Headbangers, welcome back to Shred Vicious, your weekly round-up of all things heavy.
Lamb Of God vocalist Randy Blythe will soon learn whether he is required to return to the Czech Republic to stand trial on criminal charges. Police in the Czech Republic have completed their investigation into the matter and have recommended that Blythe be indicted and ordered to return to the Czech Republic to stand trial. Blythe’s case file has been sent to the prosecutor, who will determine if there is enough criminal liability to pursue the case further.
Blythe was arrested on June 28 this year at the Prague Airport on charges of causing bodily harm of the fourth degree, resulting in the death of a fan, which allegedly took place during a Lamb Of God concert on May 24, 2010. Blythe was detained in a Czech Republic prison for 37 days before he was released on bail. He has been adamant since he was released on bail that if he was required to return to the Czech Republic to stand trial he would do so. He previously stated: “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.”
Blink 182 are set to make fans happy announcing that they will release a new EP just in time for Christmas. Members of the band have taken to their Twitter accounts to let fans know that new music is on the way. Mark Hoppus tweeted: “We're releasing some new Blink-182 songs in a few weeks. Watch this space." Tom DeLonge added: "New Blink EP for xmas... :)" Blink-182 will be touring Australia throughout February as part of the sold out Soundwave Festival. The band recently added a second Melbourne Sidewave as well as releasing more tickets to the previously announced Brisbane Sidewave.
Biff Byford from legendary British metal outfit Saxon says he aimed for “less tricks and more power” on their upcoming album, Sacrifice. He explains: “My brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be afraid to look back at the old classic material for inspiration.” Sacrifice will be released in February.
More details have become known on the new Sevendust album Black Out The Sun, which is due for release in April. The album is set to have twelve brand new tracks and song-titles to appear include 'Mountain' and 'Murder Bar'. Guitarist John Connelly recently spoke about the new album saying, “The craziest thing about this record is finishing it in about a month. This is one of the fastest records we've ever made, but also one of the strongest — working off instinct, mostly."
To celebrate the release of Led Zeppelin’s Celebration Day album and film, last week the band granted NBC and Warner Bros the rights to feature two of their songs in an episode of the hit series Revolution. The classic tracks 'Kashmir' and 'Since I've Been Loving You' were showcased in the episode, which aired on Nov 19 in the US. "Anyone who really knows me knows how obsessed I am with Led Zeppelin. So the fact that the band agreed to put two songs in my show is, very seriously, a career high-point," said Eric Kripke, creator and executive producer of Revolution.
Black metal giants Belphegor have begun working on a new album set to be released in March. The last of the recording sessions for the album are due to take place later this week ending mid-December with Belphegor main man Helmuth gearing up to lay down the final vocals, overdubs and the guitar solos. Belphegor are recording in Petersburg, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse) and this album promises to be aggressive, & chaotic.
Commented Helmuth: "This album is gonna be brutal, way more death metal blasphemy than the last records. The nine sound collages will reveal a new dimension of chaos, with the uttermost aggressive soundwall possible." He added, "It's fantastic to work with Erik; this dude is really challenging, to give the best... 'cause you demons deserve it."
Living in the digital world, it’s hard to believe that Australian rock royalty AC/DC are only just making their entire catalogue available via iTunes. Alberts, Sony Music and Apple this week announced that AC/DC's entire catalogue is now available digitally for the first time exclusively on the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com). From their 1976 international debut High Voltage to seminal classic Back In Black and 2008 smash hit Black Ice, every one of AC/DC's 16 international studio albums, along with four live albums and three compilation albums, are available for the first time ever on the iTunes Store.
AC/DC just released their first live album in twenty years, Live At River Plate Stadium, and talk is that the band will be playing some more outdoor shows in the latter part of 2013 right here in Australia!
Finnish metallers Children Of Bodom are currently recording "pre-production demos" of new songs that will be included on the band's next album. C.O.B. drummer Jaska Raatikainen recently described the band's new material as "very inspiring, dark and also little 'black' [metal]-ish."
Speaking of Finnish metal… plenty is happening in the Turisas camp right now with the departure of original drummer, Tuomas 'Tude' Lehtonen, who is stepping aside to be replaced by Jaakko Jakku. Also departing is bassist Jukka-Pekka Miettinen, who will focus on his own musical projects.
Lehtonen explains the reasons behind his decision: "I can't tell you how hard it feels to step away from the path we've been walking together for the last 15 years — and to start a new era in my life without the band. There are many reasons for me to quit the band. The stress from the years spent on the road and different artistic visions have lead to a mutual decision for me to step back and hand over the drumsticks to the next guy… Good luck and lots of success to all my band-mates — I feel that I will never be straying too far away from the band. I shall always be proudly carrying the heart of Turisas wherever I go.”
Turisas is currently laying down drums with new drummer Jakku at Atomic Spa studio in Helsinki, Finland, and will continue recording in different locations until the end of January. The bass duties going forward are expected to be taken care of by Jesper Anastasiadis.
Motley Crue's hard hitter Tommy Lee now has his own signature clothing line. Tommy helped develop the range of t-shirts, shorts, jackets and denim with the Unit design team. "I'm stoked to be working with a brand like Unit that encompasses the same ideology as my music," says Tommy. "The Unit team did a great job on the range and the fit and quality are right on." "Tommy's swagger, unfiltered attitude and approach to his music fits perfectly with the art and action sports Unit is involved with," says Unit founder and creative director Paul Everest. The artwork for the range is based on Tommy's concept, 'The Goddess of Noise'. The range will be available from December 1 in shops and at unitriders.com.
Following in the footsteps of Motley Crue and Guns N' Roses, Def Leppard have announced a Las Vegas residency. Leppard will be taking over the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for an exclusive nine show series entitled 'VIVA Hysteria!' The band will perform their iconic album, Hysteria, in full, in addition to a greatest hits segment. The shows will run from March 22 through April 10, 2013 at the Hard Rock Casino's venue The Joint. Released in 1987, Hysteria is Def Leppard’s fourth album. The project spawned six hit singles, including “Pour Some Sugar on Me.” Leppard’s most successful album went on to sell more than 20 million worldwide, including 12 million in the U.S. alone.
On the touring front, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, Zebrahead and Lagwagon are all playing killer shows around the country this week. Make sure you get along to witness some of the finest high energy live performances you will ever witness!
