Earlier today (Monday, March 14), METALLICA celebrated the 40th anniversary of the band’s first-ever concert by sharing an early flyer promoting the gig. METALLICA also included the setlist for the show, which took place at Radio City in Anaheim, California. The group played mostly covers, charged $15 for people to see the performance and drew 75 people.

The Radio City concert was held just months before METALLICA made its recording debut on the first “Metal Massacre” compilation (on which they were credited as METTALLICA) — and featured METALLICA’s then-lineup of James Hetfield on vocals, Dave Mustaine on guitar, Ron McGovney on bass and Lars Ulrich on drums.

METALLICA’s set included only two original tunes — “Hit The Lights” and “Jump In The Fire” — and was filled out by cover versions of SAVAGE’s “Let It Loose”, BLITZKRIEG’s “Blitzkrieg”, SWEET SAVAGE’s “Killing Time” and four DIAMOND HEAD songs. At the time of the gig, Hetfield had not yet started playing rhythm guitar while singing, leaving Mustaine as the sole guitarist in the band.

The setlist was as follows:

01. Hit The Lights (Hetfield, Ulrich)
02. Blitzkrieg (BLITZKRIEG cover)
03. Helpless (DIAMOND HEAD cover)
04. Jump In The Fire (Hetfield, Ulrich, Mustaine)
05. Let It Loose (SAVAGE cover)
06. Sucking My Love (DIAMOND HEAD cover)
07. Am I Evil? (DIAMOND HEAD cover)
08. The Prince (DIAMOND HEAD cover)
09. Killing Time (SWEET SAVAGE cover)

Three years ago, Ulrich commemorated the 37th anniversary of the Radio City concert by noting on Instagram that METALLICA played “almost all NWOBHM covers” at the show, “most of which ended up being recorded later along the way and showing up on various ‘Garage’ releases.”

Hetfield spoke about METALLICA’s first show during an interview with the U.K. magazine Kerrang! He said: “The first gig was at Radio City, and I was just singing. There were a lot of people there, maybe 200, because we had all my school friends and all Lars’s and Ron’s and Dave’s buddies. I was really nervous and a little uncomfortable without a guitar, and then during the first song, Dave broke a string. It seemed to take him eternity to change it and I was standing there really embarrassed. We were really disappointed afterwards. But there were never as many people at the following shows as there were at that first one.”

This incarnation of the band recorded several demos, including the legendary “No Life ‘Til Leather” and “Power Metal” tapes. McGovney was replaced by Cliff Burton by the end of 1982, and Mustaine was dismissed in April 1983 before being replaced by EXODUS guitarist Kirk Hammett.

This past December, METALLICA played two 40th-anniversary concerts at Chase Center in San Francisco, California which featured different setlists. They were part of METALLICA’s “San Francisco Takeover”, a four-day citywide celebration of the band’s 40th anniversary that also included a film festival, photo exhibit and curated lineup of smaller venue shows featuring other acts.

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37 years ago today, March 14 ’82, the ‘Tallica played our first live show ever at a joint called Radio City in Anaheim, California. As you can tell from the notes in my diary, it was my first gig ever and I was “very nervous.”(!) Additionally, you eagle-eyed observers may notice that there’s not a lot of ‘Tallica originals being performed here at the first outing, but almost all NWOBHM covers, most of which ended up being recorded later along the way and showing up on various Garage releases… Here for your viewing pleasure is a picture of your Danish drummer from later in ’82 still playing my first Camco kit (there are no pictures that exist from the first gig), the OG flyer, the setlist in my handwriting and a page from my diary describing the antics of the evening! Happy Live Debut Anniversary! Who would’ve thought….? #wanna #tbt ? by @umlaut
A post shared by Lars Ulrich (@larsulrich) on Mar 14, 2019 at 10:17pm PDT

In a message posted to its website, Electro-Harmonix has stopped taking any new orders and fulfilling back orders on all Russian vacuum tubes. This is due to a ban that Russia has imposed on over 200 types of goods.Here’s the statement from EHX founder Mike Matthews:On March 11, 2022, Russia imposed a ban on the export of some 200 goods in response to the sanctions imposed on it over the current conflict in Ukraine. We have confirmed that the ban applies to our seven brands of Russian tubes. Currently, the ban is set to remain in effect until the end of the calendar year.Given this export ban, we will not be receiving any further tube inventory for these brands. A myriad of pressures — including continued strains on the supply chain, escalating internal expenses, mounting inflation, and an ever-evolving legal landscape (particularly in light of the Ukraine conflict) — have created a very fluid and ambiguous environment. Until we can properly assess the impact of these factors, we will not honor any new orders or ship any more Russian tubes on back order.The brands affected by this ban include Svetlana, Sovtek, Mullard, Tung-Sol, Electro-Harmonix, EH Golden, and Genalex Gold Lion.For more information:Electro-Harmonix

Bitter Branches discuss their new album, Your Neighbors Are Failures.
The post Interview: Bitter Branches (Deadguy, Lifetime, Paint It Black) Discuss New Album, “Your Neighbors Are Failures” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

In a new interview with the Cleveland Scene, TOOL drummer Danny Carey said that the band’s fans won’t have to wait another 13 years for a new studio album, like they did prior to the arrival of 2019’s “Fear Inoculum”.

“It was frustrating not having new material to play, but that time really flew by quickly,” he said. “I guess that’s just the nature of life. It’s like when you have kids, and they’re grown up, and you go, ‘What happened?’ It took a long time, but we did a lot of touring and tried to grow in different ways and take a break from each other to keep things fresh. We also wanted to bring in outside influences, so we would have something new to say to each other musically. It all came together really well on this one. I’m sure it won’t take us this long for the next one. We even had some stuff left over from the last one that we’ll develop. We have head starts on three or four new songs.”

Carey also said TOOL is readying a live DVD that will be “a good mind blower for all the hardcore fans.” He explained: “Most of it will be from the ‘Lateralus’ tour from 2002.”

“Fear Inoculum” arrived in August 2019 following years of anticipation. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and earned heaps of critical praise, with NPR saying “Fear Inoculum” was “worth the 13-year wait,” Revolver proclaiming the 10-track album “a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come” and Consequence Of Sound saying the release finds “TOOL in peak performance.”

Two and a half years ago, the “Fear Inoculum” title track became the longest song to ever land in the Billboard Hot 100. The TOOL cut has a running time of 10 minutes 21 seconds, 24 seconds longer than the previous record holder, David Bowie’s “Blackstar”.

“Fear Inoculum” shifted approximately 270,000 equivalent album units in its first week of release, with 248,000 of those in traditional album sales.

TOOL kicked off its 2022 tour in support of “Fear Inoculum” on January 10 at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon. It marked the band’s first live appearance since March 2020 when TOOL’s trek was cut short following a gig in Portland, Oregon due to the burgeoning pandemic.

TOOL was honored with a Grammy in the “Best Metal Performance” category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in January 2020 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. TOOL was nominated for “7empest”, a track from “Fear Inoculum”.

TOOL already had three previous Grammy Awards under its belt: “Best Metal Performance” in 1997 and 2001 for “Ænima” and “Schism”, respectively, and “Best Recording Package” in 2006 for “10,000 Days”.

TOOL formed in 1990 and has released five studio albums thus far: “Undertow” (1993), “Ænima” (1996), “Lateralus” (2001), “10,000 Days” (2006) and “Fear Inoculum”; two EPs: “72826” (1991) and “Opiate” (1992); and the limited-edition boxset, “Salival” (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: Best Metal Performance (1998, “Ænima”), “Best Metal Performance” (2002, “Schism”), “Best Recording Package” (2007, “10,000 Days”) and “Best Metal Performance” (2020, “7empest”).

USBM stalwarts Nechochwen unveil the closing track to their first new album in seven years.
The post Track Stream: Nechochwen – “Across the Divide” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Alice Cooper, Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) and Scott Stapp (CREED) are among the artists who will perform at CoopStock 2 on Saturday, April 30 at Las Sendas Golf Club in Mesa, Arizona. The evening’s festivities include a silent auction, food trucks, and live celebrity entertainment, including appearances by Larry The Cable Guy, Ed Roland of COLLECTIVE SOUL, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Danny Seraphine of CHICAGO, the comedy and music of Gary Mule Deer, SIXWIRE, Adrian Young of NO DOUBT. Proceeds from the concert will benefit Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers in Mesa and Phoenix.

The Phoenix location of Alice Cooper’s The Rock Teen Center was built in partnership with Genesis Church and Cooper’s Solid Rock Foundation. The 22,000-square-foot teen center, which opened in 2012, was meant to offer teens an outlet for their creativity and get them off the streets.

A year ago, the Mesa location of Alice Cooper’s The Rock Teen Center opened, showcasing more than 11,000 square feet of space in partnership with Mesa Public Schools.

“Every kid out here,” Alice said, “has got talent. Somewhere in you, there’s a talent that you want to get out. We invite you to come in and find your talent. It might not be music. It might be art. It might be dance. Whatever it is, you can discover it at Alice Cooper’s Solid Rock Teen Centers.”

Asked in a new interview with Business Jet Traveler what prompted him to start his nonprofit, the Solid Rock Foundation, in 1995, Alice said: “I saw a very awkward drug deal go down between two 16-year-old kids, and it came to me: How does that kid not know he could be the best guitar player in town? Because he never picked up a guitar. The other kid could be the best drummer. Solid Rock provides these kids a place to change their life. One of our first success stories was Jordin Sparks, who won ‘American Idol’. She started with us when she was 14. It just shows the other kids you can start from nothing and become something really important.”

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