The tragic news last night (Monday 11th August) of the death of the wonderfully talented actor and comedian Robin Williams at just 63 years of age has hit many of us very hard.
So the fact that we are a metal music magazine talking about this is irrelevant, some things transcend metal and we want to pay our tributes to the man who so many of us grew up with and loved on our screens.
It’s impossible to sum up the career of someone like Robin Williams in an article such as this, but we had to include our small yet heartfelt tribute.
RobinMcLaurin Williams was born on 21st July 1951 in Chicago, USA and first rose to fame in the hit comedy series Mork & Mindy in 1978 ( which I remember with great memories as a child, school friends running round the playground shouting “Na-nu, na-nu”).
He went on to have a glitteringly successful career as a stand-up comedian, screen writer, producer and Oscar winning actor.
Some of Robin‘s best known films and our favourites on the Metal Shock Finland team include; Good Morning Vietnam, Dead Poets Societ, Good Will Hunting, Mrs Doubtfire, Jumanji, Flubber, Hook and Night At The Museum to name a few.
Robin had completed several projects which have not yet been released, including the the third Night At The Museum film; Secret Of The Tomb, where he resumed his role as the statue of Teddy Roosevelt. The film is due for release in December. You can see a clip below:
Robin had well documented battles with drugs and alcohol, along with his depression and bipolar disorder and it’s extremely sad that someone who made us all laugh was desperately unhappy.
Robin‘s wife, Susan Schneider, said: “I lost my husband and my best friend, while the world lost one of its most beloved artists and beautiful human beings. I am utterly heartbroken.”
Our thoughts and condolences are with Robin‘s wife, children, family and friends.
Former FALLEN FATE guitar player Piers Donno Fuller joins EVILE.
It came as a huge shock to everyone in the metal world when Evile guitarist Ol Drake announced he was leaving the band last year.
The remaining members, Matt Drake, Ben Carter and Joel Graham took some time out to take stock of Ol’s decision and what they had achieved as a band at that point and decided that the only course of action was to carry on, and that meant finding someone to replace their departing guitarist.
Replacing Ol was never going to be easy and the band didn’t want to rush into making any choice on a potential replacement and so they’ve spent months going through audition tapes from hundreds of hopefuls.
There was a clear favourite from quite early in the process and after months of auditions and rehearsals the band are confident that they have found the perfect man for the job.
Bass player Joel Graham states; ‘We had to step back and ask what do we do from this point. We thought it would be a shame to stop it right now. We had to find the right guy, that’s taken time. I appreciate people have been waiting for news but we’ve got to spend time with this guy, get on with him, travel with him and he’s got big shoes to fill.’
Evile are excited to welcome Piers Donno Fuller (formerly of Fallen Fate) to the band, a guitarist who not only is a phenomenal talent but has also slotted perfectly into Evile on a personal level.
Piers comments; ‘I’m massively grateful to these guys for letting me come on board. I’m learning all the tracks. Ol’s a fantastic guitar player so it’s not easy trying to work out his solos. We’ve got something in the pipeline for March.’
AVENGED SEVENFOLD personally curated this rare, never before seen look at their fan favorite, genre defining, breakthrough album ”Waking The Fallen”. The new release includes 11 never before heard songs, 23 total tracks, new artwork, the original first cut of the music video for ‘Unholy Confessions’ and a 30 minute film featuring the present day band, directed/edited by Rafa Alcantara. This is a must own album for any A7X fan!
Check out the teaser clip below:
Zacky V commented…
“Heres a small sneak peak into Waking the Fallen: Resurrected. We have left no stone unturned in our quest to bring you the archived footage, rare and early recording and demos and live performances of the madness which set the pace for the Avenged Sevenfold we are today. Available on the anniversary of the original release of WTF. Enjoy!”
Take a closer look at ‘Resurrected’s’ brand new content…
• Two new songs, including the lead track ‘Waking The Fallen: Resurrected,’ which had been lost to history before it was discovered buried deep within the original multi-track recordings. Originally intended to make the album as a full song, it was ultimately reworked into a vocal free intro. Later the band drew inspiration from this lost song’s piano intro, building it out into their hit song ‘Beast And The Harlot’ off of their next album ‘City Of Evil’. This song is a previously unknown link between two major eras in the band’s career.
• Four never before heard demos recorded by Thrice’s Teppei Teranishi including ‘Chapter Four,’ ‘Remenissions,’ ‘I Won’t See You Tonight Part 1,’ ‘I Won’t See You Tonight Part 2.’ These early version demos contain alternate lyrics, melodies, and arrangements giving fans a unique and unprecedented behind the scenes look at the evolution of four of the band’s most popular songs.
• Five live versions recorded in 2004 from some of the band’s earliest shows including ‘Chapter Four (Live In Ventura),’ ‘Desecrate Through Reverence (Live In Pomona),’ ‘Eternal Rest (Live In Pomona),’ ‘Unholy Confessions (Live In Ventura),’ ‘Second Heartbeat (Live In Ventura).’ Very little live material from this era of Avenged Sevenfold’s career has ever seen the light of day.
• A 30 minute documentary featuring brand new interviews from band looking back on the time of the lead up, demoing, recording and touring around the ‘Waking The Fallen’ album. The 30 minute film includes personal behind the scenes home movies and photos from the band’s earliest days.
• The original first cut of the ‘Unholy Confessions’ music video.
‘Waking The Fallen: Resurrected’ Track Listing
CD 1:
1. Waking The Fallen
2. Unholy Confessions
3. Chapter Four
4. Remenissions
5. Desecrate Through Reverence
6. Eternal Rest
7. Second Heartbeat
8. Radiant Eclipse
9. I Won’t See You Tonight Part 1
10. I Won’t See You Tonight Part 2
11. Clairvoyant Disease
12. And All Things Will End
CD 2:
1. Waking The Fallen: Resurrected
2. Second Heartbeat (Alternate Version)
3. Chapter Four (Demo)
4. Remenissions (Demo)
5. I Won’t See You Tonight Part 1 (Demo)
6. I Won’t See You Tonight Part 2 (Demo)
7. Intro/Chapter Four (Live In Ventura)
8 Desecrate Through Reverence (Live In Pomona)
9. Eternal Rest (Live In Pomona)
10. Unholy Confessions (Live In Ventura)
11. Second Heartbeat (Live In Ventura)
12. I Won’t See You Tonight Pt. 1 (Live In Ventura)*
13. I Won’t See You Tonight Pt. 2 (Live In Ventura)*
*Denotes bonus tracks only available in D2C pre-order found here:www.hopelessrecords.com/resurrected
DVD Track Listing:
1. Waking The Fallen: Resurrected Documentary
2. Chapter Four (Live Footage Video)
3. Unholy Confessions (Official Music Video)
4. Unholy Confessions (Original First Cut Music Video)
Only few more days left, until the release of the forthcoming new ACCEPT album called “Blind Rage”, which will be out on August 15th via Nuclear Blast.
Today, Monday 11th August 2014, ACCEPT release an official live video-clip for their hit ‘Teutonic Terror’, taken from the bonus DVD, which is part of the limited edition of “Blind Rage”.
Enjoy here:
The tracklist of the standard version, will be like this:
01. Stampede
02. Dying Breed
03. Dark Side Of My Heart
04. Fall Of The Empire
05. Trail Of Tears
06. Wanna Be Free
07. 200 Years
08. Bloodbath Mastermind
09. From The Ashes We Rise
10. The Curse
11. Final Journey
The limited edition Digipak including either bonus DVD, or Blu-ray disc, features a complete ACCEPT live show, recorded in Chile 2013 during the “Stalingrad” tour.
ACCEPT also made a music video for ‘Stampede’, together with Dave Blass, an Emmy Nominated Production Designer and Director, shot in the middle of high desert of California at the Devil’s Punchbowl.
“Blind Rage” was produced by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH). The cover artwork was designed by Daniel Goldsworthy (HELL).
Check out ACCEPT live on their “Blind Rage” Tour 2014:
19.09. DK Copenhagen – Amager Bio
20.09. S Linkoeping – Garden
21.09. S Gothenburg – Traedgarn
24.09. FI Seinäjoki – Rytmikotjaamo
26.09. FI Tornio – Torunda
27.09. FI Tampere – Pakkahuone
28.09. FI Helsinki – The Circus
30.09. S Stockholm – Bebaser Medic
01.10. NOR Oslo – Rockefeller
03.10. NOR Nöjesfabriken – Karlstad
04.10. D Hamburg – Docks
05.10. D Osnabrück – Hyde Park
07.10. BE Antwerp – Trix
08.10. FR Paris – Bataclan
10.10. ESP Pamplona – Totem
11.10. ESP Madrid – Riviera
12.10. ESP Barcelona – Razzmatazz 1
14.10. FR Toulouse – Bikini
16.10. FR Straßbourg – La Laiterie
17.10. I Mailand – Live Club
18.10. D München – Tonhalle
20.10. D Langen / Frankfurt – Neue Stadthalle
21.10. D Berlin – Huxleys
22.10. D Köln – Live Music Hall
24.10. D Erfurt – Stadtgarten
25.10. CZ Zlin – Euronics
26.10. HU Budapest – Petöfi Hall
28.10. CH Pratteln – Z7
29.10. D Filderstadt – Filharmonie
Hard rock’s original supergroup, MR. BIG are back with a vengeance with their new album “…The Stories We Could Tell”. The band’s eighth studio album is slated for release in the UK on Monday 22nd September, followed by North American release on Tuesday 23rd September via Frontiers Music Srl. “This new album rocks,” says Paul Gilbert. “I love playing guitar, singing, and writing with Eric, Billy, and Pat. And after 25 years, I’m proud that we can make an album that is melodic, powerful, interesting, groovy, and emotional.”
“We wrote songs individually and collectively on this new record,” says Eric Martin. “To me this is the album that we’ve threatened to make decades ago. A classic, groovin’, blues-rock record with the spirit and spark of our rock and soul idols from the 70’s. Hells to the yeah it’s a Mr. Big album complete with all the trimmings. I think whether you’ve been with us from the beginning or just starting, you’re going to dig where we are coming from and where we’ve been.”
The original line-up comprised of Eric Martin (vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey ( drums), are back with some of their most powerful material to date. The new album is the follow-up to the 2011 release “What If,” that marked the band’s return to their signature hard rock sound. The new album is available for pre-order via Amazon UK. Mr. Big kick off their European tour on Friday October 17th at London’s Koko. Visit the official Mr. Big website to view all their 2014 tour dates.
The band recently announced that drummer Pat Torpey has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The diagnosis has left him unable to perform his normal drumming duties on the band’s upcoming World Tour. He did complete all of the drumming on the upcoming album, but unfortunately touring will be too difficult for him at the present time. Mr. Big intends to announce a drummer in the near future who will handle most of Mr. Big’s drumming duties on the Fall 2014 tour and expects Torpey to jump on the drums on suitable live songs as well as participating in the group’s acoustic set.
Album Track Listing:
1) Gotta Love The Ride
2) I Forget To Breathe
3) Fragile
4) Satisfied
5) The Man Who Has Everything
6) The Monster In Me
7) What If We Were New?
8) East/West
9) The Light Of Day
10) Just Let Your Heart Decide
11) It’s Always About That Girl
12) Cinderella Smile
13) The Stories We Could Tell
14) Addicted To That Rush (Live – Exclusive Bonus Track)
Persian progressive death metallers AZOOMA were formed in 2004 in Iran. Guitarist Ahmad Tokallou and bassist Farid Shariat were looking to create something new – a metal band, but one that was influenced by their Persian culture. Farid‘s brother Saaed joined as drummer and the line-up was completed with the addition of vocalist Shahin Vaqfipour.
Due to the laws on metal music in Iran, the band cannot play shows there, but did perform at the 2013 Persian Metal Festival which took place in the Republic of Georgia,Tbilisi. AZOOMA worked on material for their album throughout 2012 and ’13, which then resulted in the birth of “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster”. The album is a concept one and was mixed and mastered by Ehsan Imani and released via Spanish label Xtreem Music. Now let’s talk about the music!
“A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster” you might think at first glance is a short EP with only four main tracks, but actually they are all longer than average, resulting in a 36 minute epic offering, which definitely does not miss any substance.
The introduction to the album or ‘Preface’ begins in a soft and gentle style, with some classical style acoustic guitar along with Persian influences, leading you to what you know will come, then all of a sudden BOOM! We’re into the first full track, ‘Chapter I: Self Inflected’. Beginning with speedy riffing guitar, then the full on growling vocals kick in like a punch in the guts. The first thing I noticed is how tight and professional sounding the band are, with extremely proficient technical playing – solid fast drumming backing up the guitars, with their complex changes and solos, full of intensity and a nice sharp finish!
‘Chapter II: Eridanus Supervoid’ is a full mental onslaught from the first second, conjuring up a picture in my mind of a sea of crowd surfing and moshing fans. Shahin’s vocals are top class killer growls, blending perfectly with the music and yet more technical guitar work is demonstrated, especially in the middle section of the song, which turns very progressive and slows down before changing pace entirely. I particularly enjoyed the guitar solo on this track and the clean vocals by Ahmad are a great addition. This album is no average one, it has many different layers throughout and I discover new elements during each listen.
Starting by clearly demonstrating Saeed’s skills hammering away on the twin bass pedal, next track ‘Chapter III: Encapsulated Delusion’ builds into yet another song full of metal energy, these guys take new twists and turns regularly to keep the listener on their toes. The precision of Ahmad’s fretwork along with Farid’s killer bass riffs, combined with the already mentioned drumming and vocals, result in the ultimate death metal listening experience.
The longest track on the EP at 10.37, ‘Chapter IV: Gyrocompass’ is the last but most definitely not least full song on the album. The progressive elements are prevalent here, adding to the overall atmosphere of the song, which as in all the other tracks really demonstrates how cohesive AZOOMA are as a unit. Again a surprise with a slower change in pace three quarters of the way through the song, with some additional Middle Eastern sounds, complimenting the heaviness extremely well.
And so to the end with ‘Appendix’. A very fitting close to the album; this time with spoken vocals and again the softness of the music with Persian tones. I love the ending, turning the page to close the story, or maybe just this chapter and I really look forward to the next one.
To sum up, if you haven’t yet heard AZOOMA‘s music, and you’re a fan of death metal that has lots to offer, these guys are a must in your collection. The band are extremely professional musicians which shines through on “A Hymn Of The Vicious Monster”. They deserve much success with this first EP and I look forward to seeing AZOOMA moving onwards and upwards in the metal music world.
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
The tragic news last night (Monday 11th August) of the death of the wonderfully talented actor and comedian Robin Williams at just 63 years of age has hit many of us very hard.
Band: AZOOMA
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 