Author Archives : Dana

BLACK VEIL BRIDES CREATES AN EXCLUSIVE ANTI-BULLYING T-SHIRT TO HELP SUPPORT THE BULLY PROJECT

In support of Anti-Bullying Awareness Month this October, Los Angeles based hard rockers Black Veil Brides have created an exclusive lyric t-shirt that is on-sale now. The band has teamed up with The Bully Project and created a crowdfunding initiative with all profits from the sale of the t-shirt going to support this important organization. Black Veil Brides are one of the first bands to take to crowdfunding for the sole purpose of raising money for a charity they believe in. The words “If We Stand Together We Will Be Unbroken” will be emblazoned across the front of the t-shirt; a lyric taken from the band’s song Unbroken featured on the Avengers Assemble soundtrack. The band has pulled in some of their sponsors to also join them in the fight against bullying. BandMerch, Peavy and Monster Energy will be supporting this endeavor through matching donations at different intervals of the campaign. The shirt will be on-sale for three weeks exclusively at teespring.com for $25.00 each and can be purchased directly from this link: teespring.com/blackveilbrides.

“Alex, who’s powerful story of being bullied is told in the film Bully, is 16 and an aspiring musician. He is a huge fan of the Black Veil Brides. We are grateful for artists like the Black Veil Brides for taking a stand with Alex, The Bully Project and all of us who have felt like outsiders to end bullying and create safer schools,” states acclaimed Bully documentary director Lee Hirsch.

A subsequent component of the partnership is that Black Veil Brides will be encouraging everyone who purchases a shirt to send a photo of themselves wearing it. That photo can be emailed to the band at bvbarmynews@gmail.com. Upon sending the image to that email address, the person is giving the band permission to use their image in an anti-bullying video that they will be releasing on October 1st for Anti-Bullying Awareness Month. This video will be posted on the Black Veil Brides YouTube page and shared for the world to see.

Black Veil Brides are riding the success of their third full-length album, Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones, released via Lava Records/Republic Records and landed at #7 on the Billboard 200 selling over 42,000 copies its first week. Upon release, the album also soared to the #1 Spot on the iTunes Top Album Chart and the iTunes Rock Chart. Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones has been getting rave reviews. Black Veil Brides recently won their third Revolver Golden God Award making them the first band to ever win three consecutive years in a row. The band has released two previous albums, Set The World On Fire and We Stitch These Wounds.

Black Veil Brides is Andy Biersack (vocals), Jake Pitts (guitars), Jinxx (guitars/violin), Ashley Purdy (bass) and Christian “CC” Coma (drums).

RUSH TO RELEASE REMIXED “VAPOR TRAILS” AND ATLANTIC STUDIO ALBUMS BOX ON OCTOBER 1ST

With a career that spans nearly 40 years, and music that continues to inspire and influence new generations of artists and fans alike, Rush has become one of the most beloved bands of all time. This past April in Los Angeles, Rush took its rightful place alongside other music heavyweights when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This year’s celebration of Rush continues with the highly anticipated release of a remixed version of the band 2002’s album Vapor Trails. In 2009, two tracks from the album (One Little Victory and Earthshine) were remixed for the Retrospective III collection, setting fans into a frenzy in anticipation of a possible remixed version of the entire album being released one day. Four years later, that day is finally approaching as the remixed album will be available on CD ($11.98), Double LP ($29.98), and digital download ($9.99) on October 1st from Atlantic/Rhino.

“Vapor Trails was an album made under difficult and emotional circumstances – sort of like Rush learning how to be Rush again – and as a result, mistakes were made that we have longed to correct. David Bottrill’s remixes have finally brought some justice and clarity to this deserving body of our work,” says Geddy Lee.

“Every song has been given a new life, from the fire of One Little Victory, Secret Touch, and Ceiling Unlimited to the melodic musicality of Sweet Miracle and How It Is… these songs have been redeemed. Thank you David!”

The remixed version of Vapor Trails will also be included in the new 7-disc boxed set The Studio Albums 1989-2007, which features every studio album Rush recorded for Atlantic Records. The collection includes the Gold & Platinum albums Presto (1989), Roll The Bones (1991), Counterparts (1993), and Test For Echo (1996), as well as their covers EP Feedback (2004) and the Billboard Top 5 album Snakes & Arrows (2007). The Studio Albums 1989-2007 features each album presented in a wallet sleeve that faithfully reproduces the original artwork (except for Vapor Trails, which features a reinterpreted version of the original cover) and is available on October 1st from Atlantic/Rhino for a suggested list price of $49.98.

Rush is currently wrapping up the final shows of their triumphant Clockwork Angels 2013 tour with a finale on August 4th in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information and other Rush-related news, please visit the band’s official website at Rush.com.

The Studio Albums 1989-2007

Presto (1989)
Roll the Bones (1991)
Counterparts (1993)
Test for Echo (1996)
Vapor Trails (2002) – 2013 Remixed Version
Feedback (2004)
Snakes & Arrows (2007)

THE WINERY DOGS’ SELF-TITLED ALBTM DEBUTS At #5 ON BILLBOARD’S “TOP ROCK ALBUMS” & #27 ON THE “TOP 200 ALBUMS” CHART

The Winery Dogs (@TheWineryDogs) is sending a huge thank you to their loyal fans in North America for giving their critically-acclaimed self-titled debut album a strong debut on the Billboard charts. Not only did it explode onto the “Top Rock Chart” at #5, it also opens on the “Top 200 Albums” chart at #27.

The power trio–Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) and Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison)—self-produced The Winery Dogs, which was released July 23rd on Loud & Proud Records. The album has been hailed as “…one of the most intriguing releases of the year” by Loudwire.com, and in a recent reader’s poll on Revolver magazine’s website, fans called it their “Album of the Week.”

Success hasn’t been limited to the U.S. shores. The Winery Dogs recently kicked off their first-ever tour in Japan and South America to sold-out crowds wherever they played. After one more stop in Buenos Aires on August 1st, they’ll head home for their first U.S. shows, starting August 3rd in New York City at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. While they’re in town, on Tuesday, August 6th at 7pm, the band will take part in an in-store signing session at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ. For more information, visit www.vvinyl.com.

Once the first portion of their U.S. trek concludes on August 8th, Portnoy, Sheehan and Kotzen will take a much-deserved break before heading back overseas for their first shows in Europe throughout most of September, which will include stops in England, Germany, Spain, Italy and Portugal. The U.S. tour will start up again on October 3rd in Agoura Hills, CA at the Canyon Club.

Check out The Winery Dogs at any of the following U.S. tour stops:

Sat 8/3 New York, NY B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
Sun 8/4 Lancaster, PA Chameleon
Tue 8/6 Fords, NJ Vintage Vinyl (in-store)
Wed 8/7 Newton, NJ The Newton Theater
Thu 8/8 Chicago, IL Reggie’s Rock Club
Thu 10/3 Agoura Hills, CA Canyon Club
Fri 10/4 Las Vegas, NV Vamp’d
Sat 10/5 San Diego, CA Romana Mainstage
Sun 10/6 San Juan Capistrano, CA Coach House
Tue 10/8 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s
Wed 10/9 San Francisco, CA Yoshi’s

BILL WARD SAYS “I HAVEN’T LEFT BLACK SABBATH”

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward – who is currently sitting out the band’s ongoing reunion citing contract disputes – has hinted at some of the specific reasons lying behind his decision to not rejoin the band in a new interview.

“I was offered a contact and I couldn’t sign it,” he tells Guitar International. “As for some of the stories – I would never, ever show up for a commitment that I could not do physically. So that should answer that one! In the statement that I did last year, I was quite clear that I came to the end of the road and promised myself and my family that I would never sign a contract that was not workable.

“It was one of the toughest decisions that I ever had to make. Because I absolutely and without question wanted to play. I haven’t left the band. Everybody thinks I have left the band. I didn’t walk out; it wasn’t like that at all! I just didn’t sign the contact and life took its own course.

“I’m the drummer in Black Sabbath so I want to do the entire show. I play all or nothing. Playing partially would kind of be aligning to my demise in Sabbath and minimize me. I’m the drummer in Sabbath and quite capable of doing the job.”

Read the entire interview at Guitar International.

In other Bill Ward news, the drummer is about to debut a fine art collection, called Absence of Corners, on August 1st. For more information, please visit www.billwarddrumart.com.

additional source: metalhammer.co.uk

METALLICA TO RELEASE SOUNDTRACK FOR THEIR UPCOMING MOVIE ON SEPTEMBER 24TH

Metallica will be releasing a soundtrack for their upcoming 3D movie, Metallica Through the Never on September 24th through the band’s own label, Blackened Recordings.

The two-disc soundtrack features 16 songs, including classics like For Whom the Bell Tolls and Master of Puppets, as well as newer songs like Fuel, all recorded at Rexall Place in Edmonton and Rogers Arena in Vancouver, where the band filmed the live footage featured in the movie.

While both the CD and digital versions will be available on September 24th, later in the fall, the soundtrack will also be released on vinyl on both 33 1/3RPM and 45RPM.

“Let’s hear it for the old school soundtrack!” said drummer Lars Ulrich. “Not only are we beyond psyched about our movie coming your way shortly, but the fact that we get to share the music directly in all these formats is way fuckin’ cool.”

Metallica Through the Never mixes concert footage with a narrative story, plus added CGI, and will open Sept. 27 on IMAX screens. It goes wide a week later.

“It’s like three movies in one,” frontman James Hetfield told Billboard in May. “So there’s a lot of different dynamics happening within this movie, and every time we go and see it and tweak here and there. It’s like putting a song together — only it’s a little more expensive. It’s pretty scary but it’s been something on our radar for awhile. It’s become more unique than we ever though it would.”

Metallica Through The Never (Music from the Motion Picture) track listing:

Disc 1:

1. The Ecstasy Of Gold
2. Creeping Death
3. For Whom The Bell Tolls
4. Fuel
5. Ride The Lightning
6. One
7. The Memory Remains
8. Wherever I May Roam
9. Cyanide
10. …And Justice For All

Disc 2:

1. Master Of Puppets
2. Battery
3. Nothing Else Matters
4. Enter Sandman
5. Hit The Lights
6. Orion

source: billboard.com

AS METALLICA’S “KILL ‘EM ALL” TURNS THIRTY, EDDIE TRUNK REFLECTS THE BAND’S DEBUT ALBUM

In honor of Metallica’s Kill’ Em All album turning 30, VH1 asked Eddie Trunk to comment on the band’s seminal debut.

Here is what he had to say:

“I was just starting out in radio doing a metal show in NJ. I knew Jonny Z who owned Megaforce Records from a flea market store he had. He drove to my radio studio one night asking me if I would please take a chance and play this band nobody would touch on my radio show called Metallica. He insisted it would be huge one day and asked me to give it a shot since no radio would touch it. I wish I could say I heard the future, but in all honesty I wasn’t sure what I heard. The music I liked had more melody and it sounded very harsh and extreme for my tastes. I wasn’t so sure about the tempos and vocals but it had an energy I liked. You must remember in 1983 there wasn’t much that sounded like that.

Today Metallica is mainstream. Back then they were anything but! Along with Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, it helped usher in and introduce a whole new style of metal. Thrash/speed metal was born with those early releases and Kill ‘Em All was at the forefront. The opening of Hit the Lights, just this wall of noise and the drums, and then the way it kicks in so intensely to me just screams ‘things are about to get way more interesting in metal.’ It forced the established bands of the time to take notice and realize there was an audience for a more extreme style of metal. I think history will show it to be one of the most pivotal groundbreaking albums, for sure.”

To read what others had to say including: Rob Halford, Jason Newsted, Scott Ian, Kerry King, Joe Satriani and others, click here.