ABBATH And WATAIN Announce September/October 2022 European Tour
Norwegian metal titans ABBATH have announced a brand new co-headlining tour with Swedish black metal outfit WATAIN. The “Chariots Of Fire” trek will kick off on September 15 at the Elysee Montmartre in Paris, France and will wreak havoc in 13 more countries before a final curtain on October 9 at the Vanha venue in Helsinki, Finland. Special guests will be TRIBULATION and BÖLZER during all shows. Tickets will be on sale starting Wednesday, February 16 at 10:00 CET.
Tour dates:
Sep. 15 – FR – Paris – Elysee Montmartre
Sep. 16 – DE – Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle
Sep. 17 – DE – Munich – Backstage
Sep. 18 – IT – Milan – Live Club
Sep. 20 – FR – Toulouse – Le Bikini
Sep. 22 – PT – Lisbon – Lisboa Ao Vivo
Sep. 23 – ES – Madrid – La Riviera
Sep. 24 – ES – Barcelona – Apolo
Sep. 25 – FR – Lyon – Transbordeur
Sep. 27 – CH – Zurich – Komplex 457
Sep. 28 – DE – Filderstadt – Filharmonie
Sep. 29 – NL – Tilburg – 013
Sep. 30 – UK – London – Earth
Oct. 02 – BE – Antwerp – Trix
Oct. 04 – DE – Hamburg – Markthalle
Oct. 05 – DK – Copenhagen – Amager Bio
Oct. 06 – NO – Oslo – Rockefeller
Oct. 07 – SE – Stockholm – Fallan
Oct. 09 – FI – Helsinki – Vanha
ABBATH recently released the title track of its new album, “Dread Reaver”, which will arrive on March 25 via Season Of Mist. The cover artwork for the LP was created by Bjørn Stian Bjoarvik and the photos were taken by Francisco Munoz.
Two years in the making, ABBATH’s third full-length is the culmination of everything before it. A fusion of debut “Abbath” (2016) and follow-up “Outstrider” (2019), the aptly titled “Dread Reaver” extends its fantastical fangs outward and drives its cloven hooves onward. Indeed, there’s nothing like an ABBATH record. This is the darkest metal for epic journeys and ancient battles. Comprised of eight riveting tracks and a red-hot cover of METALLICA’s “Trapped Under Ice”, “Dread Reaver” shows ABBATH triumphing over all trials and tribulations, riding hard into merciless glory as the one and only “Lemmy of black metal.”
“Dread Reaver” was produced by Endre Kirkesola, ABBATH, and Dag Erik Nygaard at Dub Studio in Kristiansand and Bergen Lydstudio, respectively. Kirkesola and Nygaard also engineered. Mixing was performed by ABBATH and Kirkesola, while the mastering was done by maestro Maor Appelbaum (FAITH NO MORE, HALFORD) at Maor Appelbaum Mastering in Los Angeles. The goal was to field a storming production that sat firmly at the crossroads of Abbath’s heroes KISS, MOTÖRHEAD, MANOWAR and BATHORY. From the anthemic thrust of opener “Acid Haze” and the epic pound of “Dream Cull” to the rampaging “The Book Of Breath” and the wicked cover of “Trapped Under Ice”, “Dread Reaver” sounds as massive as Norwegian mountain and as fiery as the depths of Hell. Truly, the recording lineup of Abbath (guitar, bass, vocals), Ukri Suvilehto (drums), Ole André Farstad (guitars) and Mia Wallace (bass) found their sonic muse.
Earlier in the month, WATAIN unleashed “The Howling”, the first single from its upcoming new studio album, “The Agony & Ecstasy Of Watain”, which will be released on April 29 via Nuclear Blast.
“The Howling” sets the tone for what will be offered on the band’s seventh full-length, an unsettling blackened voyage in 10 chapters that is as inexorably vicious as it is enticing.
Vocalist Erik Danielsson states: “‘The Howling’ refers to the wordless voice of the wild, wailing eerily through the ages, urging us to leave our safe spaces and explore the dark recesses of the great Abyss both within and without. To see it, to learn from it, to know it. ”
The single is available in both digital and physical form — a strictly limited seven-inch with “The Howling” on its A-side and the PROFANATICA cover “I Arose” on its B-side can be bought as of today. The black vinyl is exclusively available through Nuclear Blast mailorder, whereas the oxblood colored version is being sold in the band’s own shop.
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SLASH: 'I Spend Probably 85 Percent Of My Time Touring'
In a new interview with Tom Power, host of “Q” on Canada’s CBC Radio One, GUNS N’ ROSES guitarist Slash spoke about his love for the touring lifestyle. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I’m a road guy. That’s why the pandemic was such a shock. I’d say I spend probably 85 percent of my time touring and have done for as long as I can remember — since 1985 or ’86. And that’s what I love to do.
“People think I’m crazy because the older I get, the more I love touring — it’s, like, the more exciting it is for me,” he continued. “But a lot of it is because of the simple fact that I love guitar playing, and my favorite venue for actually playing is live as opposed to being in the studio or being at home. So if I really wanna get off on guitar playing, I’ve gotta go out on tour.”
Asked if he liked touring “less” or if he liked it “differently” when it became more of a “sober” experience for him, Slash said: “To tell you the truth, I probably liked it more, only because you spend a lot of time… If you’re doing the kind of partying that I was doing, you spend a lot of time just tired and beat up and trying to recuperate and then getting going for the next gig every single day, year after year. So it was sort of a reprieve to be able to not have to worry about all that stuff and not have to worry about where my next fix was coming from or if I had enough alcohol or whatever to be able to get through the day. So that was a chore into itself. So it was a little bit of a relief when I got sober to go out and play without all that.”
Slash is promoting the new album from SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS, titled “4”, which was released on February 11 via Gibson Records in partnership with BMG. “4” is Slash’s fifth solo album and fourth overall with his band featuring Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass, vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar, vocals).
SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS kicked off a North American headlining tour on February 8, in Portland, Oregon. The trek will hit 28 major cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Houston, and more, before wrapping up March 26 in Orlando, Florida.
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INTRODUCING: Abhoria
Finding innovation in a genre like black metal at one time seemed unlikely. In the past decade or so, black metal has seen a shift to more modern musical ideas…
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Dune Rats announce new album ‘Real Rare Whale’
DUNE RATS have announced a new album! Titled Real Rare Whale, the upcoming album from the Australian alternative trio is the follow-up to 2020’s Hurry Up And Wait, and is scheduled to be…
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CARPOOL TUNNEL have released a new song! The new song, titled I’m Always Thinking About You, is the brand new single from the SoCal rock band and is their first new…
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Watch WHITESNAKE Members JOEL HOEKSTRA And DINO JELUSICK Perform 'Here I Go Again' On MONSTERS OF ROCK Cruise
Video of WHITESNAKE members Joel Hoekstra and Dino Jelusick performing the band’s classic song “Here I Go Again” on February 12 aboard this year’s Monsters Of Rock cruise can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user WILL TRAVEL FOR GIGS).
Last July, WHITESNAKE announced that it had enlisted Croatian singer/multi-instrumentalist Jelusick for its upcoming tour. Jelusick is a member of multi-platinum selling band TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and was previously part of DIRTY SHIRLEY (with George Lynch), ANIMAL DRIVE and recorded with many others. Dino has been singing, touring and recording since the age of five. Other than being a frontman, his main instrument are keyboards but he also plays bass, guitar and drums. He finished music academy and did theater work.
Asked in a recent interview with Antihero Magazine what Dino’s role will be on WHITESNAKE’s final tour, the band’s leader David Coverdale said: “He’s going to be the way I have two guitar players.
“I’ve always seen WHITESNAKE as an orchestra,” he explained. “I don’t see it as a band-band. I don’t want two guitarists playing exactly the same song, or just harmony guitars, I want two opposing… you’ve got the incendiary Joel Hoekstra, entirely different to the electrifying Reb Beach. And this is not to overwhelm Michele [Luppi, WHITESNAKE keyboardist]. Michele’s totally secure. I adore him and what he brings to WHITESNAKE.
“In 2019, Dino’s band opened for us in Zagreb, and this is very rare for me, and I went, ‘Who the fuck is that?’ And I was going, ‘Wow, that kid’s great.’ And Joel said, ‘Yeah, I worked with him in the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA. He’s a great guy.’ And I said, ‘That guy’s a snake, dude.’ And I said, ‘Don’t say anything yet. I’m going to keep my eyes and ears on him.’
“So, I think it’s going to be fantastic,” Coverdale added. “I’m going to have an orchestra of keyboards for a lot of songs on WHITESNAKE which are big epics, that make them even more musically orchestrated without having an orchestra on stage with us.
“I mean, the guy’s great, I can’t wait to sing with him. I already have three singers who are good enough to be frontman singers, with Michael Devin and Michele Luppi, and Reb Beach; they are really great singers. What’s wrong with having another one? And I think he’s a super guy. He has his challenges legally at the moment, but talent, belief, and courage will always win. And I can’t wait for us to start rehearsals, I really can’t. It’s got to be exciting to me and adding another spice to an already good cocktail.”
Last September, Dino told Mónica Moreira of More Than Words about his involvement with WHITESNAKE: “Well, David mentioned that he would love to fly me [to] his house and that he would love [for] me and him to write some songs for WHITESNAKE.
“I’ll be playing keyboards. I’ll be doing backing vocals. I’ll be playing guitars on a couple of songs,” he explained. “And that’s as far as I know.”
Asked if he is in any way a bit sad to know that this will be probably WHITESNAKE’s farewell tour, Dino said: “Well, no. Every band has an expire date. WHITESNAKE has been going for 40, 50 years now. More than 40 years — since ’78 or ’77, when the first album came out. But I’m proud to be the last WHITESNAKE member ever. When you see the guys that played in this band. You had Jon Lord. You had Don Airey on keyboards. You had Timothy Drury, Michele Luppi and myself. It’s five keyboardists of WHITESNAKE. There were a couple of more playing live — yeah, Paul Mirkovich was in 1994, playing that leg. Yeah, there were a couple of more. But, yeah, it’s definitely a beautiful part of history in the making.”
When Jelusick’s addition to WHITESNAKE was first announced, David said in a statement: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome the extremely gifted Dino Jelusick to WHITESNAKE. We’ve had our eyes and ears on him since we played Zagreb together two years ago. You’re going to love him!”
Dino said he has been influenced by WHITESNAKE and Coverdale from an early age.
“I am beyond honored to be part of one of my favorite bands of all time,” he said. “To get the phone call from David Coverdale is something every singer and musician of my generation can only dream of; it still feels completely surreal. I cannot wait to start hitting the road with WHITESNAKE and, as the great DC said to me himself, to give a piece of my identity to the sound of this iconic band.”
Coverdale, who turned 70 last September, recently confirmed that he plans to retire from touring after WHITESNAKE’s next batch of concerts around the world.
Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.
WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, “Flesh & Blood”, which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Sex On Four Legs!!! ❤️?❌❤️?‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/HGiCe7qL30
— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) February 13, 2022
'BIG' JOHN HARTE, Former KISS And IRON MAIDEN Bodyguard, Dies At 70
“Big” John Harte, longtime bodyguard for iconic music artists including KISS, IRON MAIDEN, Billy Idol and Prince, passed away on Friday, February 11 in Hollywood, Florida. He was 70 years old.
Born John Joseph Harte III in Newark, New Jersey on November 15, 1951, he was the older of two boys raised in a traditional Irish-Catholic family in nearby Passaic. When Harte’s mother unexpectedly passed away, he helped support his family while dreaming of becoming a famous musician. The rock and roll band that Harte played drums and percussion for did not last long, but a chance experience keeping people at bay outside a GRATEFUL DEAD concert would change the trajectory of his life.
“I was noticed at that show because I was big, dressed in denim and black, looked tough with my biker’s mustache and could handle a rowdy crowd,” Harte recalled while working on his memoir in 2021. “I soon found myself handling security at Passaic’s Capitol Theater, Jersey City’s Roosevelt Stadium and New York’s Fillmore East for musicians ranging from Gregg Allman to Lou Reed to the NEW YORK DOLLS. I learned all aspects of the music business ‘ground up’ by ushering guests, tuning instruments for performers and doing whatever was needed to ensure a concert ran smoothly.”
John’s efforts paid off: In late 1975, he was offered the job of a lifetime — traveling on tour with KISS.
“A fella named Rick Stuart, who was already working security with the group, knew I wanted to get on the road as the next step in my career. After the band played the Capitol in October 1975, Rick took me to the hotel room where they were staying. I met tour manager JR Smalling, and was given — or subjected to [laughs] — an impromptu interview. A few days later, I was offered the job by manager Bill Aucoin, soon went on the group’s first European tour and worked an average of six days per week for almost a decade. An experience of a lifetime.”
“Guys like [John] are a rare breed,” states KISS co-founder and frontman Paul Stanley from his foreword contributed to Harte’s forthcoming book. “John was a formidable presence and was rough around the edges for sure, but that never overshadowed the dedication and conscience he would show while babysitting and coddling four spoiled and needy rock stars who were always vying for attention and affirmation that they were his favorite.”
“Big John is a legend in the KISS world, nearly as big as the band itself,” recalls Michael Brandvold, co-founder of KISS fan podcast “Three Sides Of The Coin”. “Growing up I saw him as this larger than life, imposing figure who was tasked with protecting the identities of the KISS members. But, when I first met him in 2018, I quickly saw John for who he really was… a quiet, gentle giant with a big heart.”
After an exclusive eight-year stint with KISS, Harte spent much of the 1980s touring with British heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN, enjoying more than his share of all perks the music business had to offer — the rock star lifestyle that millions have fantasized about.
“John had worked with us for several years and I recently had a great visit with him laughing and sharing stories together,” recalls longtime MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain. “A great guy and valued member of the family who will be sadly missed.”
Harte’s days with MAIDEN would lead to a four-decade friendship with Steve Altman, who signed on as bassist Steve Harris’s personal assistant and later encouraged Harte to chronicle his rock and roll adventures.
“I was young and John took me under his wing, even as we both moved on to other music industry opportunities,” says Altman. “He was a constant ‘go-to’ in my life and was always there for me.”
Harte would eventually settle down and marry the love of his life, MaryAnn, and have their son Brian. Although he would give up the day-to-day, grueling schedule required of world touring, Harte would continue working as late as the 2003 KISS/AEROSMITH tour. It was then Harte realized that he had his own following of supporters, and would travel to various conventions and an official Kiss Kruise in 2017 to meet them.
“John was loved by so many fans of the bands he had worked for,” said his wife. “The admiration that was always shown to him by those whom he met always blew him away. He treasured those moments.”
Harte’s book will be completed and published posthumously in 2023.
“John was not only a part of KISStory but, in a sense, also a rock star in his own right,” says Harte’s co-author Robert V. Conte. “He witnessed first-hand how the concert scene evolved from the days of the most basic, often error-ridden performances to the visual and audio spectacles most concerts offer today. John and I spoke often over the past few years developing his book and I promised his memoir would be published no matter what. Despite his terrible loss, I will keep that promise.”
Those wishing to leave their remembrances with “Big” John Harte may do so on his social media page.
A GoFundMe page has been established for those interested in contributing to John’s final expenses. Details to follow.
Photo credit: Steve Altman
Posted by Big John Harte on Sunday, February 13, 2022
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I LOVE Pedals Day #13: Godlyke
Today’s I LOVE Pedals giveaway is from GODLYKE. Enter for your chance to win a TAMURA-MOD TS808! Ends Feb. 14, 2022.TAMURA-MOD TS808The Tamura-mod TS808 is the culmination of a three-year quest by TubeScreamer inventor Susumu Tamura to replicate the best sounding TS808 of all time.After painstaking analysis of hundreds of 808 variants, Mr. Tamura determined that the best-sounding units all featured a specific op amp, which he has sourced and included in his mod.Several other key component subs work to fine-tune the Tamura-mod TS808 and allow it to stand up to the finest vintage units and perhaps even surpass them.The TS808-TM offers increased harmonic content with a more even response across the frequency spectrum (less mid-hump!). Improved note clarity allows even complex chord clusters to sound crisp & articulate.Each TS808-TM is hand-signed by Tamura-san and also features a Switchcraft plunger switch for improved performance over the original “chicklet” switch.When you are after the most authentic vintage tone, it’s always best to go to the source.For the most authentic TubeScreamer tones, the source is Tamura-san.I Love Pedals Day #13: Godlyke
Read more » DISTURBED Singer Doesn't Care If He Alienates People With His Pro-Israel Comments: 'I Really Don't Give A S**t Anymore'
DISTURBED frontman David Draiman, who is of Jewish descent, spoke to The Jerusalem Post Podcast about his decision to reactivate his Twitter account after a nearly seven-year absence.
The 48-year-old Hawaii-based rocker, who recently announced plans to relocate to Miami, said of his return to the social media platform (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s difficult sometimes knowing how much animosity exists for not only our people but for the state of Israel and that has been continuing to build and perpetuate over the course of the past 15 to 20 years specifically. I’ve seen tangible changes over the course of my career and my life, and I felt the need to return to social media on a more public level because of how bad things have gotten.”
Asked what he noticed specifically that made him want to express his views publicly on social media, Draiman said: “Oh, God. The number of blatant, public, unapologetic attacks that have occurred in particular of late, particularly over the course of the past three to five years, really, really hit a nerve with me. Jews are attacked on the streets of New York City, whether it’s Brooklyn or anywhere else, on a regular basis at this point. The attacks occur in Los Angeles; they occur in Southern Florida — they occur all over the place… And [the attackers have] been emboldened from several factors from a world that has become increasingly demonizing of not only Israel but of Jews in general. There’s nothing like a good pandemic to make all the conspiracy theorists of the world foam at the mouth at the opportunity to blame the Jewish people again for some aspect of their suffering. It’s just a very, very frightening time to me. And being a parent in this world to a child of a mixed family — a mixed family that consists of two of the demographics that probably currently are the most attacked, Jews and Asians — I felt very compelled to try and see if I could once again utilize this platform that I’ve been blessed with and follow my conscience a little bit more.”
Draiman went on to say that he isn’t concerned about alienating any of the DISTURBED fans with his vocal and public stand to defend Israel. “Thankfully I’ve reached a point in my career where I really don’t give a shit anymore,” he said and laughed. “If somebody wants to go ahead and cast their stones at me, they know that I’m very, very careful about separating what I do as a musician from who I am as an individual, and if they can’t come to terms with it, then that’s their problem. I honestly don’t see people not coming to our shows because I’m continuing to talk about something that they’ve already known for two decades. I don’t care. I’ve made my money, we have our band, they know who I am, I know who they are, and they love us for it regardless.”
In December, Draiman said that he had lost thousands of social media followers since publicizing his trip to Israel in November.
On November 30, Draiman lit a candle at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel at the Old City site of the terror attack that killed South African immigrant Eli Kay. He later claimed that he lost 4,000 followers after sharing photos of his “demonstration” at the Western Wall.
Draiman, the son of Israelis and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, spent much of 2014 and early 2015 linking to articles by conservative and pro-Israel blogs and has often used his fame to speak out against anti-Semitism.
DISTURBED’s song “Never Again”, from 2010’s “Asylum” album, was written about the Holocaust and calls out people who deny it.
Both of Draiman’s maternal grandparents were survivors of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, while many others on his mother’s side were wiped out by the Nazis.
The United States Holocaust Museum has featured Draiman in its “Voices On Anti-Semitism” podcasts.
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