Month: March 2021

Alex Skolnick has defended his right to speak out on political issues, saying that part of his motivation in pursuing music in the first place was to not be forced to suppress that which he wanted to express.

The TESTAMENT guitarist discussed his decision to publicly express his political views in an opinion piece for Newlines Magazine.

Skolnick wrote, in part: “True artistry includes challenging your fans on occasion. Some will come along and discover new ways of seeing. Others will prefer the comfort of their prejudices, hurl insults, and hit ‘unfollow.’ At a time when attention has become a prized commodity, the fear of losing one’s audience is understandable. But we forget that it was fearless acts of imagination that built that audience in the first place. If there are risks to political activism, there are also gratifications to offset them. Every time I have spoken out on a political issue, I’ve alienated a few. I have also had my views amplified by journalists and opinion-makers, some of them household names. This in turn has brought me to the attention of people beyond my immediate audience — new follows, more retweets. The biggest loss to me would be to succumb to fear and suppress my voice at a time like this.

“Part of my motivation in pursuing music in the first place was to not be forced to suppress that which I wanted to express,” he added. “I wouldn’t have lasted long in a regular job that requires you to bottle up your feelings, put on a happy face, and suck up to those on whom your income depends. The 1999 Mike Judge film ‘Office Space’ deftly satirizes such an environment. And in some respects, the hordes of disgruntled social media followers who respond to your political tweet with some version of ‘Stick to guitar!’ are trying to impose a similar type of conformity on the nonconformist world of an artist.”

Ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential election, Alex frequently tweeted against then-President Donald Trump’s policies, including the last administration’s handling of the outbreak of of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus first observed in China. In March 2020, the 52-year-old guitarist blasted Trump for not being able to “convey a sense of reassurance during a time of emergency.”

Last fall, Skolnick released two anti-Donald Trump rap songs called “Trump Sucks” and “Wear A Fucking Mask”.

TESTAMENT’s latest album, “Titans Of Creation”, was released in April 2020 via Nuclear Blast.

ANNOUNCEMENT: I’ve written an opinion piece about artists who are outspoken. It’s just been published. This is my 1st essay for a news-based, non-musical outlet. I’m both proud to be in @newlinesmag & humbled to be among these serious writers. I look forward to hearing feedback. https://t.co/0XktlGg0IE
— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) March 29, 2021

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee spoke to Alternative Press about how the band’s original record label Wind Up threatened not to release the group’s debut album, “Fallen”, if she and her bandmates didn’t add a male voice to lead single “Bring Me To Life” to make it more palatable for radio.

The album version of “Bring Me to Life” — which featured guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 STONES — reached No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and was EVANESCENCE’s first U.K. No. 1 single. It was included on the soundtrack of superhero film “Daredevil” which helped propel sales.

Lee said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I was really, really against having any male vocal in our music. That was really hard. And it was an idea that came from the label. And it suddenly all became about ‘Bring Me To Life’; they decided that was the song. I actually didn’t think that should be the first [single]; I wanted it to be ‘Going Under’. They came up with this idea about having something in there that would be familiar to listeners in order to get us on the radio. I didn’t really understand what that meant.

“I was really inspired by artists that were unique,” she continued. “Like, what’s great about all the artists [like] NIRVANA and SOUNDGARDEN and Björk was that there was nothing else really like them. And that, to me, was the key ingredient and something that I believed — and still believe — that we have. And, in my head, the more you try and make it familiar, the more you’re taking away from our true power.

“The original fight was that the label wanted us to hold auditions and bring somebody into the band full-time to sing on most of the songs and make it a thing — try to be the ‘female LINKIN PARK.’ And I was, like, ‘I’ll think about it,’ for, like, an hour, and then we called them back, and I was, like, ‘We can’t do that. It’s not gonna happen. I’d rather start over. It’s just not who we are. And I don’t want that.’ And then they took away our funding and I moved back in with my parents. And it was hard after all the buildup — we got signed, I quit school, moved to L.A., and it’s, like, ‘No, actually, we’re coming home.’ We didn’t get actually to do it. It was hard, but in my heart, it was broken, but I knew that it was better than the alternative. It wasn’t totally selling my soul. And then, a few weeks later, we got a call, and they’d kind of come around to a compromise, and decided, ‘Hey, we have a cool movie placement thing with this ‘Daredevil’ deal, and we pitched it to ’em as this male-female thing, ’cause there’s a fight scene, and that’s kind of what scored it.’ So now there’s a reason. And it’s only gotta be one song; it doesn’t have to be your whole identity changing. That made it okay for me. I tried one last time. I was, like, ‘Can we just make the first single ‘Going Under’ first, and then do that?’

“I just really was concerned that people would hear that sound — like, this is the band — and expect it to always be that,” Amy added. “And it was not who we were. I hate that — I hate it when you hear a first single from a band and you think they’re one thing, and then you hear the rest of the album, and it’s, like, ‘Oh, that’s not what I thought this was. You just did that to get me in, and you tricked me.’ But I loved the song, and Paul was really sweet. And it took some sacrifice for him to be a guest vocalist on that song, he didn’t realize, because it skyrocketed in a way that sort of overshadowed what he was trying to do. So I feel for him. And I don’t always wanna talk about it like I don’t like [his contributions]. I love him. We were just kids in a crazy moment in time.”

“Fallen” sold 17 million copies and won two Grammys, including “Best Rock Performance” for “Bring Me To Life”.

EVANESCENCE’s latest album, “The Bitter Truth”, arrived on March 26 via BMG. It is EVANESCENCE’s first album of original music in ten years.

Efthimis Karadimas of Nightfall fame honors Women’s History Month by listing five of the greatest women in the Greek Metal Scene.
The post Five Essential Women In The Greek Metal Scene By Efthimis Karadimas (Nightfall) appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Earlier today (Monday, March 29), KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was a guest on KTLA 5 Morning News where he discussed his and his wife’s recent decision to sell their Beverly Hills home and relocate to the state of Nevada full time.

Simmons has been very vocal about his desire to leave California for some time due to wanting a quieter lifestyle and to get away from being listed on celebrity maps or having to deal with Beverly Hills tour buses.

“Our beautiful home in Beverly Hills on two acres, about 14,000 square feet, swimming pool, back rubs whenever you want — all the accoutrement, which is my French word of the day — we’ve loved this house and we’ve loved L.A. for so long,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “We’ve raised our two kids, who’ve now moved on and bought their own homes in the Hollywood Hills. It’s time for Shannon and I to move out of L.A. and California. So we’re moving to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. In the meantime, it’s a very sad but also a happy time. It’s sad because we raised our kids in this gorgeous home, but it’s also a happy time because it’s the next phase. So no more celebrity tour buses at the front door, no more Hollywood star maps.”

He continued: “A home, a house, it’s more than property and all that — it’s our home; it’s where our kids are raised. And so I really hope the folks who buy this home are gonna get as much joy as we have in this. It’s like graduating high school or maybe leaving home; you love your mom and dad, and at some point, you’ve gotta move on. This is the next phase.”

Last fall, Simmons put his Beverly Hills house on the market for $22 million. He later relisted it for $25 million after it never sold and he reportedly invested a lot of money in making improvements.

“The taxes [in California] are just insurmountable,” Gene said. “But for us, it’s a tug of the heart. We bought a four-acre property over [in Lake Tahoe]. There’s lots of land. There’s 96 acres next door that I wanna buy. Just sort of a change of page. Less of the hubbub. And no more traffic jams, no more earthquakes and no more fires. But, again, we love L.A. and love the home, but it’s time for a change.”

Simmons told The Wall Street Journal last October that part of the reason he and his wife listed the two-acre property in Benedict Canyon because the home had become too big for the both of them since their children had grown up.

Gene and Shannon were married in 2011 after dating since 1975. They have two children, Nick, 32, and Sophie, 28.

Gene, Shannon and their kids all appeared on the reality TV series “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” from 2006 until 2012.

For the past few months, Gene has been vocal about people taking the COVID-19 outbreak seriously. He has also blasted Americans who are defiantly skeptical of mask wearing, saying that their refusal to follow the rules is putting all of our health at risk.

In its 48-year career, KISS has accumulated 23 gold and platinum albums — more than any other U.S. band.

Canada’s Profound Lore Records has a knack for pulling magical, musical gems from the earth. While the label is geared primarily towards heavy music, it’s also released varied, inimitable bands like experimental hip-hop act DALEK and avant-garde extreme metal band PORTAL. The cutting-edge label has forged a relationship with FUOCO FATUO, and the mysterious Italian funeral doom outfit is unleashing it’s new absolutely abysmal and crushing six-song album titled “Obsidian Katabasis”.

The album is not for the faint of heart, nor is it for casual listening. “Obsidian Katabasis” is an all-consuming vortex, sucking you into a hellish soundscape. It oozes with an energy that spurs a feeling of dread and strikes with a sense of drama, carefully avoiding any pitfall of melodrama. There is utter genius at hand with this kind of craftsmanship.

“Obsidian Katabasis” follows FUOCO FATUO’s 2017 full-length “Backwater”, an effort that upped the ante and focus upon all that is dark, demonic and miserable. That shift was notable, but the Italian band has pushed the envelope even further here. This time around, the funeral doom aspect is bleaker and more fatalistic, and the thickness of sound and massive space it creates is even more gargantuan, bringing to mind the likes of DISEMBOWELMENT. The punches midway through “I” strike like waves violently crashing deep in the ocean. Initially calm, creepy and crawling, the outlandishly entitled “Thresholds of Nonexistence Through Eerie Aeon” drifts toward a menacing dirge as otherworldly as the song title would suggest. Surprisingly, when the devilish death growls are given a break, a very human sounding, moaning voice takes control almost as though a person’s spirit is fighting the demonic possession that’s consuming them throughout the rest of the release.

FUOCO FATUO is not for everyone. But for those inclined toward doom metal, especially of the death-doom and funeral doom varieties, the Italian ensemble offers something that’s mind-blowing, mind-numbing and instantly captivating. Aficionados of evil doom are in for a hell of a treat with “Obsidian Katabasis”.

David Lee Roth has shared a new piece of original artwork which was apparently inspired by the controversy surrounding Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s nationally televised performance of their popular 2020 song “WAP” at this year’s Grammy Awards. Check it out below.

“WAP”, whose title itself is an abbreviation for “wet ass pussy,” is a track filled with explicit lyrics referencing female empowerment and sexual pride. During the show, the singers changed many of the original lines in “WAP”, and CBS censored out others, while performing on a stage that featured a pole on a massive high heel, and ending with the two rappers writhing together on a giant bed.

For most of the last year, the VAN HALEN singer has been posting paintings on his Twitter account that reflect the times and channel the mass anxiety around the novel coronavirus.

This is not the first time Roth has shared some of his visual art with the public. Back in 2009, Roth released dozens of his own drawings and artwork, which he called at the time “authentic originals and incompetent imitations.” He offered them up as “an official answer to the question ‘what do you do in your spare time?'”

According to the Van Halen News Desk, the VAN HALEN frontman always been into art. Throughout his whole life, while touring the world, you could find him doodling on just about anything — setlists, tour riders, female body parts, etc. He was always a major part of the visual side of VAN HALEN, and always tried to make the stage show “look like the music sounds.” He designed stage clothes, orchestrated photo shoots, came up with the stage choreography, etc. He also had a hand in designing VAN HALEN’s early tourbooks and a few of their t-shirts.

Last March, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Roth performed as the opening act for the February/March 2020 North American leg of KISS’s “End Of The Road” farewell tour.

VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen died of cancer in October at age 65.

Roth, who performed with VAN HALEN for the last time in 2015, tweeted shortly after Eddie’s death: “What a long great trip it’s been.”

#SoggyBottom #DLR #DavidLeeRoth #DiamondDave #Randomnotes #latimes_entertainment #newyorkmusic#cardib#rollingstone#megantheestallion@latimesent @iamcardib @RSRandomNotes @nytimesmusic @RollingStone @theestallion pic.twitter.com/FQMrdaFYhY
— David Lee Roth (@DavidLeeRoth) March 29, 2021

Singer Fernando Ribeiro of Portuguese metallers MOONSPELL has told Consequence Of Sound in a new interview that he is feeling “good” about the prospect of “in person shows” resuming in the not-too-distant future. “Sometimes the discussion is reduced to money,” he said. “Obviously, the music industry and the music business and the way MOONSPELL is involved, you take a bit of everything — the author rights, online shopping, the record sales — but sometimes the big chunk of it comes from playing live shows and selling merchandise. But it’s not only about the money. It’s also about the lifestyle.

“I have been touring since 1995,” he continued. “I’m not like this, but I know some people that get really depressed and devoid of any meaning in life when they are not touring or traveling. But here in Portugal, one of the positive outcomes from the pandemic is that the musicians, the industry and the cultural scene that might usually be competitive have all come together. We created this movement, #CultureIsSafe, and last year we played four shows. It’s not a lot, but it was very important psychologically. It was also proof for people who work within live shows that they really know how to organize and there were not any COVID cases reported or connected to the shows.

“The last show we did in 2020 was in Porto, the second-largest city in Portugal after Lisbon in an arena that holds 2,000, but we had 700 people which was the limit. You feel hopeful because you really feel the love of the fans, to be distanced, wearing a mask, listening to MOONSPELL. It showed that they just really wanted to be there.

“Live shows are so important not only for the money it generates but for the good energy it brings. To have these shows, you have to organize a community first, and everyone worked together.

“We’re all in the same sinking boat, as I say jokingly. And even though the new album is about the hermit age and solitude, it’s also about community. I went to this big demonstration and almost all the musicians in Portugal were there in this big arena, and I felt that we had each other’s back and right now we’re fighting for the survival of our scene. It’s a goal for everyone. We all want shows to happen, but we want to make sure that it happens safely.”

MOONSPELL released its 13th studio album, “Hermitage”, on February 26 via Napalm Records. The disc was recorded, mixed and mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano (PARADISE LOST, PRIMORDIAL, GHOST, SÓLSTAFIR) at the Orgone Studios in the U.K.

Last year, MOONSPELL parted ways with original drummer Miguel “Mike” Gaspar and replaced him with Hugo Ribeiro (no relation to Fernando Ribeiro).