The Dope Attic

Away On Voivod's Legacy

2010-10-30T13:23:00.001-04:00

Voivod has been one of the most important names in thrash since their 1984 debut War and Pain. Now touring for their final studio album with original bassist Blackie, Metalunderground.com had the opportunity to talk to drummer Away about Voivod's history and the band's upcoming performance at the 2010 Wacken Open Air.

Any reason why Jason Newstead isn't on this tour? Not that i mind.

Away: Well, he's more of a producer nowadays and does studio work. Yeah, he doesn't tour much any more. Also on this tour we wanted to do some sort of eighties revival and we called Blackie and we're concentrating on the first six albums and that's why Jason is not involved right now.

Since Infini was stated to be your last album, do you care to explain the story of Voivod in your own words?

Away: We met in high school in the 70s but Piggie and I started jamming together around 1980. We were very influenced the the New Wave of British Heavy Metal and then found Snake and Blackie and by early 83, the band... we all had full members, you know. We started writing material pretty much influenced by Venom, Motorhead and hardcore music like Discharge, Broken Bones, stuff like that. A lot of progressive rock in France also. We signed to Metal Blade in '84, then did War and Pain.

We moved to Montrel in 85 since we're from North in Quebec and then we signed with Noise in 86 and released three albums, Rrröööaaarrr, Killing Technology - which was recorded in Berlin - and Dimension Hatröss which was also recorded in Berlin. Then we jumped to MCA in 89 and released Nothingface.

Do you have any interesting stories about the Nothingface era as that was really your breakthrough?

Away: Nothingface was pretty popular because we did a cover of Pink Floyd called Astronomy Domine and the video was playing a lot on MuchMusic and MTV and so we got to tour with Faith No More and Soundgarden and Rush in 1990 and then we started recording our sixth album Angel Rat. Before we got to mix it, Blackie left the band.

What contributed to Blackie leaving?

Away: By the time we hit the early 90s, the spirit wasn't there anymore and Blackie wanted to do some other kind of music and so he left he band and moved to Vancouver on the West Coast. We sort of hired a bunch of bass players in the meanwhile. We recorded The Outer Limits in '93, did a lot of touring and when we finished touring for The Outer Limits in early 94, Snake also wanted to do some other... stuff with his life. So he left the band and we found Eric Forrest who replaced both Blackie and Snake, both bass and vocals. Then we did a bunch, I mean a lot of touring with Eric and released three albums, Actually four. Negatron, Phobos, Chronic and then the live album Voivod Lives. At that time we had a couple crashes. In one of them, Eric was seriously injured.

Where exactly was he injured?

Away: We were touring in 98 for Chronic in Germany and we were headed for the Wacken Festival. We crashed and rolled five times so all the gear went out of the van and so did the singer so we took a year off Eric was a year in the hospital. He came back and we toured with Iron Maiden and Neurosis for a while. By early 2000 when we released the live album, we decided to split the band because we wanted to do something else with out lives individually and a couple years later we reformed but Snake came back and then Jason Newstead joined the band. Then again, we did a bunch of touring with Sepultura and Ozzy and at this point Jason was playing with both Voivod and Ozzy. We released an album in 2003 called Voivod with this lineup and in 2004 we wrote a bunch of songs and demoed two albums and in 2005 Piggy was taken ill and passed away. So in 2006 we finished one of the two albums and it came out. It's called Katorz and in 2009 we finished the other one Infini, which came out last year.

We have material for a live album because when reformed again in 2008 with the original bass player Blackie and Dan Mongrain on guitar we went and toured Japan and Mexico and USA and Canada and recorded a bunch of shows for a live album. We're going to Russia in April. We're going to record a few shows there. As for a studio album, I really can't tell what's going to happen with that. It's hard to say.

What's your favorite tour story?

Away: We toured with Motorhead and they're heroes of mine but I think that going to Japan for the first time in 2008 was one of my favorite moments in my career and we filmed a concert and just released it on DVD. Touring with Rush in 1990 was pretty overwhelming also. There were a lot of pretty good moments. It was quite a roller coaster ride so there were quite a few down moments but overall I had a great, great time.

Are you looking forward to playing the Wacken Open Air in Germany?

Away: It's something that I really wanted to do since like '98. We couldn't play there since we crashed on the way there so were were pretty bummed out about it. While Eric was in the hospital in Germany in a coma we were watching the Wacken Open Air on MTV in the hotel room and the bands were dedicating songs to Voivod on stage which was quite nice but were quite that we didn't make it there so the fact that we are going there this year is sort of a victory in itself.

So this is something that you've wanted to do for the past twelve years?

Away: Yeah. Always wanted to go there to get rid of the sense of defeat.

What was your favorite album that you recorded?

Away: Probably Killing Technology. It has all the elements that I like. Hardcore, prog rock and metal and a little Killing Joke and Bahaus thrown in there.

After Wacken do you have any other tours lined up?

Away: In June, July and August we are doing all the European festivals again and we want to come back to USA in the fall.

So this is not the last we've seen of Voivod?

Away: As far at touring goes we want to keep going as long as we can. It's just in the studio department that's a bit uncertain right now.

Lou Is Sick Of It All

2010-10-30T13:05:00.000-04:00

For more than two decades Sick Of It All has been championing the New York hardcore scene, sticking on track to release a new full-length album every few years. After four years of touring the band recently set loose "Based On A True Story," their latest fist-pumping, mosh-inducing foray into hardcore. Commenting on the new album, vocalist Lou Koller stated: "This one is definitely a combination of all the stuff we’ve done in the past. I think we’ve matured enough that it’s more focused and our writing is way better. We’ve written more memorable songs..."

Lou spoke with me about the lyrics on the new album, the recording of the music video for "Death or Jail," their recent tour dates with unlikely allies AFI, and his love of Manowar. These topics and more can be found in the transcription of the interview below.

xFiruath: Is Sick Of It All the only band you guys are involved with right now?

Lou: It’s just Sick Of It All for me. I do guest spots on other band’s records and I’ve done that for years. The only guy in the band who works another band right now is our bass player, Craig. He plays Bass for the Cro-Mags whenever they need him and he has free time.

xFiruath: It’s been four years since the last album “Death To Tyrants.” What’s been going on with the band since then?

Lou: A lot of touring. We did almost two years off of “Death To Tyrants.” Around that time we were thinking about getting into the studio to write because we had a bunch of ideas but then we released a tribute record. We didn’t expect it, but we got a bunch of calls for tours so we toured off that record for another year and a half almost. We finally had to say “enough” and get back into the studio.

xFiruath: Your new album is “Based on a True Story.” Tell me a bit about the new album and what’s different about it from your last release?

Lou: This one is definitely a combination of all the stuff we’ve done in the past. I think we’ve matured enough that it’s more focused and our writing is way better. We’ve written more memorable songs I think. We loved the production we had on “Death To Tyrants” with Tue Madsen. We said we wanted to work with him next time, but he wanted us to come to Denmark because he said he could do it even better from the studio he was more familiar with, and I think it shows. ‘Death To Tyrants” has got great production, but this one just sounds ten times bigger and has a more “in your face” sound.

xFiruath: What’s going on with the lyrics on this album?

Lou: It’s a little different now. “Death To Tyrants” is more political, but this one is more introspective. That’s why we used the title “Based on a True Story.” It’s about stuff that happened to us growing up and things that we’ve experienced, both good and bad.

xFiruath: I just saw that new video for “Death or Jail.” How did the recording go?

Lou: We went up to Boston to do some shows around St. Patrick’s Day. A friend of ours who did our last video said he had a real easy and fun concept. We did the day after our two shows and we went into this warehouse he had booked for us. We just had at it. I got smashed against a wall by an actor playing a cop for like three hours. That was fun.

xFiruath: I liked the shots inside the car with everybody screaming the lyrics.

Lou: They said “You ever see Cops? Just act like that while you are in the car.”

xFiruath: Not too long ago I spoke with another New York hardcore band, Killing Time, and their guitarist Carl Porcaro was telling me about how the scene there seems to come and go in waves. He also mentioned how there has been a lot of violence plaguing some of those cycles. What are your thoughts on where the New York hardcore scene is now compared to where it used to be?

Lou: We’ve stuck it out. Killing Time was around and then took a hiatus or broke up for years. For us it never really went in waves. I see it going in waves more in the interest of the mainstream. Magazines for certain periods will suddenly interview hardcore bands and then they’ll let it fade out before coming back. They do it with everything, with whatever will keep readers interested I guess. I’d agree with him though that there have been cycles of violence plaguing the scene. We’ve been through it constantly and you have to pick and choose what kind of bands you are going to play with. If you are going to play with bands that promote that kind of thing then you are going to get that kind of thing at your show. We were friends with bands that have questionable backgrounds but we’ve always told them we don’t want any stupidity at our shows. To us, hardcore has nothing to do with that. Hardcore is all open mindedness to us.

xFiruath: This was a few years back now, but tell me a bit about getting your song “Injustice System” on Grand Theft Auto IV.

Lou: One of the guys who works for that company, and was in charge of the music, wanted to make it an authentic mid-80’s New York City. And of course they had the mid-80’s hip hop. But you can’t talk about the ‘80s in New York without New York hardcore. The director of the video game was like “Well, you live through it, you choose the bands.” He did a really great favor for all of those bands, because it’s another way to expose your music. I thought it was really cool that they kept authentic by putting some New York hardcore in there. We kind of wanted to re-record the song, but they wanted the one we did in the ‘80s. We’re not embarrassed by those songs, but I think the performances could be a lot better since we know more of what we’re doing now. Back then we were just going into the studio for the first time.

xFiruath: What is your tour schedule looking like to support the new album?

Lou: We’re doing a couple of shows. We’ve got our record release show on June 11th in New York. After that a bunch of festivals in Europe and I think by early Fall we’ll do a full U.S. tour.

xFiruath: You guys had a U.K. tour with AFI, which seems like an odd combination as they really aren’t the same style of music as Sick Of It All. How did that tour go?

Lou: That was great. We’ve been friends with them for decades. When they started out they were like a California hardcore band. They were more on the punk side that was faster and aggressive and they’ve progressed into what they are now. Even when they were changing we were still friends with them and we took them out on the road. They really appreciated that and they just returned the favor. They wanted to show these kids another side of their influences. We were lucky enough that they still respect us and love our music. Playing for their audience was great because it’s a totally different audience. Out in Europe they still have a large punk following, which surprised me, so it wasn’t that big of a stretch. We got to play for some really young kids. I think in Scotland the age group was like 13 to 29. These 13 year old kids who had never seen hardcore before were just blown away we came on. It was fun.

xFiruath: One more quick tour question here. I saw that you had a South American tour lined up with Terror that got canceled. What happened with that?

Lou: Me and my wife are having our first baby, any week now. Instead of doing a full tour in the summer in South America, which would be about two and a half weeks, we’ve postponed it to early next year so I can spend more time at home with the family. Instead of that we’re doing just two more shows in Europe. I thought it was funny that I got an email from some guy in South America saying that “I guess you’re going for the big money in Europe.” I’m laughing because we’re doing two shows. If we played a tour of South America we’d make a hell of a lot more money. This is just so I can spend time with my newborn daughter. That’s the only reason. Terror are friends of ours so I’m sorry we can’t do it with, but I think H20 is going to do it with Terror now through South America. I think when we go, it looks like it’s going to be us and Comeback Kid.

xFiruath: You’ve been to quite a few different countries touring. Is there anywhere you haven’t gone yet that you’d like to hit?

Lou: We had to cancel a tour of Korea about five years ago and we’ve never gone to there. China has also been asking us to come, so China and the Philippines and places like that. We’ve gone through Eastern Europe, which was amazing and we have to get back to them. There’s three places I’d really like to go we haven’t played, which is Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Alaska. They are closer to home, so it’s like we can go halfway around the world but we can’t go to Hawaii for some reason. I’d love to play Alaska.

xFiruath: What have you been rocking to lately?

Lou: A whole bunch of stuff. There’s a band from New York called Tombs. I like that new album “Winter Hours.” I’ve been playing that a lot in my car. It’s really heavy, it’s Helmet meets Neurosis kind of stuff. I like the new Cancer Bats. I’ve been listening to Maximum Penalty a lot. Believe it or not I still like metal and I love Manowar.

xFiruath: Hey there’s nothing wrong with that. Everybody needs a little Manowar every now and again. Any parting words about the new album?

Lou: We’re just hoping people like it. We are really happy with it, sound-wise and song-wise. We’re hoping people pick up on it.

The Agoraphobic Nosebleed With Jay

2010-10-30T12:51:00.001-04:00

Thanks for being down to do an interview, dude! I’m glad I caught that particular tweet. Your Twitter account is a constant source of hilarity, hostility, and opinions, and you’re clearly unafraid to say exactly what you’re thinking. How did you get hooked on Twitter? Who are your favorite users to talk to and berate?

Relapse sort of nudged us to start personally updating all these different kinds of social platforms, and for me, Twitter was the most doable of the lot — short and fast, just like old ANB. When I started, it was sort of an experiment in social suicide, but now I just soap box the piss out of everything on there. I think like only 1% of the people who use Twitter use it to it’s full potential. My favorite Twat Swappers are probably Vice Magazine,Low Card Skate Mag, Gary Busey, andHubba Wheels for their “Good Morning Wood!” posts.

How has social networking changed the band-fan relationship?

It’s more like anti-social networking — bands seem guarded about sharing up anything accept product and event-related shit. There is nothing personal getting aired out, and bands these days and are short on expressing their opinions about anything, It’s just new avenues for promotion for them. I really don’t go on the internet to “socialize,” but I do share my thoughts on shit and appreciate the feedback I get. You would sort of figure this would be a way for bands to express themselves, get their message across etc. It used to be that at least some bands would form around a idea but these days it’s all big riff, little thought. If people like Kurt Brecht of DRI, Ray Cappo of Youth of Today, Henry Rollins, Jello Biafra, etc., had these kind of options to self-publish back in their salad days, I think they would have been going the fuck off with it!

You’ve recently started waxing philosophical upon the inherent shittiness of deathcore. Kids today, man. What was the stupid frat dude metal/hardcore equivalent of deathcore when you were growing up?

Yeah, I was sort of schooled on the whole “deathcore” thing a few weeks ago by some people and it seems pretty corny. If the kids are into it, whatever, I guess. I don’t get the “frat dude” reference unless frat dudes are rocking Zac Efron haircuts and skinny jeans these days. When I was a teenager, the only scene I was really into/ hows I ever went to where hardcore shows, and at the time, we used to relentlessly shit on and dis bands that had those same chud, chud, chud mosh parts that these bands seem to be writing around. I miss when hardcore bands sounded like hardcore bands and not like shitty over-produced metal bands. At least somebody came up with a shitty name for it.

You’ve also been talking about the decline of the music industry, and have mentioned how you empathize with the record labels, as well as being clearly on top of your shit when it comes to digital distribution issues, copyrights, and the business at large. Do you see any hope for the music business? In five years, will CDs be gone and labels defunct, or will some new entity have risen to sell music, rip off bands, and promote records?

CDs are very quickly becoming a novelty item, like vinyl and record labels – [they] eventually are all going to go the way of the wooly mammoth and become extinct. Some of the bigger labels I could see possibly becoming A&R firms for band /artists in the future, but for the time being, I think bands need to be very careful of labels offering to post their music on iTunes. A label has no manufacturing costs with digital distribution and isn’t creating or distributing a product for you, so why should they get any piece of that action when you can publish your own shit on iTunes for next to nothing? You don’t want, down the road, to have some has been person/label disappear from your life and just be collecting royalties from iTunes on your work.

I do empathize with the labels to a point, because a lot of them do work very, very hard, but a lot of what’s happening has less to do with piracy and more to do with their failure to adapt and unwillingness to change. Their are a lot of 30 to 40+ year old record collector snobs running these larger labels, with outdated tastes in music, trying to sell music that other 30 to 40+ year olds might have liked or bought back in the day, before they had kids and a mortgage they’re struggling to pay.

They are putting metal before making money and are completely ignoring the biggest demographic for music sales: kids and early 20 somethings. If your trying to run a serious business that has any sort of hope of succeeding, you can’t afford to not pay attention to what they are listening to or worrying about being a sell out.

When did metal become “safe?” Do you personally feel there are any bands out there still pushing the envelope and putting their money where their mouths are?

Metal has always been a sheep in wolves clothing. You can write songs about depraved shit and put as many skulls, gutted women, etc. on your record sleeve as you want, but metal is just theater. When I had made the comment about metal being “safe,” I was talking about how, out of [all] music trends, metal has had the least negative social impact. It’s not like hip-hop — it has no hardcore, widespread negative influence on popular culture — it’s not really music people party to, it never really has attracted massive drug use, women, tragedy. Financial woes of failed musicians aside, The Doors, The Beatles, The Dead, Pink Floyed and Phish have each ruined more peoples’ lives than every facet of metal combined.

“Expecting women not to fuck around is like asking them not to eat or shit anymore; you will never be everything to a women — get over it!” might be my favorite of your tweets (as a lady who thoroughly agrees with your assessment!). The lyrics in ANB could be construed as being heavily misogynistic, but you personally seem to be quite the opposite, and one of the members, Kat Katz, is, in fact, female. I think the inclusion of a female voice makes the bizarre offensiveness of the words even more powerful, and provides a nice little mindfuck for people with notions of what women “should” be like. Is there a feminist message lurking beneath ANB’s surface?

It’s always been insecure men, not women, that have slammed me a misogynist. They think women are something they need to champion, protect and modify their behavior for in order to score/keep. It’s funny, because a lot of these same idiots are the jealous, controlling ones who really resent/hate and don’t trust women. Most of these guys can’t even handle the idea of their girl masturbating or thinking about other men, never mind being cool with them fucking other people. All the women I know are into men being men and are big on honesty. Women don’t trust “nice” guys for good reason — when they can’t keep up the nice guy act they turn mute and get all hurt about them talking to other people. I like me a bad bitch and I’m cool with a women in a relationship talking to and fuckin’ whoever they want. I’m really into women being women and just doing their thing and if I love somebody, I love them for the right reasons. I love them for who they are.

That said — I can’t stand all this phony psycho bitchkiller shit that’s out there. If you come across something in our lyrics that seems to lean that way, it’s just me making satire of the emo-tormented, hurt pussy vocals these bands just love to indulge. I mean, describing a break-up with a girl like it’s the fuckin’ apocalypse… “You were my heaven ablaze… blah, blah, blah, bullshit, bullshit, waste of time, bullshit”… is weak. These same broken-hearted bands write about MURDERING women all the time and never get called out as a misogynist because it’s written all faggy and shit, but because I’m a white dude and use the word “bitch” — it’s over.

Agorapocalypse was shockingly listenable, in that you guys came up with recognizable songs with structure, as opposed to your trademark schizogrindmindfuck approach of the past releases. What brought about this change? Should we expect to see a kinder, gentler, slower AnB from now on, or was this record merely a deviation from deviance?

I wasn’t really that involved withAgorapocalypse, aside from the lyrics and pre and post production of the record. I know when we did the record, the whole retro-thrash thing was happening, and we wanted to explore what a post-thrash sound could be. On the Apartment 213 split, we went for a post-power violence sound.

I don’t think anybody should expect anything from us, we do what ever the fuck we want. I know Scott [Hull], as a producer, loves to single-handedly put other bands to shame and just slam the fuckin’ door closed on whole genres of shit. Though I’m not always on the same page with everything he wants to do, I love that attitude, and it’s a total honor to be working with him still.

The lyrics on this record (as well as the other ones, really) are pretty ridiculously fucked up. There is a lot of violent, pornographic imagery, which begs the question: What kind of porn are you into? What are your favorite sites to patronize for inspiration?

I ain’t into porn –I like to fuck, and if I want to jerk off, I’ll do it with or on a woman. My computer and I don’t have that kind of relationship.

After all these years, why does ANB still use a drum machine instead of a human drummer?

Drummers are a fuckin’ pain in the ass, you got to “rehearse” with them, set up all that shit… fuck that. Plus, all the decent drummers are in, like, six bands. I ain’t even trying to give the illusion that this is a “band” — the process for us is more akin to how hip-hop is produced, and I like it that way.

I’m sure you’re sick of hearing this one, but I’ve gotta ask –- are ANB going to play live anytime soon? If so, when? If not, why the hell not?

I personally am not a “performance” artist, I can not just manifest staged rage and act all aggro just because it’s go time — I’m not that theatrical or dramatic of a person. If the rest of them for some reason need the ego boost, they can go ahead [and perform live]. I don’t really care.

What are you working on right now? I know you’ve got a Despise You/ANB split happening, splits with Agents of Satan, with Lack of Interest, with Thrones…what else is in the pipeline, with ANB and on your own?

Well, I’ve been doing a lot of video stuff of late, editing skate videos, etc. I’m not really into “music videos,” but I do this blog for Bastard Noise called “Annex One” that has tons of video content I created for it, and is something I’d like to start doing for ANB’s new website. I also just recently did a fifteen minute long analog noise piece for the new Noisear record that’s coming out on Relapse. My buddy Pete Benumb did some spoken word stuff over part of it, sounds pretty rad.

Probably the soonest new release you’ll see from ANB is our split 5″ with ANS on Tankcrimes. Both bands cover songs by Boston Skatecore legends Gang Green — below is a promo I did for Tankcrimes for the release. It’s a remix of a video that Ryan Sinz of Dios Mio cut to our cover of “Alcohol.” The footage is of ANS and Cross Examination doing a trans-tour van beer bong at like 90 mph! It brings drinking and driving to a whole new level — just watch the videoell me about the Despise You split in particular. When did you guys start working on this? What does your side of the split sound like? Will you guys ever play a show together and play the split live? Because that would be amazing.

Sadly, we started working on this record prior to Agorapocalyse, it just took us forever to get back on track to finish it. Our side of the record is sort of all over the map, and the finished songs sound so different now from what I originally tracked over. The version I’ve been listening to for months is raw and pissed, sounding sort of like that Slayer album Undisputed Attitude, where they do all those old punk and hardcore songs. In the finished version some of that still comes through, but it’s more produced and built up like our material onAgorapocalypse — with Kat and Rich’s vocals added, layered in spots, mad guitar solos — it sounds pretty nuts! Massive! Scott is extremely, extremely happy with how it came out.

The Despise You material on the split is probably some of the most important hardcore that’s been written/recorded in the last ten years. I have listened to their half of the record everyday since I first got the material from them a couple months ago and it just owns — it fuckin’ owns!

Who are the dudes on the cover?

The photo is from Joe Rodriguez’sGang Life In East LA. It’s a photo that was taken seconds after a drive-by shooting in Boyle Heights circa 1993. Chris Elder and I wanted this to be in every way a urban hardcore record, the ANB material unfortunately steered away from sounding the part but our lyrics definitely are still on point.

What’s up with this 4-way simultaneous album release you guys are doing for “the next AnB album?” Is it a KISS-style solo album bonanza, or just a cool way to tie in upcoming releases from the three members? What will your joint with Hull be like?

We kind of want ANB to sound like twelve different bands. People hate that shit, but whatever. Scott and I wanted to do a classic sounding Cali punk-hardcore record sort of in the style of Bl’ast and Black Flag, but that really ain’t Rich and Kat’s bag. Rich is a total 80′s Hesher and Kat’s all gloom & doom. Scott had the idea on each of us working with him on our own record. I was all about it, because I really do miss working just with him on shit and I haven’t really been able to since Honkey Reduction. I’m pretty sure Rich could use a break from dealing with me also — he and I don’t really see eye to eye on much, we are about as different as two people could be.

Any parting words or apocalyptic messages you’d like to share?

“If the shoe fits slam it up someone’s ass,” hahaha… no, I think I’ve said plenty. The trolls I’m sure are going to have a fuckin’ field day with this.

-KK

No More Cocaine For Kirk

2010-10-30T12:41:00.005-04:00

Kirk Windstein, of Crowbar, Down and Kingdom of Sorrow always struck me as a fun partier. For one, the guy had bigger bags under his eyes, than your local sanitation department, indicating to me he was stoned at most points of the day. We approve. Now, word comes in via official press release, that Kirk is trying to sober up, and is entering an AA program. Here is a message from the man himself:

"Just wanted to let everyone know that I will be taking a much-needed break and will not be joining my bros in KINGDOM OF SORROW for Ozzfest...I have entered the AA program and am turning over a new leaf. 25 years of gigging and touring has taken its toll and my drinking is now preventing me from being the healthiest, best player that I can be.
It's been a fun ride, but I'm ready to tackle this sober and look forward to being at the top of my game with all of my projects!
"I am happy to say that Kenny Hickey will once again be filling my spot for these eight shows.
"Thanks, Kenny; I love you bro!!!
"Thanks to everyone for their support."

Phil No Show At Pantera Reunion

2010-10-30T12:32:00.000-04:00

The Dime Bash, a huge party at LA's Key Club is happening tonight to honor the memory of Dimebag Darrell. Additionally, proceeds go to Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund. So basically, it's a great excuse to party hard. There are going to be all sorts of big names out there remembering Dime, covering classic Pantera tunes and downing some blacktooth grins. Recently, Kerry King was interviewed about the upcoming show and he may have left a big cat slip out of the bag:

"Rita's [Dime's girlfriend] busting my balls to do it, and I told her I would if she got me a real singer," Kerry said. "'Cause you never know who's gonna show up. So she goes, 'Phil Anselmo, Chuck Billy, Robb Flynn… Are those good enough?' And I'm, like, 'Fuck, I'll do it with any one of those guys.' But I'm gonna see her tonight. I haven't committed, but I guess she committed me. (laughs) Oh, Dave's doing it, for sure. But I'm pretty sure I'll do it."

Wow, this could be a really huge moment if Phil Anselmo and Vinnie Paul share the stage. We all know there was a huge rift between the two after Dime died, because Vinnie partially blames Phil for his brother's death after things Phil said in the media about Dime deserving to be hurt. But, that was honestly the old Phil Anselmo. He seemed to have cleaned up as of late and has been nothing but apologetic to Vinnie and Rita for the way he acted in the past.

I sure wish I was in LA tonight for this Dimebash, but with the advents of modern technology and Flip cams, I'm sure we'll be able to get in on the fun just a bit. Here is the entire scheduled lineup of artists for tonight's big show:

Emcee:
* Jose Mangin (Sirius XM)
DJ
* Twiggy Ramirez (MARILYN MANSON, NINE INCH NAILS, A PERFECT CIRCLE)
Drums
* Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA)
* Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, PHILM)
* Simon Wright (DIO, AC/DC)
* Joey Jordison (SLIPKNOT, MURDERDOLLS, ROB ZOMBIE)
* John Boecklin (DEVILDRIVER)
Guitar
* Paul Phillips (PUDDLE OF MUDD)
* Phil Demmel (MACHINE HEAD)
* Chris Howorth (IN THIS MOMENT)
* Kerry King (SLAYER)
* Robb Flynn (MACHINE HEAD)
* Zach Myers (SHINEDOWN)
* Nick Bowcott (Marshall Amplification)
* Jeff Kendrick (DEVILDRIVER)
* Shane Gibson (KORN)
* Gerry Nestler (PHILM)
Bass
* Chris Howorth (IN THIS MOMENT)
* Eric Bass (SHINEDOWN)
* Elliott Rubinson (Dean Guitars)
* Tony Campos (STATIC-X, ASESINO, MINISTRY)
* Joey Vera (ARMORED SAINT)
* Twiggy Ramirez (MARILYN MANSON, NINE INCH NAILS, A PERFECT CIRCLE)
Vocals
* Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT)
* Maria Brink (IN THIS MOMENT)
* Wes Scantlin (PUDDLE OF MUDD)
* Robb Flynn (MACHINE HEAD)
* Jose Mangin (Sirius XM)
* Brent Smith (SHINEDOWN)
* Steve Miller (KINDA MAJOR)
* Gerry Nestler (PHILM)

Ghost

2010-10-26T21:06:00.000-04:00

Take a 70's Rock band, make them listen to NWOBHM, teach them a few Mercyful Fate songs, replace their singer with a Pink Floyd fan and lock them all up in a satanic cult for a few years. Sounds strange to you? Well, that's the best way I can describe Ghost.

Ghost is a band from Sweden that started in 2008. They became 'famous' when Fenriz from Darkthrone named them his band of the week on his blog in april of 2010. They have since then put out a 7" and now there is Opus Eponymous. So was Fenriz right or is this all bark and no bite?

The first thing you notice is that these guys are very serious about their 'Satanic' imagery. Just take a look at the artwork and the band photo that features a grimreaper like priest. Even when they play live they dress up in robes, think Sunn O))), and the singer is dressed like the priest on the cover of the album. And they don't just draw the line there. Lyrically this cd sound like a 70's version of black metal. Remember those old Hammer Horror Movies? Well, all the stuff that happened in those movies is lyrical content on this cd. Rituals, human sacrifice, Latin verses, death, witches, it's all here. The only thing that had me wondering was the liner note that said all music and lyrics are by A Ghoul Writer. So these guys are an actual satanic cult or the are really good at faking it (the rumour is that these guys all play in other well known bands and just don't want their names linked to this project). Either way, the satanical/evil content is over the top but without ever getting hilarious like Steel Panther.

Opus Eponymous has a very 70's hardrock/metal sound. A fuzzy but clear guitarsound, good clean production and an overall sound that is very 70's. Never the 'in your face' loudness that so many bands use these days. Ghost uses a very balanced sound that creates room for all instruments, be it guitars, drums, bass or organ. The great thing about Ghost is that they play a melodic blend of 70's rock and metal which in combination with the clear vocals and lyrical content makes them sound more evil than most contemperary black metal bands out there. Nice sounding guys aren't supposed to sing about Satan. They also seem to have the patent on huge sing-along-choruses. Just listen to 'Ritual' and you'' know exactly what I mean.

This album features 9 songs, 2 of which are instrumentals and which are no more than fillers, needed to pass the 30 minute mark, in my opinion. They are not bad in any way, but I would have liked to see 2 or 3 more 'real' songs. The other 7, on the other hand, are great vintage rock songs and will make sure that the buzz about this band isn't just about their look but even more so about the music.

Jimmy Page Book?

2010-10-26T13:08:00.001-04:00

In the latest issue of the bi-annual arts magazine Lid, Jimmy Page talks about his new limited edition book, "Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page".

With a portfolio of photographs from the book and contributions from photographers Michael Zagaris and Kate Simon — author of the acclaimedGenesis limited edition "Rebel Music" — the interview, by the book's photo editor Dave Brolan, sees Jimmy go into more depth than ever before about the making of this ground-breaking limited edition.

Kate Simon: '"It makes sense that Jimmy would work with Genesis on a book of this magnitude because they are the most civilized publisher on the planet. Catherine and Nick are lovely people who are as devoted to their craft as Jimmy is to his. Their books are printed on the finest papers and made by craftsmen of the highest calibre. Jimmy was thorough and focused in orchestrating the creation of this book... he's a hard-working artist."

Lid is available to order from the web site www.lidmagazine.net, but a short extract from the interview is available below as a taster.

Dave Brolan: How did you become involved with Genesis Publications?

Jimmy Page: I had actually bought one of their George Harrison and Ravi Shankar books so I was aware of the quality that they strove for. I had seen some of their catalogue so I fully understood the pure quality that was their benchmark — the printing, the binding, and everything else.

Dave Brolan: This is quite unlike any other book though.

Jimmy Page: I rather like to try something that somebody else hasn't done before, even if it's of epic proportions which, quite clearly with the amount of photographers and images that were going to need to be trawled in, this was going to be quite something.

Dave Brolan: It's entirely appropriate that you should choose to do a photographic book as the camera was there right at the beginning of your musical career and is always present in one way or another.

Jimmy Page: I liked the idea of doing something from the first shot where I was involved with music, curiously enough taken when I was a choirboy, by the choirmaster who was an amateur photographer... The whole point here is that it's a life in music and so I can see I'm really living it, the way that I was living it. Considering this starts off properly in 1958 or whatever with the Tony Busson pictures, it's a bunch of kids that have got this rock & roll ethic in their dreams you know? Although those dreams don't necessarily translate beyond a front room in somebody's house, it's living that sort of dream their own way and you can see this attitude, I love those photos.

Dave Brolan: There were thousands of pictures for you to consider, how was the experience, seeing your life from a visual, rather than your more familiar musical point of view?

Jimmy Page: Well, I'll be perfectly honest, as you're collating the photographs there does come a point where you say, 'Well I think I've finished for the day,' because, you know, I'm starting to look...(laughing) Well, you're aging in front of your eyes and of course people don't normally go through that so intensely.

Dave Brolan: How did you decide to caption some of the images?

Jimmy Page: the story behind a picture can sometimes be a little disappointing rather than just looking at it and enjoying it for what it is and making you own conclusions, and I certainly apply that to listening to music too. I don't really want too much imagery around it, I don't want to see videos with music, I want to hear what was going on in the studio, the creative process. So I intentionally kept the written information minimal. There was a lot of reflection and thought about the captioning but I really honed it down so that it didn't become boring to read it again the second time around. It's setting the scene.

Dave Brolan: Overall, do you think the book achieved what you set out to do, your original idea of a career in photographs?

Jimmy Page: What I was trying convey was the whole gathering of time and living, very passionately, my role in music, what became a career in music. And this illustrates all of that so in those terms it's a success.

Check out the book's official microsite at www.jimmypagebook.com.

Mustaine On Kerry King's Gauntlet's

2010-10-26T13:02:00.001-04:00

Artisan News Service spoke with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaineand SLAYER guitarist Kerry King shortly before King joined MEGADETH on stage last Thursday (October 21) at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, California to perform MEGADETH's classic "Rattlehead". You can now watch the two separate interviews below.

"Not very many people know this, but Kerry King played guitar inMEGADETH in the very beginning," Mustaine said. "David Ellefson[MEGADETH bassist] still touts [Kerry] as being the best rhythm guitar player that MEGADETH ever had, which I think is really cool."

He continued, "It's funny, because when Kerry played with us, he would still wear his SLAYER colors. We didn't, so we would be there with high-tops and sneakers on and Kerry would be there with nails for days everywhere. [laughs] And I remember going to his house and he was making that thing [nail-studded wristband], man. His dad's sitting on a chair watching TV andKerry's just sitting there just hammering away, making a pentagram like it was nothing — not a big deal at all. [laughs] And we had a great time, man. He's a really smart player and he was able to learn the stuff that I wrote really quickly, which made a huge impression on David, 'cause he still talks about it."

When asked about his appearance with MEGADETH 26 years after he first played with the band, Kerry said, "I never in a million years thought it would happen. And [Mustaine] asked me in the midst of the first run [of dates featuring SLAYER and MEGADETH]. And I said, 'Let's not get ahead of ourselves. If we're gonna do it, let's do it in Hollywood.' And I just picked up the song two days ago. it's not like 'Am I Evil?' [by DIAMOND HEAD] — I can't pick it up in 10 minutes; there's real intricate riffs I've gotta perform. So I've been working on it; this is the third day now. It sounds pretty good. So it's gonna be cool, man. I've got pictures of me playing with him, man... in '84... What was that, 26 years ago?! And now we're gonna get pictures 26 years later. It's cool."

Regarding the first few shows he played with MEGADETH back in 1984, Kingsaid, "Yeah, it was after [SLAYER's] first album [came out]. I was an admirer of Mustaine, 'cause I saw METALLICA play with Mustaine; not many people can say that. And I was blown away by how good that kid was. And I think we didn't really know each other, but we both played B.C. Rich [guitars], so an acquaintance brought it up, 'Hey, why don't you see ifKerry will play with you. And [he] asked me, 'Would you be interested in playing with Mustaine?' And I was a fan of his playing and admired how he played. So I [was], like, 'Yeah, man, I'll help the dude out.' So I played the first five shows. Maybe that's where the original bad blood [between Kerryand Mustaine] came when I left; I don't know. But my band's always beenSLAYER. I saw it as an opportunity when we played, 'cause we [MEGADETH and Kerry] mostly played in the Bay Area — I think that's all we played. But if people saw me, they would associate SLAYER as well. I've always thought about, 'How can I make SLAYER something bigger by doing something on my own?' And that was my thinking when I did [a guest appearance on] the BEASTIE BOYS album, too. I'm like, 'These guys will probably get a video. We're never gonna get a fucking video; we're in a metal band.' And if people see me with my nails and stuff, they'll associateSLAYER with the BEASTIE BOYS, and they'll think SLAYER, so that's just how I think."

Last Thursday night's Los Angeles-area concert was the final show of theJägermeister Music Tour, featuring the original "Clash Of The Titans"lineup from 1991 — SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX.

Lemmy

2010-10-26T12:54:00.001-04:00

"Lemmy" will be screened at the following cinemas across the U.K. on December 7:

* Ritzy, Brixton
* Picturehouse, Stratford
* Duke of Yorks, Brighton
* Lighthouse, Poole
* Harbour Lights, Southampton
* Cinema City, Norwich
* Little Theatre, Bath
* Picturehouse, Exeter
* Picturehouse, Stratford Upon Avon
* Phoenix, Oxford
* Picturehouse At Fact, Liverpool
* Picturehouse, York
* Belmont, Aberdeen
* Cameo, Edinburgh

"Lemmy" will be released on DVD by Entertainment One on January 24, 2011. The film premiered in the U.S. in March 2010 during the South by Southwest at the historic Paramount Theatre in Austin.

Check out reviews of the film:

* Inside Pulse Movies
* Hollywood Reporter
* Variety

Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski spent three years following Kilmisteraround the globe — from his Hollywood home to the hockey arenas of Russia.

"Lemmy" features appearances by such high-profile Kilmister friends/peers as METALLICA, Dave Grohl, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, Billy Bob Thorntonand pro wrestler Triple H.

Hailed as a godfather of heavy metal, 64-year-old Ian "Lemmy" Kilmisterhas established himself as the living embodiment of rock and roll over the past four decades. After stints with popular Mersey beat band THE ROCKIN' VICKERS and influential psychedelic rockers HAWKWIND, and even a brief time spent as a member of Jimi Hendrix's road crew, Lemmy formedMOTÖRHEAD in 1975.

Going on to record such influential metal classics as "Overkill", "Ace of Spades" and "Bomber", the Grammy Award-winning MOTÖRHEAD andKilmister's fusion of punk and metal registered a major influence on such bands as METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES and NIRVANA.

2010 marks the 35th anniversary of the birth of MOTÖRHEAD, which features Kilmister, guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee.

Robb Flynn Robbed

2010-10-26T12:47:00.001-04:00

On September 7, MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's house in Martinez, California was broken into and among the items that were stolen was his son Zander's mini flying-V guitar that Robb got him for Christmas. Several members of the official MACHINE HEAD board donated money and bought Zander a new guitar that was delivered last week.

In the forum post below, Robb Flynn thanks the fans for their generosity and kindness and offers an update on the search for his stolen property:

"On behalf of my wife and and kids, I want to sincerely thank Desmadre[member of the MACHINE HEAD message board who helped raise the funds to buy the guitar] the and everyone who contributed to the guitar fund. It was an incredible and thoughtful gesture, one that my family and I were / are blown away by. It practically moved my wife to tears (Christ, she almost posted a thanks on the board!?) and Zander is totally stoked! Great choice of guitars, Zander actually likes it better than his other one! I would also like to take this time to thank the other Frontliners [members of the MHmessage board] who have gone out of their way to help our family out, either financially, with gift certificates, scouring eBay for the guitars, or just sending the good vibes our way.

"We decided to just give the one guitar to Zander for now, to make it more special for him, as he lost it, and not Wyatt [Robb's three-year-old son]. But we will give the other to Wyatt later, and we will let him know it's from you guys and not us.

"It's been a rough month, we have no leads and police haven't recovered anything. Our stuff is gone and were just trying to move on.

"It's been hard on the kids. We have a top-of-the-line security system now, thanks to some more of our good friends, and we let the kids set it at night and when we leave, but still, it's a huge violation to process even as an adult, let alone a three-and-a-half-year-old and a six-year-old.

"We are taking Zander and Wyatt to therapy starting next week, because I/we've run out of ways to answer, 'Dada, are the robbers going to break in and kill me tonight?'

"Enough of that, though. Again, you guys really made a HUGE impact in our lives with your gesture, and we can't thank you enough for it.

"Des, you rock.

"Here are some pics [see below] of Zander with his new AXE, and who is apparently a natural ham like his Dad! I was cracking up taking these."

Desmadre's letter to Robb:

"Robb,

"When I heard what happened to you and your family on the 7th of September I was disgusted... Then when I heard that they stole your son's flying V, I was absolutely fuckin' pissed.. To come home at such a young age and see the shit that happened is traumatizing... asking if the robbers would return at night to kill him... I didn't know what to say, but I knew what I could do...

"Over the years you've been more than generous to a shitload of us from theFrontlines board... taking us backstage even taking the time to shoot the shit with us. You've helped us go through our own problems like sadness, sorrow, death or just merely getting us pumped for a football game or getting us through a drag-ass day at work. Nowadays, who the fuck does that? You know who... no one!

"I've heard the Frontlines refered to as a community, as a fun place to fuck around on the Internet but I see it as more.. It's more like a family. And what do families do in times like this? They help each other out. So from the bottom of our rotten blackened hearts, Robb we hope you accept this gesture. It may not replace what was taken from your home but hopefully it will help starting with the most important thing in your life, your kids...

"Thank you for your years of help."

30th Anniversary Of Blizzard Of Ozz

2010-10-26T12:37:00.003-04:00

Legendary BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne is interviewed on this week's edition of the "In The Studio" show. He can be heard discussing the 30th anniversary of the his classic debut solo album, "Blizzard Of Ozz", with the Dallas, Texas-based rock and roll disc jockey Redbeard.Redbeard rewinds the years with Ozzy as he describes life afterSABBATH, falling in love with his manager Sharon Arden and the continued struggle he has with alcoholism. Also, listen to a rare 1982 interview in which Ozzy describes the tragic accident that took the life of guitarist Randy Rhoads and two other members of his tour entourage.

"In The Studio" is a weekly hour-long interview-with-music "rockumentary" which looks at the making of many of the greatest albums recorded in rock and roll history, although sometimes it spotlights the history of rock and roll bands. Redbeard interviews the musicians who created these classic albums.

For more information and to listen to the Ozzy interview, go to this location.

As previously reported, 30th-anniversary editions of OZZY OSBOURNE's classic "Blizzard Of Ozz" and "Diary Of A Madman" albums — which were previously due Japan on October 13 — have been postponed until next year. The "30th Anniversary Legacy Edition" of "Blizzard Of Ozz" will include a bonus disc featuring more than 10 tracks. The three-album reissue series will also include "Blizzard Of Ozz" ("30th Anniversary Edition") and "Diary Of A Madman" ("30th Anniversary Edition").

To pre-order these two items, follow these links:
* "Blizzard Of Ozz" (pre-order)
* "Diary Of A Madman" (pre-order)
When asked about Ozzy's upcoming 30th-anniversary editions of his first two albums at a Toronto press conference in May, Osbourne's wife/manager Sharon said, "They are coming out for Thanksgiving and they will be on the market then. . . It's going back to the original recordings with [Bob] Daisley [bass] and [Lee] Kerslake [drums]. And there will be a lot of stuff that you haven't heard before in the packages. Like certain conversations that were going on in the studio with the guys just messing around while the tape was still rolling. All of that will be added into it."

Bob Daisley, who played bass on the first two solo albums by Ozzy Osbourne, said in a recent interview with his web site that he has not been contacted about the 30th-anniversary editions of those records. The tracks played by Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake on both albums — 1980's "Blizzard Of Ozz" and 1981's "Diary Of A Madman" — were replaced on a previous reissue after Daisley and Kerslake sued Ozzy andSharon Osbourne over royalties.

Daisley told the web site, "Neither Lee nor I have been contacted, considered or consulted in the decision to re-release the original recordings. I haven't a clue as to what the 'bonus material' might be. As for royalties, we have not been approached for a reconciliation and have been offered and promised nothing."

Ozzy told The Pulse of Radio he was against the idea of replacing the original tracks when he found out about it. "Believe me, it wasn't my doing," he said. "I mean, I didn't know that was being done, 'causeSharon was fighting all the legal things that were going down at the time. I said, 'What did you do that for?' And she said, 'The only way I could stop everything was if it went to that level.' And I said, 'You know what, whatever the circumstances were, I want the original thing back.' I mean, I wouldn't have done that."

The replacement tracks were played by current METALLICA bassistRobert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin.

Daisley says that he and Kerslake were fired because of disagreements with Sharon over a number of things, including refusing to do two shows in one day out of worry that Ozzy would blow out his voice.

Ozzy's latest solo album, "Scream" came out at the end of June. No one cared.

The Process Of Weeding Out

2010-10-25T02:38:00.000-04:00

Woman Accuses Vince Neil of Misdemeanor Battery

2010-10-25T01:45:00.003-04:00

Woman Accuses Vince Neil of Misdemeanor Battery?

The Associated Press is reporting that a woman has lodged a complaint against Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil, alleging that Neil grabbed her arms in an elevator at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Neil, 49, wasn't arrested but the police did take statements from the woman and two other people regarding the misdemeanor battery complaint on Sunday. The investigation is still open.

It was not revealed if Neil and the woman knew one another prior to the incident; she did not appear to be injured.

It's been a bumpy summer for Neil's, who's band wrapped a stint on Ozzfest last month. The singer is due in court October 27 on separate misdemeanor drunken driving and speeding charges. He has not yet entered a plea. He is accused of driving his Lamborghini sports car 60 mph in a 45 mph zone before being stopped June 27 near the Las Vegas Strip. Tsk tsk. Vince Neil is breaking too many laws in one news post.

What can Vince Neil do to stay out of legal hot water?

This is one of Vince's six business he owns. Obscene really. Must be great. Well keep you posted some more about Vince's lifetstyle. This is interesting

Nikki Sixx VS Jesse James?

2010-10-24T13:32:00.003-04:00

Kat Von D just went nuclear on the producers of her reality show "L.A. Ink" -- threatening a legal war over several scenes that feature Kat trash-talking her on-again boyfriend Nikki Sixx.

Sources close to the production tell us ... Kat went ballistic on producers earlier this week when she viewed screeners for upcoming episodes of "Ink" which air on TLC starting Wednesday night ... which contained several scenes featuring Kat going off about her then ex-boyfriend Nikki Sixx.

Here's the problem -- the footage was shot a while ago, while Kat was dating Jesse James ... and back then, she still harbored some ill-feelings toward Nikki.

But now, Kat and Nikki are back together -- and when Kat previewed the footage from the upcoming episodes, which contained the anti-Nikki smack talk, we're told Kat "freaked out."

We're told Kat demanded producers re-edit the show ASAP -- removing all negative Nikki references and killing a storyline involving a "Nikki vs. Jesse" theme ... or else she would file legal papers in an attempt to stop the show dead in its tracks.

In the end -- we're told producers begrudgingly obliged and Kat's comments will never see the light of day.

Angelina Jolie's Heroin And Cocaine Dealer Speaks!

2010-10-24T10:43:00.010-04:00

In a new interview with Life & Style Weekly, a man claiming to be Angelina Jolie's former drug dealer is spilling stories of the actress' past abuse of narcotics. Franklin Meyer -- who spent eight months in 2002 at Rikers Island jail for attempted cocaine possession, RadarOnline reports -- claims that in the 1990s Jolie came to him to purchase drugs on many occasions.

"We'd see each other two to three times a week when she was in town. She would buy cocaine and also heroin," says Meyer, who claims he first met the actress in February 1997 when she and a male friend came to buy drugs from him at N.Y.C.'s Chelsea Hotel.

Jolie was just 21 at the time, but, according to Meyer, she soon became a regular customer.

"She would generally spend about $100 each time -- that would buy maybe half a gram of coke and a 10th of a gram of heroin," he says. "She would snort the cocaine and the heroin in front of me. It didn't seem to matter to her who else was there."

Meyer says that sometimes he would even go to Jolie's apartment on the Upper West Side, which he described as a frightening scene, claiming the walls were covered with photos of dead bodies.

"I assumed they were real bodies," he said. "They were like places or apartments where there were murders. I don't know where someone would get pictures like that."

But what surprised Meyer most about the young woman, who now has six kids with Brad Pitt, was her determination to eventually adopt a child.

"She would say to me, 'I think I would really like to adopt a kid.' I was shocked," Franklin says. "In the middle of the drugs and the knives, she'd be talking about wanting to adopt a child."

Of course, this isn't the first time Angelina Jolie's fame has made her the subject of rumors -- so it's best to take Meyer's claims with a grain of salt possibly. either way she fucked up.

I guess, either way we love her. Franklin, also claimed Angelina went on TV show Charlie Rose, high on dope in 2000. I know many men that would probably take a shot of heroin to copulate with Ms Jolie, even though physically her best years are behind her. One cant describe her entering into films the effect it had on many in the nineties, especially before her commercial peak which resulted in sub par roles and some stuff that didn't seem like her. personally id like to do a shitload of Ecstasy with Angie, maybe cut each other up..find some island to go to and live out the rest of days. I wonder if Brad Pitt parties, I know hes a prolific pot smoker, but i wonder about the real candy, you know A-Work cocaine, the brown bunny etc..Maybe he'd do better films he did party. Either way people the truth always comes to light, we just hope Angie speaks on it and sheds some light on it. Were horny for the truth. and yeah look at that mouth.

New Ronnie James Dio Toy Statue?

2010-10-24T10:14:00.002-04:00

I must say I am slightly confused as to why theres tons of Dio collectibles surfacing right now. Maybe its just me isn't it a little early to kinda rape his memory that fast and make 100 new t shirt and toy designs? Granted, i loved Ronnie as much as anyone. Who can argue that he was the nicest guy you can ask for, especially considering how talented he was. He didn't exactly die a poor man either. Thats not to say he had $100 million dollars in his estate either. I am all for doing something out of love. Just seems all to soon to me to take at face value. A statue for $150 bucks plus tax? $75 dollar tour shirts? Sure they were selling tour shirts from the "Sacred Heart" tour in 1985, but why dig out ONLY SIZE MEDIUMS out of that old crusty warehouse they were sitting in for 25 years?.. If there are only size mediums left why bother now to sell off the last vintage shirts? Seems like a lot of reaching for no reason. Why weren't those shirts available before? Tons of people would have bought them, shit i would've too had i been able to find those. Now they are available?.. I miss my Dio baseball jerseys id buy in 84/85 shopping with my mom in Kings Plaza mall. I guess I'm suspect of any business ventures that occur post-mortem, always have been. What's next 5 designs of original tour shirts from the "Holy Diver" era? I wonder if Gene is somehow involved with this. Anyways it is what it is. I'm curious why now? Wouldn't releasing all of this stuff ruin and stain anything else they tried to honor his memory with? Its like a lame Kiss convention, except the man himself is not here for his own opinion. I like the quote the best from this guy

"We learned that Ronnie wanted to work on a statue project before he fell ill.
We are honored that Wendy Dio and his management called on us for this project.

The fact that a portion of the of the sales proceeds will go to his cancer fund is special. Both my wife and I lost our
Dads to cancer."

- - Tony S., KnuckleBonz Founder & Creative Director

The officially licensed, Ronnie James Dio Rock Iconz limited edition statue by KnuckleBonz is now available for pre-order. Limited quantities ship late 2010.

A portion of all proceeds from www.knucklebonz.com go to the "Stand Up and Shout" cancer fund in honor of Ronnie James Dio.

The sculpture of Dio is displayed with his signature devil horns and iconic crouched stance. KnuckleBonz is honored to be creating a tribute piece of Ronnie James Dio, widely recognized as one of the most powerful singers in all of heavy metal.

All figures in the Rock Iconz® series are limited editions and the Ronnie James Dio statue is very exclusive with only 3000 pieces slated for production. This is an officially licensed product. A portion of all sales from www.knucklebonz.com will be donated to the "Stand Up and Shout" Cancer Fund created in honor of Ronnie James Dio.

For all DIO fans, we wanted to pass along information that donations to the Ronnie James Dio "Stand Up and Shout" Cancer Fund are now being accepted by going to www.ronniejamesdio.com. Your generous donations will go to cancer research, screenings and various cancer programs.

The Dio statue by KnuckleBonz is created using a team of highly skilled artists to sculpt a remarkable likeness. The limited edition figure will be cast in a poly-resin and hand-paint in fine detail. Each sculpture in the Rock Iconz series is hand-numbered and displayed on an attractive wooden base.

Torche "Songs for Singles"

2010-10-24T03:34:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of the release, I`m going to try to keep this short:

Torche songs are so easy to get excited about, because they`re actually exciting. They`re upbeat, energetic, accessible, friendly-sounding even at their heaviest. I just popped their new offering, Songs for Singles in my player for the first time, and already, I want to hang out with it. I want to sit with it and have a beer and watch the bug zapper. Eight songs in under 22 minutes isn`t the kind of numbers I usually get down with, but man, Torche kick ass with twice the efficiency of most bands.

What I like most immediately about Songs for Singles is that the first six tracks comprise half the listening time, and the last two make up the final 10-plus minutes. You`re through "U.F.O." before you know it, and "Lay Low" is only 51 seconds long, so that`s barely started before it`s done, but "Shine on My Old Ways" seems to change the pace, and by the time "Face the Wall" comes on, you feel like you just hit it. The wall, that is.

If you dug the dreamy pop aspects of Meanderthal, you`re probably also going to drool over Songs for Singles, as even on the slower "Face the Wall" and six-minute capper "Out Again," that element of their sound is a constant. There aren`t any über-heavy guitar bombs, and as "Out Again" stretches the instrumental section that gradually fades to close the record, it`s apparent that what Torche like playing with in their sound is the sometimes massive, sometimes sweet contrast. Right now, they`re doing it better than anyone else.

Artist Spotlight: A Quick Rap With Blue Cheer's Dickie Peterson (R.I.P)

2010-10-24T03:22:00.001-04:00

Defying any standard musical categorization for almost four decades, bassist Dickie Peterson pioneered a raw, unbridled approach to playing rock and roll long before punk, heavy metal, or hip hop made it fashionable. He’s driven by an intense passion for his art and remains a reverberating force in the world of rock and roll. Mr. Peterson’s professional career started in 1965, when he joined the psychedelic West Coast band, Group B. Over the years, he has played in several other bands, including Peterbilt, Mother Ocean and the Hank Davidson Band; however, his most noted contribution to date is as the vocalist/bassist of the super power trio,Blue Cheer, the band he co-founded in late 1966. In the summer of 1967, Blue Cheer scored a Top 20 hit with a hard-rocking cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues.” Summer’s never ended for Dickie and his Blue Cheer bandmates, drummer Paul Whaley and guitarist Andrew “Duck” MacDonald. In honor Of Mr Peterson we dedicate this timepiece to him for all his work the world loved dearly..I wonder if he really did tell his boss he was sick..mmm Ken took on the job a few years ago and spoke to the fucking man himself. The legend himself. -

Ken: Who has influenced you musically? Dickie: My brother (Jerre Peterson) was my main musical influence all of my life. He didn’t actually teach me how to play; he taught me how to learn to play. He was much more into the world of music theory and note writing and note reading. He was very good at this and taught me some things that you could apply to any kind of music, whether it was jazz, country, rock, folk, or classical music. These are rules or little tricks that have helped me play my music all my life. Ken: What drew you to the bass? Ultimately that became your instrument. Dickie: It felt right! I gravitated toward it. It was what I wanted. I was looking for an instrument that I felt really good with. I tried drums. I tried guitar. Everything felt awkward. But when I picked up the bass, that was it - the love affair that’s lasted my whole life. Ken: Being that you’re also a vocalist, I was wondering if you use a different approach when you sing as opposed to playing the bass? Or do you see a connection between the two? Dickie: For me there’s a strong connection between the two. A lot of the songs of Blue Cheer come out the way they do because I write then with a bass and voice. I don’t necessarily write them with a guitar. So the rhythms that I play on the bass and the vocal phrasing and melody I use are very strongly connected. Ken: What are some of the sources of your creative inspiration? Dickie: For me, it’s the people and what I do. A lot of my inspiration probably goes back to my childhood, which was pretty rough. (Psychic healer) Edgar Cayce talked about a place where all the creativity that exists comes from. It’s like a well. And that part of your mind that controls the creative part of you, when you have the opportunity to visit this place, when you’re tapped into this, this is when you are being creative. Now, stoned on acid, I think I was there once. But I don’t know. Some songs I wrote have taken 20 years to really complete. And there are other songs like “Doctor Please” or “Out of Focus” that I wrote in ten minutes. It’s like BOOM! I sit down and the song sort of writes itself. Ken: “Doctor Please” is pretty intense. Dickie: “Doctor Please” is a very intense song! It’s really strange because when I wrote the song (in 1967), it was a glorification of drugs. I was going through a lot of “Should I take this drug or should I not take this drug? Blah, blah, blah.” There was a lot of soul searching at the time when I wrote that song, and I actually decided to take it. That’s what that song was about and that’s what I sang it about, sort of a drug anthem for me. Ken: I’ve always viewed it as the antithesis to “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane, which portrays drugs as innocent, happy, fun stuff. “Doctor Please” seemed to me to represent the dark side of drugs. Dickie: It was the dark side of drugs, but I was at a stage of that dark side to where it was romantic. It wasn’t a bad thing yet. It hadn’t turned into the monster that it later turned into. We do this song today and when we play it, we feature it. I had a little problem with it for a while. I didn’t do this song for a long time. Then we started doing it again and the song really took on a whole different meaning for me to where I feel really good when I do it, because it’s now a lesson well learned. Things that mean one thing when you were 20 years old, when you get older, toward the end of your life, you see things in a different way. Ken: It’s cool the way the song has stood up to time even though its meaning has changed for you. Dickie: That’s the mark of a good song. And not just because I wrote it. It still stands. Through all the cultural changes and metamorphoses and growths that have gone on since it was written, it still works. I’m quite proud of that! That whole band is. As I said, all of my songs I write on a bass and my voice. I need a guitar player who can make the guitar work. I need Whaley to make the drums work. I don’t know how to do those things. Ken: What keeps you playing after all these years? Dickie: I can only tell you this. I’ve been married twice, I’ve had numerous girlfriends, and they’ll all tell you that if I’m not playing music I am an animal to live with. If I am playing music, I’m OK. But if I sit around with nothing to do with my music for too long, I guess I get more… grumpy. I don’t have fun. I get depressed. Music is a place where I get to deal with a lot of my emotion and displaced energy. I always only wanted to play music, and that’s all I still want to do. Ken: I understand Blue Cheer will be recording an album soon. Dickie: I think we will be recording in Wales at Foel Stadium which is a place where I love to record. It’s a 500-year-old sheep ranch that’s been modernized inside, but it’s still ancient outside. The atmosphere is just incredible! Ancient stone circles and all kinds of Welsh and Celtic stuff around. It’s a nice place. Ken: Where else are you currently headed on your musical journey? Dickie: We’re looking to get over into the States. I think they’re working on a tour for Europe. Right now our focus at this point is the album - we go into the studio and we record in two to three weeks. That’s the way we do an album. We’re not a band that’s going to spend three months writing the songs for an album, six months rehearsing them, and then another six months recording them. To us that’s all backwards. Ken: That’s what I like about Blue Cheer. The music is raw, honest, right from the gut, and not over produced. Dickie: I don’t particularly care for the recording studio. As far as I am concerned they can record us live. I look at recording as representing a moment in time. The listener is so much a part of it to me that if you’re not a part of the live audience, you’re not a part of what the music really is. You can listen to all the Blue Cheer records that we ever made. When you see us live, it’s different because it’s more a physical part of you, and to me this is what makes our music. That’s why I’ve always considered us a performing band and not a recording band. Ken: Any other projects in the works? Dickie: I got a couple of songs, one called “Young Lions in Paradise,” which we’re going to try to put on a CD of solo songs. It will undoubtedly come out on A Blue Cheer album, but it will come out different than when you hear the solo version of it. It’s interesting to see how songs metamorphose, which happens in this band over time. Songs sort themselves out, like the song decides what it wants to do. I like being a part of that. Ken: You’ve put a lot of work into this band over the years and influenced more bands than you get credit for. Dickie: I saw an article with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, where he said I influenced his bass playing. To me, Flea is one of the hottest bass players I have ever seen? He’s got licks! How did I influence him? It’s really a warm and enriching feeling to hear someone say you were a positive influence on their life. Overall, it’s great when we meet bands that come to us and tell us, “If it wasn’t for your band, we wouldn’t be playing.” These are bands who come to hear us because they cover our songs. This is truly something to me, as a songwriter. Wow! It’s unbelievable. Ken: The attitude portrayed on Vincebus Eruptum (premier Blue Cheer album) has been an influence on the way I play. Dickie: I think the secret of rock ‘n roll, which I learned from Tony Rainier (former Blue Cheer guitarist), is that it’s 10% technique and 90% attitude. If you deliver one note with the right attitude, it will do more than 60 notes with no attitude. I’m waiting for the guy who’s really going to take the guitar to the next level. Maybe he’s just being born. Chet Atkins did it. Then Hendrix did it. Now somebody else has got to do it. I think the true thing that makes a guitar player valuable is how he works with the band. This is why Duck’s been with us for 18 years now. A lot of times the rhythm section has to go along with whatever the guitar player is doing. Duck knows how to take what he does and let Paul and I do what we do. Ken: Any secrets to share? Dickie: This is what I think is the most important thing in being a musician - knowing how to play with other people. We call it the “umbilical cord,” the thing that connects the three of us into just one. Duck knows how to do that as a guitar player and that’s really difficult for a guitarist, because they carry so much weight and there’s always 50 guys waiting behind you to take your place. So the pressure on the guitar player is tremendous. I understand why they act a little weird. It’s great to be a whiz at what you do, but if you can’t do it with other people and apply it and adapt it, it’s very limited. You’ve got to be able to move laterally with your music and help bring out the best in everyone who’s on stage. Ken: What other bands are you into? Dickie: I’m very into rhythm ‘n blues, people like Long John Baldry, and Mighty Sam McClain. I like obscure stuff. I really love Screaming Jay Hawkins! I love him because he keeps the humor in music. The subject matter of some of the (current) stuff and the intensity in which they do it doesn’t have anything to do with music for me. I like Screaming Jay Hawkins because when I listen to him, it makes me laugh, and it still stays very personal. I listen to a lot of country music. I listen to a lot of blues. Ken: Is there a connection between what you listen to and what you play? Dickie: I don’t listen to music with the idea that it’s what I’m going to play. Above and beyond all, I try to play like nobody else. I don’t try to do what somebody else has already done. Okay, we did “Summertime Blues,” but nobody did it like we did! I know guys who pick out riffs from songs to write other songs around and I don’t do this, because I don’t want to have other music influence what I write. I want it to come out of us just as it is, good or bad. I listen to a lot of different kinds of music, but I listen as a listener. I don’t listen to songs as a player. It’s too depressing. I hear guys that play much better than me and I want to go home and burn my bass! Ken: Don’t say that! Dickie: He-he! It was an expression of appreciation. Some of it is totally opposite of the kind of bass I play. I came from an old school of bass playing. I’m still part of the rhythm section. Muddy Waters once told me, as a bass player, “Don’t play any more than you have to. All you’ll do is get in people’s way.” And this is really true. I found this out playing with guitar players over the years. Just play what you need to play to make that guitar player sound good. That’s my job. In many ways the bassist and drummer are the canvas and the guitar and voice are the paint. If you have a really good rhythm section and the bass and drums are really cooking together, that guitarist can do anything he wants, as long as he stays in key. Behind every good guitar player is a great rhythm section. Ken: Absolutely! Even Jimi Hendrix. The Experience were a great bunch of people to back him up. Dickie: And so was Band of Gypsies! He knew the value of that. That’s the whole value and principle behind the trio. People keep trying to say that we’re heavy metal or grunge or punk, or we’re this or that. The reality is, we’re just a power trio, and we play ultra blues, and it’s rock ‘n roll. It’s really simple what we do. Ken: Anything else you’d like to add? Dickie: To all the 1%’ers (Blue Cheer fans), our deepest thanks! We’re coming to you as fast as we can.

Ahab

2010-10-24T03:06:00.003-04:00

The sea can be very quiet or very loud and sinister, but also it can be a very lonely and frighting experience as well. Such is parallel to the sounds of sea-doomers Ahab. We let it rip and made the band feel welcome. First of all let me congratulate you on a fantastic album...

Are you satisfied with how "The Divinity of Oceans" ended up?“

Thank you very much! Of course we’re satisfied with the result, otherwise we’d never released it. We all gave our best and it was really a hard piece of work this time but we’re very proud of our latest release.”

Would you mind telling us about the process you went through with "The Divinityof Oceans", both writing and recording?
“I wrote most of the stuff at home in my little recording studio. I’m no sound engineer or something like that, I just used a mac and protools to collect ideas and arrange a little bit. The main part of arranging was done by the whole band which was very important to me because if you’re too deep into the material you sometimes need some more “neutral” point of views, otherwise you can’t get forward.
The recording of guitars, bass and vocals was done by our drummer Cornelius. He already has experience in recording and owns the essential tools so this was an excellent possibility for us to work like we want to.”

Almost 3 years between the "The Call of the Wretched Sea" and "The Divinity of Oceans", do you feel the band has evolved in any way during this time? “I definitely think that we’ve grown together as a band especially after the line-up change on bass. We played more gigs after the “The Divinity of Oceans” was released, so our live presence became much better. Our sound grew and has more variety now on instruments and on vocals, we’ve moved another step forward with “The Divinity of Oceans” in shaping Ahab’s sound!”

It appears to me that The Divinity of Oceans is just as the names states, much more divine and calmer then The Call, was this evolution intentional?
“It is always my intention to work with contrasts such as calmer and heavy parts. Both are most effective if they crush together. Although I wanted to use this element and add some mellow parts on “The Divinity of Oceans”, I didn’t know how the overall impression would be until everything was arranged. The way of composing was different this time. On ”The Call of the Wretched Sea” we composed song after song. This time I just collected riffs and melodies in my homestudio and in the end we’ve chosen the best material and combined the parts to songs.”

An obvious question is about your lyrical and musical theme. What is with vast desolate oceans and sperm whales that obsess you?
“It’s the sea itself that fascinates me. A force of nature on the one hand, mighty and able to destroy but also very beautiful, a vast source of life that still hides a lot of secrets in its unexplored depths.”

Do you have any major influences on your music in any way?
“As a composer you of course try to sound as unique and original as possible, but stuff you like always has an influence on your work, it’s impossible to avoid that. There are many many bands I really like....Anathema, Opeth, Black Label Society, Carcass, Porcupine Tree, Mastodon’s “Crack the Skye” is a real masterpiece such as the latest release of Alice in Chains.
In the doom sector i prefer the traditional stuff at the moment..., stuff like Spirit Caravan, Pentagram, Warning or our Swedish label colleagues Isole are always worth listening to!”

How is your view on the current state of the doom scene? Is quality doom still being crafted, or are the glory days of classics behind us?
“I really like the flair of the classic stuff, but, compared to other genres I really have to say that the number of good bands in the doom scene is damn high. Maybe the reason for that is that musicians such as fans are older compared to those of the mainstream metal stuff.”

Any last words for the readers? “Thank you very much for your interest! Check out “The Divinity of Oceans”, Cheers!”

Satanic Warmaster "Nachzehrer"

2010-10-24T03:03:00.000-04:00

Five years after "Carelian Satanist Madness" the Satanic Warmaster returns!

For some of you the Warmaster was never gone, but those of us that only keep track of the albums have had to wait for a long time.

After the intro it's straight down memory lane. Well, perhaps not for those of you that didn't rape the shit out of "Tyrannendunkel" when it was released. Now, don't get me wrong, this isn't "True Blackness" all over again. What I'm talking about is the style + feeling I get when the keyboards hit hard in "Satan's Werewolf", that primordial, germanic feeling.

The sound & style of Satanic Warmaster has always been compared to LLN bands and it's still there. More than once while listening to this album I've had to resist the urge to go look through my old FMP catalogues searching for old Vlad Tepes ads.

Satanic Warmaster is more than a mere copy of what has already been done. Paying homage to what you like isn't bad as long as you put something of your own into the mix. Does the Satanic Tyrant Werwolf manage that and once again slap the faces of his detractors? Yeah, I'd say he does.

If you still have reservations about Satanic Warmaster or just don't want to check this album out for whatever reason, so be it. However, if you are new to the game I'd say "Satan's Werewolf" and "Utug-Hul" were good haunts to hang out at.

George Lynch From Dokken Says He Has Three Testicles

2010-10-24T02:54:00.001-04:00

Whether you hate them or love them (my girlfriend still loathes them), Cock Rockers Dokken delivered the goods for a nice 6, or 7 year run. Among the most respected musicians from that era George Lynch surely is one of the post EVH leaders from that pack of bands like Motley Crue, Ratt etc. Read on and find out why George is reuniting with some old friends. Our Buddy Lee got him on the phone ripping through the good ole USA. Thanks Lee.

Lee: Hello, George?

George: Yeah.

Lee: It sounds like you guys are driving through some pretty dicey terrain.

George: I wouldn’t call it dicey. Just the back ways and byways.

Lee: Are you near El Paso?

George: We are driving toward El Paso. We're quite a ways from there. We just went through a little town called (pause) what was it called? Called what? Furburger? Furburger or something. We're in the middle of ... going toward Hill Country.

Lee: I am totally digging Smoke and Mirrors. It's really strong.

George: There you go.

Lee: Why reform Lynch Mob after all these years?

George: Well, I guess all the planets aligned. I don't have control over anything, but you know things kind of lined up when the singer decided that he was ready. I've always been ready, so, you know, it all kind of happened in the right time at the right place. It the larger world, the timing was right for us, so it made sense.

Lee: Hearing it, it sounds like a logical follow-up to Wicked Sensation. It sounds like if it wasn't recorded in the same session, it at least has continuity.

George: It's the second record Oni and I did together, so it’s the second record we would have done after Wicked. But we had 17 years to think about it.

Lee: Had you guys kept in contact over the years?

George: Yeah, of course. I mean, sporadically but with large gaps. We did a tour back in the late ‘90s, I believe, early 2000s and I think we did a couple of tours. I can’t remember. We released Syzygy in the mid-‘90s. There’s been some time passed and new did a few things here and there, but nothing serious.

Lee: What prompted Oni to leave Lynch Mob in the first place so many years ago?

George: I came into that band with a lot of expectations because I had the wind at my back coming off the Dokken machine and the success in that band. I set the bar really high and Oni was, he tended to be a little inconsistent live, to say the least. Taking nothing away from him, but I was very short-sighted in allowing the decision to be made to part ways at that point because I lost my writing partner and that’s everything.

Lee: Was Robert Mason also a writing partner?

George: Because we were sort of hurting from the live performance aspect, we enlisted Robert to join the band and he was a friggin’ machine. He could sing like a robot with a clean range that never quit. Never had a bad day or anything like that. What was lacking, not to take anything from Robert, but with Oni, we established a chemistry between Oni and myself. And our writing on the first record, it was a very short-sighted decision and we paid the price. The second record was very weak compared to the first one. It was downhill after that.

Lee: Smoke and Mirrors sounds so much like an extension of Wicked Sensation that it begs the question about the second album. I thought Robert was strong, but maybe the record was a bit polished compared to Wicked. Would you agree?

George: Absolutely. Of course. We didn’t have the angst in the band. We didn’t have the lyrics to paint those beautiful, dark pictures. I think we were kind of rolling a little bit with the success, so we got a little soft and were going for the commercial thing and was absolutely the wrong time to go in that direction. We went right when we should have gone left. We should have made it tougher and nastier on the second record, not more polished, not more Dokkenesque. So we picked the wrong producer, we wrote the wrong songs. Hindsight is 20/20.

Lee: You say Robert was consistent live. Is Oni more consistent than he was so many years ago?

George: Yeah. He’s in a better place now. He moved to Switzerland, kind of cleaned up his act, centered himself and he’s ready to come back and go to work and give us 110 percent, which he has. He’s very consistent now. It’s wonderful.

Lee: Did you record live all in the same room, or did the guys swap sound files?

George: It went very quickly. We went into Sound City, which is a great ... it was the first real studio I ever recorded in back in 1976. I had a band back then and there was some time available to us between midnight and 7 a.m. We wanted to do our demos, so they gave us the studio all night.

Lee: Was this in the Xciter days?

George: Yeah, it was Xciter [Lynch’s pre-Dokken band]. We went back in there and banged it out and went there and nothing had changed. It was exactly the same. Nothing had changed: the board, the floors, the tapestries. It’s dark and funky, but is a very amazing sounding room. Metallica had just booked the whole place for six months. The litany of records that’s been done there is insane. As long as your arm. It’s one of those warm, natural-sounding rooms. Nirvana did their big record there, Nevermind. Whitesake, a whole bunch of bands. Fleetwood Mac. And on and on.

Lee: Quite a history.

George: We did it all in four days. The basic tracks. Some of the more jammy stuff was done kinda live, like I can’t remember which song: “Let The Music Be Your Master” and what's the other one? The one with the extended solo in there. The fourth track in...

Lee: “Time Keepers?”

George: “Time Keepers.” Right.

Lee: That is my favorite track on the whole album, especially with the extended guitar solo.

George. That was all done there live, except for a few minor punch-ins.

Lee: Given that it took four days to record, I expect everything was written before you arrived at the studio, right?

George: Of course. We still did the overdubs and vocals. That took longer. But the bass, drums and rhythm guitars and some of the solos — we knocked out the bulk of the record in Sound City and then we moved to a different studio.

Lee: What was your reaction on finally hearing the finished master of Smoke and Mirrors. Did a big smile spread across your face, like “Yeah, we hit it!”

George: Well, you can always do better. On a few things on the record, I wish I’d spent more time on. There are a couple of tracks that I really wish had been on the record. I felt it was important to be on the record and other people didn’t. And there’s also a song we kinda had on the table that we couldn’t quite finish up that I thought would have finished up the record nicely. We dropped off one or two other songs that were really aggressive and in your face but we just couldn't get together in time. We were just working so fast and with limited funds and limited time.

Lee: Might those appear on the future release?

George: Or on the next record. They ain’t going anywhere.

Lee: You’ve probably heard this a million times, but I just want to get the true story for myself. It is true that you lured Oni away from Mark Ferrari's [former Keel guitarist] band by asking if he'd rather drive a Ferrari than play in a band named Ferrari?

George: I said would you rather be in a band called Ferrari or drive one? (laughs) But he joined the band and ended up driving a used Corvair, which he ended up dumping in the desert, by the way.

Lee: Any Ferraris in the Lynch driveway these days?

George: Fuck no, I wouldn’t drive that shit if I had the money. Waste of money.

Lee: You seem to be handling your own affairs these days, really taking a hands-on approach. Literally driving your own course, for example, instead of the big tour buses of the ‘80s, for example. Do you prefer that DIY approach?

George: It’s all a matter of necessity. I mean, if you're out on a bigger situation, you need to have everything sort of logistically planned out on a day sheet and with a crew. At this level, it’s much easier to actually deal with people directly. We don’t have the resources to do it the other way anyway.

Lee: Yeah, you've got so many balls in the air...

George: Excuse me?

Lee: Well, I mean...

George: You've heard the rumors then?

Lee: They’re only rumors?

George: Yeah, the three testicles? Yeah, three.

Lee: I thought it was five.

George: Three is normal, right? (laughs) The other day in gym class, I realized three wasn’t normal.

Lee: Speaking of your physique, have you scaled back on the weightlifting these days?

George: Yes, I have.

Lee: You’re still built, but not as ripped as you were a few years ago.

George: Yeah, that was a little ridiculous. I don't know what I was thinking.

Lee: Did it ever affect your fluidity as a guitarist?

George: Yeah, it did. It made it worse. Cramps. It wasn't a good thing.

Lee: So what's happening at the dojo. How many students are you up to now?

George: About 400.

Lee: Is that more than you expected, or less?

George: You never know. We hoped we'd get to 1,000. You can wish for anything, I guess.

Lee: I remember the NEH instructional videos and Metal Method in the ‘80s. How has guitar instruction changed since then?

George: Obviously, the tablature has improved dramatically and you have a sonic fretboard you can follow along. Follow the bouncing ball. It’s incredible, you know? All the shit at the bottom of the screen in real time. We never had that before. Things used to be incorrect. I remember I would need to re-learn a song or something and I’d go to a tablature book and it would be completely wrong.

Lee: Do you think that improved technology has made better guitar players?

George: Obviously. I mean look out there. These guys are starting at a whole other level. In my day, it was just learn a bunch of pentatonic blues licks and go from there. These days, it's starting with Paganini fugues.

Lee: In your heyday — around the time of Sacred Groove and Back For The Attack— you were still striving to up your game. I even remember you taking private classical lessons at Arizona State University.

George: No, actually from a teacher at ASU, but not at ASU. I took lessons for a while, but I found it was kind of embarrassing because I’d be in classes and everybody would be trying not to notice the elephant-in-the-room kind of thing. I’m very stupid with theory and people were always looking over at me and I wouldn't be getting shit that was, like, super simple. People would want my autograph so I couldn’t really learn anything. But then I took private lessons from this guys I looked up in the Yellow Pages. He was a ASU teacher and taught me a lot.

Lee: I used to read interviews where you said you thought you were more self-taught rather than some who knew a lot of theory. But it sounded like you knew a lot of theory. There was a lot of sweeping going on.

George: When I tell people I’m good at sweeping, I mean the floor.

Lee: Yeah, sweeping up the dojo.

George: I’m the owner and the janitor.

(distracted by traffic)

George: We’re going to be getting off here, so if we're almost done...

Lee: Sure. Before you have to go, I heard rumors about the original Dokken lineup reuniting and touring. Any truth to that?

George: That has always been something we’ve been working towards. There’s always obstacles. It's always on the table.

Lee: Have there been any actual meetings about it?

George: Yes. It’s been on the table, off the table forever.

Lee: Also, I'd heard about Lynch Mob actually doing a tour with the original Dokken lineup. Is that true?

George: It looks like it might happen. No, hey, we shouldn’t even be talking about that because none of that’s for real yet. Until it’s for real...

Lee: I hear ya.

George: Look, I got a cop looking at me. I’m not supposed to be talking on my phone. I’m looking at all these immigration cops and I don't want to get a ticket.

Lee: I understand. Thanks for the time, George. I think I can speak for your fans in saying we can’t wait to see Lynch Mob again.

George: Cool.

"The Viking Serpent" Watch It Now

2010-10-24T02:29:00.002-04:00

Disclose.tv - (full movie)The Viking Serpent Part 1 of 3 Video

"The Viking Serpent" or "The Norwegian Pentagram" as it was called before being translated reveals a hitherto unknown and occult side to the Viking- and early Middle Age in Norway. From approx. 935 CE heathen Viking Norway was introduced to a form of Christianity peculiar to a certain branch of the Gnostic Celtic Church of the British Isles, where the serpent had a 'leading role' and which, according to historians and archaeologists, has a pronounced Syrian and Egyptian character.

Comparing old legends and historical facts the author has unravelled a fascinating story and found a holy geometry constructed by the Celts that the famous co-author of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, Henry Lincoln has deemed "the Norwegian extension of this extraordinary business." The clandestine plan of the Celtic Church erecting cities and monasteries as markers in such a fashion that one with the use of The Golden Section was able to construct a gigantic pentagram across Southern Norway is also revealed. The geometry is illustrated by the author in easy to follow step-by-step diagrams.

The Celtic Church's form of Gnostic Christianity contained certain elements brought to them by the largest of the Gnostic sects, the Ophites who revered the serpent, as a symbol of Christ. Following the Roman Emperors sanctioning of a certain breed of Christians in 325 CE, later known as the Roman Catholic Church, the Ophites and other Gnostics were persecuted, their scriptures confiscated and burned. They sought shelter in Syria, Egypt, Western and Northern Europe. A large number of their writings were found in the Egyptian desert at Nag Hammadi in 1945 CE. In the manuscripts one finds that Christ was called "The Beast". "The interpretation of "the beast" is "the instructor". For it was found to be the wisest of all beings."

The number of the Beast, 666 figures prominently in the holy geometry placed across Norway and is disclosed in an obscure fashion in a certain Viking saga describing the burial of the Viking king Olav, later canonised by the Celtic clergy. The book abounds with exciting Viking lore. A treasure cave which legend claims connects with Scotland under the sea, explored by the Orkney Earl Ragnvald in 1127 CE. turns out to be the upper left arm of the holy pentagram. The Stave Churches, peculiar to Norway abound with serpent imagery; serpents are carved on pillars and portals writhing all over the churches and church roofs are fashioned so as to mimic serpent skin.

From ca. 935-1015 the Celtic Church made secret arrangements with no less than three Vikings of royal descent intent upon ascending the Norwegian throne. In return for the opportunity to convert their country to the Gnostic Celtic Christianity and put their sacred geometry in place, they assisted the kings in creating and deploying the law and order of the church, making the people more governable.

The book also exposes the Catholic Church´s murder of the first Norwegian Archbishop on his return from his inauguration in Constantinople. The East-Roman Empire with its seat in Constantinople was considered by many to be the centre of Christianity and differed from Rome in its beliefs, resulting in "the great schism" or definitive separation of Rome and Constantinople on religious matters. After the Roman Catholic´s murder in 1152 of the first Norwegian Archbishop they sent their own delegates unannounced from Rome to Norway and persuaded the Norwegian leaders to let them inaugurate an archbishop in Nidaros and a bishop in Hamar. Unknown to the Catholics Hamar was the last marker in the pentagram, and in inaugurating a bishop in Hamar they unwittingly completed the holy pentagram of their Celtic adversaries.

This is a tale that acedemia agreed with and yet refused to acknowledge. This is a tale of a massive scale building programme, hiding deep mystical truths, right beneath the eyes of Europe. Harald S. Boehlke has uncovered one of the most profound mysteries of ancient times. He has discovered a medieval system of sacred geometrical construction on a scale never before seen. Boehlke shines a bright light on these mysteries, revealing sacred and shocking truths and casting a dark shadow across the textbook history of Christianity.

* Exposing the serpent worshipping Celtic Church
* Revealing that it was this Celtic Church that converted the Vikings and not the Catholic Church
* The amazing discovery of a massive symbolic landscape created by man
* Unravelling an ancient murder mystery
* Proof read by a university professor who was too afraid of the consequences to come forth

If you care for the truth then prepare for a journey through murder, mystery and intrigue the likes of which the world rarely sees.

Richard Ramirez To Young Kids "Keep The Evil Thought"

2010-10-24T01:55:00.003-04:00

This time around, with great delight, I give you an interview I did with Richard Ramirez, though it seemed like Richard was interviewing me more than the other way around. Also known as The Night Stalker, in the 1980s he brought wonder and mystery to California, not to mention higher gun sales and paranoia. Richard was the subject of many of the 1980's "scare tactics' involving teen satanism and sacrifice, secret cults and the bizarre killings and suicides that were taking place in the heyday of all american Heavy Metal satanism. This interview shows he can be a real nice guy and very down to earth...Depends which side of the bed he falls out of i guess. The nightstalker has many sides to him, which if you read on you can catch a glimpse into the mind of the original Heavy Metal killer. We kept it light, Richard didnt ask me for photos of womens feet and legs this time, but i suspect he is having some cake buried in the belly of the beast. As documented everywhere you can tell Richard had a flock of groupie whores ready to do anything he had asked. They claimed he took a part of their soul when they spoke to him, yet gave in to him. I wish i had more time with the N.S but of course nothing lasts forever. Enjoy... Hail Satan

RICHARD RAMIREZ: Are you nervous?

A bit, but hardly. I did an interview with Manson not too long ago. I get a little uptight when I do interviews. You know, wondering if the questions will come out right or will they get angry at anything I might ask?

RR: Oh. Well, uh... go ahead and we'll see what happens. I don't mind any questions really.

Good. Let's start with the ladies. Why are some so attracted to you? Bernadette Brazal, not bad - pretty cute.

RR: I think the girls are attracted to me because they can relate to me. The girls are nice when you're in my situation, but since I'm in here I spend more time writing to them about the relationship, rather than living it, but there are good friendships formed never-the-less. A couple of them are religious, they come into my life to try and help me.

Can you be saved? By God and the Jesus kid?

RR: No, I'm pretty set in my ways. I doubt anything short of a miracle would change me. I do have an open mind, and I listen to them.

Were you brought up religiously?

RR: Very. My mother and father used to take me to church in Mexico and Texas, wer I used to live. The huge figures of saints and crucifixions. Religion played a big role in my life.

You think it captured your imagination?

RR: More than that, I saw myself inside it. It became a part of everyday life. How I thought. How I felt. Later on, by my teenage years, it was all in conflict with me, and still is. You understand? Bad and good and everything I had learned about Satan and God.

Did you believe God was watching?

RR: Yeah.

Most teenagers feel these delusions.

RR: All the actions in my life, at that time, I looked at them and tried to fathom how God would judge them.

So how'd you make out?

RR: Ugh, in my teens, it wasn't going too good. When I got to about 17, that really caused some problems with me. I started resorting to a life my mother didn't care for. At 17 she kicked me out, so it was a pretty hard life. I stole cars, I picked pockets. Stuff like that.

What happened at home that put you into that?

RR: I went off to reform school. I came back, she kicked me out. I fended for myself by selling drugs and stuff. Then I moved to California.

Is that where you got hooked up into devil worship?

RR: No, I started feeling like that before. I believe in Satan. I believe evil is a force that is beyond us, and that we just have to invite him in, and he will.

When did you actively start to bring the devil into your life, worship-wise?

RR: It was about 1980, and I was hustling on the streets. I landed in jail for a month or two for oetty theft. I met up with this guy who was a Satan worshiper. For those two months I was with him, then I get out of jail, but my mind didn't. I remembered everything he said, which basically was, "Why worship the good guy, when the things you do aren't so good?" Somehow it just made sense to me, to worship something that would protect you in what you were doing.

How did your worship take form?

RR: It developed slowly. I started reading the books, and then I started meeting people who were into the same thing. Satanists need to have more faith than Christians, because Christ was seen and felt. Lucifer has never felt the need to be seen, but in everyone's soul he can be felt. A lot of these little cults practice Satanism nowadays, but not in a violent form. They're only looking for ways to play out wickedness.

Ever tried your hand at a Black Mass?

RR: Only one, but kept my distance. I was not part of that group. It was at a cemetery and it was at night. I really couldn't tell what we were doing. A friend and me were watching from a distance. I never trusted people anyway. Especially them.

Why?

RR: They knew me and my lifestyle. They were the ones who made the connection and told the police for being a candidate for the Night Stalker crimes.

: What are some of the things you are accused of?

RR: I've been accused of almost every crime you can imagine.

At your trial, you went all L.A. on us. Dark shades, slick hair, attitude. Did you enjoy the attention?

RR: Going to the trial was very tiring for me, but I did enjoy it better than sitting in a jail cell. That could be very monotonous. The glasses, believe it or not, were prescription lenses that were tinted. And I just don't like my photograph being taken, more so now than then. Did I enjoy it? Hmm. No, not particularly. I would have rather been on the beach or something.

Your entire attitude during the trial was like, "Fuck the world!"

RR: I was receiving so much negative publicity. I wasn't going to give people the satisfaction of seeing me down. Besides, I didn't feel down. Plus, the image I had projected was beyond me. The nedia had portrayed me as a cold-hearted, ruthless monster, but I'm really not that way. I'm very down to earth. So, at that time I let people think whatever they wanted to. Tou see or hear about the crimes and then imagine what kind of individual was behind them.

The judge said your crimes were committed with "cruelty, callousness and viciousness beyond any human understanding."

RR: It is in no way beyond understanding. Mankind has been like that through out history. In today's society, people use those qualities - I call them qualities - for all things. It is for self-gratification. It is for sex. It is for excitment. This kind of fervor servers it's own purpose. It doesn't obey rules. It runs amok. You see it on the news everyday, but society cannot hang it's moral and ethical values on me to survive. i do what I must in all ways, and I'm proud of it. The necessity to be myself passes all moral barriers.

Have you been reading a lot?

RR: Yes, I read. A book I suggest to everybody is called, "Mysterious Stranger" by Mark Twain. It's about Satan and his visit here. A good book. I read suspense and horror, somethings that intrigue me. I have always been fascinated by death.

Is death sexual?

RR: Sexual? It can be. Next to self-preservation, the sex drive is the most important and powerful behavior in mankind.

When did you first start to think about death?

RR: When I was 11, I had an episode in my life. I saw my cousin shoot his wife. It wasn't traumatic... but the shock value. I went back into the apartment to collect some things with my dad, because my cousin was in jail. The bed was all bloody. It was there where she had landed after the bullet. She got a .38 to the face. At the same time it was very... uh. The stillness of the room, the eerieness, you know. We had to open the windows to ventilate the room and it was something. It was... (long pause) ...it was death! I had known the woman. I had known her very well. I went into the living room and saw her purse. I looked through her purse, saw her ID cards and her things. It was a strange feeling. That was the first time I ever ran across death. Ever since, I was intrigued.

What is blood to you?

RR: Blood is the substance that allows any living thing to exist, but blood is blood. I have heard of people drinking each other's blood. They cut each other, and they drink it and it's supposed to be a euphoric feeling. But, you know, blood has no special interest for me. Blood is blood.

Do you believe that when you kill someone, you can obtain that person's power?

RR: That dates back to the Incas and Mayans, they believed in that. It is a possiblity, but to me personally? I've had no experience with it.

Let me read to you a statement you made at your trial, "I am beyond your experience. I am beyond good and evil. Legions of the night, nightbeed... repeat not the errors of the night prowler, and show no mercy. I will be avenged. Lucifer dwells in us all. That's it." What were the night prowler's errors?

RR: I was under a lot of stress then. What I recall and if my memory serves me correct, I just meant not to believe in the system. Don't, for a minute, think you'll get a fair shake when under these circumstances.

Yeah, but were there errors?

RR: I was not aware of my actions. Everyone must find out who they are and be aware of their actions before they wind up in a vicious predicament.

Who are the "legions of the night"?

RR: People like yourself. People who thrive on the night. People who have true moral sense. You know who I'm talking about and talking to. They are the ones who feel they are not the majority. They have different feelings and attitudes about life. The rest are a bulk of cattle. Everyone plays a role and no one says what's truly on their mind.

When you were sentenced to the gas chamber, you said, "Big deal. Death always comes with the territory." What territory?

RR: I lived a dangerous life. Stealing cars, I could have been shot. Robbing people, I could have been killed. Nothing in existence holds any terror for me. When I was sentenced to death, it didn't hold anything for me.

What about now?

RR: Even less.

Does the Night Stalker deserve the gas chamber?

RR: It's all a bloodlust. When the state comes to execute a man, they laugh. So do I.

Do you still feel beyond good and evil?

RR: Everybody has got good and evil in them. I'd like to be 100% evil, but I can't. I'm too easy-going sometimes. Then again, while anger and hate are two things some people can cope with, I cannot. My anger and hate grow to a level that I cannot live comfortably with it. it causes me headaches and stuff. When I get angry, it's an extreme form. It is the extreme. There is no inbetween. But there is with good and evil, and I am there.

What's your favorite magazine?

RR: I don't know. I like alot of 'em. I especially like Hustler, but not for the reason most think. It's hard to get a copy in here, but I like it for the parody section. life's ajoke, and I enjoy when they make fun of something that everyone takes so fucking seriously. Freddie Mercury said, "In the end, we all die, and nothing really matters." Now I'm sure you're going to disagree with me because you'll get a bunch of these letters telling you that you are evil.

Trust me, I get tons already. with some of the articles I put in this rag, people send me tons.

RR: Seriously? What do you write about?

A sort of social Darwinist philosophy, but much more violent - killing off the weak, and shit like that.

RR: (starts tolaugh) Well alright! Cool. Listen, people are intrigued by that. I'm telling you. They'll say, "No." to you, but feel "Yes," in their hearts. They think it's wrong because they feel everyone wants them to say it is. You'll send me some, right?

I'll try. When I send them to prisoners, they send them back saying this material will not be allowed in incarceration facilities. So, tell me, how will you be avenged?

RR: I'm one angry motherfucker. I just hope all those who are deserving will get what's coming to them. I'll just leave it at that.

My philosophy is that most people get what 's coming to them. People really get what they deserve. Are you confident that people will get what's coming to them?

RR: Pieces of shit are killed everyday, aren't they?

Any last words for the kids out there?

RR: Keep the evil thought.

FHF: Thanks for your time.

RR: Take care of yourself.

(for some reason we both begin to laugh uncontrollably)

Peter Steele The Mayor Of Brooklyn

2010-10-24T01:21:00.004-04:00

This pic was sent to me as a reminder of how badd ass Peter Steele was/is. The mayor of Brooklyn, NY. I remember clearly Type O's first show as the newly named TON, from their short lived project REPULSION (no relation to the grind gods). When i first heard them live i was blown away. Never had i heard such heavy, dilapidated sounds mesh so well with keyboard ambiance. To say Petrus was one of a kind is easy. To say he was an original is not enough. Ave J and East 15th Street and Midwood served as stomping grounds for Josh Silver and Pete. Flatbush and Kings Hway were also popular hangouts for the guys also. He represented Brooklyn like no other entertainer, say for Biggie. Or Jay-Z. Rest In Power Mayor.

Kreig "The Isolationist"

2010-10-24T00:19:00.000-04:00

Krieg are the odd man out in the USBM spectrum. “True” almost to a fault, they lack the oppressive, claustrophobic bleakness of Xasthur, the Phil Spector-ian walls of blackened madness of Leviathan, or the psychedelic mindfuckery of Nachtmystium. The few times I’ve tried to get into Krieg, nothing jumped out at me. And yet, after hearing Krieg frontman/mastermind Imperial’s serrated vocals on Twilight’s Monument to Time End this year, it shook something in me. There’s a fundamental rawness to it that can’t be replicated in silly backyard corpsepaint GIFs. And that rawness is all over Krieg’s latest, the chilling The Isolationist. It’s got all the black metal hallmarks, sure, but they’re all tweaked to provide maximum effectiveness. Droning and repetitive to some ears, to others, it’s all about mood. And that mood is suffocating and bleak. It’s relentless hideousness is truly a thing to behold, and with it, Krieg ably prove themselves as major contributors to US black metal.

There’s nothing particularly exceptional on paper about the band: there’s a parade of mid-paced blastbeats, discordant tremolo picking, no audible bass, and some dude shrieking over the whole thing. But the drums are handled with great aplomb by Woe’s Chris Grigg, the guitars are strangely skeletal-yet-intricate in addition to providing the genre’s trademark chilliness, that lack of bass is played by Leviathan’s Wrest, and, as mentioned above, Krieg’s Imperial has a black metal voice to kill for. Usually bordering on self-parody, black metal vocals rarely express the anguish and viciousness of Imperial’s on The Isoaltionist. Like on the Twilight record, they do a ton of work to get across the sense of psychological horror the music churning under it suggests. But unlike that record (even despite the presence of producer Sanford Parker on both), it’s not reliant on funky Moog asides. Just terrifying darkness, the kind black metal often seems to sidestep in favor of silly posturing. Krieg grew out of a scene dominated by one-man projects, and accordingly, the music itself sounds brutally personal. It’s a man’s journey to the center of himself and being incredibly displeased with what he finds. On the rare occasion that it does dip up above the surface (like the melancholy middle of “All Paths to God,” the driving riff in “Inhalation Decays,” or the experimental portion of “Depakote”), one only dreads being dragged back down below.

And enough can’t be said about Sanford Parker’s production on The Isolationist: it’s clear enough not to sound like it wasn’t recorded by a mic with a sock over it, but there’s still a lot of grimy edges that go unpolished. And this couldn’t fit Krieg better: their inherent rawness thrives in those corners so that other portions can be properly illuminated. And while there are certainly other portions, they don’t take away from the whole, as The Isolationist is a dense, disturbing piece of work overall. It’s certainly not for everyone and even may not be an album its admirers bust out often. That being said, you’re not going to hear a lot of black metal this genuinely unnerving. I avoided Krieg for a while because I thought they were too unexceptionally “tr00.” If The Isolationist is any indicator, good fucking God, was I ever wrong. It’s repulsive enough to be offputting, but there still manages to be something there that draws you back in and holds your attention. That’s something your average Joe Grimpack can’t pull off in his obscure basement project with seventeen inverted crosses in the logo. Black metal ist Krieg, indeed.