This week we have some great news for fans of long-time metal bands who are heading back into the studio to record new albums...
Brazilian/American thrashers Sepultura have commenced the songwriting process for their next album, tentatively due in late 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. This will be the band’s first album with drummer Eloy Casagrande. Casagrande joined Sepultura as the replacement for Jean Dolabella, who left the band because he could no longer handle being away from home for long periods of time. Eloy is a 21-year-old drum prodigy from São Paulo, Brazil who won the Modern Drummer "Undiscovered Drummer" contest as a teenager in 2006.
In other recording news, the mighty Motörhead have entered the studio with long-time producer Cameron Webb to begin recording the follow-up to 2010's The Wörld Is Yours for a tentative late summer release. Song titles set to appear on the CD include 'Outsider' and 'Silence When You Speak to Me'.
Swedish melodic death metallers Dark Tranquillity have completed recording their tenth studio album, Construct, for a May 27 release via Century Media Records. The CD will be mixed by Jens Bogren at his Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden. Commented the band: "Friends! Today is exactly three months before the release of the 'Construct', and it's also the day on which the very last note of music for the album was recorded. After countless of hours in the studio, our work is finally 100% finished. We'll now treat ourselves to some well needed rest and look forward to sharing more news with you in the near future."
Dark Tranquillity recently amicably parted ways with bassist Daniel Antonsson. According to the band, "Daniel wanted to focus on his own musical projects as well as working more in his recording studio. Being first and foremost a guitarist, he felt that the playing bass in a full-time band didn't allow him much time for his main instrument and true passion. With this in mind, he chose to follow his heart and step aside at this point instead of committing to another album and an intense touring cycle that would leave little room for other activities."
Reactivated British extreme metal legends Carcass have set Surgical Steel as the title of their first studio album in 17 years, to be released later this year via an as-yet-undetermined record label. The band's first studio outing since 1996's Swansong will be the first to feature new drummer Dan Wilding (Aborted, Trigger The Bloodshed) and also features guest vocals from original sticksman Ken Owen. The CD was produced by Colin Richardson, who has previously worked with Fear Factory, Machine Head, Napalm Death, Slipknot and Bullet For My Valentine.
Swedish/Danish modern metal sextet Amaranthe are streaming a brand new track, entitled ‘Mechanical Illusion’, on their official website, www.amaranthe.se. ‘Mechanical Illusion’ is cut from their forthcoming sophomore album, The Nexus, due for release in the U.S. on March 26, 2013 via Spinefarm Records. The Nexus will be released everywhere else internationally one day prior on March 25, 2013, also via Spinefarm Records.
The Soundwave festivals might have wrapped up in Australia but the tours don’t stop there... before we even have time to recover we have plenty of hard rock legends in town including Deep Purple, Journey, Kiss, Thin Lizzy and Motley Crue. Motley bassist Nikki Sixx checked in from the first date of the Kiss / Crue tour in Perth this week with the following recap of the initial concert: "Considering the time difference from Los Angeles, the jet lag isn’t too bad. Our hotel fire alarm kept going off last night and it was somehow a blessing in disguise because it kept me awake late enough to help get me back on track. I was talking to Paul Stanley backstage today and he said he is still waking up at 4 am. Jet lag is a bitch when you have to get up onstage and give 100%, but once the lights go down, all the fatigue goes right out the window. There is no rush like performing live for a sold-out crowd."
If you're waiting for some heavier bands to hit our shores then get a load of this.... legendary metallers Obituary are on their way to Australia to play two very special shows. Beginning their career as Xecutioner in 1984, Obituary remains one of the most influential and groundbreaking bands in the death metal genre, one which they helped to create. Combining hyper-speed guitar riffing, complex arrangements and guttural screams, the band created a bleak and violent soundscape for metal fans worldwide! From 1989 - 1992 Obituary released Slowly We Rot, Cause Of Death and The End Complete. Three death metal masterpieces that have stood the test of time and, to this day, remain as must have albums for any death metal fan. The Rotting Slow In Australia tour will combine an historic set of classics from those three albums only. Obituary will hit Sydney & Melbourne in May.
In other tour news Dying Fetus will be touring across Australia throughout April. Dying Fetus have moulded into one of the premiere extreme death metal / grindcore acts to emerge from the massive global metal underground. Combining an innovative mix of technical virtuosity and catchy song structures to create the ultimate blend of death metal, hardcore and grind, their latest album Reign Supreme sees Dying Fetus continue to smash out their meaty slamming goodness and take them to new sonic levels. Joining Dying Fetus is the intense, sick and twisted guttural death metal machine that is Putrid Pile, on his first mission to this country! This one man band plans to quench your thirst for brutality with nonstop aggressive face-pounding grind and ultra slam hooks. There's a little something for everyone there whether you are a fan of old or new school death metal.
Also on the touring front, British extreme metallers Cradle of Filth are set to spread their darkness upon the Great Southern Land this May. In unrelated Cradle news, the band were last week banned from playing in China releasing the following statement: "Unfortunately, at this time, the cultural section of the Chinese government have decided that Cradle Of Filth are unsuitable to play in mainland China and so we are currently banned from playing there. Therefore, the show on Tuesday 30 April in Shang Hai, China at MAO Live House has had to be moved to Hong Kong. The new venue is Kowloonbay International Trade & Exhibition Centre (KITEC) in Hong Kong on April 30th. Hope to see you there!"
Lastly this week, we can announce that metallers Otep will also be touring across Australia this coming April.
Drummer Jason Rullo of progressive metallers Symphony X was admitted last week to the hospital for heart failure. Jason spent a week in the hospital, and has since been released. He has started a rehab program and has been told that his recovery will take a minimum of 3-6 months under doctors' care. Commented Jason: "I would just like to say that I am happy to be home with my family after what was quite a week. We had a few scary days in there, but I made it through what was hopefully the worst of it."
According to Billboard.com, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready has joined forces up with ex-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan, and ex-Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin in a brand new side-project. "Duff and Barrett and I got together. We wrote some new stuff and we took some of those old Mad Season demos from that [unreleased] second 'Disinformation' record, so we are trying to find something to do with those," McCready says. "We're talking to Jaz from Killing Joke and I've been trying to find some singers to work on some of that stuff.”
In not-so-surprising news, hard rockers Stone Temple Pilots have announced they have "officially terminated" their lead singer, Scott Weiland. No reason was given for the split. A spokeswoman said the band has no further comment at this time. Vocalist singer Scott Weiland has released the following statement regarding his dismissal from the group: "I learned of my supposed 'termination' from Stone Temple Pilots this morning by reading about it in the press. Not sure how I can be 'terminated' from a band that I founded, fronted and co-wrote many of its biggest hits, but that's something for the lawyers to figure out. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to seeing all of my fans on my solo tour which starts this Friday."
In the 48 hours following this statement, Weiland has gone on the record speaking with TMZ.com saying his "termination" from the band is nothing more than a publicity stunt in order to hype an upcoming concert tour. Weiland said: "STP is not broken up. It's a whole thing to try to boost ticket sales." No doubt this is going to get uglier before it gets any better!
