Summer holiday is an ideal time for festivals and open air concerts. The next edition of More // Than // Fest festival hosting top European and world metal bands is taking place near Zvolenska Slatina in Slovakia on August, 17th-20th. This year’s lineup is definately impressive and comprises of different metal genres: from melodic power metal, through trash, to black and death metal.
For four days, two stages will be hosting over 40 bands, including Amon Amarth – the main headliner, as well as Edguy, Overkill, Pain, Dark Funeral, Powerwolf, Wintersun, Masterplan, Gorgoroth, British Lion (Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris’ project), Insomnium, Arkona, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Kobra And The Lotus, Firewind and many, many more. Facebook Event page here.
More bands are to be announced shortly.
Price of a one day ticket:
27 € (till 31.07)
29 € (till 17.08.)
Price of a full festival ticket:
54 € (till 31.07.)
56 € (till 17.08.)
This year will already see the 7th edition of the festival. In previous years, Zvolenska Slatina hosted eg. Helloween, Kreator, Stratovarius, Dragonforce, Children Of Bodom, Cradle Of Filth, Sodom, Behemoth, Primal Fear, Gamma Ray and many other more or less famous bands.
It seems this year’s edition might boast the best lineup so far. More // Than // Fest is also a worthy competition for the most popular and valued European festivals.
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice recently spoke to Frankie Banali drummer and manager of QUIET RIOT. He spoke about Randy Rhoads, Kevin Dubrow and the upcoming album Road Rage.
Watch the interview here:
On how Randy Rhoads introduced Frankie to Kevin Dubrow
“I used to see Quiet Riot play all the time at the Starwood in L.A. When Randy Rhoads left Quiet Riot in 1979 to go play with Ozzy Osbourne I got a call from Randy asking me to go play. We played together with Ozzy for about a week. Nothing came of it but from that experience of Randy and I working together for that week, Randy recommend me to Kevin Dubrow. At the same time Rudy Sarzo was still playing with Kevin in Quiet Riot in band that was now called DUBROW and Rudy and I have know each other since 1972, so Rudy also recommend me to Kevin. So the two Randy and Rudy were responsible for me playing with Kevin in 1980.”
When asked his opinion of releasing Quiet Riot 1 and 2 albums which features Randy Rhoads on guitar
“I don’t have the rights to those records, those were pre my involvement with Quiet Riot. That is something I have no control over. There are a lot of people involved, the original label Sony Japan, there were managers involved, there were producers involved, musicians and in the case of Randy and Kevin, their estates. They would all have to come together and commit to some kind of agreement for those records to be officially released. I can tell you that if Kevin was alive he would be against releasing them, cause he didn’t think they were as good as they could have been. Kevin didn’t feel he was as good as a singer as he eventually became from his perspective. I don’t think he would have been happy about it but it’s not my call.”
When asked if the press in 1983 was to harsh on Kevin Dubrow when he claimed that Without Quiet Riot other LA bands would be nothing and never got signed
“From my perspective I didn’t agree with what Kevin said, I didn’t agree on how he said it but I supported his right to give his opinion. One of Kevin’s biggest faults is he was so incredibly honest. Kevin just spoke his mind, if anything he was guilty of being way to honest and it came back and ultimately affected him personally and affected the band professionally.”
When asked if there were any left over tracks from the Rehab recording sessions prior to Kevin Dubrow’s death
“There are a couple of things that I have on my drives in the archives whether they will ever see the light of day it’s hard to say, we will just have to wait and see”
When asked what he saw in new singer James Durbin that he didn’t see in the other singers he worked with that did not work out
“I hadn’t met him before and I really didn’t follow American idol but I did see that one season where he sang with Rob Halford Judas Priest and I said to myself this guy is really talented. His voice is not the same as Kevin’s but he has the range that Kevin had and he has got a very melodic style of singing. And he’s got that same kind of energy as a performer that Kevin had and for me that is something that has been missing since Kevin passed away since 2007. I needed someone who can sing the old material live as well as someone who can bring something new to the table.”
When asked what is the musical similarities between the new album Road rage to the Quiet Riot catalogue
“It’s bits in different places if you take a track like Freak Flag and Wasted, I think they are siblings to some of the material we did on Metal Health and Condition Critical and then there are songs that are completly different than anything we have done in the past . I just let the music just come out and progress as it did. The only thing that is the same from the original Road Rage is the music. We got rid of all the lyrics and the vocal melodies of the first version and had James created all new lyrics and all new melodies. James to this day has not heard the original record cause I wanted to make sure that he had a blank canvas.”
When asked if they will record a live album or a biography
“There is a real possibility that would happen if the situation is right for a live album. There is definitely several books in me, its a possibility”
MOTOGRATER recently filmed the music video for their latest single “Dorian” at the famous Ohio State Reformatory. The historic prison was built between 1886 and 1910 and remained in operation until 1990, when a United States Federal Court ruling (the ‘Boyd Consent Decree’) ordered the facility to be closed. While this facility was used in a number of films, TV shows and music videos, it was made famous by the film The Shawshank Redemption (1994) when it was used for the majority of the movie.
MOTOGRATER recently traveled to Mansfield Ohio to perform Ink In The Clink 2017, on the prison grounds, alongside Three Days Grace, Theory of a Dead Man, Gemini Syndrome, Starset, 10 Years, 40 Below Summer and many more. During the festival the band met up with video director Chris Davis (Human Twelve) and shot the video for “Dorian” inside the creepy prison.
The band has made a documentary video of the experience which is included in the Motograter Tour Chronicles – Part 23 which can be viewed here:
If you listen for it, there are several previews of the new album hidden throughout.
Motograter frontman James Legion states, “Recording in the reformatory was fucking awesome. That place has so much character. We are very thankful to the staff for letting us stay all night and work.”
The song “Dorian” moved up from #39 to #30 this week on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator Charts and is taken from the upcoming ‘Desolation’ album. On August 11th, 2017 EMP Label Group will release ‘Desolation’, Motograter’s highly-anticipated sophomore album, produced by Ahrue Luster (Ill Nino/Ex-Machine Head) and mixed by Joshua Wickman (Within the Ruins, KING 810). The album was engineered by Luster, Wickman, and Jon Berrier, and recorded at Illustrious Productions, Dreadcore Productions, and BlackPlate Productions.
Art for DESOLATION was created by Mister-Sam Shearon, who has created covers for comic books and graphic novels including Clive Barker’s HELLRAISER, Judge Dredd, The X-Files, Mars Attacks, KISS, and Clive Barker’s Books of Blood as well as artwork for some of the biggest names in rock music, such as Godhead, Ministry, Rob Zombie, Iron Maiden, Powerman 5000, Biohazard, American Head Charge, Rammstein, Fear Factory and Kill Devil Hill.
Desolation marks the band’s first full-length album since the 2003 Elektra/No Name self-titled release featuring Ivan Moody (Five Finger Death Punch) on vocals. Motograter is now fronted by James Anthony Legion (Deadform/The Breathing Process).
Tracklist:
1. Parasite
2. Dorian
3. Victim
4. Paragon
5. Bleeding Through
6. Misanthropical
7. Daggers
8. Portrait of Decay
9. Locust
10. Rise (There Will Be Blood)
11. Shadows
Photo by James Year (R.I.L Photo)
Motograter is:
James Legion – Vocals
Matthew “Nuke” Nunes – Guitar
Jesse Stamper – Guitar
Mylon Guy – Bass
Noah “Shark” Robertson – Drums
Dustin “Skunk” Anderson – Motograter
2017 TOUR DATES:
7/13 – OKC, OK – Thunder Alley
7/14 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird
7/15 – Mansfield, OH – INK IN THE CLINK
7/18 – Denver, CO – The Roxy
9/9/2017 – Headlining TitanFest in Fife Washington
THE DESOLATION TOUR
9/27 San Diego CA Brick By Brick
9/28 Tempe AZ Club Red
9/29 Farmington NM Top Deck
9/30 El Paso TX Rock House
10/1 Odessa TX Far West Event Center
10/2 Lubbock TX Backstage
10/3 Dallas TX The Rail Club
10/4 Austin TX Grizzly Hall
10/5 Corpus Christi TX House of Rock
10/6 Lake Charles LA The Centerstage
10/7 Houston TX BFE
10/8 New Orleans LA Southport Music Hall
10/9 Marietta GA Swayze’s
10/10 Panama City FL The Dungeon Tavern
10/11 Tampa FL The Orpheum
10/12 Margate FL O’Malley’s
10/13 Winter Park FL The Haven
10/14 Jacksonville FL Nighthawks
10/15 Fayetteville NC The Drunk Horse
10/16 Spartanburg SC Ground Zero
10/17 Murfeesboro NC Zakk’s Coffeehouse
10/18 Sevierville TN Club 1341
10/19 Richmond VA Canal Club
10/20 Halthorpe MD Fish Head Cantina
10/21 Clifton NJ Dingbatz
10/23 Amityville NY Amityville Music Hall
10/24 Providence RI Firehouse 13
10/25 Reading PA Reverb
10/26 Buffalo NY Mohawk Place
10/27 Heath OH Muddy Creek Saloon
10/28 Camp Hill PA The Underground
10/29 Lansing MI The Loft
10/30 Louisville KY Trixie’s Entertainment Complex
10/31 Toledo OH Frankie’s
11/1 Westland MI The Token Lounge
11/2 Battle Creek MI The Music Factory
11/3 Racine WI Route 20
11/4 Braidwood IL Top Fuel Saloon
11/5 St Louis MO Firebird
11/6 Valparaiso IN Big Shots
11/9 Ringle WI Q&Z Expo Center
11/10 Omaha NE The Drinkery
11/11 Merriam KS Aftershock
11/12 Denver CO Herman’s Hideaway
11/15 Las Vegas NV Beauty Bar
11/16 West Hollywood CA The Viper Room
11/17 Pomona CA Characters
11/18 Santa Ana CA Malone’s
ALBUM CREDITS:
Produced by: Ahrue Luster
Mixed by: Joshua Wickman
Additional Production: Jon Berrier, Joshua Wickman, Motograter
Engineered by: Ahrue Luster at Illustrious Productions, Joshua Wickman at Dreadcore Productions, and Jon Berrier at BlackPlate Productions
Additional Guitar Tracking: David Chock
Digital Editing: Ahrue Luster, Mike Blanchard, Jon Berrier
Additional Guitar Editing: Oscar Rangel at Notal Studios
Samples by: Aleksi Oksa
Additional Samples by: Justin Fowler, Ahrue Luster, Jon Berrier
Artwork by: Mister Sam Shearon
Metalmania, the biggest indoor metal festival in Eastern Europe, returns to Spodek Hall (Katowice, Poland) on April, 7th 2018. The 24th edition of this iconic festival will be headlined by EMPEROR! Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, 9th August! Limited edition of promo tickets will be available from 25th July to 8th August from shop.metalmind.com.pl only.
Norwegian Emperor is widely regarded as one of the most influential black metal bands. The group was founded in 1991 by Ihsahn and Samoth. They disbanded in 2001 following the release of their fourth album “Prometheus – The Discipline of Fire & Demise”. Ihsahn started a solo career under his own name, whereas Samoth and Trym Torson concentrated on the project Zyklon. They reunited periodically between 2005-2014. In late 2016 it was announced that Emperor will reunite again for a special set of performances to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their second studio album “Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk”. This legendary album cemented Emperor’s reputation as the flagbearers of black metal and is still recognized as one of the most influential in this genre. The band will perform a very special set at Metalmania Festival.
Metalmania Festival, one of the most important musical events of 20178, a real treat for metal maniacs! One day, two stages, several bands from all around the world and thousands of fans! That’s what Metalmania Festival is all about! The last edition of Metalmania Festival took place at Spodek Hall in Katowice on April, 22nd 2017, with Samael, Coroner, Vader, Moonspell and Sodom on the bill!
METALMANIA 2018
EMPEROR
+ tba
7.04.18 – Katowice, Spodek
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PROMO TICKETS:
Standing floor – 150 PLN
Available from 25th July to 8th August only at shop.metalmind.com.pl (while the stock lasts!)
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TICKETS – PRE-SALE:
FAN – 666 PLN
VIP – 355 PLN
Red seats H, J– 260 PLN
Red seats & blue seats (rows I-X)– 220 PLN
Blue seats (rows XI and up) – 180 PLN
Standing floor – 190 PLN
On August 29th, Metal Blade Records and BMG will release For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records – written by label founder and CEO Brian Slagel with Mark Eglinton, and featuring a foreword by Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich. Celebrating the storied label’s 35th anniversary, For the Sake of Heaviness is an inside look at how Slagel built Metal Blade from a one-man operation in his mom’s non-air-conditioned garage to the preeminent international home of heavy music that it is today.
To pre-order For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records, please visit: smarturl.it/mbr35th – where an exclusive box-set is available, with the following contents:
–For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records book
–For the Sake of Heaviness cassette
–Metal Blade Records 35th anniversary bookmark
–bookplate autographed by Brian Slagel
* box dimensions: 9.375″ x 6.375″ x 1.25″
See below for the For the Sake of Heaviness cassette track-listing: SIDE A
1. Fates Warning “Guardian”
2. Lizzy Borden “Lord of the Flies”
3. Omen “Holy Martyr”
4. Cirith Ungol “Black Machine”
5. GWAR “Gor-Gor”
6. Cannibal Corpse “Stripped, Raped, and Strangled”
7. Six Feet Under “War Is Coming” SIDE B
1. Mercyful Fate “Egypt”
2. King Diamond “Voodoo”
3. The Black Dahlia Murder “Funeral Thirst”
4. Unearth “Black Hearts Now Reign”
5. Amon Amarth “Twilight of the Thunder God”
6. Visigoth “From the Arcane Mists of Prophecy”
For the Sake of Heaviness pulls back the curtain to reveal the definitive look at how Metal Blade began, what they’ve accomplished, and where they’re going. Slagel reveals the early advice he gave that helped guide Motley Crue‘s career; how he helped Metallica replace their bassist – twice; his detailed work on Thin Lizzy and Alice Cooper re-issues; his behind-the-scenes role in the careers of Slayer, GWAR, Mother Love Bone, Alice in Chains, Faith No More, Goo Goo Dolls, and Lamb of God; and his unlikely ventures with kindred metal heads – from hockey star Ken Baumgartner, to celebrity chef Chris Santos, to The Howard Stern Show‘s Richard Christy, to comedians Jim Florentine, Don Jamieson and Jim Breuer.
On July 28th the wait is finally over, as Kansas’ blues rockers THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN will return with their brand new album ‘Cypress Ave.’! This impulsive trifecta torch dark’n’dirty Southern Rock with a massive dose of the Blues, Sludge and Funk, while also showing a new side of themselves like you have never heard the band before. ‘Cypress Ave.’ will not just please fans of THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN but will enthrall and impress new fans as well. ‘Cypress Ave.’! is THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN’s most diverse and surprising album to date!
Now the band fronted by the mighty blues vocalist Steve Moss, has released a brand new and stunning video for the song ‘Tonight’. The video fantastically represents the entire album vibe and spirit of a unique city. Take a walk and drift in the streets of New York and watch THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN’s new video right HERE!
“Getting a chance to produce a video like this was an absolute blast.” Says band mastermind Steve Moss “We were tired of seeing all the same type of rock videos out there; so we decided to mix heavy rock with tap dance. It’s an unconventional idea, and a big risk we took to mold these different styles together, but it worked out so well. This is our favorite music video we have done thus far.” Thank you to Reggie TapMan Myers for killing it for us.”
The tracklist of ‘Cypress Ave.’ will read as follows:
1. Tonight
2. Red Eyed Junkie Queen
3. Glenn’s Promise
4. Bury Me Deep
5. The Watchers Nest
6. Break My Love
7. Lemon Trees
8. The Boogie Down [ feat. Sonny Cheeba ]
9. Black Wave
10. The Echo
11. I Can’t Let You Go [ Bonus Track ]
In support of the band’s upcoming album, THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN will heavily hit the road this year again, kicking off with an extensive US tour this summer. Make sure to catch THE MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN, and their very energetic live shows, here:
24.08.17 US – FT Worth, TX / The Grotto
25.08.17 US – Austin, TX / Swan Dive
26.08.17 US – Lafayette, LA / Boom Boom Room
27.08.17 US – New Orleans, LA / Siberia
28.08.17 US – Jackson, MS / TBA
29.08.17 US – Hattiesburg, MS / TBA
30.08.17 US – Muscle Shoals, AL / TBA
31.08.17 US – Pensacola, FL / Handlebar
01.09.17 US – CHarlotte, NC / Snug Harbor
02.09.17 US – Atlanta, GA / Masquerade
03.09.17 US – Richmond, VA / Banditos
06.09.17 US – Baltimore, MD / TBA
07.09.17 US – Washington, DC / Atlas Brew Words
08.09.17 US – Philadelphia, PA / Kung Fu Neck Tie
09.09.17 US – Brooklyn, NY / Gold Sounds
10.09.17 US – Connecticut / TBA
11.09.17 US – Providence, RI / Firehouse 13
12.09.17 US – Boston, MA / O’Brien’s Pub
13.09.17 US – Rochester, NY / TBA
14.09.17 US – Cleveland, OH / TBA
15.09.17 US – Indianapolis, IN / Radio Radio
16.09.17 US – Detroit, MI / The Rockery
17.09.17 US – Kalamazoo, MI / TBA
18.09.17 US – Madison, WI / Frequency
19.09.17 US – Green Bay, WI / Gasoline
20.09.17 US – Dubuque, IA / The Lift
21.09.17 US – Chicago, IL / Reggie’s Music Joint
22.09.17 US – Lexington, KY / Green Lantern
23.09.17 US – Newport, KY / Southgate House Revival
24.09.17 US – Nashville, TN / TBA
25.09.17 US – Charleston, SC / TBA
26.09.17 US – Raleigh, NC / TBA
27.09.17 US – Charleston, WV / The Empty Bottle
28.09.17 US – Canton, OH / The Buzzbin Shop
29.09.17 US – Dayton, OH / Blind Bob’s
30.09.17 US – Pittsburgh, PA / Descendants of Doom Fest
