Racine Stripe Productions is in the final production of a feature-length documentary on SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak. Described as “a true rags-to-riches-to-rage-then-riches story,” the documentary is slated for release this summer. A true survivor, Kottak has fought to remain a force in the fickle world of rock and roll, and despite tragedies and more than a few pitfalls, has survived with his humor, talent, and rock edge fully in tact.
In a 2010 interview with Sleaze Roxx, Kottak stated about his plans for after SCORPIONS‘ current farewell tour, “I’m constantly being asked to play on other people’s albums, [so] I presume I’ll be doing a lot more of that. I’ve been asked to do drum clinics around the world. I’ve never done that due to time constraints, but I will do some of that now. I’m just so flattered that people would like me to come in and talk about drums. I’m sure I’ll wind up playing drums full-time with somebody, but after playing with the SCORPIONS, playing with anybody, no matter how talented and gifted they are, would be like a step down. I love writing music, I love playing drums, I love all of it.”
Kottak was previously married to Athena Lee, the American musician, drummer and actress and the younger sister of MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee. They have three children together: Tobi (a girl), born 1991; Miles, born in 1993; and Matthew, born in 1997.
Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB, FLYING COLORS) proves for a second straight year that his prog drumming makes him perhaps the most popular drummer in the world. Portnoy won “Best Drummer” and “Best Progressive Drummer”, with more than 9,000 drummers voting in DRUM! magazine’s 17th annual readers poll.
Unlike last year when Portnoy‘s victory was very decisive, the race was very close with Portnoy barely beating out runners-up, Neil Peart (RUSH), Mike Mangini (DREAM THEATER), Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD) and Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS).
In part, Portnoy‘s victory may be a result of how busy he was this year. As noted in the July 2012 issue of DRUM!, Portnoy founded two bands (FLYING COLORS and ADRENALINE MOB), and was on the bus with numerous acts. “Portnoy has demonstrated his popularity and dedication to the drumming arts,” said Phil Hood, publisher and co-founder of Enter Music Publishing. “With his second victory, he has proven that his drumming is recognized by drummers, regardless of age or demographic.”
The same factors regarding Portnoy reflect his taking “Best Progressive Drummer.” He beat out last year’s winner, Gavin Harrison (PORCUPINE TREE), and other runner-ups, Mike Mangini, Darren King and Virgil Donati.
Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).
Portnoy played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD‘s latest album, “Nightmare”, following the death of that band’s drummer, Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, and toured with them for the entire second half of 2010.
Fan-filmed video footage of Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD performing four brand new songs — tentatively titled “Apocryphon”, “Veil”, “Execrator” and “Stormwitch” — this past Friday, June 22 at The Note In West Chester, Pennsylvania can be seen below.
THE SWORD will enter Magpie Cage Studios at the end of the month to begin recording their fourth album, “Apocryphon”, for an early fall release via their new label partners Razor & Tie. The CD will be produced and engineered by J. Robbins (CLUTCH, JAWBOX) and will feature cover art by famed comic book artist J.H. Williams III (Batwoman, Promethea).
THE SWORD will commence a worldwide tour in support of “Apocryphon” in October.
In advance of last month’s premiere of this year’s movie “Marvel’s The Avengers”, THE SWORD released “Hammer Of Heaven”, an early track dating back to 2003 that was not included on “Age Of Winters”, which the band submitted for inclusion on “Avengers Assemble”, a 14-track compilation of music from and inspired by the film.
Due to severe space limitations, the song did not make the final track listing, but the band, along with their new label partners at Razor & Tie decided to make “Hammer Of Heaven” available digitally to coincide with the release of the film. Click here to download the song on iTunes.
THE SWORD‘s third album, “Warp Riders”, sold around 8,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart.
“Warp Riders” marked the first release where the group has worked with an outside producer. Helmed by Matt Bayles (PEARL JAM, MASTODON, ISIS), the album was anchored by an epic science-fiction narrative. The storyline was a psychedelic space opera that explored temporal themes of death and rebirth. “Warp Riders” also found THE SWORD expanding its range from pure metal to include bone-crunching hard rock at large.
HARD ANGER OPEN AIR METAL FESTIVAL 2012 is a Norwegian metal festival which is scheduled for 31 August – 1 September 2012 in a beautiful place, Eidfjord, Norway. Some photos of this wonderful place can be seen on slideshow player below.
The line-up and festival program can be read below:
31/8/12 , Friday Gates will open at 14:00
15:15-16:00 Fjordfader (No)
16:30-17:15 66crucher (No)
17:45-18:30 Tharaphita (Est)
19:30-20:15 Neoandertals (Est)
20:45-22:15 Susperia (No)
22:45-00:15 Ensiferum (Fin)
01:00 End of first festival day
01/9/12 , Saturday Gates will open at 14:00 !
15:15-16:00 Skogen (Se)
16:30-17:15 Goddamn (No)
17:45-18:30 Leviathan (Ger)
19:30-20:15 Claymords (No)
20:45-22:15 Endstille ( Ger)
22:45-00:15 Disgorge (Usa)
01:00 End of the festival
* Photos by René Roverts, Carl David Stakseng and Ole M. Kvamme.
Festival information:
Location: Måbødalen, 5783 Eidfjord i Hardanger, Norway.
Public Transit: There will be official festival buses from the festival site, Måbødalen, to Eidfjord and back. Parking for festival guests at the festival place is not allowed.
Are you ready for Round 3 of the original? Imagine starting the year in style: In January 2013, 40 heavy metal bands and 2,000 fans from all over the world will go once again to the Caribbean to take over the luxury cruise ship Majesty Of The Seas for a five-day-and-four-night trip of a lifetime.
Make no mistake, this is not one of the cruises where you share the ship with regular cruise guests… and don’t get intimidated by copycats! This is 70000 Tons Of Metal, the world’s biggest floating heavy metal festival, featuring the biggest open-air stage to sail the open seas. Enjoy unrestricted festival access to all live shows on board, open-mic nights, clinics, workshops, the infamous metal karaoke, bars that never close, two full days at sea, a fun-and-sun-filled day on a beautiful Caribbean island and an opportunity to mingle side-by-side with the artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison. It’s like everyone has a backstage pass!
Headbangers from around the world, please welcome the first 10 out of 40 bands on board:
ANACRUSIS
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
DORO
HELSTAR
IMMOLATION
IN FLAMES
LACUNA COIL
NILE
SABATON
SUBWAY TO SALLY
70000 Tons Of Metal will sail Monday, January 28, 2013 aboard the Royal Caribbean Majesty Of The Seas from Miami, Florida and will not return you to the real world for four days until Friday, February 1, 2013.
This leaves only one question: What will be the destination? Well, you know they like to keep you guessing, so they’re not telling until… SOON!
Ticket prices start at $666 (U.S.) plus $299 taxes and fees per person and include all on-board entertainment, non-alcoholic and non-carbonated beverages, all meals at the dining rooms, most on-board restaurants and even 24-room service!
Daveman of the 105.7 The Brew radio station in Columbus, Ohio recently conducted an interview with JACK RUSSELL’S GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell. You can now listen to the chat below.
JACK RUSSELL’S GREAT WHITE is currently taking part in the “America Rocks” tour alongside FASTER PUSSYCAT, BULLETBOYS, PRETTY BOY FLOYD and LILLIAN AXE.
Regarding how the trek — which kicked off on June 15 at Avalon in Santa Clara, California — came about, Russell told DoneWaiting.com, “We’re all with the same agency. I talked to Chuck at Artists Worldwide and told him I wanted to do a package. He showed all the bands and I said, ‘Whyme don’t you talk to these guys and these guys and these guys, see if they want to get together and do a tour.’ I wanted something that was eclectic and solid and strong. The bands that are on here are all really good in their own right. It all just seemed to work out. It’s going to be a chance to see some old friends and make some new ones. I haven’t been on a tour bus on a real long tour since ’99 when GREAT WHITE did the POISON/RATT tour. The only part I’m not looking forward to is being gone from the Mrs. We’re really, really close and we’ve never really apart for more than a few days at a time. This is the strongest relationship I’ve been in with a woman. I hate to use the word ‘soulmate,’ but that’s what it feels like. I know it’s a word that’s overused at times but I really feel like that. It’s odd for me, I’m not used to that kind of connection with a woman.”
JACK RUSSELL’S GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with the other touring and recording version of GREAT WHITE, which features Mark Kendall (lead guitar), Scott Snyder (bass), Audie Desbrow (drums), Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards) and Terry Ilous (lead vocals).
When asked if he has heard the new album, “Elation”, from the “other” version of GREAT WHITE, Russell said, “I haven’t. I have no need to. I know what it’s going to sound like, it’s not going to sound like what I’d want to hear anyway. It would just kind of make me feel bad because it’s not going to sound like GREAT WHITE. Good, bad or indifferent, it’s not going to be a GREAT WHITE album. . . You can’t take a lead vocalist out. That’s the one thing that distinguishes each band from another. Every guitar kind of sounds the same, every guitar player that is decent can play another guy’s riffs. There have been a couple of bands that have been successful after changing lead singers — like you look at VAN HALEN when they got Sammy [Hagar]. He’s a great singer and a friend, but I don’t want to hear him sing the songs of David Lee Roth. They should have changed the name of the band to VAN HAGAR. That’s the way I feel about any band. There’s been talk from some people that Ronnie James Dio went in after Ozzy and BLACK SABBATH was still great. Well, okay, great, he did but it still wasn’t BLACK SABBATH to me. . . . You can have a guy, like the guy that is now singing for JOURNEY. He sounds like Steve Perry, but it’s still not the same. Not everybody feels that way, but whatever they do, I wish them the best.”
JACK RUSSELL’S GREAT WHITE is:
Jack Russell – Vocals Robby Lochner (FIGHT) – Guitar Matthew Johnson (DOCTOR M, JACK RUSSELL) – Guitar Dario Seixas (FIREHOUSE, STEPHEN PEARCY) – Bass Derrick Pontier (GREAT WHITE, SAMANTHA 7) – Drums
Russell filed a lawsuit against his estranged bandmates in March claiming that they fired him and stole the group’s name while he was recovering from surgery to repair a perforated bowel. Named in the complaint were Kendall, Desbrow, Lardie and talent agency Bigg Time Entertainment. Kendall, Desbrow and Lardie responded with a 30-page counterclaim, filed on April 24 in a federal court in Los Angeles, accusing their former frontman of, among other things, “miss[ing] 80 performances in 18 months” before leaving the band; “irreparably damag[ing]” their “market reputation” by putting on performances that “are not up to the standard of GREAT WHITE; and misleading the public by stating that the musicians in Jack‘s new band “were once full members of GREAT WHITE.” They also accuse Russell‘s new bandmates of “profit[ing] from their wrongful affiliation with the GREAT WHITE brand.”
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 