Chicago symphonic metal guardians Shield of Wings uncage their soaring first LP, Unfinished. Out February 11th.
The post Album Premiere: Shield of Wings – ‘Unfinished’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

KORN’s Ray Luzier has reflected on the passing of Joey Jordison, saying the founding SLIPKNOT drummer “had such good music in him.”

Joey’s family confirmed that he died “peacefully in his sleep” last July of an unspecified cause.

KORN recruited Jordison in 2007 to join them on tour when drummer David Silveria went on hiatus from the band. Joey also appeared in the music video for KORN’s single “Evolution”.

Speaking to Gigwise, Luzier said that Jordison’s death was difficult to process. “He had some demons, like a lot of people do, and I lost quite a few band friends, and people who I was quite close to in the music industry across the past two, three years,” the KORN drummer said. “It’s never easy. It’s hard. You feel even worse when it’s not a natural death.

“I know Joey had a lot of health problems too, so it wasn’t just abuse, but no one wants anyone to go off that early if they could’ve been around longer,” he continued. “It’s much harder when something like that happens. Especially such a good dude like Joey. He had such good music in him.

“I say the word ‘lifer’ a lot, because that’s what we are — till death it’s in our blood; we eat, sleep, breathe music every day — and he was definitely that,” Ray added. “That guy would wake up and pick up a guitar because he had an idea. I love those kinds of people; I’m very attracted to that energy and mentality.”

Last July, just hours after the news of Jordison’s death was made public, KORN guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer told TMZ: “I’m in shock. I can’t believe it. That guy is such a fucking warrior. He loved drums, loved music, loved playing. He would jump in and play with anybody if he felt like it was a passion. He just loved heavy music. He loved playing his instrument. It’s very sad — it’s very sad that he’s gone so young.”

Asked what legacy Joey leaves behind, Munky said: “What an amazing fucking drummer! What amazing drummer. The most energy I’ve seen any drummer have ever.

“I have so many good memories about this guy,” he added. “We did a tour back in, I think, 2005. And he had his own bus with another backing singer of the band; his name is Kalen. They became really close. Their bus was called the ‘Dragon Bus’ and our bus was called the ‘Pirate Bus.’ And it was always, like, ‘Who partied harder? The pirates or the dragons?’ And they’d be, like, ‘Dragons.’ And then we’d go, ‘Pirates.’ It was an inside kind of thing that we did on tour.

“He’ll always be remembered by me as somebody that’s caring, compassionate and an amazing musician.”

As for what message he had for Joey’s family, Munky said: “I would like to tell his family and his bandmates that I’m truly sorry that we’ve lost him. And I’m in shock. I can’t believe it. And I just wanna send them all my love.”

SLIPKNOT announced its split with Jordison in December 2013 but did not disclose the reasons for his exit. The drummer subsequently issued a statement saying that he did not quit the group.

Several years ago, Jordison overcame the neurological condition acute transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibers, which ultimately led to the drummer temporarily losing the use of his legs.

Seven months ago, Joey’s SINSAENUM bandmate Frédéric Leclercq blasted TMZ for sharing the audio of the 911 call placed by the former SLIPKNOT drummer’s ex-girlfriend after she found him dead. On July 29, 2021, the tabloid site posted the two-and-a-half-minute phone call in which the ex-girlfriend — who continued taking care of Joey’s bills and maintaining his house in Iowa even after their split — could be heard getting very emotional when she went to his home to check on him after he hadn’t returned her messages. During the call, she indicated that Joey was “a really bad alcoholic” with “health issues,” and she revealed that the motion sensors on the house hadn’t detected any activity in days.

The same year that he exited SLIPKNOT, Jordison launched the band SCAR THE MARTYR and later VIMIC.

ECW Press has set an April 19 release date for the book “The Meaning Of Metallica: Ride The Lyrics”.

Join William Irwin, a philosophy professor, literary critic and heavy metal scholar who teaches at King’s College in Pennsylvania, as he traces the lyrical development of the “thinking man’s” metal band and uses the themes in METALLICA’s work to illuminate topics such as truth, identify, questions of life and death, the mind-body problem, justice and more.

More than 40 years since their formation, and 125 million albums later, METALLICA is as relevant as ever. Much has been written about the band, but “The Meaning Of Metallica” is the first book to focus exclusively on their lyrics.

Their mighty guitar riffs and pounding drums are legendary, but METALLICA’s words match the intensity of their tunes. Lead singer James Hetfield writes rock poetry dealing with death, war, addiction, alienation, corruption, freedom, religion, and other weighty topics. Painting a rainbow of emotions with a deft palette, subtle but not obscure, Hetfield’s lyrics deserve careful attention. A master of narrative, METALLICA makes listeners care about a vast array of characters, from a vengeful God, to a suicidal teenager, to a man in mid-life crisis.

“The Meaning Of Metallica” is like a riveting conversation with a close friend. A thematic tour de force that traces Hetfield’s lyrical development across the decades, this companion examines everything from deep cuts like “Confusion” to megahits like “Enter Sandman”. Sure to spark debate and discussion, “The Meaning Of Metallica” provides a close reading of lyrics dense with details and rich with allusions.

Joel McIver, author of “To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica’s Cliff Burton”, said: “It has been a profound experience to witness James Hetfield’s trajectory as a lyric writer over the last 40 years. From the fantastically primitive sentiments on ‘Kill ‘Em All’, via the poetic examinations of social ills on ‘Master Of Puppets’, to the more questioning approach of his recent work, he has exposed his deepest issues and concerns in a way that always engrosses the listener.”

Former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera said: “James Hetfield — a.k.a. Papa Het — is the ultimate poet of rage. I’ve always admired Hetfield’s lyricism and message: taking on the dark side of life and turning it into a positive outlook. I cut my hair to get a copy of ‘Ride The Lightning’ and never looked back: I’ve been a fan ever since. Mixing H.P. Lovecraft with social commentary made Hetfield the voice of our generation. Much respect.”

Hetfield once told Guitar World magazine: “I hate it when people ask me about my lyrics. I always feel like telling them to just go and read them.”

Other books in Irwin’s pop culture series, including “Metallica And Philosophy”, “Seinfeld And Philosophy”, “The Simpsons And Philosophy” and “The Matrix And Philosophy” (a New York Times bestseller) have sold over one million copies.