Rock Attitude

Smashing Pumpkins 20th Anniversary

2008-11-12T13:49:00.004+07:00

In the lobby of United Palace, the grand theater in Harlem where Smashing Pumpkins spent two nights celebrating their 20th anniversary last week, a T-shirt for sale declared “Smashing Pumpkins: 20 Years of Sadness.” Based on the two unique sets Billy Corgan scowled through, a more accurate phrase would have been “20 Years of Frustration With Glimpses of Transcendence.”

Corgan is a problematic character, as he is a petulant control freak who gives into most of his artistic urges without questioning the context or repercussions. He’s always been a man not quite in sync with the rest of the music world — when everybody was making gritty grunge, Corgan abandoned his noisier tendencies to make a Boston album (Siamese Dream); a few years later, he made a Depeche Mode record during a time when that was not even fashionable for Depeche Mode. The current iteration of the Pumpkins — the version that released last year’s Zeitgeist — is a hulking big-rock monolith that nods to the group’s harder-edged past but generally lacks the finesse and grace. This was the band that walked into New York — their first time in the city in nearly a decade — and delivered a pair of sets that had the crowd full of mostly die-hards from the Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness days scratching their heads.

Thursday night’s show, dubbed “Black Sunshine,” mined Corgan’s prog urges and stuck to the heavier tunes from Zeitgeist with only a few nods to some of their biggest singles. The early run of “Tarantula,” excellent new single “G.L.O.W.,” “Siva,” “Eye,” “Mayonaise” and “Tonight Tonight” felt like an actual 20th anniversary set, with modern monsters skulking amongst the radio hits. But things quickly fell off a cliff, bogged down by tuneless dirges like the reworked version of “Heavy Metal Machine” and a noisy, directionless cover of Pink Floyd’s “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.” Even a rote version of “Today” couldn’t save the evening from ending on a sour note, where during “Everything Is Beautiful” Corgan mocked the audience members exiting the house early.

Friday night, called “White Crosses,” should have been better, as the set list was more even and balanced, with a focus on the prettier side of the Pumpkins. But in many ways, it was infinitely more problematic. Again, the night started relatively strong, with the band opening with underrated single “Ava Adore” (which featured Corgan wearing a vampire cloak and carrying a plastic jack-o-lantern full of silver glitter) and moving on to fan-favorites like “Soma,” “Cherub Rock” and “Zero.” It was as though Corgan was giving everybody what they wanted up front so they couldn’t complain later. And there was much to complain about: New songs like “Song for a Son” and “As Rome Burns” got lost in the theater’s strange acoustics, while even favorites like “Disarm” lacked teeth. Clearly losing the crowd, Corgan invited a fan onto the stage to voice his opinion about Thursday’s show. The fan told him, “Last night’s show sucked,” and for a minute it looked like Corgan was going to take criticism in stride for once. But as the fan was walking back to his seat, Corgan shouted, “By the way, I liked that song you wrote. What was it called? ‘Take Your Dick Out of My Ass and Stick It in My Mouth’? That was a big hit in Europe.” For a guy who has made his money airing out his own tales of childhood torment and abuse, it seemed strange and hypocritical for him to resort to playground name-calling and juvenile homophobia.

Corgan then rewarded his devoted audience with the 20-plus minute prog jam “Gossamer” and an utterly ridiculous version of “The March Hare” that devolved into a percussion jam that channeled Stomp. By then, the audience that hadn’t physically left had certainly checked out mentally. Corgan still cares deeply about his own credibility and likely sees these shows as a powerful statement of purpose for him, but he needs to find a better balance if he wants to draw crowds for his 25th anniversary.

source : www.rollingstone.com

Upcoming Metal Concert on Jakarta "LAMB OF GOD"

2008-11-05T18:31:00.004+07:00

AS I LAY DYING on Tennis Indoor Senayan, Jakarta

2008-11-05T17:55:00.003+07:00

AS I LAY DYING
an ocean between us tour
OPENING ACT:
BURGERKILL

LIVE @ TENNIS INDOOR SENAYAN - JAKARTA NOVEMBER 27th, 2008

Presale tickets :Rp. 250.000 IDR (until NOV 7th, 2008)

Normal tickets: Rp. 275.000 IDR

TICKET BOX : Jakarta; Solucite, Prambors Jakarta, Aquarius , Duta Suara, www.detik.com, Music Klub, Ibu Dibyo, www.rajakarcis.com, Music Plus, www.tiketnonton.com, Twin Music Blok M, Monster Invasion, www.cdbyfanatics.com, Pojok Karcis, Ish-Kabible, www.dapurletter.com, Prambors Jakarta # Bogor Duta Suara Plaza, Ekalokasari Bogor # Tangerang; Duta Suara Lippo Karawaci # Depok; Roadrunner Records Depok Town Square # Bandung; Radio Prambors Bandung, www.tiketnonton.com, Hard & Heavy, Deep Insight, Metal Gotz, Burner # Surabaya; www.rajakarcis.com, Inferno, Paradigma Records # Jogja; Holly Flesh Rock Shop, ANT Studio.

source : http://media-jakarta.blogspot.com

JAMES “MUNKY” SHAFFER OF KORN ANNOUNCES NEW PROJECT – FEAR AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM…NEW ALBUM DUE FALL 2008

2008-10-21T19:41:00.005+07:00

KoRn guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer announces plans to release a new project entitled FEAR AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM due out fall of 2008. The record will be released on his own label, EMOTIONAL SYPHON RECORDINGS.

The band features James Christian Shaffer (“Munky”) on guitars and vocals; Billy Gould (Faith No More), bass; Wes Borland (Black Light Burns), guitars; Brooks Wackerman (Bad Religion, Tenacious D), drums and percussion; Leopold Ross, programming and guitars; Zach Baird, keyboards and programming. The album will be produced by Shaffer, Ross, and Jim Monti, with additional production by Tim Harkins.

Famed producer and friend Ross Robinson (Slipknot, KoRn) comments: “What can I do to ever come close to feeling James’s level of pure ruthless courage through a guitar? Since I’ve worked with him, I've tried to inspire, convince, beg, bleed, cry, prod and nearly die, hoping to hit that bar with others. I'm grateful to know what ‘it’ is, and where it always exists—in my brother, James. His solo band? Yes, please!”

The songs are being recorded at Music Grinder Studios in Hollywood, CA, with Jim Monti handling the mixing duties. Fear and The Nervous System is an exciting project that opens up the boundaries of rock, harkening back to the days when music was fearless. Fear And The Nervous System will also feature Wes Borland and Bad Religion's Brooks Wackerman as well as Billy Gould, Leopold Ross and Zach Baird. The band plan to release their new album in August on Munky's label will Ross Robinson expected to help with production.

source : www.korn.com

"Death Magnetic" New Metallica Album Review

2008-09-22T18:22:00.002+07:00

It begins with a heartbeat...it could very well be the heartbeat of your average Metallica fan, scared to death, not by the spooky coffin made of iron filings on the cover (see what they did there?) but by the thought that this supposed 'return to form' by the world's once-greatest thrash metal merchants will be lame. Well worry not. After the solo-free St Anger way back in 2003 this is, well, most outstanding.

Never let it be said that Metallica aren't a band of the people, just not the people who file share their back catalogue. You can imagine Death Magnetic blasting out of some tank's soundsystem in the middle east. The closest thing to a ballad is single, The Day That Never Comes, though after a few minutes it descends back into the abyss of raw power. And the only low point comes with the penultimate instrumental, Suicide And Redemption which meanders and has a 'sensitive' solo line at its core that's at odds with the brutality on offer elsewhere.

James Hetfield's lyrics now seem to have become the channel of his post-therapy angst. More cyphers than actual narratives, they come direct from the big book of heavy metal words. Take this example from The End Of The Line, "Need..more and more/Tainted misery/Bleed...battlescars/Chemical affinity/Reign...legacy/Innocence corrode/Stain...rot away/Catatonic overload/Choke...asphyxia/Snuff reality/Scorch...kill the light/Incinerate celebrity/Reaper... butchery/Karma amputee". You get the idea.

But words aren't the major force at work here. It's the irresistible maelstrom of guitars. Kirk Hammett's back to shredding triplets or chiming with Hetfield in Thin Lizzy-esque duels. Balancing vertiginous prog time shifts with chugging power chords, it's amazing how raw and hungry producer Rick Rubin (himself, a thrash connoiseur with Slayer and Wolfsbane albums under his belt) has made the band sound. His greatest contribution is in bringing out the crunch in 'new' boy. Robert Trujillo's bass. On Cyanide he's unstoppable. And, of course, leading the changes is the mighty Lars Ulrich. Possibly the single most erudite expression of metal's paradoxical mix of intelligence matched with dumb, awesome power. If there's a nagging sensation that the drums sound weird, it's because they're REAL. Say what you will about their psychodramas or political leanings, but this is a band that really can play.

Death Magnetic is the sound of a band giving both themselves and their fans exactly what they need. And nothing else matters...

source : www.bbc.co.uk

Max and Igor on "Cavalera Conspiracy"

2008-09-14T22:24:00.003+07:00

Cavalera Conspiracy is a heavy metal band featuring members from Brazil, France, and the United States. Cavalera Conspiracy marked the reunion of the Cavalera brothers after 12 years separation and is the first time they have made music or shared a stage together since the infamous Sepultura break up on December 16th, 1996 in London.

Following a brief reunion the the 10th Annual D-Low Memorial Show in 2006, Sepultura founders Max Cavalera and Igor Cavalera began to write music together again. The band initially formed in mid-2007 with Max Cavalera (Soulfly, ex-Sepultura) on vocals and rhythm guitar, Igor Cavalera (ex-Sepultura) on drums, Soulfly guitarist Marc Rizzo and Joe Duplantier (Gojira) on bass. Originally, Max chose the name Inflikted for the project, but the name has been used before. As a result, he changed the name to Cavalera Conspiracy in order to avoid potential legal conflicts which would hold up the album release, and chose to use the name Inflikted for the band's debut album.

Cavalera Conspiracy's debut album was released by Roadrunner Records on March 24, 2008. The album, entitled Inflikted, was recorded at Undercity Studios in Los Angeles, CA, with engineer and co-producer Logan Mader in July 2007. Inflikted featured a guest appearance on bass from former Pantera and current Down bass player, Rex Brown, on the track, "Ultra-Violent". In addition, Max's stepson Ritchie Cavalera of the Phoenix based group Incite guested on vocals on the song "Black Ark". Artwork for the album was created by Surface to Air. Surface to Air also directed the video for Cavalera Conspiracy's debut digital single, "Sanctuary" in January 2008 in Paris, France.

On June 2nd, 2008, it was revealed on the band's official website that Joe Duplantier will not perform on the 2008 tour in order to begin the writing/recording process for Gojira's upcoming fourth studio album. Duplantier was replaced by Johny Chow of the stoner metal band Fireball Ministry. Cavalera Conspiracy completed a European tour in mid-2008 including appearances at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, the Hellfest Summer Open Air in France, the Download Festival held at Donington, UK, other festival appearances, select dates opening on Judas Priest's Priest Feast 2008 Tour, and headlining shows. In late summer of 2008, Cavalera Conspiracy embarked on the North American infliktour featuring performances at Monsters of Rock in Canada, Ozzfest in Dallas, Texas, and headling dates with Dillinger Escape Plan, Throwdown, Bury Your Dead, and Incite. During this tour, the band performed varied setlists consisting of Cavalera Conspiracy songs, many Sepultura songs, Nailbomb songs, and other covers. Max's son and Iggor's nephew Igor played the drums on Sepultura's classic "Troops of Doom" at several shows throughout the band's 2008 tour.Band members

Current band members :

Max Cavalera - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Igor Cavalera - drums
Marc Rizzo - lead guitar
Joe Duplantier - bass, backing vocals

Touring members :

Johny Chow - live bass on 2008 tour

source from : www.wikipedia.org

New Iron Maiden Tribute CD from kerrang!

2008-09-02T15:04:00.002+07:00

“Iron Maiden are 10% cooler than every other band!” Lars Ulrich, Metallica.

Kerrang! team up with Metallica, Machine Head, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold and more for an a world exclusive, all star Iron Maiden tribute album!

15 of Kerrang!’s favourite bands have come together to pay tribute to the planet’s greatest metal band - Iron Maiden!

Following on from our 2006 Kerrang! Remastered CD in honour of Metallica’s Master Of Puppets, this latest collection - Maiden Heaven - features bands covering tracks from Iron Maiden’s legendary career, and will be given away free in Kerrang! issue 1219 on sale July 16.

The CD includes world exclusive performances from Metallica, Machine Head, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold, Coheed And Cambria, Gallows and more!

Chatting exclusively to Kerrang!, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich tells the readers how much respect the Bay Area thrashers have for the Brit metal legends.

“Iron Maiden are 10% cooler than every other band,” says Ulrich. “From their relationship with their fans, to their album covers to their stages, to their live presentation, to their photos - whatever they did was always cooler than what everyone else did! I have always had an incredible amount of respect and admiration for them and obviously getting a chance to be part of this CD feels that that has come a full circle. We played Remember Tomorrow as it was basically the blueprint for songs like Fade To Black and Welcome Home (Sanitarium), and some of the more epic ballady type of songs that Metallica had done later. We had so much fun with this!”

Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn is equally excited to be a part of this project.

“When I was a kid Iron Maiden were a very big deal to me and the influence they had on Machine Head has been huge,” he reveals. “We decided to cover Hallowed Be Thy Name for this CD because it’s just such a great song, in fact it’s a classic. I just love the way the vocal line goes up and down, so dramatic. If someone who’d never heard them wanted to know what Iron Maiden sounded like I’d point them in the direction of Hallowed Be Thy Name.”

Metal heroes Trivium are happy to admit their own brand of heavy tunes could never have existed without Maiden’s worldwide influence.

“Iron Maiden helped create what we know as heavy metal,” states frontman Matt Heafy. “Their influence can be heard on classic and contemporary bands alike; their fan base spans across the youngest and newest of heavy music recruits all the way to the diehard, life-long metal elite. We chose to play the track Iron Maiden, as the song that screamed out our love for them musically, and we knew it would be a really fun song to jam out in the studio. It was an honour to be able to play one of Iron Maiden’s tracks and have the opportunity to contribute to this amazing CD. We hope everyone has as much fun listening to it as we did making it!”

Meanwhile, Avenged Sevenfold - who have been picked to support Maiden at their upcoming Twickenham Stadium show on July 5 - say they are “honoured” to be part of this Kerrang! tribute. “Maiden are by far the best live band in the world and their music is timeless,” says vocalist M Shadows. “This also gives us a chance to expose this great song to some of our younger fans who maybe aren’t as familiar with Iron Maiden.”

UK hardcore punk rockers Gallows chose to contribute a version of Wrathchild to the collection.

“We’re actually all huge Maiden fans and while learning Wrathchild we discovered a new found respect for the band as musicians,” says guitarist Laurent Barnard. “Some of their riffs are pretty fast and Steve Harris has definitely earned his place as a bass legend! We’re so happy we were asked to be included!”

This Kerrang! Maiden Heaven CD’s arrival coincides with the band’s European leg of their Somewhere Back In Time World Tour - and follows on from the release of their own collection Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 80-89.

“Maiden much appreciate and are very flattered by all the time spent on this by a lot of great bands,” says Iron Maiden’s manager Rod Smallwood, “and would like to thank them, and also Kerrang!, for the honour. Thanks everyone!”

Pick up your copy of Kerrang! issue 1219 on sale July 16 for your own copy of Maiden Heaven.

MAIDEN HEAVEN tracklisting

Black Tide - Prowler
Metallica - Remember Tomorrow
Avenged Sevenfold - Flash Of The Blade
Glamour Of The Kill - 2 Minutes To Midnight
Coheed and Cambria - The Trooper
DevilDriver - Wasted Years
Sign - Run To The Hills
Dream Theater - To Tame A Land
Madina Lake - Caught Somewhere In Time
Gallows - Wrathchild
Fightstar - Fear Of The Dark
Machine Head - Hallowed Be Thy Name
Trivium - Iron Maiden
Year Long Disaster - Running Free
Ghostlines - Brave New World

source from : http://hardrockhideout.wordpress.com

Avenged Sevenfold drop out of "Reading Festival" at last minute

2008-08-26T18:10:00.003+07:00

Avenged Sevenfold have been forced to cancel their appearance (August 24) at the Reading Festival.

The band have had to pull their Main Stage performance because frontman M Shadows – real name Matt Sanders – is suffering from vocal problems.

"We're very sorry to tell you that Avenged Sevenfold will not be performing at Reading today, August 24. As many of you know, the band had to shorten their set at Leeds on Friday due to vocal strain. Since then, Matt's doctors in the United Kingdom and Los Angeles have both advised him that he must rest his voice and cannot perform," the band explained in a statement.

They added that their singer should be on the mend, and they hope future dates will not be effected.

"Thankfully there are no long-term problems and with proper rest, Matt will return to the road shortly. The band toured all summer with Iron Maiden throughout Europe and the UK. They returned home August 1, but because they wanted to play Reading and Leeds very much, they returned this week for the festival. They were blown away by the number of fans who came to see them play at Leeds. The band is still in England now and is extremely disappointed that they can't play a show they have been looking forward to for a long time."

The band are expected to return to the UK at the end of 2009.

As with Slipknot, who dropped out of today’s bill earlier in the week, organisers will not be adding any new bands to the bill, but are working out an alternative running order.

source from : www.nme.com

MTV VMA 2008 Best Rock Video Nominess

2008-08-23T15:25:00.004+07:00

When the smoke cleared around the potential nominees for Best Rock Video of 2008, there stood four veterans and one relative newcomer. A showdown of David and Goliath proportions. One that could only have one winner... The rockingest band of 2008. Tune in September 7 to see who's left standing.

Fall Out Boy"Beat It"

Directed by Shane Drake

American sweethearts Fall Out Boy revive Michael Jackson's classic with an appropriately glammed-out, pedal-to-the-hair-metal video, complete with fog machines and ninjas.
Foo Fighters"The Pretender"

Directed by Sam Brown

Undisputed presidents of modern rock, Foo Fighters, keep it real simple on 'The Pretender,' clearing out a stark arena and holding back a batallion of riot cops with pure, searing riffage.
Linkin Park"Shadow of the Day"

Directed by Joe Hahn

Bad news is easy to ignore when it only happens on TV. In the downtrodden video for 'Shadow of the Day,' violent headlines come to life and refuse to be ignored.
Paramore"crushcrushcrush"

Directed by Shane Drake

As if the desert wasn't already hot enough... Tennessee troublemakers Paramore make the cacti sweat in the video for the viciously catchy 'crushcrushcrush.'
Slipknot"Psychosocial"

Directed by Paul Brown

All hope is gone in the fiery, post-apocalyptic video for mask-metal mavens Slipknot's 'Psycho Social.' Babies, prepare to cry. 'Psycho Social' is straight up terrifying

source from : www.mtv.com

Rockers & Gamers

2008-08-21T21:12:00.005+07:00

Music game fans can rejoice that the incompatibility wars of “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” are already… over?

We broke the news last month that “Rock Band 2” and “Guitar Hero: World Tour” instruments will be cross-compatible on the Xbox 360, at least according to Activision.

Today, Sony’s official U.S. PlayStation blog reports that all drums, guitars and mics for “Rock Band 2,” “Guitar Hero: World Tour,” Konami’s “Rock Revolution” and “SingStar” will all work with each other.

This comes after a year of incompatible instruments and allegations that the makers of these games were preventing the previous version of these games’ guitars from working with each other. The announcement is progress all around, considering, among other things, that even “SingStar” wasn’t mic-compatible with any games until this announcement.)

Michael Shorrock, director of third-party relations for Sony Computer Entertainment America added to that news by stating that legacy titles are being looked at as well: “We’re still working hard to ensure compatibility between the Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles currently on the market, and we hope to have an announcement on that shortly.”

source from : http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com

About Heartagram

2008-08-21T21:00:00.005+07:00

HEARTAGRAM : Originally a logo of "Love Metal" band, HIM, whose fans would wear the symbol --within a circle -- as a tattoo. But it's popularity has spread far beyond the band that designed it. To many, it represent the dialectic or blending of opposites such as love/hate and life/death.

source from : http://www.crossroad.to

"All Hope Is Gone" New Slipknot's Album

2008-08-21T20:48:00.007+07:00

All Hope Is Gone is the fourth studio album by American metal band Slipknot. It was released on August 20, 2008,^[1] by Roadrunner Records. A special edition of the album will contain three exclusive bonus tracks, and will be packaged in a six-fold digipak with a 40-page deluxe booklet and bonus DVD containing a documentary of the album's conception.

Noted to have begun preparation in 2007, recording was due to begin in January 2008, however it was delayed to February. It is the band's first studio release since 2004's Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), making All Hope Is Gone their fourth studio album as well as the first musical output from the band since Corey Taylor and Jim Root's mainstream success with Stone Sour, Joey Jordison's stints with Korn, Ministry and 3 Inches of Blood, Shawn Crahan's side project Dirty Little Rabbits and Sid Wilson's solo project. All Hope Is Gone is also the band's first studio album on a major label to be recorded in their home state of Iowa.

source from : www.wikipedia.org

Avenged Sevenfold New DVD

2008-08-21T12:56:00.003+07:00

Avenged Sevenfold will hit Quebec City on Sept. 9, a week before the release of their Live In The LBC & Diamonds In The Rough DVD/CD package.

The Live In The LBC DVD features Avenged Sevenfold's April 10 show at California's Long Beach Arena as part of the Rockstar Taste Of Chaos Tour. Rafa Alcantara, who worked on the band's 2007 road documentary, All Excess, directed the DVD.

The Diamonds In The Rough CD features covers, never-before-heard material and previously unreleased B-sides that were recorded during the making of Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled 2007 album, which entered the U.S. sales chart at #4. The hard rock quintet debuted with 2001's Sounding The Seventh Trumpet and have released three studio albums.

Here are the tracks on Live In The LBC & Diamonds In The Rough:

CD:

"Demons"
"Girl I Know"
"Crossroads"
"Flash Of The Blade"
"Until The End"
"Tension"
"Walk"
"The Fight"
"Dancing Dead"
"Almost Easy" (remix)
"Afterlife" (alternate version)

DVD:

"Critical Acclaim"
"Second Heartbeat"
"Afterlife"
"Beast And Harlot"
"Scream"
"Seize The Day"
"Walk"
"Bat Country"
"Almost Easy"
"Gunslinger"
"Unholy Confessions"
"A Little Piece Of Heaven"

source from : http://chartattack.com/damn/2008/08/1807.cfm