Sepultura Mark 2013

Yup, it’s another Kickstarter campaign. Filmmaker Otavio Juliano has been trailing Brazilian thrash legends Sepultura over the past two years with the aim of making the ultimate (and official) Sepultura documentary!

So far around 50% of the film has been made, with a trailer featuring Phil Anselmo and Scott Ian now online. All funding for the film is coming through Kickstarter, so if you fancy seeing an awesome documentary on one of the greatest bands ever, as filmed by a fan, for the fans, you can donate here.

Have you read our fucking amazing cover feature with Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine yet? Well, if you haven’t, we’re going to give you a preview of it right now.

We go to sit down with Dave for a full, no-frills interview, covering everything from his controversial reputation and outspoken views to new Megadeth opus Super Collider – featuring, amongst other things, a banjo. Er….

IS THERE A TINY PART OF YOU THAT ENJOYS PROVOCATION?

“No, I don’t say things to get a reaction. The stuff that I write about is important to me. Some of the subjects on Peace Sells… are still relevant, particularly environmental issues. And the personal stuff is relevant. I’ve written songs about loss and pain – everyone goes through that so, no, I’m not being provocative. We actually have fun songs too. If you’re pissed-off, the title track on Super Collider or Symphony Of Destruction might make you feel better.”

Our big pretty feature, OUT NOW!

YOUR MISCHIEVOUS SENSE OF HUMOUR AND INTERVIEW RHETORIC SEEMS LIKE IT HAS ALWAYS BORDERED ON THE SELF-DESTRUCTIVE

“Yeah, and it doesn’t translate well, does it? Probably the biggest thing that has harmed my career is being misunderstood but is it better to be understood or to understand? I understand much more now so I’m less inclined to be preaching or complaining about being misquoted now. There are people who love me and people who don’t, but everyone’s entitled. I have love in my heart for both. I don’t get mad about the people who dislike me. You can get obsessed with that. Someone doesn’t like me? Tough shit for me!”

YOU SEEM FAIRLY APPROACHABLE TODAY.

“I am approachable! But I have a terrible reputation. There was a guy who used to manage me, and when we had a falling out I think he started rumours about me being difficult. But we became friends again, and reconciled. And that was all part of a process of reconciliation, including with Metallica and Ellefson, too. And do you know what? When that happened my injured arm and injured thumb started working again. Crazy, huh?”

Wanna read more? Then order yourself a copy of our new issue, out now and also featuring TRIVIUM, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, PARKWAY DRIVE, BRING ME THE HORIZON, a free ROB ZOMBIE BONUS MAG, a free CD and much, much more. FUCK YEAH!

Kylsea: Southern charm

Because Kylesa are one of our favourite bands from the Deep South ever ever ever, we’re streaming their amazing new album Ultraviolet in full! Riffs everywhere.

Ultraviolet Tracklisting
1. Exhale
2. Unspoken
3. Grounded
4. We’re Taking This
5. Long Gone
6. What Does It Take
7. Steady Breakdown
8. Low Tide
9. Vulture’s Landing
10. Quicksand
11. Drifting

Ultraviolet is released May 23 via Season Of Mist

The Devil Wears Prada: Back later this year

The Devil Wears Prada have been busy in the studio recording the follow-up to 2011′s excellent Dead Throne.

Look!

Expect the new DWP to drop later this year, but in the meantime you can catch them at Ghostfest in June.

AMAZING LIVE BAND IN AMAZING

UK, be afraid. The Dillinger Escape Plan have announced a UK tour for this Autumn!

Expect lots of this:

Yup, looks about right. Catch the seminal stage-smashers on the following dates:

October:

31st Brighton, Concorde 2

November

1st Cardiff, Solus
2nd Leeds, The Cockpit
4th Aberdeen, Garage
5th Glasgow, Garage
6th Manchester, Academy 2
7th Wolverhampton, Slade Rooms
8th London, Koko
9th Nottingham, Rock City

Tickets are on sale now and are £14 regionally and £16 in London from http://www.seetickets.com/tour/the-dillinger-escape-plan and www.livenation.co.uk

Latest and typically brilliant Dillinger Album One Of Us Is The Killer is out now via Party Smasher Inc

Blacklisters. Children of Brew-dom

Awesome, noisy, Leeds-based independent record label Brew have announced that they are to call it a day after six awesome years.

Responsible for the likes of Hawk Eyes, Humanfly, Blacklisters and Kong, the label have put together a playlist showcasing some of the awesome artists they’ve worked with over the years:

‘We’ve had the pleasure of releasing some incredible records over the years and have been fortunate to work with so many amazing people,” say the label in a statement. “We’d like to thank everyone that has ever supported us, bought a record or a t-shirt and spread our music in general. Humanfly’s ‘Awesome Science’ is our final release and we couldn’t think of a better record to go out on which sums up what we love about physical records both musically and aesthetically. The label will still remain active for a while as we wind things down and continue to take and fulfil orders.

“To celebrate/commiserate we are currently running a big sale on our store where every CD/vinyl/shirt/poster (except the new Humanfly album) is now reduced in price. For the next 2 weeks all our releases are set to ‘pay what you like’ on bandcamp too (except the new Humanfly album) so feel free to explore our back catalog and if you feel like paying some money we won’t complain’.”

To see some of the items they’ve got on offer. head to www.brewrecords.bigcartel.com

Motorhead will headline the awards show on June 17!

Voting for this year’s Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards has officially closed!

A huge thanks to each and every one of you that voted this year – we’ll have all your winners announced live from the awards show on Monday June 17! Ticket winners will be notified in due course. Cheers!

Uncle Phil: still fresh

Download Festival 2013 is finally just around the corner, so we’re grabbing some of the biggest and best bands from this year’s lineup to throw some irreverent bollocks at. Not literally. That’d be insane. Today, we chat to Phil Anselmo from Down. We don’t even know why we said “from Down”. It’s Phil fucken’ Anselmo. Fuck!

Hi, Phil! How many times have you been to Donington?

I have no clue. Two to three times?

What’s your favourite Donington memory?

Right off the bat, I’d say inviting Ghost onstage with Down to jam the end of Bury Me In Smoke!

Down: heavy

What are you most looking forward to about playing this year?

Doing a good gig, seeing old friends, swilling with the mobs.

Which bands on the bill are you most excited about?

Well, it’d be unfair to single out a handful of bands because I’m friends with a good majority of them, so I’ll keep this answer pretty stagnant. Besides, we’re only there one day, sadly!

What can we expect from your set?

Probably a new song or two off the last EP, plus all the old “hits” that have made us the best-dressed band in Hollywood…. cough-cough…

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen at a festival?

My reflection in the mirror… fucking horrible sight!

If you could only pack five things to take with you, what would they be ?

A good book, some reading glasses, a shitload of cigarettes, a horse-drawn wagon full of good beer and a copy of “Boxing News” magazine (the BEST Boxing mag in the world, British-grown).

Download 2013 takes place June 14-16. Grab your tickets now

More Download Interviews

Bury Tomorrow
Turisas

A Westboro Idiot

Exceptionally stupid, Kansas-based hate group the Westboro Baptist Church has announced via its Twitter page that it plans to picket the public memorial celebration of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away aged 49 on May 2.

“WBC to picket @slayer’s Jeff Hanneman’s memorial, May 23, 1pm, @thepalladium in Los Angeles,” confirm the fanatical idiots. “See ya there, @HeavySan?”

Taking place Thursday, May 23 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles from 3:30 – 7:30PM, the event will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and is open to all ages.

Jeff passed away on May 2 after suffering liver failure, with a flood of tributes pouring in from peers, friends and countless fans around the world soon after. We’ll be paying tribute to Jeff in our next issue, which is out May 28.

Lambesis in court last week

A report by the San Diego Reader states that As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis is due to attend a new bail hearing today after his initial bail was believed to be set at $3 million.The hearing will take place in San Diego’s North County Superior Courthouse at 1.30pm local time.

Lambesis was arrested earlier this month on charges of attempting to organise the murder of his estranged wife. Lambesis has pleaded not guilty to the charges, despite the prosecution claiming that they have recorded evidence of the singer meeting with an undercover police officer to facilitate the killing, with Lambesis being accused of providing photos and address details as well as organising an alibi.

As I Lay Dying with Tim Lambesis (centre)

As I Lay Dying were forced to pull out of a planned US tour with Killswitch Engage as a result, with more details of the case set to be revealed this week. When they are, we’ll have them right here.

Amazing awards shows? We shit ‘em. Get excited.

Why haven’t you cast yours yet?! Metal Hammer Golden Gods 2013 voting closes at noon today. If you want a decent shot at winning tickets to the show itself and hanging with Motorhead, Airbourne, Five Finger Death Punch, Coal Chamber and Paradise Lost, this is your best shout. Do NOT miss out.

THE WEEKEND HAS OFFICIALLY LANDED

Amazing awards shows? We shit ‘em. Get excited.

….tickets to see Motorhead, Airbourne, Five Finger Death Punch, Paradise Lost and Coal Chamber. COME OOOON!.

GET VOTING WHILE YOU STILL CAN

Black bloody Sabbath

If you’re reading this from the US, you can watch the recent CSI episode featuring Black Sabbath playing brand new track End Of The Beginning right now!

Head over to CBS now to have a watch (PLEASE NOTE, THIS VIDEO IS NOT OPEN TO RESIDENTS OUTSIDE THE US)

If you’re stuck here in Blighty with us, you’ll just have to wait to watch the episode until it airs on Channel 5 on Tuesday May 21 at 9pm.

End Of The Beginning is taken from new Black Sabbath album 13, out June 10 and the first Sabbs album to feature Ozzy, Tony and Geezer for 35 years.

13 Tracklist

1.  End Of The Beginning (8:07)
2.  God Is Dead? (8:54)
3.  Loner (5:06)
4.  Zeitgeist (4:28)
5.  Age Of Reason (7:02)
6.  Live Forever (4:49)
7.  Damaged Soul (7:43)
8.  Dear Father (7:06)

The heavy metal godfathers will head out to Europe on the following dates this winter:

Black Sabbath European tour 2013

Nov 20: Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland
Nov 22: Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 24: Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway
Nov 26: Forum, Denmark, Copenhagen
Nov 28: Ziggo Dome, Holland, Amsterdam
Nov 30: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
Dec 2: Bercy, Paris, France
Dec 5: Fiera Arena, Milan, Italy
Dec 7: 02 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
Dec 10: 02 Arena, London, UK
Dec 12: Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Ireland
Dec 14: Arena, Sheffield, UK
Dec 16: Hydro, Glasgow, UK
Dec 18: Arena, Manchester, UK
Dec 20: LG Arena, Birmingham, UK
Dec 22: LG Arena, Birmingham, UK

It’s been a bumpy old time for Tesseract to say the least. From putting out one of the debuts of 2011 with third and seemingly well-settled vocalist Dan Thompson with the wonderful One, things all looked rosey for djent’s British leaders to become one of the biggest progressive metal bands these isles have seen.

Then Dan buggered off. Ah. Awkward, that. Luckily, they found another supremely talented vocalist in American chum Elliot Coleman, who’s Jeff Buckley-esque tones offered the band a new dimension, as displayed on last year’s promising stopgap EP, Perspective.

Tesseract Mark II with Elliot (centre)

Then Elliot buggered off. God damn it. Game over, then, lads?

AW HELL NAW.

With latest and, we’re reliably informed, definitely-staying-put frontman Ashe O’ Hara, Tesseract have come back stronger than even we’d thought they would, with an epic new album in Altered State in the bag and a new found energy that is quickly making their live shows the stuff of tear-jerking legend.

Tonight, they wrap up their UK tour at London’s Islington Academy, with barmy genre-crushing DJ The Algorithm and techy chums Enochian Theory both in tow. It’s gonna be huge, and a few tickets are still on sale, so if you’re local, go get yourself some tech metal mastery. GO ON.

Korn: together again

Korn played their first full gig with Head for eight years at the Rostraver Ice Garden in Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania last night.

The setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Blind
02. Ball Tongue
03. Twist
04. Chi
05. Falling Away from Me
06. Narcissistic Cannibal
07. Dead Bodies Everywhere
08. Coming Undone
09. Did My Time
10. Shoots And Ladders / Somebody Someone
11. Here To Stay
12. Kill Mercy Within
13. Helmet In The Bush
14. No Place to Hide
15. Need To
16. Lies
17. Another Brick In The Wall (PINK FLOYD cover)

Encore:

18. 4 U
19. Get Up!
20. Got The Life
21. Freak On A Leash

If you want to see some fairly rubbish fan-filmed footage of the show, you can do so below:

Korn return to the UK with Head in tow at Download in June. It’s going to be fucking huge.

Slayer have announced the details of a public memorial taking place later this month to honour the memory of Jeff Hanneman, who tragically passed away earlier this month.

Taking place Thursday, May 23 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles from 3:30 – 7:30PM, the event will be open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis and is open to all ages.

Slayer with Jeff (second left)

Jeff passed away on May 2 after suffering liver failure, with a flood of tributes pouring in from peers, friends and countless fans around the world soon after. We’ll be paying tribute to Jeff in our next issue, which is out May 28.

Black bloody Sabbath

Black Sabbath were featured on a recent episode of hit US crime show CSI, and a video of the metal icons playing new track End Of The Beginning has landed!

Check out a behind-the-scenes video from the episode here

End Of The Beginning is taken from new Black Sabbath album 13, out June 10 and the first Sabbs album to feature Ozzy, Tony and Geezer for 35 years.

13 Tracklist

1.  End Of The Beginning (8:07)
2.  God Is Dead? (8:54)
3.  Loner (5:06)
4.  Zeitgeist (4:28)
5.  Age Of Reason (7:02)
6.  Live Forever (4:49)
7.  Damaged Soul (7:43)
8.  Dear Father (7:06)

The heavy metal godfathers will head out to Europe on the following dates this winter:

Black Sabbath European tour 2013

Nov 20: Hartwall Arena, Helsinki, Finland
Nov 22: Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 24: Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway
Nov 26: Forum, Denmark, Copenhagen
Nov 28: Ziggo Dome, Holland, Amsterdam
Nov 30: Westfalenhalle, Dortmund, Germany
Dec 2: Bercy, Paris, France
Dec 5: Fiera Arena, Milan, Italy
Dec 7: 02 Arena, Prague, Czech Republic
Dec 10: 02 Arena, London, UK
Dec 12: Odyssey Arena, Belfast, Ireland
Dec 14: Arena, Sheffield, UK
Dec 16: Hydro, Glasgow, UK
Dec 18: Arena, Manchester, UK
Dec 20: LG Arena, Birmingham, UK
Dec 22: LG Arena, Birmingham, UK

Bury Tomorrow [Photo Credit: Tom Barnes]

How many times have you been to Donington?

Unfortunately, I haven’t ever had the chance to go

How does it feel making your Download debut?

Unbelievable; it’s always a strange feeling first going to a festival to play. Especially a festival as massive as Download – stoked is an understatement.

What are you most looking forward to about playing this year?

I think the lineup this year is so perfect it has something for everyone, really. Also, I think we have waited long enough, so when we do play a fair amount of people could turn up!

Which bands on the bill are you most excited about?

Rammstein! That band have the best live set of all time so I am so stoked to see them smash it again this year.

What can we expect from your set?

Fast, high energy metal. We will be bringing our best set of songs to please everyone – plus we don’t take ourselves to seriously, so some crowd banter as well.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen at a festival?

I think bottling is my least favourite thing about festivals, to be honest. At the end of the day, every band has to have balls to get up and put on a show. That should be enough for people to respect that, or at least go and watch other bands. Bottling just shows a massive lack of respect, and I’m hugely against it.

If you could only pack five things to take with you, what would they be?

A portable hot tub for after the set, a quad bike to mish around on and watch all the bands, some toilet roll, haha, a go pro camera to capture all the madness, and my own toilet seat. I have a big bag, hahaha!

Download 2013 takes place June 14-16. Grab your tickets now

Slam Dunk 2013: Up in yo’ grill

Think that Slam Dunk is for pop punks? Well a lot of it is, but there are some blinding heavier acts from across the spectrum playing this year’s festival, too! We’ve picked out the very finest acts set to blow your Bank Holiday to bits next week. You’re welcome.

Cancer Bats

Cancer Bats: True Canadian Hardcore

What is there left to say about one of hardcore’s great modern trailblazers? You know the drill by now: Cancer Bats will bound on stage, rip said stage apart, probably drop that cover just for the LOLs and then bound right back off again. Easy.

Memphis May Fire

The Texans are finally starting to get profile on these shores deserving of their status as one of metalcore’s most upstanding young offerings, not least thanks to last year’s ace Challenger album and a killer stint supporting Cali heavyweights Of Mice And Men last Autumn. Their relentless mashup of big breakdowns and bigger hooks make them perfect Slam Dunk fodder. Expect shit to go off.

Bury Tomorrow

Bury Tomorrow: Considerably Better At Catchy Choruses Than You

British metalcore’s fine young hopes, Bury Tomorrow dropkicked our jaws to the floor with last year’s spellbinding The Union Of Crowns and have generally been laying waste to whatever stage they take to ever since. Expect ferocious riffs and addictive hooks littered with dose choruses. Like this one…

The Word Alive

SYNTHS BRO

Sounding like Miss May I had a baby with AFI while eating a keyboard, The Word Alive are pretty much nailed-on favourites to make you want to bang your head, pump your fist, loosen your vocal chords and kick a glo-stick about every few bars.

Heights

Heights: hardcore, you know the score

Herts’ finest are not just one of the best hardcore-based bands to come out of the Home Counties this decade (no small order given that Gallows are from Watford, eh?), they’re also only getting better when it comes to leaving your jaw glued to the floor when it comes to the live shows.

Heart In Hand

The South Coast ragers are fast amassing themselves a formidable legion of followers and a well-deserved reputation as a turbulent live band. Expect big pits and, probably, some silly hardcore dancing. Well, it is a Bank Holiday, after all.

 Devil Sold His Soul

Devil Sold His Soul: Future heavyweights

With Ed Gibbs recently announcing his departure from the band, this will be your very last chance to catch DSHS with this lineup! The ambient post-hardcore world-beaters – who recently headlined our immense Razor Tour, lest we forget – will be on top form. Plus, you know shit’s going to get emotional. Don’t miss it.

Slam Dunk 2013 takes place May 25-27 across three venues, with three special mini-Slam Dunk events also taking place around them! Head to the official Slam Dunk site for the full lineup and all ticket details.

Ronnie James Dio: Legend

Incredibly, it’s now been three years since we lost Ronnie James Dio.

Here’s the five videos we picked this time last year to sum up just what an incredible talent and force for heavy metal that amazing man was. RIP, Ronnie. We still miss you dearly.

Dio – Holy Diver

Rainbow – Stargazer

Black Sabbath – I

Dio – Rainbow In The Dark

Heaven And Hell – Bible Black

Mayo and Kermode: learning about metal, bit by bit

Yeah, you read that precisely right. The Boss Man was invited to talk to the two BBC Radio 5Live mainstays about Lamb Of God on their recent Film Reviews show.

Obviously

Listen to the show here (it’s the JJ Abrams one, our Milas kicks in around 1:40)

We’ve heard that Kermode is up for appearing on a Metal Hammer Podcast soon. COME ON MARK, GET INVOLVED.

Josh Homme: showbiz mates everywhere

Following in the footsteps of Metallica and Mastodon, Queens Of The Stone Age played two new songs on Later With Jools Holland last night.

Have a look at Josh and the boys ploughing through My God Is The Sun and I Sat By The Sea below…

The tracks are taken from imminent new QOTSA album …Like Clockwork, which lands on June 3 right before they play Download.

Randy was found not guilty in his manslaughter trial earlier this year

Randy Blythe has posted another extremely poignant, thought-provoking and particularly moving blog that expressed some of the conflicting emotions he felt upon hearing that he was found not guilty of the manslaughter of Lamb of God fan Daniel Nosek.

He also underlines the dignity and lack of malice that underpinned the attitude and actions of Daniel’s family throughout the trial and reinstates his call for compassion directed at the people that have been most affected by Daniel’s death. It’s an amazing read, some of which is below:

“When I returned to Prague for trial, answering the charge of killing a young man named Daniel Nosek who was a fan of my band, one of the biggest hurdles I and my legal team faced was attempting to explain the atmosphere of a heavy metal show, trying to get across to three Czech judges how smashing into other people and flying through the air over a crowd in the hopes of being caught was a normal thing. From the perspective of folks who are not a part of our scene, these seem to be the actions of insane people.

“Why would anyone do such a thing? You could be severely injured.”

“Over and over throughout my trial, the witnesses and myself were asked if we knew what “stage diving” and “moshing” were, then asked to explain these things. Slowly, through a translator and with the help of videos we put together, we tried our best to show that the aggressive nature of our music and other bands like mine was not an expression of malice. My character was questioned again and again, several witnesses saying ludicrous things like how my quick onstage movements, my deep voice, my profuse sweating, and how I dumped water over my head (astoundingly, I do it because I’m sweaty and hot) was clearly evidence of the fact that I was drunk, on some sort of drugs, and yes, even evil. I was sober as a judge that night, thank God, and I know I never intended anyone harm, otherwise I would not have been able to fight for my freedom. I would have had to tell the judges “I do not know what happened. Maybe I did try to hurt this man. I just do not know. I cannot remember- I was drunk.” As a sober, responsible adult, my conscious would not have allowed otherwise.

Randy in court earlier this year

“Sober or not, convincing these judges that our show and others like it aren’t some sort violently nihilistic orgy of hate and self-destruction took a little doing. Explaining via a state supplied translator what you and I take for granted as people having fun at a show was one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced. It was like trying to tell a person who has been blind from birth what the color purple looks like. People outside of our scene cannot be expected to understand the way we act at shows without a lengthy explanation, and even then they may just think you are crazy. But in the end I was exonerated, and I am a free man as of this moment.

“The family of Daniel Nosek never attacked me in the press. They never wished me ill, either publicly or privately. They did not smear my name in front of any judge, prosecutor, or police officer, did not stare at me malevolently in the court room. For this I am eternally grateful to them. I certainly would understand if they had, and would have made no attempt to dissuade them from holding a low opinion of me, for all they knew about me was what the Czech press had initially published- a picture of me as a barbaric murderous American with evil intent. I know what it feels like to hold my dead child in my arms. The emotions one goes through are absolutely indescribable. If I had had a finger to point at someone for taking my daughter from me, I probably would have, especially if there had been the sort of media circus that surrounded my arrest.

Randy’s trial attracted the attention of the world’s media

“Daniel’s family did not point any fingers at me. They just wanted to know the truth of what had happened to their son, so they came to court and listened as I did my best to provide them with what I knew. Before the verdict was delivered, the uncle of Daniel (who was the family’s representative in court) told the judge that no amount of money was going to bring their boy back, and after hearing the evidence, withdrew the family’s motion against me for damages. He also wanted me to know that Daniel had died on his father’s birthday, and that Daniel’s mother had been unable to function at her job since Daniel’s death.

“That was it. They didn’t want anything from me in that courtroom except for me to understand how this had affected them. There was no malice, just the real, honest, pain that I was already regrettably so familiar with. It was one of the most amazing displays of strength and dignity I have ever witnessed.”

Read the blog in full over on Randy’s tumblr

Lamb Of God play Bloodstock in August