Category : LATEST NEWS

OZZY OSBOURNE CALLS ORIGINAL BLACK SABBATH DRUMMER BILL WARD “OVERWEIGHT”

Right before Black Sabbath’s show at New Jersey’s PNC Bank Arts Center this past weekend, where the played with drummer Tommy Clufetos (Rob Zombie, Ted Nugent) instead of original drummer Bill Ward, vocalist Ozzy Osbourne told the New York Daily News he didn’t have faith in the original drummer’s health. “I don’t think he could have done the gig, to be honest. He’s incredibly overweight,” Osbourne said. “A drummer has to be in shape. He’s already had two heart attacks. I don’t want to be responsible for his life.”

Ward, Black Sabbath’s original drummer, left the band midway through their 1980 tour in support of Heaven and Hell due to a severe drinking problem. He returned to the group off and on throughout the 1980s and 1990s, but when they finally reformed with Ozzy Osbourne in 1997 he was replaced by Faith No More’s Mike Bordin. Ward said he learned of his exclusion on MTV. The band brought him back onboard later that year and he participated in all their tours from that point until the group quietly split in 2005. Ward didn’t play on the band’s 2012 reunion album 13.

According to MetalInsider.net, Osbourne also had some things to say about Ward’s performance at Black Sabbath’s earliest rehearsals for 13, the band’s first Number one album. “We looked at Bill, and he couldn’t remember what the fuck we were doing. He didn’t come clean and say, ‘I can’t cut this gig, but can we work something out, guys, where I’ll come on but with another drummer backing me up?’ Or, ‘I’ll come and play a few songs.’ That would have been cool.”

In a Guitar International interview in late July, Ward admitted he didn’t sign on to play with Sabbath this time around for specific reasons. “I was offered a contact and I couldn’t sign it,” he said. “I would never, ever show up for a commitment that I could not do physically. It was one of the toughest decisions that I ever had to make. Because I absolutely and without question wanted to play.”

Ward noted that playing part of the show wasn’t an option for him, “I’m the drummer in Black Sabbath so I want to do the entire show. I play all or nothing.”

Osbourne did go on to say “the door is always open for Bill” and admits without him “it’s not the same.”

additional source: Rolling Stone

STRYPER’S NEW STUDIO ALBUM “NO MORE HELL TO PAY” TO BE RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 5th

Frontiers Records is proud to announce the release of iconic Christian rockers Stryper’s new studio album, No More Hell To Pay; the offering has been confirmed for a November 1st release in Europe and November 5th in North America and will be available in two formats – standard CD and deluxe digipak featuring exclusive video content.

Produced by frontman/guitarist Michael Sweet himself, the set features some of Stryper’s strongest and heaviest material ever. Check out a special video message from Michael Sweet below.

Sweet also commented, “No More Hell To Pay marks our 30 year anniversary and what a journey it has been! It’s our eleventh studio release since our first album in 1984 (The Yellow & The Black Attack) and it’s quite possibly our best record to date. Why? It’s everything you might expect from a Stryper record – high octane vocals, layered vocal harmonies, guitar solos galore, driving drums and bass and an energy that hasn’t been achieved since our glory days. The message is equally as powerful as it offers hope and inspiration to anyone listening. If you’re a Stryper fan, it’ll make you proud to be one. If you’re not, listen with caution as you may actually become one. We’ve been waving the striped flag for 30 years and we’re proud to say that it’s an honor to still be making music with you and for you. The best is yet to come and it’s coming November 5th!”

Stryper is currently playing select tour dates around the nation as a warm-up for an upcoming extensive tour around the release of No More Hell To Pay. Please see below for remaining tour dates.

Stryper is one of the top Christian rock bands of all time. Comprised of the original line-up of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Tim Gaines (bass), and Robert Sweet (drums), Stryper has been rocking since 1984, and is responsible for such ’80s metal classic albums as Soldiers Under Command, To Hell With The Devil, In God We Trust and such MTV hit singles/videos as Calling on You, Free, and Honestly. After a sabbatical for much of the 1990’s, Stryper returned strong in the early 21st century. To date, the band has sold upwards of 8 million records worldwide and is a Dove Award-winner and Grammy nominee. Stryper is the first band to have two songs in MTV’s Top 10 simultaneously.

No More Hell To Pay track listing:

Revelation
No More Hell To Pay
Saved By Love
Jesus Is Just Alright
The One
Legacy
Marching Into Battle
Te Amo
Sticks & Stones
Water Into Wine
Sympathy
Renewed

Stryper tour dates:

August:

9 Bolingbrook, IL Tailgaters Sports Bar & Grill
10 West Allis, WI Wisconsin State Fair
13 San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House*
14 West Hollywood, CA The Whiskey A Go Go*
16 Henderson, NV Club Madrid at Sunset Station Hotel & Casino*
30 Wendover, NV Peppermill Casino

MANOWAR AND BRITISH SCREEN LEGEND BRIAN BLESSED JOIN FORCES FOR “KINGS OF METAL MMXIV” RECORDINGS

Manowar have joined forces with celebrated British actor, author and adventurer Brian Blessed for the spoken narration on The Warrior’s Prayer from their upcoming album Kings Of Metal MMXIV.

The Warrior’s Prayer features a spoken narration that depicts agrandfather telling his grandson an epic fantasy story from his
childhood.

“Brian is the perfect fit! Not only because he is a gifted screen and theater actor and has a majestic, thunderous voice. But also because he truly embodies the values of Manowar and heavy metal: He has an adventurous spirit and dares to do what he has set his mind on, no matter what. He has climbed the Mount Everest and has taken a trek to the North Pole! What else do I have to say? He may not have known it until he met us, but he is a true brother of metal!” said Manowar bassist and producer Joey DeMaio.

Brian Blessed has left lasting impressions in the cult movie Flash Gordon, in Kenneth Branagh’s, Henry V, and in Kevin Costner’s, Robin Hood – Prince Of Thieves, among others.

“For me, the whole experience was completely miraculous and life changing. What a privilege to be part of such a divine, great team,”
said Brian Blessed after the recordings. Brian was spectacular! He didn’t just narrate the story. He performed it. He lived it! It was a magnificent spectacle that will bring the story of The Warrior’s Prayer to life in the listener’s mind,” commented Joey DeMaio.

For the recordings with Brian Blessed Manowar returned to Birmingham, England, where 25 years ago the band recorded a 100 voice male choir for The Crown And The Ring, another track featured on the Kings Of
Metal album, and to this day the signature ending of every Manowar show.

Manowar had recently announced that in celebration of the 25th anniversary of their bestselling album Kings Of Metal, the band are going to record a brand new special version of the album along with bonus tracks and bonus content: Kings Of Metal MMXIV. The band will also open their vaults and reveal never-before-seen video footage,photos, behind-the-scene interviews and insight into the history of Manowar and the “Kings Of Metal” era.

The new recordings will also feature guitarist Karl Logan’s and drummer Donnie Hamzik’s contributions, who, after having played these
classic hymns many times live, will now have the opportunity to add to their legacy by including their own signature sound and performance.

The release of Kings Of Metal MMXIV is scheduled for the end of this year and will be followed by an anniversary tour that will see Manowar performing the full Kings Of Metal MMXIV album along with their other classic metal hymns in a completely new stage production.

For more info, please visit manowar.com.

BLACK SABBATH ROCKS UNIVERSAL STUDIOS “HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS” WITH “BLACK SABBATH: 13 3D” MAZE OPENING SEPTEMBER 2OTH

Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath, the celebrated, multi-platinum rock band that pioneered the Heavy Metal genre with their dark and doom-laden sounds, fused with lyrical themes of the occult, addiction, war and nuclear apocalypse, will be immortalized in an all-original, terrifying 3D maze, Black Sabbath: 13 3D at Universal Studios Hollywood’s premier Halloween Horror Nights event, beginning September 20th, 2013.

The new maze, based on the darkest lyrics from Black Sabbath’s biggest hit songs and the only attraction at the horror event to incorporate 3D video, will also include scenes inspired by the legendary band’s recently released Billboard #1 album, 13. A nightmarish landscape of doom will engulf guests as they enter Black Sabbath: 13 3D and traverse through horrifying graveyards, disturbing madhouses and bone-chilling battlefields.

“We were all really excited when Universal Studios Hollywood approached us about doing a 3D Halloween Horror Nights maze based on our music,” said Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne. “I’ve seen the drawings of what it will look like when it’s finished and it looks amazing. I can’t wait to walk through it on opening night in September.”

Guests will come face to face with a heart-stopping Lucifer and his bride, blood-soaked dead bodies and bubbling pools of “radioactive water” while song’s inspired by Luke’s Wall, Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, Electric Funeral and–of course–Black Sabbath violently penetrate the confines of the maze at high volume.

“Very few bands can claim to have defined a genre of music but Black Sabbaths’ remarkable influence in the evolution of Heavy Metal will go down in history,” said John Murdy, Creative Director for Universal Studios Hollywood. “Tony Iommi’s dark, iconic riffs, Ozzy Osbourne’s haunting vocals and Geezer Butler’s foreboding lyrics provide the perfect soundtrack for ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ and endless inspiration for our new haunted attraction ‘Black Sabbath 13 3D’.”

Black Sabbath has sold 70 million records during a career spanning 43 years, and was named “The Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time” by MTV. The Grammy-Award winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees kicked off their 20-date North American concert tour on July 25th in Houston, Texas. More information on Black Sabbath is available at , via Facebook at facebook.com/BlackSabbath, on Twitter at twitter.com/OfficialSabbath and Instagram at instagram.com/officialsabbath

TED NUGENT TO RELEASE NEW DELUXE EDITION 2CD+DVD TITLED “ULTRALIVE BALLISTICROCK” OCTOBER 22ND

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Multi-platinum guitar icon Ted Nugent will release Ultralive Ballisticrock–a new 2 CD+DVD release available in three formats (2CD+DVD deluxe edition digipak, DVD/Blu-Ray and digital download)–on October 22nd on Frontiers Records. The live footage was captured and recorded by 7 cameras in 5.1 audio mix on the “I Still Believe Tour” at Penn’s Peak on August 14th, 2011.

The lineup on the album consists of the legendary-and-still-raging Nugent on guitar and vocals, Derek St. Holmes (rhythm guitarist and the voice on Stranglehold) on guitar and vocals, Greg Smith (Rainbow) on bass and Mick Brown (Dokken) on drums. The set-list is killer (see below), packed with the songs that forever changed the face of rock, and the performances are razor sharp and electrifying, adding up to a sonic and visual extravaganza that’s not to be missed.

Says Nugent, “To be surrounded by such world-class passionate virtuosos is every musician’s dream and I live it every song, every concert, every night, every lick, every tsunami of soul sweat. You dogs deserve me!”

Tracklisting for the show here:

Disc 1:

1. Free For All
2. Stormtroopin’
3. Wango Tango
4. Just What the Doctor Ordered
5. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang
6. Need You Bad
7. Turn It Up
8. Raw Dogs & War Hogs
9. Dog Eat Dog

Disc 2:

10. Hey Baby
11. Fred Bear
12. I Still Believe*
13. Motorcity Madhouse
14. Cat Scratch Fever
15. Stranglehold
16. Great White Buffalo

*First time available on an album (previously only available as a digital download)

DVD/Blu-Ray Bonus Footage:
“Spirit of the Wild”
“The Making of Ultralive Ballisticrock”

For more information, please visit tednugent.com or www.facebook.com/tednugent.