I’ll fully admit that I went a bit on the silly route with these questions. However, the answers are just as, if not more, ridiculous! Head on down for this exclusive five question interview with Mac Sabbath!

The band is also embarking on a short tour this September. All tour dates can be found below.

All right, let’s have it: Why? What’s the reasoning (not seasoning) behind Mac Sabbath?

Well, Ronald Osborne seems to have traveled though time to deliver us a message or some sort of warning of the evils of fast food. If you look at the current climate of the “nourishment” in America and realize the very people who are appointed to be protecting us from evil corporations who don’t have any interest in nourishing anything let alone any one are the same very people who run those corporations, it’s downright, well…Bloody Disgusting! Sometimes it takes a heavy psychedelic rock band of mutants teleported from the 1970’s to point out what once was and what now is. You dig?

Scenario: It’s 2am and you’re deservedly drunk after showering an audience with loads of trans-fat at a sweet and savory gig. You decide to hit up your local (drive thru) what do each of you order?

Although this is the arguably the biggest drive through metal band in the world, we do not advocate late night snacking. It’s best to get your 3 square meals at regular hours. Oh, and as far as 2am goes, to live in a world where we could get this arena size stage show packed up by then would truly be a tasty treat!

While Black Sabbath has a large library of songs, it’s not infinite. If you run into a situation where you want to cover other classic metal songs, will you have to change your name or do you have a plan in place?

Well I’m hard pressed to imagine a world where Mac Sabbath would run out of Black Sabbath songs to butcher. I personally don’t see the need for 10 Mac Sabbath Albums. But I guess you never know, Ronald Osborne goes on and on about all these other “Drive Through Metal” bands that are stealing food out of his mouth, like Burger King Diamond, Cinnabon Jovi, and KFC/DC. I’ve looked these up and they don’t seem to exist, but I would not be surprised if some of these bands popped up soon and he was behind it.

A certain burger chain claims to have served over 99 billion burgers. Do you think you have it in you to serve over 99 billion gigs?

I think we are soon approaching 99. I don’t know about them but I think that’s plenty. How about a pay-per-view with 99 billion viewers? Sooner or later this drive is through, so act now for this limited offer!

Fast food restaurants each have a special sauce, that unique ingredient that many attribute their great success to. Does Mac Sabbath have some kind of “special sauce”? If so, care to share the recipe?

I think the obvious ingredients you speak of are over the top-heavy psychedelic sounds and sights coupled with the guilty pleasure of savory morsels. But I think that what makes this combo meal truly magical is that is a truly scary, heavy, and downright wicked feast for the senses while still being family friendly. Enjoy!

Mac Sabbath online:
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Etsy

Tour dates:
Sept 1 Majestic Theatre Detroit MI
Sept 2 Beachland Ballroom Cleveland OH
Sept 3 Durty Nellies Palatine IL
Sept 4 Bogats Cincinnati OH
Sept 5 Zanzibar Lexington KY
Sept 6 Cosmic Charlies KY
Sept 8 Altar Pittsburg PA
Sept 9 Chameleon Club Lancaster PA
Sept 10 Wonder Bar Asbury Park NJ
Sept 11 The Black Cat Washington DC
Sept 12 Knitting Factory Brooklyn NY
Sept 13 Skully’s Music Diner Columbus OH

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The post 5 Questions With Mac Sabbath (Interview) appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Lately, I find that I’ve been listening to a lot of Dio’s work over the years, which stretched from well before his time in Rainbow with Richie Blackmore (Deep Purple) until his final days, which saw him in both Dio and Heaven & Hell, the group comprised of Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice, who recorded and toured as Black Sabbath in the early 80’s. In fact, Dio’s legacy stretched over five decades, the man tirelessly touring, recording, and promoting the metal community. It’s a life full of trials, difficulties, and accomplishments.

Dio was born July 10th, 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he lived for a short while before moving to Cortland, New York. He stated, “My childhood was safe and sane. No abuse and no traumas. I was surrounded by a large and loving family who taught me the importance of hard work and a meaningful education.” [Source]

Dio got his start musically at an early age, cutting his teeth on the trumpet while also listening to a lot of opera in his home, which almost certainly contributed to his iconic vocal prowess. His first rock and roll band was formed in high school and was the beginning of a nonstop career in music, one that would shape and define the metal genre.

Surprisingly, Dio has stated that he, “…never had vocal training” [Source], instead attributing his vocal talents to the breathing control he learned while playing trumpet. Despite this lack of formal training, Dio’s voice has won him spots on countless “Greatest Metal Vocalists” lists, all focusing on his range, his strength, his presence, and his lyrical output.

The first real rise to fame was Dio’s first major band Elf, which regularly opened for Deep Purple. This would ultimately lead to the formation of Richie Blackmore’s Rainbow, which featured Dio as the vocalist for three studio albums and one live LP. Dio and Rainbow would part ways in 1979 and soon afterwards joined one of the greatest heavy metal bands in the history of the genre: Black Sabbath.

The relationship between Dio and Black Sabbath wasn’t a long one but it did result in the release of two studio albums before he moved on to form his own solo project, the now infamous Dio. He would ultimately return for one more album, 1992’s Dehumanizer, but it was a short-lived reunion, Dio ultimately being the more important project in the singer’s eyes.

In his final years, Dio once again joined forces with members of Black Sabbath to form Heaven & Hell. Taken from the name of the first album Dio recorded with Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell not only toured the world but also recorded a new album, The Devil You Know, which received positive reviews and landed on charts across the globe. A follow-up album was planned for 2010, but never materialized.

On November 25th, 2009, Dio’s wife Wendy released a statement saying that her husband was diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. Less than a year later, on May 16th, this illness would take his life.

His death was one of those moments that rocked the music community. It was the loss of an icon, someone that seemed larger than life. When the phrase “Rock Gods” is uttered, Dio’s legacy proves that he belongs in that pantheon, alongside Hendrix, Darrell, and countless others who came and went before their time.

May 15th through 17th, the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund will be held and will feature special attendees like Tenacious D, Christian Martucci and Roy Mayorga (Stone Stour), Chris Broderick (ex-Megadeth), Sean McNabb (Lynch Mob, ex-Dokken), and more. The event will be held in Los Angeles, CA and event details can be found via the official website.

The post Remembering Ronnie James Dio appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The album will also contain a bonus DVD available in the digipack version, including interesting interviews with some of the involved artists, hosted by Bob Kulick and a feature on the Musonia School of Music, a teaching school on North Hollywood, California, set up by Randy’s mother and run by his brother Kelle Rhoads.

The album will be released March 3rd via UDR Music. Head below for the full performer/track list breakdown.

Full track listing with performers:

1. Crazy Train
Vocals: Serj Tankian
Gtrs: Tom Morello
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

2. Over the Mountain
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Jon Donais
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Frankie Banali

3. Mr Crowley
Vocals: Chuck Billy
Gtrs: Alexi Laiho
Keyboards: Kelle Rhoads
Bass Rudy: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

4. Believer
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Doug Aldrich
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

5. Back To The Coast (Quiet Riot)
Vocals: Kelle Rhoads
Gtrs: Bruce Kulick
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Frankie Banali

6. I Don’t Know
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: George Lynch
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

7. S A T 0
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Rhythm guitars: Bob Kulick
Lead guitar: Dweezil Zappa
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Vinny Appice

8. Killer Girls (Quiet Riot)
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Joel Hoekstra
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

9. Goodbye to Romance
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Gus G.
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

10. Suicide Solution
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Brad Gillis
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

11. Flying High Again
Vocals: Tim “Ripper” Owens
Gtrs: Bernie Torme
Bass: Rudy Sarzo
Drums: Brett Chassen

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Rehfeldt’s channel has tons of these mashup covers, so be sure to check it out here.

The post Black Sabbath’s “Paranoid” Gets Turned Into A Flock Of Seagulls Track appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Pat has put together this week’s BD Playlist and it’s packed to the brim with classic heavy metal goodness. You’re not going to find anything modern here. This is all the stuff that has inspired countless bands because it’s the real deal! Raise up your horns and rock on!

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Listen, I gotta give these guys some serious credit. The costumes are awesome, they stick to the theme like glue (Ronald stays hydrated from a large McDonald’s soda cup), and they legitimately sound tight. So, you know? Party on, Mac Sabbath. Party on.

The post There’s A McDonald’s Themed Black Sabbath Cover Band… appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The news comes from vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, who explains to Classic Rock Magazine that this new album doesn’t have a defined release date but that things will need to happen “…sooner rather than later.”

“The whole Sabbath experience this time around was great. We all made friends, we didn’t [fuck] around, we all knew that we had a job to do, and we did it. It was a lot of fun. So we’re going to do one more album, and a final tour.

Once the dust settled after the last tour, we started discussing the idea, because we were getting asked about it all the time. I said to Sharon, ‘What’s going on? Because if there’s no more Sabbath I want to get on with my own thing again,’ and she came back and said ‘Let me look into it.’ Three weeks later I asked her about it again, and she said, ‘Oh, I still have to talk to so and so … ‘ and I said, ‘Sharon, I ain’t [fucking] 21 anymore; if we’re going to do it, I want to do it before I’m 70! Time isn’t on our side!’ So she made the call and came back and said, ‘Yeah, the record company wants another album.’ I believe [producer] Rick Rubin is going to do it with us again.

Sabbath’s last release was 2013’s 13, which was pretty damn fantastic. If you haven’t checked it out, I really encourage you to do so!

The post Black Sabbath Commit To A Final Album And World Tour appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Iommi has been struggling with health issues for the past few years has been understandably hesitant to commit fully to any Sabbath plans, so this statement is especially surprising and welcomed! You can watch the video below.

The full video transcript reads:

Hello everybody. I wanna thank you for all your messages on Facebook. It’s been great. We’ve had a laugh, and some of them have been really great and very supportive. Thanks so much. I am at home at the moment, about to leave for Hyde Park, which we’ll play tomorrow, and I’m really looking forward to that. The tour has been marvelous; we’ve had a great year, and you couldn’t wish for better. It’s been phenomenal ,and you’ve been phenomenal. And thanks for coming to the shows and being supportive. Thank you very much and we’ll see you on the next tour. Thank you very much. Bye.

The post Tony Iommi Strongly Hints That Black Sabbath Isn’t Over Yet appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

A YouTube comments states that the video is “…actually a protest video against foreign rock groups and the German organizers who were charging the German public 50% more than in other countries.”

You can watch the video below as well as read the supposed translation (which I cannot verify due to not being able to read/speak German).

Possible video translation:
“Black Sabbath
Rock-Circus
Frankfurt, Germany
June 6th, 1970
Then paid – 4000 Deutsche Marks

How long do you want to co-finance these sums?”

The post Previously Unseen 1970’s Footage Of Black Sabbath Unearthed appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Below you can listen to the album and also snag your free download.

The post [Free Download] Snag CVLT Nation’s Black Sabbath ‘Master Of Reality’ Cover Album appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

When it comes to horror, Exclaim! is stating that Death Waltz will be releasing Anto Maiovvi‘s Original Music from the Short Film in limited yellow vinyl. In two separate 7″ releases, there will be the themes to The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits as well as instrumentals for Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Munsters.

A more detailed list can be found via Modern Vinyl. Keep in mind that some titles might only be available in the UK.

The post Record Store Day 2014 LOADED With Amazing Horror And Rock Titles appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Ronnie James Dio passed away in 2010 after losing his battle with stomach cancer. While he was incredibly short the man had a voice that was unbelievably powerful and beyond iconic. He was proof to many that metal and amazing vocals were not mutually exclusive. His loss was a damn shame and he is still missed sorely.

This Is Your Life will be released April 1st via Rhino. Head below for the track list.

This Is Your Life Track Listing:
“Neon Knights” – Anthrax*
“The Last In Line” – Tenacious D*
“The Mob Rules” – Adrenaline Mob
“Rainbow In The Dark” – Corey Taylor, Roy Mayorga, Satchel, Christian Martucci, Jason Christopher*
“Straight Through The Heart” – Halestorm*
“Starstruck” – Motörhead with Biff Byford*
“The Temple Of The King” – Scorpions*
“Egypt (The Chains Are On)” – Doro
“Holy Diver” – Killswitch Engage
“Catch The Rainbow” – Glenn Hughes, Simon Wright, Craig Goldy, Rudy Sarzo, Scott Warren*
“I” – Oni Logan, Jimmy Bain, Rowan Robertson, Brian Tichy*
“Man On The Silver Mountain” – Rob Halford, Vinny Appice, Doug Aldrich, Jeff Pilson, Scott Warren*
“Ronnie Rising Medley (Featuring A Light In The Black, Tarot Woman, Stargazer, Kill The King)” – Metallica*
“This Is Your Life” – Dio
* Previously unreleased

The post Metallica, Halestorm, Anthrax, Tenacious D, And More Record Covers For Ronnie James Dio Tribute Album appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Head below for a current list of bands performing (more will be announced soon).

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The book can be pre-ordered here for $24.95. Head below for the awesome throwback cover!

The post ‘Heavy Metal Movies’ “…The Ultimate Guidebook To The Complete Molten Musical Cinema Experience” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Confirmed guests to appear at the Fear FestEvil include Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), pioneering make-up artist and actor Tom Savini, legendary horror scribe John A. Russo (Night of the Living Dead), Anthrax co-founder Scott Ian, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist and horror enthusiast Slash, Heather Langenkamp (Nightmare On Elm Street), Ron Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi Jr. and Sara Karloff, actresses P.J. Soles, Barbara Crampton, Patty Mullen, and Erika Eleniak, original Godzilla actor Haruo Nakajima, original Ultraman Satoshi “Bin” Furuya, Academy Award winning make-up artist Joel Harlow, Kane Hodder aka Jason Vorhees – Friday the 13th, celebrated tattoo artist and TV personality Amy Nicoletto, and more. For tickets and more information, head to the official Fear FestEvil website.

Bloody-Disgusting: Hey Kirk, how are you doing?
Kirk Hammett: Good, man. How are things?

BD: Doing very well, thanks for asking! It’s been a bit since we’ve last spoken. Something like a year and a half or so.
KH: Yeah, it’s something like that. I know that some of you guys are going to me coming up for the festival!

BD: It’s possible! I know that I won’t be able to make it just because I’m on the other side of the country but hopefully we’ve got someone going out there to have what sounds like it’s going to be an awesome time!
KH: I’m so into it, bro. The way it’s all coming together I think is going to be a really unique, different, and exciting convention experience. Different from what you’d usually expect.

BD: Reading about it and seeing all the events and everything that’s being put into it, it does seem like something that’s really unique. Honestly, what I love about it is that it took things to a whole new level. It became an event rather than just another con.
KH: Yeah! My vision was for it to be a total experience. We’re encouraging a lot of interaction. The venue that we’re using was an old Masonic temple and rumor has it that it was haunted. So, for me, that is so appropriate.
We’re going to have a lot of different guest or vendors that you wouldn’t normally see at conventions. Things like tattoo artists. We’re gonna have a taxidermist who’s going to have a huge display and do a demonstration. We’re gonna have a lot of guests, actresses, actors, producers, directors. They’re going to be doing various signings. We’re going to dress the venue up and we’re hiring actors to come down and get dressed up in character and walk around. There are various contests, like a model building contest. The bands that are playing are also going to be doing signings. There’s going to be a lot going on all the time.
My entire collection is going to be on display for people to see. I’m just super stoked and so happy to be able to conceive of a convention that I want a convention to be. If I was a kid and I was going to this convention I would just be totally fucking blown away by it! And that’s what I’m trying to do, make it a complete experience!

BD: As an adult I would be completely blown away!
KH: [laughs] Yeah! I’m really psyched because Slash [ex-Guns N Roses] is going to be there plugging his movie. Scott Ian [Anthrax] is going to be there talking about his love of horror.
We’re also going to have a bunch of music vendors there like ESP guitars, Randall amps. It’s going to be a really great thing and I’m just really psyched about it.
I’m also really psyched about the musical portion of it too! It’s going to be Carcass‘s debut on the West Coast and I’m going to play with my old pals Exodus and Death Angel. It’s going to be one big monster party! [laughs]

BD: That’s something that I love about this festival. It’s a great way to connect horror with our lifestyle, our passions, such as music. They seem to fit so seamlessly together.
KH: Yeah, it’s because they have the same ingredients. Horror and the heavy metal genre are basically made out of the same stitching. Watching a good horror movie is like listening to a good heavy metal song and vice versa. For me, I was way into horror way before I was into horror of any kind. When I first heard Black Sabbath, I was both fascinated and confused. I was fascinated because I was hearing and feeling a lot of the same emotions that I get when I watch a horror movie. I was confused because I thought, “Wait a minute, this is just a band! This isn’t a story…or is it?” And the further I delved into music and the more I became fans of various bands the more I saw horror movie elements. I would always chuckle to myself and think, “Oh, I know where they got that scene from. That’s the spider rat bat crab from Angry Red Planet that they’re using as their album cover!”
Angry Samoans! Remember that punk band? Their first album cover was a colorized scene from this really great bad 1950’s horror movie called Monster of Piedras Blancas. Throughout my whole music I was making these connections with heavy metal and horror and it’s just cut from the same cloth! A lot of the same emotions and feelings except on is visual and one is audio.
For me to have these two passions coalesce into one thing, i.e. the Fear FestEvil, it’s a great opportunity to have a lot of fun and share my collection with people and hang out with like-minded collectors and participants. I’m just so fucking happy, bro!

BD: Putting together a festival is a lot of work. The connections that need to be made, the planning that needs to occur. What did you learn from putting together this festival?
KH: Well, I learned that it was a good thing we started planning this a good eight to 10 months ago because people’s schedules get eaten up. If you’re on the circuit and you’re an actor, an actress, a director, a producer, an artist, and you’re on the convention circuit, people’s schedules fill up within weeks. So it’s really important to reach out to these people months and months and months ahead of the actual convention just to make sure their schedule is open.
Same thing with the bands! We had to approach these bands months ago to make sure they’re available. And with the venue itself! The reason it’s in the first week of February and not the last week is because of unavailability. And then you have to foresee how the day will unfold. You have to work on the schedule. You have to think of everyone coming in and all their different needs. It’s a lot of work but it’s great because you know that if you do your diligence and you make sure everything is covered, once the convention comes in, everything should work just fine.
I want to say “if” because it’s the first one. Everything right now is running smoothly. We’re just checking to make sure no one is left in the dust, we’re not forgetting anything, there’s no unforeseen problems or mistakes. We’re just hoping that we can produce the best convention that anyone could ever see.

BD: You said that this is the first year. Are you preparing to have second year?
KH: The idea is to do this on an annual basis, yes. That decision will be made…let’s see…I think about…February 9th. [laughs] But the idea is to do another one next year and to possibly bring it down to LA if we feel that we can. And in the third year, bring it LA, Chicago, Texas, New York. We’ll see how it all happens.
But that’s the idea because I realized that there’s a lot of people who go to conventions all over the country and I really feel like I have something different to other. Like my band [laughs] you have to travel to where the people are! Hopefully this is something that we can take on the road at some point. That’s the long term idea.

BD: That answered a question I had planned which was do you plan to take this on the road? I mean, that would also be kind of a first of its kind!
KH: Yeah, yeah! So we’ll see how it all goes, bro!

BD: Due to your love of horror and the passion you have for it, you remind me of those character’s in horror movies that are really knowledgeable and learned. The main characters go to this kind of character and ask for guidance. After this scene, they invariably meet a horrible death! So it made me wonder, if you could be in a horror movie and choose your movie death, what would it be?
KH: Okay, you remember John Carpenter’s The Thing?

BD: Oh yeah!
KH: I would have liked to have been infected by ‘The Thing’. Actually, maybe I would’ve liked to have gone out as a victim of The Thing monster in the fucking North Pole. I think that would’ve been great to have been in the presence of some alien, extra terrestrial who has all these super powers and to see that all before I went, I think that would be a great way to go.
One way I would NOT want to go is being possessed by the Devil and having to go through an exorcism. That, to me, is really scary. And it’s only scary to me because I came from Roman Catholic upbringing and went to Catholic school, so that stuff resonates a little bit more with me than with other things.

BD: ‘Through The Never’ has gotten a lot of really positive reception. Our own Mr. Disgusting put it in his Top 10 Movies From 2013. For you, you’ve been part of so many things including touring, live DVDs, and now putting together this festival. With filming this movie, how did those experiences factor in and what did you have to pull from during the filming?
KH: We learned a lot about making a movie. We made Some Kind Of Monster but we didn’t know we were making it while we were making it AND it turned out to be a documentary. This time around we were actually involved in making a movie and we learned a lot! The whole process, the whole production of it. I personally learned that being a musician is way cooler than being an actor [laughs]! You know, from my opinion!
For [Metallica] to do what we do, which is create albums and tour, we only really need the four of us and a little bit of an infrastructure. When we make an album that infrastructure is an engineer and a producer. To make a movie, you need the four of you, and the producers, and the directors, and and the camera crew, the lighting crew, and people who are involved in the distribution company.
Point being, there’s a lot of people involved and all of these people have opinions, and they’re valid opinions! You end up listening to all these peoples’ opinions and, because of this, movies are made in a very collaborative sense. It’s almost by consensus how things move forward. For us, that’s fine too. That’s okay, too. But we’re a band that doesn’t like to have their creative ideas diluted or diffused in any way [laughs]. So, for us, making this movie was a bit of a bittersweet experience.
But that being said, I think we made a really fucking great film. I mean, we put a lot of time and effort into making sure the storyline was exactly the way we wanted it to be. We took a lot of time making sure the concert footage was just right. It was shot the way we wanted it to be, it was edited and mixed the way we wanted it to be. And when they were put together we made sure the balance was just right. And at the end of it I really felt that we made a fucking great fucking movie! And it’s surprising because a lot of our fans went out to the theaters to see it but we were also counting on a lot of casual moviegoers to check it out. But, for some reason or another, the appeal just wasn’t there. We don’t know why but we actually have learned something from that whole experience: If you’re going to make a movie, make sure someone else pays for it! [laughs] Having said that, I got my feet wet in the whole movie making process and now I’m a little more interested in making a movie one of these days just as long as someone gives me the money to make it!

BD: Last question for you! When we last spoke, we were talking about your book, ‘Too Much Horror Business’, and you let slip that you were working on a second book. Is that something that’s still in the works?
KH: Oh yeah, there’s definitely plans for another book. It’s going to be slightly different from ‘Too Much Horror Business’. It’s going to be more based upon the pop culture of the 60’s and 70’s with a lot of hot rod culture and surf culture as well as monster and horror culture. There’ll be a lot of TV stuff, too. But all within collecting. Toy collecting, artwork, posters, and whatnot. I said to myself that I have to give the next Metallica album priority. I’m going to wait until we’re two thirds through the next Metallica album before I start work on the book. And so, maybe the book will come out in the end of 2015, beginning of 2016, if the planet has blown up by then [laughs]!
But yes, I’m definitely planning on doing another book and I haven’t started it yet and I won’t start it until the end of this year. So, that’s that!

BD: Kirk, thanks so much for your time and I wish you the best of luck with everything you have going on!
KH: Cheers, man! Hopefully I’ll catch you sooner rather than later!

The post [Interview] Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Talks Fear FestEvil, How He Wants To Die In A Horror Movie, And More appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The 2014 Grammy Award ceremony has come and gone. For this section, the only real positive thing to make mention of is that Black Sabbath won “Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance” for their track “God Is Dead?”. Congratulations to Ozzy and the rest of the band as 13 is a badass album and a total throwback to the glorious days of doomy heavy metal.

But let’s talk about some serious botches that should have the producers begging to keep their jobs. First of all, during the ‘In Memoriam’ segment, which highlights the deaths of musicians in the past year, Clive Burr (ex-drummer of Iron Maiden) and Jeff Hanneman (guitarist of Slayer) were both omitted from the video. These two musicians were both in high profile bands that revolutionized their respective subgenre (and I should mention that Slayer has won two Grammy awards). To omit them is incredibly disrespectful and highlights how little the popular music world sees the metal and hard rock community.

Next, can we talk about how the ceremony ended by cutting off the stellar mashup performance of Trent Reznor (along with all of Nine Inch Nails), Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters), Lindsay Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac), and Josh Homme (Queens Of The Stone Age)? What was supposed to be a 10 minute performance was chopped in half when the producers deemed that the ceremony had gone on way too long and simply cut to commercials. Reznor and fellow NIN member Alessandro Cortini took to Twitter to voice their feelings and people who had been anxiously awaiting this once in a lifetime supergroup performance were left horribly disappointed. You can read Reznor and Cortini’s tweets below as well as see the first half of the performance.

What a mockery and what a shame. The Grammys should be ashamed of themselves.

The post The 2014 Grammy Awards Really Screwed The Pooch appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

For me it was a thrilling interview simply because he was a huge inspiration while I was learning guitar and several of his riffs and solos still send goosebumps up and down my spine.

Make sure to pick up Dream Theater‘s new album Dream Theater on iTunes.

Bloody-Disgusting: Hello sir, how are you doing?
John Petrucci: I’m very good, thank you!

BD: How’s Europe treating you?
JP: Really nicely, it’s moving along. I think we’ve played six shows so far. We’ve been in Portugal, Spain, and tonight is the last of four shows in Italy. So, it’s going well!

BD: Congratulations on Dream Theater’s second Grammy nomination! It must be very exciting for you and for the band!
JP: Yeah, it’s real exciting. thank you! It was great to hear. The first one was like, wow! Just amazing! And to receive it two albums in a row is…yeah, it’s just pretty incredible. We’re all pretty excited about it. The Grammys are this Sunday so we’ll see what happens. But yeah, it’s awesome to be nominated again. We’re just really really honored and excited about it.

BD: You guys must be sitting on pins and needles waiting for Sunday then!
JP: Yeah! In that category you have Anthrax, Killswitch [Engage], Black Sabbath, and Volbeat. It’s a lot of great bands. So who knows what will happen! But still, it’s fun waiting for the day and we’ll…yeah! You never know!

BD: [Singer] James [LaBrie] recently said in an interview that he thinks the only real competition you guys have for the win is Black Sabbath. What are your thoughts?
JP: You know, it’s really hard to say because obviously Sabbath is definitely a huge name and of course deserving with Ozzy coming back. It’s a really great album! But all the albums are really good! The Killswitch album is great. It’s, it’s just in the hands of the Recording Academy and I try not to really think about chances because you never know! I’ve seen in the past when we weren’t nominated and I was watching or following it, and I’d think “Oh, this band’s definitely going to win,” and they don’t and somebody that you didn’t expect wins. So it’s really hard to speculate. But we’ll see!

BD: While it must be amazing getting a Grammy nomination, the foundation is not really known for showing much love or appreciate to the rock and metal genres outside of their own categories. It often feels more like a popularity contest rather than an actual appreciation of music and the hard work that goes into it. Do you find yourself having these types of feelings at all?
JP: You know? I don’t. I’m a member of the Recording Academy and I see the way it works and even with the whole voting process it’s broken down into specific categories. There are Pop categories and Dance and Rock and Metal and Film and Score and everything else. Basically when you are voting you are urged not to vote in the category that you don’t know anything about and to base your vote on the music itself. It’s not based on popularity or friendships or anything else. It’s a pretty big pool of voters.
The style of music that we’re playing, this progressive metal style, has always been an upstream battle for us. We don’t usually get a lot of commercial exposure. I think that this genre being represented at the Grammys in the Metal category for two years in a row now is a recognition and an acknowledgement of something that’s less mainstream and more on the periphery where there’s tons of fans all around the world but the average person might not know about it.
So, in this case, I think it’s quite the opposite. I think they’re starting to recognize styles that haven’t been quite exposed in the way that a lot of pop music might have been.

BD: Do you think there’s some reason for this recognition? Some sort of catalyst that caused it?
JP: I don’t know. I’ve always said that there’s a huge progressive rock, progressive metal audience out there, in the world. We see it when we’re on tour. You can be in your own little sort of bubble in your hometown in the US and you hear what’s on the radio. If you don’t go beyond that you don’t know. But we’ve seen it all over the world, in South America, Europe, Asia, across the US and North America and Australia. There’s huge audiences for this stuff. For me it’s always been there and it’s just a matter of time before the people have more of the means to spread the word. It’s probably no coincidence with the internet and social media and the word being able to spread beyond the radio, where fans can go and talk and congregate and trade stories and a band could communicate news very quickly and in a worldwide basis. I’m sure that’s helped in bringing in this case us to more of the forefront of peoples attention.

BD: I want to turn to the upcoming ‘Along For The Ride’ North American tour the band has planned. I know that Boston will have a really special night when the Berklee World Strings and Concert Choir will be joining you. Are there any other surprises in store for other locations?
JP: Well, actually that special event is the only one planned. It’s a special event that we’re doing in collaboration with Berklee College given the history that we have, being alumni, having the guy who conducted and arranged strings on our current album being a Berklee student, Mike Mangini having been a Berklee professor for eleven years, the band formed at Berklee… So, there’s a lot of history. It’s a cool event where we can give back to the school.
But as far as Detroit and New York and other cities, there won’t be anything quite like that. But the show itself will be pretty special and it’s quite unlike anything that we’ve ever presented, so I think you’ll be happy either way!

BD: Hearing you talk about this Boston performance it’s obvious that it’s going to be a very gratifying experience because, as you stated, there is such a history there. What are some fond memories you have of Berklee?
JP: Well, I remember feeling for the first time going somewhere where I was part of a community where I didn’t feel like an outcast. I felt like I belonged. Everyone had a guitar strapped to their back. You were just with your peers, people like you. I went up there with [bassist] John Myung and I’ll never forget driving up there, we drove together, looking at our dorm for the first time. There was this one time where we’re in the dorms and I put my amp in the window and faced it towards the courtyard, cranked it and I played I think some [Jimi] Hendrix or something. I got a swift knock on the door from the RA. [laughs] I wasn’t allowed to do that! But it was fun! [laughs]

BD: Sounds like something out of a comedy show! You’re at a school specifically for music and they’re telling you to turn it down!
JP: Right! Exactly! Well, we used to do that. We used to rehearse and that’s where the roots of Dream Theater formed. Y’know, we used to play cover songs and jam to [Iron] Maiden and stuff but we were writing songs and it was this metal, loud style and we’d constantly get knocks on our door, because the rehearsal rooms were right next door to each other, and these jazz guys would be like, “Can you guys turn it down a little?” [laughs]

BD: As you mentioned earlier, the internet has really opened the way for congregation for people. And, as a result, it’s brought about an explosion of new bands and new ways to share bands that people haven’t heard of before. I’m wondering, what bands are you listening to that other people may not have found out about or heard?
JP: Ah! I don’t know! I don’t have very eclectic tastes in music. When we toured with The Crimson ProjeKCt last year Tony Levin turned me on to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. I almost rely on other people to say, “Hey, you ever hear of this band?” [laughs] And I’ll say, “Oh, I’ve never heard of that!” And I listened to them and thought, “What the hell?” It’s this bizarre, experimental, prog but really weird and scary and nightmare sounding but the guys are really good and they play instruments that they’ve made. It’s just pretty sick stuff!

BD: I know there have been interviews where you’ve mentioned there’s already talk of a new album and I’m wondering what does the rest of 2014 hold in store for you, the band, the group as a whole?
JP: This year it’s really focused on touring. We spent from January to June last year writing and recording our latest album and then preparing for its release with promotion and activities for not only the release of our studio album but also our Live At Luna Park live concert DVD that came out in November. So, with all those releases, this year it’s time to put that aside and hit the road. Right now we’re in Europe for a long extensive tour and, as you know, we’ll be in North America and we’re gonna be doing festivals in Europe over the summer. We’re going to be doing Asia, South America, and all the territories that we usually hit and hopefully some new ones and that’s going to really bring us through the year. We’re going to be busy.

BD: Dream Theater is known for touring extensively and is very popular around the world, in fact much more so than here in the States. Are there some areas that you love revisiting and just connect with you?
JP: It’s interesting because Europe, for example, where we are now, I’ll use this to illustrate it, you’re traveling at a very fast rate. Maybe there’s a couple of shows in one country but you’re kinda just going from country to country and you see not only the differences in culture and food and mannerisms but you also see the differences in the crowds and even the sizes of the crowds. Again, there’s different levels of where we do well throughout Europe. Fortunately, for us, it’s pretty great all throughout it. But, for example, we’re in Italy now and we know that Milan is gonna be insane, Rome is gonna be insane, and we know Paris is gonna be insane and places like Norway and some cities in Germany and in Holland. You anticipate that they’re gonna be big shows. This time we’re going over to Russia and we played in Moscow before and it was just great.
When we first started and started hitting new places for the first time, you kinda didn’t know, because we were new. Sometimes we played tiny little clubs and sometimes we’d play a larger place. But now that we’re established and we have a history we know that we can expect people to show up and to have a good time. We know it’s going to be successful and it kinda makes the whole thing really enjoyable for us. The audiences are just great. So, there’s nothing like a place that doesn’t do it for us. [laughs]

BD: A lot of countries that you tour have some very negative press regarding their governments and their policies. For example, there’s Russia and their view on homosexuality or Ukraine and the current riots. Bands like Pain Of Salvation have used that to say they won’t tour a country because of these political situations. Is that something that Dream Theater thinks about or do you just go, play for the fans, and ignore the government?
JP: I’m realizing this more and more that it’s one thing to get involved with your own political beliefs and stand behind you believe in personally. But as far as bands doing that in a way where they think they’re going to fight the government, the only people they’re really hurting is the fans. I hear it all the time in countries that you wouldn’t expect or where there are lots of problems. There are still fans there and they don’t give a shit. They love the music and they want to see you and it’s a shame that sometimes they can’t. So, this is all about the music and music is a communication. It’s a two-way street. You need people to play to in order to make that connection complete. That’s the way we look at it.
You can’t chase that. The world changes so quickly. Last tour we played in Kiev and it was incredible and look at it now! They’re having so many problems! It doesn’t mean there’s anything different with the fans or how they appreciate our music or how we think of them. We were just there, it was great! So you really can’t think that way in our case.

BD: John, thanks so much for taking the time to talk and I really look forward to seeing you and Dream Theater in Detroit! Best of luck and safe travels!
JP: Thank you so much! I appreciate it! Look forward to seeing you in Detroit!

The post [Interview] Dream Theater’s John Petrucci Talks Grammy Nod, Touring, And The Past appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In a Bloody-Disgusting exclusive, we got Monte to shoot us his Top 10 Favorite Guitar Riffs, which feature some well known licks as well as some badass selections that you might not have heard before! Head on down to check out his selections!

In No Particular Order

“Into The Void” – Black Sabbath

Tony Iommi. One of the nicest Guitar Gods I’ve ever met and the Godfather of metal. It’s hard to choose one Black Sabbath song. This song alway sounded “scary” to me when I was a little kid. The riffs keep coming on this song. It’s got it all! This, among other Black Sabbath tracks, set the tone and shape of Metal to come.

“Blame It On God” – Deicide

Well, don’t expect the heaviest riffs to come from Styper! (great guys though! Cool dudes!). In Music Theory, you have this formula which applies to every Major scale. Major, minor, minor, Major, Dominant Seventh, minor and the diminished chord just before going back home to your first Major chord in the series. The Diminished chord contains the flatted fifth, or the Tritone, or as it was called hundreds of years ago: Diabolus In Musica. This means “The Devil In Music”. Churches did not want you playing this chord! Look it up and read about it. It’s pretty interesting. Anyway, the main riff “Blame It On God” all comes from a Diminished scale and the notes build up. On paper, that’s about as heavy as it gets.

“Raza Odiada (Pito Wilson)” – Brujeria

This is one of my favorite riffs by one of my favorite metal guitarists on one of my favorite albums ever! Music is about balance. The space is as important as what you play. Some times the simplest riffs can be the most effective. This track also has a “scene” or spoken intro of some sort. This is great for setting the mood and creating a calm before the storm.

“Stripped, Raped, and Strangled” – Cannibal Corpse

Here is a perfect example of a 2 guitar assault working together to make one of the heaviest riffs of all time and putting Death Metal on the map. There was nothing like this when it came out. All of the elements fall perfectly in to place when they made this masterpiece. One guitar is playing the main riff while the other guitar is playing against it AND doubling up. The vocals come in “sounding like he’s singing into the phone” and then the song just explodes. Double kick drums pave the way for both guitars AND the bass all playing “diminished” interval trills that move up a half step. Outstanding.

“Hell Awaits” – Slayer

One of the key factors of making one of the heaviest riffs ever is having 2 guitars counteract each other. Slayer were probably one of the first to do this. It builds up so much tension at the beginning and then the band comes together. After the band is all together, they pick up the pace and changed the face of music from then on.

“Hacked Up For Barbecue” – Mortician

I don’t know what the lyrics are on this song and I’m going to keep it that way. This song is so heavy it’s almost unlistenable. REMEMBER: Like Cannibal Corpse, when this first came out, there was NOTHING like it before. That is something that is taken for granted today. There aren’t too many times in the history of music where someone comes up with a new art form out of 12 notes we have to choose from. This is the ultimate equivalent to making an audio version of a horror film. Mortician would use audio from a horror movie often to set up each song. When this first came out, that made driving down a dark road in East Texas in the middle of nowhere even scarier!

“A New Level” – Pantera

One thing that makes a riff so heavy is when the notes move chromatically. In this case, the notes are ascending where normally you would see this type of riff descending (example: “Master Of Puppets”). Pantera redefined heavy music and definitely “Reinvented The Steel”. Pantera are a band where it’s hard to just choose one riff.

“Praise The Strength” – Morbid Angel
This is one of my all time favorite heavy songs ever. Morbid Angel are great at writing songs where the tempo either goes up or down somewhere in the song creating an astonishing display of tension and release.

“Who’s Fist Is This Anyway?” – Prong
This song builds from killer riff to killer riff. Tommy Victor is one of the best riff masters ever. The entire “Cleansing” album is full of them. Mainly the outro riff for this song is one of the pieces of music Prong is most known for.

“The Thing That Should Not Be” – Metallica
Starting off acoustic with a riff and then coming in heavy is like getting slapped in the face with a ton of bricks. This is a great example of a phenomenal slow tempo riff that makes you make a face like something stinks when you hear it.

Monte Pittman on-line:
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The post [Exclusive] Monte Pittman Shares His Top 10 Favorite Guitar Riffs! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

So, I guess the next step is simply to give you all the chance to read my choices and then let me know which albums stood out for you! Head on down and let the music flow!

The return of the kings of heavy metal was an incredibly surprising success. 13 is an album that is full of memorable chunky riffs and Ozzy’s iconic wails and croons. The band proved their relevance in a modern metal world.

Arriving eight years after the band’s last release, Tomorrow’s Harvest is a beautiful, eerie album that gives fans of the group everything they wanted and more. A sinister undercurrent runs throughout, causing a sense of unease that is absolutely delicious.

The North Borders is one of those intelligent, subtle electronic albums that made me stop and appreciate every note I was hearing. I’m not one to dance but I definitely shimmied around my place without a drop of embarrassment during many of these fantastic songs.

Richly textured and sonically diverse, Sempiternal was a huge step forward for Bring Me The Horizon, demonstrating great maturation. On top of having some damn solid songwriting, the album is just incredibly entertaining.

Rapper/poet Dessa takes subjects that we all deal with, such as heartbreak and loss, and addresses them with lyrics that will haunt you for days. Each song speaks on a deeply personal level.

While many people were sorely disappointed by Nine Inch Nails‘ Hesitation Marks, they were too busy moaning and complaining to recognize that the album they were so desperately seeking was available for them to enjoy. Splinter is an aggressive yet beautiful industrial/electronic opus littered with infectious songs.

If you miss the days of balls to the wall rock ‘n’ roll, then look no further. The debut album from these UK rockers has not a single filler track. Each song comes in, rocks your face right off, and then leaves without overstaying their welcome for even a single second. Easily one of the most fun albums I’ve had the pleasure of hearing this year.

His fifth solo studio album, Das Seelenbrechen is also Ihsahn‘s most diverse and wildly inventive album. It’s a triumph of an album and well worth every second of your time.

The Australian progressive rockers took four years to release their third studio album and it’s obvious that this amount of time was spent carefully considering the next step the band would take. The path from Themata to Sound Awake continues as Asymmetry dives more into the world of “progressive” and complex. It’s a gorgeous, dynamic album.

Dead End Kings was already one of the best albums of 2012, so how could the band improve upon it? Well, the can’t. However, they can approach it from a new perspective and breathe a different kind of life into. That’s precisely what they did with Dethroned And Uncrowned, stripping the original album of its “heaviness” and instead focusing on the ethereal beauty that resides throughout.

When Mr. Disgusting shot me a link to check out this album I wasn’t exactly convinced. Sure, the album artwork was badass but as the saying goes, “Never judge a book by its cover.” Then I hit ‘Play’. What came next was perhaps the greatest listening experience I’d had in a while. I was in a world of pure 80’s inspired horror synth that fully embraced its cheesiness. This album is a must for any horror fan.

Bilateral tied for my Album Of The Year in 2011, so I was beyond excited to hear the band’s follow up. While it lost the playfulness of its predecessor, Coal had a sense of maturity and seriousness that gave it a different air, a sense of gravity. The band still demonstrates their impeccable songwriting skills, even if they don’t seem to smile as much doing so.

The spaced out stoner rock/metal band returned with an album that is a pure testament to “rock”. Packed full of awesome tones and fantastic riffs, Last Patrol is also an album that knows when to take its time, each song building up to a climax that hits with full force.

The return of Irish shoegaze creators My Bloody Valentine was one of the musical highlights of the year, shocking and thrilling many. After all, it had only been 12 years since their last studio album. That time didn’t dull the shine of the band in any way. Rather, M B V proved that the band’s attention to crafting and creating beautiful, intricate music had never left.

Wrongdoers grips the listener by the throat and demands full attention. Each song is bursting with emotion and desperate need, the heaviness of the music a metaphor for how much of an impact each song should have. In my opinion, Norma Jean is one of the most important bands in music today.

This nearly entirely instrumental album is for those who can find beauty in the icy realms and landscapes of black metal. It’s a thrilling album that brought many smiles to my face.

Tesseract once again proved with Altered State that they are not only masters of the progressive metal scene but that they are here to redefine it. They are showing that metal can be full of beauty, amazing vocals, and intricate, complex songwriting that challenges listeners. It’s going to be thrilling to see what they come up with next.

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The post [BEST & WORST ’13] Jonny’s Top Albums Of 2013 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The album featured the band’s 1987 EP The $5.98 E.P.: Garage Days Re-Revisited as well as covers from bands and artists that influenced the career of Metallica, such as Discharge, Diamond Head, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, and more.

Head on down to get a blast from the past as you travel 15 years back.

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The post Metallica Releases 50-Minute ‘Garage Inc.’ EPK With Interviews, Behind The Scenes, And More appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Black Sabbath will be releasing a new live DVD entitled Gathered In Their Masses on November 22nd, 2013. It was filmed in Melbourne, Australia and can be pre-ordered at BlackSabbath.com.

Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonathan Barkan? Shoot him a message on Twitter or on Bloody-Disgusting!

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According to a description of the attraction, Black Sabbath 13-3D is, “…based on the darkest lyrics from Black Sabbath’s biggest hit songs and the only attraction at the horror event to incorporate 3D video, will also include scenes inspired by the legendary band’s recently released Billboard #1 album, “13.” A nightmarish landscape of doom will engulf guests as they enter “Black Sabbath: 13 3D” and traverse through horrifying graveyards, disturbing madhouses and bone-chilling battlefields.
”

Head on below to see what Black Sabbath though of the experience.

Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonathan Barkan? Shoot him a message on Twitter or on Bloody-Disgusting!

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Black Sabbath released a new album earlier this year, 13. You can read our review here.

Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonathan Barkan? Shoot him a message on Twitter or on Bloody-Disgusting!

The post Black Sabbath Posts Teaser For Upcoming Live DVD appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The new maze, based on the darkest lyrics from Black Sabbath’s biggest hit songs and the only attraction at the horror event to incorporate 3D video, will also include scenes inspired by the legendary band’s recently released Billboard #1 album, “13.” A nightmarish landscape of doom will engulf guests as they enter “Black Sabbath: 13 3D” and traverse through horrifying graveyards, disturbing madhouses and bone-chilling battlefields.

Guests will come face to face with a heart-stopping Lucifer and his bride, blood-soaked dead bodies and bubbling pools of “radioactive water” while song’s inspired by “Luke’s Wall,” “Iron Man,” “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” “Electric Funeral” and – of course – “Black Sabbath” violently penetrate the confines of the maze at high volume.

“We were all really excited when Universal Studios Hollywood approached us about doing a 3D ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ maze based on our music,” said Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne. “I’ve seen the drawings of what it will look like when it’s finished and it looks amazing. I can’t wait to walk through it on opening night in September.”

“Very few bands can claim to have defined a genre of music but Black Sabbaths’ remarkable influence in the evolution of Heavy Metal will go down in history,” said John Murdy, Creative Director for Universal Studios Hollywood. “Tony Iommi’s dark, iconic riffs, Ozzy Osbourne’s haunting vocals and Geezer Butler’s foreboding lyrics provide the perfect soundtrack for ‘Halloween Horror Nights’ and endless inspiration for our new haunted attraction ‘Black Sabbath 13 3D’.”

Black Sabbath has sold 70 million records during a career spanning 43 years, and was named “The Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time” by MTV. The Grammy-Award winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees kicked off their 20-date North American concert tour on July 25 in Houston, Texas. More information on Black Sabbath is available at BlackSabbath.com.

“Halloween Horror Nights” 2013 at Universal Studios Hollywood brings together the sickest minds in horror to immerse guests in the living, breathing, three-dimensional world of the most notorious and terrifying creatures and features a slate of unrivaled film production quality mazes, terror-filled Scare Zones and a fully re-imagined “Terror Tram” experience, uniquely themed to today’s most definitive horror properties. This year’s haunted attractions will include “The Walking Dead: No Safe Haven,” based on AMC’s Golden Globe-nominated, Emmy Award-winning show, and “Evil Dead: Book of the Dead,” inspired by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment’s chilling remake of the cult classic.

The post Ozzy, Black Sabbath Interviewed For Uni’s Horror Nights Maze! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Not exactly what I would’ve expected. Not even close.

July 25, 2013 – Woodlands, Texas – Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
July 27, 2013 – Austin, Texas – Frank Erwin Center
July 29, 2013 – Tampa, Florida – Live Nation Amphitheatre
July 31, 2013 – West Palm Beach, Florida – Cruzan Amphitheatre
August 2, 2013 – Bristow, Virginia – Jiffy Lube Live
August 4, 2013 – Holmdel, New Jersey – PNC Bank Arts Center
August 6, 2013 – Clarkston, Michigan – DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 8, 2013 – Uncasville, Connecticut – Mohegan Sun Arena
August 10, 2013 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Wells Fargo Center
August 12, 2013 – Mansfield, Massachusetts – Comcast Center
August 14, 2013 – Toronto, Canada – Air Canada Center
August 16, 2013 – Tinley Park, Illinois – First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
August 18, 2013 – Noblesville, Indiana – Klipsch Music Center
August 22, 2013 – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Rogers Arena
August 24, 2013 – George, Washington – Gorge Amphitheatre
August 26, 2013 – Mountain View, California – Shoreline Amphitheatre
August 28, 2013 – Irvine, California – Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
August 30, 2013 – Pheonix, Arizona – US Airways Center
September 1, 2013 – Las Vegas, Nevada – MGM Grand Garden Arena
September 3, 2013 – Los Angeles, California – Los Angeles Sports Arena

Got any thoughts/questions/concerns for Jonathan Barkan? Shoot him a message on Twitter or on Bloody-Disgusting!

The post Black Sabbath Will Be Touring N. America With…Andrew W.K.? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Make sure to check out our review of 13.

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The post Check Out This Awesome Danish Ad For Black Sabbath’s ’13’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Then came Iommi’s lymphoma and the departure of Bill Ward. Suddenly the fate of the album was cast into doubt and no one knew for certain if it was ever going to see the light of day. Then came the questions of, “Was it even necessary?” But the group stuck to their guns and enlisted the aid of Rage Against The Machine drummer Brad Wilk to record all percussion. The album moved forward under the guidance of renowned producer Rick Rubin and 13 was born.

Now, today, the album is available for the world to hear. Have the pioneers of heavy metal been able to deliver yet another album that inspires millions of aspiring musicians or has age tamed these once wild beasts? Find out below.

The album opens with “End Of The Beginning”, a sinister track that enters a full on classic heavy metal glory. Complete with a face melting guitar solo and a thrilling ending, Black Sabbath shred any doubt that they are still able to kick your ass. It is immediately obvious that Iommi proves that he is still a master of bringing one awesome guitar riff after another.

“God Is Dead?”, the band’s current single, continues the trend of sinister heaviness. It’s a fantastic song that continues proving the band’s ability to rock. “Zeitgeist” is beautifully constructed with wonderful textures amidst its minimalistic approach. “Age of Reason” has a truly grandiose and epic ending, the type that made me love music in the first place. It called to mind elements and touches of Pink Floyd.

The production of the album is a shinier, classier version of what the band sounded like in their heyday. The guitars are chunky but never overly distorted, the bass thick, well-rounded, and wonderfully placed. Osbourne sounds better than he has in years, his voice commanding, his melodies spot on. Drummer Wilk is inventive and adds his own brand of flair to the album, although he sometimes doesn’t play with as much subtlety as needed. Still, he fits right in and knows exactly what to play and when.

While the album flows and moves together like a well-oiled machine, there are still some times when the album feels like it drags ever so slightly, especially considering that the average song length is around 7 minutes. Still, these moments pass as the album has an amazing ability to hypnotize the listener.

Black Sabbath are a band that shaped the very sound and attitude of heavy metal, fully embracing the evil attitude that the music produced and using it to their advantage. With 13, they have once again shown just how relevant they are and how necessary it is to not only respect the past but to revisit it with fresh ears.

The Final Word: The world questioned whether or not we actually needed a new Black Sabbath album. The band took it all in stride and released their answer in the form of 13, proving that age can’t dull the sheen of the masters.

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The post [Album Review] Black Sabbath ‘13’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

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Produced by Rick Rubin, 13 is the first Sabbath album since 1978’s Never Say Die 35 years ago to feature original singer Ozzy Osbourne. He is joined by original guitarist Tony Iommi and original bassist Geezer Butler. The group had a very public falling out with original drummer Bill Ward which included public letters and statements from both parties. Drummer Brad Wilk (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave) filled in for drum duties.

I’m listening to the album right now and loving it so far. It’s a throwback to a time when metal was sinister, heavy, and didn’t rely upon shredding or insanely fast rhythms to elicit head banging.

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The post Listen To Black Sabbath’s ’13’ Right Now! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The full touring schedule can be seen below along with the band’s first single, “God Is Dead?”.

07/25 – Houston, Texas @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
07/27 – Austin, Texas @ Frank Erwin Center
07/29 – Tampa, Fla. @ Live Nation Amphitheatre
07/31 – W. Palm Beach, Fla @ Cruzan Amphitheatre
08/02 – Bristow, Va. @ Jiffy Lube Live
08/04 – Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts Center
08/06 – Detroit, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
08/08 – Uncasville, Conn. @ Mohegan Sun Arena
08/10 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Wells Fargo Center
08/12 – Boston, Mass. @ Comcast Center
08/14 – Toronto, Ontario @ Air Canada Centre
08/16 – Tinley Park, Ill. @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
08/18 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Klipsch Music Center
08/22 – Vancouver, British Columbia @ Rogers Arena
08/24 – Seattle, Wash. @ Gorge Amphitheatre
08/26 – San Francisco, Calif. @ Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
08/28 – Irvine, Calif. @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
08/30 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ US Airways Center
09/01 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
09/03 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ Los Angeles Sports Arena

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The post Black Sabbath Release New Single “God Is Dead?” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Black Sabbath is currently gearing up for the release of their new studio album 13, which comes out June 11th. You can pre-order the album here.

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“When we first heard that Black Sabbath was interested in premiering a song on CSI from their first studio album in 35 years, we were all really excited. So many of us are longtime fans,” says McGill.

Black Sabbath will be releasing their new album 13 on June 11th.

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Pre-orders for 13 can be found here.

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Device‘s upcoming self-titled debut features ex-Filter guitarist Gene Lenardo, who co-wrote the album. Joining as the touring incantation is Evanescence drummer Will Hunt and Dope guitarist Virus.

The self-titled album features guest appearances from Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Black Country Communion), and M. Shadows (Avenged Sevenfold). The album comes out April 9th and can be pre-ordered here.

Device tour dates:
10-Apr – Mobile, AL – Soul Kitchen*
12-Apr – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room*
13-Apr -Orlando, FL – Tinker Field – WJRR Earth Day Birth Day
14-Apr – Ft. Myers, FL – Fort Rock Festival
16-Apr – Destin, FL – Club LA**
17-Apr -Huntsville, AL -Sammy T’s**
20-Apr – Tyler, TX – Click’s**
21-Apr – Lubbock, TX – Lonestar Amphitheatre – KFMX Show
23-Apr – Dallas, TX – Trees**
25-Apr – Houston, TX – Scout Bar**
26-Apr – Beaumont, TX – The Gig**
28-Apr – Jacksonville, FL – Welcome to Rockville Festival
30-Apr – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues**
1-May – Little Rock, AR – Juanitas**
3-May – Atlanta, GA –Centerstage*
4-May – Rockingham, NC -Carolina Rebellion Festival
*with Gemini Syndrome
**with Gemini Syndrome and Nonpoint

Device On-line:
Official Website
Facebook
Twitter
David Draiman Twitter

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The post [Exclusive] Stream Device’s “Close My Eyes Forever” Here appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

You can see the album artwork, track list, and lyric video below.

Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor track list:
01. Teenage Nosferatu Pussy
02. Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Supertown
03. Revelation Revolution
04. Theme For The Rat Vendor
05. Gong Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga
06. Rock And Roll (In A Black Hole)
07. Behold! The Pretty Filthy Creatures
08. White Trash Freaks
09. We’re An American Band (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD cover)
10. Lucifer Rising
11. The Girl Who Loved The Monsters
12. Trade In Your Guns For A Coffin

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Heaven & Earth’s debut album, Dig, will be released April 23rd. It was produced by Dave Jenkins (Metallica, Tower Of Power) and features special guests Howard Leese (Heart, Paul Rodgers), Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), and David Paich (Toto).

Discussing Dig, founder Stuart Smith states, “I feel that with the crafting of the songs on this album, the incredible band we’ve put together, especially with powerhouse vocalist Joe Retta and the unwavering support of Quarto Valley Records’ President, Bruce Quarto, we really have a shot at getting Heaven & Earth the attention it deserves. This album is by far, the best thing I have ever done in my life.”

You can watch the video below.

Dig track list:
1. Victorious
2. No Money, No Love
3. I Don’t Know What Love Is
4. Man & Machine
5. House of Blues
6. Back in Anger
7. Waiting for the End of The World
8. Sexual Insanity
9. Rock & Roll Does
10. A Day Like Today
11. Good Times
12. Live as One

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The post Things Are Strangely Erotic In Heaven And Earth’s “No Money, No Love” Official Music Video appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Pre-orders for the new album can be found here. The album will be released June 11th.

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The post Listen To Snippets Of New Black Sabbath Tunes appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor track list:
01. Teenage Nosferatu Pussy
02. Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Supertown
03. Revelation Revolution
04. Theme For The Rat Vendor
05. Gong Gang Gong De Do Gong De Laga Raga
06. Rock And Roll (In A Black Hole)
07. Behold! The Pretty Filthy Creatures
08. White Trash Freaks
09. We’re An American Band (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD cover)
10. Lucifer Rising
11. The Girl Who Loved The Monsters
12. Trade In Your Guns For A Coffin

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The post Listen To The New Rob Zombie Single “Dead City Radio And The New Gods Of Super Town” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The video plays off almost like a mini-documentary with interviews from each of the members (sans Wilk). They all detail what this album means to them, with Osbourne stating, “This Black Sabbath album is quite possibly the most important album of my career.

You can watch it below.

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The band will also be releasing an EP of covers. Featuring eight tracks, the EP includes songs by Black Sabbath, Dio, Heart, and more. Check out all the information below.

Coverta track listing:
1-High Wire- Badlands
2- Stand Up and Shout- Dio
3- Break on Through- The Doors
4- Romeo Delight- Van Halen
5- Barracuda- Heart
6- Kill the King- Rainbow
7- The Lemon Song- Led Zeppelin
8- The Mob Rules- Black Sabbath

1st leg tour dates:
Tue 12 Mar – New Haven CT @ Toads Place
Wed 13 Mar – New York NY @ Marlin @ Webster Hall
Thu 14 Mar – Pittsburgh PA @ Altar Bar
Fri 15 Mar – Allentown PA @ Crocodile Rock
Sat 16 Mar – West Springfield VA @ Empire
Mon 18 Mar – Jacksonville FL @ Brewster’s Roc Bar
Tue 19 Mar – Tampa FL @ Orpheum
Wed 20 Mar – Orlando FL @ The Haven
Fri 22 Mar – Houston TX @ Scout Bar
Sat 23 Mar – San Antonio TX @ Backstage Live
Sun 24 Mar – Dallas TX @ Trees
Tue 26 Mar – Albuquerque NM @ Launch Pad
Wed 27 Mar – Phoenix AZ @ Joe’s Grotto
Thu 28 Mar – San Diego CA @ Brick By Brick
Fri 29 Mar – Las Vegas NV @ Cheyenne Saloon
Sat 30 Mar – Los Angeles CA @ Roxy
Mon 01 Apr – Colorado Springs CO @ Black Sheep
Tue 02 Apr – Kansas City KS @ The Voodoo Lounge
Thu 04 Apr – St Louis MO @ Fubar
Fri 05 Apr – Nashville TN @ Exit IN
Sat 06 Apr – Atlanta GA @ Masquerade
Sun 07 Apr – Richmond VA @ Kingdom

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The post Adrenaline Mob To Release Cover EP ‘Coverta’: Announce Tour appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Talking with ToledoFreePress, Zombie states, “It seems to happen every couple of years or every 10 years or every five years or whatever, you have a moment when it all comes together. Not that the other records are bad, but not every record can be like the most inspired event in your life. But for some reason, this one feels like it is. The songwriting, the sound of it, the vibe, the production — it’s special.”

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The post Rob Zombie Announces New Album Title And Release Date appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.