So thanks to a crazy amount of traffic and hotel getting to most of Saturday was missed. When got there in time for most of CAGE THE ELEPHANT on the Fuel stage. Then it was time to head to the Damage Inc. stage for SUICIDAL TENDENCIES! I’ve NEVER seen them before and holy hell, were they good! Everyone in that band is a beast! Especially the rhythm section of drummer Eric Moore (T.R.A.M.) and bassist Tim Williams. Kicking it off with “You Can’t Bring Me Down”, they set off a steam rolling crushing set, playing hit after hit up until it was time for an INFECTIOUS GROOVES mini-set with Robert Trujillo on bass. It made the hassle of getting there well worth it!
Over thirty years in the game and Mike Muir of S.T. and INFECTIOUS GROOVES still rules.
I got to check out KIRKS CRYPT. A little museum of Kirk Hamments’ horror memorabilia collection. From vintage posters to painting and full sized costumes and masks. It made me very jealous! It To top it off, Linda Blair was there as well! I look forward to October for the release of his book, TOO MUCH HORROR BUSINESS about this collection. I caught most of ARCTIC MONKEYS headlining set on the “Fuel” stage, and boy are they very British! Granted they are, but still, they reminded me of BLUR and OASIS mainly. A good chunk of the crowd dug them a lot.
Then it was time for METALLICA on the “Orion” stage….
Whaddya mean no “Orion” at Orion Fest?
Starting with “Hit the Lights” they ran through four more songs as the warm up to playing the entire Ride the Lighting album. After a brief and kick ass intro video, they came out ass backwards! No, really! They started with“The Call of Ktulu” all the way to “Fight Fire with Fire”. I Enjoyed “Fade to Black” and “Escape” the most. They came back with a nice three song encore of “Battery”, “One” and “Seek and Destroy”. To much grief from a lot of people about no “Orion” The song, famously attached to the late CLIFF BURTON, for which this fest is named for. I guessed they’d save it for tomorrow.
Kirk shared his horror collection and then some guitar solos.
Set List:
Hit the Lights
Master of Puppets
The Four Horsemen
Sad But True
Hell and Back
The Call of Ktulu
Creeping Death
Escape
Trapped Under Ice
Fade to Black
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Ride the Lightning
Fight Fire With Fire
Nothing Else Matters
Enter Sandman
Encore:
Battery
One
Seek and Destroy
DAY TWO:
THY WILL BE DONE tore it up early on day two.
Now due to a lil health issue, I had a short visit to the ER that morning. As a result I missed GHOST, Oh well, would’ve been weird to see them in the daytime anyway. Some bands just work better at night. I was really bummed to miss LANDMINE MARATHON. I’ve wanted to see them for awhile.
Bummed I missed this band. I heard they were awesome.
So when I finally arrived I caught BEST COAST, like with ARCTIC MONKEY’S it was nice to hear something a little different and mellow. I got to see this cool new band called THE TRUJILLO TRIO, on the “Vans Skate Ramp”. Robert Trujillo & Family put on a dirty, crusty, grindy, punk rock show. I hope something gets released soon!
Robert Trujillo was a triple threat this weekend.
It was good intro to the insanity for THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER! I ended up pitting my ass off throwing crowd surfers left and right. Haven’t really done that a in awhile, holy cardio workout Batman! It felt great!
Ripper Owens and CHARRED WALLS OF TH DAMNED were amazing!
I had to sprint across to the “Frantic” stage to catch the first show of the year for CHARRED WALLS OF THE DAMNED! Ripper Owens’ and Richard Christy’s unstoppable juggernaut! They were awe-inspiring to watch. Then back to “Damage Inc.” for the headlining set from SEPULTURA! They are in the midst of a tour over in Spain, but flew in just for this. The pit felt like a UFC match and some douche was decked out in gloves and a mouth guard. It was a rough pit. Now musically, this band is amazing! DERRICK GREEN has been in this band long enough that I forgot someone else used to sing for them. New drummer Eloy Casagrande, that kids a monster! He even broke a bass pedal. after that I checked out the sick car show there while AVENGED SEVENFOLD closed the “Fuel” stage. They like fireworks and pyro just at much as METALLICA does.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD likes to blow shit up!
After a cool video intro, METALLICA started of the set with “Hit the Lights” and “Master of Puppets”, like last night, then went to “Fuel”, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “Shortest Straw” before starting “The Black Album” (Metallica) in reverse. I don’t know what it was, but “The Black Album” just sounded better then Ride. Mind you I haven’t heard this about in over ten years. They just sounded tighter on this material. The encore this time consisted of “Blackend” and “One” and then a James spoke about the festival and dedicated the last song to Cliff, “Seek and Destroy” wait what!? Not “Orion”!? What the hell!? This is bullshit! That’s some of the comments I heard around me. My best guess as to why no “Orion”: maybe it’s kind of a bummer to play it and they didn’t want to end the festival on a downer.
Set List: Hit the Lights Master of Puppets Fuel
For Whom the Bell Tolls
The Shortest Straw The Struggle Within My Friend of Misery The God That Failed Of Wolf and Man Nothing Else Matters Through the Never Don’t Tread On Me Wherever I May Roam The Unforgiven Holier Than Thou Sad But True Enter Sandman Encore: Blackened One Seek and Destroy
Day two was more enjoyable than Day One, overall.
All in all, it was a great family festival. It was really good seeing kids there. I’ll most likely bring mine next year. There was enough different musical styles to keep everyone happy and it was worth the long trip to Atlantic City. I want to go back again so lets hope for an Orion fest in 2013!
I went down to Hartford to see the UPROAR Feestival at the Comcast Theater. Honestly I half expected a mixed bag of a few real metal bands and a majority of radio friendly active rock bands capped off by AVENGED SEVENFOLD, who I really like. Recognizing that I am not UPROAR’s key demographic (by a long shot) I went into the day without too many high expectations. That being said the turnout was impressive for a hot day in early September. While smaller in scale than Mayhem Festival or even past Ozzfests were, this scrappy little tour had a good crowd, having some fine bands, a good fairway of diverse vendors and an amazing crew of staff (both venue and tour personnel). The fact that this day was the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks would weigh heavily on all the artists on this day and as it turns out, the crowd as well.
ART OF DYING was an early surprise....
Since I was busy handling some early day interviews I missed most of HELL OR HIGHWATER, the new band from Brandon Sallor of ATREYU fame. Just last summer I saw them at the 2010 Mayhem Fest and 2011 has seen Sallor move on fully. I really didn’t catch much of the music, but it sounded like a more straight up pop rock experience than his previous metalcore flavored band. People seemed to be into it and they seemed to know the songs which was cool. The first band I caught a full set of was ART OF DYING. These guys surprised me. Apart from their debut video “Die Trying” I really didn’t know the band at all. Even though they are definitely interested in radio friendly rock anthems, they wrote solid songs, have enough heaviness to pass muster and are excellent performers. Singer Jonny Hetherington does his best AXL ROSE/STEVEN TYLER/JOSHUA TODD whiskey swilling front man act and has the pipes and the bravado to back that up. The entire band is pretty solid, notably guitarist Greg Bradley. In addition to the opener “Straight Across My Mind” and the single, their set was pretty much what you would expect from this type of band. Several rock songs, a ballad (‘get your lighters out’) and back to rocking again was their format and it worked. Oh the entire band sings backing harmonies too, which also impressed me. I know they have gotten some push because they are on DISTURBED’s vanity label and their bassist has a cousin in THREE DAYS GRACE, but I feel like these guys are at the end of the day, a solid band. If classic rock inspired modern bands are your thing, these guys are a good bet for a fun show.
"HARTFORD! Let me see those hands!"
BLACK TIDE was up next and there was a considerable buzz in the venue for the band. Although their new album Post Mortem (DGC/Interscope) has divided their older and newer fans, they are a still great live act. They owned the second stage like it was the main stage with dramatic style and some killer platforms to perform on. Opening up with the neo-thrash anthem “Warriors of Time” they definitely tore the lid off the place. Everybody young and old participated in the massive sing-a-long parts and it was a lot of fun. Front man Gabe Garcia and Austin Diaz split the impressive lead guitars and shared several excellent harmony sols as well. The song is so cool and catchy you wonder why they had the urge to switch up their style at all. Gabe has developed into a strong singer and he easily carries a lot of songs on his back. Second cut “Bury Me” is another uptempo rocking song full of riffs, licks and good gang vocals. Steven Spence has become almost the co-star of the band with his powerful drumming, dynamic performance and great backing vocals. Their new single “That Fire” was next and although I wasn’t crazy about the change of pace, the crowd ate it up leading me to believe the band knows what it is doing by sticking a rudder in calmer seas. They finished up strong with their closer “Walking Dead Man” which again features some excellent playing and shredding solos by Gabe. It will be interesting to watch the continued development of the band and which road they end up on. My vote is for them to stay on the heavier side of things, that is for sure.
BLACK TIDE puts on a great show live.
SEVENDUST was up next and I was really excited to see them again. They always put out consistent albums and terrific live shows. In a true and just world SEVENDUST would be one of the headline acts on this day and not under some of the other bands on the bill. The side stage area was totally full now as they awaited the last band of this part of the day. They came out to their intro music and took their places in a fairly customary style and the crowd seemed really thrilled. Starting off with “Splinter” from the excellent Cold Day Memory (Atlantic) they got the crowd immediately jumping and their trademark high-energy was already there. The song leads off with a guitar lick, almost a harmonized melo-death style theme before the good old 7D crunching riffs and beats come in. The band has been through a lot and they defintiely appreciated the wave of love from Hartford. Singer Lajon Witherspoon pretty much runs the game from his spot center stage. He definitely commands the masses with his out-sized voice and personality. The band has really made their career on the ability to turn out an awesome live spectacle with just voices, instruments, heart and soul. The second track “Praise” is the big radio song from earlier in their career and also went over big. I’d prefer the band play some of the older material, but after over a decade and a half I know the band has a challenge with what to play night after night. Continuing to keep the energy up high the band next played “’Forever” with its grinding riffs and spastic beats. Both Clint Lowery and John Connolly sing and play guitar, contributing to the bands wall of sound approach. The chorus of the song and power groove beats are huge and a lot of fun. Morgan Rose is one of the finer performers in all of metal, playing his ass off behind the kit and singing lead 20-25% of the time in the band. More screaming courtesy of Morgan came on “Pieces”. Lajon talked about what it means to have the fans in their corner and gave shout outs to some Hells Angels in the crowd as well as talking about 9/11 too. He was clearly choked up the rest of their set, but he managed to keep it together for a few more songs. They finished up really strong with “The End is Coming” and “Face To Face” and they went out on a high note with fans chanting for an encore that never came. At least Morgan jumped into the crowd from the stage, about six feet across to the pit area and crowd-surfed on the way out.
An emotional LaJon Witherspoon connects with the crowd.
Set List:
Splinter
Praise
Forever
Pieces
The End Is Coming
Face To Face
As I made my way over to the main stage in the amphitheater ESCAPE THE FATE was finishing their set. Sort of a cross between screamo and deathcore, they would be a good fit for THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA set. They certainly had their own heads in the place and were another band I heard and was wondering if they were really very popular and I just don’t know it, me coming over from more raging waters. After their set there was a Miss Uproar contest that I think went over the heads of some of the younger crowd. It was MC’d by the ART OF DYING guys who were pretty funny at hassling and choosing the girls.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE puts the metal in metalcore.
Next up was BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE from Wales, UK whom I saw last a few years ago. Even though they are on the commercial end of the metalcore spectrum, they have great taste in thrash bands to idolize and guitar skills for days. They are always enjoyable live and do a great job of getting the crow to go off. I thought it was interesting that they had quite an elaborate stage set up for the second band on the main stage. It kind of reminded me of METALLICA’s Master of Puppets set a little bit and I think the nod was on purpose. Nice to see that the tour really holds production values up high considering the times we are in. When the bands theme music started to play it was like a wave of people down in front were awakened and started moshing before the band ever started to play. The came on stage beginning with “Your Betrayal” they were on fire! Lead screamer Matt Tuck has a very commanding stage presence and led the band through a mainly hits orientated set lit. Tuck and Michael Paget do a nice job of trading licks and leads all set long. “Pleasure and Pain” is a solid follow up and the crowd seemed to be into it despite the band having only toured the USA a few times. Songs like “Waking the Demon” and “The Last Fight” are more what I have in mind with a boat load of thrash riffs, screamed verses and catchy chorus parts. The rhythm section of Jason Johnson on bass and Michael Thomas on drums is solid and both guys are fine performers. After a guitar solo piece by Paget the band played their best and most popular track, “Scream, Aim, Fire”. Since this was the song the band is known for, everybody in the amphitheater really got into the sing- a-long end of things. After a few more tracks to jam out on, the band was done as fast as they arrived. I really thought they had done a good job of leaving a lasting impression on the fans.
Set List:
Your Betrayal
Pleasure and Pain
Waking The Demon
The Last Fight
Guitar Solo
Scream, Aim, Fire
Tears Don’t Fall
Begging For Mercy
I have never really been into either SEETHER or THREE DAYS GRACE and neither did anything to change my mind tonight. I will say SEETHER stunned me with both their remarkable stage show (effects and design) and the fact that they were a lot heavier than I remembered. The few songs I know by them I have probably heard in bars or a party once. They were not spectacular to me, but if I was like ten years old when NIRVANA broke big in 1991, I would totally heart these guys a lot. By comparison THREE DAYS GRACE was awful. I can’t believe a) these guys have been around this long and b) people in the venue were losing their minds to these dudes like they were the second coming of ZEPPELIN or SABBATH. Wow, the youth of today needs a musical colonic irrigation in a bad way, stat!
After walking around the venue for a while and trying to cleanse my mind and ears before the rest of the show, the changeover began for AVENGED SEVENFOLD’s gear. Before they hit the stage however, there was a cool ceremony to honor the men and women of this country. In honor of 9/11 the band along with UPROAR festival founders and local rock station WCCC helped raise $11,000 to go to the National Fallen Fire Fighters Foundation and The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Both groups were presented with checks while and an color guard saluted them and held a moment of silence for fallen heroes. All this took place with the backdrop of a giant American flag behind them. I’m not one for overt displays of patriotism, but it was hard not to be moved by this classy show of support. It was a pretty solemn moment in the middle of a good time, but an important one to make on this day of all days.
Give thanks..... and never forget.
After a large curtain was hoisted to cover the front of the stage the final preparations were made for the band. As the opening strains of “Nightmare” played the curtain fell and the band hit the stage. Bombs exploded and fire spouted as the massive stage set was unveiled. It was almost too surreal to take in. With skulls everywhere, skull risers for the band to jump on and off of, a skull drum enclosure towards the back and of course a giant “Devilbat” that shot out fire and loomed large over everything it was a sight to behold. People often don’t believe me when I tell them that A7X has ascended to the class of an IRON MAIDEN or a METALLICA when it comes to a visual live performance. Trust me, they have. Meanwhile the band itself was also on fire playing the kick off song of their show. They were always tight live, but have been especially so since the loss of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, perhaps to continue repping his legacy. “Nightmare” is almost like a greatest bits type of track, with everything and the kitchen sink tossed in as far as what this band is capable of. Singer M. Shadows stalked the stage and sounded great. Both guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance traded licks and solos equally well although Syn does the majority of the leads. Filling in for the ubiquitous by his absence Sullivan is Arin Ilejay (CONFIDE) who did a yeoman job all night long. The band held a fan poll to choose the set lists prior to the tour so hearing an oldie like “Chapter Four” wasn’t a total surprise. Still, it was pretty awesome since it is one of the tracks the band built their legacy on. Since the band slowly went away from their original screamy-metalcore sound to a more rock and heavy metal formula, they have played less of those original songs at times. Nice to hear them make a bit of a comeback now. “Welcome to The Family” followed next and was another strong track. Shadows does a great job of holding down is parts with a snarling rasp. ”Almost Easy” is another song with guitar porno moments in it and even if you are not a fan of the band, you have to give them credit for writing such catchy and heavy tunes. The middle of the set list was a bit sappy and sentimental with songs like “Seize The Day”, ”Afterlife” (dedicated to the Rev) and M.I.A. for which Shadows dedicated to the troops still fighting wars overseas: the fallen, ones lost and the ones who made it back home.
M. Shadows and Synyster Gates welcome you to the family.
As the set and the long day into night started to come to a close, the band again surprised me with tracks like “God Hates Us” and “A Little Piece of Heaven”. Not surprises in the traditional sense mind you, but in the context of this set list it was good to hear the band feel free to include any song they have done. This is another step in the maturation process for them and its good to hear/see. Closing out on the aggro tip they finished up strong with a raucous run through of “Bat Country” and their standard closer “Unholy Confessions”.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD has announced a tour alongside HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, ASKING ALEXANDRIA and BLACK VEIL BRIDES for this fall. Chances are, if you are over the age of 25, you don’t care about this news. Check out the dates below, are you going to see this tour?
11/23 Ft. Meyers, FL – Germain Arena
11/25 Jacksonville, FL – Veterans Memorial Auditorium
11/26 Augusta, GA – James Brown Arena
11/28 Huntsville, AL – Von Braun Center
11/29 Pikeville, KY – Eastern Kentucky Expo Center
11/30 Fort Wayne, IN – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
11/02 Madison, WI – Alliant Energy Center
12/03 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
12/06 Green Bay, WI – Resch Center
12/07 Duluth, MN – Amsoil Arena
12/09 Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center
12/10 Bismarck, ND – Bismarck Civic Center
12/12 Billings, MT – Metra Park Arena
12/13 Missoula, MT – Adams Center
12/14 Yakima, WA – Yakima Valley Sun Dome
This is definitely the week when every single neo-thrash bands new album has landed at my feet, on my desk or in my inbox as it would be. BLACK TIDE famously hit the scene as teenagers with Light From Above in 2008 with a lot of hype and major label clout behind them. The resulting backlash was to be expected due to their age and other factors, but along the way the band cut their teeth on the road and refused to be pigeon-holed by whoever decides who is cool and who is not. I respect the fact that they continue to improve and Post Mortem is the just the beginning of what I see as an evolution for the group. They are still so young and this is just album number two. The probability is that they will grow into an awesome band in due time, although for now they will have to settle for very good.
Starting things off with “Ashes” the band is in fine form. Alternately groovy and fast, it is a fine opening salvo. The track is plenty heavy, but really melodic and tuneful. This is a already a step forward from the band and the entire album benefits from these improved catchy melodies. Front man/guitarist Gabe Garcia leads the charge here on vocals and teams up with Matt Tuck of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE on the vocals and the results are great. I found the quality of this vocal very similar to what TRIVIUM is doing these days and I consider it a plus. Garcia has the occasional grit in his voice for metal, but for the most part focuses more now on melody. Second track “Bury Me” starts off with a really technical riff played by Garcia and Austin Diaz who also chimes in backing vocals too. The chorus has a very pronounced AVENGED SEVENFOLD vibe which also makes for a really cool mix between thrash and active rock. This track has a terrific break down and harmonized IRON MAIDEN style lead. However, instead of just being the sum of their influences there is some adventurous writing on these early songs that you need to tip your hat to. “Let it Out” is a rock song with metallic flourishes. Basically your old-school, third track as the power ballad trick. Back to the speed with “Honest Eyes” the band conjures up the sound of early years UNEARTH to excellent results. The verses are really tough sounding with cool intricate guitar parts and another sing-a-long chorus. It is a veritable wall of sound of guitars and vocals and it works. Garcia rips on the solo as well. Drummer Steven Spence is the unsung hero of the group, laying down a cool foundation of beats and playing what is required of him. Bassist Zack Sandler is solid as well. “That Fire” is the first left turn of the album. The song has a shuffle guitar part at the beginning of the cut that is a little folksy and a little bit funky. I didn’t know what to make of the track until after Garcia crooned the refrain and the song became a stomping rocker with some powerful lead vocals just to change it up some more. The band may have pushed the needle too far in the other direction sometimes with songs like the LINKIN PARK-ish “Fight Til the Bitter End”. To their credit they can totally pull off that kind of song, but I wasn’t too crazy of how it flows with the rest of the album. On the plus side, songs like “Take it Easy” and “Walking Dead Man” totally crush and are songs the band should consider adding to their live show, especially the latter one. For an album that has the same tittle as a SLAYER song, I was hoping for it to be harder overall. Rather than worry about measuring up to others standards, BLACK TIDE has gone out and made the record they wanted to make on their terms. A record their fans will no doubt enjoy.
I’ll be honest, I have NEVER listened to a WEDNESDAY 13 song. Even more honest, I’ve only heard two songs from WEDNESDAY 13′s collaboration with JOEY JORDISON (SLIPKNOT), THE MURDERDOLLS. I just don’t care about shock rock or, for that matter, radio-friendly ‘hard alternative’ (as it’s called these days). However, that may be forced to change now because I have been swarmed by W13 fans telling me that he’s revealed the cover for a new album since last week. Well, for those of you who are interested, here is the cover for ‘Calling All Corpses’, which will be out on October 11th.
To me, it’s not a bad cover. It’s just a rather boring cover and kind-of silly, the way that AVENGED SEVENFOLD covers are usually silly and not that cool to look at. I imagine that I’ll feel the same way about the music, but I’m a bit intrigued now since so many of you are emailing me and praising his work. SO, let me hear it, what album (or song/video/whatever) should I check out?
‘Calling All Corpses’ track listing:
01. Blood Fades To Black
02. I Wanna Be Cremated
03. Ghoul Of My Dreams
04. One Knife Stand
05. Calling All Corpses
06. Miss Morgue
07. Silver Bullets
08. Bad At Being Human
09. London After Midnight
10. Candle For The Devil
11. We All Die
12. Something Wicked This Way Comes
13. Blood Fades To Black (Reprise)
Germany’s Eat the Gun are seeking to conquer the world-specifically the United States-with their upcoming Runner full length this August, and have decided to make Metal Army America one of their first stops along the way!
Below you’ll be able to exclusively stream the album’s opening title track, before Runner drops from Metalville Records on August 30th.
Says the band’s bassist Phil Huls, ‘We recorded the guitars in our own tiny studio in February 2011. We had no heater, so we were freezing all the time. It’s a frozen-fingers-record so to speak! However, I think that it’s by far the most reflective and authentic album Eat the Gun ever released.”
This is a sentiment echoed by the band’s drummer Gereon Homann: ‘This is the first record on which I REALLY love the sound of the drums! They sound pure and bombastic. I’ve had a great time during the recordings, plus live on stage, the new material is going to convince people, for sure!”
The band’s extravagantly named axeman Hendrik Ucuncu is also sufficiently stoked on the album’s final outcome, proclaiming, “We’ve been working so hard on this record. We made the perfect choice working with producer Toni Meloni; he understood exactly what we had in mind and did a great job. We wanted the album to sound authentic in terms of us being a classic Rock ‘n’ Roll trio. Not too many overdubs and not overproduced. We focused on writing a bunch of good songs, which was the most difficult part I guess.”
So how does Eat the Gun feel about Runner being their first album to receive proper release here in the States?
“It’s really incredible to have Runner released in the U.S.,” says Phil. “This is our first international release, and we can’t wait to see if people will like what they hear.”
Hendrik concurs, saying, “It’s a great honor to have Runner released in the USA – it’s a dream come true, for sure. Those bands who had the greatest influence on us especially as young musicians were U.S. bands like Guns ‘n’ Roses, Motley Crue, Aerosmith or Kiss. Even nowadays we listen to bands like Papa Roach, Alter Bridge or Avenged Sevenfold, so, needless to say, we’re stoked!”
This is the new A7X song. I personally like a couple songs by these guys and I think that, while goofy as fuck, they are actually talented musicians. What’s your thought on the new song?
Now this story just gets sadder each day. First, Portnoy quit DREAM THEATER. Then he got booted from AVENGED SEVENFOLD and now he has revealed on his personal website that he indeed tried to reconnect with DREAM THEATER and his offer was declined! Oooff, talk about a tough week! Here’s PORTNOY’s post:
“Just for the record, this is indeed true..
“Fairly recently, I reached out to the guys to try and make amends and offered to reconcile for the sake of having peace back in our lives… (plus I know how much it meant to a lot of the fans…)
“I figured it was still possible to try and save us, because they hadn’t made any announcements yet or begun any public activity with another drummer… but sadly, they declined my offer (well, actually their lawyer did… they didn’t even tell me themselves….)
“Sorry, gang, I honestly gave it my all…
“So now the fans on my Twitter and Facebook can please stop asking me to go back to DREAM THEATER… I tried, and the door is now shut… The ball is now in their court, not mine…
“I’m not crying or looking for mercy by posting this… I am merely trying to set the record straight as that is always the most important thing about my relationship with you guys… No BS, no spins, nothing to hide… and for better or for worse, I tell it like it is… I’ve also recently seen some people accuse my online activity of ‘looking for attention or media coverage,’ or ‘looking for sympathy,’ but it’s honestly none of the above… I merely value having an open and active communication with my fans… Always have, always will… It is the cornerstone of everything I’ve done since day #1 with DREAM THEATER…
“This was posted here FOR YOU GUYS to know about… here on MY message board on MY website… If it ends up on Blabbermouth or wherever else, that is THEIR choice to spread, I did not request it or send out a ‘press release’…
“Anyways, onward and upward…
“I’ve got a lot of great music and ideas waiting to come out of me and alot of exciting collaborations in the works….so goodbye 2010…bring on 2011!”
Hey dude, I hear that PARAMORE is looking for a drummer! #srsly
It’s still a weird world that we live in if you think about the fact that MIKE PORTNOY quit DREAM THEATER and is now playing for AVENGED SEVENFOLD. I mean, I’m no DREAM THEATER fan, but it seems like a bit of a downgrade in the ‘coolness’ factor…
Anyway, PORTNOY is still one of the best drummers to have ever lived so check out this awesome video of him rocking out with AVENGED SEVENFOLD at a recent show!
On the heels of the epic ELUVEITIE tour announcement, HOLY GRAIL has now unveiled their first proper music video. “My Last Attack” comes from the band’s debut, ‘Crisis in Utopia’, and is an ultimate tribute to TRUE traditional heavy metal.
