Author: planetsixstring

Our favorite birdbrain returns with a pair of sophomore releases from some baby birds.
The post For Those About Squawk: Waldo Pecks on Undeath and Devil Master appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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During an appearance on MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn’s “No Fuckin’ Regrets With Robb Flynn” podcast, Johan Hegg of Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH revealed that he and his wife Maria recently took in a refugee family from Ukraine.

“Obviously what’s happening in Ukraine is horrible,” he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “We have two Ukrainian women and their children living with us. A lot of people in Sweden are doing that. It needs to be done. Over 10 million people in Ukraine are refugees, and almost four million of them are refugees in Europe now. So, obviously, they need somewhere to stay.”

When asked by Flynn if the Ukrainian family that is staying with Hegg has relayed any horror stories from their journey escaping their war-torn country, the singer said: “Fortunately for us, and for them — mostly for them, but also for us — because there are stories where people are very traumatized who come to live with people, and it is difficult. But fortunately for the people living here, they didn’t experience too much on that; apparently, they got out in time. They’re from Kyiv. But they have both a place outside Kyiv, in the countryside, and an apartment in Kyiv. So, at the moment, it’s the mother and grandmother of two children that are here, but the husband of the mother of the children is still in Ukraine, which, obviously, is difficult for them. I think he’s a farmer, so I think actually he’s trying to farm the land so that they can produce food, which is also important, obviously. But every once in a while, you can tell that the mood is going down and they’re affected by it. But they’re doing a good job of trying to keep a positive attitude, which I’m really impressed about.”

Hegg went on to say that he and his wife are simply trying to help in any way that they can. “We just imagine what it would be like to have to leave everything behind yourself — live from a suitcase, basically, and depend on other people to help you. It must be horrible,” he said.

In addition to the fact that he and his wife are hosting a Ukrainian family, Hegg and his AMON AMARTH bandmates have launched an auction of rare collectible items from the vault to provide humanitarian aid to refugees of the war in Ukraine.

“Obviously, it’s terrible,” Johan said. “It’s the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. But we also feel that it’s important not to forget that there are other warzones in the world with loads of refugees. So we decided that we would donate the proceeds [from the auction] to the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees], which is the UN refugee program, and then Doctors Without Borders [which brings desperately needed medical care to crises around the globe and pioneers modern-day humanitarian aid]. But also since my wife especially, but also me, we’re big animal lovers, we decided to donate to the international fund for animals welfare. Especially for the situation in Ukraine, where a lot of pets and farm animals are suffering right now and they also need our help. Because have pets, and they’re family members to us. It must be devastating to have to leave your pets behind. So hopefully that money can help someone be reunited with a dog or a cat. It’s just stuff lying, collecting dust right here. So if we can make someone happy and we can collect some money to give away to charity, that’s awesome.”

In early March, Hegg publicly denounced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and called for peace to be restored in Europe. The 48-year-old musician took to his Twitter to write: “My lyrics are often about glorious battles & brave warriors, but they’re just stories, sometimes based on history. That doesn’t mean I condone war as a matter of solving conflicts. War is never a solution to any dispute. It can only generate more animosity & hate between people.

“Right now Putin has invaded the Ukraine, a democratic, sovereign state, and though this is far from the only weaponised conflict in the world, it has affected me deeply. I thought we as Europeans were passed this, especially considering our troubled past.

“My hope is that Putin will end this attack on Ukraine, & that peace will be restored in Europe. My fear is that even if this happens, it will take a very long time for trust to return between Russia & the rest of the world. I stand with Ukraine & all Russians who oppose this war.”

More than five million people have reportedly fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion. UNHCR said 4,796,245 million Ukrainians had left the country since February 24.

Vikings, due to the situation in Ukraine we have decided to auction off some rare collectible items from the vault to help refugees and victims. For complete details and listings please visit:https://t.co/KGvTu2qKb4
More items to be added soon, we ship worldwide! ⚔️? pic.twitter.com/JalD8arWSz

— Amon Amarth (@AmonAmarthBand) March 31, 2022

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William DuVall, frontman for the iconic band ALICE IN CHAINS, will release his second solo album, “11.12.21 Live-In-Studio Nashville”, on June 10 via DVL Recordings. The effort captures an explosive power trio performance recorded live direct-to-disc at the famed Welcome To 1979 Studio in Nashville on November 12, 2021. No “fixing” or remixing took place after the fact whatsoever. It’s as supercharged, raw, and exciting as it gets. The CD is housed in a beautiful six-panel gatefold digipak. The first 500 copies are autographed by DuVall.

Track listing:

01. The Last Light
02. The 3 Wishes
03. Unbreakable
04. Fire Come Down
05. Rockslide
06. So Divine
07. White Hot
08. Flying Blind

The official music video for “Rockslide” from “11.12.21 Live-In-Studio Nashville” can be seen below. The visual was assembled by Roger Okamato from photos taken at the live album recording session by Madison Thorn.

William’s critically acclaimed debut solo effort, “One Alone”, arrived in October 2019. The 11-track album showed DuVall’s powerful voice with nothing but an acoustic guitar to back it.

In contrast to the multi-layered sonic assault, comprising most of his discography, “One Alone” was as sparse and intimate as it gets — part late-night confessional, part living room concert. As William described it at the time: “I felt the need to peel everything back. This album is strictly one voice, one guitar. It reveals the very core of who I am as a singer, guitarist, and songwriter.”

Three years ago, DuVall told Q104.3’s “Out Of The Box” that he didn’t decided to make an album until he had already recorded the first track, “‘Til The Light Guides Me Home”. “I had written it with the possible intention of giving it to someone else, and when I first [had the song idea], it was playing like a record in my head,” he explained. “It was one of those [quick] songs. … It is what we live for, and it doesn’t happen nearly often enough. But when it does, you just go, ‘Okay, I’m in.’ And you just let it happen — get out of your own way.”

The initial recording session saw DuVall demoing seven more tunes, all of which ended up on the “One Alone” album.

Prior to joining ALICE IN CHAINS in 2006, DuVall was a member of punk rock bands AWARENESS VOID OF CHAOS, NEON CHRIST, BL’AST! and FINAL OFFERING. DuVall’s long musical history also includes COMES WITH THE FALL and ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell’s solo work.

Cantrell befriended the members of COMES WITH THE FALL in the early 2000s, playing shows with the band on the West Coast, then enlisting the musicians to tour with him as both opening act and backing group in support of his album “Degradation Trip”.

DuVall appears on the last three ALICE IN CHAINS albums: 2009’s “Black Gives Way To Blue”, 2013’s “The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here” and 2018’s “Rainier Fog”.

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Stripped finish … Firebird pickup … aftermarket Bigsby. Willie’s more experimental-leaning son on resurrecting “Gandalf the Grey” and more!

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Season one of “No Cover”, Hit Parader’s first-ever music competition TV show, will premiere on Wednesday, April 20. A trailer is available below.

Alice Cooper, Bishop Briggs, Gavin Rossdale, Lzzy Hale and Tosin Abasi served as the judges to help find the world’s next greatest unsigned original artist.

While most music competition shows such as “American Idol” and “The Voice” encourage musicians to cover other people’s songs, “No Cover” spotlights artists and bands that write and record their own original music. At the end of season one, winning artist(s) will secure a six-figure recording contract with Sumerian Records, booking agency representation from UTA, management from the Shelter Music Group, high-profile festival slot(s) via Danny Wimmer Presents, studio time at Nightbird Recording Studios, new gear from Gibson, brand endorsements, licensing opportunities and more.

The entire first season was shot last year at the legendary Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. Since 1957, The Troubadour has been at the forefront of musical discovery. From the early years of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and THE EAGLES to the U.S. debut of Elton John, the Los Angeles headline debut of METALLICA and the debut of the “Appetite For Destruction” lineup of GUNS N’ ROSES.

Additionally, “No Cover” filmed on location at the fabled Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, California. This exclusive sanctuary in the heart of the Sunset Strip, is a home-away-from-home for generations of entertainers, creators and innovators, movers and magic-makers. The Sunset Marquis Hotel is also home to the famed Nightbird Recording Studios, Bar 1200 and Cavatina Restaurant.

Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Alice Cooper is widely known as the original “shock rocker” with a wildly successful career in music spanning six incredible decades. His hit songs “School’s Out”, “No More Mister Nice Guy” and “Poison” are staples of rock radio and his iconic appearances in movies like “Wayne’s World” and “Dark Shadows” have endeared him to multiple generations of fans.

When “No Cover” was first announced in October 2020, Cooper said: “I can’t wait for ‘No Cover’. To me, a band really isn’t a band unless they are writing their own material, and if you know anything about me you know that I have a very high standard for not only the songs but also the performance. I’m looking for the band who has it all – the one who can not only write it and play it, but perform it and make me believe it.”

Alt pop powerhouse Bishop Briggs has positioned herself to empower. With the platinum-certified viral hit “River”, and opening for COLDPLAY under her belt, Bishop is showing no intentions of slowing down.

“I am beyond excited to be a judge on ‘No Cover’,” Briggs said. “Songwriting is such a therapeutic outlet for me to express myself so I cannot wait to dig deep and learn more about each person who gets on that stage.”

As the lead vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and founder of iconic multi-platinum rock band BUSH, Rossdale has sold over to 20 million records in the U.S. and Canada alone. BUSH has compiled an amazing string of 23 consecutive Top 40 hit singles on the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts. Eleven of those hit the Top 5, six of which shot to No. 1: “Comedown”, “Glycerine”, “Machinehead”, “Swallowed”, “The Chemicals Between Us” and “The Sound Of Winter”. BUSH released its eighth studio album, “The Kingdom”, in 2020.

“I’m thrilled to be part of ‘No Cover’ — what a talented panel of artists to be collaborating with,” said Rossdale. “We’ve seen the shows singing the hits — finally the chance to find a real band with their own sound and their own vision. I hope we catapult some great artists into the spotlight.”

Grammy Award-winning singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale brings a strong, powerful perspective to “No Cover” as she’s been fronting the band HALESTORM with her younger brother Arejay for over 20 years. Lzzy is a leader amongst her peers and fearless voice for her legions of young fans. Star of many music magazine cover stories, she has won multiple industry awards such as the Golden Gods and was named Loudwire’s “Artist Of The Decade.” Lzzy also has her own Gibson artist series guitar, the Lzzy Hale Explorer.

“I’m beyond excited to join my friends, peers and fellow rockers as a judge for Hit Parader’s music competition TV show ‘No Cover’,” Lzzy said. “I hope that my passion and experience will help to inspire and encourage these young bands to carve out their own path in this world.”

Visionary guitarist Tosin Abasi is best known from the prog-metal band ANIMALS AS LEADERS and as part owner of the custom guitar company Abasi Concepts. Tosin was named “Guitarist Of The Decade” by Guitar World magazine and is coming off his first big role in the film “Bill & Ted: Face The Music”.

“I’m really looking forward to being on this incredible panel of judges,” said Abasi. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a show like this that actually connects with the music I’m into. This is going to be rad!”

“No Cover” is co-hosted by singer Kellin Quinn (SLEEPING WITH SIRENS, PARADISE CITY) and radio personality Caity Babs (SiriusXM’s Octane) with behind-the-scenes interviews conducted by music industry veteran Matt Pinfield (MTV, VH1).

“I’m pumped for the opportunity to co-host ‘No Cover’. I’m excited to join the artists on their journey!” said Quinn “I’ve seen first-hand the amount of gifted musicians that are just waiting to be discovered! I’m ready for the rest of the world to share that experience! Get ready!”

As part of “No Cover”, participating artists get the chance to perform with and win prizing via a partnership with the world’s most iconic American guitar brand Gibson. The team at Gibson believes in the power of music, supporting music education and that getting instruments into the hands of those with a desire to make music is a truly life-changing event.

Live events are the backbone of the entire music business and that is why “No Cover” has proudly partnered with the premier independent producer of rock and alternative festivals, Danny Wimmer Presents (Aftershock, Bourbon & Beyond, Epicenter, Louder Than Life, Sonic Temple, Welcome To Rockville). Winners of the first season of “No Cover” will be given the opportunity to perform at a future DWP multi-day festival.

UTA represents pioneering artists, storytellers, entertainers, and brands. UTA’s clients are some of the most acclaimed figures in film, television, news, music, sports, theater, fine art, books, video games, podcasts, and other social and digital content. UTA is where screenplays find buyers, groundbreaking films find financing, new TV series are launched, new companies born. UTA is proud to provide agency representation for the winner of Season One of “No Cover”.

Shelter Music Group is a of modern music company whose primary function is artist management, but which also includes a record company, a publishing company, artist support services, marketing, branding, and online/digital services. Founded by CEO Carl Stubner, Shelter works with a global roster that includes iconic artists such as FLEETWOOD MAC, ZZ TOP, A PERFECT CIRCLE, Johnny Depp, PALAYE ROYALE, NOTHING MORE and the upcoming winner of first season of “No Cover”.

“We are proud and excited to be a part of this creative collaboration,” said Stubner. “There is a wealth of undiscovered talent in the rock space, and we look forward to being part of the search!”

Winners of the first season of “No Cover” will also be given the chance to record music at Nightbird Recording Studios, located within the Sunset Marquis Hotel. Nightbird celebrates multi-platinum and chart-topping projects year after year, including work with Kanye West, Ozzy Osbourne, Post Malone and U2.

“No Cover” is created and produced by Sumerian Records founder Ash Avildsen and Golden Gods producer Josh Bernstein.

“‘No Cover’ will be the realest, most unfiltered representation of the biz and the quest of making it as unsigned artist,” said Avildsen. “No music competition show has ever done what we are about to do.”

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Heavy horror punk icon Wednesday 13 has been paying tribute to his one-time MURDERDOLLS bandmate, late SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, during his 2022 U.S. headline tour, dubbed “20 Years Of Fear”, which was launched last month in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In a new interview with the “On The Road To Rock” podcast, Wednesday 13 spoke about his Jordison tribute and reflected on his relationship with Joey, saying: “Every night we have a little part in the set that I tell the story and talk about Joey. It’s weird — there’s some nights I don’t talk as much ’cause I get choked up. I’m, like, ‘Go into it.’

“It’s been a tough thing to swallow, knowing he’s not here. But we got to do that second [MURDERDOLLS] record [‘Women And Children Last’], which is my favorite — killer songs on that record.

“When that record ended, we kind of ended on ugly terms and stuff — I won’t get into it — but we made up in 2018. We had two days off in Iowa and I went to his house. I brought the whole band over. We had a barbecue, we hung out, we made up and we had been talking, ‘Hey, let’s do MURDERDOLLS again. Let’s do MURDERDOLLS again.’ And literally a month before he died, he texted me, just out of the blue, watching ‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’. From his bed, he was, like, ‘I just woke up and this was on.’ He was just giggling watching The Hitchhiker. And he wrote me a message and said, ‘Dude, I’m with you, brother. Horns up. Go out there and destroy it.’ It was just a weird, out-of-the-blue thing. So I don’t know what was going on with him then. And then I get the news [about his death]. I literally woke up and I had a bunch of messages going, ‘Did you hear? Did you hear?’ And I knew it.

“So, yeah, man, it’s been a weird thing,” Wednesday 13 added. “But getting to go out and play these songs and seeing people’s reaction has been a healing thing. I needed that.”

Jordison — who played guitar for MURDERDOLLS — died “peacefully in his sleep” last July of an unspecified cause. He was 46 years old.

Three years ago, Wednesday 13 told the “Talk Toomey” podcast that he has fond memories of his time with the MURDERDOLLS. “That was such a special time for me — both times, both records,” he said. “I mean, we did a lot of cool stuff. But that very first time we came out, and the things we did, it was when nu-metal was dying, and we were just kind of like… I won’t say ‘breath of fresh air,’ ’cause it definitely wasn’t fresh; it was smelly. But we were something that kind of came in, and it was really amazing in certain places. In the U.K., it made me feel like THE BEATLES for five seconds. It was something I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget having your van almost rocked over by a hundred fans in the middle of Piccadilly Circus in London. That was pretty nuts.”

MURDERDOLLS had been inactive since completing the touring cycle in support of the aforementioned “Women And Children Last”, which came out in August 2010 via Roadrunner Records.

In 2018, Joey told the “Talk Toomey” podcast that he wasn’t opposed to the idea of collaborating with Wednesday 13 on new music. “Never say never, man — I mean, that’s life,” he said. “It’s kind of funny, ’cause we have a bunch of songs that have been written and a bunch that are ready to go. Timing is everything, man — not necessarily anything about, ‘Oh, we need to do this to impress people,’ or, ‘We need to put out this record or do something like that.’ Timing in life is everything, so we’ll see. Only time will tell.”

Jordison told CrypticRock.com in 2017 that he “would love to do another record” with MURDERDOLLS. He explained: “I have this punk rock and pop side of me that I don’t really get to get out in other areas in my life. When we did that band, it was just pretty much to express fun, have a great time, and kind of throw a monkeywrench into what was going on in rock and metal at the time, and it worked.”

Jordison added that the tours he did with the MURDERDOLLS were “really awe-inspiring when you look in hindsight of what we accomplished in a short amount of time and the two records we did. I could not be more proud and happy of what we accomplished in that time,” he said. “Everyone that was in that band, the couple of different personnels we employed, the MURDERDOLLS were killer.”

Wednesday 13 reunited with onetime MURDERDOLLS members Eric Griffin and Acey Slade on stage for the first time in over a decade in August 2018 at Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood. The event, which celebrated the life of former MURDERDOLLS drummer Ben Graves, saw the trio performing some of the group’s classic songs.

Graves, who also worked with PRETTY BOY FLOYD and DOPE, passed away in May 2018 after a year-long battle with cancer. He was only 45 years old.

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This week’s roundup of new releases is packed with satisfaction: the latest from Azaab, Marrasmieli, Skumstrike and more!
The post Five For Friday: April 15, 2022 appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

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