We kick off with some follow up news to a story we ran last week on British extreme metallers Carcass. As we mentioned last week, the band are hard at work on a new studio album, the first in 17 years. We have since learned that Heaven Shall Burn drummer Matthias Voigt will not be taking any part in the recording process for this album. Late last week Matthias shot down all rumours posting a statement on his Facebook page saying: "Sometimes rumours are just rumours. Matthias is 100% NOT playing for Carcass! Everybody in Heaven Shall Burn maintains the status as devoted Carcass fan and does not even dare to dream of being involved with this legend!"
Speaking of new albums, legendary Seattle rockers Alice In Chains have completed work on their new album. This will be the follow up to the 2009 smash Black Gives Way to Blue, and is the second to feature vocalist William DuVall. Alice In Chains began working on brand new material last year but had postponed sessions when guitarist Jerry Cantrell underwent shoulder surgery. The band has announced they will release the first single titled ‘Hollow’ online in two weeks.
Fans of the late great Ronnie James Dio have plenty to get excited about right now. Wendy Dio, the widow and long-time manager of RJD, has revealed information about the upcoming Dio tribute album which is due to be released early next year. At this stage fans can expect to hear contributions from some of the world's best known hard rock and heavy metal artists including Motorhead, Metallica, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Sebastian Bach, Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, Anthrax, Alice Cooper and Deep Purple’s Ian Gillian. It’s reported that Grohl will be covering Black Sabbath’s 'The Mob Rules' and Halford will be doing a version of Rainbows' ‘Long live Rock n Roll’.
Metallers Shadows Fall have recently added drummer Willis Mathiasen Willis Mathiasen (of 2 Cents) whilst Jason Bittner continues to receive treatment for acute pancreatitis. Jason took to his Facebook this week: “Well, I'm happy to say that I'm feeling much better, back to playing, and almost feel 100%. Too bad my insides are still not 100%, but they're healing nicely, primarily due to me staying off the road and resting. I have another round of blood work next week, in which the docs think I should be back to all normal internal functions by then, but they still are prohibiting me from leaving until after my endoscope on December 18. They need to hopefully find the cause of the pancreatitis, and whether or not anything else is going on as well — but I feel confident that I'll be OK."
It may be twenty years since Rage Against The Machine released their debut album, but the members of the band still have a hard time making decisions about a tour. One would think it was straightforward, but in the Rage camp all isn’t as simple as yes and no, as Tom Morello explains: "We'd have to agree to go on one. Once a year, the band meets and very seriously discusses and turns down awesome offers to tour the world. That's part of the program. I had been in a lot of bands before Rage Against The Machine, bands that had tried hard to make it, and with that band, with Rage, it just spontaneously combusted. It immediately connected with something in the reptilian brain of fans of rock, hip-hop, punk, metal, activists in a way that was global right off the bat."
Just when you thought no more rockers could have a reality show... Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil is about to go into living rooms around the world as camera’s follow him on his quest to become a pilot. The series, Vince Neil Escapes, will follow Neil in his dream to finalize his pilot's license. In the process Vince and an entourage head for the skies in a series of flights to glamorous party destinations. Episodes will accompany Neil and his bombshell entrepreneur girlfriend, his semi-famous rocker manager, and his soft-spoken female mentor and flight instructor, as they embark on various whirlwind flights across North America and the Caribbean, enjoying rock-star level treatment along the way. Throughout the season, Vince battles FAA regulations to earn the right to fly on his own due to a long history of DUI convictions, including one fatal collision.
The godfather of heavy metal (and first metal reality star) Ozzy Osbourne recorded an album titled No Rest for the Wicked during the '80s, and at the age of 64, he's proving just that! Ozzy spent the better part of his birthday laying down vocal tracks for the new Black Sabbath album. This will be the first studio album to feature Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler since the 1978 classic ‘Never Say Die’. Black Sabbath are due to tour Australia and New Zealand in April 2013 before heading to Japan to headline the first ever Japanese Ozzfest which will also feature Slipknot.
Speaking of bands hitting Australia, this week we have a few more killer tour announcements for you all! In May 2013 we see the return of Deftones to Australia, and they are bringing Letlive with them for a great run of shows. The Chariot have been added to the Bring Me The Horizon and Pierce The Veil shows already scheduled in Sydney and Melbourne this coming February, and electro pop-rockers Garbage have just announced Sidewaves in Sydney and Melbourne playing with The Dear Hunter.
It seems things have been gone from bad to worse for Lamb Of God vocalist Randy Blythe with a Czech state attorney last week filing criminal charges related to the death of a fan in Prague two years ago. The Prague City Court has three months to set the trial date or return the case to the police and state attorney for further investigation. Blythe is facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a 2010 incident in which a fan attending a Lamb Of God show died almost a month later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage. Blythe's predicament has galvanized the heavy rock community, with artists across the hard rock genre pledging their support.
Asked about his vow to go back to Prague if there is a trial, Randy said: "I feel ethically responsible to go back there and face this charge. The victim's family right now is in a lot of pain, and they deserve some answers. To lose a child is the worst possible thing a human can go through, I think .. I want my name cleared. I have to go around the world and tour, you know. That's what I do. I'm not going to hide here. I'm an innocent man. I'm going to go to court and see what happens."
Many in the rock and metal world have taken to social media sites since this news broke, venting frustrations and their thoughts. Disturbed vocalist Dave Draiman writes: "My brothers and sisters, my blood, our friend Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God has now officially been indicted on charges of manslaughter. This is a travesty of justice. He is being a man and standing up to these charges. Show your support by on their Facebook page and Twitter pages, raise awareness amongst your friends, and take the time to donate to his defence fund on both pages. You can also help by writing your local elected officials and pressuring the U.S. dept of foreign affairs/state department to get personally involved. We stand behind Randy, hope all of you will as well. As always, much respect."
Having met Randy on a few occasions myself now, I can only hope that the outcome is a positive one for him and hope that all metal fans take into consideration the dangers of stage diving and the hellish dramas it can cause artists when your dive goes all wrong!
