“The ones that I did that I’m not doing anymore that to me is just wrong is Sex Pistols’ ‘Anarchy’ ’cause it says I’m an anti-Christ. I’m not really anti anybody so I had to kind of take a look at that. You know, I mean, I am sure if I wanted to I could do ‘Black Friday’ or ‘The Conjuring’ because they don’t really mean anything anymore, because the lyrics from ‘Bad Omen’ I had to jumble up because it was a bona fide hex, so it was kind of like gobbledygook, unless you get lucky and you know something about witchcraft you’re not going to be able to deduce what that spell is. And ‘Black Friday’, you know, it’s just gratuitous violence which, that’s cool to a point, but there’s so many death metal fans that do it better than I did.”
— Dave Mustaine talking to KNAC about how his beliefs affect Megadeth’s set lists. .
This week’s most listened to CDs by yours truly were Byzantine’s “And They Shall Take Up Serpents” and Body Count’s self-titled debut (the one with “Cop Killer”).
Let’s just dive right in …
..:..Gigantour pays tribute..:.. Dream Theater closed its set in Dallas, Texas, with a tribute to “hometown hero” Dimebag Darrell Abbott. The band was joined on stage by Gigantour tour-mates Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory) and Russell Allen (Symphony X). Instead of doing “Walk” which would almost be cliche at this point, the band opted for a blistering cover of “Cemetery Gates.” Ah, one of my favorite songs: I can imagine Mustaine tackling the high stuff with Bell adding the melody. Killer.
..:..Black Sabbath no shows..:.. Apparently Black Sabbath will not perform at the Columbus, Ohio, stop of Ozzfest “due to and illness in the band.” This marks the third time Sabbath has cancelled in seven days (the group missed shows in New Jersey and Indiana.). To make up for the no show, Iron Maiden will play a complete set to finish the day. This is weird as, last year when a similar incident took place, Judas Priest front man Rob Halford took over vocals. I could see the band doing a set with Zakk Wylde singing, or letting a bunch of singers on the tour take a turn. Ozzy Osbourne has said he is battling a cold, hence the cancellations. Still, this seems to indicate Ozzy might start taking a more limited role in Ozzfests down the road. Too bad …
..:..Mushroomhead premiere..:.. Cleveland’s Mushroomhead will premiere their latest video for “Kill Tomorrow” on Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) via the band’s Web site. The clip will be available during a brief 30-minute to one-hour window and only on DVD thereafter. Mushroomhead just launched a headline tour featuring its new vocalist Waylon, replacing J-Mann, who left the band late last year.
..:..Exposed Murder member..:.. During an Ozzfest stop Pittsburgh last month, The Black Dahlia Murder guitarist Brian Eschbach was arrested for indecent exposure while filming footage for Fuse TV’s “Uranium.” Brian was given “Uranium” host Juliya’s camcorder and was walking around the second stage area interviewing random bands and fans when someone pulled his towel off, which happened to be the only thing he was wearing. The police immediately seized Brian and escorted him away to a holding cell on site where he was detained for about 30 minutes before being let go with a citation. A post over at Blabbermouth states “Eschbach had the following to say about his brush with the law in Pittsburgh: ‘I’d like to start off by saying that it feels good to be free. Of course, it’s weird saying that when this incident just draws so much light on how much injustice there is in America and how much general lack of freedom we really have. But it feels good to be back on tour rocking with my bandmates… and word up to all my boys in cell A and I hope to see you all again soon.'”
..:..Just because it’s official..:.. Drowning Pool have officially announced the former Soil front man Ryan McCombs will take over vocal duties for the band. This was already all but officially announced, so I figured I’d tie up the loose ends. McCombs posted the following at the band’s official Web site: “Those close to me have wished for a long time that I would get the opportunity to once again do what I love to do, create music, with people I love being around and in an environment that I could stand to breath in. … I will do everything and anything I can to make you proud of the name you all worked so hard to build. Thanks for the confidence and the acceptance that has been shown already…” To read McCombs post in its entirety, and see a new photo of the band, check out DrowningPool.com.
Chimaira: “Chimaira” … metal band in the vein of Slayer getting better with each release…
Pennywise: “The Fuse” … good stuff for fans of punk …
Silverstein: “Discovering the Waterfront” … not as loud as the stuff I usually mention, this band has a good mix of loud and melodic music and singing …
Staind: “Chapter V” … a solid rock/metal hybrid that has sadly gotten softer and softer with each release …
Various Artists: “The Cave” soundtrack … featuring Killswitch Engage, Nightwish, Atreyu, Ill Nino, Shadows Fall, Lacuna Coil, Open Hand, Bleeding Through, Diecast and Mastodon to name just a few. This looks like one of the best metal soundtracks not put out by Roadrunner …
Here’s a little mix I put together featuring bands either rightly or wrongly lumped in with the hair band movement of the ’80s and early ’90s. I wanted to spotlight some bands to try and turn readers on to music they might not be aware of. Check one, some or all of them out … who knows, you might discover something you like or remember something you used to …
WASP — “I Don’t Need No Doctor” (off ” Inside The Electric Circus” )
Ratt — “Round and Round” (off “Out of the Cellar” )
Tesla — “Cumin’ Atcha Live” (off “Mechanical Resonance” )
Quiet Riot — “Metal Health” (off “Metal Health” )
Queensryche — “Eyes Of A Stranger” (off “Operation Mindcrime” )
White Lion — “Wait” (off “Pride” )
Winger — “Madalaine” (off “Winger” )
Cinderella — “I’m Not Your Fool” (off “Night Songs” )
Scorpions — “No On Like You” (off “Breakout” )
Whitesnake — “Still of the Night” (off “Whitesnake” )
Man, that was a trip down memory lane. Trust me … that doesn’t even scratch the surface …
There will be a couple of changes around here next week. The pick of the week will be back, with a more elaborate description/review of said album. There’s a couple of other nuances I plan on added to the mix too.
On a personal note: I’m preparing to relocate to the other side of the state, so I might be light on news content next week. I’ll do my best to keep the column regular until I’m situated, but I just wanted to give you guys a heads up in case I disappear for a week or two. (What with moving, finding a new job and so on, things might get hectic.)
And that’s that. As always, drop me a line. Until next time, I’ll be here at Inside Pulse making sure no metal news falls through the cracks.
Take it easy…
