New York death metal institution Immolation are currently holed up in the studio doing what the band does best: writing headbanging anthems! Vocalist/bassist Ross Dolan told Noisecreep, "This is going to be our eighth full-length release, and it is going to be our first release for Nuclear Blast Records. We have 10 songs this time around, and I would have to say we are all really happy with these new tracks."
Dolan made a large statement about the tunes, saying, "People can expect our fastest, most intense album to date." For a band like Immolation, the descriptors "fast" and "intense" are pretty much par for the course, so Dolan is certainly setting up some large expectations for the album!
"[Drummer] Steve [Shalaty] has really pushed the limits of his playing with us and has forced us to push things up a notch," Dolan also revealed. "The end result will be nothing short of Immolation at our absolute best." Blast beats and super-human drum work is the hallmark of death metal and it appears as Shalaty is laying a strong foundation.
Dolan continued, "Each song has all the traditional Immolation elements, from the dark and twisted guitar melodies, the big sinister epic parts, the heavier-than-hell slow parts to the never stopping militant parts! I think this album will surprise both the die-hards and the newcomers to our style. It's a very well put together album with many twists and turns and great dynamics. Each song is unique on its own, yet each is a very important piece in this ten song puzzle. It blends perfectly the classic old style with the newer, fine-tuned style of the last few albums, and really has something to offer everyone."
So if you like Immolation or like the musical cocktail that Dolan just described, then you'll be first in line for the new Immolation album when it drops next year.
For their latest album, 'The Infinite Order,' Living Sacrifice embraced relatively new technology -- like Pro Tools -- which weren't super popular (or utilized) during their last album cycle for 'Conceived in Fire' back in in 2002. Given the fact that the band lives in different states, it was a matter of necessity to employ modern technology in order to make the album, which is due out in January. "It all came together well," Fitzhugh told Noisecreep. "I was concerned since I live in Nashville and the other guys are in Arkansas. There were a lot of MP3s going back and forth, and I would drive down for weekends and we'd all sit in a room and put stuff together using Pro Tools. That was new for us. Pro Tools was around in 2002, but we weren't using it. We were demoing on four-tracks or hard disc digital recorders. Also, most of these songs were not played live before they were recorded. We pieced them together."
Musically, the band went into the album with no sense of the marketplace or market conditions. "We wanted to write something really heavy and not worry about it," Fitzhugh said. "Basically, we were not putting pressure on ourselves. We approved it that way. We wrote a lot of what we like, and it sounds a lot like us, what we've done in the past. There's no big leap or anything."
The band recently shot a video for 'Rules of Engagement' and will be posting blogs and videos from the band "acting stupid" in the studio on their web properties and the Solid State YouTube channel.
Orange County, Calif. stompers Throwdown contributed their rendition of the chunky anthem 'Becoming' to the Dimebag Darrell/Pantera tribute record cobbled together by Metal Hammer, the legendary U.K. metal rag. The mag is releasing a compilation of 13 Pantera covers in conjunction with their 200th issue and in honor of the anniversary of Dimebag Darrell's tragic death. The five-year anniversary of Dime's loss was on Dec. 8. The issue (and CD) will be on stands Dec. 16 and features the likes of Machine Head, Unearth and many others putting their stamp on Pantera classics. Vocalist Dave Peters told Noisecreep, "We had a few ideas of what songs we wanted to cover, and few of them were already taken." The band initially wanted to offer their take of 'I'm Broken' or 'Becoming,' but another band nabbed the former, so they went with the latter.
"It worked out for the best, because it was fun to recreate those guitar sounds that are 'out there' for that song," Peters said. "It is a tough one to play and a hard one to cover live, but hopefully, we can make it happen [live] one time or another."
Peters broke down why the song is so hard to pull off live, saying, "The hardest part is the kick pattern on the drums. It's very signature Vinnie Paul. Any drummer, even some of the best double bass players out there, would have a hard time wrapping their head around what he does on the drums during that main riff. Also, making those guitar noises come out the right way live would be hard, too. We can do it, but we don't want to hack it live! 'It is a memorable and empowering song. That is what's cool about it. It cuts to the chase and gets to point."
Since the band was mulling over covering two anthems from 1994's 'Far Beyond Driven,' it begged the question. Is that the favorite Pantera album of Throwdown's members? It would seem so, but Peters revealed that he's enamored with a much less expected pick as his fave Pantera opus.
"'Far Beyond Driven' is an important record for Pantera," Peters said. "But it's not my favorite. 'Vulgar Display of Power' is the most important of their albums to me, and it changed my perspective on guitar playing and I love that record, but 'Reinventing the Steel' gets the most playback by me."
Really? 2000's 'Reinventing the Steel' is good, but is not truly regarded as essential album in the band's catalog. It's special in that no one knew it would go down as Pantera's final studio effort. "I wasn't a big fan at first, but I came back to it a couple years later and realized how mind-blowing the guitar work is," he reasoned. "Sonically, it is the best production-wise, too. It was their last stand as far as a record went, so it means a lot more now than when it came out."
Throwdown are currently wrapping up a tour with Bury Your Dead and will hit the road with Five Finger Death Punch and Shadows Fall next year.
There are a lot of factors that determine whether or not a band will blow up. For the Devil Wears Prada, who've been riding a huge wave of success in the past two years, hitting the road and pounding the pavement has been the most crucial factor for the band's success.
"We have worked pretty hard and hit the right tours, ditching our homes," guitarist/vocalist Jeremy DePoyster told Noisecreep. "We didn't really 'ditch' anything, but we did leave our girlfriends and dogs to stay on the road and being on the road the whole time. I dunno how many tours we've done, but we've been trying to build things up. Maybe are people ready for something new, too?"
DePoyster said that he has become more domesticated over the past year, since he was only 18 years old when he first hit the touring circuit. "Back then, I always thought, 'Screw my parents, this is awesome.' But now? I miss being at home," he recalls. To make the tour bus feel like a home on wheels, DePoyster says the band brings a few Xboxes on the road, among other things. "Having my laptop helps," he also said. "I am a huge movie buff. I have binders full of DVDs, I love James Bond movies, so it makes me feel like I am at home when I can watch movies."
The band is currently co-headlining the Napalm & Noise Tour with All That Remains through December.
Los Angeles metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH have announced their winter 2010 U.S. headlining tour, which will feature a unique twist: the first 100 women to line up at each venue day of show will get in absolutely free. The "Five Finger Discount Tour" will run January 21 through February 20, 2010 with special guests SHADOWS FALL, THROWDOWN, and 2CENTS. Tickets go on sale this weekend, but there will be a special fan club pre-sale and VIP packages available starting tomorrow, Tuesday December 8 at 3:00 p.m. local time. The VIP package consists of a ticket, meet-and-greet with the band, early entry to the GA show, special edition laminate, exclusively designed custom FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitar picks, special edition sticker, and signed poster all in one. Details are available to the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH fan club and at 5fdp.com.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's new album, "War Is the Answer", debuted at #7 on the Billboard chart this fall, marking the band's highest chart position to date. Along with the fact that the CD is already over 120,000 units sold and growing, this fall's Shock And Raw Tour was one of the most successful hard rock tours of the season. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH plans to replicate that success, keeping the critically acclaimed SHADOWS FALL and exciting newcomers 2CENTS on the bill, while adding one of metal's most exciting bands, THROWDOWN, into the mix.
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH tour dates:
Jan. 21 - Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues Jan. 22 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues Jan. 23 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues Jan. 24 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre Jan. 26 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues Jan. 27 - McAllen, TX @ McAllen Convention Center Jan. 29 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues Jan. 30 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues Jan. 31 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade Feb. 02 - Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom Feb. 03 - Greenville, SC @ Handle Bar **First 50 Ladies get in free ONLY Feb. 05 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance Feb. 06 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium Feb. 08 - Lancaster, PA @ Chameleon Club Feb. 09 - [to be announced] Feb. 10 - [to be announced] Feb. 12 - Flint, MI @ Machine Shop * Feb. 13 - Dayton, OH McGuffys House of Rock * Feb. 14 - St. Louis, MO @ Pops Feb. 16 - Rapid City, SD @ Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Feb. 17 - Billings, MT @ Shrine Auditorium Feb. 19 - Reno, NV @ Knitting Factory Feb. 20 - Chico, CA @ Senator Theatre Feb. 21 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
* "First 100 Ladies in Free" promotion NOT valid in these select markets
Ladies are subject to all venue age restrictions. Contact your local box office for details.
THREE DAYS GRACE ANNOUNCE US CO-HEADLINE TOUR WITH BREAKING BENJAMIN AND SPECIAL GUEST FLYLEAF
Tour begins in Peoria, IL on January 15, 2010
New York, NY- Three Days Grace will begin a co-headline tour with Breaking Benjamin in Peoria, IL on January 15th at the Peoria Civic Center.
The band’s most recent release Life Starts Now debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 charts making it the highest debut ever for the band. “Break” the first single from Life Starts Now has reached #1 on the Active Rock BDS Charts and Top 5 at Mainstream Rock.
The Toronto-based rock band is comprised of Adam Gontier (vocals, guitar), Neil Sanderson (drums, piano), Brad Walst (bass), and Barry Stock (lead guitar).
Their first album, the self titled Three Days Grace, was released in 2003. The album generated three hit singles, “I Hate Everything About You” which reached #2 on the Mediabase Modern Rock charts and Top 5 on the Mediabase Mainstream Rock charts, “Just Like You” which went to #1 on both the Mediabase Modern Rock and Mediabase Mainstream Rock charts, and “Home” which went to #2 on the Mediabase Mainstream Rock charts.
One-X, the band's sophomore album was released in 2006 and debuted on the Billboard Album Chart at #5. That album also produced three #1 Mediabase Mainstream Rock singles “Animal I’ve Become,” “Pain” and “Never Too Late.”
For 2007 Mediabase ranked Three Days Grace as the # 1 artist in airplay across all rock formats (Modern Rock, Active Rock, Mainstream Rock). That same year R&R/Billboard also ranked Three Days Grace as #1 Active Rock Artist of the Year, #1 Rock Artist of the Year and #2 Modern Rock/Alternative Artist of the Year.
Both Three Days Grace and One-X have been certified Platinum. Three Days Grace has sold over 4 million albums worldwide.
Tickets for most shows go on sale Saturday, December 12, 2009. Fan club early pre sale begins on Tuesday, December 8, 2009. For a full listing please see below:
THREE DAYS GRACE-BREAKING BENJAMIN CO HEADLINE TOUR
WITH SPECIAL GUEST FLYLEAF:
Date City Location On Sale Date
January 15 Peoria, IL Peoria Civic Center Arena 12/12
January 16 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena 12/12
January 18 Madison, WI Alliant Energy Center 12/12
January 20 Duluth, MN Duluth Entertainment Convention Center Arena 12/12
January 21 LaCrosse, WI LaCrosse Center Arena 12/18
January 23 Mankato, MN Verizon Wireless Center 12/11
January 24 Rockford, IL Rockford Metro Center 12/19
January 26 Grand Island, NE Heartland Events Center 12/12
January 27 Cedar Rapids, IA US Cellular Center 12/19
January 29 Evansville, IN Roberts Stadium 12/12
January 30 Ft. Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial Coliseum 12/12
February 1 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena 12/12
February 2 Huntington, WV Big Sandy Superstore Arena 12/12
February 14 Portland, ME Cumberland Civic Center 12/19
Capital Chaos, founded & created by Zoran Theodorovic was originally created as music video television show to be aired on public access in Sacramento, California. Our first show aired May of 1998 and still runs weekly to this day. In the middle of 2005 Mr Theodorovic invited Clint A. & William P. to participate in the show and a Youtube channel and a website were created. At some point in 2006 Clint went on his way leaving William & Zoran to soldier on, which they did together until January 2012 where William was let go due to irreconcilable differences. Capital Chaos currently enjoys the company of Amb Pirate and Kevin Champ. A new Youtube Channel was created & the website switched to Facebook(because let's face it everybody is on Facebook all the time now and who wants to go to some silly website and miss out on very important Facebook stuff. LOL!!!) and Capital Chaos continues on.
