During a recent Austrian tour stop – in support of their new EP United World Rebellion Chapter One – SKID ROW‘s Rachel Bolan conducted an interview with Mulatschag TV, which can be seen below:
The remainder of Skid Row’s 2013 live itinerary is as follows:
The distraught parents of Ian Watkins have spoken of their horror at their son’s ‘heinous’ crimes against children, comparing him to notorious paedophile Jimmy Savile.
Church minister John Davies, 53, and his wife Elaine, 60, raised Watkins in a Baptist manse in Pontypridd, South Wales, where he was a straight-A pupil and a talented musician.
They were hugely proud of their boy, who achieved a first class honours degree before making a name for himself as a rock singer who refused to drink or do drugs.
But after Watkins became twisted by extreme online pornography, they are now struggling to accept how he could have turned so quickly from a teetotal singer with the world at his feet to a child abusing monster facing years behind bars.
‘This is so hard. It’s overwhelming. It has affected every aspect of our lives,’ Mr Davies told the Daily Mail.
‘It’s the first thing a parent asks themselves – where did we go wrong? What happened?
‘Ian was loved, cherished, encouraged and nurtured. We did our best. He was a normal happy young lad who grew up in the Valleys in a loving family which had no more problems than anybody else has.
‘I don’t know how this will turn out. I don’t know whether he will be remembered for years to come as somebody infamous and evil – like a sort of Jimmy Savile character. I hope not.
‘I hope something will happen to change that perception of people. Time will tell. We’re going to do our best to support him and hope for the best, that’s all we can do.’
Despite the guilt felt by Watkins’s distraught parents, the true blame for his descent into depravity appears to lie with a sudden and intensifying obsession with online pornography.
Female fans invited into Watkins’s inner circle began writing worrying messages on internet message boards. Some had found child porn on his computer and said he talked openly about having sex with children and animals.He had been dating a dominatrix who promoted ‘no boundaries’ parties online, while uploading a series of pictures of him taking part in extreme sex sessions.The formerly teetotal singer, who dated television presenter Fearne Cotton at the height of his fame, had also begun experimenting with drugs, including crystal meth.
What we now know is he was also grooming female fans with young children so he could convince them to let him abuse their babies.
When his parents heard the charges against him, they were stunned. His mother, who had a kidney transplant two years ago, is in serious ill health, exacerbated by the stress of finding out about his crimes.
‘When the CPS spoke and the clerk read out the allegations, Elaine and I just sat there and our jaws dropped. We could not believe what we were hearing,’ said Mr Davies.
‘It was devastating. We thought, “there must be some mistake here. There must be some reason for this. There’s no way that this is true”.
‘We just left the magistrates’ court in a state of absolute despair and shock.’
Mr Davies said he and his wife, from whom he is now separated, had tried to work out what they could have done wrong.
‘Although no family is perfect, there is nothing we can put our finger on,’ he added.‘This has just horrified all of us.’
Before his decline: Ian Watkins with his mother Elaine. His parents were hugely proud of their boy
US thrash legends OVERKILL have announced their first European run in support of the band’s upcoming, as of yet untitled new album which is targeted for a release in March 2014.
Make sure to catch Bobby Blitz and the wrecking crew on the following dates:
METAL HAMMER presents: OVERKILL 13.03. UK London – Islington Academy (w/Soilwork)
14.03. UK North Wales – Hammerfest
15.03. IRL Dublin – The Academy
16.03. UK Glasgow – Cathouse
17.03. UK Manchester – Sound Control
19.03. D Köln – Essigfabrik
20.03. D Bochum – Matrix
21.03. D Braunschweig – Meyer’s
22.03. D Leipzig – Hellraiser
24.03. I Mezzago – Bloom Club
25.03. CH Aarau – Kiff
26.03. D Aschaffenburg – Colos-Saal
27.03. D Ludwigsburg – Rockfabrik
28.03. D Nürnberg – Hirsch
29.03. D Saarbrücken – Garage
Support On Tour: SKELETONWITCH
British heavy metal legends SAXON have produced a series of alternative takes on classic favourites under the album title, Unplugged And Strung Up, out via UDR Music. A new video of the band performing ‘Frozen Rainbow’ can be seen below, courtesy of Metal Hammer:
Unplugged And Strung Up is currently streaming at this location (restricted in certain territories). Check out a 15-minute EPK (electronic press kit) below:
Unplugged And Strung Up reveals layers and pieces previously dormant in many of the 14 classic Saxon songs chosen for this makeover, thanks to some ear-catching new arrangements and mixes. Recorded, mixed and mastered with Andy Sneap in Derbyshire, UK earlier this year, Biff Byford and co re-evaluated, re-worked and re-energized the towering likes of ‘The Eagle Has Landed’ and ‘Crusader’ by introducing orchestral dynamics to offer added dimension. ‘Frozen Rainbow’ from the band’s 1979 debut, gets a stunning acoustic reprisal which transports it into a power ballad to be proud of, whilst ‘Red Star Falling’ soars and sweeps the emotions with it’s orchestrally-arranged dovetail.
As if this reinvention wasn’t enough, Saxon superfans and collectors can purchase a digipak version of the release which will include 2002’s storming set of full-volume, pedal-to-the-metal re-recorded hits Heavy Metal Thunder. Featuring staple Saxon stormers such as ‘Motorcycle Man’, ‘Strong Arm Of The Law’ and ‘Dallas 1PM’ it is a quintessential part of any collection.
“When heavy metal goes symphonic it can be disastrous,” Saxon singer Biff Byford to BraveWords recently. “I think you need to add something to the song and not totally blitz it into CHOPIN or something. That’s a mistake too many bands make – too much orchestra. But this one is sounding great. It’s just a matter of adding an orchestra to a song to make it feel different.”
Unplugged And Strung Up features the following tracklisting:
‘Stallions Of The Highway’ (remix)
‘Crusader’ (orchestral version)
‘Battle Cry’
‘The Eagle Has Landed’ (orchestral version)
‘Red Star Falling’ (orchestral version)
‘Broken Heroes’ (orchestral version)
‘Call To Arms’ (orchestral version)
‘Militia Guard’
‘Forever Free’ (re-recorded version)
‘Just Let Me Rock’ (re-recorded version)
‘Frozen Rainbow’ (acoustic version)
‘Iron Wheels’ (live acoustic version)
‘Requiem’ (acoustic version)
‘Coming Home’ (acoustic version)
Heavy Metal Thunder tracklisting:
‘Heavy Metal Thunder’
‘Strong Arm Of The Law’
‘Power & The Glory’
‘And The Bands Played On’
‘Crusader’
‘Dallas 1PM’
‘Princess Of The Night’
‘Wheels Of Steel’
‘747 (Strangers In The Night)’
‘Motorcycle Man’
‘Never Surrender’
‘Denim & Leather’
‘Backs To The Wall’
The standard single CD of Unplugged And Strung Up comes in a jewel case, and a double-vinyl gatefold sleeve version of the release will also be available. The digipack is a two-disc version of the release featuring the bonus disc Heavy Metal Thunder, and there is a digital release of the same.
According to Israelnationalnews.com, British hard rock icons DEEP PURPLE have confirmed a show in Israel and will play Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv on February 22, 2014. This will be their fourth performance in Israel, the previous two being in 2011, 2008, and in 1991. Preceding their 2011 concert, drummer Ian Paice stated that groups who cancel their Israeli tour dates for political reasons are “real wimps,” according to Haaretz news from May 11th, 2011.
Eagle Rock Entertainment recently released DEEP PURPLE – Perfect Strangers Live on DVD, 2CD/DVD, DVD/2CD/2LP, and Digital Audio and Video. The DVD contains the only footage available from the Perfect Strangers tour plus a bonus tour documentary, which is now streaming below:
The second available format offers 2CDs and the DVD of the live show packaged in a three-disc slimline CD jewel case. The third format offers 2LPs, 2CDs and the DVD of the live show packaged in a three-panel gatefold sleeve.
Streaming below from the package is the live version of the Deep Purple classic ‘Knocking At Your Back Door’:
Recorded in Melbourne, Australia in 1984, Perfect Strangers live is the only full-length concert film of the band at this time. The long-awaited reunion of the classic Deep Purple lineup Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice, who reunited for the first time since 1973, had recorded a brand new studio album Perfect Strangers, and subsequently headed out on tour. The setlist mixes then new tracks from the Perfect Strangers album with favorites from the early seventies: ‘Highway Star’, ‘Strange Kind Of Woman’, ‘Perfect Strangers’, ‘Knocking At Your Back Door’, ‘Child In Time’, ‘Black Night’, ‘Speed King’, ‘Smoke On The Water’, and many more, which are brilliantly performed as only Deep Purple can deliver.
Deep Purple is a musical force with a rich history, having boasted a wealth of incredible musicians and memorable eras. Perfect Strangers Live is a welcome addition to Eagle Rock’s extensive Deep Purple collection.
Tracklisting:
‘Highway Star’
‘Nobody’s Home’
‘Strange Kind Of Woman’
‘A Gypsy’s Kiss’
‘Perfect Strangers’ *
‘Under The Gun’
‘Knocking At Your Back Door’
‘Lazy’ (including Ian Paice drum solo)
‘Child In Time’ **
‘Difficult To Cure’
Jon Lord keyboard solo
‘Space Truckin’’ (in Ritchie Blackmore guitar solo)
‘Black Night’ ***
‘Speed King’
‘Smoke On The Water’
*Start of Side B of LP format
** Start of Side C of LP format and Start of Disc2 on CD format
***Start of Side D of LP format
Frontiers Musichave announced that Finnish composer/producer and guitar player Timo Tolkki will enter East Sound Studios in Helsinki, Finland on the 25th of November, to start the recording for the follow up album to the highly acclaimed debut “The Land Of New Hope”.
His former STRATOVARIUS bandmate Tuomo Lassila is going to join him on drums and together with the two guys, the early Stratovarius line up reunion will be rounded up by keyboard player Antti Ikonen, who played on such classic albums as “Fright Night”, “Twilight Time” and “Dreamspace”, who has been added to the Avalon line up of musicians and singers.
The new Timo Tolkki’s Avalon album will feature 11 tracks with a release slated during 2014 on Frontiers Records.
Timo Tolkki states: “It is incredibly refreshing to create and play new music with his old friends and that the spirit and the atmosphere has been absolutely great and positive!”
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 distraught parents of Ian Watkins have spoken of their horror at their son’s ‘heinous’ crimes against children, comparing him to notorious paedophile Jimmy Savile.
