enter the studio to begin work on the follow-up to last year's Blood For Blood early next year, according to drummer Vinnie Paul. The band, who parted ways with Bob 'Zilla' Kakaha and Greg Tribbett last year, are currently on tour across Europe which includes an appearance at next month's Download.
They'll then embark on a run of shows across the world which will take them into 2016. And once they come off the road, they'll sit down and plan their fifth album, according to Paul.
He tells NECR: "As soon as we get back we do Mayhem all summer with Slayer and the mighty King Diamond, which is going to be an absolutely amazing tour.
"We go to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Indonesia, and then we come back and do another run here early next year. Then we start working on a new record."
Despite their punishing schedule, Paul says they have no plans to stop. "We've worked very hard from day one," he says. "We haven't slowed down, we haven't stopped, and we don't intend on it.
"We're not 25 years old any more so we don't have any time to waste. We really enjoy what we're doing, and luckily, all of us are in great health right now, happy and loving what we're doing. And the stage is what we live for." Check out the full interview here.
Beatles Considered Recording At Stax Studios
(Classic Rock) A previously unseen letter handwritten by Beatle George Harrison in 1966 has sold for $20,000. The note, posted on May 7 to DJ Paul Drew, reveals that the band had considered recording at Stax Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, with producer Jim Stewart. It would have been the only time they'd have recorded without George Martin.
Harrison wrote in the letter: "We would all like it a lot, but too many people get insane with money ideas at the mention of the word 'Beatles' and so it fell through."
He said of Revolver: "The album we are making now should be out around October. But I hear Capitol will make an intermediate album with unused tracks from Rubber Soul, a few old singles and about two or three of the new tracks we have just cut." Read more here.
Backyard Babies Announce Long Awaited New Album
(Classic Rock) Swedish icons Backyard Babies have confirmed their long-awaited seventh album, Four By Four, will be released on August 28. They've launched a stream of lead track Th1rt3en Or Nothing.
Nicke Borg, Dregen, Johan Blomqvist and Peder Carlsson are back after what was expected to be a brief hiatus began in 2009 and only recently finished. Their last studio album was 2008's self-titled work, followed in 2009 with 20th anniversary compilation Them XX.
Frontman Borg says: "The break has developed us individually as songwriters and musicians, and we've come up with what we feel is our strongest material to date.
"For the first time we've had the chance to look back on our catalogue, and get a firm grip on why our audience - and ourselves, for that matter - loves Backyard Babies so f***ing much.
"It's been a mixture of personal development and finding our way back to the band's essence." Read more here.
Whitesnake Hit The Charts With Deep Purple Tribute Album
(hennemusic) Whitesnake's tribute to frontman David Coverdale's time in Deep Purple has debuted on the US charts. "The Purple Album" opens at No. 6 on the Top Current Hard Music Albums, No. 15 on Top Current Rock Albums, No. 43 on Top Current Albums and No. 84 on the Billboard Top 200 Charts.
The project has charted in several other countries, including No. 18 in the United Kingdom, No. 9 in Finland, No. 17 in the Czech Republic, No. 11 in Switzerland, No. 34 in Norway, No. 18 in Sweden (including No. 1 on the Hard Rock Charts in Sweden), No. 13 in Germany, No. 24 in the Netherlands and No. 8 in Japan.
"The Snakes & I are thrilled with the incredibly positive response to The Purple Album," says Coverdale. "Our sincere thanks to ALL for the amazing support we're receiving for the album & The Purple Tour!!"
The group's 12th album sees Coverdale re-recording classic songs from the Deep Purple Mark 3 and Mark 4 records he appeared on: "Burn" (1974), "Stormbringer" (1974) and "Come Taste The Band" (1975). Read more here.
Pop Evil Reveal New Album Release Plans
(TeamRock Radio) Pop Evil will release their fourth album titled Up on August 21, they've announced. The record will be issued via eOne Music and was recorded with producer Adam Kasper who's previously worked with Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters and Soundgarden.
The Michigan-based band have also announced they'll release the track Footsteps on June 1 In the latest behind-the-scenes clip from the making of the album, guitarist Dave Grahs reports how satisfying it is when he hears how their music affects people.
He says: "We do hear some of the most moving things about how the music has moved and touched certain people in their lives. I hear stories from people like we've saved their lives.
"They've contemplated suicide and say, 'Hey man, you talked me out of that.' To be part of that is huge." Read more and check out a series of making of videos here.
We Came As Romans Set Release Of New Album
(TeamRock Radio) We Came As Romans have confirmed their fourth album is to be self-titled, and it's released on July 24 via Spinefarm Records. The 10-track follow-up to 2013's Tracing Back Roots is headed up with the launch of a single entitled The World I Used To Know.
Frontman Dave Stevens describes writing sessions with producer David Bendeth as "very intense," adding: "If a song wasn't great, it was rewritten until it was - and if it still wasn't great, it was cut.
"We wrote close to 40 songs for this record and only 10 made the album. Beyond becoming better writers and musicians, it made us stronger as a band and as a team." Read more including the tracklisting here.
AC/DC Brian Johnson To Appear On Jim Breuer's New Album
(hennemusic) AC/DC singer Brian Johnson will guest on comedian Jim Breuer's upcoming rock album. The SiriusXM host and diehard metal fan revealed the news during an interview on the Opie Radio show, where he raved about Johnson's performance.
"He comes in the studio," begins Breuer, "Dude, let me tell you something. Why this guy is a real…probably the only rock star that does this. He comes in there and goes, 'Ah, I'm ready to go.' And we go, 'Well, we're ready for you whenever you're ready. We've got this studio.' So he goes, 'F***! I ain't going in there. I wanna do it right here in the f***ing board room. That's where I record. And I don't want no headphones; that's f***ing cheatin'. I wanna stand here with a mic like I'm on stage.'
"And he recorded in the board room with no headphones - just standing there. I mean, he was sweatin', he was so into it." Known for his bang-on imitations of metal legends, Breuer described his efforts to work with producer and current Volbeat guitarist Rob Caggiano to set the song up for his AC/DC hero.
"Before he came in, I laid the vocals down to kind of give him an idea to sing along to it," explains the comedian. "That's what the producer does for me. I don't know my voice. I can imitate people. I can do Ozzy or I can do James Hetfield, or whoever, but I don't know what my real voice sounds like. So I didn't know what I was gonna sound like.
"So what the producer would do is, like, 'Breuer, you need to hit this note…' So he would go in and go, 'Sing it it the way…' and then I'd listen and copy. So that's what we did for Brian.
"And he comes in, and he's listening, and at one point it was me, him, the producer and one other guy, and we're listening, and none of us knew who was doing the lead vocal. I went, 'No, that's… Wait. That's Brian.' And Brian's, like, 'No, that's not me. That's Jimmy.' And I'm, like, 'No, Brian. That's definitely you.' And he was, like, 'F*** no. I know my f***ing voice. That's f***ing you, Jim.' And then the producer's, like, 'I think it's… no, it's you, Brian… No. F***! Maybe it is Jim.' We had no clue who it was. We had no clue." Stream the interview here.
Steven Tyler Explains Musical Direction Of Solo Album
(Radio.com) Steven Tyler's forthcoming country album is already one of the most talked-about country music releases of 2015, and now, two weeks after he released his debut country single "Love Is Your Name," the Aerosmith frontman spoke with Minneapolis' Buz'n 102.9 (a CBS Radio station) about what to expect from his upcoming country release.
"I can't hide my voice, everybody knows that," he told the station. "…I want my harmonies to be heard good and loud and vocal to be out a couple DB more.
"I've certainly got a dark side like Johnny Cash's last album, Mumford & Sons where it sounds like love and fun. I've got a band here with Marti Fredriksen called Loving Mary and three girls in the band, background harmonies loud." Read more here.
Paul Stanley Of KISS Launching Royals & Rebels
(Classic Rock) Kiss frontman Paul Stanley is to launch a 'lifestyle brand' which will sell clothing, booze, cookware and home decor. Paul Stanley: Royals & Rebels will be officially unveiled at the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas next month, with the items expected to be available for sale in the autumn of 2016. Stanley has teamed up with marketing company Epic Rights for the venture.
Stanley says: "I am excited to watch Epic Rights' great team of branding professionals seek out and find opportunities and outlets that will reflect a lifestyle and point of view that I am passionate about and do it imaginatively and creatively in the years to come."
He adds that the items won't be aimed exclusively at Kiss fans, telling WWD: "If that were the point, I wouldn't even bother doing it. What am I going to do? Make jackets with bat wings? Am I going to include a make-up kit? Kiss is a fragment of who I am and what I chose to create." Read more here.
Halestorm To Play The Wild Life Album In Full At Upcoming Shows
(Classic Rock) Halestorm will play their latest album Into The Wild Life in full at two UK gigs later this year, the band have announced. The US rockers will play Liverpool's O2 Academy on August 17 and London's Koko on August 18 - and they're planning on having a wild time over the two nights.
Frontwoman Lzzy Hale says: "We've decided to embark on something we've never done before. We are doing A Wild Evening With Halestorm - that means no openers, just us all night long.
"For two nights we will be performing our new album Into The Wild Life, live, in order and in its entirety for your viewing and listening pleasure. Then we will do yet another set with all your favorite Halestorm songs, and we've even decided to throw in some surprise 'deep tracks'" Read more here.
Robert Plant Reveals Little Feat Singer's Influence
(Classic Rock) Robert Plant has revealed listening to American songwriter and Little Feat singer Lowell George in the 60s helped develop his solo sound. Speaking with Bob Harris on the radio icon's upcoming series of previously unheard interviews titled Legends Vault, the former Led Zep man says seeing George on the BBC's Old Grey Whistle Test had a lasting impression.
Plant says: "I was really moved by Lowell George's approach, his vocal performances and stuff which was great. I was such a fan of American music - I'm still searching.
"Although I wouldn't have gone into that zone myself as a singer - I'm not a blue-eyed soul singer, I was just a kind of blues singer of the late 60s, I've been able to develop my style from then on. But I think Lowell George's vocal work was tremendous." Read more here.
Knifeworld Changing Things Up With Third Album
(Prog) Kavus Torabi says Knifeworld's third album will move on from the dark theme of last year's The Unravelling - and concentrate more on the characters within the eight-piece band.
Debut release Buried Alone: Tales Of Crushing Defeat was almost entirely a solo project, while the follow-up was based on the frontman's relationship with Tim Smith of Cardiacs, who suffered a heart attack and series of strokes in 2008.
Torabi tells Echoes And Dust: "I don't want to go through that again. The second album was trying, but we got it out there. This one's going to be about us."
He adds: "I write to the strength of the characters and everyone is moving in the same direction. The first album was done on my own, by and large - now, everybody gets it."
That includes dedication to the cause despite the challenges of balancing the books with such a large lineup. "We're a balanced eight-piece. Any band bigger than five is not economical," he accepts. Read more here.
Mike Portnoy's Son Explains Father's Influence On Next To None
(Prog) Next To None drummer Max Portnoy says recording the band's debut album came naturally to him, thanks to the influence of his father Mike. The teenage prog outfit issue A Light In The Dark via InsideOut on June 29. It's produced by former Dream Theater sticksman Mike Portnoy, who previously said he was "blown away" by the musicianship on display.
Now his 15-year-old son Max tells Metaholic Magazine: "It all kind of just came naturally for me. Growing up with dad, and always being with him when he was recording with his bands and listening to the demos, it showed me what to do in those sorts of scenarios."
Max is joined by frontman Thomas Cuce, 16, guitarist Ryland Holland, 16, and bassist Kris Rank, 15. On the album's concept and influences, Max says: "It's mix between prog and metal, and basically any genre that interests us. We've changed a lot.
"Thomas mostly came up with the concept while he was writing the lyrics. Most of the lyrics go together for those songs, but we also have some hints musically in each song that put them together." Read more and watch the full interview clip here.
Sabaton Star Reveals New Album Plans
(TeamRock Radio) Sabaton expect their next album to be released in the summer of 2016, according to bassist Par Sundstrom. The band are still touring in support of 2014's Heroes, but already have a number of ideas jotted down for the follow-up.
Sundstrom tells FeMetal TV: "The next album's gonna come out at the end of next summer, if everything goes well. We have topics for it, we have plans for it, but we can't tell yet, because it's still a secret. And also, we don't wanna tell things which might change. Because until it's recorded, you never know if it's gonna change.
"We have some good topics. We haven't really written any songs yet. We've got ideas for some songs, some good ideas. Because we are touring so much, and it's really complicated to write music on tour. And so, we're gonna start in the autumn writing songs." Read more and watch the interview here.
Inside Track: Faith No More's Sol Invictus and Superhero
Faith No More have made an epic return with their new album "Sol Invictus" which just debut at no. 1 Billboard's Hard Music and no. 6 on Billboard Top Albums charts. Matt Wallace, who worked on the album, gives us the inside track for the single "Superhero". Here is Matt:
Hey. Matt Wallace here giving you the inside scoop about Faith No More's song "Superhero" which is the second single from their brand spanking new album Sol Invictus.
I'd been in contact with Bill Gould for the better part of last year in hopes that I'd be able to participate in their new album in some way. I'd offered (about a thousand times) to head on up to San Francisco and help them with the recording process, be a cheerleader, assistant… anything. However, he insisted that they were doing it on their own. So, about six months ago Bill came to me with the recordings in progress as he wanted to make sure that the sonic quality was of good quality. He copied the entire album over to my computer and we spent the better part of a day listening to all of the tracks (without vocals, as they weren't completed yet) and I was beyond thrilled to hear the band sounding confident and at the top of their game. They sounded confident, relaxed, focused and, as always, ready to go in any musical direction that their guts told them to go. After Bill left I was looking forward to pulling up the tracks and enjoying making my own mixes of their unfinished music so that I could listen to it. But, as fate would have it, Bill called me 30 minutes later and asked me to erase all of the new FNM music off my computer's hard drive. Let me tell you, nothing was more difficult to do than to erase music that I'd waited a long, long time to listen to. I was seriously looking forward to getting into every nook and cranny of what they'd created but I had to, reluctantly, erase it all from my computer. It was difficult to do but it was the right thing to do.
Fast forward six months and Bill is in my studio with me and we're mixing "Superhero". He'd sent it to me a few days prior and I'd spent the better part of two days mixing it and was very excited to see what he had to say about my mix. Well, Bill didn't like my mix. I'd gone in a different direction than what he wanted and, at that moment, I thought that I'd lost the job. So, I asked him to give me a few hours and I undid my mix and started from scratch and quickly (and somewhat stressfully) pulled together a mix that was more in keeping with what Bill wanted. Thankfully, it was much closer to what he'd intended and, together, we finished the first mix. After getting many positive comments from the rest of FNM we made the changes to the mix, it was approved, and we completed our first mix together!
Fortunately for me, Bill and FNM then hired me to do a second song and, after that went well, they invited me to do a third song and so on and so on until, voila!, I ended up co-mixing the entire album with Bill. It was an amazing experience to be allowed to participate in working together on their first album in about 18 years and, it was really lovely being reunited with the band as I'd been their friend, engineer, producer and mixer over the course of their early demos up through the album entitled "Angel Dust". I'm honored and thrilled to have been able to contribute to mixing "Superhero" and, then, co-mixing the entire "Sol Invictus" album with Bill Gould, Mike Patton, Mike Bordin, Roddy Bottum and Jon Hudson.
p.s. Some cool technical info: We used an amazing plugin from Sonarworks that flattens out the frequency response of your monitors (any make and model) which helped Bill and I better capture the essence of their music. We mastered it with Maor Appelbaum who was very dedicated and patient with
