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Saturday, June 17, 2006
SEPULTURA's ANDREAS KISSER Talks About Departure Of IGOR CAVALERA.... - June 17, 2006 On Thursday, June 15, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser spoke exclusively to BLABBERMOUTH.NET about the recent departure of drummer and founding member Igor Cavalera and the group's future plans. A transcript of the chat follows: Q: Igor told me a couple of days ago that it was as far back as December 2004 — during his last European tour with SEPULTURA — that he started having these strong feelings of not enjoying himself on stage and not really wanting to be on the road with the band anymore. Were you aware back then that there were problems? I mean, was it something that you had discussed even during that time? Andreas: "Yeah, definitely. He wasn't really enjoying that much being away from Brazil. Especially because he was recently separated from his wife, with more than 16 years together and three kids, and he just got a new wife and new kid. I mean, for any man — it doesn't matter what kind of profession you are — it's a crazy deal, it's very disturbing. It's like you have to really review your whole life pretty much. And, of course, SEPULTURA… we were working on the MOTÖRHEAD tour and then working on the new album and stuff. But, you know, we talked a lot, actually. We did pretty much this together. I mean, he was aware of our intention to continue, especially because we had the new album and everything — to do the tours and find Roy [Mayorga, SEPULTURA's fill-in drummer during the European tour with IN FLAMES], etc. I mean, we respect his decision. I cannot [force] someone to be on stage who doesn't feel it. And especially for SEPULTURA — we always gave 100 percent of our everything to be on stage and… I have my family myself and kids, and for me it's hard also to leave, and to be away, but my situation is much more stable. I'm together with my wife for 16 years etc. So it's pretty understandable that he was confused in the head and all — he was not really enjoying being on the road. We had a break — I don't know… around 3-4 months. He said he wanted to treat himself and talk to some people and find some professional help — really put his head in place — but he never really got that feeling back, to be on the road and to promote the new album etc." Q: Is this the break earlier this year that you are talking about or is this some other break you are referring to? Andreas: "No, that was last year. It was before we started working on 'Dante XXI'. Well, we were working on 'Dante' since August 2004, but before we went actually into the studio to record and everything, we had this break and all. And we did the album and stuff, and everything was cool, but he was never really giving any signs of being excited to be on the road." Q: Did it affect the songwriting process as well, in your opinion? Andreas: "I don't know. Everything affects the songwriting — for good or bad. I mean, it doesn't matter… It could be a good situation or a bad situation. I guess everything [was] positive, because he was really into the album — he brought a lot of ideas. The guy who did the album cover — all the paintings — it was his choice; André Moraes, the co-producer [of the 'Dante' album], he really wanted to work with him and [experiment with] drum loops, and stuff like that. So you know, it was really cool — the studio was fine — but we were concerned to see what would be the next step after the studio; we wanted to have him on the road with us to at least finish the cycle of the album. And then we could stop and think about the future. My intention here now is really to… We found this new drummer from Belo Horizonte [Jean Dolabella, ex-UDORA], also, coincidentally. [Igor and his brother Max formed SEPULTURA in Belo Horizonte before moving to Sao Paulo — Ed.] Our intention is really to finish all the dates that we have ahead of us and try to play as much as we can — to finish the cycle, to honor the contract with SPV etc." Q: Igor said in the interview I did with him a couple of days ago that there was a point before you guys went to Europe [for the tour with IN FLAMES] when you all apparently agreed to take a break as a band and regroup at some point down the line. But then he said that after you came back from Europe, it seemed like you had changed your mind and you wanted to continue touring, with or without him. Is that how you remember the course of events as well? Andreas: "Around the whole process, we all changed a lot — not only the band itself, but individually [as well] about what we should do. I mean, before we left for Europe, I went to talk to him and stuff and he wanted to be involved but without being on the road. I thought that was very difficult, you know, because… I mean, he's the best at what he does on stage — playing drums. And I always made it clear that we wanted to finish what we started — to finish with our heads up and not really… like we did with Max on the 'Roots' tour; we had to stop and really review everything. We didn't finish that part of our career. Our intention, really, was to finish this, because we had so much great support from SPV, a lot of excitement, we did the video clip [for 'Convicted in Life'], we just finished the live DVD and all, and the album [received] a lot of really good response overall by fans and critics, and on stage with Roy, it was really awesome — it was amazing to have Roy there [playing] with a lot of passion and putting 100 percent into it. It was really cool that he also brought some suggestions from old songs, to do something different. That was really exciting and stuff. And you know, he knew that our intention was really to finish the cycle and to play as much as we could. And it was very difficult to have him in the band but without him playing on the road. He's great on the merchandising stuff — all the stuff that he did for the band — and the idea was for him to stay doing stuff like that, like making decisions; you know, like continue to work like more as an office guy instead of being on the road. But I guess he decided to announce [his departure] now, because maybe he has some different projects that he wants to move on [with], and he wanted to decide this first. I mean, what can I say? We respect the timing and all, but… It's a sad situation. I wish we could be together still, at least to finish this. I also have my solo album too and I have many other different projects and stuff, but I have a commitment with SEPULTURA, especially with this album and stuff, and I wanna finish this before I start something new." Q: But I'm not sure if it's completely clear what exactly transpired between January 2006 and June 2006 to cause him to change his mind with regards to his status in the band. From your point of view, was there anything that happened that triggered this announcement — like a disagreement or something of that sort? Andreas: "I don't know. I think he expected us to stop and… I don't know… finish everything and not continue with SEPULTURA. I don't know. We wanted him to wait, at least to finish this cycle and stuff, and then sit down and decide our future. I have no intentions to record another SEPULTURA album with somebody different. My intention really here is to finish the cycle. Especially because we had a great experience with Roy in Europe. I really believe this new guy is gonna bring a lot of new feelings, a new challenge for us. Our profession is moved by challenge, especially music, as we try so much different stuff and travel so many different places. As long as it's exciting… it's gonna be a whole learning experience. But I don't know… Like I said, he decided to announce [his departure] now, maybe because he has something else going on. Fine. But if I had the choice, I'd rather wait a little more and decide this later, but he decided to do this now, like I said, and we respect his decision." Q: You said that you have no intentions of recording another SEPULTURA album without Igor. But the first statement that was posted on your web site after Igor made his announcement sort of implied that you would carry on, because I think it said something like, "SEPULTURA will continue." Andreas: "Yeah, that's kind of decision that we don't have to [make] now. There are so many different elements that could change a lot. Like I said, our intention… We have this guy now, Jean, with us on the drums, we did some tests and stuff, we did some practicing, we were all very impressed by his playing and stuff. Our intention is to play. I don't know if it could go until the end of this year, or the end of next year. Hopefully we can do some festivals in Europe and really represent this album, work this album, and then we [can] decide if we're gonna continue or not. I mean, the message [posted on the web site] is that we're gonna continue with the 'Dante' cycle and see what's next. But what I can tell you now is that I don't feel like doing another SEPULTURA album right now, especially without Igor. It's something that we're not even thinking about. Our attitude is really immediate — really to finish this stuff and really clear this from our life, and finish this and feel good about it, and then make the decision together and talk about it." Q: Igor also implied in his interview that there were some problems between you guys in the way you communicated and interacted with each other, and that it's something that became worse and worse over time. Do you feel that there were communication problems between Igor and the rest of the band that might have contributed to his decision to leave? Andreas: "Yeah. I mean, besides Igor being married to Monika [Igor's first wife] for so long, Monika worked with the band also. So after the separation, Igor was finding it very difficult with the day-do-day business of SEPULTURA, especially because Monika was involved. It's really hard to change all the structure, especially because Monika was together [working] with us for so long, so quickly like that. So I guess in that respect the communication between all of us got a little bit weird. Everything around his personal life, or around personal lives, has a very strong influence on what we do together as a band, and he changed a lot. It's very understandable — he changed his wife and family and stuff. I just think he saw an opportunity, really, to make a bigger change in his life — not only in his personal life, but also professionally. I mean, you know Igor well, like I do, and stuff, and it's his style — he's very quiet, whatever, and it's hard for him to express what he really feels and etc. and it's something that is personal, something that is [part of] his character, something that… it's natural, whatever. I think it feels that it was his style to start something new. I mean, after 22 years together, being away from his brother for so long, it's very heavy situation. I think it's a ridiculous situation — especially between [Igor and Max], brothers by blood and stuff like that. I don't know… I think he feels that he can do something new and at the same time look back and try to resolve his stuff, his problems." Q: You mentioned earlier that you have no intention of recording another SEPULTURA album without Igor, but you are not completely ruling it out. I mean, you basically will make that decision when the time is right. Andreas: "Exactly. Like I said, I cannot really make any decisions now. I'm just telling you what I feel today. But it doesn't mean that [it's the way it's going to be]. I mean, Paulo and Derrick can feel a little different about the same topic, but that’s something that we're still gonna talk about and we're gonna live through the day we really have to decide something about that. And it's cool because we're clear with SPV, the contracts — we had two albums and everything — so I think we can make this decision a lot… it's easier; we don't have the obligation to do another album." Q: So you're not signed to SPV right now? Andreas: "We were dealing with some stuff for the next album when Igor was in the band and everything, but it depends a lot on what's gonna happen — now on the road, and with the drummer. There's a lot of elements that could decide to go either way. But let's wait." Q: So were you surprised when Igor told you that he was going to make this announcement? Andreas: "No, not really. Not surprised. I just thought it was kind of premature to announce it now. But we talked about this already." Q: You mentioned that you had other projects lined up, and I saw on the Internet that you're still doing these other gigs in Brazil in the meantime. How much of a focus will be on SEPULTURA, as far as touring for the next few months, compared to the solo stuff that you're doing? 'Cause I think you're still working on your solo album, right? Andreas: "Yeah. I've been working on my solo album for the last three years, or four years, and I'm doing it very slowly. I wanna enjoy [the process] and invite a lot of people to play [on it] and etc. But you know, SEPULTURA, of course, is my priority, especially because we have a new guy and we have the album and stuff, and let's see where can we go, and how many we can play. The intention, really, is to be on the road as much as we can — to go back to Europe and hopefully to play in the States — we haven't played in the United States in more than three years. The intention's really to be on the road." Q: Is the U.S. tour now confirmed or is that still up in the air? Andreas: "It's still up in the air — [it's] ninety-whatever percent. [Laughs]" Q: I think you mentioned in another interview that you are supposed to be going out with HATEBREED. Andreas: "Yeah, we're talking to HATEBREED and Jamey [Jasta] about doing something together in August/September. Let's see if it happens. It would be great." Q: I've seen some videos of Roy playing with SEPULTURA and I agree with you that he did a great job. But I think that the attitude of the fans might be a little bit different this time around now that it has been announced that Igor is actually out of the band. How do you respond to those fans who say that SEPULTURA shouldn't continue without Igor — touring or otherwise? Andreas: "Well, I heard that before — 10 years ago. I mean, it was not possible to have SEPULTURA without Max. And we did what we did, and we're still here talking about it. Let's see what happens. Anything is possible. I cannot really rule out any option. We could be surprised by what could happen; it could be something big or it could be a disaster. You never know. With Roy also, it was something that we didn't know what to expect, you know. But when you have musicians on stage that play the music honestly and enjoy what they're doing, I mean…. You know, there's no wrong. I mean, besides all the politics — who should be there, who shouldn't be there — we should respect the music and the history of SEPULTURA. And that's why I'm still on stage — because I really love what I do. It's amazing the respect and the love that the fans have for SEPULTURA. Even those that still don't like Derrick or they like Max and all the changes and all, they're still around — even talking good or shit. They're still part of the SEPULTURA life and the SEPULTURA family. And like I said, we're very excited about this new drummer — he's something really new for us, really fresh, he's playing so great and stuff, and let's see what happens. I mean, we still respect the spirit and the story of SEPULTURA, especially because we have this album, 'Dante', and we're gonna do our best and we're gonna enjoy what we do and let's see what happens." Q: I asked Igor this question as well… Looking back on the whole split with Max and how that entire thing was handled, especially now that you see that not much progress has been made in rebuilding the relationship between you and Max in the last 10 years, do you wish that you could have handled that whole situation differently? Andreas: "Yeah, I think Max leaving the band was just the tip of the iceberg. The whole relationship we had with Gloria [SEPULTURA's former manager and Max's wife]… I mean, the only regret I have was really to trust so much the manager, whatever the manager did. After Max left the band, we had to learn a lot about the business, to learn how to take care a little more about our own stuff and not to trust so much somebody. And, you know, he left the band and he pretty much had… it felt like he had the whole plan already going. I mean, he wanted with SEPULTURA what he's doing with SOULFLY — like have total control and stuff. I mean, you could say the first SOULFLY album, the only thing different there is the drummer, the bass player and the guitar player — everything else is the same as 'Roots'. That kind of relationship between the band and a manager that was really fucked up, because she came to be our manager first and then she got involved with Max and etc. Him leaving the band was just… the snowball was the biggest, so we couldn’t really handle the stuff. And of course, Max leaving and putting the letter in the magazines and all that stuff without us knowing, that was really fucked up and then only talking through lawyers and all that crap. It's something that's not going on right now. I mean, Igor and us still have a really good relationship besides all our disagreements regarding the stuff. We did all this together. The only thing I [questioned] was just the timing of the announcement, and stuff like that, but I like I said, we respect his decision, and we hope for the best. I mean, there's no reason, really, to talk shit about anybody. The way it happened 10 years ago, I think we're just a lot more prepared to handle this situation." Q: Do you think that what happened now with Igor increases the chance of the "classic" SEPULTURA lineup ever coming back together or do you think that in some ways it makes it even less likely because Igor has kind of moved on? Andreas: "I really don't know, man. It could go either way. I know there's a lot of people who want to make this happen — this reunion stuff — but I don't know…" Q: In your opinion, what would it take for a reunion to happen? Andreas: "I don't know. A relationship, you know. I think SEPULTURA was built on a relationship between us — growing up together, even though I joined the band a little later, but we grew up together as a band from then on. Everything we did together, and we talked to each other, and we discussed different opinions and ideas… I mean, it's not gonna happen through only lawyers and different buses and different dressing rooms and just meeting on stage and play the whole classic lineup, all the songs. I think we're capable of doing something really special, if we could do something together again, and maximize… I think to have the chance to do this again, it would be great, but it would have to be right. Because otherwise our fans will feel that and that would be a fucking disaster." Q: So if somebody was to come to you and say, "We'll offer you this much money." Under those circumstances, you don't think that could happen. It would have to start with you having a relationship with Max, first of all. Andreas: "Yeah, I think so. I mean, to practice and to at least respect each other's opinions and decisions. We don't have to agree with each other, but work for the best of the band. It's not because we're physically there on stage that the shit's gonna work. I mean, we just did the music we did because had an interaction together, we had a life together, we had agreements and disagreements, whatever — it was very healthy for the music of SEPULTURA. And I think that's essential. Besides all the money and all the structure and all the people involved, it would have to start from the inside to outside and not the opposite — I don't see it working that way. And it could be a disaster also — nothing really is certain that we could be together again and do great again. There's not a recipe to do it right again. I mean, if we had that going, I believe that would take time and stuff and a lot of conversation and a lot of talking and a lot of brainstorming, really, to make this happen. But any other kind of thing would be fake and it would be totally disrespectful to all our old fans and to the fans of the new phase and to Derrick and to Todd [manager] and to everybody involved in SEPULTURA. Here we have really to think in a calm [way] and respect SEPULTURA overall — respect everything we built together and to continue something special." Q: You recently went to see SOULFLY in New York with Derrick. You didn't make any attempt to even try to talk to Max and most people don't understand why that is the case. Why can't you just go and talk to Max? Why didn't you try to talk to Max, just as a longtime friend, somebody you played with so many years? Andreas: "I don't know. It's very difficult. It's been 10 years without talking to each other and, you know, he has a really strong army around him protecting his bunker, so to go there and try to talk to him… I've seen the roadies and seen a lot of people that I didn't see for a long time…" Q: So they knew you were there? Andreas: "Yeah, definitely. But we arrived like halfway through the set and we saw the end and stuff and… We did that once [before] in L.A. [back in 1998]. We were just in town and I don't see why not. It was great. The fans there were really happy to see us there and stuff, and there was no animosity in the air — it was really cool. We were just there to see this new lineup and to see Max on stage at least. I mean, to go there and try to talk to him, I think it would be kind of… That's not the way, I think, for it to happen. It could happen, but like I said, he's so much well protected and even the SOULFLY fans, it's very hard for them to get in touch with him." -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. REVEREND To Embark On 'Resurrection Tour' In August.... - June 17, 2006 REVEREND have announced plans to embark on the "Resurrection Tour" beginning in late August. The trek will kick off in Fort Worth, Texas, with REVEREND headlining the "Rockers Against Hunger" food drive on August 26. The tour will return REVEREND to late REVEREND/METAL CHURCH frontman David Wayne's hometown of Zillah, WA to headline the Evergreen MusicFest on Saturday, September 9. Upcoming REVEREND dates now include: Aug. 26 - Fort Worth, TX @ The Engine Room Sep. 02 - Austin, TX @ (venue to be announced) Sep. 08 - Casper, WY @ (venue to be announced) Sep. 09 - Zillah, WA @ Evergreen MusicFest Sep. 11 - Anaheim, CA @ (venue to be announced) Sep. 13 - Phoenix, AZ @ (venue to be announced) Sep. 15 - Denver, CO @ (venue to be announced) As previously reported, REVEREND have announced the addition of singer Michael Lance to the group's ranks. Wayne died on May 10, 2005 due to complications from injuries he sustained in a head-on automobile accident several months earlier. He was 47 years old. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. SUTURE Sign With UNMATCHED BRUTALITY.... - June 17, 2006 Louisiana's "sickest" death metal act SUTURE have signed with underground label Unmatched Brutality to release their second full-length CD, "Skeletal Vortex". They are looking to enter the studio later this year. SUTURE hail from the swamplands of Louisiana and have been brutalizing the southern reaches of the U.S. since 1998. The band released three demos — "Bloodsoaked", "In Cryptic Bliss", and "Deconstructing Anatomy" — followed by their 2002 debut CD, "Carnivorous Urge to Kill", which came out on U.S. label Deepsend Records. For more information, visit www.suturedeathmetal.com. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. Friday, June 16, 2006
D.R.I. Offer Update On Guitarist SPIKE CASSIDY's Battle With Cancer.... - June 16, 2006 Legendary punk/metal crossover band D.R.I. (DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES) have issued the following update on the condition of guitarist Spike Cassidy, who was recently diagnosed with colon cancer: "Spike Cassidy, founder/guitarist of D.R.I., was diagnosed with cancer in March of 2006. A one-foot section of large intestine (colon) was removed through an eight-inch incision in his stomach. The surgery, which took place on March 27th, was said to be successful in removing all traces of the cancer. Cassidy is now going through six months of chemotherapy and radiation treatments to try to prevent the cancer from reappearing, which is known to be common. "All tours and shows have been canceled. Merchandise orders will all be shipped much later then the normal 2-4 weeks. If your waiting on an order that's already late, be patient, it's on the way, promise. All orders will be shipped as soon as possible. "Updates on Spike's health, and the band's future will be posted [on the band's web site] monthly. Spike, his family, and D.R.I. appreciate the concern every one has shown, and wish they could thank each and every one of you personally." -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. AMON AMARTH: 'Wrath Of The Norsemen' DVD Enters Swedish Chart At No. 2.... - June 16, 2006 AMON AMARTH's "Wrath of the Norsemen" DVD has entered the Swedish Music DVD chart at position No. 2. A three-disc set, "Wrath of the Norsemen" was released in a deluxe 10-page digipack with special gold-laminated slipcase. The main body of the DVD is the Cologne show from last year — filmed with 11 cameras, this was the longest show AMON AMARTH have ever played (23 songs!). Bonus footage includes interviews, behind-the-scenes of the DVD recording and other stuff filmed around the Cologne show. Discs 2 and 3 feature professionally filmed shows from Summer Breeze 2005, the Metal Blade Rrroooaaarrr 2005 (a show with a really unusual setlist!), Wacken Open Air 2004 and the release show for "Fate of Norns" in Ludwigsburg (Germany) in 2004. AMON AMARTH have entered Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden to begin recording their sixth full-length album. The band will record all through May until June 14 with producer Jens Bogren. The as-yet-untitled CD is scheduled for release in September via Metal Blade Records. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. SATYRICON: 'Rebel Extravaganza' To Be Reissued With Bonus Tracks.... - June 16, 2006 According to MTV.com, SATYRICON will reissue their 1999 album, "Rebel Extravaganza", July 25. The record will be remixed and feature three bonus tracks: "Nemesis Divina (Clean Version Mix)" and "Blessed From Below (Melancholy Oppression Longing)", as well as a cover of SARCOFAGO's "I.N.R.I." As previously reported, Sony Music in Norway has revealed that "The Pentagram Burns" will be launched this summer as the second SATYRICON single taken from the "Now, Diabolical" album. "Now, Diabolical" debuted at No. 2 on the national Norwegian charts and also charted in Sweden and Finland. The album's first single, "K.I.N.G.", released in April, hit the Norwegian singles charts at No. 7. "Now, Diabolical" is the follow-up to 2002's "Volcano", which received the Norwegian Grammy for "Best Metal Album", the Alarm Award for "Song Of The Year" (for track "Fuel For Hatred") plus "Metal Album Of The Year", and also the Oslo Award for "Best Overall Album". "Volcano" debuted at No. 4 on the Norwegian national album chart. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. RED HARVEST To Team Up With SUSPERIA, GRIMFIST For U.K. Tour.... - June 16, 2006 RED HARVEST will be teaming up with SUSPERIA and GRIMFIST for a U.K. tour in October. Confirmed dates so far are as follows: Oct. 12 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City Oct. 13 - London, UK - The Underworld, Camden Oct. 14 - Bradford, UK - Rio Oct. 15 - Glasgow, UK - Cathouse Oct. 16 - Dudley, UK - JB's In other news, RED HARVEST's live DVD will finally be released on September 18. The disc will feature the group's entire September 2005 gig at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo that was recorded with a professional, 12-camera film team. The DVD will also include as-yet-undisclosed bonus material. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. Ex-SEPULTURA Drummer IGOR Joins Forces With 'Death Rapper' NECRO In New Project.... - June 16, 2006 Former SEPULTURA drummer Igor Cavalera has formed a brand new project with hardcore Brooklyn "death rapper" NECRO. Cavalera had previously appeared on the song "Necrotura" off NECRO's "The Circle of Tyrants" CD. "The news is that myself and Igor have started a band, we will go into the studio in the next month and record demos," Necro told BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "We have been planning on doing this for months before he even left SEPULTURA, but now that he has left it seems like the perfect time to let people know about this new project we are working on. "We don't have a band name yet, but we know we want to make some brutal old-school '80s thrash/death metal type of shit in the lines of DEATH, OBITUARY, SLAYER, METALLICA, SEPULTURA, MEGADETH, etc. just to name a few bands that were insane in 1986-1990. "Igor will be playing drums, obviously, I will be playing all rhythm guitar and some leads, as well as the bass, until I find our Geezer Butler/Cliff Burton. Currently I am that person that can play in that style, so I will handle bass for now. And I will make an attempt at doing the vocals as well. Being I am a highly respected rapper who invented the genres 'death rap' and 'metal hiphop' it shouldn't be an issue, plus for those that just think I am a newjack hiphop guy that doesnt know shit about metal, I was in a band called INJUSTICE when I was just the tender age of 12 years old. I currently have the INJUSTICE 1990 demo online at MySpace. Here is the link for anyone that wants to hear it: www.myspace.com/injustice1990. "Also you will notice I have a positive quote from Jeff Beccera of POSSESSED on the page who also recently contacted me and we will be working together on my next metal hiphop project, as well as Mark from LAMB OF GOD who reached out to me, too." "I was 13 years old when that demo was recorded, playing both lead and rhythm guitar, while my brother Ill Bill was playing bass and handling vocals at 17 years old. We had opened for SEPULTURA and OBITUARY at L'Amour [in Brooklyn] when i was 12, and also did many shows opening for bands like NAPALM DEATH at the Cabaret, SADUS, IMMOLATION, BIOHAZARD and LUDACHRIST. "Not 100% confirmed, but Alex Skolnick [TESTAMENT] should be doing a lot of the leads on this new project, as he did the leads on the track 'Necrotura', which featured Alex, Igor and Matt Harvey from EXHUMED. "I am funding the whole project out of my own pocket, 'cuz as you might or might not know, I run my own record label, Psycho+Logical-Records, for the past six years, 100% indie and have moved over 200,000+ units of CDs combined with no major label help. So if we can't find a metal label to release this project, we have something to fall back on, but we would prefer a professional experienced full-on metal label to release this project. We shall see. "For those that wanna hear the metal hiphop songs I did with Jamey and Sean of HATEBREED, John and Trevor of OBITUARY, Igor and more, go to my metal hiphop page on MySpace and you can hear samples: www.myspace.com/necrometalhiphop." Igor Cavalera will be joining Necro on stage on August 26, 2006 at the Nokia Theatre in New York City to perform "Necrotura" and many other songs live with Necro and crew. Also appearing will be Ill Bill (NON-PHIXION), Lord Ezec a.k.a. Danny Diablo (SKARHEAD, CROWN OF THORNZ), and Sabac Red (NON-PHIXION) and Riviera Regime. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. DEADSY, BURY YOUR DEAD, BULLETS AND OCTANE Set For FAMILY VALUES Tour.... - June 16, 2006 DEADSY, BURY YOUR DEAD and BULLETS AND OCTANE have reportedly been confirmed for the second stage of the upcoming Family Values Tour, which is scheduled to kick off on July 27 in Virginia Beach. In addition to headliners KORN, the tour's main stage features DEFTONES, STONE SOUR, FLYLEAF and Japanese act DIR EN GREY. KORN frontman Jonathan Davis recently told Launch how the group selects its tourmates. "You put together a wish list and you go out and you try and get the bands that are available," he said. "Some bands aren't available, some bands are. You know, we put together this list and got the people that we wanted. I mean, it's a mixture between us and management, but almost all the time, we get — if they're available, we get who we want." -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. APOLON Project Featuring Members Of METALIUM, AFTER FOREVER: Singer Needed.... - June 16, 2006 The APOLON project — featuring a cutting-edge cutting black metal guitarist (V Santura of DARK FORTRESS), a spherical keyboardist (Joost van den Broek of AFTER FOREVER) and the thundering rhythm section of a traditional heavy metal act (Lars Ratz and Michael Ehre of METALIUM) — are looking for kick-ass singer to complete the group's lineup. Instead of checking out only known singers, APOLON are giving singers around the world a chance to send their demos in. More information is available at www.apolon.de. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. CATARACT Part Ways With Bassist, Seek Replacement.... - June 16, 2006 Swiss metalcore band CATARACT have parted ways with bassist Michael Henggeler. "We thank him for everything in the past 8 years and wish him all the best for his future!!!" the band write in a statement. "We are now looking for an immediate replacement. We need a dedicated person that is willing to play a lot, take part in regular rehearsals, spend your holydays touring with the coolest bands, take some crazy rides and spend weekends in vans, on stages and in foreign beds. "You should bring talent and experience in bands if possible, and it would be ace if you listen to lots of metal and hardcore. You should be loving this as we do, willing to share a future vision in the band and not being afraid of changes and discussions. Creativity is a must. "We offer all of the above and some nice extras such as an endorsement deal, a record contract, forthcoming touring all over Europe and more. There is a bright future ahead for CATARACT. We want you to be part of it. "Just send your application to info@cataract.cc. Write everything we would need to know about you. Don't forget to write down your phone number too! You will get an answer within a few days." Due to Michael's departure, CATARACT have been forced to cancel their previously announced shows in Stuttgart and Berchtesgaden. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. LACUNA COIL To Embark On U.K. Headlining Tour In October.... - June 16, 2006 Italian Rock sensations LACUNA COIL have announced they will be heading back to the U.K. for a headlining tour this fall, in support of their new album "Karmacode". Since the release of "Karmacode" in April of this year LACUNA COIL have already made their mark on the music world, with worldwide critical acclaim for "Karmacode", a sold-out U.S. tour with the legendary ROB ZOMBIE, they have graced the covers of over 40 magazines across the world including the U.K.'s Metal Hammer, Terrorizer and Burrn! — with more stunning covers to follow in the coming weeks and months, a top 40 U.K. single for their debut "Our Truth", a prestigious main stage slot on this year's Download Festival, a performance at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards due to be televised across Europe by MTV2. LACUNA COIL will then head back out to the U.S. to perform on the main stage at this year's Ozzfest. The second single to be taken from "Karmacode" is LACUNA COIL's mesmerising version of the classic DEPECHE MODE track "Enjoy The Silence", which is due to be released on Monday, June 26. Catch them at the following venues: Oct. 06 - Portsmouth, UK @ Pyramids Oct. 07 - Cardiff, UK @ Coal Exchange Oct. 08 - Birmingham, UK @ Academy Oct. 10 - Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands Oct. 11 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City Oct. 12 - Manchester, UK @ Academy Oct. 13 - London, UK @ Astoria Oct. 16 - Dublin, UK @ Olympia Oct. 17 - Sheffield, UK @ Corporation -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. SEPULTURA Comment On Drummer IGOR CAVALERA's Departure.... - June 16, 2006 The remaining members of SEPULTURA — Andreas Kisser (guitar), Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. (bass), and Derick Green (vocals) — have issued the following statement regarding the departure of drummer Igor Cavalera: "Since the beginning of SEPULTURA the ideas of the band were based on the open mindedness, a strong attitude, and the belief in what ever it is that you set your mind to do do it with all your heart. "This band has grown to become more than just the individuals in it, with its additions of members from the start and until now. The ideas and determination from all the members co-founders or not has kept this band together for many years along with the important belief from our supportive fan base. "We set out to create, perform, and communicate our music to the world, an aspect of SEPULTURA that is still alive with us. We do not want to quit in the middle of what we started because this means something to us and to the people that believe in us. We created an album and video with the idea of supporting them 100% and that is what we plan to do with our releases. "We will finish the touring cycle worldwide for 'Dante XXI' which we already started. We have enlisted Jean Dolabella from Belo Horizonte to come to complete the touring cycle on the road who will bring the positive attitude, passion and drive that has given the integrity to the name SEPULTURA. "Despite of all our efforts to compromise and respecting Igor's desire to have a break for himself we needed to follow up with our new release with touring which is what was expected of us to do. With Igor's full understanding that we would continue the touring cycle with someone else it was accepted and fully understood by him. Upon return from the first part of the tour Igor decided to leave the band by his own choice and we can accept that. We wish him all the luck in whatever it is he wishes to pursue." -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. Discuss What(ever).... - wookubus (6:29 PM PST 06/15/2006) Stone Sour/Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor recently discussed the every day topics of the bands upcoming new album "Come What(ever) May", suicide attempts and more. -----SOURCE: The PRP. Hot Underground.... - wookubus (6:42 PM PST 06/15/2006) The "Sounds Of The Underground Tour" and Hot Topic will be teaming up for a 2 CD/1 DVD set which will see a national release in Hot Topic stores on June 27th, here's how it will shape up: CD 1: 01 - As I Lay Dying - "The Darkest Nights" 02 - In Flames - "Leeches" 03 - Trivium - "Blinding Tears Will Break The Skies" 04 - Cannibal Corpse - "Make Them Suffer" 05 - Gwar - "War Party" 06 - Terror - "Strike You Down" 07 - The Black Dahlia Murder - "Miasma" 08 - Behemoth - "Slaves Shall Serve" 09 - The Chariot - "Yanni Depp" 10 - Through The Eyes Of The Dead - "Two Inches From A Main Artery" 11 - Evergreen Terrace - "Dogfight" CD 2: 01 - All That Remains - "This Calling" 02 - Unearth - "The Glorious Nightmare" 03 - Zao - "My Love, My Love (We've Come Back From The Dead)" 04 - The Warriors - "Dice Game" 05 - Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster - "Tough As John Jacobs" 06 - First Blood - "Conspiracy" 07 - Burn In Silence - "Embrace The Plague" 08 - Demiricous - "Vagrant Idol" 09 - This Is Hell - "The Polygraph Cheaters" 10 - Society's Finest - "And I, The Drunkards" 11 - The Human Abstract - "Crossing The Rubicon" "Sights Of The Underground" DVD: 01 - As I Lay Dying - "The Darkest Nights" 02 - In Flames - "Take This Life" 03 - Trivium - "Dying In Your Arms" 04 - Cannibal Corpse - "Make Them Suffer" 05 - Gwar - "Bring Back The Bomb" 06 - Terror - "Overcome" 07 - The Black Dahlia Murder - "Miasma" 08 - Behemoth - "Slaves Shall Serve" 09 - The Chariot - "Yanni Depp" (live) 10 - Through The Eyes Of The Dead - "Two Inches From A Main Artery" 11 - Evergreen Terrace - "New Friend Request" 12 - Ligeia - "Household Stereotypes" 13 - The Absence - "From Your Grave" 14 - Most Precious Blood - "Shark Ethic" 15 - The Warriors - "Downbeat" 16 - Byzantine - "Jerimiad" 17 - Maylene And The Sons Of Disaster - "Tough As John Jacob" This is not to be confused with the upcoming "Sounds Of The Underground Live: Volume 1" DVD which will see a June 20th release date through DRT. -----SOURCE: The PRP. Thursday, June 15, 2006
DISTURBED Frontman DAVID DRAIMAN: 'I Like The Finer Things'.... - June 15, 2006 DISTURBED frontman David Draiman told the Associated Press that his band recently took a helicopter to a winery on an island off the coast of New Zealand, had a private cruise in a $8 million yacht and the singer then took a solo scuba-diving jaunt to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. "The fans who know us, and me in particular, know the type of people we are. I like the finer things," Draiman said. "We've gone through our McDonald's and Burger King phase. (Now we) hit cities across the world and want to experience what they have to offer." On the subject of his childhood, Draiman said, "(I was) just troubled in the respect of being forced into living in a way I wasn’t prepared to live. You go to these schools and you have to abstain from just about everything that a normal teenage boy would normally indulge in. Everything was very regimented. I just wanted to do the things that all normal teenagers wanted to do. So I did become quite rebellious.” On DISTURBED's recent tour Down Under, they played before 10,000 people in Sydney, many of them first-time show goers since this was only the band's second visit to Australia. Draiman said that out of the crowd maybe 1,000 people had seen them before, but they left Sydney selling more than $60,000 in T-shirts and hats. "It kind of gives you an idea the impression we left with people," he boasted. "It's gratifying and intoxicating," he said of performing in front of large crowds. "You are affecting that many people simultaneously. To be able to inject that much energy into that many people, it's the ultimate drug." -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. RAMONES: 'Gabba Gabba Hey!' Musical To Open In London In July.... - June 15, 2006 MTV.com reports: "Gabba Gabba Hey! — A Punk-Rock Musical", inspired by the songs of the RAMONES, will open in London on July 31 for a one-week run of shows set to conclude August 5. Described as "a postmodern fairy tale about the redeeming power of love," the musical will feature 18 classic RAMONES tracks, including "I Wanna Be Sedated", "Beat on the Brat", and "Blitzkrieg Bop". Tommy Ramone, the production's musical director, will be appearing each night during the brief run. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. ORPHANED LAND Announce 'El Norra Alila' 10-Year Anniversary Shows.... - June 15, 2006 Israeli metal band ORPHANED LAND have announced the details of three special concerts to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of their second album, "El Norra Alila". The concerts, which will take place this summer in Israel and Turkey, will see the band perform a two-hour set cosisting of the entire "El Norra Alila" CD along with selections from the band's other albums. The dates are as follows: Jul. 29 - Tel Aviv, ISR @ Theatre Club Sep. 14 – Istanbul, TUR @ Yeni Melek Sep. 16 – Ankara, TUR @ Saklikent As previously reported, Holy Records has just reissued a remastered version of "El Norra Alila", featuring one bonus audio track and two bonus video CD-ROM live songs in a deluxe digipack. ORPHANED LAND are currently working on material for their new album, "ORwarriOR", which will be produced by Steven Wilson of PORCUPINE TREE. A 2007 release via Century Media Records is expected. ORPHANED LAND is a band which combines progressive heavy/death-metal rock with ethnic Middle Eastern/Arabic/Israeli elements, a unique hybrid of styles that contributed to Steven's decision to work with them. The group have recorded three albums to date, the most recent of which, "Mabool", was their Century Media debut. Existing completely outside of the mainstream, ORPHANED LAND have managed to create a large worldwide following, and their recent appearances in Europe and the USA at the ProgPower festivals have brought them to the attention of a whole new audience. Wilson is, of course, known from his main project PORCUPINE TREE as well as the producer of three of OPETH's albums. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. ATROPHY Albums To Be Reissued.... - June 15, 2006 Displeased Records will be reissuing the two classic '80s thrash albums from ATROPHY — 1988's "Socialized Hate" and 1990's "Violent by Nature" — before the end of the year. The CDs will be remastered, include bonus material, lyrics and biography. BNR Metal Pages says: Hailing from Arizona, ATROPHY fit right in with contemporaries such as EXODUS and FORBIDDEN, playing energetic, crunchy thrash. "Violent by Nature" was the more varied album, but lacked the spark and immediacy of "Socialized Hate". Two former members (James Gulotta and Tim Kelly) have recently been seen in a new band called HEAD CIRCUS, self-described as "still heavy metal and aggressive as always". At one time an album was planned, but their current status is uncertain. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. SACRIFICE Reissues Through DISPLEASED Cancelled.... - June 15, 2006 Ron W Veltkamp of Displeased Records has issued the following statement: "The previously announced reissues of the first two SACRIFICE albums by Displeased Records will be cancelled. Displeased Records had a license contract for those with Roadrunner. After some received info from SACRIFICE and the label Marquee/Brazil, Roadrunner did a thorough check concerning who has the rights to those albums. The result was that Roadrunner did not have the CD rights. They apologized for their mistake and deleted these albums from the license deal. Displeased Records will therefore not release both SACRIFICE albums." As previously reported, SACRIFICE will reunite for the first time in 15 years for one night only as headliner of Day Of The Equinox II festival taking place on Saturday, September 23, 2006 in Toronto, Ontario at the Opera House. The Canadian band's original lineup of guitarist/singer Rob Urbinati, guitarist Joe Rico, bassist Scott Watts and drummer Gus Pynn will be performing tracks from their classic metal releases: "Torment In Fire" (1986), "Forward To Termination" (1987) and "Soldiers of Misfortune" (1990). -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. CYCLE SLUTS FROM HELL Reunite For One-Off Performance.... - June 15, 2006 According to Rockdetector.com, the legendary New York female biker band CYCLE SLUTS FROM HELL are reuniting for a one-off performance on June 24 at Delancey's (168 Delancey St.) in New York City. The band's lineup group for the show will be as follows: Raffaele a.k.a. Queen Vixen Donna She Wolf a.k.a. Honey One Percenter Virginia Staska a.k.a. She Fire of Ice Pete Lisa a.k.a. Lord Roadkill Fernando a.k.a. JD Malo Scott Duboys (original SLUT drummer) and new addition Esko on second guitar CYCLE SLUTS FROM HELL's 1991 album for CBS Records was recorded at The Hit Factory with producer Glen Robinson, and featured OVERKILL's guitarist Bobby Gustafson and erstwhile SMASHED GLADYS bassist Fernando Rosario as session players. Their infamous "Wish You Were A Beer" video garnered heavy MTV rotation but the group folded later that same year. Venus Penis Crusher (Betty X) forged HANZYL UND GRETYL while Honey One Percenter went on to SHE WOLVES with the infamous Gyda Gash. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. Destroy Devour Release.... - wookubus (3:22 PM PST 06/14/2006) Destroy Destroy Destroy will release their new album "Devour The Power" through Blackmarket Activities on September 05th. -----SOURCE: The PRP. I See No Gods.... - wookubus (3:07 PM PST 06/14/2006) According to their label Hand Of Hope Records, Gods (ex-Zao) have called it quits. -----SOURCE: The PRP. Let Your Victory Take Over.... - wookubus (3:02 PM PST 06/14/2006) Four Letter Lie will release their Victory debut "Let Your Body Take Over" on August 22nd. Behold...The Release Date.... - wookubus (2:57 PM PST 06/14/2006) Behold...The Arctopus' "Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning" will see an August 22nd release date through Black Market Activities. The effort is expected to be a compilation of remastered previously released material and more. -----SOURCE: The PRP. CHILDREN OF BODOM: Signing Sessions Announced.... - June 15, 2006 CHILDREN OF BODOM members Alexi Laiho (vocals, guitar), Roope Latvala (guitar), and Henkka Blacksmith (bass) will be signing autographs at the following Sam Ash locations during the Unholy Alliance Tour, which is scheduled to kick off tonight (June 15) in Camden, New Jersey: June 19, 2006: Sam Ash # 56 Cincinnati, OH 11805 Commons Drive. Springdale, OH 45246 Appearing: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. June 20, 2006: Sam Ash # 19-Burbank, IL (Mall) 7780 S. Ciero Burbank, IL 60459 Date 6/20/06 (show date) Appearing: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. June 23, 2006: Sam Ash # 59 San Antonio, TX 25 N.E. Loop 410 at McCullough San Antonio, TX 78216 Date 6/23/06 (show date) Appearing: 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. As previously reported, CHILDREN OF BODOM have set "Chaos Ridden Years – Stockholm Knockout Live" as the title of their upcoming DVD, due on October 10, 2006. The disc is estimated to contain over three hours of non-stop COB action, including a live concert, videos, and a rare documentary on the band from past to present. Directed by Patric Ullaeus of the Revolver Film Company, the DVD will mainly focus on the February 5, 2006 live concert at Arenan in Stockholm, Sweden, featuring over 90 minutes of live excitement. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. JOB FOR A COWBOY Sign With METAL BLADE RECORDS.... - June 15, 2006 Arizona-based metal quintet JOB FOR A COWBOY have inked a deal with Metal Blade Records. The group, whose "Doom" EP is still available for purchase from the band's site, will be going into the studio before the end of the year to record their first full-length release, due in the spring of 2007. Commented JOB FOR A COWBOY in a statement: "We know so many bands that are working so very hard to be signed, and we are extremely grateful that we have gotten this opportunity. We have not taken anything for granted and we love to thank everyone that came to our shows and supported us. And thank you to all the bands that we've made friends with along the way, the promoters that taken so many chances on the band, and everyone who's been apart of our development." Added Metal Blade Records founder Brian Slagel: "We are very excited to welcome JOB FOR A COWBOY to the Metal Blade family. They have done a tremendous job of promotion through their MySpace page and we look forward to continuing their amazing progress." JOB FOR A COWBOY is: Ravi Bhadriraju - Guitar Jonny Davy - Vocals Bobby Thompson - Guitar Elliot Sellers - Drums Brent Riggs - Bass -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. Wednesday, June 14, 2006
POISONBLACK Set Title For Sophomore Album.... - June 13, 2006 POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring Ville Laihiala (vocals, guitar, formerly of SENTENCED), Janne Markus (guitar), Marco Sneck (keyboards), Antti Remes (bass) and Tarmo Kanerva (drums) — have set "Lust Stained Despair" as the title of their long-awaited second album, due in the U.S. on August 22 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Escapextacy" was recorded in part at Tonebox studio in Oulu, Finland and was mixed and mastered at Antfarm studios in Aarhus, Denmark. Laihiala had previously stated about the new album's musical direction: "The new one has the same spirit and theme that was on [the debut album, 'Escapextacy'], but presented with a lot more dirtier and rougher sounds without forgetting the melodies," he said. "But if you are waiting for a soft goth-rock album you'll be surprised." POISONBLACK will be performing at the Qstock Festival in Oulu, Finland on July 29. POISONBLACK's debut album, "Escapextacy", featured CHARON frontman Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto, who eventually left the group in order to concentrate on his touring and recording commitments with his main band. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. OBITUARY Frontman On Hanging Out With MOLLY HATCHET, RONNIE JAMES DIO.... - June 13, 2006 OBITUARY frontman John Tardy has posted the following message on the band's official web site: "[We had a] great show the other night in London. It felt good to be back and actually make the show after what happened last time with our work permits. Thanks to all of you for coming out. "We had a travel day to Scotland yesterday which allowed us to relax and have a few cool one here last night! Today our show is at the Soundhaus in Glasgow. It has been a long time since we were here, so we are looking forward to seeing all of you tonight. It is going to be sick! "I can't tell you how much fun we had at Sweden Rock [festival]! Hangin' out with the MOLLY HATCHET guys, watching TED NUGENT and CELTIC FROST, it was a great time. They had four different stages and endless amount of great bands playing. We really thank the Sweden Rock promoters for the invitation to this great festival. We got to meet a lot of the musicians that have influenced us over the years. On top of that, we are at the airport going through customs and Ronnie James Dio is standing there with us. He did not play at the Sweden Rock, but was just traveling home. He was so cool and to my surprise actually knew who we were. Awesome!!!" OBITUARY are continuing to tour in support of their latest CD, "Frozen in Time", which was released in July 2005 via Roadrunner Records. The group's first collection of new songs since 1997's "Back from the Dead" was self-produced by the band, with Mark Prator and Scott Burns engineering, and was mastered by Tom Morris at Morrisound. The band recently completed a U.S. trek with SADUS and DEAD TO FALL. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. BODY COUNT To Release 'Murder 4 Hire' In August.... - June 13, 2006 Rapper/actor/rock 'n' roller Ice-T is at it again on "Murder 4 Hire" (Escapi Records) by BODY COUNT, to be released August 1, 2006. Lead guitarist Ernie C, bassist Vincent Price, drummer OT and rhythm guitarist Bendrix hit the metal hard on 12 tracks of what is sure to be controversial, argued over and demonized right from the jump. "Fuck the cops," shouts the actor in the opening track, "Invincible Gangsta" (Ice-T ironically plays a cop on NBC-TV's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"). The track harkens back to "Cop Killer", the 1992 BODY COUNT cut that polarized a presidential election and had to be forced off the album by the corporate powers-that-be. (Ice-T subsequently appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone in full policeman uniform.) Musically, the bombast of the "Murder 4 Hire" metal, with all its sweeping rock grandeur, is oftentimes offset by a total all-out thrash breakdown. Lyrically, the songs range from political ("The End Game"), personal ("You Don't Know Me [Pain]"), and religious ("The Passion Of The Christ"), to obsession ("In My Head"), armegeddon ("Dirty Bomb"), hate ("Lies") and relationships. Obviously, BODY COUNT, circa 2006, ain't backing down from anybody or anything. A eulogy for fallen band member D-Roc is also included ("D Rocs [RIP]") as is a hilarious take on deep south rednecks ("Down In The Bayou"). The title track is an instant hit man anthem. The CD closes with "Mr. C's Theme", a show-stopping hard rock instrumental. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. IGOR CAVALERA Talks About His Decision To Leave SEPULTURA.... - June 14, 2006 In the two days since drummer Igor Cavalera announced his departure from SEPULTURA, there has been a great deal of speculation regarding the reasons for his split with the group and his future plans. While some fans have theorized that Igor became disillusioned with playing heavy metal and wanted to explore different musical styles, many others have taken it for granted that Igor would eventually rejoin forces with his brother Max in either SOULFLY or a reunited version of SEPULTURA's classic lineup. In this exclusive interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET — conducted Tuesday evening (June 13) — Igor refutes many of the rumors currently circulating the Internet and explains the circumstances that led to his decision to leave the band. Q: When I spoke to you in January, you told me that you were not leaving the band — that you were merely taking a break from touring to spend time with your new wife and kid, and that you were fully intending on returning to SEPULTURA at some point. That is obviously no longer the case. What happened in the last five months to change your mind with regards to your position within the band and to cause you to finally make the announcement that you were leaving the group? Igor: "The main thing, really, that changed… It was after the European tour that SEPULTURA did with Roy [Mayorga, ex-SOULFLY, currently in STONE SOUR] on drums… I had a meeting with Andreas [Kisser, SEPULTURA guitarist] before he left for that tour, and then we had another meeting when he came back. And before he left, at the only meeting that we had, we pretty much agreed on all those things that everybody knew — that I was willing to take a break. I wasn't thinking or even saying anything about leaving the band, even though there was a lot of rumors going around. But my intention was really to continue doing this and taking a break. And we even talked about how we wanted to [have] an injection of new energy in the band, and that was something that with this break we might have been able to [achieve] that — to think about and reflect on a lot of different things; that was the plan. When he came back from that tour, we had another meeting, and in that meeting he just showed me a completely different side of it where he didn't feel like my break would be good for the band and good for everything, and he wanted to really continue doing a lot of touring and a lot of shows — they were already booking a lot of shows that I didn't know about — and things like that, which pretty much [led] me to make this decision. And not only that, but also in Brazil, a lot of things were going around, like a [news story in the media] 'A new drummer for SEPULTURA has been hired' — this guy [Jean Dolabella] from Belo [Horizonte], who was already playing in the band, which wasn't a lie, but the way that portrayed it, it was like he was the new drummer, and the band didn't come forward to say anything about that — not even on our web site — and I felt really disrespected [by that]. Not even to put something [on our web site to refute the rumors], since it was already out on the Internet and things like that. Like the time when you posted that story on Blabbermouth [referring to the January 13, 2006 article on this site stating that Igor was quitting the band — Ed.], right after that I put up something on the web site, explaining to the fans — at least like a little letter — just saying, if they [should] rely on [any information being spread about the band], it [should come] from the band directly — not to [believe anything] unless it came from us. And I think that's a pretty good relationship between a fan and a band — if they can go to a band web site, if they hear something, and if they see something from the band, there can be a little relief, or not — as was the case [on Monday, when the official announcement about Igor leaving was made — Ed.]. So those were the main reasons that I just started thinking completely differently, where I just felt that in their opinion, the [idea] of them moving on and continuing to play didn't include me as part of this plan. So I just felt that the most honest thing to do was to explain to everybody [what was going on] instead of just sitting at home [while] people [were] thinking that I was still taking that break, [but] where my mind was in a completely different place." Q: But it is understandable why the other guys would want to tour and keep the SEPULTURA name alive, especially after a new album has just been released. After all, you only get one chance to tour behind an album and it's hard to tour for a new CD a year down the road. Why did you have such a problem with the other guys using a different drummer for the entire touring cycle for this album and just regrouping with you next year or whenever you were ready to become a full-fledged member of the band again? Igor: "Actually, that was my idea in the beginning of all this. But I just felt that were weren't really talking the same language anymore when they returned from Europe. Especially after this meeting, it was like… for me, the intention that they showed me was completely different. 'Cause I wasn't willing to tell them, 'You can't go out and tour,' and all that stuff. But at the same time, I just felt that over the years, things were going for us not so well — between us, our relationship — and for me, this was a chance for me to be free and do new things at the same time." Q: You say that your relationship with the other guys deteriorated over the years, and in your statement announcing your departure from the band, you mentioned that you started feeling that you weren't on the same page as the rest of the group around the time of your last European tour with SEPULTURA, which was in December 2004. Did anything specific happen on that tour — any particular incident — that made you feel that way? Igor: "No, it was more me than anything else. I was just not feeling well — like touring, and being out [away from home]. It was just a bunch of different feelings that I was feeling — it wasn't any one event or one special thing that triggered this whole thing. It was just myself; I just felt like a complete outsider in this whole thing — I just didn't wanna be there, I didn't wanna continue touring and all that stuff. I was just struggling with myself to keep doing this. I wasn't really happy. That was like, for me, the most… The thing that hit [me] the most was that I wasn't really feeling it anymore." Q: Do you think that the things that were going on in your personal life — the breakup of your first marriage — contributed to you feeling this way, or do you think it was completely unrelated? Igor: "I think it was unrelated to a certain extent because I could always deal with both things and have the joy of both, but at that time I wasn't having any fun being out and being on the road and playing — all that stuff. Even performing, for me, it was like… When performing got to the point that I wasn't really having… I don't know… like a feeling of fire inside, or something like that, that's when I really felt like I had to do something else." Q: And you started feeling that around December 2004, right? Igor: "Yeah, that's when it got really strong." Q: You also mentioned in your statement on Monday that there were "artistic," or "musical," differences that contributed to the split. The way you are describing this situation, I'm not sure that "artistic" differences is how most people would see it. It almost seems like it was question of lack of motivation more than anything else. Igor: "But it could be seen in that way. The way I was looking at it, it was different. When I put 'musical differences' [in the statement as a reason for the split] it was where I felt that I couldn't give anything more to the band. If I wanted to do something, I wanted to do something completely different from what I was doing with SEPULTURA. So I think it was even more from my part than the whole band itself." Q: When I spoke to you yesterday, you mentioned to me that you felt that "Dante XXI" was the strongest album you have done with Derrick [Green, vocals]. So I think, with that in mind, people would probably be surprised that you would choose to leave when the band was at its strongest, musically speaking, at least as far as this lineup is concerned. Igor: "It is definitely my favorite album out of all of them — the ones we did with Derrick. But at the same I feel very proud stopping the way I stopped, [having just released] such a great [album]. As far as promoting and going out and touring, I wasn't really feeling it, but being in the studio and writing the songs, I put 110 percent in it." Q: You said earlier that you wanted the band to take a break. Do you really feel that a break would have helped? I mean, if all of you guys had agreed to go separate ways for a while and then regroup later on, do you think that would have made a difference or do you think that it pretty much would have meant the end of the band? Igor: "I truly believe that it could have helped." Q: But you also know that it could have meant the end of the band just as well, right? Igor: "I don't know. I was looking more on the… not really on the business side of it, more on the artistic side of it, where if we took a break and if we did different things for a while that we could miss being in the studio, being on the road, and all that stuff. That's where I was coming from." Q: One other thing that I have seen mentioned on various message boards, including the one on the official SEPULTURA web site, is that many people believe that you no longer have a passion for playing metal music — that you are more interested in getting involved in hip hop music and electronic sounds and DJing and all that stuff. Is there any truth to that? Do you still feel any kind of interest in playing hard-hitting metal, hardcore music or do you want to really do something completely different? Igor: "I think it's both. I really wanna do stuff that's really heavy and really powerful, but I also wanna do different stuff, like I always wanted to do with SEPULTURA. I always put my influences [into the music] and they've always been very different — from metal all the way to all kinds of styles of music, and that always came across really good when we were writing songs. So I think it's both, you know. It doesn't necessarily mean that I wanna stop playing metal and just playing whatever I'm listening to at the moment. I think, for me, that's… I don't know if I could even that. When I play, I play in a certain style that even if I'm trying to play in a certain style, it's gone come out the way I play my drums. So I think, in my point of view, I'm always gonna have that fire inside to play heavier music, and I definitely don't wanna stop playing that kind of music, because the stuff that I do outside of SEPULTURA, it's a lot more fun than anything else — it's just having fun. Like the whole DJ thing — it's just having fun here and enjoying different… It's almost like discovering a new instrument by doing the turntable stuff and also trying out new electronic stuff with drums, just like I did with percussion at the time — really researching a lot of percussion, and Brazilian music, and things like that. But I wouldn't exchange everything I had just to be in that style or changing the whole thing." Q: So if people were to say that you passion for playing heavy music has diminished in the last few years, that wouldn't be an accurate thing to say? Igor: "No, I don't see it that way. I still have a lot of… When I play music, especially the old, fast stuff, I really enjoy that." Q: The SEPULTURA webmaster posted a message on the band's site on Tuesday stating that SEPULTURA would continue following your departure, but it's not presently clear if that means they will just go on touring in support of "Dante XXI" or if they will try to carry on and record a new album with a different drummer. In your opinion, can SEPULTURA exist — and should SEPULTURA continue — without either of the Cavalera brothers in the lineup? Igor: "Actually, I think it's… I don't have the right to say whether it should exist, or if it should go on, since I left the band. I think if it was like, if they threw me out of the band, or if it was like a fight, or if it was a different situation, I could have a different opinion, as far as continuing or not continuing. But as far as the way I see it [now], I think it's really up to them if they want to continue or if they wanna stop with SEPULTURA." Q: Do you have an idea of whether they will continue? Has there been any discussions before you left as to whether they will go on? Igor: "Before I left, there was definitely discussions about finishing the cycle for 'Dante' — the touring cycle — but nothing about continuing, as far as doing new things. But I don't know. That might change now that I am out of the band." Q: But you will not try to stop them if they try to continue and record a new album under the name SEPULTURA with a different drummer? Igor: "No, not at all." Q: A lot of people are speculating, or thinking, that you decision to leave the band might have been influenced by your brother — that Max had something to do with your departure — so I want to ask you a couple of questions about that because a lot of people have a mistaken impression of where your relationship with Max currently stands. First of all, when was the last time you spoke to Max? Igor: "He called me on my birthday last year [September 4, 2005]. But we didn't even talk about the band. It was way more personal stuff. There is definitely not the influence of Max on my decision to leave SEPULTURA." Q: Did you ever tell him that you were thinking about leaving SEPULTURA? Igor: "No, no, actually. No." Q: In the 10 years since Max left the band, have you had ONE opportunity to sit down face to face with him and have a conversation with each other as brothers? Igor: "No." Q: The longest conversation you've had with Max in the last 10 years was how long, if you don't mind me asking? Igor: "I don't even know… Every time we spoke, it was weird, because I wanted to make sure that it involve SEPULTURA, because I wanted to continue speaking to him more and more, and [I wanted to] leave the band — his band and my band — out of [the conversation]. So we would talk for a long time, but we would never mention SOULFLY or SEPULTURA in the conversation at all." Q: One other thing that I have seen mentioned on various message boards is the possibility of you joining your brother's band, SOULFLY, now that you are no longer a member of SEPULTURA. If Max was to call you up and say, 'I'd like you to do a tour with my band,' or record an album with SOULFLY, would you consider it? Is that something that is a possibility for you? Igor: "I don't know. It's hard. It's the same as when people ask me if Max was to call me and ask me if he could rejoin SEPULTURA, if I would accept, and I think the answer is pretty much the same. I can't really speculate about something that's not real. Once it's real, then you have time to think about it and really have a strong opinion about it. When it comes to something that's not real, I think it's a waste of time to try [and guess how I would feel about it]. It's not real." Q: Do you think there's a possibility that you may ever play with SEPULTURA again? Do you consider this a closed chapter for you or is the door open for you to one day play with these guys again? Igor: "I don't know. It's hard to say. The thing that I always left really open and I always spoke very clearly about to everybody was the way that I wish I could play with my brother again. Even when I was in SEPULTURA — that was something that I never hid from anyone. And I think it's still the same. I think one day I will be able to play with him again. I don't know what format — if it's SEPULTURA, if it's a new thing — but the desire is there, and it's always been there, and I never made that a secret to no one." Q: Looking back now, do you have any regrets about the way the whole split with Max happened, or do you think that you guys did absolutely the right thing in the way that you handled the situation? Igor: "I don't know if we did the right thing, but I know for sure that we definitely learned from the things that we did — not only with him, but everything we've done in our whole career. It's hard to say if it was right or if it was wrong, but one thing is for sure — we learned a lot from that whole experience; it changed a lot of things in our heads." Q: Do you have any regrets about anything that you did during SEPULTURA's career — things that you wish you could have done differently? Igor: "No, not at all." Q: So what are your plans for the immediate future? I know you're spending time with your family. Igor: "That's still my plan. The bomb exploded, but my plan's still the same. I wanna definitely take this time to spend with my newborn, Antonio, and my family, and that's the main thing for me that I think about. And once other things start showing up, I will just take my time and really look into it in a way that… I am in no rush right now to jump into a different project, to do new things or to put any expectations on our fans to hear something new. So if it happens, it's gonna happen at the right time — I'm not rushing it at all." Q: Do you still consider the other guys in SEPULTURA to be your friends? Igor: "Yeah, yeah. Especially Derrick." Q: Do they feel the same way about you, you think? Igor: "I think so." Q: But if there were any kind of tension between you and any of the other guys, it would probably be between you and Andreas, correct? Igor: "I think it's a little stronger [between us]." Q: One thing I wanted to ask you. I noticed that you've started spelling your first name with two Gs in all the press announcements and on the band's web site. Igor: "Yeah, that's something weird that I started signing it — my name with two Gs. And then on the last SEPULTURA album, I wrote it with two Gs. There's no special meaning to it. I just started signing my autograph with two Gs and then I liked the way it looked. So I'm not studying Kabbalah or anything like that. [Laughs] I think it looks cool and when I started writing it, I thought it looked better than it did the other way, so that's how I write my name right now." -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. DARK TRANQUILLITY: New Album to Be produced By TUE MADSEN.... - June 14, 2006 Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have posted the following message on their official web site: "We can now confirm that we'll be working with acclaimed Danish producer Tue Madsen for the next album. The effort will be mixed in his Antfarm studio, while the actual recording will take place in different premises here in Sweden. Drums will be set to tape at the old Studio Fredman, while guitars, bass, vocals and electronics will be immortalized at Rogue Music. "The album is as yet untitled, but some working titles (that may or may not change) are 'Blind at Heart', 'The Lesser Faith', 'InsignifiCunt' and 'The Plunge'." DARK TRANQUILLITY recently completed a North American tour with OPETH, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND and DEVILDRIVER in support of "Character", their highly acclaimed latest album that brought these originators of the famed Gothenburg scene back to the forefront of the genre. "Character", recorded once again at Studio Fredman (IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY), has also been praised as their most groundbreaking yet as it retains all of the band's classic elements and thought-provoking lyrical content while blending the perfect amount of unrelenting aggression and melody. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. SHADOWS FALL Frontman: 'We Want To Be Around For A While'.... - June 14, 2006 Chad Bowar of About.com recently conducted an interview with SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow: About.com: This is your last album for Century Media. You've signed a deal with Atlantic Records, a major label. What led you to make the switch? Brian Fair: "We've been doing things on the do it yourself level so long. We've learned a lot of the business side of things, mostly because we had to on the fly. We really knew what we wanted going into a record deal. That right away narrowed the playing field. Some labels didn't want to work within our framework of creative control and allotting money for specific marketing. It was more about feeling comfortable. We got to know all the people at Century Media as friends before we signed with them, just by hanging out at shows. It was the same thing with Atlantic. We got to know them throughout the past few years and realized it would definitely work out. That was a huge thing for us, having a comfort level knowing there's a support system that's not just looking to sell records and get out. They know we're not a pop band. We're going to take a slow-build career. We don't want to be a flash in the pan, we want to be around for a while. They understood that we're not going to change what we do, and it worked out. It really felt similar to the building of our relationship with Century Media. "Atlantic understands how we built our foundation and we don't want to lose touch with that. This type of music is not going to suddenly be all over, blowing up on TV. They know that this is heavy metal. To lose sight of your audience would be silly. To ignore those things wouldn't make any sense. We built our audience by touring and getting in front of as many people and word of mouth, and that will continue." About.com: Before SHADOWS FALL you were in the band OVERCAST with current KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio. You're now re-recording some of that band's old material. How did that come about? Brian Fair: "We talked about trying to remix or remaster some of the old stuff. When Mike and I were on Ozzfest last summer we realized we were going to have a good chunk of time where we both were going to be in Massachusetts. KILLSWITCH was going to be writing their new record, we were going to be working on ours, so we were both going to be home. We figured this might be our only chance to get together and play some shows. And that idea spawned the idea of re-recording instead of just remixing or remastering. We know we'll never recapture that youthful energy of those first records, and some of what makes it great is that sloppy production, but we figured it would be a way to create the songs in a way we always wanted to hear them. We didn't slow anything down or change anything really crazy, we just did some of the backup vocals we never had a chance to do or some guitar overdubs. All that early stuff was recorded in a few days for a couple hundred bucks. It's been great. We're pretty stoked. It was crazy that all five of us could together. The past few years it just hasn't been an option." About.com: Do you have a release date or label yet? Brian Fair: "It's still up in the air. That's one thing we kind of forgot. We were thinking it would be fun to get together with old friends. But as soon as we started moving forward we remembered there was a whole business side of things. KILLSWITCH has a new record coming out, so their label didn't want it released at this time. And of course SHADOWS FALL has a new record. But we're slowly working it out. It will see the light of day, come hell or high water. We'll make sure of that." -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. NOCTURNAL BREED Part Ways With PAINKILLER RECORDS.... - June 14, 2006 Norwegian metallers NOCTURNAL BREED have posted the following message on their official web site: "We have decided to leave Painkiller Records because of major communication problems and the fact that they have broken the contract we had with them. Therefore we are now in the process of finding a new label. Also, the recording for the new album is complete and only the mix is left." As previously reported, NOCTURNAL BREED are scheduled to release their follow-up to "The Tools of the Trade" (Holycaust Records), entitled "Code of Conduct", in September. "Code of Conduct" projected track listing (in no particular order): 01. Code of Conduct 02. Fields of Rot 03. Man-Skinner 04. The Dead 05. In Sickness and in Hell 06. Behind the Front 07. Scything Harrow 08. Too Damned to Conquer 09. Iron Bitch 10. Wicked, Vicious, Violent 11. Metal Church NOCTURNAL BREED recently announced the addition of guitarist A.E. Rattlehead (COCKROACH CLAN, CREST OF DARKNESS, HAMMERHEART) to the group's ranks. Rattlehead joins the band as the replacement for T. Thrawn (real name: Tom Kvålsvoll), who left the group last summer due to "internal conflicts." NOCTURNAL BREED last year released a five-disc box set, entitled "The Remasters", through Painkiller Records. Limited to 1,000 copies, the set includes all of their previous releases, plus bonus tracks and demo recordings. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. DISSECTION Cancel Israeli Appearance.... - June 14, 2006 Swedish extreme metallers DISSECTION have cancelled their previously announced June 17 show at Comfort 13 in Tel-Aviv, Israel. No reason was given for the cancellation. As previously reported, DISSECTION have announced the following live dates outside their final European appearance on June 24, 2006 at Dissection Midsummer Massacre '06 in Stockholm, Sweden: Sep. 01 - Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues Sep. 06 - New York City, NY @ B.B. King Blues Club & Grill DISSECTION released their new album, "Reinkaos", last month on The End Records. As previously reported, Escapi Music has set a July 28 European release date (August 1 in North America) for the new DISSECTION DVD, entitled "Rebirth of Dissection". With Jon Nödtveidt's release from an eight-year prison sentence on September 6, 2004, he recruited a completely new lineup. First to join the ranks was ex-DARK FUNERAL drummer Tomas Asklund, followed shortly by bass player Brice Leclerq (ex-NIGHTRAGE). After auditioning guitarists in the summer of 2004, ex-ABORYM member Set Teitan finally entered to complete the lineup. Embarking on a vast European march of triumph, supported by Swedish black metallers WATAIN, DISSECTION's "Rebirth of Dissection European Tour 2004" turned out to be a huge success. This DVD includes lots of extras and bonus material recorded from this tour, and shows why the band are again at the top of the black metal genre. On June 27, 2006, DISSECTION's classic "The Somberlain" and "Storm of the Light's Bane" albums will be reissued in the U.S. by The End. The remastered CDs will come with multiple bonus tracks, previously unreleased material and new layouts. All three DISSECTION albums will also be released on gatefold vinyl this summer. (Thanks: www.metalisrael.com) -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. Tuesday, June 13, 2006
KORN Frontman Released From London Hospital, Prepares To Fly To U.S.... - June 13, 2006 Erik Loyd of The Bakersfield Californian is reporting that KORN frontman Jonathan Davis will soon return to the United States after having been hospitalized over the weekend in London with a blood illness. Davis' father, Rick Davis, said Monday afternoon (June 12) that his son has been released from a London hospital and is back at a hotel. "If everything goes as planned, he will fly back to the United States in the next 24 to 48 hours to return home," the elder Davis told The Bakersfield Californian. "He will remain under close medical attention. He'll probably go directly to a medical facility." Davis, executive director of the Kern County Board of Trade, said his son became ill with ITP — idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura — an autoimmune disorder. Davis' blood platelet count fell dangerously low because of an allergic reaction to a medication, according to a note on the KORN web site. "If I had continued to headbang onstage I could have had a brain hemorrhage and dropped dead on the spot," Davis' note says. "His spirits have been good through the whole thing, but he appreciates the severity of the disorder and the importance of getting medical attention," the senior Davis told The Bakersfield Californian. Rick Davis said KORN bassist Reggie "Fieldy" Arvizu and guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer will accompany his son on the return trip. "They said they 'would not leave their brother behind,' " Mr. Davis said. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. KORN: European Tour Officially Cancelled.... - June 13, 2006 KORN have officially cancelled their European tour after frontman Jonathan Davis was admitted to a London hospital Friday with a blood disorder called immune thrombocytopenic purpura, which is described as a clotting disorder. The alternative metal act played a shortened set on Saturday (June 10) at the Download festival with the help of guest vocalists from SLIPKNOT, DEVILDRIVER, 10 YEARS, SKINDRED and AVENGED SEVENFOLD. According to Billboard.com, Davis has been ordered by doctors not to perform for several weeks, necessitating scrapping dates through July 2 in Leipzig, Germany. The band is hoping to reschedule the shows later this year. Davis' illness is not expected to affect the band's Family Values tour, which is due to begin July 27 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. DEFTONES, STONE SOUR, FLYLEAF and DIR EN GRAY will also be on that bill. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. SOIL To Perform On 'Mancow's Morning Madhouse'.... - June 13, 2006 Chicago's SOIL will be the featured performers on the "Mancow's Morning Madhouse" nationally syndicated morning radio show on Wednesday, June 14. The "Mancow" show broadcasts live weekday mornings from 5:30 - 10:00 a.m. (CST) to 21 markets across the country, including Chicago, Los Angeles, Knoxville and Salt Lake City. SOIL's latest album, "True Self", was released in early May via DRT Entertainment. The follow-up to 2004's "Redefine" was recorded and mixed at Bomb Shelter studios in Los Angeles, California with producer Ulrich Wild (STATIC-X, TAPROOT). The CD is the group's first to feature singer A.J. Cavalier, who previously fronted the California-based DIESEL MACHINE (also featuring ex-DAMAGEPLAN frontman Patrick Lachman on guitar). The band's original vocalist, Ryan McCombs, has since joined the Texas act DROWNING POOL. -----SOURCE: Blabbermouth.net. |
