Hammett shares today the track “High Plains Drifter” from his debut EP, “Portals”, arriving April 23 via Blackened Recordings across digital platforms, on CD, and as a Record Store Day-exclusive ocean blue vinyl EP (including a download card), writes Blabbermouth.

“Featuring contributions from Edwin Outwater, Jon Theodore of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, members of the LA Philharmonic and more, ‘High Plains Drifter’ shares a unique inspirational relationship with the 1973 cinematic classic of the same name. The song, Kirk explains, “was not meant to be specifically music for that film, but it was once it was written, I immediately thought it conveyed the same sentiment as the film, so the piece was christened accordingly.

“The music for ‘High Plains Drifter’ initially came from a flamenco piece I had written,” he continues. “It was a two-and-a-half-minute piece, and I really liked it, but it was one of those riffs that would be hard to integrate into Metallica. I knew I wanted to do something with it, even though it came out spontaneously. I had been sitting outside messing around with a flamenco acoustic guitar I’d just bought, and it flowed out in the moment. I was determined it would have a life. It would have its moment.”

Adds the site: True to its title, “Portals” is a collection of gateways to musical and psychic destinations. Recorded around the world, from Los Angeles to Paris to Oahu, “Portals” is the result of Kirk’s life’s journeys and an invitation to tap into your own inner world. Heavily influenced by classical music, soundtracks, horror movies, and maybe a little Ennio Morricone, Kirk wanted the EP to span the decades and touch upon all the horror he loves. The idea behind the EP was to have all the songs flow into each other, so he relied on a whole cast of his friends to record the four songs.

Produced by Kirk, “Portals” is comprised of the songs “Maiden And The Monster” and “The Jinn” on side A, followed by “High Plains Drifter” and “The Incantation” on side B. The latter two were co-written with Outwater, who also contributed keyboards and led the orchestral players from the LA Philharmonic on “Portals”.

Other familiar names amongst the “Portals” players include drummer Abraham Laboriel, Greg Fidelman on bass, Emmy-winning arranger Blake Neely and Bob Rock.

Says Hammett: “Initially, before I even had the idea for a solo EP, I was inspired by the need to create some sort of soundtrack music to accompany The Kirk Hammett Collection for the first ‘It’s Alive’ exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, 2017. I wanted to conceive music to play on a loop in the background as people walked through the exhibit. I sat down one night with a progression, and before I knew it, all the parts were there for ‘Maiden And The Monster’.

“The initial concept for ‘Portals’ started with that one song. Following that, I realized I could create different soundtrack moments. These songs are what I call ‘audio cinematic’; I’m creating sounds and pieces of music for the movies playing in my head. Hopefully they’ll create movies in other people’s heads in a similar fashion.”

The post Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Shares “High Plains Drifter” from His Horror-Themed EP “Portals”! [Listen] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

AMC Networks today announced the launch of AMC Networks Publishing, a book publishing arm that will work with established and up-and-coming talent in developing, producing and selling fan-focused specialty books, comics, original graphic novels and more.

AMC Networks Publishing will debut several new projects this year, including two comic series —  Nights of Lono by Metallica’s lead guitarist and horror aficionado Kirk Hammett and his writing partner/co-creator Marcel Feldmar, and Oubliette from New York Times Bestselling author, Brenden Fletcher (Batgirl, Gotham Academy) – and two books based on AMC Networks’ hit shows, including the original graphic novel Miss Fisher’s First Mysteries based on the popular Acorn TV series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, and Shudder’s Creepshow: From Script to Scream (working title), from Cartel Entertainment and Creepshow showrunner and executive producer Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead) and brokered by Striker Entertainment, a coffee-table book which includes a foreword by Hammett, as well as an afterword by legendary storyteller Stephen King.

“We’re excited to launch this new initiative with talented creators, writers, artists and storytellers to further engage our passionate fanbases with the stories and characters they love, as well as open the doors to discover new and compelling worlds,” said Mike Zagari, Head of AMC Networks Publishing. “From deeper dives on AMC’s The Walking Dead Universe, Shudder’s Creepshow and Acorn TV’s Miss Fisher, to a brand-new collection of fantasy and comic-based tales from Kirk Hammett, Marcel Feldmar, Brenden Fletcher and more, we can’t wait to entertain and thrill our audience and fans in new and innovative ways.”

The first title to debut this year is Shudder’s Creepshow: From Script to Scream (working title), based on the hit anthology series from  Nicotero, Stan Spry (The Cartel), Russell Binder (Striker Entertainment), and in partnership with Titan Books. The coffee-table book is written by Dennis Prince, designed by John J. Hill, and co-produced by Julia Hobgood, and brings fans behind-the-scenes of the acclaimed Creepshow series with deep dives into its riveting origins, gripping development, provocative production, sinister special effects, and much more. The series has been heralded as “an irresistibly macabre package,” (Slant Magazine) and “an undeniable love letter to all generations of horror fans,” (CBR), and over three seasons, has been one of the most watched programs on Shudder.

“I grew up wearing down my fingertips paging through books on the making of my favorite movies,” said Nicotero. “I was ravenous to learn the behind-the-scenes secrets. So, I’m excited to be able to present a glimpse behind the making of this epic show!”

A new original graphic novel,  Miss Fisher’s First Mysteries (working title) is based on the hit Acorn TV series Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (adapted from the best-selling novels by Australian author Kerry Greenwood) and written by award-winning and New York Times Bestselling author Cecil Castelluci (Shade The Changing Girl, Star Wars: Moving Target) and in partnership with Every Cloud Productions. In the graphic novel, the year is 1917 and there is no way the ivy-covered walls of a posh English finishing school will hold the rebellious spirit of the Honorable Miss Fisher. Outraged when her childhood friend is accused of murder, young Phryne stages a daring escape and braves the high seas as a stowaway – bound for danger and romance in the dark alleys, dubious theatres and glamorous mansions of wartime Melbourne.

Hammett and Feldmar’s Nights of Lono (working title) tells the story of a troubled female detective in 1989 Hawaii who is hired to find King Kamehameha’s tomb before it is discovered by an unscrupulous occultist from the mainland.  A mix of mystery and supernatural adventure, the story is a self-aware journey through standard detective tropes and cliches that are sharpened and given new life with fresh takes on the myths and folklore of the Hawaiian Islands.

Brenden Fletcher’s folk horror mystery series, Oubliette (working title), takes place in a small town where people live by a simple rule: “If you were born of the earth around the lake, then around the lake you shall stay until you return to the earth”. The story explores the struggle of a woman who escaped the impossible gravity of her birthplace only to be drawn home to bury her father. She finds herself once again trapped in a cycle of pain and regret as she digs into the mystery of the sinkhole that drained the lake and took her father’s life. There’s something dark and wicked down there, in that hole in the lake. Something that’s been waiting a long, long time to come to the surface…

The post ‘Shudder’s Creepshow: From Script to Scream’ Companion Book Announced by AMC Networks appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Loudwire caught wind of an interview with Hammett in Metallica’s fan club magazine “So What!” in which the guitarist revealed that he has been collaborating with Edwin Outwater, who composed the S&M2 live performance, on some horror-themed instrumental songs.

“I recorded those tracks with Edwin, a small chamber orchestra and some other musicians,” Hammett reveals, adding that there are four total tracks, two of which were in collaboration with Outwater. Hammett had particularly strong thoughts about these pieces, notes the site, adding that Hammet exclaimed that they “feel like the best fucking things I’ve ever done.”

“One of them is called ‘High Plains Drifter’ and the other one’s called ‘The Incantation’. They’re not done yet. [They are] still in the rough mix stages,” he added. “I mean, I have to get the rough mixes, but I have four tracks now. And the four tracks are like four different movies, man. They’re not movie soundtracks; they’re like movies. They tell a story.”

Watch for more news as it comes in but with Halloween just a few weeks away, is there a world in which Hammett surprises us all with a taste of his horror-themed music before November?

The post Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Recorded Horror-Themed Music During the Pandemic: “They’re Like Movies” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Now, Funko is giving him his own POP! line in which they reimagine the guitar legend as two Universal Monsters: Frankenstein’s Monster and The Creature From the Black Lagoon.

The two limited figures will be the first in the new “The Kirk Hammett Collection”, which I’d expect to expand with Hammett monsterfied as The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and maybe even The Mummy.

I hope they have fun names for the figures too, as these begin to touch into “Garbage Pail Kids” territory.

The post Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Gets Monsterfied as Universal Monsters for New Funko POP! Line appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Hammett revealed to Australia’s Mixdown magazine that he has a “ton of material” for the new album, one we shouldn’t have to wait much longer for.

“When I was 13-14 years old, bands put out albums every year. Seriously, KISS put out an album every eight months,” he said, scorning, “None of this eight years between albums.”

The guitarist went on to admit, “None of us are very comfortable with the fact it’s been so long, because that is a long time. We’re hoping to avoid that this time around.”

“We’re in our third year since Hardwired,” Hammett continued, taking stock of Metallica’s current situation. “Maybe we can get a bit more focus and go into the studio a bit sooner,” he hoped, revealing, “I have a ton of material. I’ve over-compensated, so I’m ready to go anytime.”

The band’s ongoing tour appears to conclude before Thanksgiving, which should allow the band to work on new music going into the New Year. Could we get a new Metallica album late 2020? It’s definitely a possibility.

Thanks to Loudwire for the transcript.

The post Metallica Could Return to Studio in 2020; Kirk Hammett Has Material This Time appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The various physical editions include a Standard Double 180 gram LP, Standard CD, 3-CD Expanded Edition, Cassette, Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set, while the digital editions are the Standard album (available to stream and download), an Expanded Edition (available for download only), and a Digital Deluxe Box Set (available for streaming and download).

The details of each edition are too much to list, but to give you an idea of what you can expect, the Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set will include the remastered double 180g LP, a “One” picture disc, three LPs featuring the band’s performance from Seattle in 1989 remixed by Greg Fidelman, 11 CDs, four DVDs, a set of four patches, a Pushead print, a tour laminate, lyric sheets, a download card for all material in the set, and a deluxe 120-page book with never-before-seen photos and never-before-told stories.

See the full tracklisting for the 3-CD Expanded Edition and the Deluxe Box Set below, as well as an unboxing video featuring guitarist Kirk Hammett. Get more details on the special …And Justice For All reissues at Metallica.com, where you can also pre-order the various editions.

…AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (REMASTERED): 3-CD EXPANDED EDITION TRACKLIST:

DISC ONE: …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (REMASTERED)
Blackened
…And Justice for All
Eye of the Beholder
One
The Shortest Straw
Harvester of Sorrow
The Frayed Ends of Sanity
To Live Is to Die
Dyers Eve
*Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA.

DISC TWO: DEMOS & ROUGH MIXES
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Blackened (November 1987 Demo)
…And Justice for All (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
Eye of the Beholder (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
One (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
The Shortest Straw (December 1987, Writing in Progress)
Harvester of Sorrow (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
The Frayed Ends of Sanity (November 1987 Demo)
To Live Is to Die (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
Dyers Eve (January 1988 Demo)

DISC THREE: LIVE FROM THE DAMAGED JUSTICE TOUR
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED EXCEPT WHERE NOTED
Blackened (Live – Seattle ’89)
Previously released on Live Shit: Binge & Purge. Newly mixed by Greg Fidelman.
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
Leper Messiah (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
Harvester of Sorrow (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
Eye of the Beholder (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
Seek & Destroy (Live at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA – May 24th, 1988)
Creeping Death (Live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX – February 5th, 1989)
Previously released as a b-side to one of the many singles for One. Newly remastered.
One (Live – Seattle ’89)
Previously released on Live Shit: Binge & Purge. Newly mixed by Greg Fidelman.
…And Justice for All (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
Whiplash (Live at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA – May 24th, 1988)
Breadfan (Live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA – August 30th, 1989)
Previously released on The 6 1/2 Year Anniversary EP as part of The Good, The Bad & The Live box set. Newly remastered.

…AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (REMASTERED): DELUXE BOX SET TRACKLIST:

LP 1 & 2: …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (REMASTERED)

SIDE ONE
Blackened
…And Justice for All
Eye of the Beholder
One

SIDE TWO
The Shortest Straw
Harvester of Sorrow
The Frayed Ends of Sanity
To Live Is to Die
Dyers Eve
Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Vinyl lacquers by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA

LP 3: “ONE” 10″ PICTURE DISC

SIDE ONE
One

SIDE TWO
Seek & Destroy (Live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX – February 5th, 1989)
Artwork by Pushead
Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA

LP 4, 5 & 6: SEATTLE ‘89

SIDE ONE
The Ecstasy of Gold
Blackened (Live)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live)
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (Live)

SIDE TWO
Harvester of Sorrow (Live)
The Four Horsemen (Live)
The Thing That Should Not Be (Live)

SIDE THREE
Bass Solo (Live)
Master of Puppets (Live)
Fade to Black (Live)

SIDE FOUR
Seek & Destroy (Live)
…And Justice for All (Live)
One (Live)

SIDE FIVE
Creeping Death (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
Battery (Live)

SIDE SIX
Encore Jam (Live)
Last Caress (Live)
Am I Evil? (Live)
Whiplash (Live)
Breadfan (Live)
Recorded live on August 29th and August 30th, 1989 at Seattle Coliseum in Seattle, WA
Mixed by Greg Fidelman
Mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Vinyl lacquers by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA

CD 1: …AND JUSTICE FOR ALL (REMASTERED)
Blackened
…And Justice for All
Eye of the Beholder
One
The Shortest Straw
Harvester of Sorrow
The Frayed Ends of Sanity
To Live Is to Die
Dyers Eve

CD 2: INTERVIEWS
KSDT Interview with Jason
Circus Magazine Interview with James
KNAC Report from LA Monsters of Rock
KHDX Interview with Kirk
Metal Forces Magazine Interview with Lars

CD 3 & 4: RIFFS, JAMS & DEMOS

DISC ONE
Blackened (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
Blackened (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes II)
…And Justice for All (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
…And Justice for All (1988, From James’ Riff Tapes)
Eye of the Beholder (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
Eye of the Beholder (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes II)
One (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
The Shortest Straw (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
The Shortest Straw (1986, from James’ Riff Tapes II)
Harvester of Sorrow (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
The Frayed Ends of Sanity (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
To Live Is to Die (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
To Live Is to Die (1988, From James’ Riff Tapes)
Dyers Eve (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
Dyers Eve (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
Blackened (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
…And Justice for All (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
…And Justice for All (October 1987, Writing in Progress II)
One (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
The Shortest Straw (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
…And Justice for All (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
The Frayed Ends of Sanity (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
One (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
Dyers Eve (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
Eye of the Beholder (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
To Live Is to Die (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
The Shortest Straw (December 1987, Writing in Progress)
Harvester of Sorrow (December 1987, Writing in Progress)

DISC TWO
Blackened (November 1987 Demo)
…And Justice for All (November 1987 Demo)
Eye of the Beholder (November 1987 Demo)
One (November 1987 Demo)
The Frayed Ends of Sanity (November 1987 Demo)
Eye of the Beholder (January 1988 Demo)
The Shortest Straw (January 1988 Demo)
Harvester of Sorrow (January 1988 Demo)
Dyers Eve (January 1988 Demo)
To Live Is to Die (January 1988 Demo)

CD 5: ROUGH MIXES FROM THE VAULT
Blackened (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
…And Justice for All (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
Eye of the Beholder (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
One (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
The Shortest Straw (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
Harvester of Sorrow (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
The Frayed Ends of Sanity (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
To Live Is to Die (Acoustic Intro) (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
To Live Is to Die (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
Dyers Eve (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
Breadfan (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
The Prince (Work in Progress Rough Mix)

CD 6 & 7: LIVE AT THE TROUBADOUR, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – MAY 24TH, 1988 + B-SIDES

DISC ONE
Creeping Death (Live)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live)
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (Live)
The Four Horsemen (Live)
Whiplash (Live)
Fade to Black (Live)
Seek & Destroy (Live)
Master of Puppets (Live)
Encore Jam (Live)
Last Caress (Live)
Am I Evil? (Live)
Battery (Live)

DISC TWO
Encore Jam #2 (Live)
Harvester of Sorrow (Live)
Leper Messiah (Live)
Blitzkrieg (Live)

B-Sides
Breadfan (Remastered)
The Prince (Remastered)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live) *
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (Live) *
Seek & Destroy (Live) *
Creeping Death (Live) *
Harvester of Sorrow (Live) **
One (Live) **
Breadfan (Live) ***
Last Caress (Live) ***
* Recorded live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX on February 5th, 1989
** Recorded live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA on August 29th, 1989
*** Recorded live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA on August 30th, 1989

CD 8 & 9: LIVE AT THE HAMMERSMITH ODEON, LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 10TH, 1988 + RADIO EDITS

DISC ONE
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (Live)
The Four Horsemen (Live)
Harvester of Sorrow (Live)
Eye of the Beholder (Live)
Bass Solo (Live)
Master of Puppets (Live)
Damage, Inc. (Live)
One (Live)
Seek & Destroy (Live)
…And Justice for All (Live)
*Note: there is a tape cut on this track

DISC TWO
Encore Jam (Live)
Creeping Death (Live)
Fade to Black (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
Battery (Live)
Encore Jam #2 (Live)
Last Caress (Live)
Am I Evil? (Live)
Whiplash (Live)

Radio Edits
Eye of the Beholder (Radio Edit)
One (Radio Edit)
…And Justice for All (Radio Edit)

CD 10 & 11: LIVE AT LONG BEACH ARENA, LONG BEACH, CA – DECEMBER 7, 1988 + MORE

DISC ONE
Blackened (Live)
*Note: there is a tape cut on this track
For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live)
Welcome Home (Sanitarium) (Live)
Leper Messiah (Live)
Harvester of Sorrow (Live)
Eye of the Beholder (Live)
Bass Solo (Live)
Master of Puppets (Live)
One (Live)
Seek & Destroy (Live)

DISC TWO
…And Justice for All (Live)
Encore Jam (Live)
Creeping Death (Live)
Fade to Black (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
Battery (Live)

Live at UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL – November 18th, 1988
Last Caress (Live)
Am I Evil? (Live)
Whiplash (Live)

DVD 1: …AND CAMCORDER FOR ALL & “ONE”

…AND CAMCORDERS FOR ALL
FEATURING PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED FOOTAGE SHOT ON LARS’ CAMCORDER
Intro
Barcelona
Leiden
San Francisco
San Antonio
Dallas
Philadelphia
Buffalo
Auckland
Osaka
Hoffman Estates
Richfield
Thornville
Greenville
Atlanta
Biloxi
Concord
Irvine (Night #2)
Irvine (Night #3)
São Paulo (Night #1)
São Paulo (Night #2)

“ONE”
2 of One Introduction with Lars
One
One (Jammin’ Version)
One (Live at the 31st Annual GRAMMY® Awards)

“ONE” B-ROLL
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Intro
Band
Lars
Kirk
James
Jason
More Band

DVD 2: LIVE AT SHORELINE AMPHITHEATRE, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – SEPTEMBER 15TH, 1989
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
The Ecstasy of Gold
Blackened
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Harvester of Sorrow
The Four Horsemen
The Thing That Should Not Be
Bass Solo
Master of Puppets
Fade to Black
Seek & Destroy
…And Justice for All
One
Creeping Death
Guitar Solo
Battery
Encore Jam
Last Caress
Am I Evil?
Damage, Inc.
Blitzkrieg
Breadfan

DVD 3: LIVE AT THE STONE BALLOON, NEWARK, DE – AUGUST 7TH, 1989
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED FAN-SHOT FOOTAGE
Backstage Shit
The Ecstasy of Gold
Creeping Death
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
The Four Horsemen
Harvester of Sorrow
Phantom Lord
Bass Solo
Master of Puppets
Fade to Black
No Remorse
Seek & Destroy
Last Caress
Am I Evil?
Motorbreath
Hit the Lights
Blitzkrieg
Damage, Inc.
Breadfan

DVD 4: JUSTICE ON WHEELS, MASA ITO INTERVIEWS, RAW LIVE FOOTAGE

JUSTICE ON WHEELS – A MUCHMUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Intro
The Road Crew
The Fans
The Band
The Video

MASA ITO INTERVIEWS
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Lars
James
Jason
Kirk

RAW LIVE FOOTAGE (LIVE AT JFK STADIUM, PHILADELPHIA, PA – JUNE 11TH, 1988)
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Whiplash
Fade to Black
Seek & Destroy

RAW LIVE FOOTAGE (LIVE AT RPI FIELD HOUSE, TROY, NY – MARCH 15TH, 1989)
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Master of Puppets
One

RAW LIVE FOOTAGE (LIVE AT COPPS COLISEUM, HAMILTON, ONTARIO – APRIL 8TH, 1989)
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Master of Puppets
One
Seek & Destroy

The post Metallica Details Massive ‘…And Justice For All’ Deluxe Box Set appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Metallica’s albums have won a total of nine Grammy Awards with 21 nominations.

Hardwired…To Self Destruct was originally released on November 18, 2016 on Metallica’s own Blackened Recordings record label and debuted at No. 1 around the world, selling over 800,000 copies worldwide in its first week. The RIAA platinum-certified album is the top selling Rock Album of 2017. It was produced by Greg Fidelman with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, and is available in various configurations at www.metallica.com.

The 60th annual Grammy Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City on January 28th and will air on CBS.

The post Metallica Earned Two Grammy Nominations for Best Rock Album and Song! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“It is interesting, because we have created our own mainstream, is what I believe,” he tells Clash Music. “We’ve been extremely honest with ourselves, including the compromising part. There always has to be some kind of compromise – especially when you’ve got four guys in a band. You’ve got two guys that are really driving the thing – Lars [Ulrich] and myself – and when we don’t agree, there has to be a compromise. But, as far as doing something that doesn’t feel right, I’m sure there’s been a few times that it’s happened – the Load and Reload era, for me, was one of those; the way that was looking, I wasn’t 100% on with it, but I would say that that was a compromise.

He continued: “I said, ‘I’m going with Lars’ and Kirk’s vision on this. You guys are extremely passionate about this, so I’ll jump on board, because if the four of us are into it, it’s going to be better.’ So I did my best with it, and it didn’t pan out as good as I was hoping, but, again, there’s no regrets, because at the time it felt like the right thing to do. So, even thinking that I need to compromise a little bit for the integrity of the band to go forward, I’d do that.”

It’s easy to point fingers, but Hetfield proved something fierce with Metallica’s album Hardwired, which Hammett carries not a single writing credit on. It is, in this writer’s opinion, the best since the self-titled release in 1991.

The post James Hetfield Blames Kirk and Lars for ‘Load’ and ‘Reload’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While obsessing over the aforementioned albums, I’ve been doing a lot of reading, which stemmed from the purchase of the making of Masters of Puppets hardback, “Back to the Front”, that you probably should have bought. Something we never had was the Internet, and Wikipedia, which offer comprehensive behind-the-scenes information, with sources, for pretty much anything and everything. I’ve learned a lot of new things about Metallica and thought it would be sort of fun to break down some of the shocking facts surrounding the band, even if you may have heard some of them.

These are the 10 Sad But True Facts About Metallica…

1. James Hetfield nearly abandoned lead vocals.

The Metallica that we know features James Hetfield on vocals and rhythm guitar. But it almost wasn’t always that way. In fact, the lead vocal job was offered to someone else leading into the recording of Ride the Lightning.

Hetfield felt uneasy about performing double duty on vocals and rhythm guitar so the band offered the job to Armored Saint singer John Bush, who turned down the offer because Armored Saint was doing well at the time, says Wiki. Hetfield gradually built confidence as lead vocalist and kept his original role. Producer Bob Rock would eventually push Hetfield further on the recording of the self-titled album in 1991.

2. Lars Ulrich fucked up the audio on four albums.

It continually blows my mind that drummer Lars Ulrich has fucked up the audio on not one, but four of Metallica’s albums.

The first recorded instance is that of the 1988 …and Justice for All, which was the first album to feature new bassist Jason Newsted. Yet, his parts are barely distinguishable on the final product, which has led to many rumors. While Lars claims the guitars are covering the bass, Steve Thompson, who mixed the album, opened up and explained everything that happened to lead to the absence of bass on that album.

In an interview with Ultimate-Guitar, Thompson explains exactly what happened:

We had to get the drum sound up the way he had it. I wasn’t a fan of it. So now [Lars Ulrich] goes, “See the bass guitar?” and I said, “Yeah, great part, man. He killed it.” He said, “I want you to bring down the bass where you can barely, audibly hear it in the mix.” I said, “You’re kidding. Right?”

He said, “No. Bring it down.” I bring it down to that level and he says, “Now drop it down another 5 db.” I turned around and looked at [James] Hetfield and said, “He’s serious?” It just blew me away.

The second fuck-up might surprise some of you, although it never ended up coming into fruition. While a lot of Metallica fans give Bob Rock shit, he’s also the one voice the band would listen to during the recording of the self-titled album. In (I think) either this or this making-of documentary, the cameraman  catches some verbal sparring between Ulrich and Rock over the levels of the guitars on the album. Rock, having just listened to the album in his car, made the executive decision to turn the guitar levels up to the displeasure of Ulrich. Rock screams something along the lines of, “Did you listen to it in your car?”, which leads to Rock getting his way. Thankfully, this one  instance of imbalance of power saved one album from the clutches of one Lars Ulrich. The next two weren’t so lucky.

The troubled St. Anger was released in 2003 with one glaring issue: the drums. There’s a plethora of articles on the Web trying to understand why the snare drum sounded so bad.  Ulrich called into “The Cane Show” on 92.3 K-Rock and went on a this insane rant over the sound.

“If that’s what it’s about to you… Like, people sit there and go, ‘I can’t listen to the record because of the way it sounds.’ It’s like, ‘Peace’. [laughing] It’s fine,” he said. “It sounds fine to me, and when I hear it, I love, and I know Kirk [Hammett] and James [Hetfield] feel pretty much the same way. And it’s sort of like, there’s four million people around the world that have bought this thing, and if nobody can listen to it, then there’s four million copies of it sitting around… I don’t know. It’s just kind of so weird to me… Especially, we were in Germany over the weekend… [imitating the German accent] ‘Vat’s this the snare sound?’ and ‘It’s very difficult to listen to the record with the snare sound.’ I go, ‘You know what? Let me paint a picture for you, OK?! Let’s flip this one around. Let’s say every hard rock record that came out had a snare sound like ‘St. Anger’, right? Then all of a sudden, METALLICA would put a record out that had a snare sound like, say, I don’t know, ‘The Black Album’, everybody would sit there and go, ‘What the fuck are they doing?’ ‘What’s with this fuckin’ ‘Black Album’ snare sound?’ ‘Why doesn’t it sound like the ‘St. Anger’…?” You know what I mean?! As soon as you do something that people are not quite used to… that’s the one thing about, like, hard rock audiences, especially over in Europe and stuff, they’re very, very conservative — everything has to be a specific way, and the minute you change on iota of it, it’s like, ‘Oh, my God. I can’t deal with it. My hard rock world is crumbling.’ OK, you can’t listen to the record because of the snare sound?’ You know what? Then don’t listen to the fuckin’ record. That’s the nature of being in METALLICA — we just sort of seem to get a reaction out of everything we do, but we’re pretty used to it. I’m fuckin’ psyched about the record, and so are a bunch of other people, so it’s all good.”

I think it’s safe to say that most Metallica fans don’t listen to it. So, there, Lars…

The most recent snafu was on the 2008 Death Magnetic, which was Metallica’s most triumphant album since 1991. It’s too bad it’s like listening to the band through someone crumpling up paper. Blabbermouth detailed the controversy,  explaining that several articles from both the mainstream press and recording industry websites have discussed the album in context of the so-called “Loudness Wars,” a term used by UK publication The Guardian, which claims that the music industry is trying to make recordings as loud as possible mainly to stand out on radio. The result is “clipping distortion”, which you can read about here and furthermore here.

An audio clip then surfaced on YouTube comparing music from the Death Magnetic CD to tracks from the album used for Guitar Hero, which were prepared differently. (Death Magnetic is unlistenable on Spotify, IMO.)

And guess what? Lars also responded to this controversy. In an interview with Blender.com, Ulrich explained:

“Listen, there’s nothing up with the audio quality. It’s 2008, and that’s how we make records. Rick Rubin‘s whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it to sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I’ve heard that there are a few people complaining. But I’ve been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds fuckin’ smokin’.

“Somebody told me about [people complaining that the Guitar Hero version of ‘Death Magnetic’ sounds better]. Listen, what are you going to do? A lot of people say [the CD] sounds great, and a few people say it doesn’t, and that’s OK. You gotta remember, when we put out ‘…And Justice for All’, people were going, ‘What happened to these guys, this record? There’s no bass on it. It sounds like it was recorded in a fuckin’ garage on an eight-track.’ And now ‘…And Justice for All’ is sort of the seminal Metallica record that supposedly influenced a whole generation of death-metal bands. The difference between back then and now is the Internet.

“The Internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice. Listen, I can’t keep up with this shit. Part of being in Metallica is that there’s always somebody who’s got a problem with something that you’re doing: ‘James Hetfield had something for breakfast that I don’t like.’ That’s part of the ride.

“I will say that the overwhelming response to this new record has exceeded even our expectations as far as how positive it is. So I’m not gonna sit here and get caught up in whether [the sound] ‘clips’ or it doesn’t ‘clip.’ I don’t know what kind of stereos these people listen on. Me and James made a deal that we would hang back a little and not get in the way of whatever Rick’s vision was. That’s not to put it on him — it’s our record, I’ll take the hit, but we wanted to roll with Rick’s vision of how Metallica would sound.”

This writer only listens to the Guitar Hero version and wishes Metallica would remix both …and Justice for All and Death Magnetic.

Update: Multiple readers, including Jameson, wrote in with some exciting news that I was completely unaware of. “Update on the sound of ‘Death Magnetic’: the band has issued an updated mix of the album as a digital download. The version currently available on iTunes supercedes the previously-available copy at that retailer. It is an improvement over the sonics on the physical CD available at release. The copy currently available directly from the band is sourced from the same master. From what I gather, the version at Google Play has not been updated, nor has any currently-available commercial physical formats. It was kind of a quiet remaster (not sonically, but not widely-announced), though band reps have confirmed this on the band’s message boards.”

3. Metallica wanted to change their style (not Bob Rock).

It’s time we fix the history behind Bob Rock’s involvement with Metallica. They chose this path, not him.

Rock gets all the shit and more – fans even have multiple petitions requesting his exile from working with the band – even though the band had made the decision to change their style for their self-titled release in 1991.

Rock altered Metallica’s working schedule and routine so much that the members swore never to work with him again.^[15] The animosity and tension between Metallica and Rock was documented in ‘A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica’ and ‘Classic Albums: Metallica – Metallica‘, documentaries that explore the intense recording process that resulted in ‘Metallica’.^[6][7] Years after the production, a petition signed by 1,500 fans was posted online in an attempt to encourage the band to prohibit Rock from producing Metallica albums, saying he had too much influence on the band’s sound and musical direction.^[18] Rock said the petition hurt his children’s feelings;^[18] he said, “sometimes, even with a great coach, a team keeps losing. You have to get new blood in there.”^[18] Despite the controversies between the band and Rock, he continued to work with Metallica through the 2003 album ‘St. Anger’.^[15]

Kirk Hammett confirms this as he reflected back on the look on their fan’s faces during live performances of their epic 10-minute long songs off …and Justice for All.

“We realized that the general consensus was that songs were too fucking long,” lead guitarist Kirk Hammett told Rolling Stone in 1991. “Everyone [in the crowd] would have these long faces, and I’d think, ‘Goddamn, they’re not enjoying it as much as we are.’ ” Hammett acknowledged that the band was becoming bored with the songs’ intricate arrangements, as well. “I remember getting offstage one night after playing ‘Justice’ and one of us saying, ‘Fuck, that’s the last time we ever play that fucking song!'”

What have we learned today? Metallica changed their length and sound, while Rock saved the album’s mix. I think history is showing more and more than he was actually just trying to save them from themselves.

4. Bob Rock convinced Metallica to construct songs from the drums on up.

Speaking of Rock’s influence on the band, there’s one really interesting backstory on the writing process of the self-titled Black album. In one of the aforementioned docs it was revealed that Metallica not only changed the length of their songs, but their composition. While earlier songs were constructed from the guitar up, Rock convinced the band to build their music from the drums on up, which will infinitely change how you listen to the album. It wasn’t until Death Magnetic (at the request of producer Rick Rubin) that they revisited their older compositions that made them who they are today.

5. Lars had to learn how to keep a beat.

Before entering the studio to record Ride the Lighting, Metallica collected ideas on “riff tape” recordings of various jam sessions, Wiki recounts. Hetfield and Ulrich went through the tapes and selected the strongest riffs to assemble into songs. Instruments were recorded separately, with Hetfield playing only rhythm guitar.^[8] Rasmussen, with the help of drum roadie Flemming Larsen, taught the basics of timing and beat duration to Ulrich, who had a tendency to increase speed and had little knowledge of rhythm theory.^[4] Drums were recorded in an empty warehouse at the back of the studio, which was not soundproof and caused reverberation.^[7] 

6. Cliff taught James basic guitar harmony.

Deceased bassist Cliff Burton introduced the basics of music theory to the rest of the band, according to Wiki, and had more input in the songwriting on Ride the Lightning. Instead of relying strictly on fast tempos as on its debut Kill ‘Em All, Metallica broadened its approach by employing acoustic guitars, extended instrumentals, and more complex harmonies. He showed Hetfield how to augment core notes with complementary counter-melodies and how basic guitar harmony worked, which reflected on the song compositions, according to Joel McIver’s 2009 “To Live Is To Die: The Life and Death of Metallica’s Cliff Burton”.

7. The night Cliff died, he was sleeping in Kirk’s bed.

Speaking of Cliff Burton, who recorded Kill ‘Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets with the band before dying in a freak bus accident on Sept. 26, 1986, Kirk Hammett was supposed to be sleeping in his bed.

On the night of Sept. 26, 1986, Metallica were traveling between tour dates in Sweden when Burton and guitarist Kirk Hammett drew cards to decide who would get to choose a bunk. The bassist drew the Ace of Spades, and chose the bunk Hammett had been occupying. “I said fine, take my bunk,” the guitarist recalled in VH1’s Behind the Music. “I’ll sleep up front; it’s probably better anyway.” (source)

The driver claims to have hit a patch of ice, while the band insists he fell asleep driving. The band would enlist Jason Newsted to fill Burton’s role on the band’s next album, …and Justice for All.

8. Dave Mustaine wrote the epic Leper Messiah riff.

A whopping three albums later, Metallica was still using music contributed by former guitarist, Dave Mustaine, who was kicked out before the recording of Kill ‘Em All.

Mustaine claimed he had co-written “Leper Messiah”, based on an old song called “The Hills Ran Red”. Hammett denied this, though admitting that a section incorporated ideas of Mustaine’s, Wiki explained.

“Even though Dave might claim that he wrote ‘Leper Messiah,’ he didn’t. There’s maybe a chord progression that was in that song, like, maybe 10 seconds that came from him — that, ironically, is just before the guitar solo. But he did not write ‘Leper Messiah’ at all. In fact, I remember being in the room when Lars came up with the main musical motif.”

Ironically, Mustaine took his credit in an interview on Rolling Stone earlier this week.

There’s certain riffs that you hear, and you just know who the songwriter is. And I’m not talking about just when I write. So there are certain parts of “Ride the Lightning” and “Leper Messiah” and the first album, all that stuff, you can tell little things that are similar with Megadeth’s guitar playing ’cause you know there’s so much you can do with an instrument. I think they did great with it.

The riff they’re referring to? It’s just before and after the guitar solo – or, an easier way to find it is to listen for the best part of the song.

It’s sort of fucked that Metallica was still using Mustaine’s riffs three albums in. No?

9. Kirk doesn’t write as much as you think…

Kirk Hammett is one of the best guitar players in the world, and his solos are on another level, but did you know that Lars and James write most of the band’s music? In fact, Hammett doesn’t have a single writing credit on the band’s new album, Hardwired.

Via Teamrock:

Hammett recently recalled the “devastating” time in 2014 he lost his phone containing hundreds of song ideas for the 10th record – which meant he “had to start at zero” again. But he admits he still found Metallica’s new songwriting plan a “very bitter pill to swallow.”

He adds: “For me, being in this band, I always want to contribute. I always have a lot of musical concepts and ideas to bring to the table. Obviously, that was not meant to be this time, and I had to accept that fact.

“So I focused on my solos, just making sure that my playing on the album was at its best – at its full potential. Hopefully I can bring my ideas to the next Metallica album. I just hope it’s not another eight years.”

Obviously, Hammett was a gun for hire on Kill ‘Em All, replacing a recently kicked out Dave Mustaine. If you dig through most of Metallica’s catalog, though, you’ll find that most of songs are credit to James and Lars, who wrote the majority of the riffs/songs. This is not to take anything away from Hammett, who wrote THE riff of all riffs for “Enter Sandman”, although video footage provides evidence that Lars is the one who contorted it into the majestic all-time great that it is.

10. Metallica shops at Armani.

Metallica is quite the anomaly…

The post Metallica: 10 Sad But True Facts appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The overall consensus from “Hardwired” was pretty much overwhelmingly positive. I myself hailed it as, “…a throwback to the almost punk thrash influences from their early releases.” Then more singles came out and anticipation, which was already at fever pitch, only grew as the metal community began to feel hope and excitement. After all, can a band that has been going for 35 years really put out something worthwhile, especially after such a long wait?

The answer, my dear readers, is that Metallica once again knocked it out of the fucking park. Forget St. Anger and keep repressing Lulu because Hardwired…To Self Destruct has come to kick your ass and make you believe again.

Broken into two discs, each one has its own overall style. The first is far more energetic, exciting, exhilarating, and other adjectives that begin with ‘e’. The second disc is the more brooding, sinister, and deliberate offering. If you need to get amped up, go with the first disc. However, if you’re interested in hearing the band’s tracks that take their time and build more methodically, the second is your best bet.

The first disc kicks off with the aforementioned “Hardwired”, which signals that the band is back and they’re back to kick ass. They know there are doubts if they can bring their A-game to the table, so they decided to hit you in the face right off the bat with pure adrenaline that sounds like it could’ve been an extra off of Kill ‘Em All. It’s followed by “Atlas, Rise!”, which gave me an interesting journey. I remember thinking the song was simply okay when it started but by the end I was in love with it, a feeling I still bear.

“Now That We’re Dead” is the first of the tracks on the album that haven’t been released as a single, so it was the first track that I had no familiarity with. My initial thoughts were that it was the band paying homage to their punk influences. It’s got a very driving attitude and as it progressed, I realized that it was something that would’ve been very comfortable in their Load and Reload days, which isn’t a negative. There’s a rhythm to the verse riff that made me want to nod my head along the whole time. Following this was “Moth Into Flame”, which was another recently released single. I noted that it sounded like a progression of something one would hear from Metallica or Load and there seemed to be a lot of agreement there.

“Dream No More” begins with a sinister chromatic descent and then dives into a riff that overflows with swagger. Strangely enough, it reminded me of Reload‘s “Where the Wild Things Are”, a track of their that I absolutely adore. It doesn’t have the same eeriness but there is a similarity in its attitude and syncopation.

The first disc ends with “Halo on Fire”, the longest track of the album. It is the first time on the album that there is a clean passage and it’s for those that like their clean Metallica to be creepy, this will certainly satisfy your needs. It makes sure to take its time and really build on everything it offers. Another thing to note is that the harmonizations going on in this track are simply delightful.

Here is where Brad, whose thoughts are coming tomorrow, and I butted heads as he wasn’t the biggest fan of much of the second disc while I was. He, however, admits that it took him years to come around and enjoy Metallica and Load, so let’s just give him 15-20 years for this second disc and get this thoughts then.

Disc two begins with “Confusion”, whose opening is reminiscent of “Holier Than Thou”. It’s a crunchy song and is damn tasty. Even listening to this for the first time, I could already see audiences around the world chanting “Hey! Hey! Hey!” as the song kicks off. It’s yet another exciting entry to the album and is very welcome. Going into “ManUNkind”, it starts out with a rather pleasant, clean intro that is just a guitar and a bass, which gives Trujillo a chance to shine. The track then shifts into a galloping metal piece that primarily sits in a 3/4 time signature.

“Here Comes Revenge”, for me, sounds almost like something that belongs in a Lovecraft-ian story. It’s no “The Call of Ktulu” but it’s a damn solid track and keeps the brooding atmosphere going. It’s got some great riffs and it goes from passage to passage effortlessly. “Am I Savage?” opens with a slightly overdriven yet mellow passage that almost immediately goes the metal route. It’s easily the most sinister sounding track on the album. When I saw the name, I immediately hoped for a feel of “Am I Evil?” and this kinda delivered that. The dissonant descending riff at the 4:20-ish mark is fantastic. It snarls and bites while Kirk Hammett then throws down a solo overtop.

“Murder One” is the first track where I had a real issue. The opening has a gorgeous clean sound and there is a wonderful passage here but they mix it into distortion and then go fully into riffs and chugging. While the song is great, it made me wish that the opening was given a chance to become its own song. Hell, I’d even take it becoming a ballad, something this album lacks. The band has no problem writing beautiful melodies, so it feels like that opening melody was a wasted opportunity.

The album ends with “Spit Out the Bone”, which is easily the heaviest track on the album. After the previous song, this comes in and is almost like a kick to the face. It’s fast, enraged, and sees the band’s anger manifest in song form. Trujillo gets to rock out some distortion on his bass that hearkens back to Cliff Burton’s “For Whom the Bell Tolls” intro. This track ensures that the album is bookended by pure punk/thrash metal, giving it a satisfying opening and conclusion.

I found myself writing down some side thoughts while listening to the album, so I’ll discuss them here:
1) James Hetfield has never sounded better. This man’s voice has aged and matured, creating a huge and biting attitude. He effortlessly slides from one note to another and has no problem snarling his lines, almost chewing them.
2) There were a few times when Lars would count in approaching drops with a standard four hi-hat count and I really wish he’d only one it once. Some of those drops would’ve been so much more effective had I not known they were coming.
3) The bass stands out prominently, which gives a sturdy yet rolling foundation to the songs.

The Final Word: With Hardwired…To Self Destruct, Metallica have taken inspiration and influence from all of their previous releases and coalesced them into an album that is both a celebration of their career while acting as an evolution. Metallica are considered one of the best metal bands in the world and they have proven it once again.

The post [Review] Metallica’s ‘Hardwired…To Self Destruct’ is a Celebration of Their Entire Career appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Costing $2,400 for the lower 48 ($2,500 internationally), each guitar comes hand numbered and signed by Kirk as well as receiving a photo of Kirk holding your own personal guitar with a certificate of authenticity. Each guitar also includes a Basil Gogos giclée of Nosferatu signed by Basil Gogos and a limited edition Famous Zombies Jr Kirk Von Hammett Zombie AKA “Lil Kirk”.

A video of the guitar in action can be seen below and you can get your guitar right here (click in the upper right hand corner).

The post Kirk Hammett Unveils Limited Edition ‘Nosferatu’ Guitar appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Morris explains:

Listed here are 9 of my favorite childhood horror/Halloween items. I still own all of the originals. Some of them even date back to the late 70’s when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I also included Kirk Hammett’s Too Much Horror Business as the 10th item on the list. I think it’s the best book of its kind and showcases an absolutely amazing collection of horror and Halloween related toys. I never get tired of looking through it.

>“Two Urns” comes from the band’s latest album Grief’s Infernal Flower. You can order your copy here.

Horror Sounds of the Night

Made by Topstone Industries in the 1980’s. The greatest Halloween sound effects cassette ever made.

Topstone Industries

They made the best Halloween products in the 1970’s & 1980’s. Available at every 5 & Dime and local drug store.

Mad Magazine: Super Special Summer ’83 Horror & Sci-Fi issue

One of the best issues of Mad Magazine ever. Worth owning just for Sergio Aragones’ “The Vampire”.

Rip Van Winkle & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Illustrated by David Levine: One of my first books as a child. David Levine’s art perfectly compliments both stories.

Walt Disney’s Haunted Mansion ride and memorabilia

One of my earliest and fondest childhood memories. I became obsessed with it from the age of 4 and still search for memorabilia.

Randotti Skulls

My mother bought me a Randotti skull on a trip to Disney World in 1978. I still have it sitting on a shelf over my stereo. Amazing that at one time Disney commissioned these to be sold at their parks.

Edward Gorey artwork

I was always attracted to his art as a child. I would watch the PBS program “Mystery” just to see the opening animation. His cover art for the book “Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural” is a favorite.

‘Halloween III: Season of the Witch’ soundtrack

One of John Carpenter’s best soundtracks. One of my favorite horror movies. A completely underrated and under appreciated film.

‘The Fog’ soundtrack

Another of Carpenter’s best soundtracks. The music creeped me out so bad as a kid.

Kirk Hammett: Too Much Horror Business

Completely amazing book of Kirk Hammett’s collection of horror memorabilia, movie props, and toys. Probably the best book of its kind. I really hope he does another volume.

The post Windhand’s Garrett Morris Shares His Favorite Childhood Halloween Items appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The documentary, “…explores the evolution of both heavy metal and horror and how the two genres have merged over time. It is common for fans of metal to be fans of horror, and vice versa.”

Now Schiff is crowdfunding the release to pay for completion costs, including, but not limited to, getting all the necessary clips from horror films, which could require lawyers and those cost a pretty penny.

If you want to contribute or simply want more information, head on over to Indiegogo.

The post This Documentary Will Tackle the History of Metal and Horror appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Below is a gallery from the event, with photos from live performances, guest signings, and more.

The post Check Out Photos From Kirk Hammett’s 2015 Fear FestEvil appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

On seeing The Cabin In The Woods:

…going into The Cabin In The Woods, I had no fucking idea. …I was expecting something more like a slasher film, or maybe like a haunted house sort of a scenario. But when I started watching the movie, there was no real clear indication where it was going. …And then slowly the plot is revealed, and all of a sudden you’re like, “Wow, what a great concept for a horror movie,” you know?

I like it because it’s such an original premise and it’s not what I expected, and like most moviegoers, when you’re totally off guard and surprised—I love being surprised like that. Just like totally out of the blue, a concept comes that’s so fucking different and so outrageous and I’m thinking, damn! I wish I would’ve thought of that.

But perhaps far more important and relatable to many horror fans is Hammett’s thoughts on how horror offered comfort in his youth:

I was a disenfranchised youth, and a lot of the characters in these movies are disenfranchised from culture, from society, from whatever. And there was something there that I could relate to and just kind of apply to my own life and how I felt about myself and my situation. So it gave me comfort in knowing that even though I felt like an outsider, there were other people out there who probably felt the same way I did, and probably related to these horror movies the same way I did. It was a partial cure for loneliness as a child.

I was very shy and introverted when I was a kid. I have to throw that in there. So it was a way for me… I can relate to horror movies on a lot of different levels. And it was definitely, you know, emotionally, I always felt like an outsider, outcast, and I was seeing other people in different scenarios, but it was the same sort of feelings, or so I could see.

You can read the full interview at the link above.

The post Kirk Hammett: Horror Is “…A Partial Cure For Loneliness” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The event kicks off with a Murder Mystery Dinner/VIP Party at the Winchester Mystery House where guests will be dining alongside Hammett, touring the eerie mansion and trying to guess who killed who. The next two nights will feature musical performances at the RockBar Theater from acts such as Meshuggah, High On Fire, Orchid and more.

Hammett states:

It has always been my intention that Fear FestEvil events carry both the weird and the loud and what better way to achieve another extension of what we want to do than eat dinner in a haunted house while solving criminal acts before a weekend of super kick-ass music?!

The post Kirk Hammett Announces Second Fear FestEvil appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Richmond, CA metal legends Exodus are gearing up for the release of their tenth studio album Blood In, Blood Out, which comes out October 14th via Nuclear Blast! In anticipation of this upcoming release, which comes nearly 30 years after the band’s historic album Bonded By Blood, we’ve scored an exclusive interview with frontman Steve “Zetro” Souza to discuss the album, the band’s upcoming tour with Slayer and Suicidal Tendencies, as well as Zetro’s love of horror!

You can pre-order Blood In, Blood Out via Exodus.

Bloody-Disgusting: What’s going on, sir?
A lot of things! Busy, busy, busy!

Bloody-Disgusting: In that case, I’ll dive right into things! What’s the most ass-kicking track on Blood In, Blood Out?

Every track [laughs]! It’s the first record that I don’t fast-forward through the songs. You know when you do a record, you hear it a million times. So, I know how it goes! There are often times when you hear a track and think “Ehhhhh, I kinda like THIS one better!” Not here. I love every track.

But, I do think that “Numb” and “[Wrapped In The Arms Of] Rage” are great. And they change by week! Next week, something will happen and it’ll be “BTK” or “Black 13”.

But so far I love every thing on this album. I’m really excited for this one! It’s a good blend of what Exodus has done over the last 30 years. Some journalists have heard it and said that it’s a little bit “retro”, which I guess you could say that a little bit. It’s also got the intensity the last 10 years has had. I think it’s a really good balance of what Exodus does best! Sheer violence! Sheer energy! Sheer brutalism!

BD: What keeps Exodus going?

I think we’re all still big fans. We’re all still aware that we have a lot to offer musically, which is apparent with ‘Blood In, Blood Out’. I think we have such loyal fans. Next year is 30 years after ‘Bonded By Blood’, which is a long time for a band to be out touring and playing. The fans are still there raging there for us! There are still those Exodus patches on their jackets, y’know?

For myself, I have Hatriot, I have a bunch of other metal projects. I love heavy metal. I love thrash metal. I love to get on stage and watch fuckers start pits and go nuts. That’s the best part, for me. As long as they’re still down for doing it, I’ll be out there doing it.

BD: Exodus has always had a connection to horror. What is it about metal and horror that make them seem to go so well together?

I am tattooed completely with horror. I love all the monster movies! I mean, my bed pillows! One’s Bela Lugosi and one’s Boris Karloff! I love that type of stuff. It’s dark, it’s deep, it’s scary, it’s shocking, and I think thrash metal is the same way. It’s definitely abrasive, definitely violent. It can definitely be scary, for sure. It’s got a lot of elements that I think crosses over with horror.

We did Comic Con a couple of weeks ago and they were interviewing Kirk [Hammett] because we played at his Fear Fest[Evil] after party and he said that a lot of the same things that I think. When you think of those images, like Dracula or the first time you saw Linda Blair in ‘The Exorcist’, it’s the look, the sheer terror of the look, how scary that would be if you walked into a house and that was the first thing you saw.

I think that really strikes a chord with me big time.

BD: That really resonates with me because there are times when you listen to an album and a song will open up that is immediately fierce and terrifying and it makes me jump because it’s so unexpected! Or something will happen in a song, a twist that I never saw coming, and it’s so exciting!

And I think that metal definitely offers that! Think of bands like Slayer and how many times they have something that makes you think, “Oh my god, that is just hauntingly scary!” It’s great! I love it! That’s the element that makes rock and roll what it’s all about: angst and rebellion.

BD: You’re set to tour with Slayer and Suicidal Tendencies in November and December. Unfortunately, Tendencies bassist Tim Williams passed away. What kind of an impact does something tragic like that have, both personally and professionally?

Well, I think as being in my position I’ve had a lot of friends die over the years. I knew Cliff Burton really, really, really well, so when he died, it was like, “Well, I didn’t expect that!” It was the same with [Paul] Baloff dying.

There have been so many people, so many friends, that have been through our lives, through the scene, and it’s just so tragic. But all you can do, honestly, is just keep going, keep the music going forward. That’s what they would’ve wanted you to do and I think it’s definitely a healer for everybody. You can’t sit back. You can only mourn for so long.

I think it’s great that GWAR is going to go out and live on the legend of Dave [Brockie]! That’s great and I think it should be that way!

I can’t imagine how strange it is for Suicidal Tendencies. They’ll have to bring someone on board to take over. When I left Exodus, I didn’t die. It’s gotta be tough to handle.

BD: A tour is usually a place with a lot of energy, a lot of liveliness. It’s often a place where people can celebrate the life of someone rather than mourn.

That’s it too. I think that whole tour, from all bands, will be dedicated to Tim. It’s just too bad.

BD: If you could get any horror movie director to direct an Exodus video, who would you get?

It could be anybody? Old school? I wouldn’t go anyone new. No M. Night Shyamalan, that’s for sure. I’d probably have to with William Friedkin! Just because he directed the scariest movie in the world in my eyes, so if he could do it, that’d be great! It’s not just ‘The Exorcist’, it’s everything he does!

Oh, and Clive Barker would be great too! I’d let Clive Barker direct me, that’d be fun!

BD: He directed one of my favorite horror films: ‘Lord Of Illusions’.

‘Lord Of Illusions’ is amazing! Great movie!

BD: Zetro, thank you so much!

Thank you, man! We’ll see you on the road and I can’t wait for you to pick up ‘Blood In, Blood Out’! It’s gonna be great!

Exodus online:
Official Website
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

The post Exodus’s Steve “Zetro” Souza Talks ‘Blood In, Blood Out’ And Horror (Interview) appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Kirk will be signing the toy itself, which is strictly limited to 300 pieces, at the Nuclear Blast Records/Stern Pinball/JSR merch SDCC booth 503 on Friday July 25th from 1pm to 2pm, and on Saturday July 26th from 2pm to 3pm.

Hammett states:

I’m stoked to be bringing more exclusive wares to the San Diego Comic Con. Nuclear Blast have been friends for quite some time, so I’m happy to be able to bring one of my exclusives to their booth. Being a fan of comics and movies since I was a kid, it’s just a huge honor to be at Comic Con on both sides, selling and buying!

Head below for the image!

The post Kirk Hammett Releases Zombified Action Figure appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Since today marks the first day that it’s in full swing, I wanted to share some music videos from the bands that are going tone performing tonight and tomorrow! So head on below to see some kick ass tracks from Death Angel, Exodus, Carcass, and Orchid, as well as a song stream from Death Division!

Once you’re done (and if you’re in the San Francisco area), head on over to the Fear FestEvil to enjoy the festivities! All ticket and schedule information can be found here.

The post The Fear FestEvil Music Video Spotlight Hour 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!.

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Confirmed guests include makeup FX artists Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead, Kill Bill 1&2, Spiderman) and Tom Savini (Dawn Of The Dead, Day Of The Dead, Creepshow). San Francisco rockers Orchid are the only confirmed live act announced so far.

Pre-sale tickets are available for purchase here.

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

The post Metallica’s Kirk Hammet To Host The “Kirk Von Hammett’s Fear FestEvil” Horror Convention appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Expanding into more than 500 theaters this coming weekend is Picturehouse’s absolutely incredible experience, Metallica Through the Never, which must be seen in 3-D, and in IMAX theaters.

Bloody Disgusting has (1) theatrical poster signed by band: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo!!

TO ENTER: Put METALLICA in the subject line and then send your FULL NAME and ADDRESS to submit@bloody-disgusting.com. Winners will be chosen at random on October 6. U.S. entries only. No PO boxes accepted.

Metallica Through the Never recently premiered at the 2013 Toronto Film Festival and stars Metallica, one of the most popular, influential rock bands in history, and critically acclaimed actor, Dane DeHaan. Metallica Through the Never is a music-driven, 3D motion picture event directed by Nimród Antal and co-written by Antal with Metallica’s James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, and Robert Trujillo.

Filmmaker Nimród Antal immerses audiences in a bracing, raw and visceral cinematic experience with spectacular live performance footage of Metallica’s most iconic songs — created exclusively for the film — combined with a bold, narrative story featuring imagery drawn from the band’s trailblazing iconography. Dane DeHaan (The Place Beyond the Pines) portrays Trip, a young roadie sent on an urgent mission, during Metallica’s roaring live set in front of a sold-out arena. The film features dazzling pyrotechnics, the most elaborate live-performance stage ever built and state-of-the-art 3-D photography, captured using up to 24 cameras simultaneously.

The post WIN A ‘Metallica Through the Never’ Poster Signed By the Band! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Mike Pereira caught a premiere screening at last week’s Toronto International Film Festival, and reports back with some good news, and some bad news. Basically, it’s solely for hardcore fans (that’s okay with me!).

“Metallica: Through the Never is a celebration of the binding bond between the band and its loyal fan-base,” says Mike in his review. “It’s made for the fans by a fan. Antal has successfully captured what it means to be a Metallica fan as well as given us a damn fine concert film to boot. If you love the band then there’s simply no excuse why you shouldn’t go run out to see this and in the best cinema around.”

The wrap follows Trip, a young roadie for Metallica, who is sent on an urgent mission during the band’s show. But what seems like a simple assignment turns into a surreal adventure.

The post [TIFF ’13 Review] ‘Metallica: Through the Never’ Is Pretty Much Just For the Fans… appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s an unusual hybrid of concert film and narrative. Not since Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker has a major recording artist approached film in such an out-there manner. Set against a backdrop of a Metallica concert, Trip, a young roadie (Dane DeHaan) is sent on an increasingly surreal and hellacious mission to retrieve a mysterious item for the band. The extremely loose plot feels more like an extended music video than anything else. I really dug the setup which creates a perception of Metallica as almost mythological figures, a worshipping fan’s perspective. The larger-than-life imagery (not to mention the native-shot 3D) helps support this cinematically. There are underlining themes that are nicely mirrored with whatever Metallica track the band is performing. Unfortunately the trivial storyline doesn’t really go anywhere significant. Thankfully in the reliable hands of Director Nimród Antal’s (Predators, Vacancy), this surreal adventure is always stylishly attractive to look at and doesn’t bog down the pace too much. Another plus is DeHaan’s completely convincing role as a Metallica fan. Despite the underwritten part, he gives it his full commitment. The unique connection between the band and its fans is perfectly embodied within his performance. If you have any personal connection to the themes being explored in Metallica Through the Never, DeHaan is probably the reason why.

In Antal’s hands, the 3D is never used as an intrusive gimmick. It’s there to draw you in, getting you closer to the Metallica live experience than ever before. He avoids pop-out gags and for the most part, keeping the camera wide to create a fine sense of depth. This is true with both the concert footage and the fictional story. Metallica Through the Never’s gorgeous opening aerial shot is about as good of a tone-setter as you can ever hope for. I also appreciated Antal’s approach to editing. He doesn’t bombard you with cuts, fully aware how it might disorientate the viewer. Images are allowed to linger on which brings out the advantages of 3D technology all the more. If only more filmmakers would use this as a model.

As for the concert itself, the band is in mighty top form. Having the opportunity of seeing the band live on a couple of occasions, it captures the Metallica live experience perfectly. Fans will get a kick out of the ways in which the World Magnetic stage design has been amped up for cinematic effect. There are even some points in which both worlds uniquely meld together. Considering we’re dealing with Metallica, the sound doesn’t disappoint…in fact, it’s damn epic! I had the pleasure of watching this in IMAX and it’s thunderously loud and ass-kicking. It only helps to enhance the imagery all the more. Metallica live has never been better represented than it does here.

There’s not much in the way of appeal for anyone not already converted. If you’re looking for something revealing along the same lines as documentaries Metallica: Some Kind of Monster and A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica, this is not it. First and foremost, Metallica Through the Never is a celebration of the binding bond between the band and its loyal fan-base. It’s made for the fans by a fan. Antal has successfully captured what it means to be a Metallica fan as well as given us a damn fine concert film to boot. If you love the band then there’s simply no excuse why you shouldn’t go run out to see this and in the best cinema around.

The post [BD Review] ‘Metallica Through The Never’ Is A Must-See For Fans! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Drummer Lars Ulrich comments, “IMAX! It doesn’t get bigger or cooler than that!. For four guys in a rock band of average height, to get a chance to unleash their 3D film on IMAX screens the size of buildings across the country is a mind-blowing thought. ‘Hey look, Mom, I’m 50 feet tall (finally!)’ There is no better way to experience film and when you throw in the spectacle of music and sound this should amount to an unprecedented, unique and truly next level experience.”

The film tells the story of, “…band crew member (played by Dane DeHaan) who is sent out on a mission during Metallica’s roaring live set in front of a sold-out arena. While on this mission, he unexpectedly has his life turned completely upside down.“

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

The post Metallica Releases Details On Upcoming 3D Film appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Horror historian and monster maven Kirk Hammett of Metallica and Mad Monster Magazine proudly present special screenings of 1934’s macabre masterpiece The Black Cat starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff at the infamous Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA and at the Dark Lodge at the Ark Lodge Cinemas in Columbia City, Seattle. The Black Cat is one of Kirk’s favorite films of all time, and the first to pair his favorite classic horror icons Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi together! A groundbreaking piece of cinema in all it’s noir-ish and sinister suspense.

Kirk and Sara Karloff (Boris’ daughter) will appear LIVE in-person for a special intro and Q&A before the film at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Seattle fans can come join like-minded fiends for a LIVE videoconference, audience-interactive Q&A with Kirk Hammett and fiends preceding the screening brought to you by Creepycult. There will also be contests, prizes and exclusive merchandise at BOTH screenings, as well as monster goodies from KVH Toys and copies of Kirk’s critically acclaimed 2012 book TOO MUCH HORROR BUSINESS. Of course, Mad Monster screening sponsors: Retro Outlaw, London 1888, Creepycult, Monsterpalooza and Days of the Dead will be on deck with cool prizes too!

Chinese Theatre Screening in Hollywood:
8:00 PM: Doors open for a Monster Mingle. Grab Monster Merchandise, view original props from the movie “The Black Cat”, and enjoy other monster activities!
9:00 PM: LIVE Q&A with Kirk Hammett and Friends
9:45 PM: Screening Universal Pictures “The Black Cat” directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.

For advance tickets for the Chinese Theatre screening in Hollywood, visit this link

OR

For advanced tickets for the Dark Lodge screening, visit the Ark Lodge website.

For more info and announcements about Mad Monster happenings, please visit and “Like” us on Facebook.

The post Kirk Hammett and Mad Monster Present ‘The Black Cat’ Saturday In Hollywood and Seattle appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Well, now the company has just shown a limited-edition guitar featuring the face of one of horror’s most iconic actors: Vincent Price (House On Haunted Hill). The guitar features the artwork from the cover of Issue #254 of Famous Monsters Of Filmland, an issue that celebrated the life and achievements of Price and his effect on horror. One of the little things that I love about the guitar is the inlays from the nut to the 12th fret all line up to create the pendulum from The Pit And The Pendulum with the additional 15, 17th, 19th, 21st, and 24th frets looking like nacre blood droplets.

The guitar is only $899 and can be ordered from your local ESP dealer. You can see the full guitar specs below.

Bolt-On Construction
25.5” Scale
Alder Body
Maple Neck
Ebony Fingerboard
42mm Standard Nut
Thin U Neck Contour
24 XJ Frets
Black Nickel Hardware
LTD Tuners
TOM Bridge
EMG 81 Active p.u.
Finish: BLK (w/ Famous Monsters Graphic)
Includes ESP Hardshell Case

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

The post ESP Creates An Amazing ‘Famous Monsters Vincent Price’ Custom Guitar appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The full schedule for the event can be seen below.

Schedule:
8:00 p.m. – Doors/Monster Mingle Grab merchandise, view original props from the movie “The Black Cat”, and other monster activities!
9:00 p.m. – Q&A with Kirk Hammett and Friends
9:45 p.m. – Screening Universal Pictures “The Black Cat” directed by Edgar G. Ulmer

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

The post Metallica Guitarist To Host Screening Of ‘The Black Cat’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

You can see each of the shoes below.

James Hetfield – Inspired by his favorite black boots, James added hex-bolt eyelets and a personal take on the skull and cross-bones, illustrated by Hetfield himself, to “Metallicize” this Vans Sk8-Hi Deconstruct.

Lars Ulrich – Putting a twist on one of Vans’ original Classics, Lars updated the Era Laceless with brushed twill materials and a print taken from the diamond plate pattern on his snare drum. He finished his shoe with a Dirty Donny character on the inside heel.

Kirk Hammett – Tying back to a love of surfing and nature, Kirk chose an all-natural upper made of hemp for his collapsible Slip-On. The inside heel is accented with a guitar pick inspired by his Ouija guitar and designed by one of Metallica’s favorite artists, Dirty Donny.

Robert Trujillo – Robert grew up wearing Vans as a young skater in Venice Beach, California. For his shoe, he took Aztec calendar artwork, designed by his wife Chloe, which is carved in one of his bass guitars and placed it in blue, on the side of this Escuela.

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

The post Metallica And Vans Team Up To Create Signature Footwear appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

But what I want to know is can you identify them all! So head on below to test yourself on your guitar player knowledge!

WARNING: If you want to test yourself, do NOT scroll down below the image as I’ve put all the answers there.

Frank Zappa, George Harrison, Slash, Jimi Hendrix, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Brian May, Johnny Ramone, Jack White, The Edge, Chuck Berry, Angus Young, Pete Townshend, Tony Iommi, Eddie Van Halen, David Gilmour, Ace Frehley, Ritchie Blackmore, Duane Allman, Kirk Hammett, Carlos Santana, John Frusciante, Yngwie Malmsteen, Kurt Cobain, Mike Bloomfield, Jerry Garcia, Ry Cooder, Bo Diddley, Jeff Beck, Tom Morello, Brian Setzer, Peter Green

The post [Random Cool] Can You Guess All The Guitarists? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Also, make sure to check out our exclusive interview with Kirk here.

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

The post Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Shows Off His Horror Collection In Video Interview appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The release will also be the first self-release the band has done. Metallica states, “This release is a first for us. Yes boys and girls, the DVD and Blu-ray will be coming out on our very own label in North America! There are still some “i’s” being dotted and “t’s” crossed, so we can’t give you a name or fancy logo just yet, but we’re pretty excited that for the first time we get to hold all the reins on a release from start to finish. Since we now get to call all the shots, the double DVD and single disc Blu-ray will be available for a price we thought was very Metallica fan friendly – suggested retail will be $15.98 for either format.”

Make sure to check out our exclusive interview with Kirk Hammett here.

Tracklisting
That Was Just Your Life
The End Of The Line
The Four Horsemen
The Shortest Straw
One
Broken, Beat & Scarred
My Apocalypse
Sad But True
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
The Judas Kiss
The Day That Never Comes
Master of Puppets
Battery
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Killing Time
Whiplash
Seek & Destroy

Bonus Songs
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Holier Than Thou
Cyanide
Turn The Page
All Nightmare Long
Damage, Inc.
Breadfan
Phantom Lord

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

The post Metallica To Release ‘Quebec Magnetic’ Live DVD appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Bloody-Disgusting: How are you doing?
Kirk Hammett: Hey Jonathan! Alright man! How are you? I know about Bloody-Disgusting and I think it’s a great website!

BD: Oh, thank you! I’m doing very well, thanks! So, I’ve only got two Metallica-related questions and then we dive into the wonderful world of horror. First one is probably what you’ve been asked nonstop: what’s the status on the next Metallica album?
KH: We’re gonna start working on it next month and we have a lot of musical ideas. We’re gonna throw them out there and see what sticks. We’re giving ourselves a lot of time to write the album and were giving ourselves a lot of time to record the album, so hopefully at the end of two years we’ll have something to hold in my hands and to listen to. We’ll see though! [laughs]

BD: Metallica has always been a band where you guys did things in your own way. You explored new sounds and new directions because it felt right or it felt like the necessary thing to do. So, I guess now, at this point, I’m curious what else do you think Metallica has to say or to offer?
KH: Y’know, it’s not like we sit around and say, “Ok, what are we going to do? What are we going to say that we haven’t said?” I mean, it’s never been that complicated for us. What we do is we just let things, kind of, organically grow and form into its own thing. It’s as if it just flows through us and we’re the ones that are just shaping it into something more recognizable for the general public.
Every single album is like this. We just start writing and when we start seeing a common thread, and it can come from anywhere and be from anything, we just kind of nurture that thread until it’s something a little more distinct. Then we’ll just follow it very instinctively until a musical concept starts to show itself. And from there, we check the tone of the music and we think and talk about what does it sound like? What is this the sound of? Then we take it from there.
But it’s never anything that it too thought out in advance.

BD: Okay, into the world of horror! You’re clearly a big fan of the genre. What was your first horror related memory?
KH: [Laughs] It’s very easy for me! I was five years old and I was fighting with my sister. I went to go lunge at her and my older brother grabbed my arm and somehow my arm got twisted and I sprained it. Next thing I know, I went to the hospital, I came back home and my arm is in a sling. My parents tell me I can’t go outside and play with my friends, that I have to stay inside. And so, okay, I though “Great, let’s turn on the TV and see what’s on.” And there it was, the first horror movie I ever saw: Day Of The Triffids. And I was transfixed. Up to that point, it was all about Walt Disney films and cartoons. It was all I was ever exposed to and, of the sudden, I was exposed to this sci-fi horror movie.
And from that point on, I was hooked. I remember a few days later, it was the weekend and Creature Features was on. My dad was making a big noise about how, “Conventional Frankenstein is gonna be on Creature Features at nine o’clock!” And I remember watching it with him and I was just blown away by it.
My father was really into science fiction. When he was a kid, he read the pulp magazines. He read a lot of science-fiction books and the science magazines of the 60’s, like Analog, which was the Reader’s Digest of science fiction stories. And he was into the fantasy aspect too. Maybe not so much the horror but definitely the science fiction part. Those are some of my earlier memories of watching horror movies.
Then I had an older brother and I remember one day he had gotten home and he had bought an Aurora Frightening Lightning Frankenstein model. And him and my cousin were just so into painting it but they were painting it all wrong! They were painting green and orange and yellow swirls all over Frankenstein’s face and body. And I kept on telling them, “You’re not painting it right! Frankenstein doesn’t look like that!” He just said, “Get out of here! You’re a little kid, what do you know?” But years later I realized why there were painting Frankenstein so weird. They were frying on acid! [laughs] They just painted their own psychedelic version of Frankenstein!

BD: What is it about the genre that draws you in?
KH: It’s exhilarating to see a really good horror movie. I always felt like an outsider. It’s a feeling I’ve always had since I can remember. It’s an internal feeling. It’s was never a feeling I’ve brought about externally. And so, when I used to watch these horror movies, and I saw these monsters of the main protagonist of the films, they always seemed, to me, to be the outsiders and I could relate to that aspect. I connected with that. And, through my imagination, these characters became my playmates. They became my friends.
And it became something that I came to look forward to every weekend. Creature Features would come on and there would be two horror movies that just catered to my weird feeling of being an outsider. That’s one of the reasons I’m attracted to horror.
It’s also great entertainment and it stimulates my imagination. And, a lot of the times, it’s exhilarating to sit down and watch a great horror movie. I just sat down and watched a great horror movie not too long ago, a few days ago, Insidious, and I was glad to see that horror movies still have an affect on me.

BD: I love that movie! I don’t know if you know this but a cool little fact about the movie is that the composer of the film, Joseph Bishara, is also the Lipstick Demon.
KH: That’s very cool! I loved the scene where he’s in his lair and he’s sharpening his claws and listening to Tiny Tim. That was so appropriate. There are some great scenes in that film and I was really impressed with how good it was.
Another good movie that I enjoyed recently was Troll Hunter. It was really great. It was a good, fun horror movie!

BD: You’re going to be releasing Too Much Horror Business that showcases your collection of horror memorabilia. When did you start collecting these items and what was the first major thing you remember getting?
KH: Well, I started collecting the stuff when I was six years old. A lot of the magazines, comic books and toys that I have now I actually had when I was a kid, though not the same actual copies or editions. Throughout my entire childhood, I was a comic book kid and a monster kid but when I turned 13 or 14, I totally got washed up in all this rock and roll business and buying albums and listening to music and I just discovered hard rock and then I bought a guitar and the next thing you knew, I was just obsessed with music and playing guitar eight hours a day. The whole collecting thing fell by the wayside. But through all of that, up until I was about 21 or 22, I was still actively watching horror movies and keeping track of what was going on in the horror world, just not collecting. Once I started making a bit of money with the band, I started to buy a lot of the stuff I had wanted to buy when I was younger but didn’t have the money. It came to the point where I was thinking, “Okay, collecting comic books and monster magazines and monster toys is a lot of fun.” But there was this whole genre of horror collecting that I hadn’t done yet, which was vintage horror movie posters.
And so I had an opportunity to start collecting them, but it was more money than I’d ever spent. But what was in the package were absolutely beautiful. For instance, one of them was a Bride of Frankenstein original half sheet. Another one was a Werewolf of London insert. Another was a Dracula lobby card.
This was all next level stuff for me and I just went for it. I was like this stuff is easily the most beautiful, breathtaking stuff in my collection. I bought that stuff and, from that point on, the vintage horror movie posters became my main collecting focus. I actively collect everything else but the movie posters are the funnest for me to collect because they’re so freaking rare! A lot of the movie posters you see in my book are one of a kind.
I actually have a Nosferatu movie poster. Any movie material from Nosferatu is hard to find because, back in the 20’s, when F. W. Murnau made Nosferatu, Bram Stoker’s widow said this was an infringement on her husband’s story Dracula. She took him to court and, of course, won and F. W. Murnau had to destroy all prints of the film and all movie related paper. Just anything that had Nosferatu on it. As a result of that, movie posters for Nosferatu are extremely rare. There is only a handful of stuff that has survived. One of them was the movie poster that is in my book. The only reason it survived was because it wasn’t a German issue poster. It was a poster issued for the Spanish release. That’s why it survived.
And there are aspects to the vintage horror movie toys that I’m still learning about, which is very, very cool for myself. In the 60’s, you had this whole horror toy craze that started in the late 50’s and went throughout the late 70’s. But the 60’s were definitely the apex. And every few months or, actually, every couple of years, a monster toy would show up that no one had ever seen before and that’s just like, “Oh my god, look at this cool thing that someone found!” It just so happens that it’s a bin toy, a blow mold toy from Mexico of Frankenstein and when something like that shows up, everyone else wants their own copy [laughs]. And then the search is on to find more copies of this rare example.
That happens from time to time, year to year. From the time that I started writing the book to the time that I finished writing it, I have learned about more vintage monster toys than I even knew existed. That aspect of the vintage monster toys, for me, is super cool. We’re still, the collectors, are still cataloging and categorizing as things show up because no one ever did back in the day when they were actually being manufactured. A lot of people didn’t take the time to document.

BD: What items do you own that have a special place in your heart?
KH: Oh yeah. Oh, oh yeah yeah. There’s a lot of pieces that I feel that way about. One of the coolest things that I just got, and this isn’t exactly horror related but it’s kind of cool, I got the pair of nunchucks that Bruce Lee used in Enter The Dragon. Really proud of that.
Another piece that is more relevant to the story is I got this thing called the Nebularium. It’s a piece of Victor von Frankenstein’s laboratory. It’s a concave mirror, made by Bausch & Lomb, and you can see it in Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Mask Of Fu-Manchu, various other movies. It showed up again in Young Frankenstein. It’s super cool. It’s a concave mirror and in the movie Frankenstein, when Dr. Frankenstein starts up all the equipment, you’ll see this one tesla coil shoot out a lightning bolt into a mirror. Well, the mirror is the Nebularium and it’s just very, very cool to have. I just love it. It’s prominent in all those films and now it’s sitting in my basement. You can almost say it’s an integral ingredient in a lot of those movies.
That one I got when the book was already pretty much finished but that thing is going into my next book.

BD: Oh, so there’s going to be a next book?
KH: Yeah, but first thing’s first! [laughs] It’s only in the beginning stages.

BD: Gotcha! So, since you’re also a musician, I’m wondering what some of your favorite horror soundtracks are?
KH: I like the soundtrack to Hellraiser. Obviously I love the soundtrack to Psycho. That kind of set the tone for future horror soundtracks.
But what I really love are old recordings of Swan Lake. It’s in both Dracula and The Mummy. So, whenever I hear that piece, I think of those movies.
But I really love The Hunger. There are moments of beauty and there’s moments of pure terror and I just love that. I love that juxtaposition.

BD: Let’s top this off with the golden question: what are some of your favorite horror movies?
KH: Well, I think that classic Universal Horror Movies are always in my Top 10. I love those movies. More modern stuff? I love Re-Animator. I love the Hellraiser series. John Carpenter’s The Thing, An American Werewolf In London, Event Horizon, Insidious, the Evil Dead movies. Let’s see, what else? Whenever someone asks me this question, I always draw a blank! [laughs] I tend to gravitate more towards horror movies that have a supernatural, fantasy, or paranormal aspect rather than slasher movies. I’m not so much into violence. I know that there is a whole genre based around that but I’m just not into it. That being said, I really dig the original Halloween movie. I like some of the Jason movies. In the 70’s, there were a lot of movies in that genre that were really great, like Motel Hell and My Bloody Valentine, Funhouse, y’know? I like late 70’s stuff because those were the movies that maintained my interest in horror even though I was just really more preoccupied with playing guitar eight hours a day and hanging out with whatever band I was in at the time.
The Evil Dead will always have a special place in my heart because when I first joined Metallica, I was in it for maybe three weeks, someone said, “Hey! Let’s check out this new movie at the drive-in down the street!” And we so all piled into two cars and bought a bunch of beer and vodka and that movie was The Evil Dead. I can remember all four of us watching it and loving it, hooting and hollering and having such a great time.
Cliff Burton was a big horror movie fan. His favorite movie was Dawn of the Dead and he was way into H.P. Lovecraft. Him and I bonded almost immediately on that whole horror aspect. So, yeah, there you have it!

BD: Kirk, it’s been a pleasure talking. I can’t wait too check out the book and I’m very much looking forward to the next Metallica album!
KH: Thank you Jonathan! Take care!

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

The post [Interview] Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Talks ‘Too Much Horror Business’ Plus Possibility Of Next Book appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Kirk states, “This is my gift to all the other horror nerds out there who are just like me. It’s been made with great love for all the many characters and movies which guided me through childhood, into adulthood and which still keep me on track today.”

Kirk will also be producing limited edition collectible items through his own webstore, KVHToys. These rare items will begin to see release starting October 1st. His book is available for pre-order at this site.

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

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