Here is Keefy’s final Top Ten from his overall Top 40 Metal Albums of 2012 list! Enjoy!
#10. CRYPTOPSY- Cryptopsy (Self Released)
To paraphrase comedian Chris Rock, I’m tired of apologizing for CRYPTOPSY. I was in the minority among people when I loved The Unspoken King. I’m sure as people are reading this; they are scratching their heads again. No matter, CRYPTOPSY has silenced all their critics with an album that matches the best work of their career. A brutal slab of technical death metal on every level the album is great for all the reasons that made the band stellar in the first place. Obviously, people talk about the inhuman level of Drummer FLO MOUNIER. However, the real strength of the band is returning guitarist and writer JON LEVASSEUR and mainstay guitarist/uber producer CHRISITAN DONALDSON. The songs they wrote are superb. I was nervous about Oliver Pinard being able to replace ERIC LANGLOIS on bass, but even he was great too! Lastly, MATT MCGATCHY‘s performance provides the shut the fuck up moment of the year to all the haters. Well done sirs!
#9. PRONG- Carved Into Stone (Long Branch Records/SPV)
I thought my birthday came early this year when PRONG’s new album came out. PRONG has always been one of my favorite bands and all of their recorded output has been always been strong. Carved Into Stone is actually the bands best album since 1996′s Rude Awakening. Not only is the album full of sick tunes, but over the top, guitar playing in general is terrific. TOMMY VICTOR (DANZIG, MINISTRY) has been known for two things in his career: great songs and being a riff master general. The album displays an unexpected depth for any record in 2012. Packed with just the right touch of technical mastery and catchy songwriting to please and the hardcore soul, which hearkens back to Tommy’s NYC metal roots. The performances from TONY CAMPOS (SOULFLY/ MINISTRY/STATIC-X/ASESINO/POSSESSED/OTEP) and ALEXI RODRIGUEZ (ex-3 INCHES OF BLOOD) are matched perfectly too, making this one of the baddest power trio’s around.
#8. GOJIRA – L’Enfant Sauvage (Roadrunner)
GOJIRA albums, when they come out, are an event. The metal world waits with baited breath and the results are always stellar. Armed with a new deal from Roadrunner, the band put out L’Enfant Sauvage over the summer to roars of approval. Perhaps, even I was too cynical to believe that GOJIRA would continue to get increasingly popular as they stayed true to who they were? L’Enfant Sauvage is a great blend of theProgressive Rock/Metal, Tech Death, old-school Death Metal and Thrash influences they are known for. Then there is their subject matter: they are one of the most thoughtful and socially conscious bands around, lyrically. The album hits the right mood on every level, every time and has the musical confidence of a band much more senior in years. Songs like “Explosia”, “The Axe” and “Liquid Fire” are going to be talked about in metal head circles for years to come.
#7. CANNIBAL CORPSE- Torture (Metal Blade)
Like a beautifully marbled steak or a legendary work of art, CANNIBAL CORPSE truly does get better with age. It seems likely that much like SLAYER, the death metal godfathers will keep right on trucking on to oblivion, making skull splitting, gore filled albums for as long as they can. Torture is perfect in every way and all of the things you love about the band are in the mix. Perhaps due to being the most collaborative written album in the bands history, the sound from song to song is quite eclectic. Not like Dubstep, power-ballad eclectic, mind you, but the band has figured out how to blend different song styles seamlessly. Inventive new chord structures and riffs, hard to fathom bass lines and stupendous drumming are all topped off by GEORGE “CORPSEGRINDER” FISHER‘s impeccable voice from hell. Plus, don’t forget the grooves. Oh those crushing grooves! Nobody writes a grooving-ass, brutal riff better than ALEX WEBSTER. The band continues to be the yard stick by which all death metal music and consequently, all death metal bands are measured.
#6. C.O.C. – C.O.C. (Candlelight)
That C.O.C. was able to make a comeback as a trio at this point in their career is not a surprise. The fact that they reunited to make an amazing album is not even a question. What I am surprised by, is that it seems like the rest of the world has caught up to the sound of the band and the love from fans and the press is over flowing. When last we saw C.O.C. as a trio it was the 80s and they were mostly an underground phenomenon. Lots of bands like to say they were influenced by the Sludgy, Crossover Doom masters, but in this age of the Internet; flattery goes a long way to help a new bands rep.To hear WOODY WEATHERMAN tell it, the reunion circuit was totally un-interesting to the band, unless they were gonna make new music. C.O.C., the album has more quality and vitality than many of the upstarts of the genre they helped put on the map. MIKE DEAN‘s bass is full of fuzz and style; Woody‘s soloing is on fire and REED MULLEN, back for the first time in over decade, drums and sings like a man possessed. Let us not forget the poignant political lyrics, much welcomed in these troublesome times of a divided America. You might say the metal world needed C.O.C. to come back, as much as they needed to make a comeback themselves.
#5. MESHUGGAH- Koloss (Nuclear Blast)
What can you say about MESHUGGAH that hasn’t been said already? It’s not hard to run out of superlatives when talking about the most influential metal band of the last fifteen years. Whether Koloss was going to be great or not was likely not debatable. What was up for grabs, was what direction these geniuses would take the iconic music we have all come to expect. The results were stunning. Can you change things up, and still be the same band? By definition no, but that is MESHUGGAH for you. Koloss is a collection of songs much like the rest of the bands’ storied catalog: brutal, and complex. Most of the songs feature a pulsing groove that has come to the fore in the bands work of late. Every beat and riff is a maelstrom of twisting delight, overlapping time signatures and finger-defying licks galore. Most of all, the album sets another technical high water-mark for guitarist FREDRICK THORDENDAL and drummer TOMAS HAAKE.
#4. TESTAMENT- Dark Roots Of Earth (Nuclear Blast)
The return of TESTAMENT to their former level of greatness is nothing short of a triumph for all of metal. 2008′s Formation of Damnation was an excellent comeback album, after almost a decade of no new music. In the interim years since getting back together, they have toured tirelessly around the world, reignited their chemistry and fulfilled the promise of their early career. Dark Roots of Earth takes the concept of the old-school Thrash style, added a modern sensibility and took it all one step further. Only EXODUS and ANTHRAX have been able to pull of the feat of making new music for modern ears, staying true to their past and begin able to add a level of panache. ERIC PETERSON finally got his dream come true by getting GENE HOGLAN to write and record drums for a TESTAMENT album. The unrelenting bottom end of the songs gives the band a new power they have never had. Every song is a gem. “Native Blood” is one of the catchiest, yet grooviest songs I’ve heard in ages. The chorus is also the best of 2012. CHUCK BILLY‘s ageless voice carries the day and ALEX SKOLNICK displays the chops that verify his legions of fans. Even GREG CHRISTIAN is heard from, with some excellent bass lines. Dark Roots of Earth is all killer and positively no filler.
#3. BARONESS- Yellow And Green (Relapse)
One of the most anticipated albums of 2012 did not disappoint when BARONESS dropped the latest in their color-themed recent discography. The band made no pretense that this album would be not be metal and frankly, that was OK by me. If you have been following the band, they have been less concerned with the trappings of fitting in, in their career up to this point. They instead stayed true to their artistic authenticity. What BARONESS delivered is a double-album of incredible songs, displaying great chops and the best dynamics overall of any album on this list. Some of the songs are quite heavy, but more often than not, that heaviness never came the expense of melodies or tones. “Take My Bones Away” was my out and out favorite song of the entire year. “March To The Sea” was another stone cold rocker, the likes that haven’t been heard since the heyday of QUEEN or THIN LIZZY. Some of the best moments are the most unexpected ones; like the freak-out synth work in “Cocanium”. All of the keyboard work is stellar as is the bass playing, which band leader John Baizley played all of too. “Back Where I Belong”, “Eula” and “Board Up The House” will also rank at the top of the bands’ song book for years to come. The “Green” side of the double set is equally tuneful and more mellow, but no less mint song-craft wise. Finally, tying it all together is the brilliant cover artwork, the years’ best; also by Baizley once again.
#2. DYING FETUS- Reign Supreme (Relapse)
DYING FETUS is such a great band in its current incarnation that one almost forgets there were entire years in their history marked by upheavals and departures. The present day lineup has been intact since 2007 and the comfort level they have together creating the most brutal Death Metal possibly known to man is sky high. Through it all, JOHN GALLAGHER has been the one constant: constantly growing as a guitarist and writer and constantly writing pissed the fuck off, baffling and sick lyrics. Reign Supreme might be remembered years from now as one of the top three releases of the bands’ career with its non-stop violence inspired songs. GALLAGHER and his p-i-c SEAN BEASLEY crush it out of the park on the guttural vocals. Beasley, who was always an underrated bassist for the genre, plays some of the best passages ever recorded for the instrument in the context of technical death metal. TREY WILLIAMS also one-ups his performance from Descend Into Depravity, being a might less technical, but still precise as fuck and bludgeoning as all hell. His blasts are far and away my favorite of any drummer on album this entire year. The album is a masterpiece of death metal brilliance, and that is really saying something considering how deep the sub-genre is these days.
#1. IHSAHN- Eremita (Candlelight)
In what was a high quality year at the top of the heap of metal music, IHSAHN‘s fourth solo outing is my choice for the album of the year. It’s not the sexy choice compared with typical years past, but it is the best choice, by far. Eremita is a sprawling, ambitious album full of musical twists and turns, yet perfectly coalescing into a sensible piece of art. In an interview I conducted with him for Metal Army he talked about the creative process as a continual evolution, a death followed by a rebirth. That would just begin to cover the emotional and lyrical depth in the music. In many ways, this is the album that IHSAHN, famously known as the legendary front man of EMPEROR, has been building up to for his entire career. His mastery as a composer, guitarist, vocalist and lyricist is without equal at this point in his career. Musically the songs cover the gamut of emotions and styles and reveal a complexity that mirrors the artist himself. Songs like “Arrival”, “The Paranoid”, “Something Out There”, “The Eagle And The Snake” and “Departure” are among the best of the year. Topping off the package are the guest performances by the likes of DEVIN TOWNSEND, JEFF LOOMIS, EINAR SOLBERG (LEPROUS), JEFF MUNKENBY on sax and IHSAHN’s wife HEIDI S. TVEITEN‘s enchanting vocal turns, which sends the quality of the album into the stratosphere.
For album number eight since leaving SEPULTURA, Max Cavalera has continued to expand on his vast musical legacy. To his credit, just like his first notable group, every album has been different from the last while retaining what can be called his signature tribal metal sound. Some of their albums are more hardcore flavored, others have been more focused on world music and more recently he has guided the band back to his thrash roots. All of these elements are at play and added to the mix are a heavy influence of classic death and black metal for the first time in this band. Although not a wild stretch for Max and company to pull off, the new sound and direction has invigorated their sound and helped to make Enslaved one of their finest efforts to date.
“Resistance” kicks things off with a punishing double kick drum part and frenetic riffs. The main lick sounds kind of like an alarm of sorts, announcing the musical terror that is to come. The first track is short and to the point like some of the original SOULFLY and it works. Very punk meets death metal feeling. The single “World Scum” alternates between grindcore-esque blast-beats and Max’s trademark stomping chorus parts. The song is full of rage, but not without melody and the co-production by Max and Chris “Zeuss” Harris let’s everything shine. “World Scum” was apparently the first song Max wrote with new drummer David Kinkade (ex-BORKNAGAR) and this sets up the vibe for the album with brutal guitar parts of sick death and black metal inspired beats. Adding to the ill sound of the song is Travis Ryan of CATLE DECAPITATION on guest vocals. He is a good match for Max’s sound and makes the track even better. “Intervention” is another furious paced track with more of the great lyrical and vocal work Max is known for. The slowed down ending of the track just crushes. Fortifying the band is the addition of bassist Tony Campos (STATIC-X, PRONG, MINISTRY, ASENSINO). Tony adds a lot of low end heft that the band relies on. He is especially valuable on the most brutal passages since he has a great picking hand for speedy riffs.”Gladiator” is another top track made for mosh pits and screaming along to at a show. The vocals are again top notch and sound fierce as ever. “Legions” is a old-school feeling track that could have been from the Arise-era. Lead guitarist Mark Rizzo shreds all over the place and provides plenty of melody against the grinding chords. Lyrically and philosophically Max sounds anguished by trying to cling to his spirituality in the face of organized religion. Without being too preachy he is able to drive his point home to the listener. “American Steel” is a bit more on the experimental side with some chilled out elements, but still has that crunch you want to hear most of the way through. “Redemption Of Man By God” continues the religious theme and features strong guest vocals by DEZ FAFARA (DEVILDRIVER/COALCHAMBER). When Dez and Max trade off lines with each other it sounds like pure, evil magic. “Treachery” might be the most brutal track on the album and is one of my favorites by far. Insane battle drums, sick guitars, black metal motifs and some inventive grooves that inspire a lot of headbanging. The middle section of the song could fool people into thinking they picked up a spacey sounding MASTODON album for even more added texture. “Plata O Plomo” is an amalgam of thrash, power groove, flamenco guitar, and even some melo-death lead guitars. There is also a rap en Español vocal by Campos that is excellent. Other top tracks include “Slave” (the Berimbau is back!) “Chains”, “Revengeance” which features Richie, Zyon and Igor Cavalera Jr. and the latest chapter in the bands’ eponymous beautiful instrumentals, “Soulfly VIII”. SOULFLY has managed to condense the soul of their entire history into these vibrant, rebellious songs while still pushing boundaries of what heavy music can be.
Max Cavalera leads the charge on one the best SOULFLY records yet.
GREG PUCIATO certainly has a lot of irons in the fire these days. Whether he’s working on a solo project, laying down mystery vocals for an as-yet-announced project or touring his ass off with DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. Now, Puciato has revealed that there is even more in the works – and when you’re talking about more music from Puciato, we tend to get very excited around these parts. Check out what he posted on his Facebook page:
“Working on some “to be released eventually” music, plotting late 2011/early 2012 DEP misadventures with Weinman & Wilson, and making plans to head out to Phoenix this weekend for another writing session with Max Cav. Good start to the week…productivity is trumping ADD on this Monday afternoon/evening after a week of “I’m home from tour” celebration. How’s everyone’s week starting out?”
So, there you have it! DEP will have some new material for us shortly and, probably even sooner, a new tour! Now we have a confirmation that Puciato is writing with MAX CAVALERA (Soulfly, Sepultura, Cavalera Conspiracy) for a new project as well. I’m most interested in a new DEP record but I’m most curious about the collaboration with CAVALERA — there are a lot of questions there, like “who will handle lead vocals between these two” and “who else is involved”. Unfortunately there are no answers to these questions yet, however feel free to speculate below!
Once again I headed to the MAYHEM FESTIVAL stoked for a full day of metally goodness, rock n roll shenanigans, blazing temperatures and once again pissing in the eye of death and trying not to die of heatstroke. I had enough SPF 50 on my pasty body that I looked like a walking mayonnaise sandwich on Wonder bread in the cloudless, 100 degree day in Mansfield, MA. Yes, that is a gross image even to me. Sorry for that! Still, I was ready to rock and was determined to stay hydrated and covered up. Especially for the early part of the day at the side stages on the Comcast Center blacktop. That was my goal at least. This year I have grouped the reviews by stage, which is in contrast to the alternating stage method the festival uses. I have to say this was one of the better run shows I’ve ever been to, at least from the Mayhem staff point of view. The venue people and their behavior is another story entirely, but I digress.
Since I was busy conducting a bunch of band interviews I missed the “Jager band” DEADSEASON. All for the best since it was hot as Hades out there. RED FANG was the first up on this stage and I was worried they would have their work cut out for them. As a straight up old-school stoner rock on a side stage full of hardcore, tech death, sludge, deathcore, melodic metal and thrash influenced music I wondered if the growing masses would “get” what they do. Well they went over great with people moshing in the early afternoon heat and headbanging like mad. It’s tough to be a band that has to a lot of hype to live up to, but I’d say so far they have done a great job. This was my second time seeing them and they were even better this time playing baddass tracks like “Into The Eye” and “Sharks”. Although everyone was waiting to hear their “hit” “Prehistoric Dog” (likely due to its hilarious video) I much preferred the mini-epic “Good to Die”. Overall they were excellent and I am looking forward to catching them again. Next up on this stage was KINGDOM OF SORROW whom I saw last at last summers quasi-disastrous OZZFEST. Since Kirk Windstein was on the road with DOWN last summer he didn’t make that trek. This time around we were treated to the full compliment of the band which of course includes front man Jamey Jasta on vocals. Opening with “Behind The Blackest Tears” the band sounded great and Jamey as always was killer. He incited a ton of crowd surfers and moshers despite the oppressive conditions. Windstein sounded amazing on guitar and he occasionally chipped in some of his unmistakable vocals too. Strangely, during “Free The Fallen” the power to the stage went out. When the power came on a few minutes later the band went right into “Enlightened to Extinction” which was totally kickass. I think Jasta and Windstein really achieved a true marriage of their two styles, especially on album number two. “Monuments of Ash” helped Jasta keep the energy up high. Then for a nice surprise they played a track off of Jasta’s recently released solo album entitled “Mourn the Illusion” and it went over really well. For those wondering he sang his ass off and it was cool to hear this new facet of his game. They ended with “Lead the Ghosts Astray” and it was a fitting closer for the set.
Kirk Windstein and Jamey Jasta rip it up live with KINGDOM OF SORROW.
Playing basically in their backyard since they are from just north of Boston, UNEARTH came out of the blocks like a killing machine of metal! They were pumped up and played a lot of songs off of their new album Darkness In The Light (Metal Blade). They got a heroes welcome from the crowd which was cool since I will say that Massachusetts always represents for their bands. Coming on stage to the strains of intro piece “Equinox” you could see how jacked up they were. “My Will Be Done” is always a great song live, but as the opener here it was even more effective. Vocalist Trevor Phipps is just a beast and terrific at working the crowd into a lather. Guitarists Ken Susi and Buz Osbourne were running and jumping all over the stage as always and soloing their asses off. They even made use of the stacks of gear flanking the sides of the stage to come out into the crowd a little more. “Sanctity of Brothers” was next and also killed. Behind the kit for the new album and this tour is Justin Foley (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED) and he was just awesome. He hit all the familiar beats and played with a bit more finesse than previous guys on the drum throne in this band. He was also sporting a dope beard as per usual! Next was the classic track “This Lying World” Phipps came out into the crowd to the railing to lead the charge on the song and it was down right inspiring watching him. He had openly addressed the crowd saying he wasn’t sure they were gonna be able to rage as much as usual with the heat, but gave them respect for beating his expectations. After this the band played a few new songs like “Watch It Burn” and “Eyes of Black” and these tracks meshed perfectly with the older material. When Susi jumped on the microphone to add some melodic singing it took me right back to the days of The Oncoming Storm. Bassist John “Slo” Maggard was solid as ever and also contributed fine backing vocals.Even though they eschewed some of their more well known singles on this day gems like “Endless” and the finale “The Great Dividers” more than made up for it. UNEARTH are collectively first rate showmen and performers and never disappoint live.
UNEARTH get the welcome that hometown heroes deserve.
Set List:
Equinox (intro)
My Will Be Done
Sanctity Of Brothers
This Lying World
Watch It Burn
Endless
Eyes Of Black
The Great Dividers
The last band on Jagermeister stage was IN FLAMES. Out of respect for them, MACHINE HEAD and TRIVIUM the three bands are in rotation for the main stage opening slot, followed by a headline stint each on the side stage. This modicum of fairness didn’t affect Gottenburg’s melo-death masters. Sounding as ferocious as they have at any point in their career they came on stage led by singer Andres Friden who let loose a demonic scream to announce their arrival. He held this scream for a full minute and the band arrived with lots of energy and fire. This woke up the crowd the honestly might have been flagging a bit by now. Opening with perhaps their most popular song of the latter half of their career “Cloud Connected” kicked things off with a bang. It was cool to hear thousands of people sing the chorus and the band was just going off like I hadn’t seen them do in a while. The rhythm section of drummer Daniel Svensson and bassist Peter Iwers just lock down the low end and they propel a majority of these songs. Another recent jam, “Alias” soon followed with the band sounding great. With Jesper Strombland now departed from the group, guitarist Niklas Engelin is a full fledged member and he is a terrific performer and player. Coupled with mainstay Bjorn Gelotte they form an impressive duo and handle all of the fretboard acrobatics for the band. There were fully on point and missed nothing you would expect. This proved handy with the classic “Pinball Map” from the Clayman album up next. The old-school fans in the crowd seemingly awoke for this song and sang along loudly. Friden sounded as good as ever here, disputing the notion that he has lost anything from a vocal standpoint. He is just in a different place now as a singer and prefers melody over screaming on the new material from Sounds of A Playground Fading (Century Media). Jumping forward to the present day with the current single “Deliver Us” again the entire crowd got into it which was cool. Then they took it way back with “Hive” from my favorite album Whoracle. The track sounded perfect and one gets the feeling the band will be doing a lot more of this type of thing when they headline, so do not miss them! Friden was lively between songs, telling jokes and generally looking really happy for the band to be back on the road in America. Another deep cut off of the new album,“Where the Dead Ships Dwell” was a nice, out of the box addition to the set. Closing with popular songs like “The Quiet Place” and the cathartic “Take This Life” the band wrapped a top notch showing that certainly was worthy of closing out the first part of the day.
IN FLAMES played a diverse set honoring their entire career.
Set List:
Cloud Connected
Alias
Pinball Map
Deliver Us
The Hive
Where The Dead Ships Dwell
The Quiet Place
Take This Life
It seems like only yesterday that everybody and their poorly coiffed little brother was jumping on the metalcore band wagon. A few bands were really innovative and interesting for a hot minute. Several other blew up big in the second wave when commercialism set in and got a foothold (always happens no matter what style). Many fell off and some are still alive and kicking. AUGUST BURNS RED is one of the bands that is still out there not only mining the style, but actually doing a decent job of keeping the flame alive. If they keep putting out albums like Leveler they should be able to keep the torch burning for a while longer at least.
The lead off track “Empire” encompasses everything the band does well in one song. Churning rhythms, excellent guitar work, solid drumming and impassioned bellows of frontman Jake Lurhs. The changes between metalcore, hardcore and even some thrash elements are buoyed by the bands talent for melodicism. Even the pop-punk style, one measure sing-a-long that would be cheesy by any other standard, works here in spades. Second track “Internal Cannon” is even more impressive. After a minute or so of pummeling riffs and beats the song shifts into thirty seconds of an Afro-Cuban jam that would be more at home on a SOULFLY album. They do a beautiful job of shifting back and forth between metal and other genres quite easily and when the band cites BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME as an influence you can see why. The vast majority of this works in part due to the talent of guitarists JB Brubaker and Brent Rambler. Brubaker in particular is the standout with his fluid leads and he handles the majority of the songwriting as well. The production of Jason Suecof has really brought out the subtleties in everyone’s playing, but being a guitar guy, he has really cultivated this area of the band especially well. “Divisions” is another quality track. The band blends typical riffs with atypical motifs and textures that other bands have trouble pulling off. It also features another throat shredding vocal part from Lurhs who really conveys the feelings behind his lyrics and may explain the bands’ die-hard following. “Cutting the Ties” is my favorite song on the album and will surprise the listener with black metal (!) flourishes at times that surprised me considering ABR’s Christian pedigree. Irregardless, the band is not afraid of experimentation and they certainly are the heaviest of all of the their peers in the field. Drummer/programmer Matt Grenier certainly sets the pace and is an integral part of what the band being stylistic chameleons. One thing I also need to single out is their selective use of the now thoroughly played-out bass drops. They only use them sparingly which is appreciated because the predictability and saturation of this gimmick is starting to make me nauseous. “Pangea” is another excellent track with more sinewy lead work from Brubaker who has turned in his best individual effort to date. Other standout tracks are “Salt and Light”, the drumming workout of “Poor Millionaire” and the title track that closes out the effort. Without reinventing the wheel musically or themselves, ABR has raised their songwriting and playing to a new plateau.
Check out this fucking sweet footage of DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN main man Greg Puciato performing “Rise of the Fallen” with SOULFLY at a recent show. Having Max Cavalera and Greg Puciato on stage at the same time is the equivalent of having Bruce Dickinson and Rob Halford sing a duet – both are just phenomenal performers and some of the best metal singers of our generation! I’m truly jealous that I missed this!
Greg Puciato of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN joins forces with SOULFLY.
THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN frontman Greg Puciato joined SOULFLY on stage at the 14th annual “D-Low Memorial” on Saturday, August 28 at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona to perform the song “Rise Of The Fallen”.
The “D-Low” show is held every year in memory of SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera’s stepson, Dana Wells, who was killed in a car accident in 1996. It is one of SOULFLY’s biggest shows of the year and draws fans from all over the United States. In 2004, SOULFLY filmed portions of its “The Song Remains Insane” DVD at the event.
In a recent interview with I Heart Guitar, Max stated about SOULFLY’s collaboration with Puciato on “Rise of the Fallen”, “That was one of the great surprises of [the latest SOULFLY album] Omen. It turned out to be such a classic song, really a great, killer song, and it was done from scratch. I had the idea to invite Greg after I bumped into him at a DEFTONES concert in L.A. that we both sang with the DEFTONES, I invited him to come to the studio, and I mentioned the name of the song, ‘Rise of the Fallen’, and I wanted him to write original lyrics for it, and he felt really good about that. So he wrote all original verses and he helped me with the choruses. Every time I say ‘rise of the fallen,’ there’s a Greg response to that. He was just a great guy to work with. A lot of energy, really excited about the song. He really wanted to make the best song possible. I give him a lot of credit for making ‘Rise Of The Fallen’ one of the most exciting songs I’ve been part of in my career. It’s a track that stands out from the rest, I think. Greg’s ideas were really flowing.”
SOULFLY ANNOUNCES WINTER TOUR TO PLAY NYC, LA, CHICAGO AND MORE
“Simultaneously beautiful and crushingly evil at the same time” – FEARnet
Longtime Roadrunner Records recording artist SOULFLY, lead by metal titan Max Cavalera, has announced a string of winter tour dates that will bring the band to eleven cities beginning in November.
This is Soulfly’s first tour since the release of the seventh album, Omen, which features appearances by famed guests like DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN’s Greg Puciato and PRONG’s Tommy Victor. Alternative Press said “longtime fans of Cavalera’s brand of primitive crunch will love Omen…” while Revolver said Omen is “harder, angrier and catchier than its predecessors.”
Tickets go on sale this weekend, but Citi Private Pass members have access to purchase them now here.
11/26 @ House of Blues, West Hollywood CA
11/27 @ House of Blues, San Diego CA
11/28 @ Slim’s, San Francisco CA
11/30 @ Gothic Theatre, Englewood CO
12/2 @ House of Blues, Chicago IL
12/4 @ House of Blues, Cleveland OH
12/8 @ The Gramercy Theatre, New York NY
12/9 @ Theater of Living Arts, Philadelphia PA
12/12 @ Revolution, Ft. Lauderdale FL
12/15 @ House of Blues, Dallas TX
12/16 @ House of Blues, Houston TX
In honor of SOULFLY/SEPULTURA/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY frontman Max Cavalera’s birthday, it was time for a blast from the past. I dug up a magazine clipping that originally appeared in a 1991 issue of Kerrang! During my days as a rock journalist I had been in Tampa’s legendary Morrissound Studios with the band and producer Scott Burns as the Seps were recording what’s become my favorite SEPULTURA platter, Arise. If I remember right, they still lived in Brazil at that time…talk about a long time ago!
