Band Merchandise

Will Paris Hilton Still Wear Her Good Charlotte T Shirt With the Breakup with Benji Madden

2009-01-28T21:05:00.000-08:00

A source tells Us Weekly that the Good Charlotte guitarist was overprotective and controlling of Paris.

Paris Hilton and Benji Madden have ended their relationship, according to Us Weekly, but will she still wear her Good Charlotte t-shirt? The split puts the famed hotel heiress, 27, and Good Charlotte guitarist, 29, back on the market after nine months of dating.

"Even though they are still in love, they felt it would be better to just be friends," an unnamed source close to the "Repo! The Genetic Opera" star told the magazine.

"Benji was overprotective and controlling. He doesn't get along with any of her friends," the source continued, sharing their thoughts on why the couple called it quits. "Friends thought Paris had changed since being with Benji, and she wants to be herself again."

Things moved fast for the couple, who made their relationship public in February. In August, Hilton confirmed in an interview with MTV News that the two had co-written a song for her upcoming album, saying their talents and sensibilities "really mixed well."

"Well, he's such a talented writer. We're in love, so we can really write well together," she said at Comic-Con in San Diego. "We're kind of on the same wavelength, the way we think."

According to Us, Hilton was spotted over the weekend canoodling with ex-boyfriend Stavros Niarchos in Miami. Their interactions reportedly remained platonic.

"Nothing went on between Paris and Stav in Miami," the magazine quoted their source as saying. "She was there for a girls weekend with her [best friends]."

Madden's twin brother, Joel, recently had a baby with his girlfriend and Hilton's friend, Nicole Richie.

Pete Wentz Gets Baby Advice From Good Charlotte's Joel Madden On 'Total Finale Live'

'A baby doesn't wait!' Madden tells the Fall Out Boy bassist, who's expecting his first child with Ashlee Simpson.

While Fall Out Boy rocked "Total Finale Live" with a performance in the middle of New York's Times Square, the group's bassist, Pete Wentz, had the doubtless surreal experience of watching his band perform without him as he was with his very-pregnant-and-reportedly-in-labor wife, Ashlee Simpson. He called into the show to share the moment.

He assured everyone that the baby Wentz has not yet arrived. "Not here yet!" he said. "I went to Chinatown, picked up a bootleg version of 'Twilight' and watched it like, 72, times."

He joked that his bandmates, as well as the rest of the world, will probably know that the baby's arrived when the news hits the Internet. But he assured everyone, "Nothing's happened yet!" Wentz also shared with his fans that the couple have yet to pick out a name for the baby.

He was missed by his bandmates. "It was cool [to perform]," Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump said on the show. "I wish Pete was there."

Wentz's friend Joel Madden — who, you may have heard, has a daughter, Harlow, with girlfriend Nicole Richie — had some key advice on the rocker-as-father gig.

"When you're on tour you can be late a lot — but when you're a dad you can't be late," Madden said on the show. "A baby doesn't wait!"

Another baby not waiting for Wentz is the show he hosts, "FNMTV," which will be back for a second season in December. He admitted that hosting isn't as easy as he makes it look.

"It's hard asking people questions," he said. "I'm not good at reading the teleprompter. 'TRL' made me excited about countdowns!"

Read more of the Good Charlotte discography and watch my favorite Good Charlotte video.

==============
If You're After Good Charlotte Merch.

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==============

Fan Buys Deftones Merch to Show Support Better Recovery for bassist Chi Cheng

2009-01-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

Wondering if fans purchase Deftones Merch to show suppport as Cheng still in coma but responds to reflex tests.

Doctors treating Deftones bassist Chi Cheng — who suffered life-threatening injuries in a car accident that happened in Santa Clara, California, last week — say they're hopeful the musician will make a full recovery and be back onstage in the not-too-distant future.

According to updates posted to the band's studio blog, the 38-year-old Cheng, who has been in a coma since the crash, has been making progress toward recovery. "This Sunday saw the first signs of your prayers in action," reads one of the most recent posts. "Chi was able to hear and respond to his father's request to move his lower lip. His father also administered a tendon reflex test, of which both legs responded with movement. Doctors continue to remain optimistic, and the energy at the hospital remains very positive."

Cheng, who remains in serious but stable condition in a Northern California hospital, was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, although that information has not been confirmed. According to reports, Cheng was returning from his brother's memorial service when the crash occurred. Authorities have yet to release additional information regarding the crash or Cheng's injuries.

One post suggests his condition could have been worse, had it not been for three men who happened to be driving by. "The family would also like to send a special thank you out to the three off-duty EMTs that stopped shortly after the accident and saved Chi's life," the post reads. "It was by the Grace of God that these three individuals happened to be traveling on the road with medical gear in tow at the time of the accident. If not for them, the chances of Chi making it to the hospital alive would have been poor."

In a separate post, Deftones drummer Abe Cunningham wrote, "The neurosurgeon treating Chi says the first 72 hours are critical, and as of now, he is fighting the good fight and the doctors remain optimistic. We are seeing your prayers in action. The family asks that all the prayer warriors out there continue to pray for Chi, and keep sending out your positive energy."

Cheng's mother, Jeanne, also released a statement through the band's MySpace page, saying that, while a tough recovery is expected, "Chi will be playing his bass again. I've been reading your e-mails to him. You are so wonderful. My heart aches with love for you. We are all connected."

There's no word yet on how Cheng's recovery will impact the band's forthcoming LP Eros, which was being eyed for release this spring.

Cheng's family has also asked that fans reach out to the homeless, which was something the bassist — who released a spoken-word album called The Bamboo Parachute in 2000 — tried to do as often as he could.

"In the past, when Chi was not on tour, he would gather a few instruments together once a week and meet the homeless kids in the park to play music with them," reads a statement from the family. "Today, we ask you to give a homeless person a blanket, some warm clothes or some food. If you don't see a homeless person, reach out to a child near or far, and show some kindness to them. Keep sending your good thoughts and prayers; they are keeping him with us, and he is improving daily."

Deftones bassist Chi Cheng remains under a hospital's care after sustaining injuries last week in a vehicular accident. According to the band's spokesperson, Cheng, who has been in a coma since the crash, is feeling better, and more news on his recovery will be released sometime next week. Cheng's condition remains stable; he's started breathing on his own, and is starting to move his eyes underneath his eyelids. Earlier this week, Korn bassist Fieldy visited Cheng in the hospital. ...

Read more of the Deftones discography and watch my favorite Deftones video.

==============
If You're After Deftones Merchandise.

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to toddler t shirts. while you’re
there check out the
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==============

Black Sabbath Merch and Band - So Influential in Development of Heavy Metal Rock Compositions as a Crucial Force - Part one

2009-01-26T00:59:00.000-08:00

(Read More - Black Sabbath Pt 1, Black Sabbath Pt 2, Black Sabbath Pt 3, Black Sabbath Pt 4, Black Sabbath Pt 5) - The group took the blues-rock sound of late '60s acts like Cream, Blue Cheer, and Vanilla Fudge to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass, and emphasizing screaming guitar solos and howled vocals full of lyrics expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies. If their predecessors clearly came out of an electrified blues tradition, Black Sabbath took that tradition in a new direction, and in so doing helped give birth to a musical style that continued to attract millions of fans decades later.

The group was formed by four teenage friends from Aston, near Birmingham, England: Anthony "Tony" Iommi (b. Feb 19, 1948), guitar; William "Bill" Ward (b. May 5, 1948), drums; John "Ozzy" Osbourne (b. Dec 3, 1948), vocals; and Terence "Geezer" Butler (b. Jul 17, 1949), bass. They originally called their jazz-blues band Polka Tulk, later renaming themselves Earth, and they played extensively in Europe. In early 1969, they decided to change their name again when they found that they were being mistaken for another group called Earth. Butler had written a song that took its title from a novel by occult writer Dennis Wheatley, Black Sabbath, and the group adopted it as their name as well. As they attracted attention for their live performances, record labels showed interest, and they were signed to Phillips Records in 1969. In January 1970, the Phillips subsidiary Fontana released their debut single, "Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me)," a cover of a song that had just become a U.S. hit for Crow; it did not chart. The following month, a different Phillips subsidiary, Vertigo, released Black Sabbath's self-titled debut album, which reached the U.K. Top Ten. Though it was a less immediate success in the U.S. -- where the band's recordings were licensed to Warner Bros. Records and appeared in May 1970 -- the LP broke into the American charts in August, reaching the Top 40, remaining in the charts over a year, and selling a million copies.

Appearing at the start of the '70s, Black Sabbath embodied the Balkanization of popular music that followed the relatively homogenous second half of the 1960s. As exemplified by its most popular act, the Beatles, the 1960s suggested that many different aspects of popular music could be integrated into an eclectic style with a broad appeal. The Beatles were as likely to perform an acoustic ballad as a hard rocker or R&B-influenced tune.

Read more of the Black Sabbath discography and watch my favorite Black Sabbath video.

==============
If You're After Black Sabbath Merchandise.

We've got the largest range of
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everything from Tripp NYC clothing
to toddler t shirts. while you’re
there check out the
Weekly Top 10 Music Videos

Visit: http://www.planet13.com.au/
==============

Atreyu Merch is Insanely Trendy but Singer Tries To Stay Free from Mental Derangement

2009-01-25T23:45:00.001-08:00

'I lose my mind a couple times a day now,' says singer Alex Varkatzas, who recently went off his meds, however Atreyu merchandise is insanely trendy.

Atreyu singer Alex Varkatzas used to deal with severe anxiety by taking antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication including Lexapro and Klonopin, which helped him work and tour without suffering from panic attacks. However, for the writing and recording of Atreyu's new album Lead Sails Paper Anchor, Varkatzas went cold turkey and let his emotional upheaval inform the band's songs even more directly. Of course, as any psychiatric worker will tell you, being off your meds can have its drawbacks as well.

"I lose my mind a couple times a day now," Varkatzas admitted. "But I try to deal with my emotions instead of hiding behind them, and that's something that's new for me. In the past, I always used to drink or take a pill. Now I'm learning to cope with reality."

One of Varkatzas' main coping methods these days is writing lyrics, which is partially why new tracks like "Honor," "Can't Happen Here" and first single "Becoming the Bull" are so fraught with tension and aggression. But while Varkatzas is raging as hard as ever, he's no longer ranting about getting dumped or betrayed. Instead, he's addressing larger issues such as war, self-empowerment and the importance of family.

"I'm dealing with grown-up stuff now lyrically because that's what's going on in my life," he said. "I'm 25 now. I bought a condo, so I'm dealing with the responsibilities of being a homeowner. I just had my grandpa pass away when I was on tour, and it was horrible that he was dying and I couldn't go home. There was nothing I could do about it, and I had to learn to accept that."

In addition to maturing as a lyricist, Varkatzas has branched out as a singer. With the help of vocal coach Ron Anderson and an awful lot of persistence, Varkatzas is no longer leaving all the melodic parts up to drummer Brandon Saller. Sure, Saller's honey-sweet voice washes through many of the choruses, but Varkatzas has learned to carry a tune as well, and now offers a variety of voices including a more powerful roar ("Can't Happen Here"), pained croon ("Lead Sails [And a Paper Anchor]") and Vince Neil-style yowl ("Blow").

"This is the most nervous I think I've ever been for a record," Varkatzas admitted. "I wanted to do something different and to live up to my potential, so I worked really hard to be able to handle the singing parts. I'm still not a natural singer, but when I set my mind to something, I refuse to take no for an answer."

Various stylistic nuances also contribute to the album's fresh feel. "Falling Down" is a shuffling romp that sounds like a metallic Green Day with horns; "Becoming the Bull" is embellished with industrial effects; and "Slow Burn" features pedal-steel guitar.

"This album isn't just about guitars, bass, drums and vocals," Saller said. "There are strings, opera vocals, hand claps, mandolins, Turkish saz — anything we could think of that seemed cool at the time."

Contributing to the diversity of the album was producer John Feldmann (Goldfinger, the Used), who encouraged Atreyu to push their boundaries and take chances. "He really helped us with our structuring, and figuring out what works and what didn't, and bringing a different set of ideas to our band than we would normally have," Varkatzas said. "But we put in a lot of really long and hard days. He'd make me come up with lyrics on the spot and push me so hard. I would work my ass off and try as hard as I could, and then John would go, 'You know, that's good, but you can do better.' But that pushing helped us all get to new levels on this record."

In the end, Atreyu created their most diverse and ambitious album — a disc that should shatter the metalcore box they've been forced into and help earn them a new following that appreciates good, challenging music. At the same time, many of the elements on Lead Sails Paper Anchor are poppier than past excursions — occasionally bordering on Linkin Park territory.

"This is definitely a metal record, but there's more to it as well," Saller said. "There are rock and roll, punk and even almost dance aspects. But in essence, it's a true Atreyu record. This is where we come from. This is what we are."

Read more of the Atreyu discography and watch my favorite Atreyu video.

==============
If You're After Atreyu Merch.

We've got the largest range of
rock, punk, metal and goth
band t shirts online. Get
everything from Tripp NYC clothing
to band sweatshirts. while you’re
there check out the
Weekly Top 10 Music Videos

Visit: http://www.planet13.com.au/
==============

Alkaline Trio Merchandise and Band Formed by Catastrophe, Torment, and the Camaraderie of Drinking

2009-01-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

Matt Skiba (vocals/guitar), Glenn Porter (drums/vocals) -- formerly of 88 Fingers Louie -- and Rob Doran (bass/vocals), Alkaline Trio merch and band was brought together in 1997 by heartbreak, angst, and the companionship of drinking. They issued the For Your Lungs Only EP just prior to Doran's departure in late 1997, later releasing Sundials the following year on Johann's Face Records. Slapstick's Dan Andriano entered on bass, adding a complementary voice and songwriting style to Skiba's that would become the group's signature dynamic. The three then started making a name for themselves all throughout the Midwest with their emotion-fueled, angst-ridden, dark pop-punk. With this lineup in full force, all while Skiba and Porter were working as bike messengers full-time, their first full-length, Goddamnit!, was released on Asian Man in 1998 to the praise of a following who related to their heartbreak tales and anti-cop rants.

Both Maybe I'll Catch Fire and a self-titled singles collection followed in early 1999. The new millennium also included a series of changes: Glenn Porter exited in early 2000 and ex-Smoking Popes drummer Mike Felumlee made Alkaline Trio a three-piece again. From Here to Infirmary followed on Vagrant in spring 2001 and was met with only lukewarm fan response. But a split EP released by Jade Tree the next year found the Trio in top form again alongside Hot Water Music, both bands contributing original tracks and covers of each other's songs. Good Mourning was released two years later, and the lineup by now included new drummer Derek Grant (ex-Suicide Machines, Thoughts of Ionesco). Good Mourning did well, grazing the Billboard charts and scoring Alkaline Trio spots on late-night TV and summer tours. Crimson followed in 2005 and continued the band's streak. Touring persisted over the summer, both as a headliner and in support of My Chemical Romance. A spring 2006 run (with openers Against Me!) delighted devout fans from early on with a set that mostly contained tunes from initial releases, including an entire run-through of the fan-favorite Goddamnit! By fall, Alkaline Trio had found a new home at V2 Records and began work on their next album, although label restructuring problems in January 2007 led to the band being let go before anything was released. That same month Vagrant issued the CD/DVD Remains, which rounded up B-sides and rarities, and in May it was annouced that the Trio had found a new home on Epic.

Read more of the alkaline trio discography and watch my favorite alkaline trio video.

==============
If You're After alkaline trio Merchandise.

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there check out the
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==============

AFI Merch Skyrockets Due to Producer Jerry Finn Dying At 39

2009-01-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

Punk producer was taken off life support a month after suffering massive brain hemorrhage.

Nearly two weeks after he was taken off life support, producer Jerry Finn, who had worked with the likes of Blink-182, Morrissey, AFI, Rancid and Green Day, died last week at the age of 39, about a month after suffering a massive brain hemorrhage. According to Billboard, Finn passed away on August 21 and AFI Merchandise Skyrocketed at Plant 13.

Finn got his start in the business as an engineer during the early 1990s and eventually made the transition to producer, helming records by Pennywise, Jawbreaker, Madness, Alkaline Trio and Sum 41. He produced Rancid's 1995 LP ...And Out Come the Wolves, Blink-182's 1999 offering Enema of the State and 2000's The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show (The Enema Strikes Back!), and AFI's 2003 breakthrough Sing the Sorrow and its follow-up, 2006's Decemberunderground. Most recently, Finn produced ex-Smiths frontman Morrissey's upcoming Years of Refusal, which is slated for a February release.

Billboard reports that a family friend claims a scholarship fund is in the works, as well as a memorial for friends and family.

Last week, former Blink-182 member Mark Hoppus spoke out about Finn's death on his blog.

"One of my best friends passed away," he wrote. "Jerry Finn was one of the most talented, funniest, coolest, smartest and honest people I've ever known. He was true in every sense of the word. True in his love of music, true in his friendships; Jerry loved life. He was happiest when quietly making music he loved, and loudly making fun of everything he didn't. When I think of times spent with Jerry, all I can think of is us laughing. ... He's just one of those guys with the quickest wit in the room. He also knows more about music than anyone. ... I feel blessed to have worked with and learned so much from him. But most of all, I am honored to call him my dear friend. Jerry, I miss you already."

AFI plan on returning to the same studio where they recorded most of their earliest albums, to begin work on what will be their next LP. Guitarist Jade Puget wrote on the band's MySpace blog, "We're currently working on new songs," and noted that being in the old studio has the band feeling "very nostalgic." ... Why was Gwyneth Paltrow hospitalized last week? Her chef pal Mario Batali says the actress' trip to New York's Mount Sinai Hospital was due to "a little gastrointestinal situation," according to UsMagazine.com. "It's now been straightened out," said Batali, who is traveling with Paltrow to Spain in three weeks to shoot a PBS cooking show, set to air in October. Paltrow's rep issued a statement on Tuesday (January 22), saying, "She is at home and OK." ...

Read more of the afi discography and watch my favorite afi video.

==============
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==============

Jared Leto Broke Nose and Not Over Scarlett Johansson - Does She Wear 30 Seconds To Mars Merch?

2009-01-22T13:20:00.000-08:00

Singer ran into crowd, sustained additional injuries at Thursday show.

True chaos ensued Thursday at the Taste of Chaos tour stop in El Paso, Texas, resulting in 30 Seconds to Mars singer Jared Leto sustaining a broken nose and other injuries.

According to a spokesperson for the band's record label, Leto was injured when he ran into the crowd during "The Kill" and thousands of fans overpowered security and rushed toward him on the floor of County Coliseum.

Along with his nose, which was unintentionally broken, Leto suffered a foot injury and superficial injuries to his face and body.

Leto finished the show and even declared it one of the best of the tour, but eventually checked into a hospital to ensure that none of his injuries would require surgery. 30 Seconds to Mars are scheduled to perform Friday (March 2) in Dallas.

"I've been producing shows for 25 years and this was one of the scariest moments I have witnessed," Taste of Chaos organizer Kevin Lyman said in a statement. "We hope Jared's injuries are all minor and that he has a speedy recovery."

No fans were seriously injured in the melee, according to the band's spokesperson.

30 Seconds to Mars, Jared Leto could be a top flight actor, if he could just spend less time on this vanity project, was recently named one of the top 10 musicians turned actor.

Jared Leto Not Entirely Over Scarjo?

Remember when Scarlett Johansson briefly dated Jared Leto way back before she met Josh Harnett in 2004?

No, she's no longer with Josh. She's married to Ryan Reynolds, 32. Keep up.

Leto, 37, apparently hasn't forgotten their brief time together, despite recently being linked with New York City socialite Lydia Hearst.

OK! reports that Leto was "chatting" with Scarjo for the majority of the evening at the Creative Artists Agency post-Golden Globes party at the Sunset Towers on Sunday night.

And rather than reasoning that "my husband with the major abs might object to me spending the entire evening with my ex-boyfriend," Scarjo, 24, allegedly welcomed the attention. Hmm.

The 30 Seconds to Mars frontman and actor "spent most of the evening hitting on Scarlett Johansson, who certainly didn't seem to mind," is how a crass-thinking witness summarized the exchange.

Jared had his choice of exes to chat with.

Cameron Diaz was also on the scene, but former lovers Diaz and Leto reportedly didn't acknowledge each other. Single girl Cammie was said to be taken by that scalliwag Gerard Butler. Don't do it, Cammie!

Jared might have had less time for Scarlett if one of his other former flames, Paris Hilton, hadn't been expelled from the party along with her scruffy buddy. So, if Ryan Reynolds does lose his bride, he can blame Paris Hilton.

Read more of the 30 Seconds to Mars discography and watch my favorite 30 Seconds to Mars video.

==============
If You're After 30 Seconds to Mars Merch.

We've got the largest range of
rock, punk, metal and goth
band t shirts online. Get
everything from Tripp NYC clothing
to band sweatshirts. while you’re
there check out the
Weekly Top 10 Music Videos

Visit: http://www.planet13.com.au/
==============

Listings of Him's TV Appearances and Interviews

2009-01-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

SWEDEN: FUZZ INTERVIEW WITH VILLE
Wednesday, November 07, 2007 11:07 AM

MTV Sweden will be replaying their interview with Ville on Fuzz. The show airs on Sunday, November 11, 2007 at 18:00 CET. You can also see the show in their website at www.mtv.se/fuzz.

Alcatrazz
Friday, October 05, 2007 6:36 PM

SPAIN: MIGE & VILLE INTERVIEWED ON 20 MINUTOS
Thursday, October 04, 2007 6:38 PM

Ville and Mige were interviewed on Spain's 20 Minutos recently, you can catch the video of the interview here.

GERMANY: MIGE & VILLE ON MTV'S TRL
Tuesday, October 02, 2007 7:49 PM

Ville and Mige recently made an appearance on MTV's TRL in Germany. You can also vote for Kiss Of Dawn on Germany's TRL

VILLE & MIGE ON MTV2'S ROCK THE DEUCE & THE DROP
Thursday, September 13, 2007 7:17 PM

Ville and Mige will be on MTV2's Rock The Deuce on September 29th, 2007 at 10:00 P.M. EST/PST counting down their favorite videos. The show is can also be seen online at MTV2.com.

Also catch HIM on MTV2's The Drop the same day between 7:00 P.M. - 11:00 P.M. EST/PST to catch clips of 3 songs.

H.I.M. TO PERFORM ON CARSON DALY
Wednesday, July 18, 2007 6:48 PM

H.I.M. will perform "Wings of a Butterfly" this Thursday night, July 20, on Carson Daly. Stephen Dorff will also be a guest on the episode, which airs at 1:35am ET/12:35am PT. Check your local listings for details.

CATCH HIM ON FUSE TODAY
Thursday, May 10, 2007 6:02 PM

If you missed the premiere of the HIM interview on Steven's Untitled Rock Show last night at 10PM, tune in to Fuse today, Tuesday the 22nd, at 4PM!

HIM TO APPEAR ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE
Tuesday, May 08, 2007 6:00 PM

HIM will be performing on Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)Wednesday, June 7. If you want to be in show, just click here.

NOTE:

- YOU MUST BE AT LEAST 16 YEARS OLD

- YOU MUST BE AVAILABLE ON Friday, June 9th. FROM 5:30PM - 8:00PM

- YOU MUST HAVE A VALID PHOTO ID

- PLEASE DO NOT WEAR WHITE, LIGHT BLUE, BEIGE OR LOGOS, AS THEY DON'T COME ACROSS WELL ON CAMERA

- PLEASE DO NOT BRING LARGE HANDBAGS OR KNAPSACKS

- NO CAMERAS OR RECORDING DEVICES

TONIGHT: H.I.M. ON CARSON DALY!
Thursday, July 20, 2006 6:51 PM

Check out H.I.M. on "Last Call with Carson Daly" tonight, where they'll be performing "Wings of a Butterfly." "Last Call" airs at 12:35 PT / 1:35 ET
in most markets--check your local listings for channel and other details.

HIM ON CARSON DALY - THIS FRIDAY
Tuesday, June 13, 2006 11:03 AM

Catch HIM playing live on Last Call with Carson Daly this Friday, 6/16. The show airs on NBC and starts at 1:35am / 12:35am CST.

Read more of the him discography and watch my favorite him video.

==============
If You're After him Merchandise.

We've got the largest range of
rock, punk, metal and goth
band sweatshirts online. Get
everything from Tripp NYC clothing
to toddler t shirts. while you’re
there check out the
Weekly Top 10 Music Videos

Visit: http://www.planet13.com.au/
==============

Fall Out Boy Merch in Demand as LP Perfects with Encrusted Reverberation

2009-01-15T04:06:00.000-08:00

Even if you can't keep up with all the emotional turns with all of the cool Fall Out Boy Merch that is coming out, the lyrics in the new Fall Out Boy album is always an engaging sonic excursion.

That's true more than ever on Folie a Deux (translation: a madness shared by two), which uses the band's high-energy emo approach as a springboard for an ambitious and pleasing wall of sound. While there is precious little dynamic range — maybe the lean, rhythmic intro to Tiffany Blews or the piano that introduces the power ballad What a Catch, Donnie — the band's penchant for doing things big is usually rewarding.

Tracks such as the churning I Don't Care are built for rattling the foundation at rock arenas, and the song's exuberant sing-along chorus isn't lacking in the hook department either.

Such anthems are a Fall Out Boy specialty, but the surprise on Folie a Deux is the skill with which the band members and producer Neal Avron add so many layers without turning things into a sludgy mess. Often, the excesses manage to rescue songs from boring cliches.

That's the case on What a Catch, Donnie, which emerges from its lushness to a massive chorus with cameos by Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy and Elvis Costello (yes, Elvis Costello) doing bits of other Fall Out Boy songs.

''No one wants to hear you sing about tragedy,'' the band announces in the album's opening moments. Yeah, the melodramatic sentiment could get old fast, if it weren't wrapped in so many appealing diversions.

Read more of the Fall out Boy discography and watch my favorite Fall out Boy video.

==============
If You're After Fall out Boy Merchandise.

We've got the largest range of
rock, punk, metal and goth
band sweatshirts online. Get
everything from Tripp NYC clothing
to toddler t shirts. while you’re
there check out the
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Visit: http://www.planet13.com.au/
==============

Evanescence's Amy Lee: It Is Not Every Part of Being Distressing

2009-01-15T01:30:00.000-08:00

The singer chats with SPIN.com about her band's infighting, a new solo album, scoring films, and more.

With Nightmare Revisited, Evanescence's Amy Lee has released her first new material since her band's 2006 multi-platinum hit, The Open Door. Add that to the departure of two Evanescence members and Lee's ever-growing musical independence, and the songstress has some explaining to do.

Lee, who is busy writing new material, talks with SPIN.com about the messy split of Evanescence's guitarist John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray, writing a solo album, scoring films, and "Sally's Song," her contribution to Nightmare Revisited, the new collection of covers from Tim Burton's 1993 film, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

On the state of Evanescence:
"It's a difficult situation, as is every dramatic situation our band has gone through. John [LeCompt, guitar], Rocky [Gray, drums] -- we outgrew each other. When they joined the band, Fallen was just completed and they were excited to be a part of something really big. From the beginning, their musical styles were very different from Evanescence. I think to a degree they got bored or frustrated. They weren't part of the creative process and were like, 'Why are we doing this?' Their writing just didn't work for Evanescence, and I have to do what's best for the band. I've had a little bit of contact with John since and it was positive. Very few bands have been able to maintain their original members forever."

On new songs and a solo album:
"I need to show that I’m more than a one trick pony. I'm writing here at the house by myself and it's been really good. But I'd really like to do something different next. [The new songs] are definitely different. I feel like I'm going back to my really old roots. They have more of my folky and Celtic influence than ever before. And it's not all sad -- it's nothing I would categorize as Evanescence."

On scoring films:
"My biggest dream from the beginning -- besides Evanescence -- is scoring film and writing music for film. And I've definitely had that in my head and have been trying to connect with the right people to get involved with the right project. I really feel like it would be great to get into a project that's bigger than myself and be the creator and not necessarily just the performer."

On Nightmare Revisited:
"The Nightmare Before Christmas is my number one biggest influence artistically in every way. [When I was young] I literally would sit in my bedroom and sing 'Sally's Song,' or in the car driving to school. The best part about it [recording the song] was that I had no restrictions or direction or anything. I picked the producer, who's a friend, and we just made the song however we wanted together. [We recorded the song] three months ago, in Fort Worth, TX."

Read more of the Evanescence discography and watch my favorite Evanescence video.

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Blink-182 Merch Plead Increases as Mark Hoppus Discusses Reunion – Part Two

2009-01-15T00:23:00.000-08:00

(Read Blink-182 Merch Plead - Part One) On His Relationship With DeLonge: "Right now, we're getting back to just being friends. I talk to Tom several times a week, sometimes several times a day, and you know, he's still the same Tom that I talked to on tour buses four years ago. He still talks about UFOs and lasers and conspiracy theories. We talk about new bands we dig — Vampire Weekend — and the movie 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall.' We also make stupid fart jokes. God help us, we're grown men still making fart jokes. ... Who knows? I know two things: One, I'm just glad we're all friends again, and two, none of us know anything for sure beyond that."

On the Future of Blink-182: "The future is wide open. ... Blink-182 merchandise wasn't manufactured by a label, and we weren't making music to make money or for fame. We were three friends in a band, writing music that we loved. That's where it began and ended. Before there's reunion talk, we need to get back to that point again. Actually, we would need to get beyond that point, to a place where you can say to someone, 'Hey, man, I'm not really feeling this,' and be able to argue constructively about the music. Because that's where the best of Blink-182 came into being. The pull between the ideas the three of us had. I've always thought that the three of us each brought something unique and special to the songs, and the collision of those elements made the music what it was. In short, we would need to get back to where we're all close enough friends and artists to be able to tell each other, respectfully, 'Suck it.' My final thought is this: If — and this is a big if — Blink-182 were ever to re-form, it would have to be the most amazing, ridiculous, mind-blowing show and tour ever. I feel like, as bitter as our breakup was, we stepped back at the top of our game, and we'd have to come back even stronger and better than before."

So, if there's no Blink reunion in the immediate future, what about Hoppus and Barker's other band, +44? The answer might surprise you. Check out MTVNews.com on Wednesday for more.

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AC/DC Merchandise and Music Therapy?

2008-12-25T02:03:00.000-08:00

AC/DC merch and LP `Black Ice` has been one of the biggest sellers in the world this year and in America, it has now passed the benchmark 2x platinum and you thought Kiss was big.

‘Black Ice’ broke an 8-year drought for new music from the band. It was the follow-up to ‘Stiff Upper Lip’ at the start of the century.

In Australia, per capita, ‘Black Ice’ has done twice as good as it did in the USA. Australia has accredited the album 4x platinum.

This week’s sales for ‘Black Ice’ added up to 262,097. It will sell more than 280,000 by the end of this week. Platinum is awarded after 70,000 units are shipped to stores in Australia.

The AC/DC ‘Black Ice’ world tour has dates through to the middle of 2009 now. The band is expected to announce the Australia leg of the tour in January for the end of 09.

AC/DC Music Room?

Taking a slight detour from the highway to hell, AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson delivered an early Christmas gift for sick children at a Sarasota hospital.

Johnson dedicated a music room at Sarasota Memorial Hospital on Monday. Nearly $20,000 for the room came through the John Entwistle Foundation, a group founded in honor of the late bass player for The Who. Johnson, AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams and drummer Steve Luongo - the foundation's director and former bandmate of Entwistle - raised money for the room with gigs last year.

Dr. Jennifer Mayer, a pediatric oncologist, says music therapy can help children who are anxious about surgery and illness.

The room includes an electronic drum kit, guitars, a keyboard and a computer with music recording software.

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Why Did The Band Alexisonfire Name The Group After a Stripper?

2008-04-09T10:31:00.000-07:00

Alexisonfire (pronounced 'alexis-on-fire') is a post-hardcore band from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Their music is characterized by turbulent and explosive dynamics with intricate guitar melodies. Consisting of five friends, they formed in late 2001 as the result of a three-band break up.

The band's name is a sort-of homage to a contortionist stripper named Alexis Fire, who claimed to be the world's only lactating contortionist stripper. This caused problems when she discovered that they were using her website name (alexisonfire.com) as their band name, and threatened to sue. However, since she had never trademarked the title nothing became of these threats. In the end, the band decided to change their website's URL in spite to theonlybandever.com

Alexisonfire knows that the fans aren’t stupid. The fans know the real deal when they see it, and in the case of AOF, they seem to have told 2 friends, who told 2 friends, and so on. During the year that followed the release of the self-titled 2002 debut album, Alexisonfire has shot into the spotlight like a streaker at an All-Star game: Gold Record certification in Canada for both debut and sophomore albums; 5 videos reaching Heavy rotation on MuchMusic, 2 MMVA awards; New Group of the Year at the 2005 Junos; album releases and major tours in Japan, Australia and the UK. This may all sound like SOP for an up-and-coming rock ensemble, but this is a band that often describes its music as “the sound of two Catholic high-school girls in mid-knife-fight”. This hasn’t happened before. Nobody is more aware of this fact than the St. Catharines’ natives. Taking it all in stride, they remain guile-less, affable, and capable of equal amounts of sarcasm and self-deprecation. And with the new album “Crisis”, Alexisonfire have, dare we say it, matured.

Read more about Alexisonfire, click here:

Reinventing Your Exit Underoath States

2008-04-07T05:09:00.000-07:00

The band Underoath is a Christian metal core band originating from Ocala, Florida in the bedroom of previous guitarist Luke Morton in 1998. The name was derived from a meeting between Luke and Dallas Taylor, a long standing former member. After some practicing, Aaron Gillespie, who is still with the band today, was recruited from Luke’s church and became the drummer for Underoath.

Takehold Records signed Underoath in 1999 and later that same year released the debut album Act Of Depression and was followed later by a 5 song montage entitled Cries From The Past, both which are currently out of print. During this time, the band members changed frequently and hardly resemble the current members of Underoath today.

In 2001, Takehold Records was bought by Tooth & Nail Records therefore signing Underoath to Solid State Records, a heavier subsidiary. From this came the album The Changing Of Times in February 2002. 2003 brought Underoath on a Vans Warped Tour where their participation became halted when the lead singer Dallas Taylor, left the band. After this controversial move, it was unclear what the future would hold for Underoath at that time, but later continued on and picked up Spencer Chamberlain as the new lead vocalist.

They’re Only Chasing Safety came out in the early months of 2004 and sold a breaking number of 350,000 copies. Reinventing Your Exit and It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door were the album’s 2 singles which both refer to quotes made by a character within the story of Lord Of The Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. 2005 proved to be a successful year for Underoath while they debuted as #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and later Billboard 200. Playing a number of Warped Tour dates, they participated on the inaugural Taste of Chaos tour all the while premiering 2 brand new songs during this tour length.

Underoath’s fifth album Define The Great Line was started in the studio in January 2006 and months before the actual release date, an unfinished version was leaked to the Internet. This prompted a statement from the band members to explain that the leaked version was raw and unmixed and therefore sound much unlike the finished album should. Define The Great Line was released on June 2006 and has sold over 500,000 copies to date.

They have toured extensively throughout Europe, Australia and Asia. Current drummer Aaron Gillespie has a side project called The Almost and works with them alongside Underoath. The working relationship has been amicable and when Aaron went through emergency surgery on an infection on his hand, Underoath recruited The Almost drummer Kenny Bozich to replace him instead of canceling shows while on tour.

The next upcoming album from Underoath has a scheduled release date in the summer of 2008. They have approached Adam Dutkiewicz to return as producer for this album alongside Matt Goldman. There is talk of a new live album in the works with no official title or release date as of yet.

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Ozzfest And Japan Tours Gained Popularity for Trivium

2008-04-07T05:01:00.000-07:00

Trivium hails out of Orlando, Florida. Extremely popular with their UK fan base, this band has been growing and gaining worldwide attention more than ever before.

Their heavy hitting brand might have tempered down a couple of degrees over the years from a metalcore style, but this has only served to bring out a cleaner sound for Trivium.

Their last two albums have a thrash metal feel that has developed and served them well as their fan base grows even more popular.

Trivium began it's journey when Brad Lewter discovered Matt Heafy playing a middle school talent show where Matt covered No Leaf Clover by Metallica.

Matt was invited to Travis Smith's house to jam with them. After the audition, Matt became part of the band. A couple of bar gigs later, Lewter quit and Matt took over the on vocals.

In early 2002, Trivium decided to go into the studio and lay down tracks for their first demo. Based on the final demo, Lifeforce, a German label signed Trivium, sending them back into a studio to record their debut album Ember to Inferno.

After some minor changes, Corey Beaulieu was made second guitarist and Paolo Gregoletto joined Trivium as the bass player right before the band began their tour with Machine Head.

In 2004, Trivium went over to Roadrunner Records and immediately began writing songs to the next album, Ascendancy.

The second album, Ascendancy, was released in March of 2005. Most of the songs on the album had been written and completed in July the previous year. Roadrunner held off until 2005 so the band could go out on tour to support the album's release.

Trivium toured with Machine Head, Iced Earth, Fear Factory and other bands of the same vein. This was Roadrunner's plan to build a Trivium fan base and let the band grow wings to fly with.

Their touring engagements threw Trivium into the Roadrage 2005 tour, that spilled over into multiple appearances in the UK that summer. The UK fans could not get enough of Trivium!

Trivium had a busy summer of 2005. They played Ozzfest, then back to the UK, then over to Japan. Throughout these tours, the band got the exposure they needed, gaining more popularity at each new concert.

Trivium was paying their dues. By 2006, the band was playing center stage at The Crusade III: Ascend Above the Ashes tour. Trivium was now at the number three position following Korn and Metallica as headliners.

It was during this tour date Trivium had changed their style. The band never wanted to scream, so they stopped screaming. They worked on their vocals, refining, then defining until they got it right. This was Trivium's big evolutionary moment and it worked, the fans loved them even more than before.

Recently, Trivium toured throughout 2007 in New Zealand, Autralia, Europe, Japan, then came back home. Then back again to the UK for the Black Crusade tour.

Currently, Trivium's plans for their next album are set for sometime late in 2008.

Trivium is one of the busiest touring bands you will ever find. It has gained them a worldwide audience and exposure that keeps growing every time they go out on tour.

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Mysterious Story Behind The Black Dahlia Murder Band Name Is Interesting And Puzzling

2008-04-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

The Black Dahlia Murder is the name of the unsolved case of the murdered actress Elizabeth Short in 1947. Although it was never official there were those who believed Orson Wells may have done the deed. However, in this day and age it is the name of a melodic death metal slash metalcore band. Orson would probably have approved.

The Black Dahlia Murder is from Waterford in Michigan. These ace musicians have become front runners in the metal music scene of Detroit. The band’s death metal sound has been predisposed to bands such as Carcass, Morbid Angel, Flames and At the Gates. They artfully use the fast death metal style as well as blast beats to the fullest.

The very original voice of The Black Dahlia Murder vocalist is full ranged and controlled. Trevor Strnad makes good use of his voice to communicate the band’s character to listeners. He is masterful at pitching a variety of vocal levels such as death metal growls and head splitting shrieking. Strnad is capable of screaming that which is similar to hardcore.

The band experienced a setback when they needed a new drummer. Shannon Lucas joined The Black Dahlia Murder band on 21 March 2007. He replaced Pierre Langloise. Lucas has been musical for most of his life. His career began at the age of fourteen on guitar. Later on in high school he began with percussion. The year before he joined The Black Dahlia Murder Lucas performed at Ozzfest 2006.

As of now the current members of The Black Dahlia Murder are:

• Vocals Trevor Strnad
• Guitar Brian Eschback
• Guitar John Kempainen
• Bass Ryan Bart Williams
• Drums Shannon Lucas

They all participated in the full length album Nocturnal. The album was released by Metal Blade on 18 September 2007. This was the first BDM album to feature new members Shannon Lucas and Bart Williams. Williams is the band’s new talented bassist. However, Nocturnal was leaked to the P2P networks just seven days prior to the album’s release.

This did not stop The Black Dahlia Murder from actively supporting the release of Nocturnal. The band decided to put on a show that was not directly about music. They held a hot dog eating contest. Five members of the gathered crowd took part. The champion hot dog eater was presented with a choice. It had to be either a mystery box or a merchandise pack. The choice was for the pack. When the mystery box was opened it was filled with hot dogs.

The followers of the BDM will be pleased to know what is in the band’s immediate future. The Black Dahlia Murder will take part in a headline tour of the United States. Their home crowd will not have long to wait. This tour will take place next year in 2008. The following bands will perform with The Black Dahlia Murder:

• Decrepit Birth
• Hate Eternal
• 3 Inches of Blood

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Taking Back Sundays New Album Received Much Success Touring With This Group

2008-04-07T04:31:00.000-07:00

Taking Back Sunday, formed in 1999 and hailing from Amityville, Long Island (New York), have indeed had a very successful career up to date. Despite many line up changes and other set backs, the band have continued to produce a powerful emotive sound and sensational live performance.

Taking Back Sunday was originally founded by Eddie Reyes on guitar, and included Antonio Longo on vox, Jesse Lacey on Bass, John Nolan on guitar (and backing vox) and Mark O' Connell on drums. Their first album was released in 2001, eponimously titled the Taking Back Sunday EP. The album was only ever sold at live shows and received moderate success. During the release, the line up of the band changed as well, with Antonio Longo (on vox) being replaced with Adam Lazzara, and Shaun Cooper replacing Jesse Lacey on bass.

The band soon headed back into the studio, and recorded their follow up album Tell All Your Friends. It was produced by Sal Villaneuva, and released by Victory Records in 2002. They then toured with bands like The Used and Jesse Lacey's new band Brand New. 2003 saw Taking Back Sunday perform on the Vans Warped Tour, and their new album received much success.

The future of the band was in doubt, however, when John Nolan and Shaun Cooper left soon after to form their band called Straylight Run. Fred Mascherino joined the band on vox and guitar, and Matt Rubano came on board as the new bassist. But 2004 saw the band back in full form, being one of the headliners of the Vans Warped Tour as well as opening for Blink 182.

July 27, 2004 saw the release of their next album Where You Want To Be (Victory Records.) Success of the single A Decade Under The Influence pushed them into the spotlight, and was the cause of the album debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The album received wonderful success with 163 000 units being sold. The band also appeared on TV shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Loveline. Their song This Photograph is Proof appeared on the SpiderMan 2 soundtrack, and Your Own Disaster appeared on the Elektra soundtrack. Error:Operator was featured on the movie Fantastic Four as well as in the video game.

April 25, 2006, Taking Back Sunday released the album Louder Now, which was their first major label release (Warner Bros. Records.) The album was more gritty in its sound, keeping in line with their highly acclaimed live performances. They appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as well as on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

The band's first DVD (Louder Now : Partone) was released in December 2006, and included behind the scenes tour footage. July 2007 saw Taking Back Sunday perform at the Live Earth event, and in October 2007 Victory Records released the CD Notes From the Past, which included previously unreleased songs.

In the same month, however, Taking Back Sunday announced that they were working on their new album due for release in 2008, despite that Fred Mascherino (the lead vocalist) had decided to leave the band and work on his solo career and album (The Color Fred.) Fred left on good terms, and the band promises to continue to impress with their upcoming album and plans for the new year.

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Sum 41 Song Fat Lip #1 Rock Song In US For A Week

2008-04-07T03:35:00.000-07:00

Canadians Sum 41, hailing from Ajax, Ontario, can best be described as a Punk Rock band with a developing sound. Reportedly, the band members met in 1996 at a Hole concert and began to play together. It wasn't until 1999 that they were scouted by Island Records.

Sum 41 consists of Deryck Whibley (lead vox, guitars and keyboards), Cone McCaslin (bass guitar, backing vox), Steve Jocz (drums, percussion, backing vox) and (originally) Dave Baksh on lead guitar and backing vox, who has since left the band to work on other projects.

The band's first full length album, All Killer No Filler, was released under Island Records in May 8, 2001. The first single, Fat Lip, was the #1 rock song in the US for a week. During this time, they began their very famous touring career, and performed on the Warp Tour. Live performances continued with the release of the next singles, In Too Deep and Motivation, respectively. In 2001, they opened for the much acclaimed Punk Rock band Blink 182.

The second album, Does This Look Infected, was released on November 26, 2002. Their style on the album still contained their original smooth harmonies, but was much heavier than the previous album. They released a number of famous videos at the time, including the first single (Still Waiting) which was a parody of videos being released by The Strokes.

At this time, world renowned performer Iggy Pop recruited their talents for his new album Skull Ring. The first single, Little Know It All, was cowritten with Sum 41, and they performed the song together on the Late Show with David Letterman.

The band began to get political in 2004, first contributing a song (Moron) to the Rock Against Bush album, and then flying to the Democratic Republic of Congo for a movie documenting the civil war ravaging the country. A frightful incident occurred during their stay, when fighting broke out near their hotel. Sensing the impending danger, a fellow Canadian (Charles Pellerier) arranged for armored carriers to get the band out of the hotel and to safety. Sum 41 named their next album, Chuck after Charles (whose nickname was Chuck.) The documentary about the war, and the event, was released by War Child Canada and titled ROCKED : Sum 41 in Congo. It was shortly aired on MTV.

Chuck was released in October 2004, with a much more serious undertone and heavier sound. The first single, We're All To Blame, was specifically about the Congo trip and was soon followed up with the single Pieces, reaching the top of the Canadian charts.

Since that time, Sum 41 released a live CD under two different titles (Happy Live Surprise in Japan, and Go Chuck Yourself in Canada.) In May 2006, Dave Baksh announced that he was leaving the band to focus on his new project Brown Brigade. He was replaced with Thom Thacker, who Deryck Whibley announced would only be a touring member of the band and not an official member. Recording for their new album (Underclass Hero) continued throughout the year into 2007, being released on July 24 2007 and debuting at #7 in the USA.

In 2007, Sum 41 toured with the band Finder Eleven, but the tour was soon canceled when Deryck Whibley sustained a serious herniated disc injury during a live show. The tour will continue once Deryck recovers, and fans eagerly await what surprises Sum 41 will produce in the coming year.

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Slayer Shows No Mercy

2008-04-07T03:26:00.000-07:00

Slayer was formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman. Tom Araya, who had played with King in a previous band, was recruited as bassist/lead vocalist. Fate intervened when Dave Lombardo delivered a pizza to King and was recruited almost immediately.

1981-1982
Discovered by Brian Slagel at the Woodstock in Los Angeles. Signed to Metal Blade Records and recorded Aggressive Perfector which attracted massive underground attention.

1983-1984
Show No Mercy released in November 1983. This album was self financed and sold 40,000 copies worldwide. First national club tour started and continued to gain underground popularity.

Haunting the Chapel, a three song EP released in August 1984 and Slayer opens for UFO at the Heavy Sounds Festival.

Kerry King leaves Slayer to join Megadeth. King returned to Slayer after only 5 shows. This fueled a long standing feud between the two bands.

1985-1986
Home video of Combat Tour: The Ultimate Revenge released in 1985. Also hired veteran producer Ron Fair.
Hell Awaits released in September 1985.

1986-1987
Def Jam Records offers contract citing the success of Hell Awaits. This leads to an overhaul of the band’s song structure. Reign in blood released later that year and is released by Geffen Records after being refused by Columbia. Issues with the cover art were cited.

1988-1989
South of Heaven released and received mixed reviews from fans and critics even though the album was successful commercially. Slower tempos are featured.

1990-1995
The fifth studio album, Seasons in the Abyss, is released in 1990 and returns to the pounding speed of Reign in Blood. Also the first release on Rick Rubin’s new Def American label.

Slayer co-headlines Clash of the Titans European tour. Tour extended to the US in 1991 and coincides with the release of a double live album, Decade of Aggression celebrating ten years.

Lombardo leaves the band and is replaced by Paul Bostaph.

Divine Intervention is released in 1994 and charts higher than any previous album.

Slayer scheduled a world tour in 1995 with Machine Head and Biohazard. Also appeared with the Monsters of Rock tour with Metallica as headliner.

1996-2000
Undisputed Attitude is release in 1996 and Bostaph leaves Slayer shortly after. He is replaced by former Testament drummer Jon Dette. Slayer headlines the 1996 Ozzfest but Dette is fired after a year. Bostaph returned to finish the tour.

Diabolus in Musica released in 1998 and received mixed criticism. The album features drop tunings for 1st time. Slayer appeared at the UK Ozzfest 1998 in support of the new album.

2001-present
God Hates us All released in September 2001 and wins Slayer their first Grammy nomination for the track Disciple. The release unintentionally coincided with the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Bostaph leaves Slayer again at Christmas 2001due to an elbow injury that hindered his playing. Original drummer Lombardo returns as a permanent member.

The tour was haunted by date cancellations resulting from flight restrictions.
Slayer toured throughout 2003 playing Reign in Blood in it’s entirety.

In 2004, a DVD Still Reigning was released as well as War at the Warfield, a box set and Soundtrack to the Apocalypse.

Christ Illusion released in August 2006 and was the first recorded release with Lombardo since Seasons of the Abyss in the 90’s. Three weeks later, Slayer is inducted into the Kerrang! Hall of fame for their contribution to heavy metal.

The album’s first single Eyes of the Insane was featured on the Saw III soundtrack and won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance.

A special edition of Christ Illusion is released and receives a Grammy Nomination in 2007.

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Why Senses Fail Played Gigs At VFW Halls?

2008-04-07T03:14:00.000-07:00

Garrett Zablocki had dreams of putting a band together. Advertising on the internet on a web page for musicians in 2002, he was contacted by Buddy Nielson, who is the band’s current singer. A friend of Garrett’s, Dave Miller, who was a background vocalist as well as a guitarist joined the band next. Miller and Garrett had played together previously in another band. Dan Trapp who had played with Dave Miller in a band before he joined Senses Fail, was taken on as a drummer. Mike Glita, who had been the drummer for Tokyo Rose, was the last to join the group

The band got a few gigs at VFW halls and lesser known clubs in the New Jersey area. By practicing every chance they got, determination to make it in the music circuit, and selling themselves to record labels Senses Fail started getting more play dates around New Jersey. Using the internet as their advertising agency also helped the band got the word out about themselves.

The band’s first release was in August of 2002. Released on ECA Records, From the Depths of Dreams was a six track extended play. Drive Thru Records released the album again on April 29, 2003. It had two extra tracks. Let It Enfold You was their first album. It was released on Vagrant Records, September 7, 2004. During 2004, more songs were recorded for the Let It Enfold You album and added as more people grew interested in the band.

The hard core music of Senses Fail was on it’s way, following the paths of bands before them such as Escape The Fate and The Used. In 2005, it was announced to the music world that Dave Miller, who played guitar for the group was leaving the band. Although it was announced that the decision was a mutual one, reports later from members of the group itself, denied this. New guitarist Heath Saraceno entered the picture shortly thereafter.

Tours with big name bands such as The Used followed. The Taste of Chaos Tour in 2006, the Warped Tour, and a headlining tour with The Sleeping and Alexisonfire. October 2007 found them on a 33 city tour with New Found Glory. This tour wrapped up in November. Credited with a cover of Suicidal Tendencies’ Institutionalized for the American Wasteland game soundtrack by Tony Hawk, it seems Senses Fail is on their way to the fame and fortune they were seeking.

Just recently, on December 8th, the band’s bassist, Mike Glita decided to leave Senses Fail to take on his own personal projects. The band has a follow up album that is in the works for Still Searching. An apology has been issued on the web site for the band telling all their fans that they will continue without Mike Glita and although it is deeply regretted. The band is working on their follow up album which will begin recording in March 2008.

For post hard core music and emotional music, Senses Fail, has followed in the footsteps of the bands that they credit with having the most influence on them. Jimmy Eats World, Jawbreaker, and The Promise Ring are just a few of the ones they feel have had an impact on their music. Look for upcoming tour information on this band as they are on their way to the top.

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Saosin's Band Name Derives From A Chinese Proverb

2008-04-07T03:07:00.000-07:00

Formed in Newport, California in 2003, the pop band Saosin has made quite a name for itself and is considered to be an instant success, especially in terms of online sales. The band's first album, Translating the Name was released and after this, Saosin was approached by a wide variety of different record companies, all before playing their first show. This quintet is currently one of the fastest-growing headliners in the industry and from the Vans Warped Tour to literally thousands of fans downloading their music off of their MySpace page, it can be seen that this band has done a great deal to create the lyrical, hard driving music that they are known for.

Originally, the band was meant to be known as The Gift, and it started with two guitarists, Beau Burchell and Justin Shekoski. Their demo was created with two guitarists and a MIDI sampling of drums, and featured Beau Burchell on vocals. They asked after the Keith Goodwin from Days Away, who referred them to Anthony Green, who lived in Philadelphia. Green flew in and recorded the vocals for their song in 4 days, while Pat McGrath was brought into to do the drumming. The first few songs were an instant hit on the band's MySpace page, and soon major record labels were courting the new band.

After cutting the first album, Anthony Green left the band to return to Philadelphia and a public, nationwide search was conducted before Cove Reber was found and added as a new permanent vocalist and guitar player. As of this point in time, the band stands with Reber on vocals, Chris Sorenson on bass, Alex Rodriguez on drums and Beau Burchell and Justin Shekoski, the band's founders, on guitar.

According to former vocalist Anthony Green, Saosin's name, which is pronounced say-o-sin, derives from a Chinese proverb meaning small heart. When Chinese fathers married off their youngest sons, they would do it for money, and the fathers would caution their sons not to get too attached to their brides. Loving with caution and raising sons who were just as cold were two of the themes that are implied in this proverb, and Green, who heard of the concept in eighth grade, uses it in many old band names and songs that he has written.

Though Saosin has played in the same venues as AFI and My Chemical Romance, the band members as a whole have defied genre and resisted being classified as a genre; they prefer that their music live or die based its strict musical merits and as such, they often encounter a real cross genre of fans. Starting in 2003, when Saosin released the singles Seven Years and 3rd Measurement in C, until their recent release in 2007 of You're Not Alone, Saosin has done a great deal to further themselves in terms of music and talent.

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Rage Against The Machine Reunited Briefly In January 2007

2008-04-07T02:56:00.000-07:00

Rage Against The Machine was formed in 1991. Rage’s constant permanent members have been guitarist Tom Morello, vocalist Zack De La Rocha, bassist Tim Commerford and drummer Brad Wilk.

Rage’s music is a mixture of hip hop, heavy metal, punk and funk. Add politically fueled lyrics and you have the quintessential recipe for Rage Against The Machine.

Guitarist Tom Morello had left his old band Lock Up. He came across Zack De La Rocha in an LA club in 1991 and was impressed by De La Rocha’s free style rapping. Looking to start another band, Morello asked De La Rocha to join up. Morello called up friend/drummer Brad Wilk who he had played with in Lock Up while De La Rocha recruited long time friend Tim Commerford as bassist.

Rage’s first public performance was at a house party in Orange County, California. During the same time, Rage had laid the blueprint for their debut album with a twelve song self financed cassette. After several record labels expressed interest, Rage Against The Machine signed with Epic in 1992 and retained the all important creative control.

Later that year, the band’s self titled debut album, Rage Against The Machine, reached triple platinum status with 3,000,000 units sold. This was driven by heavy air play of the single Killing In The Name Of. There is also an uncensored version with 17 uses of the “F” word which was played once on a BBC radio top 40 show.

Rage went on tour and played at the 1993 Lollapalooza and as support for the band Suicidal Tendencies.

The film Higher Learning included the song Year of Tha Boomerang on the soundtrack as well as an earlier version of Tire Me.

Darkness was written for the soundtrack to The Crow and No Shelter appeared on the Godzilla soundtrack.

Rage Against The Machine did not record another studio album until 1996 with Evil Empire. The band was scheduled to appear on Saturday Night Live. A two song performance was cut to only one because the band wanted to hang upside down US flags from their amplifiers in protest of co-host Steve Forbes who was a Republican Presidential candidate at the time.

Rage began touring on the PopMart Tour with U2 in 1997 with all the profits going to charities. Later that year, Rage began another tour with the Wu Tang Clan. In that year, Rage also released a self titled live video.

The band’s third studio release was the Battle of Los Angeles in 1999. This album sold 450,000 copies the first week then went double platinum with 2,000,000 copies sold.

That same year Wake Up appeared on the Matrix soundtrack. Another song, Calm Like a Bomb, appeared in the sequel, The Matrix Reloaded.

In 2000, Rage was to tour with the Beastie Boys on the Rhyme and Reason tour. This was canceled when Beastie drummer Mike D was seriously injured.

In October of 2000, De La Rocha announced he was leaving Rage citing issues with the band’s decision making process. Subsequently, De La Rocha began a low key solo career. The other members of Rage Against The Machine formed the supergroup Audioslave and had great success.

Rage Against The Machine reunited briefly in January 2007 at the Coachella Festival. The band continues to play sporadic dates in protest of government and political causes. Tom Morello says that there is no plan for a new RATM album anytime.

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Look What the Cat Dragged In - Bret Michaels? No Poison!

2008-04-07T02:48:00.000-07:00

Poison is one of the most popular bands to come out of the 80's. The band is made up of four members, Bret Michaels, the lead vocalist and most often spokesman for the group. C.C. Deville, the lead guitarist and always the stand out in Poison. Bobby Dall, the bassist and in Brett's own words, the guy who is sex, drugs, and rock n roll, and Rikki Rockett the energetic and fun loving drummer of the band.

Poison's band members Brett Michaels and Rikki Rockett were former band mates of the band Spectres during their high school years. In 1983, Michaels, Rockett, along with new comers Bobby Dall and Matt Smith formed the band Paris. Poison became a reality after some parents of youngsters starting telling others that they were poisoning those that listen to their music. After a short time, Matt Smith decided to leave the band. The band then auditioned many people, which include GNR's Slash, but ultimately decided that C.C. Deville was their man.

Look What the Cat Dragged In was the first album released by Poison in 1986, it saw some success with two million copies sold over the years. However, the real success with eight million albums sold came with the 1988 release of Open up and say Ahh. When it comes to the 80's, Poison joins the ranks amongst Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, and Def Leppard as best selling hard rockers.

Flesh & Blood became the third Poison release and also saw massive success. The band eventually broke up for a short time after some troubles behind the scenes and came back to the music world in 2006 after one year off. Their debut was also their 20th anniversary and they celebrated with a tour that was titled 20 Years Of Rock.

Their albums over the past 21 years include:

• The 1986 Release Look What the Cat Dragged In
• The 1988 Release Open Up and Say Ahh
• The 1990 Release Flesh and Blood
• The 1991 Release Swallow This Live
• The 1993 Release Native Tongue
• The 1996 Release Poison's Greatest Hits
• The 2000 Release Crack a Smile
• The 2001 Release Power to the People
• The 2002 Release Hollyweird
• The 2003 Release Best of Ballads & Blues
• The 2006 Release The Best of Poison: 20 Years Of Rock
• The 2007 Release Poison'd

Of their most popular and successful songs, you cannot top:

• I Won't Forget You
• I Want Action
• Talk Dirty To Me
• Every Rose Has Its Thorn
• Nothin' But A Good Time
• Your Mama Don't Dance
• Fallen Angel
• Unskinny Bop
• Something To Believe In
• Ride the Wind

In 2007, Bret Michaels was on the Rock of Love series, which had him choosing one woman to be with and live his lifestyle with. The band itself is not currently on tour, however, you can occasionally find Bret doing a solo set in smaller bars and arenas.

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Parkway Drive Plans Tour With KillSwitch Engage In 2008

2008-04-07T02:41:00.000-07:00

Parkway Drive are an Australian Metalcore band hailing from Byron Bay, New South Wales. The band includes Winston Mcall on vocals, Ben Gordon on drums, Jeff Ling on Guitar and Jia Pipey O'Connor on Bass. They are currently signed to Epitaph Records.

Parkway Drive was originally formed in 2003 and got their name from the street they used to rehearse in. Soon after their formation they released a split EP with the band I Killed The Prom Queen (who have since disbanded.) Towards the latter half of 2003, the original guitarist (Paul Lynch) left the band who was eventually replaced by Jeff Ling.

They also made an appearance on a Byron Bay compilation album called What We've Built. Shortly afterwards, the band released their first EP entitled Don't Close Your Eyes which received growing success.

May 2005 saw the band head over to the USA and team up with acclaimed musician and producer Adam Dutkiewicz (from KillSwitch Engage.) Don't Close Your Eyes won over the Australian market, and since then Parkway Drive has had a very strong support from their local fanbase on a national scale. 2005 also saw the band perform and support international acts like As I Lay Dying, Shadows Fall, Alexis On Fire, In Flames and Chimaira. Festivals also loaded up their tour diary, especially performances at Hardcore 2005 and Metal For The Brain 2005.

Another line up change was to occur, however, when Shaun Cash (the bassist) left the band in late May 2006 for personal reasons. The band were very supportive of Cash and he left on good terms. He was replaced by a long time friend of Parkway Drive, who was originally their merchandise guy, Jia Pipey O'Connor. O'Connor played with the band throughout the rest of the touring, and was made an official part of the line up.

One of the key performances in 2006 for Parkway Drive were the Rockstar Taste Of Chaos tour, and some key bands Parkway Drive performed with were UnderOath, Taking Back Sunday and Anti Flag.

The band built up some hype for their new album Horizons, which was released on 6 October 2007. In March they played one of the songs of the (yet to be released) album at Underworld in Camden, and used the media to help build up the hype. In 2007, the band was also booked for the Vans Warped Tour (the only Australian band on the bill.)

Horizons was leaked before the release date, which was unfortunate for the band. Nevertheless, it received raving reviews from the scene; Blunt Magazine, in particular, giving the album a 10 out of 10. 2007 saw the band finish off with a tour in Europe.

Where to from here? Well, the band already have a tour planned for 2008 with KillSwitch Engage, Every Time I Die and The Dillinger Escape Plan. 2008 promises to be a year of much growth for Parkway Drive, and is sure to push them into greater public awareness.

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Panteras Band Members Splinter Off Into Several Other Bands

2008-04-07T02:35:00.000-07:00

Pantera may not be a band heard on rock radio every day, but they were a huge presence at one time. One could go so far as to say they are the Led Zeppelin of metal since they are respected and revered in a way that happens only to the greats. There certainly was a time when you’d be hard pressed not to find a flannel clad man driving a Camaro without a Pantera cassette in the deck.

Like most of the great bands of our time, Pantera’s history was riddled with difficulties after they enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top with the addition of singer Phil Anselmo. But before Anselmo came to Dallas by way of New Orleans, Pantera has been around since the early 1980s. The band was started by guitarist Dimebag Darrell and his brother, Vinnie Paul. They actually released three albums on their own before Anselmo became a part of the band. Initially, the band’s innovated heavy sound was rejected as they shopped demos out to record labels only to find rejection. But an A&R rep from Atco Records finally shared their vision and that’s how Cowboys From Hell was born.

Their success began with the release of that record in 1990. A successful sophomore album came two years later with the release of Vulgar Display of Power. In 1994, Far Beyond Driven arrived. All three albums are considered classics by Pantera fans, music industry professionals, music journalists, and every metal band that has come along since. It was after this third album was released that the trouble in the band started coming to a head.

Pantera’s fourth album, The Great Southern Trendkill, was released in 1996. Lead singer Phil Anselmo overdosed soon after the band came home to Texas to play a show there. It wasn’t surprising considering the drug-themed lyrics of the new record. Next, Anselmo grew apart from the band by working on a steady diet of side projects. Their next album was a live one titled Official Live 101 Proof since the guys weren’t exactly getting along and a studio album seemed impossible. They did achieve one final studio album together called Reinventing The Steel, which was released in 2000. The album marked the last time the men of Pantera were together.

The band members splintered off into several other bands including Damageplan, Superjoint Ritual, and Down. There may have been some hope of a Pantera reunion in some circles, but sadly it wasn’t meant to be. That became evident when Dimebag Darrell was murdered on stage by a fan on December 8, 2004. Each year, Pantera fans commemorate the day Dimebag died, such was the impression his music left on his fans. Even today, you can still pop in a Pantera album and the music stands on its own. It is the kind of metal that set a precedent back when it was created and still managed to hold up that same precedent to this day. This band is still not done influencing future generations of headbangers, even if the band is history.

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Why The Most Significant Band Member Of Nofx Is Aaron Abeyta

2008-04-07T02:29:00.000-07:00

NOFX is an LA punk band who were formed in 1983. The band was originally made up of vocalist and bassist Mike Burkett, who is more popularly known as Fat Mike, guitarist Eric Melvin and drummer Erik Sandin. They initially had a standalone lead singer, but since he failed to show up for rehearsals and their first live gig, Fat Mike took over vocal duties.

Over the years, several lineup changes besieged the band, but the most significant addition has to be Aaron Abeyta's in 1991. Also more known by El Hefe, the lead guitarist and trumpet player rounds out the original members to complete the current lineup. Other musicians who have been with NOFX include Scott Sellers, Scott Aldahl, Steve Kidwiller, Dave Casillas, and the late Dave Allen.

Pronounced No FX, the band had been a regular in the LA punk, skate punk and ska punk scenes from the eighties to present day. Their first eponymous EP was released by Mystic Records in 1985, followed up by two more EPs, So What If We're On Mystic, and The P.M.R.C. Can Suck On This, before launching their first full length album, Liberal Animation, in 1988 on Epitaph Records, which would become their label for more than a decade. Already, NOFX's music was heavily punctuated by the caustic wit that the band is known for today. For example, The P.M.R.C. Can Suck On This is dedicated to the P.M.R.C. and their music censorship policies. Other social issues that pervaded the lyrics of NOFX's music include political issues, racism and religion.

NOFX broke through the mainstream with their 1994 album Punk in Drublic. The album hit gold in the same year that punk rock was the music of that generation, with Green Day's Dookie and The Offspring's Smash. Still, NOFX maintained its anti-mainstream stand, refusing media interviews and forbidding MTV, VH1 and other music channels to play their videos. The album that followed Punk in Drublic, titled Heavy Petting Zoo, implores MTV and interested major record labels to stop trying to exploit them in the sleeve credits.

The band produced ten studio albums in their nineteen years of existence, as well as fifteen EPs and two live albums, wittily titled, I Heard They Suck Live, and They've Actually Gotten Worse. The wry and witty play on words is a standard in album titles, as seen in releases such as Pump Up The Valium, Regaining Unconsciousness and The War on Errorism, which began the band's campaign against the government of George W. Bush. Witty sarcasm is also strewn all over the songs, which mostly are activist diatribes full of social commentary.

NOFX still manages to keep their fans interested by hands-on interaction at gigs and through the band's official website. In 2005, the band released twelve 7 inch records each month, in a subscription based club, with each record sporting a specially selected cover designed by their fans. The first three thousand subscribers in the club received their collector's item albums in colored vinyl. These EPs, and the band's last two full length albums, were released by Fat Mike's very own independent label, Fat Wreck Chords. NOFX completed a world tour in 2007, particularly booking gigs in such uncommon places as South Africa and Israel, in true NOFX fashion.

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How Machine Head Got Signed With Their First Recording Contract

2008-04-07T02:23:00.000-07:00

In 1992, Robb Flynn had recently parted ways with the band Violence and was beginning to feel the urge to start another group. Hailing from Oakland, California, Flynn formed Machine Head with bassist Adam Duce, drummer Chris Kontos and Logan Mader playing guitar. Flynn became the frontman of the band. From meager beginnings that included playing small house parties, Flynn and his band used the guitar-based heavy style of music to land club gigs with other bands like Rancid, Napalm Death and the Deftones. To put their name in front of people, Flynn and the other members embarked on a relentless grassroots marketing campaign. By showering high schools and cars with flyers and constantly playing shows that drew fans, they eventually attracted attention from local labels.

Signing The First Contract

Machine Head signed their first recording contract with Roadrunner Records and released their debut album titled Burn My Eyes in 1994. Despite never breaking the Billboard Top 200, accolades began to flow in and the band launched a tour that lasted 15 months, opening for bands such as Slayer and Obituary. The tour ended in England with Machine Head playing on the same stage as White Zombie and Metallica. Soon after the tour, Kontos left the band and was replaced by Dave McClain.

The Follow Ups And Gaining Popularity

In 1997, Machine Head followed Burn My Eyes with the album, The More Things Change. It received enough attention to help them secure a spot on the first Ozzfest concert, playing with Black Sabbath and Pantera. Mader abruptly left the band soon after and was replaced by Ahrue Luster, who contributed guitar lines for Machine Head's third album, The Burning Red. This third effort was a marked change from their previous albums and including rapping by Flynn. Though the album was praised by many and Machine Head enjoyed increasing popularity, some fans felt the band had turned its back on them and sold out. In 2001, they released Supercharger. Despite their video for Crashing Around You being banned by MTV for graphic depiction of collapsing buildings so close to the September 11 tragedy, Supercharger went on to sell 250,000 copies.

Keeping The Momentum

After a lull in Machine Head's momentum that lasted over a year, they returned with a vengeance, releasing Through The Ashes of Empires in 2003. Their fans and the music press had not forgotten them and quickly catapulted the album to #88 on the Billboard Chart. Public kudos showered on Machine Head and they headlined their biggest show in front of over 40,000 in 1995. They leveraged their momentum by releasing Elegies that same year and The Blackening in 2007 after considerable touring.

Machine Head Today

From small beginnings, Machine Head has succeeded in propelling themselves to increasing levels of success. They have been able to deal with inner turmoil as band members have left and been replaced. They have also maintained their energy level throughout the years. With a constant and rigorous touring schedule along with a consistent production of quality albums since 1992, they still create and play music today with the same level of passion and ferocity that pushed them toward stardom. Machine Head is geared to continue gaining prominence in the heavy metal music scene for years to come.

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Linkin Park Nominated for Best Rock Album

2008-04-07T02:08:00.000-07:00

A biography

Linkin Park are:

Chester Bennington, lead vocals
Mike Shinoda, emcee, vocals, keyboard, rhythm guitar
Rob Bourdon, drums
Brad Delson, lead guitar
Dave Phoenix Farrell, bass guitar, backing vocals
Joe Hahn, turntables, programming

Recognized as a leader in the world of nu metal, alternative, and rap metal or rapcore, Linkin Park manages to artfully combine multiple genres of music while still maintaining their own distinctive sound. This is largely due to the band's unique and winning combination of two vocalists with Mike Shinoda rapping and emceeing, and Chester Bennington on lead vocals.

Linkin Park was formed by three friends from high school in the southern California town of Agoura Hills, California. After graduation, budding musicians Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, and Rob Bourdon recruited Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell and Mark Wakefield to form Xero in 1996, which failed to impress the record execs or land them a recording deal.

Soon Chester Bennington joined the ranks replacing Wakefield and the band changed their name to Hybrid Theory before finally settling on Linkin Park.

Their debut album, the familiarly named Hybrid Theory, was released by Warner Bros. Records in October of 2000 and was soon a commercial success, despite mixed reviews from critics. Four singles were released, including In the End, Crawling, One Step Closer, and Papercut.

Nominated for Best Rock Album at the 2002 Grammys, Hybrid Theory sold over 24 million copies and was recently certified diamond by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America).

Named after a group of monasteries built high atop a formation of rocky pinnacles above the plains of Greece, Meteora, Linkin Park's sophomore album, was released in March of 2003. The album spawned the widely popular single Somewhere I Belong, which quickly reached number one on the mainstream rock charts. Lying from You, Faint, Breaking the Habit, and Numb were four more singles released from Meteora, with each one reaching either the first or second spot, also on the mainstream music charts.

After the continued success of Meteora, Linkin Park took a break from recording full studio albums and instead focused on touring, doing side projects with other artists such as Jay Z and Depeche Mode, and participating in several charity events.

Besides raising money for victims of Hurricanes Charley and Katrina in 2004 and 2005, the band also took part in relief concerts to benefit those affected by the 2004 tsunami that killed over 200,000 people in 11 different countries. Their charitable work continued on when they joined more than 1,000 musicians for the Live 8 concert to raise funds for global awareness.

Released in May of 2007, Minutes to Midnight, the band's third studio album, debuted at number one in the United States, Canada, the UK, along with 11 other countries around the world. After selling over five million copies thanks to their lead single What I've Done, the album was certified double platinum and ended up at number 25 on Rolling Stone's Top 50 Albums of 2007. Dubbed as their softest and most melodic effort, Minutes to Midnight also yielded two more singles, Bleed It Out and Shadow of the Day, that have been regular fixtures on the charts throughout the year.

The band recently performed at the Live Earth concert in Japan and has also wrapped up their fourth annual world tour, Projekt Revolution, featuring other artists such as My Chemical Romance, HIM, Taking Back Sunday, Placebo, and Julien K.

Linkin Park's upcoming tour in the US and Canada will be with special guests Coheed and Cambria and kicks off in February 2008 in Nebraska. For the first time, the band will offer fans the opportunity to buy a Digital Souvenir Package along with their tickets to the concert. This innovative feature will contain mementos from the show, including the whole concert along with pictures and a digitized tour program.

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Fan Wishes Lamb Of God Would Crash Their Birthday Party

2008-04-07T02:01:00.000-07:00

Lamb Of God is a metal band that is made up of five members. Randy Blythe, the lead vocalist, joined the band in 1996 and is well known for his versatile voice. He can go from baritone to screaming and to a growling type of vocal very quickly. Mark Morton, the guitarist is one of the three founding members of Lamb of God. Willie Adler is the second guitarist of the band, as well as the brother of Chris Adler a fellow band mate. He joined Lamb of God after the exit of the original guitarist Abe Spear.

Chris Adler, the older brother of Willie Adler and Lamb of God's drummer, is another of the three founding members of the band. John Campbell is the final Lamb of God founding member and the bass guitarist.

The Early Years

The road to Lamb of God began in 1990 when three of its current members John Campbell, Chris Adler, and Mark Morton formed the band Burn the Priest. These three men met while attending Virginia Commonwealth University and lived on the same dorm floor. The band's current name became a reality in 2000 when Prosthetic Records signed them to a recording contract.

The band would later sign with Epic Records in 2003, after doing very well with the Terror and Hubris DVD and two releases. Ashes of the Wake was the title of their first Epic Records release and was followed by several DVD's such as Killadelphia and Trocadero. In 2006, Lamb of God gave their first sound another shot with the re-release of their New American Gospel album.

Lamb of God is taking the music industry by storm and has recently released another album titled Sacrament, which for the first time, debuted on the Billboard's at number eight. The band continues to tour with big names such as In Flames, Thine Eyes Bleed, Children of Bodom, Mastodon, Slayer, Megadeth, Overkill, Opeth, Arch Enemy, Gojira, Machine Head, and Trivium.

As a Grammy nominated band, in the category of Best Metal Performance for the Sacrament song Redneck, Lamb of God continues to dominate the music scene and have had several songs featured on video game releases. For example, on the new Guitar Hero II, the song Laid to Rest has been featured. Redneck has been figured on video games such as NFL Street 3 and ATV Offroad Fury 4. Other video games featuring Lamb of God music include BaboViolent 2 and Tony Hawk's Underground 2.

Today, while Lamb of God is currently on downtime, no doubt working on some more great hits, they will be back on tour in no time at all and you enjoy the live sounds of some of the heaviest metal known to music today.

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Whirlwind Success Of The Killers Showcase Variety Of Musical Styles

2008-04-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

The Killers are an American rock band formed in 2002 and derived from Las Vegas, Nevada. They are made up of Brandon Flowers on vocals and keyboard, Dave Keuning on guitar and vocals, Mark Stoermer on bass guitar and vocals, and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. on drums and percussion.

Before the inception of the Killers, each band mate held a variety of diverse occupations. Brandon Flowers was a bellhop, Dave Kkeuning worked at Banana Republic, Mark Stoermer worked as a medical courier, and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. was a photographer and a pedicab driver. Even with contrasting lives, Brandon managed to find Dave while searching for a guitarist from an advertisement in the paper. Once they hit it off, Dave’s current roommates quickly joined as the bassist and drummer. Moving on to other things, they both departed so Brandon and Dave approached Mark and Ronnie who were presently in other bands to join their band the Killers.

The name The Killers was derived from a New Order music video titled Crystal. It was featured on the bass drum of a fictional band in the video. Although the fictional band included male and female members, the real Killers band members are entirely male.

The first album released – Hot Fuss was on June 7, 2004 in the UK with a London-based label called Lizard King Records and on June 15, 2004 was released in the US with Island Records. The first single Somebody Told Me was released later that year and also had great success with the releases of Mr. Brightside and All These Things That I’ve Done.

Sam’s Town was the Killers’ second album released on October 2, 2006 in the UK and on October 3, 206 in the US. It had an entirely different direction in the songwriting and production and stirred up many mixed reviews from critics and their fans. The first single When You Were Young debuted late July 2006. The single Bones had their video directed by Tim Burton. During late 2006, the Killers returned as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live for their 32nd season premiere.

On November 12, 2007 a compilation album titled Sawdust was released with B sides, rarities, and some new material. The first single from Sawdust was Tranquilize and was released on October 12, 2007 in the UK and on October 22, 2007 in the US. This single was a collaboration with Lou Reed and also makes an appearance on the video. Included are some covers such as Ruby Don’t Take Your Love To Town and Romeo and Juliet. The Christmas single Don’t Shoot Me Santa will not be included on Sawdust.

With such a whirlwind success of the Killers during the past few years, showcasing such a variety of musical styles and vast collection of writing, it is not a predictable path in which they will travel. Although one can only guess at what flavor their next release will hold, you are sure to rely on the fact that it will be a unique and individualized musical experience for all.

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KillSwitch Engage Album Alive And Just Breathing Placed On Billboard Magazine Heatseeker

2008-04-07T01:34:00.000-07:00

KillSwitch Engage, a metalcore band from Massachusetts USA, are well known for their unique heavy sound that includes melodic undertones and exceptional dual guitar harmonies.

In 1998, Mike D' Antonio belonged to a band called Overcast who had decided to split up. For months he searched the underground heavy metal and hardcore Massachusetts scene, searching for members to start a new band. It was in 1999 that he met Adam Dutkiewicz and Joel Stroetzel, both guitarists from the band Aftershock. Together they decided to start a new project, with Dutkiewicz putting the guitar down and taking up the drums, and Stroetzel staying on guitar.

After another extensive search, Jesse Leach was eventually recruited to take up the role of vocals (Leach previously performed in the bands Corrin and Nothing Stays Gold.) After watching an episode of the X Files called “Kill Switch,” Dutkiewicz came up with the band name KillSwitch Engage, which they began to call themselves.

It was during a tour with the popular metalcore band In Flames that KillSwitch Engage was noticed by the record label Ferret (who were In Flames' record label.) Their aggressive and popular shows resulted in a record deal, and their debut album was released.

RoadRunner records soon began to take notice of KillSwitch Engage, and signed them up for a record deal. After much thought, the members of KillSwitch Engage decided to change their lineup to a five piece, and acquired the skills of Tom Gomes on drums. Dutkiewicz went back to his former instrument, guitar, and the two guitarists began to work on their unique riffs and guitar harmonies that are synonymous with the band's sound.

The album Alive And Just Breathing was released in 2002, which placed the band on the Billboard Magazine Heatseeker chart. However, Jesse Leach left the band in the same year and was soon replaced by Howard Jones (formerly of Blood Has Been Shed.) The year saw them touring extensively, particularly in Europe, and playing alongside bands like 36 CrazyFists and Five Pointe 0.

In 2003, the song When Darkness Falls was featured on the Freddy vs. Jason movie, and the band continued to tour in festivals such as Ozzfest. At this time, Tom Gomes decided to live in LA with his wife and pursue their new band Something Of A Silhouette, leaving KillSwitch Engage without a drummer. Justin Foley, also formerly of Blood Has Been Shed, and the jazzmetal band Red Tide, joined in as the new drummer and toured with the band on the MTV2 Headbangers Balls tours.

KillSwitch Engage released their third album on 11 May 2004 with the new lineup, entitled The End Of Heartache. The album achieved much success and was nominated for a Grammy that same year. They also played live alongside popular bands such as Slayer, and returned to Ozzfest in 2005. Later in 2005, Alive And Just Breathing was re released as a 2 disc version with previously unreleased tracks.

Following their latest album As Daylight Dies, KillSwitch Engage has been touring extensively throughout 2006 and 2007, and will continue to do so until April 2008, when talks of a new album will begin.

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A Ceremonial Oath With Death Metal And In Flames Is Born

2008-03-31T20:15:00.000-07:00

Music evolves and morphs at the influence of musicians and bands that dare to do things differently. In Flames is such a band, trailing the path for a style they developed – Melodic Death Metal.

In Flames was originally a side project for Josper Strömblad, who founded the band in 1990 and had been playing for a Death Metal band called Ceremonial Oath. Strömblad wanted to focus on melody, and as such left Ceremonial Oath in 1993 to focus exclusively on In Flames. He had recruited Glenn Ljungström (on guitar) and Johan Larsson (for bass) along with him, and together they began to create the unique In Flames sound.

After recording a demo, In Flames achieved the interest of Wrong Again Records who signed them up. The band then self produced, wrote and recorded their first full length album Lunas Strain. As they did not have a vocalist, Mikael Stanne (from Dark Tranquility) was used as a session vocalist. It was released in 1994.

Later that same year, the band recorded and self produced an EP (Subterranea) which, this time, had Henke Forss on vocals. The EP attracted the record company Nuclear Blast, who subsequently offered In Flames a record deal.

Tired of needing to hire session musicians for the studio, and for live performances, In Flames asked Anders Friden (for vox) and Björn Gelotte (for drums) to join the band, which they did. Later that year (1995), their album The Jester Race was recorded, featuring the new line up and also the first appearance of The Jester which was to appear on all the albums following (up to this day.) Unlike previous albums (which were entirely in house) this was co produced by Fredrik Nordström. The album was released in 1996 and the band toured extensively.

1997 saw the album Whoracle released, and shortly afterwards Glenn Ljungström and Johan Larsson surprised the band with their announcement that they decided to leave. They were replaced by Niklas Engelin (for guitar) and Peter Iwers (bass) for the upcoming tour. After the tour, these two were asked to join the band, which they did. But after a European tour and two shows in Japan, Engelin decided to quit at the end of 1998.

As a result, Björn Gelotte switched from drums and picked up the guitar, and Daniel Svensson came on board as the new drummer. The band released the album Colony, and continued to tour Europe and Japan extensively.

From there, a number of albums were released, namely Clayman in 2000 and The Tokyo Showdown in 2001, which was a live recording of the shows performed in Japan in 2000. Reroute To Remain was released in 2002, and In Flames toured extensively with popular bands like Slayer and Soulfly. Soundtrack To Your Escape was released in 2003 (receiving Grammis awards in 2005) and Come Clarity released in 2005 (also a Grammis award winning album.) The same year, In Flames teamed up with Ferret and Nuclear Blast records for more US distribution.

In Flames' ninth studio album is expected in 2008, as recording continues in their own IF Studios. In Flames may also be featured on Gigantour 3 in the coming year.

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What Launched ICP Insane Clown Posse

2008-03-31T19:57:00.000-07:00

The rap duo Insane Clown Posse, more commonly known as ICP, started in Wayne, Michigan, but it is obvious that they did not stay there. This group, formed out of the remnants of a larger group called Inner City Posse that broke up in 1992, feature rappers Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, and given the awards and accolades that they have won, it is easy to see that this group has a musical success. Aside from their rap music, this duo have also starred in a feature film and created the Juggalo Championship Wrestling federation.

The first album released by Insane Clown Posse was Dog Beats, in 1991. Not only did this lead to their relationship with their manager, Alex Abbiss, but it also launched them on what would be a long career in terms of music and innovation. Although this first album was a modest hit, the band decided to move in a new direction, one that came to Violent J in a dream. In the dream, he saw a clown with six joker cards in his hands, and from that dark memorable image, IPC would release six Jokers Card albums.

The first Jokers Card album that saw release was Carnival of Carnage, which was produced and saw most of its circulation in Detroit between 1992 and 1993. The second album, produced in 1994, was known as the Ringmaster, the release of which granted ICP a greater following throughout the Midwest and saw them playing at their first sellout halls. Later, in 1995, The Riddlebox, the third Jokers Card album, was released by jive records. The next Jokers Card album was known as the Great Milenko. Originally meant to be promoted by Hollywood Records, a record label owned by Disney, the content proved to be too much for the conservative company and the record was dropped, only to be picked up again by Island Records. The controversy over this album lead to a great deal of publicity for ICP, which ushered in the release of The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, a record which went gold.

The final Jokers Card album, known as The Wraith, was released in two parts, the first being Shangri la and the second being Hell's Pit. This saw the end of the Joker Card albums, more than 10 years after their inception. During this period both members of ICP produced independent projects, though together they would go on to produce The Calm and The Tempest. Forthcoming projects include an album about the end of the world and another feature film.

Though this rap duo has definitely been hit by critics, their fans, known as Juggalos and Juggalettes, maintain a loyal following, organizing meet ups ad yearly gatherings.

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What Negotiations Happened That Lead From First To Last (FFTL) To Sign With Capitol

2008-03-31T19:27:00.000-07:00

From First To Last (FFTL) hail from Orlando, Florida (USA) and are currently signed to Suretone records. Members include Matt Good on lead vox, Travis Richter on guitars and vox, Derek Bloom on drums and vox, and finally Matt Manning on bass, vocals and live guitars. Their sound is best described as American Post Hardcore.

It was in 2002 when the band was formed by two guitarists Matt Good and Travis Richter. Philip Reardon eventually came on board for the position of vocalist, while Joey Antillon took up bass and Derek Bloom drumming. After this solid line up was formed, the band released Aesthetic, an EP on Four Leaf Recordings (2003.) By the end of 2003, Epitaph Records had signed them up, and Joey Antillon left to be replaced by Jon Weisberg. Most of the singing, at this time, was done by Good and Richter as Reardon was still new.

Shortly after the release, Reardon was asked to leave the band (for many reasons) and Joey Antillon was arrested for shoplifting. This meant he could not tour. It was decided that Matt Good should take up the lead vox, but he wanted to concentrate on guitar and was hoping for a front man for the band. Through MySpace, Matt Good made contact with Sonny Moore, who came out to attend the sessions for the new studio album Teen Angst Has a Bodycount. He was originally going to be the band's second guitarist, but his vocals ended up being much better suited for the lead vox position.

In mid 2006, FFTL toured with popular bands like Fall Out Boy and The All American Rejects. The band had also gone into recording again earlier that year, which ended up in more line up changes. Weisberg was asked to leave, and the album was recorded with the talents of Wes Borland (formerly Limp Bizkit) on bass. He also played on tours with the band. The album Heroine was released on March 21, 2006, opening up on Billboard at number 25. After some negotiations between Capitol and Warner Bros records, FFTL signed to Capitol.

Sonny Moore left in February 2007 to pursue a solo career, as well as because of vocal problems he was encountering on tour (FFTL had been dropped from a tour because of some of these issues.) From First To Last headlined a tour from July 21 to August 5, and shortly afterwards went back into the studio to record a new album. From November 1st, another headlining tour began with many famous guest performers.

For 2008, FFTL is booked for the Vans Warped Tour as well as the Hot Topic Action Tour. 2008 will also see the release of their new album self titled From First To Last. A new song from the album, Two As One, was released on From First To Last's Myspace page on November 14, 2007.

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What Makes Foo Fighters A Phenomenal Band?

2008-03-31T19:23:00.000-07:00

The Foo Fighters is that phenomenal Seattle based rock band that now has a worldwide fan base built on their hard driving talent. The band duly won over their large following with a slew of hit songs and hard driving tour dates over several years. Foo Fighters had become a solid presence in rock's ongoing history that cannot be denied.

The group's name derives from the term coined during World War II when pilots began seeing UFOs as they observed them in battle and buzzed their planes while in flight. Thus, "Foo Fighters" was born.

Formed by band mate Dave Grohl, ex drummer for Nirvana, Dave was the original Foo Fighters without the band.

After leaving Nirvana, Grohl had a load of his own songs he had been saving. Grohl didn't feel his songs fit into Nirvana's chemistry so he quietly began booking studio time for himself and recording his songs on his own.

Grohl played all the instruments and sang every vocal at Robert Lang's studio in Seattle. Later, Capital Records signed Grohl then had the demos from Lang's studio remixed. This eventually turned into the Foo Fighters first album titled Foo Fighters in 1995.

Dave never wanted to be a one man band so he brought together the musicians to support the Foo Fighters. This made it a real entity that could live and breath.

Grohl shopped around and came up with the most likely candidates to bring Foo Fighters to life as the band he envisioned.

Nate Mendel, bass player, and William Goldsmith, drummer, from the disbanded Sunny Day Real Estate were the first two to come on board. A second guitarist, Pat Smear came on later. Thus, was born Foo Fighters! They went out on their first major tour in the spring of 1995.

The studio album Foo Fighters was released on Independence Day of 1995 and knocked the music industry's socks off. Four hit singles and nominated for a 1996 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.

By spring of 1996, creative differences couldn't be resolved between Grohl and Goldsmith. Goldsmith left the Foo Fighters.

The Foo Fighters came together in Los Angeles re-recording most of the album that had begun in a Seattle studio. Drummer Tony Hawkins was added into the band shortly after the second album release.

Guitarist Pat Smear announced his departure and introduced his replacement to a media hungry crowd outside the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony.

The replacement was no stranger to Grohl. Franz Stahl was Grohl's former Scream bandmate from years gone by. Before Foo Fighters could get into the studio again to begin their third album, Stahl left over creative differences.

After the release of Foo Fighters third album, considered by some to be their best, the band went through a few more changes. The Capital label was dropped for RCA, then Grohl partnered with former Nirvana manager John Silva to create GAS Entertainment to manage the Foo Fighters as well as other talented groups on the cutting edge.

Guitarist Chris Shiflett joined the band to tour, then gained full time membership prior to cutting the band's fourth album release.

Foo Fighters has garnered several awards and kudos worldwide throughout the years. They just keep getting bigger than life itself.

Foo Fighters latest album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace was released in September of this year. Their single Long Road to Ruin was released in December, 2007 and is rising in the charts as you read this. But what else would you expect from the Foo Fighters?

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Distinctive Opportunity At Ozzfest Launches Disturbed

2008-03-31T19:18:00.000-07:00

Originating in Chicago Illinois, Disturbed is a four man hard rock band. Their music has been classified as heavy metal, hard rock, nu metal, and alternative metal. Disturbed is comprised of four men, Dan Donegan, the guitarist, born in Oak Lawn, Illinois and father of one daughter and one son. Dave Draiman the lead vocalist for the band is from New York and traversed to Chicago to attend Loyola University, and has been with Disturbed since its beginning.

John Moyer, the 34 year old bass guitarist is one of the newest members of the band Disturbed, he was hired to fill the spot of their exiting bassist, Steve Kmak. Mike Wengren, one of the founding members of the band, as well as the drummer grew up in Chicago and started playing the drums at 10 years old.

Getting it Started

Disturbed had a pretty decent start. Its first album, The Sickness, has been credited as their one way ticket to the top. This much success after a first album is generally unheard of in the music world. You will find that the Down with the Sickness cut from the album gained immense popularity in a short time and has been featured in several movie soundtracks as well. Disturbed is also well known for revamping and rerecording the theme music for WWE wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin.

In 2001, Disturbed had the distinct opportunity to be a headlining act for Ozzfest. They played with big names such as Crazy Town, Black Label Society, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson, and Black Sabbath. In the same year, Disturbed was invited to join the European leg of Marilyn Manson's tour. It wasn't long after that the band decided to tour on their own. Their first tour, titled Music as a Weapon featured bands such as Systematic, Stereomud, Drowning Pool, and Adema.

In 2002, their second album was released and debuted at number one on the charts. This album was called Believe. Some of the most popular tracks from this album included Remember, Liberate, and Prayer. It has been a long and enjoyable road for Disturbed.

They have been featured on soundtracks such as Queen of the Damned and Transformers and has basked in the limelight of the music industry. Their album history includes:

• The Sickness topping the charts at number 29
• Believe topping the charts at number 1
• Ten Thousand Fists topping the charts at number 1
• Indescructable the yet released, but much anticipated new album

The band is currently awaiting the release of their fourth album Indescructable, which is an album that is completely produced by the band itself. Right now, while not on tour, they are busy making appearances and relaxing during their time off.

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What Would Motivate Someone To Name A Band Cradle of Filth

2008-03-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

The band Cradle of Filth is a heavy metal band that was formed in Suffolk, England in 1991. There have been various metal music communities that have embraced them and disowned them with equal enthusiasm. Their unique sound evolved from black metal to gothic metal, symphonic metal and other extreme metal styles blended while the lyrical composition hold heavy influences from gothic literature, poetry, mythology and horror films. The casual outsider may observe Cradle of Filth as satanic, although the lyrical references to Satanism are few and far between and the use of satanic imagery is mainly for shock value rather than any perceived spiritual beliefs. Metal Hammer magazine has pegged Cradle of Filth as the most successful British metal band since Iron Maiden.

During the first 3 years of Cradle of Filth, there were 3 demos and a recorded rehearsal tape. During this time, there were a number of member fluctuations and has continued so ever since where at any given time there are 6 or so members of Cradle of Filth. Before the third demo was recorded, an unreleased album entitled Goetia was completed with a scheduled release with Tombstone Records. Unfortunately Tombstone was unable to purchase the recordings from the studio and the tracks were lost. Cacophonous Records eventually signed them and released the debut album The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh. Although still new to their genre, the album was well received and carved the path for their success.

With a business relationship gone badly, Cradle of Filth pushed out one last contractual album Vempire Or Dark Faerytales In Phallustien. Even though this album was hastily recorded as an out from their contract, most of the tracks such as Queen Of Winter and Throned are the pillars of the band’s live sets to this very day. From there Cradle of Filth signed with Music For Nations in 1996.

Dusk And Her Embrace was released later in 1996. This album contains lyrics that are faster and more accomplished which differs from the sound of their previous albums. It was generally based on vampirism and specifically on the writings of Sheridan Le Fanu. In 1998 the album Cruelty And The Beast was released based on the legend of the Blood Countess in Countess Dracula. It was with this album that led to Cradle of Filth’s US debut.

2004 brought the first album from Roadrunner Records titled Nymphetamine. Thornography is the most recent album from Cradle of Filth released in October 2006. Although shortly after the release, Cradle of Filth lost their long time drummer to other interests, they are still optimistic. The band’s official message board talks of already having 4 new songs ready for production and more to come with the sound of the old Cradle of Filth. With this excitable statement, one can only look forward to the newest album and what it has in store for listeners.

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Why CKY Felt A Name Change Was In Order

2008-03-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

There is no mistaking CKY. From the gut wrenched growls of 96 Quite Bitter Beings to the softer side of Close Yet Far, CKY is an infectious shot of band right to the vein.

CKY stands for Camp Kill Yourself. It is a killer rock band of four. Guitarist and vocalist Chad I. Ginsburg, guitarist and vocalist Deron Miller, Jess Margera on drums and Matt Deis, playing bass.

The roots of CKY started back in 1994. Deron Miller and Jess Margera started Foreign Objects, releasing a 5 hit EP, The Undiscovered Numbers & Colors, through Distant Recordings.

By 1996, Foreign Objects was dropped to start another band, oiL, with Ryan Bruni, a friend they made from working at UPS. It was with oiL that they cut a few demos that in time, which became CKY songs later.

Shortly, Jess and Deron were restless to record what would become Volume 1. The two of them met Chad I. Ginsburg who heard their Disengage The Simulator demo.
Based on hearing the demo, Chad wanted to come onboard and be a part of the band. Shortly after, Chad came on as guitarist and producer.

The band felt a name change was in order, so Deron changed the band's name to Camp Kill Yourself. Along with the name change, the band decided to take a different direction with the music.

In 1998, Bam Margera, Jess's brother, was featured in a skateboarding spot in the movie, Toy Machine. The old Foreign Objects tune, Genisis 12a was featured. In the movie credits was contact info so fans could get more CKY songs.

Later, Bam released another skateboard stunt-filled video in 1999. Bam used CKY's music in his video as the soundtrack. The bands first two albums, Volume 1 and 2, released at about the same time Bam's videos released.

That same year, CKY went on tour. Right before going out to a live crowd, Bruni left the band in a lurch, quitting CKY. Ginsburg took over playing bass until Vern Zaborowski came on board for the 2000 Warped Tour.

When CKY signed on to the Volcom Entertainment label, they found Camp Kill Yourself too offensive and negotiated with the band for a name change. After a few variations on the same name, they finally arrived at CKY.

In 2001, CKY signed to Island Records, re-releasing the remastered Volume 1. Later in 2002, the Infiltrate Destroy Rebuild album was released and the band went out on tour to support the new album.

In 2004, bass player Vern Zaborowski left the band over artist differences and personal issues. Both Deron and Chad could play bass, so they took turns covering until Matt Deis joined CKY as their new bass player.

In April of 2006, CKY told the world they were dropped from the Island label. Later, in June, Deron Miller walked off the stage in the middle of a set due to alcohol and drug issues.

CKY signed on with Roadrunner Records in Dec. of 2006. Presently, the band has been hard at work pouring over material to pick out the best of the best for their upcoming projects.

Through CKY's notorious career that has spanned several years, they have created 5 albums, 3 Vinyls, 4 singles, 1 Ep and 1 DVD.

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Bleeding Through - Why Are They Prepared To Suffer For Their Art

2008-03-27T18:25:00.000-07:00

Bleeding Through describes them selves as hardcore. However, it is the use of other influences that make their sound unique to the hardcore movement. This is played out on their Dust to Ashes. It is here particularly that the influence of Swedish melodic death metal is apparent.
Melodic death metal is also known as Gothenburg metal and melodeath. As death metal’s subgenre it combined harmony style and groove melodies with the original vocals and thrashing sound. Over time it was influenced by many other sounds until the latest of Bleeding Through’s addition of keyboards.

Sentenced is considered by many to be the original melodic death metal band. Followers will remember their North from Here. Bleeding Through makes use of the same techniques:

• Comprehensible lyrics
• Acoustic guitar work
• Melodic guitar riffs
• Coherent singing
• Melodic solos

However more relevant to the music of Bleeding Through is the higher production quality. They have also included the following elements into their music in forming their own version of hardcore:

• More melodic elements
• Groovy choruses
• Clean vocals
• Keyboards
• Riffs

It can be seen that Bleeding Through does contain a suggestion of Swedish melodic death metal. There is further evidence of this on the band’s Dust to Ashes where there is a power ballad. This is an unusual inclusion for Bleeding Through. The band made the decision to bring in a keyboard player precisely to add an out of the ordinary dimension to the sound.

Bleeding Through is known for their raw honesty. This plays out in their music as well as their lyrics which have been described as pissed off. Anyone who has seen them or heard them has to acknowledge they are realistic. Their passionate renditions are an antithesis to the superficial trends of LA Land.

It was guitarist and vocalist Brandan Schieppati who formed Bleeding Through. He had been involved in metal his whole life and wanted to continue with it. It was his idea to draw in Leppke and the others. It was when they began to inter cut the furious metal riffs with melody and keyboards that their own sound emerged.

Bleeding Through is prepared to suffer for their art. They continually tour and their followers are kept close. This has definitely made this band the biggest live act in the metal music industry. They have performed as far a field as Alaska and Salt Lake City. In the American sense these are somewhat off the beaten track for a metal act.

This year the band’s latest release We Want the Truth has received mostly good reviews. The song is on their compilation album Our Impact Will Be Felt – A Tribute to Sick Of It All. Once again the philosophy of Bleeding Through that is so full of angst comes pouring out. As their followers expected Bleeding Trough offers no cover ups to their mental state or emotions. The summer of 2008 is the release date for their follow up to The Truth. Bleeding Through is staying true to their own sound.

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Bettie Page - An American Icon That Leaps In The Minds Of Men

2008-03-25T17:59:00.000-07:00

When the topic of American sensuality is discussed, icons readily leap to mind, and one of the first icons that many people think of is Bettie Page. After a divorce from her high school sweetheart and a brief time in Port au Prince in Haiti, Bettie Page has her first pinup portfolio put together. With her commanding presence and sleek dark hair, she quickly became a highly sought-after pinup model. Though she never did scenes with overt sexuality, her pictures, often dark and somewhat menacing, held a very real appeal, and in an industry where the average pinup's career could be measured in weeks, Page was in high demand for several years. In 1955, Page posed for Playboy, a publication that, at that time, was only two years old. The move won her a great deal of fame and notoriety, some of it quite unwelcome.

For instance, Page was called upon to testify for the Kefauver Hearings, which essentially ended the the careers of some of the men who had taken Bettie Page's pictures. While she was called upon to explain the pictures that she had posed in, she was excused from appearing in front of the committee. Many of the print negatives of her work were destroyed at that time, and for many years thereafter, her photographs were illegal to print.

In 1957, Page ended her modeling career for good when she discovered Christianity. She severed all her ties with her former life and largely dropped off the radar of even the rarefied circles that she traveled in. She worked for a Christian organization, attended a religious college and did some work as a Christian missionary. Page might have stayed a footnote as far as history was concerned were it not for a revival of interest in her and her work that would occur nineteen years later.

In 1976, A Nostalgic Look at Bettie Page was published, featuring a retrospective of many of her photographs, many of which were now public domain. This sparked off a trend of women who cut their hair in Page's distinctive thick, straight bangs and sought to emulate the image set forth by the so-called Dark Angel. Apparently, Bettie Page was shocked when she saw a piece done about her in Entertainment Tonight; at the time, Page was living in group home in California and had had no idea that the public was once again taking an interest in her. Today, while she fiercely guards her rights as a private citizen, she has started working with legal help to get some of the money from the use of her image.

By taking a look at the biographies and what Bettie Page herself has chosen to tell, the years of her life spent under the camera's lens were by no means the whole part of her. From glamor girl to Christian missionary, it is easy to see that Page has covered a wide amount of territory with regards to what it means to be a woman of her time.

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Positive Review From Rolling Stone Mag Gets Avenged Sevenfold Signed To Warner Brothers

2008-03-15T22:21:00.000-07:00

Avenged Sevenfold, also known as A7X formed in 1999 and has continued strong into the present time. They have been signed with Good Life Recordings from 2001 through 2002, hopeless records from 2002 through 2004 and have been part of the Warner Bros. Records family since 2004. Current members of the group are M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, The Rev, Synyster Gates, and Johnny Christ.

M. Shadows was one of the founding band members and handles lead vocals, the piano and guitars. Synyster Gates has been a part of the based since 2001 and handles lead guitars, piano, and vocals. Zacky Vengeance another founding member handles vocals and rhythm guitars. Johnny Christ handles base guitars and has been a member since 2002 and The Rev another founding member handles vocals, piano and drums. Former members of Avenged Sevenfold include Justin Sane, bass guitar and piano a founding member who left the group in 2001 and Dameon Ash a bass guitar players who was a member from 2001 through 2002. The band itself is from Huntington Beach, California and plays American heavy metal, hard rock, and metalcore as musical genre classification.

Avenged Sevenfold’s first album was entitled Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, which was released under the Good Life recordings label. It was then rerecorded and released under Hopeless records. They then produced their second album called Waking the Fallen which was also a Hopeless records release. Having received a positive rating from Rolling Stone Magazine, the band was signed to Warner bros. Records.

Avenged Sevenfold's name comes from a reference in the book of Genesis. It refers to the section which speaks about how anyone who killed Cain after God punished him would have a sevenfold vengeance taken on him. Even some of the bands songs reference biblical stories. They are not however a religious band. Some of their lyrics also contain political situations. They simply attempt to be thought provoking with the words to their songs.

They have a number of singles. In 2001, warmness of the Soul from Sounding the Seventh Trumpet was released, 2003 saw Unholy Confessions off the Waking the Fallen album. In 2005 the single Burn it down from City of Evil was released. It made 92 on the UK singles chart and 22 on the UK rock chart. While Bat Country also released that year saw 60 on the US hot 100, 2 on the US mainstream rock, 6 on the US modern rock and on UK charts made singles 84 and rock 22. In 2006, they released Beast and the Harlot and Seize the day. 2007, saw Critically Acclaim and Almost easy and Afterlife is scheduled to be released in 2008.

They completed a tour in 2006 which was worldwide the tour covered the US, Europe, including England, Japan, Australia as well as New Zealand. Another tour in 2007 hit Indonesia, Singapore and Japan.

They also a documentary which was released in July 0f 2007 entitled All Excess and they are scheduled to head line in the 2008 Taste of Chaos.

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Find Out Why As I Lay Dying Album, Frail Words Collapse, Peaked At Number 30 On The Top Independent Albums Charts

2008-03-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

As I Lay Dying (Metal Blade Records) are a Metalcore band from San Diego, California. The current line up of the band consists of Tim Lambesis (vox), Jordan Mancino (drums), Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa (guitars) and Josh Gilbert (bass guitar.)

The band first started in 2001 with Tim Lambesis looking into doing something new after the split of his previous band Society's Finest (in which he played guitar.) The name As I Lay Dying was taken from a novel written by William Faulkner, although there is no real relation to the band besides the name. The band started out as just a trio, with Jordan Mancino on drums and Evan White on guitars.

The same year Pluto records signed up the band and they released the album Beneath The Incasing Of Ashes, in June 2001, after just a month's recording. 2002 saw the band record a split album with the heavy metal band American Tragedy.

Once touring began the trio realized that they needed to increase band members to capture their sound live. Bass guitarists would join, and leave, which resulted in a somewhat tumultuous line up problem. Nick White had also left the band in late 2003.

2003 also saw the band's contract with Pluto expire, and Metal Blade Records immediately picked up As I Lay Dying after they had done some significant touring. In July 2003 the band released the album Frail Words Collapse which peaked at number 30 on the Top Independent Albums chart, and number 41 on the Top Heatseekers chart. The album received somewhat mixed reviews.

In 2005, the band released the critically acclaimed album Shadows Are Security, which debuted at number 1 on Top Independent Albums and came in at number 35 on the Billboard 200. As I Lay Dying had also acquired Nick Hipa and Phil Sgrosso, a formidable guitar duo, along with Clint Norris on bass. This added much to their sound.

The album Beneath The Encasing Of Ashes and songs from the split album were re released by Metal Blade Records in May 2006 as A Long March : The First Recordings. It peaked at number 3 on Top Independent Albums and 129 on the Billboard 200.

November 2006 saw Clint Norris leave, on very good terms, to focus on his marriage. After several bass guitarist auditions, Josh Gilbert was recruited as the new bassist (formerly of This Endearing, who had split.)

As I Lay Dying's latest album An Ocean Between Us was released on 21 August 2007. It debuted at number 8 on Billboard, and number 1 on the Top Rock Chart. Sales reached to 39 000 albums in the first week alone, and it has become the band's highest charting album to date.

2007 was mainly filled with touring and promoting the new album, but also included some awards. MTV2 awarded As I Lay Dying with the Ultimate Metal God award, and the song Nothing Left has been nominated for a Grammy under Best Metal Performance. Feb 12, 2008, will see the result of that nomination and fans are eager to see – and hear – the next step from this cutting edge melodic Metalcore band.

Other points of interest:
As I Lay Dying - Nick's Personal Blog:
http://ragingcluegoo.blogspot.com/

As I Lay Dying - Why didn't Tim Go to the Grammy's
http://www.asilaydying.com/news_25.html

As I Lay Dying - Does this make your band successful? Advice Given
http://www.asilaydying.com/faq.html

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Post-Hardcore Rock Band, Alexis On Fire Album Goes Gold In Canada

2008-02-25T19:50:00.000-08:00

Alexisonfire are usually filed under the post hardcore section, but they describe their sound as two Catholic high school girls in a mid knife fight. This is mainly due to their very unique sound and arrangements with the two vocalists Wade MacNeil (who also plays guitar) and George Pettit. MacNeil's vocals are very much like sweet punk rock, while Pettit does the screaming. They generally write their lyrics around this idea too, with a good versus evil kind of idea.

Other members of the band include Dallas Green on rhythm guitar and vocals, Chris Steele on bass and Jordan Hastings on percussion and drums. They hail from St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada (maybe this explains the Catholic reference.)

The band was formed in 2001 as the result of three bands splitting up. Pettit was the bass player for a tech metal band Condemning Salemn, Green the lead singer (and guitarist) for Helicon Blue, and Steel and MacNeil were playing in the punk rock band Plan 9. After these three band splits, these members decided they still wanted to do the music thing and so formed Alexisonfire. They got the name from a contortionist stripper called Alexis Fire. Borrowing her name did lead to a potential lawsuit, which never happened because she never registered her moniker. Alexisonfire did change their website name to theonlybandever.com.

2002 saw Alexisonfire release their first EP Math Street Demos. They managed to pique the interest of Greg Below and Mitch Joel, who were busy forming a record label called Distort Entertainment.

September 9, 2002, saw the band released the self titled album Alexisonfire, which was distributed by EMI. The band then embarked on tours into Canada, Europe and the States. Alexisonfire went gold in Canada (50 000+ album sales.)

Even though Alexisonfire were receiving a lot of attention from the bigger record companies, they decided to stay independent so they could keep their original sound and not have to endure the pressures of commercialisation. The second album, Watch Out!, was released through Distort Entertainment on June 29, 2004. It received some astounding success, especially as the band focused on 18 months of touring.

August 22, 2006, saw the band release Crises, their third studio album. All Music Guide considered the album their best to date. A performance on a boat in London (England) was held to celebrate the release, and a tour across Canada and then the USA ensued.

A new album is rumored for 2008, where Pettit said that they can't say which musical direction the band will take. He has been quoted as saying that he would like to put the knife into Screamo – not to save it, but to kill it. When it comes to Screamo, this can mean anything. Alexisonfire will no doubt continue to push the boundaries (or, more like, destroy them) with this musical genre, and – given their independent status – will continue to add huge value to music in the years to come.

On Alexisonfire's main website, the video "Rough Hands" directed by Marc Ricciardelli has been nominated for "Favorite Video of the Year" at this year's Indie Awards.

You can on the link below to vote.

http://indiscover.net/indies#05

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Band Interviews - Talk To Your Favorite Band Members

2008-02-13T01:46:00.000-08:00

At times, I do interview band memebers for my radio talk show. If I obtain enough interest from others with questions or comments, I can arrange an interview with your favorite band. So please tell others about me and leave your comments and questions & tell others about what I have to offer.