WATAIN Begin Working On NEW Music!

Today (January 17), his Masters Noise and Century Media are proud to announce the beginning of a NEW chapter of the WATAIN epos! The band comments:

"Since the harvest, WATAIN have been occupied with preparations for a long and hard journey. Seeds have been sown, blades have been sharpened and new fires have been lit to illuminate the untrodden tunnels that lay before us as we descend further down the maze..."   

And so it was that on the 3rd of January, 3 years on the day since the recording of 'Lawless Darkness' did commence, WATAIN returned to Necromorbus Studio and begun working on what is to become the 5th full length album. The tentative time of release is now set for August 2013. More details will be unveiled soon.

Formed back in 1998, the first two albums 'Rabid Death's Curse' (2000) and 'Casus Luciferi' (2003) established the band firmly within the underground scene whereas 'Sworn To The Dark' (2007) and especially 'Lawless Darkness' (2010) helped them conquer a wider audience making them one of the most talked about acts in recent years. Musically rooted in classic Black Metal inspired by the likes of VENOM, HELLHAMMER, BATHORY, MAYHEM, DISSECTION as well as the grandeur of old IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA, RAINBOW, it is the larger-than-life aesthetics and total dedication to their art that elevates WATAIN beyond almost any other extreme metal band out there. WATAIN is satanic metal at its most frightening and fascinating.

Related links:
WATAIN
Century Media Records

When Heavy Music Goes Acoustic & How It Impacts A Musicians Nerves

Back in the 90s, the "MTV Unplugged" series became very popular since it showcased artists in a very intimate setting. Part of the magic within the series was that the majority of artists would step out of their "comfort zone", and many would switch their electric guitars into acoustic guitars. This obviously added extra stress to the artists, since they had to rehearse and many times learn how to play a certain "amplified" musical part without any electrical effects or "tricks".

One thing that all musicians who are not used to performing in an intimate setting have in common, is that they get nervous as hell. Of course they are professionals and usually shine within this unusual environment for them, without letting anyone know how nervous they are. And even though they are used to performing in front of massive amounts of people, they do feel the added pressure.

Take for example MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn, who recently performed and acoustic set at a Tony La Russa benefit show (video below). Here is what he had to say about how nerve wrecking his recent acoustic experience was:

"And then the time came to do my set for a 40-to-70 year-old audience that I was certain had no fuckin’ clue who the hell I or Machine Head was. I cracked a couple jokes about it and definitely broke the ice; I was nervous, surprisingly so, irrationally so. Every time I do these acoustic things I'm nervous, I kept telling myself "dude, you headline festivals in front of 100,000 people, and don't even blink an eye, why are you nervous?" I guess the idea of sitting, just me and an acoustic, and just being in the moment, connecting to the lyrics, connecting to the emotion and the place where I wrote it, and the idea that I couldn't rely on my old bag of tricks is... well, scary. I both like and hate that feeling. I feel like I need to do more of it just to get past this weird... I dunno, fear? "

Another Heavy Music artist who recently performed acoustically in New York City and in Gothenburg, Sweden, is TRIVIUM's Matt Heafy (video below). Prior to his first acoustic solo performance at the Moscot Gallery in New York City, Heafy made it clear that he was out of his "comfort zone".

"I’m never nervous with Trivium shows but I’m always nervous with things I don’t really do – like dancing in public, if I had to do it I would be terrified. Having never done a solo acoustic show of songs that no one would expect me to do I don’t know what vibe I’m going to get, I’ll figure it out. I was asking Corey Taylor, who was doing those acoustic shows – I saw him do one in front of 8,000 people in Austria and people were freaking out, he played the Spongebob Square Pants Theme, Alice in Chains and all this stuff. So I asked him how he gets into it and he gave me a couple of tips."

Since Heafy brought up Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR)...

In 2011, we had the chance to catch "An Evening With Corey Taylor". The event was Taylor's super smart way of promoting his debut book "Seven Deadly Sins: Settling the Argument Between Born Bad and Damaged Good". Seeing Taylor in such an intimate setting without of his jumpsuit and mask, was very powerful (video below). Almost as powerful as seeing his as #8 in SLIPKNOT.

So for those who say that acoustic sets are not Metal: if you want to be close minded about it and not open your mind to NEW/COOL ways for our music to be presented, that is your personal choice. Just don't forget that the key ingredient of Metal is rebellion, which it can be translated into trying things that most are too scared to try.

Mr. Flynn, Mr. Heafy and Mr. Taylor, are all vocalists in some of the most important Heavy Music bands today. If they weren't "Metal" enough, they would have never dared stepping out of their "comfort zone" and rebelling all for the love of music.







Lets take a look at the differences between an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar:




What do you think about this? Let us know at the comments section below.

TRIVIUM To Join Forces With DISTURBED On Their NEW Album?

After a successful European tour with AS I LAY DYING, CALIBAN and UPON A BURNING BODY, Florida's TRIVIUM are currently at home working on their next batch of music!

As previously reported, pre-production to the follow up for 2011's 'In Waves' (available now via Roadrunner Records) began this Monday, January 14. According to Metal Injection, the band has lined up DISTURBED's frontman David Draiman to produce the bands sixth studio album. Here are a few pictures of the band working on some ideas with Draiman under the helm:

 Photo credit: Paolo Gregoletto

Related links:
Trivium

NEW ENGLAND METAL & HARDCORE FEST: Tickets Unleashed For 15th Anniversary Event

As previously reported, the NEW ENGLAND METAL & HARDCORE FESTIVAL will once again overthrow the historic venue, The Palladium, in Worcester, Massachusetts, this year marking the 15th anniversary of the iconic weekend-long gathering! The festivities will commence with a pre-party on April 18th, 2013 and the three official days of the fest following on the 19th, 20th, and 21st.

Tickets for this year’s NEW ENGLAND METAL & HARDCORE FESTIVAL are officially on sale NOW. Details below!

Latest additions to the fest include: Agitator, Battlecross, Disgrace, Foundation, Glass Cloud, King 810, Miss May I, Mouth Of The South, Mutilation Rites, Texas In July, The Greenery, Thick As Blood and To The Wind and VYGR with more acts to be announced in the coming weeks. See day-to-day breakdown below.

Friday: Anthrax performing Among The Living in its entirety, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Exodus, Municipal Waste, Black Breath, Holy Grail, VYGR, Dead By Wednesday, Multilation Rites, Trap Them, Death Before Dishonor, Xibalba, The Mongoloids, Power Trip, Expire, Twitching Tongues, Suburban Scum, Rude Awakening, The Greenery, Disgrace, Antagonist AD, The Greenery, Battlecross.

Saturday: Opeth, Katatonia, Trollfest, Tyr, Hellsot, Heidevolk, Ensiferum, Born of Osiris, After The Burial,  The Contortionist, I Declare War, Legion, Erra, Fit For An Autopsy, Sworn In, Reflections, Mouth of the South, Ark of the Covenant, Those Who Fear, Saving Grace, Years Since The Storm, Mouth of the South, King 810.

Sunday: Suicidal Tendencies, Miss May I, Texas In July, Glass Cloud, Your Memorial, No Mercy, Foundation, Remembering Never, Bracewar, Mother of Mercy, Agitator, Incendiary, Thick As Blood, To The Wind.

New England Metal & Hardcore Festival 2013 Ticket Prices/Packages:

- Weekend Pass For All Three Days - $90 [BUY HERE]

- Thursday, April 18th – Kick Off Party – $12 In Advance/$15 Day-Of  [BUY HERE]

- Friday, April 19th: $35 In Advance/$40 Day-Of [BUY HERE]

- Saturday, April 20th: $40 In Advance/$45 Day-Of [BUY HERE]

- Sunday, April 21st: $35 In Advance/$40 Day-Of [BUY HERE]

- VIP Three-Day Package – $165: Includes one three-day NEMHHF Pass, entry to Thursday’s pre-party, an NEMHF T-shirt, 18 x 24 NEMHF poster, NEMHF sampler CD, exclusive meet and greets with artists all weekend, early entry each day, NEHMF guitar picks, NEHMF button pack, raffles for exclusive gear, NEMHF beer koozie, NEMHF + Shock Clothing key chain, free Monster energy drink at the signing tent. [BUY HERE]

- VIP One-Day Pass - $80: Includes one NEMHHF day pass for Friday, Saturday or Sunday, an NEMHF T-shirt, 18 x 24 NEMHF poster, NEMHF sampler CD, exclusive meet and greets with artists all weekend, NEHMF guitar picks, NEMHF beer koozie, NEMHF + Shock Clothing key chain, free Monster energy drink at the signing tent. [BUY HERE]

Since 1999, the NEW ENGLAND METAL & HARDCORE FESTIVAL has showcased a vast array of Metal and Hardcore acts, while also providing merchandising and promotional areas for record labels and other vendors, at Worcester, Massachusetts’ massive venue The Palladium. Join the this years festivities!

Related links:
https://www.facebook.com/metalandhardcorefest
http://metalandhardcorefestival.com
https://twitter.com/moshfest
http://www.massconcerts.com

Testament's Chuck Billy Reveals 25th Anniversary Plans & Discusses Upcoming Tour!

In case you have been living under a rock, Charles Billy (A.K.A. Chuck Billy) is the vocalist of Thrash Metallers Testament! Chuck joined Testament when band was still called Legacy. Coincidentally, Testament's first album was entitled 'The Legacy' and was released in 1987. Ever since then, Chuck has remained a permanent member of the band (along with guitarist Eric Peterson). His vocal style is always evolving: Chuck combines a clear, high pitch Thrash style of singing with a deeper low register Death Metal style grunt. Ever since the 'Low' album, he has mixed both styles both on and off stage.

Earlier today (January 16), Chuck called us to discuss their upcoming North American tour with Overkill, Flotsam and Jetsam, and 4ARM. We also discussed the bands groundbreaking album 'The Dark Roots Of Earth'. And how the band plans to celebrate their 25th anniversary!

During this extensive interview we also discussed Testament's award for “best music video” at the American Indian Film Festival for their clip for the track “Native Blood!” So clean your dirty ears and listen up!




TESTAMENT, OVERKILL, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, 4ARM:

1/30: The Filmore – San Francisco, CA*
1/31: House of Blues – Anaheim, CA*
2/1: The Marquee – Tempe, AZ*
2/2: House of Blues – Hollywood, CA*
2/4: Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM*
2/5: Emo’s – Austin, TX
2/6: House of Blues – Houston, TX
2/7: House of Blues – Dallas, TX
2/9: Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
2/10: The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
2/12: The Fillmore – Silver Spring, MD
2/13: Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA
2/14: Best Buy Theatre – New York, NY
2/15: The Paramount – Huntington, NY
2/16: The Palladium – Worcester, MA
2/17: Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY
2/18: Phoenix Concert Theatre – Toronto, ON
2/20: Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH
2/21: The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI
2/22: The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
2/23: First Avenue – Minneapolis, MN
2/25: The Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO
2/26: In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
2/27: Knitting Factory – Reno, NV
2/28: Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA
* – Denotes FLOTSAM AND JETSAM will not be playing

TESTAMENT have also scheduled two exclusive shows in Japan alongside thrash titans DESTRUCTION and DEATH ANGEL. The event will take place on March 9th and 10th of 2013 at Club Citta in Kawasak-Shi, Japan. Fans can pre-reserve tickets starting December 8th at the following link http://clubcitta.co.jp/ticket. Tickets go on sale everywhere on Saturday December 22. For further information visit http://clubcitta.co.jp/.

THRASH DOMINATION 2013 ANASTASIS, TESTAMENT, DESTRUCTION & DEATH ANGEL:

- 3/9 Club Citta: Kawasak-Shi, Japan
- 3/10 Club Citta: Kawasak-Shi, Japan

Related links:
Testament's Official Site