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Day in Rock Report for 09/06/2016


Today's Day in Rock Stories


Axl Rose Explains How Guns N' Roses Reunion Came About

(hennemusic) Axl Rose reveals how the Guns N' Roses reunion came together in the past 18 months in a new interview for Brazil television station Globo TV's weekly news magazine Fantastico.

"It had a lot to do with Paul Tollett of Coachella," Axl said. "He started talking about it. It seemed real. So at that point, I just told my people that they could go ahead and start talking to people and see what's going on. And then as it became more real, I texted [my assistant] Fernando [Lebeis] and asked for Slash's number. And then Fernando texted his mom [Beta Lebeis, from his management team], and he was, like, 'If this is a joke, I'm gonna kill you.'"

As the Coachella discussions in early 2015 naturally expanded into talk of a possible tour, Rose re-connected with Slash for the first time in more than two decades.

"In October, we got together and we had a dinner at my house," the singer explains. "And then Duff and I went and hung out right after that - like a week or so after. And then it was just kind of talking and planning."

Slash and Duff connected with longtime GNR drummer Frank Ferrer early on to get a setlist together and work things out in rehearsal - including material from 2008's "Chinese Democracy."

"I didn't have anything, really, to do with that," says Rose. "They stepped to songs on 'Chinese'. They asked, 'Which ones are you interested in us doing?' and stuff, and they stepped to that on their own. They started working with Frank, 'cause they had their own way of working with the drummer, and working with the rhythms, and kind of picked up the tempo on some of the old songs a bit, and things like that, and got their communication working. So they spent a good while with that on their own."

"I really got to discover - in the best of ways - the album 'Chinese Democracy' that Axl made, and it was these songs he had worked on," adds McKagan. "And I had listened to the record, but when you start to play the songs as a player, you really discover all the layers in the songs. But really kind of how you hear it and how I'm hearing the songs are maybe a little bit different. And when we went into rehearsals, we wanted to really own that� like this is gonna be what we're doing." Watch the full interview here.

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Metallica Announce First Leg Of Hardwired Tour

(hennemusic) Metallica have announced dates for a fall tour of Latin America which will be first leg of the trek in support of their forthcoming album, "Hardwired�To Self Destruct."

The five-show run will begin in San Juan, Puerto Rico on October 26. "It's on!!!," says the band. "As we put the finishing touches on Hardwired�To Self-Destruct we're also getting ready to hit the road for the first of many headlining shows around the world.

"To kick it all off we're returning to five cities we know will absolutely rock hard with all kinds of crazy Metalli-love and get this tour started right! First up we travel to Latin America with stops in Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Colombia, Guatemala and Costa Rica.

"We can't think of a better place to get the juices flowing and set the table for many more shows to come! We are beyond excited to get out there, visit all of you and test out some of the new songs live." See the dates here.

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Aerosmith's Joey Kramer Addresses Farewell Tour Rumors

(Classic Rock) Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer says that there are no plans for a farewell tour as far as he knows, but he has confirmed that the veteran band will hit the road next year.

In June, frontman Steven Tyler said the band would embark on their final run of shows next year. Though guitarist Joe Perry said it had been discussed over the years, he recently admitted that he can't ever imagine calling it quits.

Now Kramer tells Culture Map: "As far as I know there is no farewell tour." When asked why Tyler had announced send-off plans, he replies: "Because it was something we were talking about, and he has a habit of projecting on things that haven't been completed yet." Read more here.

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Dillinger Escape Plan Announce Their 'Final' Tour

(Metal Hammer) The Dillinger Escape Plan have announced their a 2017 European tour. The New Jersey outfit recently announced they'll go on indefinite hiatus following the tour cycle for upcoming sixth album Dissociation, which is due out on October 14 via guitarist Ben Weinman's Party Smasher Inc label.

Those dates were scheduled to finish in November when they complete a US tour. But now they've added 40 shows to their itinerary - and they're calling it their 'final' tour. The first date is planned for the Norwich Waterfront, UK, on January 18. The extensive run of dates will wrap up at the Brussels AB Ballroom, Belgium, on March 5.

They launched Limerent Death - first material from the follow-up to 2013's One Of Us Is The Killer last month, with Weinman calling it one of his favourite The Dillinger Escape Plan tracks.

He added: "I feel that this song is one of the rare instances where all the members are feeling, and conveying, the same energy from start to end. A sharp focused dagger ploughing its way through thick heavy walls." here.

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The Enid Lose Lead Singer Joe Payne

(Prog) Joe Payne has revealed his "heartbreaking" decision to leave The Enid after five years to focus on his own projects, following the band's announcement of the lineup change.

He'd been the band's only lead vocalist since Robert John Godfrey founded the symphonic rock band in 1973, and appeared on their most recent albums Journey's End, Invicta, First Light, The Bridge and Dust. He was also responsible for co-writing, management, live artistic direction and promotional duties.

In a statement exclusively revealed to Prog, he's confirmed that he had to move on after his commitments seriously affected his health. The band said at the weekend: "Joe Payne has left The Enid. We wish him well and are proud of the work we did together. The success of The Enid has always been our capacity for reinvention. A new chapter is being written, ablaze with the fires of change."
Payne tells Prog: "After five incredibly challenging and rewarding years together, I've made the decision to move on from The Enid to focus on my own projects." Read more
here.

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Slayer release Pride In Prejudice video Starring Danny Trejo

(Metal Hammer) Slayer have released a video for their track Pride In Prejudice which stars Machete star Danny Trejo. They issued a teaser clip late last week - announcing the third installment of the Repentless video trilogy - which began with a promo for the album title track and followed by a shoot for You Against You.

Slayer say: "The Repentless video trilogy is complete. Watch the gore, violence and carnage unfold in Slayer's brand new, merciless music video, directed by BJ McDonnell. You have been warned."

The video for Pride In Prejudice once again features Trejo, who played the lead character in the first video. At the time Trejo said: "In prison there's only two kinds of people - predators and prey. Being a Slayer fan, I'm a predator." Watch the new video here.

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Asteroid Named After Queen's Freddie Mercury

(Classic Rock) An asteroid has been named after late Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. The International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Centre decided to name the celestial object after the singer to mark what would have been his 70th birthday on Monday (September 5).

Queen guitarist Brian May delivered a video message revealing the announcement, which also contains a brief video of AsteroidFreddieMercury17473 moving through space. Watch it below.

May says: "Where's Freddie's asteroid? Well, it's out in the main Asteroid Belt beyond the orbit of Mars and inside the orbit of Jupiter. It's about 3.5km across and it only reflects about a third of the light which falls upon it, so it's a dark object - it's like a cinder in space. It's a dot of light, but it's a very special dot of light.

"Happy birthday, Freddie. I'm sure he would have been very happy to see this." here.

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Jason Newsted's Inspiration For New Unplugged Project

(Classic Rock) Jason Newsted has opened up on why his focus is now on playing acoustic material. He previously stated he changed direction as he'd achieved everything he could with heavy music during his time in Metallica.

And he now reports he picked up the acoustic guitar when he was with his ill mother, who passed away in March this year. The bassist tells Eddie Trunk (via Blabbermouth): "I had to keep playing, and she knows I had to keep playing. So I picked up the acoustic and started doing what I was able to do when I was just hanging around her, and started learning my cowboy chords and started collecting my songs.

"This was about the beginning of summer of 2014. So I would play certain songs for her, kind of choking through them - a bass player playing heavy-handed on the acoustic guitar and just banging these cowboy chords out and learning Johnny Cash, Neil Young and George Jones and more popular things like that.

"A couple of years later, I've dug in a lot deeper than that, but it was originally inspired by where I'd play mom songs. She wouldn't necessarily remember which ones I'd played for her, and so she would react to certain songs the same way each time she heard them as if she was hearing them the first time." Read more here.

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Dio Disciples Working On Studio Album

(Classic Rock) Dio Disciples are currently working on a studio album, Craig Goldy confirms. The guitarist of the Ronnie James Dio offshoot act says they'll aim to release it by next summer - and the songs will be written by former Dio men and those who were "close to the Dio family."

He tells SleazeRoxx: "We're negotiating with a record company as we speak. At the moment, the goal is to have an album written and recorded and have it out by the summer of 2017.

"The idea is to have songs written by people that were in the Dio band or close to the Dio family. Also, the other criteria is that the songs would be done in a manner which Ronnie would approve."

Goldy, who's working with former Dio man and current Foreigner and Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson on the project, also reports that they're looking for a "younger producer" to give them a "current sound." Read more here.

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Gene Simmons Explains His Hatred Of Alcohol

(Classic Rock) KISS star Gene Simmons has outlined why he doesn't think anyone should drink - although he's happy to sell alcohol via his Rock & Brews bar-restaurant chain.

The bassist and vocalist says he's never had more than a sip in his life, partly because he decided at a young age to avoid letting his Holocaust-surviving mother down.

Simmons said earlier this year: "She saw her mother walk into the gas chambers. Her whole family was destroyed. My mother was the only one left alive. And she was 14."

Now he tells the LA Times: "I'm my mother's only child. I was concerned that I had no right to harm my mother. Life did that enough." And there's another reason: "I literally never drink, privately or publicly. I don't like the taste or smell of alcohol. I've never been drunk in my life and have never taken more than a sip of anything - and I hated it every time. I'll toast, just to be sociable, but that's it."

On the subject of why no one should drink he says: "Life is a race and we're in constant competition. If you and I are lined up along with 10 other guys, do you think you'll do better than the guy who's a little tipsy? The alcohol is not going to help him." Read more here.

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All Time Low Release 'Take Cover' Video

(TeamRock) All Time Low have released a video for their track "Take Cover." The song features on the band's Straight To DVD II: Past, Present And Future Hearts documentary, which is out on September 9.

The follow-up to 2010's Straight To DVD continues the band's story, and includes footage of the them on the road and the making of sixth album Future Hearts - which last year gave them their first No.1 chart placing.

The band say: Everyone put in so much work over the 11 years we've been a band, and it's been a steady, slow build. You feel so lucky and so blessed just to be a part of it.

"People have been following us with cameras for years now - and we filmed everything. There's so much nonsense that's been captured - just losing our minds on tour.

"The travelling is a lot and sometimes you go off the deep end a little bit. That was a time in our career when we circled the world three times, with two years of constant touring. It was a lot of festivals and a lot of drunken debauchery." Watch the video here.

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Rolling Stones' Keith Richards Taking Over TV Channel

(Classic Rock) Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards will curate an entire weekend of programming on BBC Four later this month. He'll pick all shows over the course of three as-yet-unnamed days, which will also feature specially-filmed in-depth interviews with the Stones icon which have been complied by director Julien Temple.

He was behind the film Keith Richards: The Origin Of The Species which aired on BBC2 back in July, with a 75-minute director's cut of the documentary also planned for the weekend.

Richards says: "No one has taken over a TV channel before. Let's see how it flies." Temple adds: "The programming will be interwoven with a uniquely relaxed, wide-ranging and intimate interview in which Keith shares his legacy, world views, life philosophy and survival strategies with viewers.

"It's an open invitation for the audience to get to know Keith in-depth over three nights in a way that has never been seen before." Read more here.

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Crobot Stream New Song 'Play It Cool'

(Classic Rock) Crobot have released a lyric video for their track "Play It Cool". It's taken from the group's upcoming second album Welcome To Fat City, which due for release on September 23 via Nuclear Blast Records. It's the follow-up to 2014's Something Supernatural.

Speaking of the album, vocalist Brandon Yeagley tells Classic Rock: "I think with our new material we're definitely stretching the ends of the spectrum."

Guitarist Chris Bishop adds: "We're about 75% pot - but it's adrenaline equally, because we love the music." The full interview with the band features in issue 228 of Classic Rock magazine. Read more and check out the new song here.

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Iron Maiden's Steve Harris Announces British Lion Tour

(Classic Rock) Iron Maiden leader Steve Harris will tour Europe in November and December with his band British Lion, he's confirmed. They'll perform material from their self-titled 2012 album along with songs that haven't yet been recorded, with some shows to appear on a live record in 2017.

Harris says: "On this tour we'll be making our first visits to Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Ireland. We've got a really strong show lined up, including plenty of songs not on the British Lion album.

"The whole band is really excited and can't wait to get on the road again. We'll be looking to record some shows to add to the recordings we already have." here.

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Opeth Stream New Song 'Will O' The Wisp'

(Prog) Opeth have released a lyric video for their track "Will O' The Wisp." It's taken from their 12th album, Sorceress, which arrives on September 30 via Nuclear Blast.

Mainman Mikael Akerfeldt recently said the follow-up to 2014's Pale Communion was inspired by "the negative aspects of love." He explained: "I've struggled a little bit in my relationships these last couple of years, and that has inspired me, I think, to write.

"Not that I deliberately sat down trying to write these types of lyrics. That's literally what came out when I started trying to write. It's only in retrospect that I kind of understood what it's about."

Opeth commence a North American tour at the end of the month, following by European dates in November and an appearance at London's Wembley Arena on November 19. See the dates and check out the new song here.

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Yashin Announce Pair Of Farewell Shows

(TeamRock) Yashin have revealed a pair of farewell shows for later this year. The Scottish band announced their split last month, blaming the "cut-throat" music industry, and were forced to cancel their autumn tour with Vampires Everywhere which was set up in support of their third album The Renegades.

They said: "The music industry is a cut-throat business at the best of times and despite our best efforts, passion and commitment it has dissolved everything we used to love about being in this band."

Yashin will perform their final shows at Glasgow's Garage on November 25 and London's Garage on December 2. The setlists will include songs from their full-length albums and EPs, with some special guest appearances planned. here.

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Procol Harum Announce 50th Anniversary Concert

(Prog) Procol Harum have announced a 50th anniversary show in London next March. They'll be accompanied by a full orchestra and the English New Chamber Choir conducted by David Firman.

Led by founding member, singer, pianist and composer Gary Brooker since 1967, the British symphonic outfit will celebrate 50 years since the release of their single A Whiter Shade Of Pale with a concert at the city's Royal Festival Hall on March 3.

The show will see Procol Harum "Dip into their vast catalogue and cannon of worldwide hits accompanied by the orchestra to bring to the stage the magic that they have always retained, taking influences from diverse strands of popular music including blues, R&B, soul, baroque, and classical. There will also be a few new surprises too." here.

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A Day To Remember Songs Went From Thrash To Tom Petty

(TeamRock) A Day To Remember say they played around with some "super thrash songs" while working on latest album Bad Vibrations - but decided not to include them on the record.

The US outfit's sixth album was released today (September 2) and guitarist Kevin Skaff reveals they had so many songs, it was impossible to feature them all.

Skaff tells Chorus FM: "There were a few super thrash songs. We've never really gotten into thrash before, but they were thrashy. There were a few songs were I was like, 'We could sell this to My Chemical Romance.' Then there were a couple songs that had like a Tom Petty vibe. It was literally all over the place."

Skaff reports that Bad Vibrations is heavier than 2013's Common Courtesy - but says it wasn't a conscious decision. He adds: "We literally wrote two songs a day for 30 days, and then we democratically voted on 15 songs to record. Then there's 11 on the record and two deluxe.

"It just kind of happened naturally that the record is heavier. I don't know why that is or what triggered that. Subconsciously, it probably just happened.

"It could have been a ton of things. It could have been because we were finally all together in a room writing again and everyone's pissed off. Who knows? But it wasn't like we targeted that we need a heavy record. It just came together that way."

To mark the release of Bad Vibrations, A Day To Remember have issued a video for album track Naivety. Watch it here.

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Pixies' Black Francis Can't Justify Further Solo Albums

(Classic Rock) Pixies leader Black Francis says he doesn't think he'll record further solo albums. His last release outside of Pixies was 2011's Paley & Francis which he recorded with Reid Paley, and his last full solo record was NonStopErotik in 2010.

And as Pixies prepare to launch their sixth album Head Carrier on September 30, Francis - aka Charles Thompson - says he can't foresee himself releasing further solo material.

He tells Rolling Stone: "I can't really justify it. It takes a lot of energy, ultimately, to put out a record. Then people want you to go on tour to promote it.

"Pixies are pretty successful in the touring realm. I can't really say, 'OK, kids, I'm going on tour again, bye. But this time I'm not going to make any money. I'm just doing it because I'm an artist.'

"It just doesn't feel right. It kind of goes up against my more blue-collar outlook. And I paint. If I have extra creative energy, I try to direct it there. And that doesn't interfere with my musical career." Read more here.

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Testament Streaming 'Brotherhood Of The Snake' Title Song

(Classic Rock) Testament have released a lyric video for the title track of their upcoming 11th album Brotherhood Of The Snake. The follow-up to 2012's Dark Roots Of Earth will launch on October 28 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Guitarist Eric Peterson says: "The first record is always classic because you form the band, you're totally into it, you go through the club scene, find yourself, and write your initial album over multiple years.

"Then, you get signed and end up in a cycle. We took some time to do Brotherhood Of The Snake - and it shows. Different influences came in. Normally, there are a few straight ahead thrash songs. We haven't had this many thrash tracks since The Legacy. It's a new era."

He continues: "Everybody played hard. Frontman Chuck Billy really surprised me and belted out stuff that's more melodic over the heavy speed metal riffs. It blended really well together." Check out the new song and the final tracklist here.

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Rammstein Launch Their Own Signature Tequila

(Metal Hammer) Rammstein have launched their own tequila. Made and bottled by hand especially for the German metal icons, the liqueur comes wrapped in a leather case which laces up the back - and includes a 260 gram, cast-iron cap featuring a 3D version of the band's logo.

It's described as, "A Tequila Reposado from Mexico which has been aged in French oak barrels for at least eight months. "Conserved fruit and agave aromas are paired with vanilla and caramel notes in this Reposado, that is silky smooth with a sweet aftertaste. The colour is bright golden yellow."

The tequila is not Rammstein's first foray into the drinks market - the band also launched their own vodka in 2014, which is also available on Rammstein's website. Read more here.

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Devin Townsend Project Stream New Song Stormbending'

(Metal Hammer) Devin Townsend Project have streamed their track "Stormbending" from upcoming album Transcendence. The follow-up to 2014's Sky Blue - part of the Z2 work - is released on September 9 via InsideOut.

Mainman Townsend tells the Independent: "It's so easy to say 'Everything's sh*t, man - it's all going to hell.' Making a statement that is positive was really where I wanted the power of this record to be rooted.

"Not in a naive way, and not as a means of escape. I wanted to make something that's really beautiful, but strong. There's a ton of people that aren't giving up and you have to really fight to not give up, so this record is a celebration of that spirit." Stream the song here.

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While She Sleeps Release 'Civil Isolation' Lyric Video

(Metal Hammer) While She Sleeps have released a lyric video for their new track Civil Isolation. It's the first taste of the follow-up to 2015's Brainwashed, with an album title and release date still to be finalized.

The band checked in to say that while working on the new material, they decided to change up the way they'd previously worked - with Civil Isolation capturing the mood while recording.

They say in a statement: "Before we began writing the new album, we decided to create an environment where we could express ourselves and explore new ideas without feeling trapped or confined by rules, regulations or deadlines.

"We transformed an old warehouse in the industrial heart of Sheffield into our new home. This song encompasses our views and experiences, breaking from the conventional model and creating a new ideology that works for us.

"This is something we're all capable of, boundaries are created to be broken." here.

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Singled Out: Varna's Living A Lie

Tiana Woods from Varna from tells us the story behind their brand new single "Living A Lie". Here is the story:

I have been saying for a while that "Living A Lie" is the song that I am most proud of to date as a songwriter. Out of all the songs I have written, this song took me the longest to write in terms of time and how many times I had to re-write it because I believed that the message was so important. I was at the worst place in my life where I was having a lot of issues, in addition to being a part of music projects that would start off and then go nowhere. I was spending my days being extremely productive with my music and then days where I get defeated and nothing would happen for days. I was stuck in this spinning cycle, meanwhile I had to live my life like any other person and since I am a naturally bubbly and private person, no one knew I was having these problems ("You can fool everyone, but you can't fool me.").

I had kept hearing the words, 'Living A Lie' in conversations, songs, TV shows, books...the line would just jump out at me and scream in my face. I felt like someone knew about this secret that I was hiding because I was filled with doubt, shame and fear and couldn't get out of my own way. I have always turned to music to relate or solve any problem and realized that at that time, I couldn't find a suitable song to deal with it.

This is a song that the positive side of myself is talking to the negative side of myself. The fantastic aspect of this song can also be shown to a friend, by a friend as if they are having a conversation with them about being real with themselves. This song forced me to continuously live my life in a truthful way, no matter what happens.


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

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