The Great Rock News Report 10.31.09: When Love and Death Embrace
Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 10.31.2009
A Halloween mixtape, Led Zeppelin/Glastonbury rumors, RHCP album update, Chuck Biscuits not dead, Megadeth and Slayer considering calling it quits, updates from Limp Bizkit, Stone Temple Pilots, Ozzy Osbourne, The Dead Weather and more, plus videos from Green Day, Framing Hanley and more in the latest Great Rock News Report!
Happy Halloween, motherfuckers! I had no idea what the hell Halloween was supposed to celebrate up until I did some research, like, yesterday. And in all honestly, I'm still none the wiser. But still, Halloween is the favorite holiday of lots of people because it gives us an excuse to watch countless horror films, consume excessive amounts of confectionary, and ogle the chicks who dress really slutily at Halloween parties! Fantastic.
But what the fuck does Halloween have to do with music? Well, not too much in all honesty. Unless you're planning a big Halloween party this evening and don't have any music to play! If that's the case, I'd go with a mix that includes some of these;
1. Iron Maiden – Fear of the Dark
2. Michael Jackson – Thriller
3. The Sonics – The Witch
4. Carl Orff – Carmina Burana
5. Alice Cooper – I Fear the Dead
6. Blue Oyster Cult – Don't Fear the Reaper
7. The Misfits – Monster Mash
8. Nico – The End
9. Pendulum – Propane Nightmare
10. Joy Division – Dead Souls
11. Marilyn Manson – Dope Hat
12. Ozzy Osbourne – Bark at the Moon
13. 30 Seconds to Mars – The Kill
14. Rockwell – Somebody's Watchin' Me
15. Ray Parker Jr. – Ghostbusters
16. The Prodigy – Breathe
17. Biffy Clyro – Living is a Problem Because Everything Dies
18. Soundgarden – Black Hole Sun
19. Blink-182 – I Miss You
20. Creedence Clearwater Revival – Bad Moon Rising
21. Danny Elfman – This is Halloween
That's just a few to get the list going. Any other suggestions? What are some of the best songs for a Halloween party mix?
On a somewhat unrelated note, I got a chance to see This is It this week and I have to say I was thoroughly under whelmed. I'm a huge Jacko fan, but this film didn't really do much for me. Similarly the song of the same name is terribly under whelming. Incidentally, despite Paul Anka claiming she and Jackson wrote this song nearly thirty years ago, I've heard that Jackson actually came up with this song from the grave, in a stunt known as decomposing.
Aaaanyway, Halloween isn't the only reason we should be celebrating this weekend, as a certain 411Music editor celebrates his birthday tomorrow. Mitch Michaels is now surely just a couple of years away from retirement, which probably means the zone is just a couple of years away from imploding. Happy Birthday, Mitch!
And now, onto the thing we're all actually here for, the news!
Could we be in store for another Led Zeppelin performance in 2010?
Led Zeppelin fans' dreams of seeing the rock supergroup back onstage together have been given a boost by confirmation frontman Robert Plant is considering a slot at next year's Glastonbury festival in England.
The group sparked reports of a reunion tour after Plant and bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones reteamed for a benefit concert in London in December, 2007, but the singer has since rejected all offers to hit the road with his old pals. Last year, the rocker continually dismissed reports he'd be rejoining the band for a full reunion, prompting Page and Jones to consider touring without him. But those plans failed to materialize.
And Plant blamed the politics behind the rock legends' one-off reformation for putting him off a comeback, stating, "The endless paperwork was like nothing I've experienced before. I've kept every one of the emails that were exchanged before the concert and I'm thinking of compiling them for a book."
But now it seems Plant could be considering another one-off at Glastonbury, after confirming he has had talks with festival boss Michael Eavis. He tells the BBC, "There's place for me there, but I have no idea who with."
But Them Crooked Vultures look to have put paid to them nasty rumors, because Led Zep bassist John Paul Jones says he's "really happy" with his new supergroup, also starring Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters) and Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age).
But Jones reveals there were indeed plans to hit the road after he, Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page reunited in December 2007, with dead drummer John Bonham replaced by son Jason.
"Jimmy and I rehearsed a bit with Jason. We couldn't agree on a singer and it fell by the wayside. Then this [Them Crooked Vultures] came along – and to be honest, I'm really happy."
My opinion? Plant will headline Glastonbury with Alison Kraus and everyone will be severely disappointed again. At the very best, they'll do another one-off show. But as for the other guys touring with or without Plant; no chance in hell. And frankly I'm glad, because I'm much more excited about Them Crooked Vultures than I am seeing Zeppelin touring in the 21st century.
Rumors of a "Big Four" Tour seem to have faded away for now, but they may be put to rest for good if the following two news items are anything to go by.
Megadeth and Slayer may have recorded their last records.
Megadeth recently released Endgame, their strongest album in years. But it's not just the album title - in interview after interview main man Dave Mustaine has made vague comments that suggest he's thinking about a future without the band he's led since its inception.
It's a matter of record he's been unhappy with the US part of his label, Roadrunner Records, for some time. It's also a matter of record he's suffered hand and spine problems in recent years, which at one point threatened to end his playing career. Now, responding to fan comments on the Megadeth forum, he's stated that Endgame might be their last album, and that if folding the band has to happen, he'll accept it in the spirit of becoming a better person afterwards.
He says: "The president of Roadrunner came out and said this was the last record but if we didn't re-sign with them for more records they were going to stop selling Endgame. I've always known there's another record owed. I'm a man of my word and I'm going to fulfill my contract - rest assured, though, that I'm not going to release a compilation record or a live record for my final record with Roadrunner. I really wish Endgame was handled differently. I can tell you that while it's destroying our tenure with Roadrunner, I'm not going to let this bother me any more. I'm completely prepared to work, so we'll see where it goes now."
"I hate talking about this because it's not fair to the other guys in the band when it suggests no job security. But I also face physical problems. If my neck or spine say, 'You're done, Dave', then I'm done. I love my relationship with a lot of the people I'm working with. I know it seems selfish sometimes to say I'm going to stop. But if the body or the hands say that's it, well, that's it. If I'm meant to suffer another blow to my ego, my pride, my legacy and so on, in order to be a better person and closer to God - then I will soldier on and complete my time with grace and honour."
Dave went on to criticize the handling of singles by the label.
"All I've been able to do in the past was have a number-one single, five top five singles, many top ten, dozens of top 40... yet we can't get anything played from this new record. I would say the radio person at Roadrunner has a very different approach to radio than I do. This year we've given away two songs and we're already on the third. I had to actually call up the guy and ask him for interviews, to which he said, 'I didn't know you wanted to do interviews.'"
As if that news wasn't depressing enough, in a recent interview, Slayer frontman Tom Araya has suggested that the band are genuinely undecided on whether to continue after touring to support the album. World Painted Blood is the last release they're contracted for, and, like Megadeth - who have one more album to deliver on their deal - they're not sure whether continuing as a band is for the best.
Araya says: "We don't know yet. I know this: being away from your family so much doesn't get any easier. I've been married 15 years. I have a 13-year-old daughter and a 10-year old son and I want to make up for all the time I wasn't there. This life demands so much of you, personally and physically. I honestly don't know how I did the first 15 years of Slayer. How did I get so wasted then play every night – then do it all over again?"
"It's not so much ‘Do you still want it' as ‘How much more are you willing to take'? There's so much shit that goes on behind the scenes. It's not just the shit with the label or touring – it's the four different personalities in the band trying to get along. Sometimes we clash. That's normal – but after 28 years you do wonder if you've grown together or apart."
All in all, these are vague and ambiguous comments coming from the Slayer and Megadeth camps. Incidentally, both bands have made great records this year in World Painted Blood and Endgame respectively, the former coming out Tuesday, and it'd be a shame to see them hang ‘em up. But, they won't, not any time soon. I'd bet my house on their being more Megadeth and Slayer albums in the future. If I had a house, which I don't. But there you go.
RHCP set to end their hiatus this month to start work on new album.
Moving on, with enthusiasm again behind them and a self-imposed hiatus scheduled to end this month, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have begun plotting their next move. And as drummer Chad Smith revealed in a recent interview, this next move will include a new studio album in 2010.
"We're gonna write for a while, it usually takes us a while," explained Smith before speculating that the release date would be "Some time next year, maybe this time [next year]."
New RHCP is one of many, many great albums to look forward to in 2010, but we'll discuss all that sort of stuff in greater detail come year's end.
In addition to the new live EP that's available, it's been confirmed that The Dead Weather is working on a new studio album already, following up Horehound, released earlier this year. According to front woman Alison Mosshart, the yet-to-be-titled effort will supposedly come out before this year's out and will be a self-produced and self-recorded affair; they'll be returning to Jack White's Third Man studios following their remaining European tour dates.
Horehound was great and all, but no way they get a new album out before the end of '09.
Athlete is set to return with Black Swan, which will be released early next year on Original Signal Recordings in the U.S. In advance of the release of Black Swan, Athlete will release their first single "The Getaway" as a digital EP on November 3rd.
Limp Bizkit are in the studio finishing work on the long awaited follow-up to 2005's The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1).
"We have recorded what we feel is our most addictive album yet — instrumentally," said frontman Fred Durst. "I am in process of doing vocals now in my home studio. So far I am four songs deep and moving along with confidence and grace."
"We haven't committed to an album title yet, but we know of one we like," he added. "[The] release date will be a soon as I am finished. A single and video will be our way before that."
The record, which is the band's first since reuniting in February this year, will be released through Interscope next year.
Fred Durst and co. are set to return with a new album in 2010.
Airbourne are set to release their sophomore album No Guts, No Glory on February 23.
Nightwish singer Anette Olzon has shot down rumors that the band's next album will be titled Wind Embraced. mentioning that the record won't be released until 2011 and that a title has not been decided at this point.
Swedish experimental extreme metallers Meshuggah will release their long-awaited concert DVD on February 5 in Europe and February 9 in the U.S.
Hollywood Undead will release a new CD/DVD set, Desperate Measures, on November 10. The collection includes six new studio tracks, six live recordings and a full hour-long concert on DVD. The new studio tracks were produced by Danny Lohner of Nine Inch Nails fame. Desperate Measures includes three cover songs: Motley Crue's "Shout At The Devil," Operation Ivy's "Bad Town" and Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song."
Hollywood Undead release Desperate Measures on November 10.
We Are the Fallen - the new band featuring original Evanescence members Ben Moody (guitar) and John LeCompt (guitar) and Rocky Gray (drums) along with "American Idol" powerhouse vocalist Carly Smithson — has inked a deal with Universal Republic Records, it was announced yesterday by the label's president and CEO, Monte Lipman.
Bassist Marty O'Brien, whose recording and touring credits include Disturbed and Static-X, rounds out the group's lineup.
The group is currently recording its debut album for Universal Republic in Los Angeles and expect to release it in early 2010.
Stone Temple Pilots have revealed their plans to record a new album. The follow-up to 2001's Shangri-La Dee Da, the band's sixth studio album is expected some time in 2010.
"When we get back [from tour], we're going to finish the album," singer Scott Weiland told Spinner. "Then when we finish the album, there will be a big tour around its release and that will probably be a long tour."
Rod Stewart has given the strongest indication yet that The Faces are set to reform. The band, who played a Royal Albert Hall show in London last week, did so without their original frontman Rod Stewart with a number of guests taking on vocal duties.
"[They had] a reunion a without me because I'm promoting this album [Soulbook']," Stewart told CNN . "Hopefully, I'll get me old job back. It's on the cards. I'll do it eventually."
The band have previously stated they were set to reform, but Stewart and Wood's involvement with their own careers has stopped it from happening. Faces split up in 1975 after guitarist Ronnie Wood began playing with The Rolling Stones.
Corey Taylor has confirmed that he was being considered for the singer slot in Velvet Revolver following the departure of Scott Weiland.
Taylor said, "I had a meeting with those guys , we did some demos together, and it just didn't work — for whatever reason."
He added, "It was just really cool. It was one of those things where it's like I could have got to jam with legends, man, in my opinion. But, you know, it was cool, and I still know those guys, I still hang out with them, and I still have nothing but respect."
Corey Taylor tried out to be new Velvet Revolver vocalist.
Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne will be guesting hosting Raw this Monday.
And finally, Chuck Biscuits, former member of Danzig and hardcore acts such as Black Flag, Social Distortion and Circle Jerks, as well as lending his talents to Hip-Hop legends Run DMC, is apparently still alive. Confirmation that he is, in fact, still alive has yet to come back, but it seems that reports of his death stemmed from an elaborate hoax. With the source of the original report being completely fooled, yet sounding legitimate, news spread across scores of site and even Biscuits' Wikipedia entry was updated to reflect his death.
Y'know, these death hoaxes are more often than not, revealed as such pretty quickly, but this one was believed by a whole lot of people before it came out that it was a hoax. Frankly this is a ridiculous trend that's come about this year and it needs to go away as soon as possible.
[Update: Former bandmate Joey Keithley has confirmed that Chuck is alive and well.]
Chuck Biscuits is the latest victim of online death hoaxes.
The following is just a bunch of videos that I've seen lately and quite enjoyed, so here I am passing ‘em on to you guys.
"21st Century Breakdown" – Green Day
"Lollipop" – Framing Hanley
"The Captain" – Biffy Clyro
That concludes today's Great Rock News Report. Tons of album out this week worth picking up, notably Slayer's World Painted Blood and Nirvana's new live set. I'll be back next week, until then, enjoy the weekend and Happy Halloween!
