Tag: Hard Rock
2 Armored Saint Working on New Album
Legendary California-based ARMORED SAINT have issued the following update:
“Due to the nature of vague speculation albeit created by your authors here, Armored Saint are officially announcing that they’ve begun writing new songs for a new record due in 2009.
The band line-up is as it was on 2000’s Revelation and 1992’s Symbol of Salvation: John Bush (vocals), Jeff Duncan (guitars), Phil Sandoval (guitars), Joey Vera (bass) and Gonzo (drums).
The band has written close to 12 songs as of now and are ready to enter the recording studio in the next month or so.
Some working titles include: ‘Loose Cannon’, ‘Chilled’, ‘La Raza’ and ‘Black Feet’.
The band plans on entering the studio with bassist Joey Vera handling the engineering and producing duties.
Saint will be headlining one show in Los Angeles at the Key Club on March 6th 2009. Aside from the co-headline tour in Australia in March with DEATH ANEL and the headlining of the Keep it True Festival in Germany in April, the band has no further shows booked at this time. There are a few festivals in Europe during summer being looked at for booking but no confirmations as of yet.
Courtesy of Bravewords.com
0 New Slipknot Video Footage Online!
Check out this great live footage from the shows at Zenith in Paris France. The footage was given to Slipknot by waxx-music.com! If you haven’t gotten a chance to see this amazing show or if you are just ready to see it again head to AllHopeIsGone.com to see when Slipknot will be in your area.
0 SAVING ABEL TO OPEN FOR NICKELBACK ON 34-CITY NORTH AMERICAN ARENA TOUR
Breakout rock band Saving Abel will join Seether as openers for Nickelback on their North American tour beginning February 25th in Nashville, TN (full schedule below). Saving Abel’s largest outing to date will hit arenas in over 30 cities across the continent. Tickets go on sale beginning Dec. 5th at www.LiveNation.com.
“We’re thrilled to be opening for Nickelback. It’s crazy, a year ago we were playing small bars and clubs around Memphis and now we’re touring the country in a bus and will be playing with one of the biggest touring rock bands in arenas,” said Saving Abel frontman Jared Weeks.
Saving Abel have been on the road non-stop since the March, 2008 release of their self titled debut from Virgin records and have played with rock heavy weights such as Buckcherry, Avenged Sevenfold, Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown. The band has enjoyed impressive success with their chart-topping, multi-format smash debut single “Addicted,” which hit #1 at mainstream rock radio, spent 11 consecutive weeks at #2 on the active rock chart and reached #7 at alternative radio. At press time, the track is the most played song of 2008 at the active rock format. “Addicted” found a whole new life in July when it impacted Top 40 radio. The run away hit is now sitting in the top 10 at the format and is top 15 at Hot AC. While “Addicted” is topping the pop charts, Saving Abel’s second single “18 Days,” a huge rock ballad dedicated to the troops, is heating up at rock radio where it is already top 10 at active rock and top 20 at alternative radio. Videos for both tracks have witnessed major play across all video channels including MTV2, VH1, Fuse and Music Choice where “Addicted” is currently the #1 played video an their “Hit List” channel.
Saving Abel continues to reach new heights on the sales charts as well. The album spent 3 consecutive weeks at #1 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart before debuting on the Billboard 200 in July. It has sold over 240,000 copies to date. ”Addicted” hit #20 on the digital singles chart and is approaching platinum success with over 800,000 singles sold thus far.
Saving Abel – named after the Biblical sibling of Cain – was formed by Jared Weeks and guitarist Jason Null in 2004 in their hometown of Corinth, Mississippi. Now based in Memphis, Tennessee, the band’s lineup includes guitarist Scott Bartlett, bassist Eric Taylor and drummer Blake Dixon. Combining influences of southern rock, hard rock and alternative music, the band was first heard on a 2005 EP, produced by Skidd Mills (12 Stones, Saliva, Submersed).
Saving Abel on Tour
Radio Shows:
Dec-6 W. Palm Beach, FL Sound Advice Amphitheatre (WPBZ radio show)
Dec-7 Tampa, FL Ford Amphitheater (WSUN radio show)
Dec-15 Richmond, VA Toad’s Place (WRXL xmas radio show)
Dec-17 Chicago, IL House of Blues (Q101 xmas radio show)
Headline Shows:
Dec-10 Allentown, PA Crocodile Rock Cafe
Dec-11 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre
Dec-12 Portland, ME The Station
Dec-13 Townson, MD Recher Theater
Dec-18 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Dec-19 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
Dec-20 Indianapolis, MN The Vogue
Dec-27 Memphis, TN New Daisy Theatre
Dec-31 Jackson, MI Michigan Theatre
Jan-2 Traverse City, MI Streeters
Saving Abel with Seether and Nickelback
Feb-25 Nashville, TN Sommet Center
Feb-27 Lexington, KY Rupp Arena
Feb-28 Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena
Mar-02 Toronto,ON Air Canada Centre
Mar-03 Hamilton, ON Copps Coliseum
Mar-05 Worcester, MA DSU Center
Mar-06 E. Rutherford, NJ IZOD Center
Mar-08 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Mar-09 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center
Mar-11 Columbus, OH Nationwide Arena
Mar-12 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
Mar-14 Milwaukee, WI Bradley Center
Mar-15 Moline, IL i Wireless Center
Mar-17 Omaha, NE Qwest Center
Mar-18 Des Moines, IA Wells Fargo Arena
Apr-01 Edmonton, AL Rexall Centre
Apr-02 Calgary, AL Pengrowth Saddledome
Apr-04 Saskatoon, SK Credit Union Centre
Apr-05 Winnipeg, MT MTS Centre
Apr-07 Minneapolis, MN Target Center
Apr-08 Kansas City, MO Sprint Center
Apr-10 Tulsa, OK BOK Center
Apr-13 Bossier City, LA CenturyTel Center
Apr-14 San Antonio, TX AT&T Center
Apr-16 Houston Toyota Center
Apr-17 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena
Apr-19 Little Rock, AR Alltel Arena
Apr-22 Jacksonville, FL Veterans Memorial Arena
Apr-23 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena
2 Get To Know The Answer! HRH Interviews The Answer’s Cormac Neeson
If you have been a regular reader at HardRockHideout.com, you have heard me carry on more than a few times about this awesome new band from Northern Ireland called The Answer. Hard Rock Hideout recently had the pleasure of speaking with The Answer’s Cormac Neeson. We talked about the history of The Answer so far, the bands’ current tour with AC/DC, and their soon to be released album. Take a few minutes, and get to know The Answer!
The Answer is:
Cormac Neeson – Lead Vocals
Paul Mahon – Guitar
Micky Waters – Bass
James Heatley – Drums
HRH: Tell us a little about the history of the Answer. How long have you been together?
Cormac Neeson: We have been together close to eight years. We got together. Originally it was Paul Mahon’s idea to get a band idea together to play this hard rock like we are currently playing. They have been in out of different bands from fourteen years of age. They wanted to do it right this time. They got in touch with me. I was back in America at the time. I was working in a pizza place in New Jersey. They sent me a letter and said if you are coming home any time soon to look them up and get the band up and running. As luck would have it, I was heading home a month later to enroll in the University. As it turns out I was in the same class as Paul, which was quite a bizarre twist of fate. So we got a practice organized and got James on board on drums, and after that we haven’t really looked back since.
HRH: It almost sounds like it was meant to be.
Cormac Neeson: It sounds like it yeah, I am afraid so. (laughs).
HRH: Who are some of the key influences in your music?
Cormac Neeson: Key Influences would included a lot of late 60’s and 70’s rock and roll bands, like Led Zeppelin, The Who, and The Rolling Stones and stuff like that, but also I suppose The Black Crowes and a lot of varying influences. Paul is into the 80’s metal. We all have different influences, but the music we play is kind of where we all meet in the middle.
HRH: Are you listening to any of the current artists that are out there today?
Cormac Neeson: I suppose today we are into bands like Queens of the Stone Age, The Raconteurs. Any bands that are playing the hard style of rock and roll we would be in to.
HRH: How do you think the music scene differs in the United States as compared to Ireland?
Cormac Neeson: I think there are a lot more choices in America. I think a lot of that has to do is the number of radio stations playing the different genres of music over here. At home everybody listens to two or three of the same radio stations and thats about it, you know. Definitely there is a lot more diversity, which is very healthy, I think at home. A lot of people kind of fall into specific categories that are heavily influenced by whatever radio DJ they are listening to. Over here you have so much choice. People tend to make up their own minds, which is a very good positive thing I think.
HRH: I first found out about The Answer when you won Classic Rock Magazine’s Best New Band of 2005. What was it like receiving such a cool award, and how has that affected your career so far?
Cormac Neeson: That was great. That was the first taste of success that the band had. We haven’t even released our first album at that stage, it was all based on a couple of EP’s that had been released before hand. I suppose more than anything else, it was a great boost and great encouragement, and obviously it got us a lot of positive press off of the back of it. It was a nice platform, from which to release our debut album and kind of take things from there. It was an enjoyable experience that I can look back on. I got to meet Jimmy Page that night. It was great.
HRH: Prior to your tour with AC/DC, you have played with Whitesnake, Aerosmith, Deep Purple, The Who and in front of 80,000 people with the Rolling Stones in Serbia. What has it been like playing with so many classic hard rock acts?
Cormac Neeson: It has been amazing. If I had to pick a favorite gig that we have played, that would probably be it. The sheer number of people, standing and clapping their hands. It was breath taking. It was as far as the eye could see. Up to this point, we haven’t managed to play for more than 80,000 you know. The fact that is was supporting the Rolling Stones you know, I mean The Rolling Stones and AC/DC are probably the two greatest rock and roll bands still currently touring. It was unbelievable and breath taking.
HRH: How have these bands reacted to your music? Have they given you any advice?
Cormac Neeson: Different bands react in different ways. Some bands like to keep to themselves. Other bands like to take us on, and take us in as part of the family. AC/DC is one of those bands. Brian Johnson is consistently coming in to the dressing room and making sure that we are all right, and having a good time. When we toured with Whitesnake we were made part of that touring family which was great, you know. A band is going to give you advice, it is always to keep our heads down, to not to do many drinks and drugs. The usual kind of stuff. It is nice to know we have friends in high places that keep an eye on our progress.
HRH: When did you find out that you landed the AC/DC tour, and what was your reaction?
Cormac Neeson: We found out literally, two weeks before we packed our bags and headed for America. It was a whirlwind. It was an unbelievable shock for the band, but obviously a great shock. One day we were in London recording B-Sides for a future single. He took us out for a pint and sat a paper face down on the table in front of us, and said boys, I have some band news. You can’t do the European tour that we had planned for you this November. I said “Why”, he said flip that page over and you will find out. There were 42 dates on the page with AC/DC for all of across America. It was a real cause for celebration. It happened so fast we really haven’t had time to step back and think about it all. We have a week and a half off at Christmas. We will take stock of where we are at. This is a great opportunity, and hopefully we will make the best of it.
HRH: You were supposed to go on tour with Black Stone Cherry before the AC/DC tour weren’t you?
Cormac Neeson: We were yes. That was the initial plan, but obviously you can’t turn down a band like AC/DC if they ask you to come on tour with them. Black Stone Cherry are a great band. We were very much looking forward to that tour, but it wasn’t meant to be.
HRH: How have the U.S. fans reacted to your live show?
Cormac Neeson: Very positively. I think the cold weather, the rain and the wind, helps get everyone into the arena. We are playing to 80 to 90 percent in arenas every night. We were told and warned in fact that the support slot for AC/DC is no easy task. They haven’t played here in 7 years or whatever it is. You expect crowds to be very impatient. We have been getting standing ovations every night, and a lot of hits on our myspace, and a lot of positive stuff. We seem to be really devolping a good solid fan base over here, which is great considering this is our first tour of America.
HRH: Last Christmas you performed with Paul Rodgers at the Planet Rock Christmas party, which you later turned into a live CD later on. How did that opportunity come together, and what was the experience like playing with Paul?
Cormac Neeson: It was a dream come true for myself. Paul Rodgers is probably my greatest influence as a singer. It all came together, just a lucky coincidence really. Paul Rodgers was supporting Led Zeppelin the night before our gig in London. He got word that we were playing, and said he wanted to come down. We suggested that he get up and do a song or two. He came down, and we rattled through “Mover” and “The Hunter” during soundcheck, and decided we would give it a go. We had a great gig from the offset, and the fact that Paul got up and did two songs with us was amazing. It was also great that we caught it on tape and could release it as an official bootleg. It was nice to have that part of history documented.
HRH: Why did you choose to release the Never Too Late EP instead of your CD “Rise” in the U.S.?
Cormac Neeson: Unfortunately we tried very hard to get our first album released over here, but we just couldn’t get the label to get a date over here in time to release it. By the time we released Never Too Late a few weeks ago, we have our second album ready to go with the released date of 17th of February. Rather than release two albums in such quick succession, we thought we will release an EP, and whet peoples appetites a little bit. Then we will hit them with a full album in February. People can always go back to Rise if they like what they hear. Our opinion is the second album is better than the first, so why not give America the best we have to start with. Then people can trace us back to our roots.
HRH: Do you foresee Rise getting a release in the United States at a later date?
Cormac Neeson: I am sure it will be released later on down the road. We don’t want to short change our audience. We will keep putting out fresh material. If there is a demand for it, we will put it out there.
HRH: You recently had a couple of your songs used in the video games Guitar Hero World Tour, and Pure for the Playstation 3. How did that come together?
Cormac Neeson: To be honest, I don’t really know, their must be somebody in the gaming industry that likes the band, and puts our songs in those games. That is an unbelievable opportunity to get our name out there. Guitar Hero sells millions and millions of copies worldwide. In fact on the AC/DC tour, coming in every day, I hear “hey man I was playing your songs on Guitar Hero last night, drinking beers”. Between that and that AC/DC tour, and our new album, it is all coming together nicely for us.
HRH: It sounds like 2009 could be a big year for the Answer.
Cormac Neeson: I have my fingers crossed. (laughs)
HRH: You have a new album coming out in February. What will the new album be called?
Cormac Neeson: The new album will be called Everyday Demons.
HRH: What was the writing process like for the new disc?
Cormac Neeson: It was very positive, and completely different from the process of the first album. Obviously, every bands’ first album is going to be a collection of tunes basically dating right back to the very beginnings of the band. In our case we had three or four years worth of songs to choose from. In contrast, this album was written in six months just before last Christmas. As a result it is a lot more consistent, and a statement that we are trying to make is a lot more fluent. The band is captured where we are right now in our song writing, musical ability and everything like that. It is a true statement where The Answer are currently at. It is good.
HRH: How long did it take you to record it?
Cormac Neeson: It took us two months. We did 5 weeks in L.A., we did a couple of weeks pre-production before we came to L.A. and then Paul did some more guitars in London for about a week and a half on the way back from America. It was very intense and very hard work and not a lot of breathing space, but the end result was well worth it.
HRH: With so many cool videos under your belt already, do you have videos planned for the new record?
Cormac Neeson: We actually just made a video for a song called On and On, which is the third track on the album. It is going to be the first single on the album. We had a gig in East Rutherford, New Jersey recently. We had the day off the next day, and went to Brooklyn to a big studio and set up a lot of different backgrounds, and shot a video for On and On. It was great you know. I got to a lot of work with a with a beautiful model which is never a bad thing.
HRH: Do you know when the single will be released?
Cormac Neeson: It is currently out there, I think the video we are planning to launch the video in a couple of weeks time.
HRH: What do you feel are some of the highlights of your career so far?
Cormac Neeson: Nothing is bigger than the current tour we are on, but as we already mentioned the Serbia gig with the Rolling Stones, we got to meet them as well, they are living legends you know, signing with Paul Rodgers and supporting Paul Rodgers in the Albert Hall was amazing. We always really enjoy getting out on tour for ourselves. We would like to be playing for an hour forty or an hour fifty minutes, getting to really entertain the audience for long stints of time. We did a couple of tours in Australia and Japan which was a great experience. It is always great to get back to Belfast at the end of a long tour to do homecoming gigs.
HRH: How long do you expect to be on the road with AC/DC?
Cormac Neeson: We honestly don’t know, we are hoping that they will give us some of the European bits. Nothing has been confirmed yet, so we can’t really presume that we are doing that. We are on tour with them until the end of January all across America. If that is all we get, we will be happy with that, but obviously if we get some more gigs, we will be even happier. (laughs)
HRH: If not, hopefully you can come back to the U.S. and do a tour of your own.
Cormac Neeson: Absolutely, as soon as we come off of tour with AC/DC, we are going to start having to do tours of our own in America, and Europe and Japan and Australia. It is going to be a very busy couple of years.
HRH: What would you like to tell all of your fans?
Cormac Neeson: I would like to say keep your ear to the ground, and don’t forget about us. Check us out. If you are into your rock and roll, we are a good honest hard hitting rock and roll band. I think you will enjoy us very much. I hope to see you very soon at a gig of our own, where we can entertain you for a couple of hours, and have a few beers with you after the show.
0 Live Raw and Uncut Tour – Poison
On August 16th of 2008, Poison brought their Live, Raw and Uncut Tour to Cincinnati. The band usually brings their tour here each summer, and usually plays to near sell out crowds.
I have gone to their concert for the last couple of years, and while the band was excellent last year, this time around I was a little disappointed. Big John from Rock of Love was the emcee for this show, which for me added nothing to the concert. Personally, I don’t think Bret Michaels should be mixing his Poison and Rock of Love thing together, but that is just me. The band also seemed to play a shorter set, so Bret could leave and attend an after party at a local club, the Blue Note in Cincinnati.
The set list for the show this year was something like this:
“Look What the Cat Dragged In”, ” I Want Action”, “Ride The Wind”, “I Won’t Forget You”, “What I Like About You”, “Something To Believe In”, “Your Mama Don’t Dance”, “Unskinny Bop”, “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn”, “Fallen Angel”, and the set closer “Nothin’ But A Good Time”.
Luckily Poison doesn’t overcharge their fans for their tickets, which is a good thing, but the lack of new material (no surprise there), and Bret Michael’s voice being a little off was somewhat of a disappointment to me. This was my stepdaughter’s first Poison experience, and she enjoyed it. I guess that is all that matters in the long run.
Hopefully Bret Michaels will walk away from his Rock of Love thing, and start writing some new music with Poison.
The clips below are from the show. Enjoy!
Unskinny Bop
Nothin’ But A Good Time
0 Get Your Hard Rock and Metal Ring Tones at TonesofDeath.com!
TonesOfDeath.com BRINGS METAL RINGTONES TO HEADBANGERS EVERYWHERE!
Today marks the official launch of TonesOfDeath.com, your destination for metal and hard rock ringtones. Because metal ringtones have been hard to come by in the past, most fans have been forced to give up their search. Now, with TonesOfDeath.com, you are able to find the latest in metal and hard rock tones as well as tour information, video premieres and the most up-to-date metal news. Getting all of this is easy—just visit TonesOfDeath.com. Everything is available immediately and tones are delivered directly to your phone in one easy step.
“Finally there’s a site that’s fully dedicated to metal ringtones!,” says Behemoth frontman Nergal. “I’m more than sure this is the place you will find ring tones of your EVERY favorite band. I’m looking forward to get you more Behemoth on this site too! Keep it alive! Horns up!”
TonesOfDeath.com launches with hundreds of ringtones and new content will be added weekly. The site features tones and content from dozens of labels including Metal Blade, Facedown, The End, Ibex Moon, Southern Lord, Translation Loss, and Megaforce, and metal acts such as Unearth, Motley Crue, Lamb of God, and War of Ages.
TonesOfDeath.com gives metal fans exclusive content and the opportunity to receive it first. The ringtone for “War Zone,” Rob Zombie’s first new song in three years, premiered on TonesOfDeath.com and is the first of many premieres to come. TonesOfDeath.com will partner with metal and hard-rock labels and artists to debut exclusive tones and fill phones everywhere with metal.
TonesOfDeath.com. Your destination for metal ringtones. Pick a tone and enter your number. Quick and Painless. (If you want pain, we can arrange that, too…)
1 ‘Live At The Astoria’ in-store appearance and DVD Screening Party – Friday, November 21!
On November 18th, Twisted Sister releases “Live At The Astoria,” a special twin-disc CD/DVD that marks the first commercially-released, uncensored Twisted Sister concert in over 25 years. This very special concert was taped in London in 2004, and is hailed by critics as the band’s greatest live triumph in its
35-year career.
The band will do an in-store appearance at J&R Music & Computer World @ Park Row in Downtown Manhattan (across the street from City Hall Park) at 5:30 on Friday November 21.
We are hosting an intimate DVD screening party on Friday, November 21st @ Webster Hall, from 8-10PM (not in the main space, but in the room on the ground floor, just after you enter the venue). The classic lineup of Dee Snider, Jay Jay French, Eddie Ojeda, Mark Mendoza and A.J. Pero will be in attendance, and there will be drink specials from Jagermeister.
If you would like to come by and start your Friday night early, please RSVP to:
Matt@rebellionentertainment.com
We’d like to see as many of you there as possible. Come out and celebrate the release of ‘Live At The Astoria’ with us!
3 White Lion – Louisville, KY Concert Review
White Lion played in Louisville, Kentucky’s Expo Five last Sunday night. This was a free show that neither I, or friend JT from Hard Rock Nights could pass up.
I knew coming into this show that this wasn’t going to be the original White Lion lineup, but that didn’t really matter me. The issues between singer Mike Tramp, and guitarist Vito Bratta are well documented across the internet. It is highly doubtful that the original band will ever reunite. I was hopeful that Tramp’s current band was at least as good as his old one. I was quite curious to see how current White Lion guitarist Jamie Law would handle those awesome Vito Bratta guitar licks.
MIke Tramp has revamped White Lion, and has had different variations of the band together since 1999. The current lineup of Jamie Law, Henning Wanner, Claus Langeskov, and Troy Patrick Farrell has been together since 2005. Bassist EJ Curse (who looks like he could be a sibling of George Lynch) from Silent Rage was filling in on bass for this show.
The set list in no particular order was “Little Fighter“, “Lady of the Valley“, “Lonely Nights“, “El Salvador“, “Broken Heart“, “Wait“, “Hungry“, “When the Children Cry“, the show closer “Radar Love“, “Living on the Edge“, and two new cuts off of White Lion’s new album “Return of the Pride”, “Set Me Free“, and “Dream“.
It has been 25 years since White Lion started as a band, and Mike Tramp’s voice has maybe lost a step or two. He still sounds really good, and songs sound almost exactly the same as they did in the 80’s. Tramp does have a little bit of help in the singing department. Keyboardist Henning Wanner and guitarist Jamie Law sing a lot of the back up vocals, and do a fine job of it.
I am not sure how Mike Tramp found Australian guitarist Jamie Law, but he has managed to attract another very good guitarist to White Lion. Law is a very good technical guitar player, who seemingly handled Bratta’s guitar licks with ease. As a whole, White Lion sounded great. I would definitely go see them again. Hopefully, the dust can settle between Tramp and Bratta so the band can latch onto some summer tours.
Louisville, Kentucky must have been sleeping on Sunday. There was only about 50 people or so in attendance and this show was FREE. Not only that but, there three or four other bands that opened up for White Lion. The venue that the show was held at was EXPO Five. This has to be one of the best new rock clubs in Kentucky. It has a big stage, an awesome sound system, and room for a lot of people. It is a shame that the turn out for this show was so poor.
After the concert Mike Tramp came out and autographed everything that was put in front of him, shook a lot of hands, and took photos with anyone that wanted one. He was extremely cool to all of his fans, and if anything very grateful. He is definitely a class act.
White Lion is very much still a great band, and worth catching live if you can.
The clips below are from the Sunday night show. Enjoy!!
Hungry
When the Children Cry
Wait
0 MASTODON BAND MEMBER HOSPITALIZED EUROPEAN TOUR WILL CONTINUE
Bill Kelliher, guitarist with Atlanta-based heavy rock band MASTODON has been hospitalized in London as of Nov. 3, during the bands current European Unholy Alliance Chapter 3 package tour. Doctors will continue to monitor his condition which is improving at press time.
At the moment, Mastodon has decided to continue on the tour as a trio. Doctors and Bill are hopeful that he will rejoin his band mates in time for their headlining tour of Europe which begins Nov 30, in Utrecht, Holland and will end on Dec 7, at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival in Somerset, England. More details to follow as they develop.
0 New Video – Bang Camaro – Night Lies
3 Stone Gods – Silver Spoons & Broken Bones (Release Year – 2008)
When The Darkness singer, Justin Hawkins abruptly left the band in 2006, the remaining members decided to carry on without him.
Former Darkness bass player Richie Edwards took over the lead vocals and Toby MacFarlaine joined the band on bass. The Darkness name was jettisoned, and band carried on under the new name, Stone Gods.
The Darkness got a fair amount of airplay on XM Radio’s The Boneyard over the last couple of years, but they were never a band that I could get into very much. Justin Hawkins vocals were a little over the top, in my opinion. I wasn’t sure what to expect with The Stone Gods, and much to my surprise, I found this new band much more to my liking.
“Silver Spoons & Broken Bones” starts off with a heavy metal rocker, “Burn the Witch.” This song sounds like it is left over from the NWOBHM era.
“Don’t Drink the Water” fuses together a catchy mesh of classic hard rock sounds and that brings bands like The Who to mind. The song fuses together classic rock guitar riffs with a punk rock vibe, and even sprinkles in a dash of reggae. It sounds like a band combination, but this is a really good song.
There are some Black Sabbath like jams on the rocking tune “Defend or Die“. Richie Edwards vocals keep this song from sounding to sludgy, but the metal riffs are well appreciated by this listener. This is one of those songs that you may not get into on the first listen. My recommendation is to play it again a few times. You may grow to appreciate this one as I have.
The Stone Gods show their sense of humor with the tune “You Brought A Knife To A Gun Fight“. This is another catchy upbeat rocker that would not sound out of place on the radio today. The guitar riffs could have been taken right off of any Buckcherry CD, but that is OK. I like this style of rock.
“Magdalen Street” is a mid tempo number that has a mix of southern rock styling and some guitar sounds that would more at home on a Chris Isaak album. It is a good song, but the sound here is completely different from the rest of tunes on this disc up to this point.
“Where You Coming From” is a modern rock tune with a southern rock flair. This is another song that grows on you.
Is is just me, or does “Lazy Bones” sound like a lost Soul Asylum track? I haven’t listened to Soul Asylum for a long time, but this song reminded me of them quite a bit.
“I’m With the Band” and “Wasting Time” both have infectious sing along choruses that will get in your head.
The album closes out with a tongue in cheek rocker “Oh Where ‘O My Beero“. This song sounds like a lost cut from Def Leppard.
It took me several listens to figure out who I thought Richie Edwards sounded like, and I finally figured it out. Remember Tommy Paris from Britny Fox? Edwards has that same raspy vocal style as Paris. The style of music may be different, but the similarities are there.
“Silver Spoons & Broken Bones” mixes together a variety of genres including hard rock, classic rock, heavy metal and alternative. For me, the harder tunes are definitely the best ones on this disc, but less heavy tracks are solid as well. From the songs I have heard from the Darkness, this album does have a different style, and the name change to Stone Gods is quite appropriate. This album joins a crowded list of solid albums in 2008.
For more information on the Stone Gods, check out their website, or their myspace page. You can purchase “Silver Spoons & Broken Bones” at this link.
Track Listing:
- Burn the Witch
- Don’t Drink The Water
- Defend or Die
- You Brought A Knife To A Gun Fight
- Magdalen Street
- Where You Coming From
- Lazy Bones
- I’m With the Band
- Start of Something
- Making It Hard
- Wasting Time
- Knight of the Living Dead
- Oh Where ‘O My Beero
Stone Gods are:
Richie Edwards – Lead Vocals/ Guitar
Dan Hawkins – Lead Guitar/ Backing Vocals
Toby MacFarlaine – Bass/Backing Vocals
Ed Graham – Drums
1 Danger – First Touch (Release Year – 2008)
I don’t know what is happening in Sweden, but good music must be busting out the country’s seams. It seems like every time I turn around I stumble on another really good band from Sweden. Danger is another band that caught my attention with their new six song EP “First Touch”.
So what does Danger sound like? To me their sound is a cross between Crash Diet and older Motley Crue. The first song on the EP “First Touch” sounds like it could have been on the excellent “Rest In Sleaze” from Crash Diet. This is the first song that I have heard from Danger, and it made me a fan instantly.
“Miss Money” and “California Red” are pretty fun rockers that remind me more of Poison songs, than a Motley Crue ones but I like them nonetheless.
There are days where I would like to crank “Shove It” at maximum value over the speakers in my office. This should be my new theme song. My wife likes this one too. 🙂
“On The Run” is a upbeat hair metal anthem, that is as solid of a closing tune as I have heard all year long.
The six songs on First Touch is like getting an awesome appetizer and having the kitchen close before you could order your main course. It will whet your appetite and leave you hungry to hear more. This is Swedish sleaze metal at its finest. Hair metal fans should not hesitate to buy this!
Check out Danger on their myspace page here. You can buy a copy of First Touch from the Danger website at this link.
Track Listing:
1. First Touch
2. Miss Money
3. Hey You
4. California Red
5. Shove It
6. On The Run (Bonus Track)
Danger is:
Jesse Kid – Vocals
Rob Paris – Guitar
Togge Rock – Bass
Danny Crash – Drums
0 New Video – South of Earth – God 2 Get Down
1 Saliva to Release Cinco Diablo December 16th
Multi-platinum Island Records’ five-man band Saliva has completed its aptly-titled fifth album, Cinco Diablo, set to arrive in the physical and digital marketplace on December 16th – the ultimate alt-metal post-grunge must-have CD this twisted holiday season! The new album’s first single pick, “Family Reunion,” was #1 Most Added at Active Rock and Modern Rock radio and is already on over 75 stations at both formats.
In advance support of Cinco Diablo, Memphis favorites Saliva continue their never-ending headlining tour schedule with Jet Black Stare, Drowning Pool, and Tantric through Nov. 11th (Veteran’s Day) in Texas. Saliva will play a halftime NBA homecoming gig at FedEx Forum in Memphis on Halloween, when the Grizzlies host the Magic.
Cinco Diablo is the long-awaited followed to Blood Stained Love Story, Saliva’s fourth album, released nearly two years ago in January 2007. It gave the band the highest Soundscan debut of their career – #19-bullet on combined first week sales of 30,000 copies. The album also spun off one of Saliva’s highest-charting singles, “Ladies and Gentlemen,” which rose to #1 at Active Rock and #2 at Mainstream Rock. “Ladies and Gentlemen” was heard in a Sony Playstation commercial last year, and was also used in Wrestlemania and Ultimate Fighting show Wired. The song matched the success of their biggest single to date, “Always,” which hit #1 at Active and Modern Rock back in 2002 (from the Back Into Your System album).
Check out the “Family Reunion” single on the band’s MySpace page: www.myspace.com/saliva
0 Video Showdown #10 GWAR vs. Marilyn Manson
Both GWAR and Marilyn Manson have covered some popular tunes over the years. In the spirit of Halloween, the Video Showdown this week puts GWAR’s cover of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” against Marilyn Manson’s cover of the Soft Cell classic, “Tainted Love”.
Gwar – School’s Out
Marilyn Manson’s Tainted Love
Which video wins Video Showdown #10? You decide.
Post your comments and place your votes!
0 Black Tide Unveils Animated Video Series
Black Tide has just launched their Warriors of Time Animation series. The six part series is explained best by the band themselves, “Our Hero, known as The Bastard, is a living embodiment of metal music. We pit him against a robotic legion whose influence spans all of time and space. The song speaks to the urge in everyone to rage and rock out against all outside expectations. It is a call to arms against a mundane existence, and the Bastard is always there to answer in force, slaughtering the robot conformist authority for the sake of youth, rebellion, and the undying spirit of true metal.” For the first in the epic series, click here.
12 Fastway – Trick or Treat (Release Year – 1987)
Twenty one years ago, the band Fastway released a full length CD, that was the soundtrack to the horror movie, “Trick or Treat”. I thought the movie was a campy good time, and the soundtrack was pretty good too.
Oddly enough, this is my favorite Fastway album, and is one that I still listen to today.
Fastway had some cool songs over the years, and some people may think this band is a one hit wonder with their song, “Say What You Will”. In my opinion, this was the album that I thought the band peaked on.
This wasn’t Fastway’s most successful album. Trick or Treat peaked at 156 on the Billboard charts.
There are still a bunch of good rocking tunes on this disc.
“Trick or Treat” starts off with four solid songs right out of the gate. (Check out the videos below for the first two tracks.) “Tear Down The Walls” is the one questionable song on the disc. It is more Halloween like sounds than an actual song.
“Get Tough” is another good rocker that mixes well with my playlist today.
“Heft” is a sludgy almost Sabbath like tune. “Trick or Treat” closes out with a mid tempo rocker “If You Could See”. Fast Eddie Clark has some very cool guitar parts on this song.
As a whole, “Trick or Treat” is one of the better horror movie soundtracks out there. You can pick this one up for less than ten bucks at this link. This is a nice Halloween treat for you metalheads out there!
Trick or Treat
After Midnight
1. Trick or Treat
2. After Midnight
3. Don’t Stop the Fight
4. Stand Up
5. Tear Down the Walls
6. Get Tough
7. Hold on the Night
8. Heft
9. If You Could See
Fastway is:
Dave King – lead vocals
Fast Eddie Clarke – Rhythm/Lead Guitar and Producer
Shane Carroll – Second Guitar
Paul Reid – Bass Guitar
Alan Connor – drums
0 New Video – Overload – Dream Disaster
1 New Video – Fatal Smile – S.O.B.
0 LORDI HORROR VIDEO CONTEST
Lordi has a their new CD “Deadache” coming out next Tuesday (10/28), so what better way to celebrate the release than with a horror video contest. What you need to do: 1.) Log onto www.redmusic.com/lordihorror where you will enter your cell number to receive a code to download the new Lordi single “Bite It Like A Bulldog” for free. 2.) Go to the official YouTube group(http://www.youtube.com/user/lordihorrorcontest) where you will upload your very own horror video, using the free track of “Bite It Like A Bulldog” you downloaded as the background music.
The user with the best video (as judged by The End Records) will receive a Lordi prize pack that will include the following: Autographed Lordi CD catalog (Get Heavy, Arockalypse, & Deadache), signed guitar, and a signed poster.
Contest ends on November 18th, 2008.
5 Sink or Swim Video – Escape The Fate – The Flood
3 Black Ice is Red Hot!
From Billboard.com, AC/DC’s “Black Ice” is flying off the shelves at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, the exclusive U.S. retailers for the album that arrived yesterday (Oct. 21). Sources estimate the set sold 193,000 copies in its first day of sale, and could move upward of 800,000 in its first week.
This week, Wal-Mart set up “pop-up” stores in New York and Los Angeles to sell the album and offer fans the chance to play the AC/DC-branded version of the video game “Rock Band.”
At regular Wal-Mart outlets, AC/DC has its own store-within-the-store, featuring the band’s back catalog and merchandise.
“Black Ice” (Columbia) is AC/DC’s first new studio album in eight years. The group begins an extensive world tour Oct. 28 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
0 Want to See Queen + Paul Rodgers in Your Local Theater?
HARDROCKHIDEOUT.COM has 2 tickets to give away for the Queen + Paul Rodgers show that will be taking place in Movie Theaters Nationwide on November 6th.
Please see below for more info, and to enter the drawing for tickets!
NCM Fathom and Disney’s Hollywood Records are pleased to present “Queen + Paul Rodgers: Let the Cosmos Rock” – a concert event featuring the band’s classic hits and songs from their new album, “Let the Cosmos Rock.” This amazing show was captured live from the Ukraine on September 12th in Kharkov’s Freedom Square before 350,000 fans. This historic show will only be shown in select U.S. movie theaters one night only – Thursday, November 6th at 7:30pm local time.
With eighteen #1 singles worldwide, Queen is considered to be one of the biggest rock groups on the planet. The band has sold over 150 million albums worldwide with over 40 million sold in the United States alone. Queen’s eighteen #1 albums and ten #1 DVDs are proof of their longevity and popularity.
Paul Rodgers has had his own wildly successful career. As the lead singer for the mega groups Free and Bad Company, he has sold over 90 million records. His solo work has also been Grammy nominated. This is his second tour with Queen and their first studio album together.
These rock legends have joined forces to “Let the Cosmos Rock” once again. This concert features some of the most recognized rock songs in the world including: “We Will Rock You,” “Tie Your Mother Down,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “All Right Now,” “I Want It All,” and “Bad Company”. These hits, along with songs off their first combined studio album, “Rock the Cosmos”, are certain to entertain new and returning fans alike.
“Let the Cosmos Rock” will be shown one night only at over 400 different participating theaters nationwide. Tickets went on sale on October 10th for the November 6, 2008 show.
Check This Link for your Local Theaters!
Submit your name and email address if you would like to win the tickets!!
0 Swedish’ CIRKUS announces new album “Let The Madness Begin” !
In the late 60’s Led Zeppelin gave us “Whole Lotta Love”. Then the 70’s hit and The Clash rang saying “London Calling”, and we answered. In the 80’s Guns ‘N’ Roses took us all to “Paradise City”. The 90’s came and so did Nirvana, saying it “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Now it’s 2008 and along come Cirkus telling us Let the Madness Begin…and it has, look around folks!
Cirkus, slaps you in the face with Roux’d (vocals), Snetan (guitar), Maston (bass) and Ric (drums), the sound, the edge, and the image of hey-day rockers such as Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith. Their riffs are fast and hard with lyrics that unapologetically attack big city lights, fast women, and the media. Receiving rave reviews and critical acclaim from Europe to Southern California, Cirkus’s live performances win over even the biggest skeptics.
After releasing 3 successful EP’s for three years straight, Cirkus has just finished their full on frontal assault debut album titled “Let the Madness Begin” together with musical genius Chris Tsangarides, a Grammy nominated producer and mixing engineer for bands such as Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Bruce Dickinson and Yngwie Malmsteen. Let the Madness Begin is set for a US release on November 11th through Nightmare Records/Koch Distribution. It’s called a shock to the system and senses so what better way to describe a Cirkus attack than Let the Madness Begin. The songs, the sound and the quality of the album speak for itself.
TRACKLIST “Let The Madness Begin” :
Let the Madness Begin
Trashy
Hard Headed Woman
Everlong Lasting
Chexx Mate
Fuck’em N’ Flee
Walking Disease
Crazy
Get it On
Samples of all songs and more info can be found at
www.cirkusmusic.com / www.myspace.com/cirkusmusic
0 New JORN Tour Dates
JORN have announced the following European tour dates in support of the recently released “Lonely Are The Brave” album.
JORN plus Special Guest Pure Inc.
12.11. GBR-Dudley – JB´s
13.11. IRE-Dublin – Button Factory
15.11. NED-Uden – De Pul
17.11. GER-Bochum – Matrix
18.11. GER-Ludwigsburg – Rockfabrik
19.11. SWI-Pratteln – Z7
20.11. ITA-Milan – Legend 54
22.11. ES-Durango (near Bilbao) – Plateruena
23.11. ES-Madrid – Ritmo & Compas
26.11. HUN-Budapest – Diesel Klub
27.11. CZE-Prague – Exit Chmelnice
28.11. CZE-Zlin – Hard Rock Cafe
29.11. tba
30.11. GER-Hamburg – Markthalle
0 New Video – Duff McKagan’s Loaded – No More
0 Video – Bullets and Octane – Perfect Bitch
0 SYRYM UNLEASHES MONSTER ON THE MASSES
Explosive Debut CD Sure To Arouse Passions Of Hard Rock Fans
Oakland, California–October 17, 2008–Melodic hard rock band Syrym today unleashed its monster debut. The self-titled album will initially be available on CD at CDBaby.com, as well as for digital download on iTunes, AmazonMP3.com, Rhapsody, and Napster. Syrym features the incredible guitar work of Babylon A.D.
axe-slinger Ron Freschi, the thunderous rhythm section of bassist Rich Talley and Babylon A.D. drummer Jamey Pacheco, and the gritty, soul-infused vocals of Jeffrey Winslow, and the music is tailor-made for rock radio, live venues, and blowing out stereo speakers everywhere.
The late Eighties and early Nineties provided a showcase for the catchy hard rock and hair metal of bands such as Motley Crue, Ratt, Lynch Mob, and Babylon A.D. In 2008, Syrym has picked up that torch and run with it, delivering big hooks and even bigger riffs–all with the groove and swagger of those aforementioned bands.
The 12-song debut album kicks off with “Foul Mouth Blues,” a slithering, angst-ridden, defiant declaration of the end of an abusive relationship. A demo version of the song, featured on Garageband.com, received honors in the Hard Rock category for Best Male Vocals, Best Guitars, Best Drums, Best Bass, Best Production, Best Lyrics, Best Beat, and Most Rocking Track.
“Warpath” tackles the topic of cancer from a unique perspective, describing the immune system’s rampage through the disease.
“Ugly On The Inside” turns the inner-beauty cliche on its head with lyrics that state, “They only see my disguise, they can’t see that I am ugly on the inside.”
“Brokedown” relates the tale of someone pushing a friend to get their life together before they end up six feet under.
“What I’m Trying To Say” is a father’s emotional attempt to tell his young son that the family’s divorce was not caused by anything his son had done.
Recorded at Hatrix Media Studios in Tracy, California, the album was produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Freschi.
For more information, or to listen to samples of all the songs on Syrym’s
self-titled debut album, visit www.syrym.com.
The complete track listing is as follows:
1. Foul Mouth Blues
2. Warpath
3. Torn In Two
4. Ugly On The Inside
5. Brokedown
6. The Sky Is Falling
7. 30 & Dirty
8. While America Sleeps
9. Alive In The Real World
10. Bring It On (Go Down Fighting)
11. What I’m Trying To Say
12. What I’m Trying To Say (Reprise)