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Day in Rock Report for 10/13/2015



Metallica Recording New Album 'Right Now' Says Hetfield

Metallica frontman James Hetfield reveals in a new interview that the band is currently in the studio recording their new album, the long-awaited follow-up to their acclaimed 2008 release "Death Magnetic."

Hetfield made the revelation during an appearance on EMGtv where he was discussing his new Het Set guitar pickups. He said, "We're recording right now, and there's the number one guitar, the number two guitar and here's the third-track guitars that just sound different. They all sound different."

hennemusic reports that the band spent much of the spring and summer on the road while they worked on sifting through hundreds of riffs for the project. "We have a lot of good songs," revealed guitarist Kirk Hammett in April. "The songs are ever-changing at this point. Nothing is etched in stone. We still have a lot of material have to sift through, still. We have well over a dozen songs and we still have well over two or three hundred riffs, too, so it's hard to say at what point we actually are in in the project.

"I don't think we hit the middle point yet. I would say we're at the 25 percent point, maybe 30 percent point. It's hard to say, but I mean we are working on it and there are songs and we're making plans to write more songs and record." Watch Hetfield's EMGtv interviewhere.

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David Bowie Has Retired From Touring

(Radio.com) Music legend David Bowie considers himself "retired" from touring, according to his booking agent John Gidding who was interviewed at the inaugural International Festival Forum, an event aimed at festivals and booking agents, according to Music Week.

'David [Bowie] is one of the best artists I've ever worked with," said Gidding. "But every time I see him now, before I even speak to him, he goes, I'm not touring and I say, I'm not asking."

Gidding then goes on to explain, "He has decided to retire and, like Phil Collins, you can't demand these people go out there again and again and again." Read more here.

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Van Halen Can Return To Platinum Glory With Stryper Singer's Help?

(Classic Rock) Stryper frontman Michael Sweet says he'd love to hit the studio with Van Halen to help them emulate past successes. Sweet feels 2012's A Different Kind Of Truth - their first with David Lee Roth on vocals since 1984 - was a let down. He thinks they have it in them to produce material of a similar quality to their first two albums - and he wants to be the one to help.

Sweet tells The Metal Voice: "I'm a huge Van Halen fan - about as big as they come. You know when you feel a band is just going through the motions and just not giving it their best? That's what I felt with that album.

"It got some really good reviews and I'm sitting reading them thinking, 'I'm hearing something completely different.' I just didn't get it." He continues: "I'd love to get a hold of those guys and take them in the studio and take them back to the old school days and help them make an album that's comparable with Van Halen I and Van Halen II. They'd probably have a platinum-selling album if they did that." Read more and watch the full interview here.

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The Stooges' Steve Mackay Dead At 66

(Classic Rock) The Stooges saxophonist Steve Mackay has died at the age of 66. Mackay's death leaves Pop as the only surviving members of The Stooges lineup that featured on 1970 album Fun House.

Mackay developed sepsis - an infection that can lead to organ failure - following surgery last month and he was in a critical condition at Seton Medical Center in Daly City, California.

The Stooges frontman Iggy Pop says: "Steve was a classic 60s American guy, full of generosity and love for anyone he met. Every time he put his sax to his lips and honked, he lightened my road and brightened the whole world. He was a credit to his group and his generation. To know him was to love him." See Iggy's post here.

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Queen Releasing Classic 1975 Concert 'A Night At The Odeon'

(hennemusic) Queen will release "A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975" in multiple formats (CD, DVD, SD Blu-Ray, 2 LP vinyl, Super Deluxe Box Set and digitally) on November 20.

The package captures the band's Christmas Eve concert at the famed London venue - the Hammersmith Odeon (now known as the Eventim Apollo) - a month after the release of their fourth album, "A Night At The Opera."

After playing five shows at Hammersmith earlier in the month, Queen returned for the finale of a 26-date fall UK tour that was broadcast live on BBC2-TV and BBC Radio 1.

"This concert was very special because it was the first time we ever played a whole show completely live on TV � the Christmas Show," says guitarist Brian May. "The quality, after great rescue work and transfer into the digital domain, is amazing. And the energy we had comes across very forcefully."

The concert took place while the album's lead single, "Bohemian Rhapsody", was in the middle of its record-breaking 9-week run at Number One in the UK charts. Read more including the tracklisting and watch the preview video here.

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Blues Guitarist Smokin' Joe Kubek Dead At 58

(The Blues) Blues guitarist Smokin' Joe Kubek has died of a heart attack shortly before he was due to take the stage at a music festival in North Carolina. He was 58-years-old.

The Texas musician was set to appear at Pleasure Island Seafood & Blues Festival on Sunday when he took ill. He worked with longtime musical partner Bnois King for almost 30 years and he is survived by his wife Phyllis.

Edward Chmelewski, president of Kubek's label Blind Pig Records, says: "Joe was truly one of the good guys, a humble, kind person and an immensely gifted musician. It's a great loss for all of us. We feel privileged to have known him and documented his music."

As well as Bnois King, Kubek worked with Al 'TNT' Braggs and Freddie King. His most recent release was this year's album Fat Man's Shine Parlor with Bnois King. Read more here.

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Foo Fighters Jam With Ben Kweller In Austin

(Radio.com) Dave Grohl sat high atop his rock throne for the second weekend in a row at Austin City Limits Festival, where the Foo Fighters were joined by the former Nirvana drummer's long-time friend Ben Kweller.

"I bumped into an old friend I hadn't seen in about 16 years," Grohl told the audience. Kweller came leaping onstage to add a potent harmony to "Big Me," off the band's very first album.

Grohl also shared that Kweller contributed harmony to the new song he recorded the night before. While Grohl was tracking the song, Kweller came into the studio and began singing. Grohl jumped on the chance immediately, telling Kweller, "Get your a- in the vocal booth right now." Read more and check out video from the show here.

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Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood Releasing New Album and Documentary

(Gibson) Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood will be releasing a new album and an accompanying documentary next month. The news about Greenwood's India sojourn first surfaced when he made an appearance on stage with Israeli musician Shye Ben Tzur at the World Sacred Spirit Festival in February.

It was then revealed that Greenwood was camping out at the majestic Mehrangarh Fort in the Rajasthan desert. With the blessings of the Maharajah, Greenwood had been living and recording with a collective of traditional Indian folk musicians as part of a new album in collaboration with Ben Tzur and long-time Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich.

The results of Greenwood's sessions are due to see the light of day when Junun, the resulting album releases on November 13th. The new album, featuring Greenwood collaborating with Tzur and Indian qawwali group The Rajasthan Express, will be accompanied by an hour-long documentary directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood, Inherent Vice). Check out the cover art here.

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Fall Out Boy Announce Wintour Is Coming Tour

(Radio.com) Fall Out Boy announced that they will be launching 20-city North American tour with AWOLNATION early next year. The two bands will be joined on the road by Pvris.

The Wintour is Coming tour kicks off on February 25 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will include stops in New Orleans, Memphis, New York and the band's hometown of Chicago.

Tickets go on sale this Friday when Fall Out Boy will also release their remixed single, "Irresistible," featuring Demi Lovato. The track, which has already sold over 100,000 copies, mixes in Lovato's vocals for a "reimagined" sound, according to the band's press release. See the dates here.

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Clutch Go To 11 With 'Psychic Warfare'

(hennemusic) Clutch barely missed scoring a Top 10 chart debut after their latest studio album, "Psychic Warfare", entered the US Billboard 200 album chart at No. 11. The band's 11th studio release sold 26,000 albums in its opening week.

The group recorded the project in Austin, TX with producer Machine at his Machine Shop studio, as well as some additional production at their home base in Maryland.

Clutch previewed the album's release of the lead track "X-Ray Visions." "The title 'Psychic Warfare' is taken from the track, 'X-Ray Visions," says singer Neil Fallon. "It's a tale about an unnamed protagonist who is forced to seek refuge in a flop house motel. He is hiding from several nefarious psychic forces, the worst of which is his own sleep deprived paranoia." Check out the video here.

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Queensryche Score Top 30 Debut With New Album 'Condition Human'

(hennemusic) Queensryche have landed a Top 30 debut on the US Billboard 200 with their 15th album, "Condition Human." The project enters the chart at No. 27 with opening week sales of 14,000 copies.

Produced by Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed, Sanctuary), "Condition Human" marks vocalist Todd La Torre's second album with the group following their 2013 self-titled release and a split with original singer Geoff Tate.

In advance of its release, the Seattle band previewed the record with the lead single, "Arrow Of Time", and its follow-ups "Guardian" and "Hellfire." Check out the video here.

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Fightstar Release 'Overdrive' Video From Comeback Album

(TeamRock Radio) Fightstar have released a video for their song "Overdrive," which comes from their comeback album Behind The Devil's Back. The album comes out October 16 and is their first studio release since 2009's Be Human.

Charlie Simpson, Alex Westaway, Dan Haigh and Omar Abidi previously issued streams of opening track Sharp Tongue and Animal. Simpson said of their return: "We were so blown away with the response to our 10-year anniversary shows earlier this year, that we wanted to get into the studio and work on the new material we'd stockpiled during our hiatus.

"Once we were in the studio the ideas flew thick and fast, and the album took shape very organically. This album is fresh and modern - but still uniquely identifiable as Fightstar." Watch the video here.

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Mike Portnoy Aims To Respect AJ Pero's Legacy With Twister Sister

(TeamRock Radio) Mike Portnoy says he faced a delicate juggling act when he stepped into the late AJ Pero's shoes in Twisted Sister. As one of the most in-demand drummers in rock, Portnoy is no stranger to collaborating with groups other than his own. And he briefly joined Avenged Sevenfold in the wake of the death of their drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan, making this the second time he's replaced a deceased sticksman.

And while he loves nothing more than showing off his chops on stage, he knew he had to respect the legacy of Pero - who died earlier this year - as he had with The Rev.

Portnoy tells Noize In The Attic: "I know how to be a professional and know how to do what is called for, depending on the gig I'm doing. I play in six different bands and I wear very different hats in all of them. I know when I'm supposed to be a leader, be a collaborator or be a hired gun, like I am with Twisted.

"I had a similar scenario when I filled in with Avenged Sevenfold, coming in with a drummer that had passed away and honouring and respecting what laid before me. As sad as it is to say, this is actually my second time filling in for a deceased drummer and I kind of know how to handle the situation.

"At the same time I want to be me. To pay respect to AJ and The Rev, but I also want to be me, but be me very respectfully. Normally my stage presence is very acrobatic and trying to steal the spotlight. But I know when to pull it back and what hat to wear. With Twisted, I had to be very respectful and serve a purpose." Read more here.

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Bring Me The Horizon Frontman Speaks Out For Animal Rescue Facility

(TeamRock Radio) Bring Me The Horizon frontman Oli Sykes has urged fans to help prevent the closure of a Greek animal rescue facility. The Santorini Animal Welfare Association is facing closure, with the prospect of dozens of dogs being dumped on the streets of the small island.

And the singer, who adopted a dog from the facility while the band were recording fifth album That's The Spirit, wants fans to contact the local mayor to urge him to change his mind about the decision.

Sykes says: "The shelter is amazing and they do so much for Santorini's dog population. They even go as far as rehoming dogs to Germany, Sweden, Denmark and the UK. However, the shelter is under attack again."

"The mayor has decided to close down the shelter because they don't give a single f*** about the lives of animals and feel that SAWA is a 'sore sight' for Santorini - even though it's in a very remote location." Read his complete post here.

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Post-Rock Scene Subject Of New Book

(Prog) A book celebrating the post-rock movement is set for release next month. Storm Static Sleep: A Pathway Through Post-Rock by Jack Chuter will be published via Function Books on November 15.

The 295-page volume features interviews with the main players in the genre, including producer Steve Albini, Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite and Slint's David Pajo.

Chuter says: "I've loved post-rock since my early teens, yet it's always troubled me that none of the existing accounts of post-rock history make any sense whatsoever.

"The internet liberally declares Slint and Talk Talk as the originators of the genre, while quietly glossing over the fact that, sonically, these bands couldn't be further apart.

"I wanted to write a book that would lay the groundwork for a strong, consistent understanding of the post-rock narrative." Read more here.

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Shining Release Death Defying 'Last Day' Video

(Prog) Norwegian blackjazz pioneers Shining have given Metal Hammer the UK premiere of their epic new video for the song "Last Day". The clip features the band playing on top of Trolltunga (a giant piece of rock poking out of a mountain at 700 metes/2296 feet).

"I'm so happy and proud to finally be able to present to you the first song from our insane mountain concert at Trolltunga in Norway," Shining frontman J�rgen Munkeby tells Metal Hammer about the video. "Not only was it the absolute craziest day of my life, and an experience that will be ingrained in my viking bones until I die.

"We also managed to record and film it all, and not to mention get away from it alive - which is no given up there! I hope this video will give you a memorable experience that you won't forget. In addition it gives you a unique opportunity to see a Norwegian blackjazz band running free in its natural habitat. Enjoy! And don't try this at home!" Watch the video here.

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Mastodon Set To Headline Bloodstock 2016

(Prog) Mastodon are the first headliners to be confirmed for next year's Bloodstock festival. The Saturday night main slot will mark the band's debut at the Derbyshire event.

Frontman Troy Sanders says: "Since day one, nobody has embraced Mastodon better than the UK. Thank you for inviting us to our first festival headlining slot at Bloodstock 2016. We will not disappoint."

It's the first Mastodon show to be announced since the band had to cancel their summer dates. They're joining the bill alongside the previously announced Venom and Behemoth. Read more here.

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Magic Pie To Rock Summer's End Next Year

(Prog) Magic Pie have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Summer's End festival, which is scheduled to take place on September 30 through October 2, 2016.

The Norwegian outfit were forced to withdraw from this month's event as one of the band was facing a "serious family problem." They were replaced by The Enid, but have vowed to put the disappointment of missing out behind them in 2016.

The band say: "Next year we'll be even stronger so we're looking forward to meeting you all again. Until then, stay happy." Venue details and the rest of the lineup is still to be announced. Read more here.

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Children Of Bodom Reveal What They Would Never Do

(TeamRock Radio) Finish rockers Children Of Bodom will never record vocals in their native tongue, according to mainman Alexi Laiho. The Finnish outfit have just released their ninth album entitled I Worship Chaos via Nuclear Blast. And Laiho can't imagine delivering their tracks in his own language.

He says: "With any kind of rock or metal, English is the most natural sounding thing. For us, it came automatically because any kind of music we listen to was sung in English. I couldn't imagine doing any of this in Finnish. That would be very strange - and not in a good way."

He continues: "There's a couple of old school punk bands that sing in Finnish, and for that sort of music Finnish is perfect because it's a pretty angry sounding language." Watch the full interview here.

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Singled Out: HUDSON's Cast Out

HUDSON are creating a buzz with their authentic rock sound and today guitarist/producer Chris Llewellyn tells us about the crazy story behind the title track of their new EP "Cast Out", which comes out October 21st. Here is the story:

Our single "Cast Out" was written in response to a very traumatic event that happened in the spring of 2009. Our bassist/keyboardist Brian Cohen and I were living in Atlanta at the time, producing and touring with various major label acts. We woke up one day and decided we were going to move to Los Angeles to continue pursuing our production career and possibly find a singer for a band. We decided to leave that very week and went out the night before our departure to celebrate. I went out with a friend of mine and Brian went out with a friend of his separately. Later that night I received a call from Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta saying Brian had been beaten nearly to death and was in the trauma unit. I rushed to the hospital and arrived to find my best friend completely unrecognizable. I ended up taking photos of him that night, as well as photos of the scene of the crime. He had been beaten in and out of consciousness multiple times and as a result had a major fracture in his face, as well as 3 breaks in his foot. It took him a major surgery and a full month to heal enough so that we could make the trek out to California.

The five guys who beat him that night were caught thanks to a taxi driver seeing the whole incident and getting the license plate number of the getaway car. From there, it took six years to finally make it to court.

In November 2014 we flew to Atlanta for the trial. Due to complications in the trial and facts that were skewed, all five defendants ended up walking away scot-free. Our first response was to get angry and want revenge. We felt that justice had not been served, as it seemed that 3 of the 5 guys felt zero remorse for what they had done. I called our lead singer David back in California and relayed to him the outcome of the trial. He was as upset as we were and ended up taking a really powerful track we had recently recorded and wrote the lyrics to "Cast Out". By the time we made the flight back to L.A. the next day, the song was finished.

One of the main lines in the song that truly sums up the meaning of it for us is "If I had my way I'd break your face, but instead everyday you're gonna hear my name." It was basically our way of saying we were going to take the high road and focus on being successful rather than retaliating against the perpetrators. We wanted to promote the fact that you can take a negative experience and use it as fuel for something positive. Six years after this absolutely horrific event, we have an extremely powerful song with an equally powerful message to share with the world. Without this event happening, "Cast Out" would have never been written and we might not even be here talking with you today.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself here and learn more about the band and the EP right here!

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