This month’s edition of Mars Attacks Classic Albums Column focuses on JUDAS PRIEST’s Painkiller Album. As usual, you can find written comments right on MarsAttacksRadio.com from an assortment of people, such as former Judas Priest lead singer Tim “Ripper” Owens, the producer of Painkiller, Chris Tsangarides, Kirk Windstein of CROWBAR and DOWN, Jason Bittner of SHADOWS FALL, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, and a slew of others.
The podcast portion of the column contains comments from DORO PESCH, ICED EARTH’s Jon Schaffer, legendary STRAPPING YOUNG LAD drummer Gene Hoglan, HADE’s lead singer Alan Tecchio, Glen Drover (ex-MEGADETH), Dave Reffett, author Martin Popoff and members of Talking Metal, Metal Assault, and Iron City Rocks.
You can read the written comments, and stream or download the podcast at this location.
Tim Ripper Owens: “Great CD. Really brought the Priest back to form, and that was with a lot of help from Scott Travis. WOW, he was just amazing and gave them the spark they needed! But everyone was on their game. Amazing guitar playing, bass playing and singing! P A I N!”
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal: “I’m a long-time fan of Priest, going back to Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings, they were cool, bluesy, but also melodic and composed, harmonies everywhere, such a great band. From there they got heavier and more intense with each album. They really ripped your head off at moments with Painkiller.”
Video footage of ENGEL performing the song “Heartsick” live on October 25, 2011 at Le Divan du Monde in Paris, France during the band’s European tour as the support act for PAIN can be seen below.
ENGEL is the Gothenburg, Sweden-based quintet featuring guitarists Marcus Sunesson (THE CROWN) and Niclas Engelin (PASSENGER, ex-GARDENIAN, IN FLAMES), vocalist Mangan Klavborn, drummer Jimmy Olausson (ex-MARIONETTE) and bassist Steve Drennan (LOCUS).
ENGEL last month entered Antfarm studios in Aabyhøj, Denmark to begin recording its third album, “Blood Of Saints”, for a spring 2012 release. According to the group, the new CD “is going to be a good mixture between both [previous ENGEL efforts] ‘Threnody’ [2010] and ‘Absolute Design’ [2007], but with some new angles as well! If you liked ‘Threnody’, you will LOVE ‘Blood Of Saints’!” ENGEL played two shows with <Hellmans Drengar, the all-male choir from Gothenburg, Sweden, at Lorensbergsteatern in Gothenburg on September 9 and September 10.
The band recently recorded two songs with Hellmans Drengar. One of the tracks, “In Darkness”, was released as a single.
“Threnody” was released in Europe on November 8, 2010 and in the U.S. on January 11, 2011 via Season Of Mist. The CD was issued in Japan on April 20, 2010 via Avex.
The band was previously signed to SPV Records which issued ENGEL‘s debut album, “Absolute Design”, in 2007.
METAL SHOCK FINLAND and British Radio Station FIREBRAND ROCK RADIO aired earlier this evening (december 30) the 4rd episode of special show entitled “Metalshock World Assault” to keep updated the Metalheads around the world about all the heavy metal news that has been recently published on METAL SHOCK FINLAND.
Tonight’s transmission can be streamed HERE. A new episode will be aired every Friday, 6 – 8 pm (GMT).
Fredrik Larsson, bass guitarist of Swedish Power Metal band, HAMMERFALL, was interviewed by DJ Blackdiamond of FIREBRAND ROCK RADIO before their show with Saxon at Sheffield O2 Academy on 19/12/11. You can see some photos of this show below.
Q: What was the reason you didn’t have your mascot Hector on the cover of the latest album?
Fredrik : We started working with a new producer and scaled things down, like having no add on guitars, and went back to our roots, so we thought it was a good idea to show this is something new for us. So we wanted something new for the cover aswell’!
Q:Whats next for Hammerfall?
Fredrik: We’re gonna play Wacken and the Carribean Cruise, 70,000 Tons of Metal and it’s just been confirmed that we’re gonna do 3 shows with Judas Priest in Sweden and Finland, that will be really great!’
The fourth episode of the NIGHTWISH“Imaginaerum” online game can be found at this location.
“Imaginaerum”, the first album in four years from NIGHTWISH, entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 1.
According to Rytmi.com, “Imaginaerum” sold 50,000 copies in Finland in its first two days of release. The band’s first CD since 2007’s “Dark Passion Play” — which was then-new singer Anette Olzon‘s debut — is due in North America on January 10, 2012 via Roadrunner Records.
NIGHTWISH will kick off the “Imaginaerum” world tour in Los Angeles. The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California on Saturday, January 21. This will be the biggest NIGHTWISH show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be no U.S. tour until later in 2012.
SCORPIONS released “Comeblack” on November 4 via Sony. The CD features 13 tracks, seven of the band’s biggest hits re-recorded, plus a half dozen cover versions of songs by some of the artists who inspired the legendary German rockers.
“We started to work out the songs last year in January and February and we noticed that there was one idea from somebody in the band saying, ‘Why are we not making it half and half, meaning SCORPIONS classics and then bands which inspired us like THE BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, YARDBIRDS and THE KINKS?'” guitarist Rudolf Schenker tells AOL‘s Noisecreep.
The SCORPIONS tried between 20 to 25 different songs before choosing the final six, indluding THE BEATLES‘ “Across The Universe” and “Tainted Love”, the track written by Ed Cobb and originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965, but best recognized from SOFT CELL‘s ’80s synthpop rendition.
“Klaus was always a big BEATLES fan, I’m more on the side of the STONES and PRETTY THINGS,” Schenker says. “That’s really a good situation for the SCORPIONS, give something a different vibe. I give the edge and Klaus gives the melody, that’s the reason why we make for a great combination. ‘Across The Universe’ is not so well known but it’s a fantastic song and Klaus sings the song fantastically.”
He adds, “I brought in ‘Tainted Love’ because I liked the song and it’s also one of the oldest compositions. I’m the guy coming in from Elvis and Little Richard and all the old rock and roll guys. For me ‘Tainted Love’ was always a song that I thought was a very good song to make a rock version out of it.”
SCORPIONS are planning to release a film of their final concert already slated for the 2013 Berlinale (Berlin’s International Film Festival). In addition, the band is sitting on a “warehouse” filled with old concert footage and previously unreleased material — including songs from 1982’s “Blackout” and 1984’s “Love At First Sting” sessions — which will also eventually see the light of day.
“The SCORPIONS will not fall apart, we are not finishing the SCORPIONS because we want to break up, but we really want to deliver something else to the fans,” Schenker says. “We have over 900 hours of film material, in front of the Pyramids, in the rain forest in Brazil, in front of Red Square and, and, and, and so on. We have so many possibilities to create great films and the bonus track thing.
“We’re not thinking about the end because we’re right in the middle of the party and we want to enjoy the party,” he adds. “When it’s sold out and the fans are really celebrating it’s unbelievable. That’s a fantastic way to finish your career. Forty years ago to now it’s been amazing, it’s better that than to fade away.”
Read more from Noisecreep. Source: Blabbermouth.net
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Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 