Niclas Müller-Hansen of Sweden's Metalshrine recently conducted an interview with former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metalshrine: Have you stayed in touch with [MEGADETH mainman] Dave Mustaine and the other guys through the years?
Friedman: Not all that much. Not really that much, but not zero. We've been in touch a few times and it's very friendly and I have no problem in the world with them and wish them nothing but success and hopefully they feel the same.
Metalshrine: Have you listened to any of the stuff they did after you left?
Friedman: Actually, I heard the one record they made right after I left and that's the last most recent thing I heard of theirs. That's about it, really.
Metalshrine: I read that one of the reasons that you left was that MEGADETH wasn't aggressive enough. Is that true?
Friedman: Oh yes, that's totally true. Totally, totally true. At the time when I left it was the beginning of 2000, but I actually told the guys that I was gonna leave in the middle of '99, but that's another story. I left in 2000 and at that time every other band was just about a thousand times more aggressive than we were. At the time you had, I guess, KORN and MARILYN MANSON and even LIMP BIZKIT had stuff that was deeply heavy and our stuff just sounded thin and small and to my ear it just sounded really dated and very old-fashioned and traditional. There's absolutely nothing wrong with any of those things and in fact a lot of people who are into heavy metal really like that traditional sound and don't want it to change, so that's a very valid point and I understand it, especially since I've been a RAMONES fan since I was a baby. When they changed just the slightest thing, I got all crazy, so I understand that, but with a name like MEGADETH and all the other bands are just blowing you away with this big deep heavy sound that is way scarier and way harder and more aggressive than a band called MEGADETH, it was not turning me on anymore. I was like, "Let's do one thing or the other! Let's either get friggin' heavier or let's just be a little bit more marketable, because right now, we're kind of an underground band and we shouldn't be. We've got so much great potential within the four members of the band that we shouldn't be an underground traditional metal band." That's not where I wanted to go, but maybe that's where they wanted to go. It was just a completely musical decision why I left the band and it had absolutely nothing to do with any personal problems. I was just seeing all these other bands and I love aggressive music, but it's gotta be really fucking aggressive. I hear stuff now like DECAPITATED and stuff like that. I would've wanted to play stuff more in that vein than what we were doing. I thought, maybe our first couple of records when I joined the band were kind of aggressive for that time, but there was so much stuff after it that I would say was trumping us in that department. I know music's not a competition and I wasn't competing, but I just thought that other bands were doing what I thought we should do better. I don't know why we were always in the mid-tempo kind of '80s thrash metal zone and we were all beyond that, but that's really what I meant back then and I totally meant it.
Metalshrine: About doing something different, did you listen to METALLICA's "Lulu" project?
Friedman: Ahhh, I think I heard one song where Lou Reed is, like, talking or something. I didn't listen to it thinking that I was gonna be asked about it, I just remember, "What's this?" Was he rapping or was it spoken-word?
Metalshrine: Yeah, I guess it's more like spoken-word throughout the album.
Friedman: Yeah, I don't know. I have no idea.
Metalshrine: But as a musician, could you see yourself doing something that's totally different from what you've done before in a way to push things forward?
Friedman: I absolutely believe it and I absolutely get it and I understand it. The thing with METALLICA is that they're such a great band and they've got so much great stuff already in their history, that they could just like fart on a record and people would at least wanna see why they're doing it, you know. They've got so much great stuff and they're allowed to be experimental if they want. I have a lot of weird trippy stuff that I haven't released that maybe if I was in a band like METALLICA, I would have the opportunity to release it, but I kinda keep my stuff a little bit more to how I'd like to represent myself, but I think all musicians have a lot of experimental stuff and that's how you grow. I give them total props and total credit for always being experimental and that's why they're always one step ahead of the curve in the world of heavy metal and that's why they're like THE ROLLING STONES of heavy metal. They've always continued to reinvent themselves while keeping that great sound, but I can't really speak for that whole "Lulu" album. I don't think they're gonna lose fans with it, but they have fans of their old stuff who are not gonna like it as much most likely, but if they like it, that's all that matters. It really is. Especially when you have a history of success behind you. It takes balls to do something that you know your hardcore fans are not gonna like. It's easy to preach to the converted. It's easy to do that and it's fun to do it because everyone's gonna love you and it's great, but it takes balls to take a risk and even more balls to do it in public and release it so I give them credit.
Former DIO and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell performed two songs — "Rock Of Ages" (DEF LEPPARD) and "Holy Diver" (DIO) — with Los Angeles glam-metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER on Monday, May 28 at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below
Vivian previously performed "Rock Of Ages" and DIO's "Rainbow In The Dark" with STEEL PANTHER at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California in January.
Campbell revealed in April month that he is planning to join forces with three other original DIO members to play "some gigs" that will see the musicians performing material from the early DIO records that Campbell appeared on. Campbell, Vinny Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass) and Claude Schnell (keyboards) will be accompanied by singer Andrew Freeman, who has previously fronted HURRICANE and LYNCH MOB.
Guitarist Christian Hector of the German funeral doom metal band AHAB was interviewed on the latest edition of "Rich Davenport's Rock Show". The program can be streamed using the Mixcloud player below. (Note: The Hector interview begins around the 38-minute mark.)
AHAB's third album, "The Giant", was released on May 25 via Napalm Records. The CD features cover artwork (see below) by acclaimed artist Sebastian Jerke (LONG DISTANCE CALLING) and a guest appearance by ENSLAVED vocalist/keyboardist Herbrand Larsen.
"The Giant" track listing:
01. Further South 02. Aeons Elapse 03. Deliverance (Shouting At The Dead) 04. Antarctica The Polymorphess 05. Fathoms Deep Below 06. The Giant 07. Time's Like Molten Lead (digipak and vinyl bonus track) 08. Evening Star (vinyl-only bonus track)
AHAB's sophomore album, "The Divinity Of Oceans", was released in July 2009 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2006's "The Call of the Wretched Sea" contains seven songs and is based on the wreckage of the Essex.
AHAB is named after Captain Ahab, a character in the novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. Along with its name, the band also draws thematic and lyrical inspiration from "Moby Dick" — some songs even feature direct quotations from the book.
AHAB is:
Daniel Droste: Guitar, Voices, Synths Christian Hector: Guitar Stephan Wandernoth: Bass Cornelius Althammer: Drums
Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach's video for the song "I'm Alive" will make its online debut this coming Monday, June 4. The clip is one of three videos (alongside "Kicking & Screaming" and "TunnelVision") that the singer filmed on June 28, 2011 in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment (PAPA ROACH, WHITESNAKE, METHOD MAN, TALIB KWELI).
Commented Bach: "This song is more of a ballad than the first two and I am excited for you all to see it!" He added, "We are sending the video to TV channels such as VH1 and Fuse, etc., but the Internet is king, so look out for the premiere this Monday on all of my websites."
"I'm Alive" comes off Bach's new album, "Kicking & Screaming", which sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.
Bassist Jason Christopher — who filled in for Shawn Economaki during STONE SOUR's spring 2011 tour and who previously played with SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor in the JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND — recently joined Bach's solo group.
Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA's entire June 2 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany can be seen below.
METALLICA performed its top-selling 1991 LP, "Metallica", a.k.a. "the black album," in its entirety at the Nürburgring concert. As they have done on all the shows on their current European tour, the band played the LP backwards, starting with closing number "The Struggle Within" and ending with "Enter Sandman".
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. Hit The Lights 02. Master Of Puppets 03. Ride The Lightning 04. For Whom The Bell Tolls 05. Hell And Back 06. The Struggle Within 07. My Friend Of Misery 08. The God That Failed 09. Of Wolf & Man 10. Nothing Else Matters 11. Through The Never 12. Don't Tread On Me 13. Wherever I May Roam 14. The Unforgiven 15. Holier Than Thou 16. Sad But True 17. Enter Sandman
Encore:
18. Blackened 19. One 20. Seek & Destroy
Asked whose idea it was for METALLICA to play the "black" album in reverse on the current tour, the band's drummer, Lars Ulrich, told Rolling Stone magazine, "If you like the idea, it was mine. If you don't, it was James' [Hetfield, guitar/vocals]. For better or worse, I'm the setlist guy. This is all subject to change if it doesn't work. But the idea of starting off with the lesser-known songs buried down there and ending up with 'Sad But True' and 'Enter Sandman' seems like a winner. You finish with the money shot, which is the first song."
On the topic of the "black" album's shift away from sped metal to shorter, simpler songs, which set the tone for the rest of METALLICA's career, Lars said, "I'm a big believer that the records all thread together. That straighter, four-on-the-floor thing was present on earlier records, in 'Harvester Of Sorrow' and 'Ride The Lightning'. But we went all-out because there was nowhere else to go. Where do you go after 'Dyer's Eve'? You can't get faster. You can't get more pissed off than Hetfield barking at his parents. That was the end of the Eighties for us."
He continued, "We played a show with AEROSMITH in the summer of 1990, right at the time we started writing the 'black' album. I remember sitting under the grandstand with [co-manager] Cliff Burnstein. He said, 'The MISFITS are a huge part of your influence — 'Last Caress' is a minute and a half long, [THE ROLLING STONES'] 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' is part of who you are. You just haven't released it yet.'
"I went back to San Francisco and there was a riff on Kirk's [Hammett, guitar] on tape [hums the 'Enter Sandman' lick]. The whole thing is just that riff. 'Enter Sandman' was the blueprint. The rest of the record appeared over two months."
METALLICA will play the complete "black album" at its own Orion Music + More festival, scheduled for June 23-24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. METALLICA is headlining both days and will perform its entire 1984 album "Ride The Lightning" for the first time ever on the other day of the festival.
"Metallica" in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. To date, the black album has sold more than 15.7 million copies in the United States.
Although METALLICA had scored their first radio and video airplay with their previous effort, 1988's "...And Justice For All", the black album was the band's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five singles and making them into one of the most popular rock bands in the world.
The Bone Reader recently conducted separate interviews with Peter Adams and John Baizley of the Savannah, Georgia-based quartet BARONESS. You can now watch the chat in two parts below.
BARONESS's new album, "Yellow & Green", will be released on July 17 via Relapse Records. The CD reunites BARONESS with "Blue Record" producer John Congleton (EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY, ST. VINCENT, XIU XIU) following both the band's busiest period (multiple worldwide tours including stops at Coachella, Bonnaroo and Soundwave) and most luxurious year, having taken nearly all of 2011 off to freely write and demo for the 2CD/LP album.
"Yellow & Green" track listing:
Disc 1:
01. Yellow Theme 02. Take My Bones Away 03. March To The Sea 04. Little Things 05. Twinkler 06. Cocainium 07. Back Where I Belong 08. Sea Lungs 09. Eula
Disc 2:
01. Green Theme 02. Board Up The House 03. Mtns. (The Crown & Anchor) 04. Foolsong 05. Collapse 06. Psalms Alive 07. Stretchmarker 08. The Line Between 09. If I Forget Thee, Lowcountry
The cover artwork can be seen below.
BARONESS' two prior releases ("Red Album" and "Blue Record") were awarded record-of-the-year honors from both Revolver and Decibel magazines and placed on year-end best-of lists from Pitchfork and Village Voice.
"We had been on tour for eight years, and we decided to take a break from our adventure to dig our heels in at home and write a new record," explains John Baizley, frontman for the band and the artist responsible for BARONESS' now-iconic album art. "We spent the entirety of the past year dedicating ourselves to the new album. Without the break from touring and the time we took to rest and reflect, we would have been entirely unable to write this new record. We have become re-inspired. Now it's time to get back out on the road."
Baizley also recently spoke with Alternative Press regarding the recording of "Yellow & Green".
BARONESS is John Baizley (guitar, vocals), Peter Adams (guitar, vocals), Allen Blickle (drums) and Matt Maggioni (bass).
Tim Morrison of Time.com recently conducted an interview with legendary guitarist Slash. You can now watch the chat below.
Slash's second solo album, "Apocalyptic Love", sold approximately 38,000 copies to debut at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday morning (May 30). The disc, released through Slash's own label, Dik Hayd (Decayed) Records, follows up 2010's self-titled solo debut, which moved 60,000 copies in its first week of release.
Although he plays material from his previous bands, GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER, in his live show, Slash told The Pulse Of Radio that fans have no problem listening to the new songs as well. "I'd say probably about 50 percent of my set makes up of new material and the other 50 percent is old stuff, and so they take the new stuff with the old stuff pretty well —fortunately, you know," he said. "The new stuff is as inspired as any material I've ever done, so I just go out and do it, and I think probably 'cause I have the balls to just go out and do it and not care, people sort of go, 'Oh, okay.'"
Unlike Slash's solo debut, which featured different vocalists on each track and a number of guest musicians, Slash has recorded all of the new CD with his touring band, MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS.
Slash and his band have embarked to Europe for a month-long tour before starting a new North American run on July 12 in Portland, Oregon.
SKID ROW's Rachel Bolan has laid down the bass tracks on the forthcoming fourth studio album from STONE SOUR, tentatively due in October via Roadrunner Records. He has described the material on the record as "fucking fierce."
A photo of Bolan in the studio with STONE SOUR can be seen below.
STONE SOUR parted ways with bassist Shawn Economaki earlier in the year. The band's guitarist Jim Root stated about the split, "A lot has happened in the past year… We need to move forward and [there will] be more detail when the time is right. He's still a great friend and we're in touch."
Economaki left STONE SOUR in April 2011 in the middle of the "Avalanche Tour" to deal with "personal issues." He was temporarily replaced by Jason Christopher, who has since joined Sebastian Bach's touring band.
STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor recently spoke to Revolver magazine about the band's forthcoming CD. The project — which will likely end up becoming a double effort — will follow up 2010's "Audio Secrecy".
“Picture [PINK FLOYD's] 'The Wall' crossed with ALICE IN CHAINS' 'Dirt' with some good heavy blasts in there," Corey said. "The heaviest song is a total ass-kicker that sounds as if SLAYER and ANTHRAX had a baby. Then, there's a darker bluesy dirge that has the vibe of LED ZEPPELIN's 'In My Time Of Dying'. There's even a little industrial vibe. It's definitely going to blow people's fucking minds.
Taylor added that he came up with a very ambitious concept for the disc.
"The album is a morality play about a man who's standing at the crossroads of his life trying to figure out what to do next," he said. "He's going, 'Do I move foward and evolve? Do I become more responsible or do I run backwards and pilfer the basket of youth?' Sometimes it's romantic to live in the mistakes that you made when you were 20, and condemn yourself to perpetual adolescence."
The album is being recorded at Sound Farm Studios, just outside STONE SOUR's home base of Des Moines, Iowa, with producer David Bottrill (TOOL, MUSE, STAIND).
Guitarist Josh Rand recently said that the CD will be "another progression for the band," adding. "Musically, we have always challenged one another to push things to our limits, and this record is no exception."
Taylor and STONE SOUR guitarist Jim Root will also be busy this summer with SLIPKNOT as that band headlines the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival.
On Tuesday, June 5, the brand new music video for POISON singer Bret Michaels' single "Get Your Rock On" will make its online debut at BretMichaels.com.
The title track of Bret's new solo album, "Get Your Rock On" features guest appearances by Phil Collen of DEF LEPPARD and Sal Coz Costa of MY DARKEST DAYS.
In a recent interview with Gimme Noise, Bret stated about his upcoming CD, "My album will be out this summer and I'm really proud of what we've done with it. It's actually going to be called 'Bret Michaels And Friends: Get Your Rock On', and I'll explain why: It's really not just a Bret Michaels album. I had so many other talented artists come in and support that it's really a 'Bret Michaels And Friends' album. There's a staggering amount of talent on this album — from Ace Frehley of KISS to Michael Anthony of VAN HALEN to Loretta Lynn and Lil Jon. Sal Costa of MY DARKEST DAYS, Joe Perry of AEROSMITH and Phil Collen of DEF LEPPARD are on there as well. It's been such a fun project for me and I'm excited to share it with the fans."
Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine in February, Bret revealed that his new solo album will feature a remake of the POISON smash "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" as a duet between him and Loretta Lynn>. He said, "For me, growing up in a family that my father loved country music and 'Coal Miner's Daughter', this is gonna be a really awesome time."
He added, "The song 'Get Your Rock On' has Phil Collen playing guitar with me and it also has Sal Costa from MY DARKEST DAYS — [a] really, really good guitar player and good friend. Jimmy Buffet and I did a live version of 'Margaritaville' together."
Michaels said the two duets, with Lynn and Buffett, will be "two bonus tracks." And of the rest of the record he said, "It is just straight-up in-your-face rock and roll."
The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — who late last year confirmed the recording of their first new album in more than 33 years and a worldwide headlining tour — had to put some plans on hold due to guitarist Tony Iommi's battle with lymphoma. At this time, BLACK SABBATH will perform only one show of this summer's previously scheduled European tour. It will take place Sunday, June 10 at the U.K.'s Download festival.
So as not to let the promoters and fans down, SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne is now performing the majority of the previously scheduled BLACK SABBATH European dates (both festival performances and the headlining shows) billed as OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS. These "first-ever" OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS shows are featuring appearances by "special guest" musicians, including Geezer Butler (who is joining Ozzy for a special BLACK SABBATH set as a show of respect and support to their friend, Tony Iommi) and longtime former Ozzy bandmember Zakk Wylde. In addition, Ozzy is being accompanied by longtime collaborator and friend Slash at select shows, with other "special guests" set to join the tour at various stops along the way (full list of dates, appearances below).
The sixth OZZY OSBOURNE & FRIENDS concert took place earlier tonight (Saturday, June 2) at Malmö Stadion in Malmö, Sweden.
The setlist for the show was as follows:
Ozzy Osbourne (vocals) Gus G. (guitar) Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (bass) Tommy Clufetos (drums)
01. Bark At The Moon 02. Mr. Crowley 03. Suicide Solution 04. I Don't Know 05. Shot In The Dark 06. Rat Salad (BLACK SABBATH song)
Ozzy Osbourne (vocals) Slash (guitar) Gus G. (guitar) Geezer Butler (bass) Tommy Clufetos (drums)
07. Iron Man (BLACK SABBATH song) 08. War Pigs (BLACK SABBATH song) 09. N.I.B. (BLACK SABBATH song)
Professionally filmed video footage of SOUNDGARDEN's entire June 1 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany can be seen below.
"Live To Rise", the first SOUNDGARDEN song in almost 16 years, was made available as a free download on iTunes beginning April 17 as part of the promotion of "Marvel's The Avengers". The seven-day promotion included an exclusive clip, "The Face Off", from the superhero team-up movie, which came out on May 4.
"Live To Rise" was written specifically for "Marvel's The Avengers" after SOUNDGARDEN was approached about contributing a song to the film.
"The hard part of writing a song for a film is it has to act as a SOUNDGARDEN song, first and foremost, then obviously, it has to coexist with the film," Cornell told Billboard.com.
Cornell told Seattle radio station KISW that fans should not think of "Live To Rise" as an indication of what the rest of the group's new record will sound like. Chris explained, "Some of the songs on our new album are pretty far left of center, and sort of zero in on more of a hardcore SOUNDGARDEN fan and not necessarily a family that goes to see a film like that. Although ['Live To Rise' is] not really what I think of as a necessarily family-friendly song, but it's as close as we've ever come."
The singer added that the tune wasn't specifically based on the movie, saying, "I think a film like this appeals to little kids all the way to old people because it's an action film, it's comic book characters, but it's also pretty witty dialog and accomplished actors doing it. So it had to be somewhat open to all of that. But also first and foremost it has to be a SOUNDGARDEN song."
SOUNDGARDEN officially reunited in early 2010 after disbanding in 1997. Since then, the group has played one full-length North American tour, a batch of festival and club gigs, and some overseas shows.
The group also released a career retrospective called "Telephantasm" as well as a concert album titled "Live On I5", which was recorded on its last tour before breaking up.
A release date and title for the new SOUNDGARDEN album have yet to be announced.
According to Ticketmaster.com, SLIPKNOT will headline the inaugural installment of their own festival, Knotfest, on Friday, August 17 at Mid America Motorplex in Pacific Junction, Iowa.
Scheduled performers:
SLIPKNOT DEFTONES LAMB OF GOD DETHKLOK SERJ TANKIAN THE URGE PRONG
Tickets go on sale on Friday, June 8 at 10:00 a.m. CDT.
As previously announced, SLIPKNOT's greatest-hits album, "Antennas To Hell", is scheduled for release on July 17 via Roadrunner Records.
There is no word yet on which tracks will be included on "Antennas To Hell", and if it will contain any previously unheard music or other bonus content.
SLIPKNOT will headline the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour this summer in the U.S., starting on June 30 in Devore, California.
Professionally filmed video footage of EVANESCENCE's entire June 1 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany can be seen below.
EVANESCENCE will headline this year's edition of Carnival Of Madness, the annual touring rock extravaganza, with support from CHEVELLE, HALESTORM and NEW MEDICINE. Kicking off Tuesday, July 31 in Springfield, Illinois, the 2012 trek will hit major cities across the U.S. including Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Nashville, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.
EVANESCENCE's self-titled third major label album came out last October, five years after the group issued its last effort, 2006's "The Open Door".
"Evanescence" sold 127,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Professionally filmed video footage of MACHINE HEAD's June 2 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany can be seen below.
As previously reported, TEN TON HAMMER, the famed MACHINE HEAD "cover band" that looks and sounds exactly like the real thing, will play its first London show in ten years on Wednesday, June 6 at King's College.
MACHINE HEAD recently announced plans to film a video for the song 'Darkness Within' in the Czech Republic. The track comes off the band's new album, "Unto The Locust", which sold more than 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart — putting MACHINE HEAD in the Top 25 for the first time in the band's 17-year history.
Omnibus Press has set an October 15 tentative release date for "Inside The Machine". The world's first MACHINE HEAD biography — which has **NOT** been authorized by the band — is being written by British rock author Joel McIver — whose 20 books to date include "Justice for All: The Truth About Metallica", "Crazy Train: The High Life And Tragic Death Of Randy Rhoads", "Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography", "To Live Is To Die: The Life And Death Of Metallica's Cliff Burton", "Overkill: The Untold Story Of Motörhead", "The Bloody Reign Of Slayer" and "Unleashed: The Story Of Tool".
MACHINE HEAD recently completed a North American headlining tour with support from SUICIDE SILENCE and DARKEST HOUR and is currently playing festival shows in Europe
SLIPKNOT will make a "big announcement" on Monday, according to a posting on the band's official Facebook page. The artwork that accompanied the message can be seen below.
As previously announced, SLIPKNOT's greatest-hits album, "Antennas To Hell", is scheduled for release on July 17 via Roadrunner Records.
There is no word yet on which tracks will be included on "Antennas To Hell", and if it will contain any previously unheard music or other bonus content.
SLIPKNOT vocalist Corey Taylor has confirmed that the group is finally "putting together demos" for its fifth major label album, which it is expected to begin recording next year for a mid-to-late 2013 release.
SLIPKNOT is getting back to work after an extended hiatus following the passing of bassist Paul Gray in 2010. May 24 was the two-year anniversary of Gray's death from an overdose of drugs.
Playing bass on SLIPKNOT's recent tours has been early band member Donnie Steele. Percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan told The Pulse Of Radio that Steele has been doing a great job, but no decisions on a permanent replacement have been made. "Donnie's a beautiful person and he's just done a remarkable job," he said. "He's always got a smile on his face and he's doing Paul proud and Paul's proud of it and it's amazing. He's filling in for Paul now and we'll see what happens in the future, but it's way too early to even remotely even entertain those ideas."
Crahan said in an interview with Metal Injection in March that all the members of SLIPKNOT had been writing music, adding, "But nothing is done because we're not together yet. And there is no reason to get together and talk about it because there are other things moving, like the grieving process."
SLIPKNOT will headline the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour this summer in the U.S., starting on June 30 in Devore, California.
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