The Great Rock News Report 06.24.09

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 06.24.2009

Evanescence vs. We Are The Fallen, studio updates from Kid Rock, My Chemical Romance, KISS, The Offspring and more, album info from Megadeth, Arctic Monkeys, Devildriver, Arch Enemy, Evile, Daughtry and more, plus Green Day premiere "21 Guns" and much more in the latest Great Rock News Report!


Kid Rock is working with producer Rick Rubin on a new album. He says "we won't release anything until we both agree that every song on it is great."

Kid had originally intended on releasing a new album late this year, but now that Rubin is on board he says things will be a little slower.

"It's hard to follow big records with another big record," he notes. "I had most of [the next album] in the stages where I could go in and finish it up. Then Rick said, 'I look at these like demos, and we should go back in with the right players and re-cut everything...To really solidify into the big leagues, I think we have to do it this way.' And I was like, 'I'm open to anything.'"


Kid says there are 18-20 songs ready for the album. He and his band are set to tour this summer, and Kid will be hauling a recording rig with him to work some on the new album. He may even play some of the new songs at the summer shows.

"There's so many things you can learn from going out and playing your record live, things you might've done differently," explains Rock. "So we're going to at least start playing them all in sound check and screwing around with them every day. If nothing else, at least when we go into the studio we'll have a feel for playing these songs live."

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KISS says they have nearly finished their first album in eleven years. "We're about four days from finishing the new KISS album. Eleven tracks, and it IS everything I've told you. It IS classic. It IS all written within the band. And IT ROCKS BIG TIME!," Paul Stanley writes.

Stanley also says that guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer will both handle lead vocal duties at some points on the album. "The songs, sound and playing will knock your socks off. You will all be as proud and excited as we all are," Stanley added.

According to Gene Simmons, the album will come out exclusive to Wal-Mart. "The promotional blitz will include Wal-Mart dedicating an area of their stores to the band and dubbing it ‘KISS Korner'."

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Paramore announced yesterday that rhythm guitarist Taylor York is now a full-time member of the band. York replaces guitarist Hunter Lamb who left the band in 2007. Paramore's as-yet-untitled third studio album is out in September.

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Former Evanescence members Ben Moody (guitar), John LeCompt (guitar) and Rocky Gray (drums) have teamed up with former American Idol contestant Carly Smithson and ex-Disturbed bassist Marty O'Brian to form a new band, We Are The Fallen. The five-piece have made their debut single, "Bury Me Alive", available on their official website at WeAreTheFallen.com.

Moody said that We Are The Fallen differs from Evanescence in that "everyone is equal" and that it has "more energy than Evanescence could ever muster." Rather than an album, the band will release a few songs about every eight weeks for a year and a half.

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Meanwhile, after this news broke, Evanescence singer Amy Lee took to her website to remind people that her band is still alive and well and writing new music.

"There's some pretty weird stuff flying around right now and I'd like to clear up some confusion in the press," Lee wrote. "As our fans already know, Ben Moody left Evanescence in 2003. Evanescence came out with a follow-up to Fallen in 2006. It was called The Open Door and it debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts and reached platinum status in just over a month. The Open Door has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide."

"We're currently working on new material that I'm extremely excited about. I believe that to make great music you have to give yourself the freedom to evolve. I don't see the point in making the same record twice, so I always want to challenge myself to make something better, stronger, and more interesting than before. That takes time, but it's worth the wait for me. Hopefully, it will be for the fans too. Look out for new music next year."

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Megadeth have announced Endgame as the title of their twelfth studio album. The album is expected to be released in September through Roadrunner Records. It was recorded at the band's brand new, self-built studio, Vic's Garage, located near San Diego. Endgame is being produced by Andy Sneap and Dave Mustaine. Sneap also manned the boards for 2007's United Abominations. Some track titles include "Headcrusher," "1,320,'" "How the Story Ends" and "This Day We Fight!"

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My Chemical Romance are currently holed up with producer Brendan O'Brien (AC/DC, Killswitch Engage, Pearl Jam) working on the as-yet-untitled follow-up to their 2006 breakthrough album, The Black Parade.

According to guitarist Ray Toro, the band's new material is "fast paced". "Great vibe here at the studio," wrote the six stringer in his blog. "Brendan is a lot of fun to work with, and is very focused and energetic.

"Bob [Bryar, drums] is playing great, so we're continuing the fast pace. Rest of the band is playing great too. The time in rehearsals really paid off, as we're getting a good idea of what songs will sound like when the rest of tracking is done."

The album is expected to be released through Warner Bros later this year.

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Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford was recently asked about the band's plans for celebrating the upcoming 30th anniversary of British Steel, originally issued in April 1980, by performing the album in its entirety for the first time on stages across the United States. "We'll be recording all these shows and, at some point, we'll bring cameras in and we'll release a wonderful package of the Priest and British Steel next year, which is the official 30th birthday."

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Even as he prepares for blink-182's summer reunion tour, guitarist Tom DeLonge is deeply ensconced in the next project by his other band, Angels & Airwaves - an album and film project called Love that should be out before the end of the year.

DeLonge has stated that Love - which will be released for free thanks to corporate underwriting - is "the biggest release of my life, the pinnacle of my creativity" and likens it to Pink Floyd's The Wall in the scope of its ambition. "It's super conceptual and highbrow in many ways, very artistic, very Stanley Kubrick," he says. "But it's not a rock opera. It's a very modern version of what could happen when you blend the film industry and the music industry together in a very, very arty, kind of cool way with professionals involved all along the path."

The music of Love, DeLonge says, will have a prog-rock kind of flavor. "It's like blending Radiohead and U2 together with these kind of Pink Floyd movements," he explains. "Things happen unpredictably and take you to these epic soundscapes. It's very much in the spirit of Angels & Airwaves, but it sounds way, way more thought-out and way more ambitious."

DeLonge says the group is still figuring out mechanisms for delivering the film and album and are also planning a tour to support the project. All of this, of course, is going on while he rehearses for the blink-182 tour, which begins July 23 in Las Vegas.

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Living Colour will release their first new studio album in five years, The Chair In The Doorway on September 15th. "We feel like this is the best record we've made yet and we couldn't be more excited to be releasing it with the legendary Megaforce Records," says guitarist Vernon Reid. "Some of our favorite bands were or are Megaforce artists, Metallica, Bad Brains, Anthrax, Black Crowes, so it's an honor to be part of a label with a great legacy." The track listing is as follows;

1. Burned Bridges
2. The Chair
3. DecaDance
4. Young Man
5. Method
6. Behind The Sun
7. Bless Those
8. Hard Times
9. Taught Me
10. Out Of Mind
11. Not Tomorrow

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The Offspring already has some material in mind for its next album. Guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman says, he, frontman Dexter Holland and producer Bob Rock "kinda went over a couple of things that were left off the last record and songs that were even left off Splinter or maybe even Conspiracy of One and kind of looked at some things with free eyes and see if there was anything there that can be worked on."

Wasserman says the group would "like to have a new record out next year for sure", but they won't be hitting the studio until January. It will be the band's first album with new drummer Pete Parada.

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Daughtry's second album, Leave This Town, is set for release on July 14th. Frontman Chris Daughtry says this new record is much more of a band effort. The debut, Daughtry, was recorded with session musicians as Chris toured with "American Idol".

For starters, all of the members of the band appear on the cover. Daughtry also co-wrote several tracks with bandmates Josh Steely and Brian Craddock. Country staple Vince Gill also lends vocals and fiddle to the album, while Nickelback's Chad Kroeger co-wrote the lead single, "No Surprise." "Life After You" will likely be the second single.

Daughtry looks to play around a dozen dates this summer, with international tour dates tentatively planned for the future.


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Evile have announced that their new album, Infected Nations, will be released September 22.

Frontman Matt Drake commented, "Evile fans can expect to hear a more mature offering, an album that concentrates on all aspects of what each member can do; it's a heck of a lot more focused, more satisfying and we're really proud of what we've achieved with it. Russ Russell has helped us to push ourselves to the next level and pull us out of the '80s. The whole retro thing has been cool but we feel it's time for us to leave that behind and stand up for ourselves and show people what we can really do, but fear not, it IS a thrash metal album, it is a 2009 thrash metal album, and we're dying to blow your minds with it."

The track listing is as follows;
1. Infected Nation
2. Now Demolition
3. Nosophoros
4. Genocide
5. Palgue to End All Plagues
6. Devoid of Thought
7. Time No More
8. Metamorphosis
9. Hundred Wrathful Deities

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Ex-Nightwish vocalist Tarja Turunen is currently hard at work on her second solo album, entitled What Lies Beneath. The record is slated for a late 2009 release.

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Devildriver have made the track "Back With A Vengeance" available for streaming on ther MySpace page. The track comes from the band's July-due album Pray For Villains, which was recorded at Edge of the Earth studios in Los Angeles with producer Logan Mader (Five Finger Death Punch, Divine Heresy, Gojira). The track listing for the effort is as follows;

1. Pray For Villains
2. Pure Sincerity
3. Fate Stepped In
4. Back With A Vengeance
5. I've Been Sober
6. Resurrection Blvd.
7. Forgiveness is a Six Gun
8. Waiting for November
9. It's in the Cards
10. Another Night in London
11. Bitter Pill
12. Teach Me To Whisper
13. I See Belief

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TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone will release his first solo effort later this year, under the moniker Rain Machine.

"I've been writing and recording songs alone since I moved to NYC in 2000, at first alone because I didn't know anyone, then through the years by choice because of a particular freedom that going it alone afforded," explains Malone in the press release. "I've played regularly since then, at first under the name Black Lights until some kids in Texas told me they were already using that name. Then under my own name, but I didn't like how 'Kyp Malone' looked on mock ups of T-shirts and fliers, thus Rain Machine."

Malone recorded the album with producer Ian Brennan (Jonathan Richman, Lucinda Williams), saying that it contains "a nearly full spectrum of frequencies audible to the human ear — a reflection of a variety of emotions and situations real and imagined, some rhythm and some rhyme."

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Hatebreed has announced that they will be entering the studio soon to record a brand new studio album due for a late Fall release. The record will be self-titled and will be released through E1 Music and Roadrunner International.

Frontman Jamey Jasta states: "I can't wait to work with E1 Music and Roadrunner International on this release — E1 did a great job with our Live Dominance DVD and our recent covers album. We're so pumped to give them both our new studio album!"

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Arctic Monkeys have revealed the artwork for forthcoming album Humbug. The sleeve, which for the first time features the band, was shot by photographer Guy Aroch. The photo was taken at Electric Lady Studios in New York on the last day of the band's album sessions. The record, co-produced by James Ford and Josh Homme, is due for an August 25 release and has the following track listing;

1. My Propeller
2. Crying Lightning
3. Dangerous Animals
4. Secret Door
5. Potion Approaching
6. Fire and the Thud
7. Cornerstone
8. Dance Little Liar
9. Pretty Visitors
10. The Jeweller's Hands

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Five Finger Death Punch will release their sophomore album, War Is The Answer, on October 6 via Prospect Park Records. The CD was produced by the band as well as Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne, In This Moment), and was mixed by Randy Staub (Metallica, Motley Crue, Nickelback). According to a press release, "the record evolves the band's already mature sound, ranging from the undeniable melodies in 'Hard to See' to the brutally nihilistic "Burn It Down" — destined to please fans both new and old."

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It Dies Today's latest studio album, Lividity, will finally surface on September 15th via Trustkill Records. Here's the latest from singer Jason Wood:

"We're really pumped about this new record and finally releasing it for our fans! This week Mike Hatalak (producer/guitarist) is in final mix sessions for the album and we have also finished several cover songs including a cover of Duran Duran's 'Come Undone' as well as Alice In Chains 'Them Bones.' We know alot of fans are curious about the delays with this new album, but we assure you, if we could have gotten it to you sooner we would have! Hopefully this record makes up for the wait!"

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Chicago based hard rock band Soil has announced that they will be naming their forthcoming new studio album, Picture Perfect. The record will be released this September by Driven Music in North America and by AFM Records in Europe. This will also be the bands first release as a four piece after guitarist Shaun Glass quit a while ago.

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It was revealed last night that Arch Enemy will release their new album, The Root of All Evil, in September.

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And finally, Green Day premiered the music video for "21 Guns" this week, which you can check out below. The track is the second single to be taken from the band's eighth studio album 21st Century Breakdown, following "Know Your Enemy." The video shows the characters Christian and Gloria in a motel room under siege from the police, and closes with the pair in an embrace resembling that of the album art for 21st Century Breakdown.



"21 Guns" - Green Day, from the album 21st Century Breakdown