Disturbed singer David Draiman has taken to social media to comment on the band’s new music. The frontman said the following:
“I’ll tell you one thing… I’ve had a lot of time to go over these last songs we’ve written. Took time away, came back to them, and fell in love with them all over again. Diverse, fresh, and powerful. It’ll be some time…but I can’t wait for these songs to see the light of day. I think everyone will be pleasantly…surprised.”
Many Eyes, the band fronted by Keith Buckley (ex-Every Time I Die), have entered the studio to work on new music. The band recently shared a number of photos from the sessions:
During Sepultura’s May 29 show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, CA, the band were joined onstage by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) for a performance of “Kaiowas.” You can watch him participate in a drum line below:
Two former members of Puddle Of Mudd, guitarist Matt Fuller and drummer Dave Moreno, have teamed up for a new tribute band called X-Mudds. The group, which also features singer Gabe Maska (Come As Nirvana), have the following shows booked:
07/11 Los Angeles, CA – Cat’s Crawl
08/07 Westland, MI – Token Lounge
08/08 Marion, OH – Tiki Stik Fest
Bassist Thomas O’Malley has announced his departure from Ingested. He said the following:
“I’ve decided to step away from Ingested. I’m grateful for my time in the band and for the experiences over the years. I’ve had a great time playing shows, touring, and being part of the journey, and I wish the guys the absolute best for the future and continued success with the new record and beyond. I’m now focusing on new musical opportunities and I’m available for touring, recording, and session work as a bassist and guitarist. If anyone needs a player, feel free to get in touch.”
During Metallica’s May 30 show at Olympiastadion in Berlin, Germany, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo performed a cover of Rammstein’s “Sonne” as part of their “doodle” segment. You can see fan-filmed footage of that below:
Knocked Loose have faced several mishaps amid their current European/UK tour. The trek, which finds the band opening for Metallica and Gojira on a number of dates, has seen frontman Bryan Garris getting diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy, guitarist/vocalist Isaac Hale getting hit by a car, and more. Garris had the following to say about his condition:
“Thank you to everyone that checked out the new mini doc on the Knocked Loose YouTube channel and thank you to everyone that reached out about my sudden onset of Bells Palsy. I’m doing good, taking care of my self, and resting when I can. The show must go on.”
Hale also commented on his injury:
“Tour update got hit by a car yesterday felt bad but got this boba after and it was really good”
Five Finger Death Punch have finished their new album. The effort will be released later this year.
Singer Ivan Moody commented:
“ALBUM X DONE I used to “celebrate” by drinking myself into oblivion #fuckedup Nowadays, I prefer to #celebrate with @northshoreburger”
Guitarist Zoltan Bathory also discussed the record during an interview with 93X:
“This album is a little bit of a reach back to the first three. The first three albums [were] a little bit more aggro… So, yeah, the balance changed a little bit. A little bit more guitars, a tiny bit less drums, less vocals. So we kind of shifted the balance, and that makes it sound a little bit gruffer as well. And we thought, ‘Okay, [‘Eye Of The Storm‘] is the perfect song that will sort of represent what is the new album.’ Of course, there is much, much heavier stuff on there.
And then we always have a couple of lighter things, because the idea is you wanna give a full picture. If I just gave you 14 really heavy songs, to me, it’s boring. Maybe somebody loves that; I don’t know. To me, this is the same energy going through. I like the roller coasters. And so kind of look at an album like that. You need two, three, four songs that are lighter. You need about four, five mid-tempo — that’s what this is, that mid-range, that middle of the road, for us style-wise, and then you need your barn burners. That’s the one that, when you play that, it activates people’s dental plan in a mosh pit… So, that’s kind of the picture. And then this was sort of at that middle range of what’s coming.”
He continued when it was mentioned how “Eye Of The Storm” was heavy for a radio single:
“That’s kind of the weird thing that the metal community doesn’t understand. Like, look, guys, if you want your community to be healthy and big and grow, you’re gonna need bands like Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, bands like us, that kind of coast in between, that we have some songs that can live on radio.
And there’s a limit to that. Again, people are commuting and listening to music. They don’t wanna crash. They go, ‘Oh, what the hell is going on? What is that?’ So from their perspective, it is a heavier song. So when you look at what’s the average on radio, it is a little bit heavier than that. But [it’s gotten a] huge reaction. Everybody’s playing it. That means that the audience is ready for that. Radio audience is accepting it. It’s doing really well. And it also gives the people a kind of a pretty good picture of what’s coming.”
He also added the following about people accusing the band of being formulaic:
“[Bands like] Iron Maiden, AC/DC, us, all these bands are progressing. The songs are not the same. People say, ‘Oh, it’s the same thing.’ It isn’t. And the example I’m gonna make, if you’re a beer connoisseur. You’re drinking beer. You can tell the difference between every single sort of ale — you’re a connoisseur. Or a wine connoisseur — you can tell the difference between wine that was produced in Spain or France or America. You know, because you’re a connoisseur.
So when you’re a person who’s into metal, especially when you have a specific band, for you AC/DC does not sound the same, because you’re a connoisseur of that band. You understand the difference. Or Iron Maiden, or pick all these bands. Somebody as an outsider or a casual listener, just like a casual beer drinker, will go, ‘Oh, it’s just beer.’ Or, ‘It’s just wine.’ They can’t really tell the difference. ‘Oh, it’s the same thing. It’s just wine.’ No, not really.
So if you’re a fan of this band, then you definitely see the progression. If you’re a casual listener, then I would understand the same way that probably people would say, like, ‘Well, AC/DC, the same riff.’ No, it isn’t, but if you’re a casual listener, then for you it is. So there [is] always also a section of the album where we look at it like, okay, we can sacrifice, so to speak, two, three songs into something more progressive that I wouldn’t have done before. But you can’t do five of those because then now the album completely shifted. So there is this idea of balance. We cook it.”
“There has to be four, five, six songs [on every album] that are core Five Finger Death Punch. That’s why the fans love us, that’s our sound. We have to deliver that, and that’s where we operate anyway. It’s not something that I go to the studio and say, ‘I have to do this.’ That’s what naturally comes out anyway. That’s how we sound. So that’s gonna be our regular sort of Death Punch sound.
You have to have, like, five, six, seven songs like that… And then you put, like, three [or] four really heavy [songs] in there, and a couple of ballady stuff in there. And then you have a pretty good even surface of, ‘All right. All the facets of the bands are sort of showcased, and I gave you a record that is not just one tone.’ If I give you a record with 14 super-heavy songs — well, there are bands that do that, and good for them. I’m not a fan of that. I like variation… It’s like a live show, how you put together a live show. Even the songs on the album, what comes after what matters. Just like a live show — you’re not gonna open a show with a ballad.”
During a recent appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, Charlie Benante expressed interest in recording new music with Pantera. The drummer hopes new material will surface “at some point.”
Benante said the following when asked if him and guitarist Zakk Wylde can create Pantera-style riffs:
“Oh, I can do it, no doubt. But I just don’t know yet if that’s where this is going. I would hope, at some point. We’ll see. It’s all up to [vocalist] Philip [Anselmo] and [bassist] Rex [Brown], really, where they wanna take this. Zakk and I are just there for the ride, and [to help], whatever we can do.”
He also discussed his drumming approach:
“I guess the thing is that people don’t realize this, but the Anthrax style of drumming, or the drumming in Anthrax, is so busy. Vinnie [Paul Abbott]’s style of playing is so — I call it the meat and potatoes of Pantera, because when Vinnie does something with a bit of flair, it’s, like, ‘Wow, that’s really cool. That’s such a signature lick right there.’ Whether it’s ‘Becoming’ or ‘Cowboys From Hell’, that’s such a Vinnie lick. There’s no way I was gonna replace that with anything that was gonna be too busy. I stuck to exactly what Vinnie did. And I’ve said this many times where the drum configuration is exactly like Vinnie’s, so I can’t go off and play anything else. I’m sticking to his parts. And I think Philip and Rex really respect that. I know they do, because Rex sometimes will close his eyes and it’s like he’s playing with Vinnie. And he said that to me, too. It’s the same thing with Philip. They wanna hear the way they heard it. So I am not coming in and gonna alter it. I’m playing it exactly how they want it.”
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