The Great Rock News Report 08.13.08

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 08.13.2008

Queen's Cosmos Rocks tracklisting, Kravitz is not the new Velvet Revolver singer, Ozzy to retire, Trivium's Shogun artwork, The Cure get remixed, and new releases from The Police, The Clash and The Rolling Stones! All that and more in the latest Great Rock News Report!

Intro

Welcome, one and all, to a shortened version of The Great Rock News Report. Nothing but pure news today, because that's what I feel like doing. Still, there's news and a ton of it. I've done a bit of a write up on Metallica's Death Magnetic, compiling all of the news regarding the album as well as quotes from numerous interviews that the band have done over the last week or so.

On top of that, there is plenty of new release information on a pretty big spectrum of artists, including the track listing for the new Queen album, another highly-anticipated album. Plus, find out the future of Wolfmother after their apparent split and check out the album artwork of a couple of big upcoming metal releases.

So let's not waste any more unnecessary time and get right down to the news.

Top Stories

"This is the best album Metallica could have made!" - Lars Ulrich

Metallica revealed earlier this week that their upcoming 9th studio album, Death Magnetic, "is the best [they] could have made."

Speaking to UK-based rock magazine Kerrang!, drummer Lars Ulrich said; "I'm really, really proud of it. I know that people are expecting a lot from it and all I can say to them is that, as a band, we're really happy with it, and that I'm really pleased with what we've achieved."

Over the last several months, early reviews have suggested that the new material sounds a lot more like the band's earlier music as opposed to more of the same kind of stuff that was heard on the disappointing St. Anger, the band's last studio album released in 2003.

"Can I gaurantee that people will like this album as much as they liked our earlier work? No, I can't," Ulrich continued, "But I can say that this is the best album Metallica could have made."

Over the past several weeks, more and more information regarding the album has been released and has caused quite the debate amongst fans. Even things like the track listing has cause quite the stir. Speaking of the track listing, here it is for those who have not seen it yet.

1. That Was Just Your Life
2. The End of the Line
3. Broken, Beat and Scarred
4. The Day That Never Comes
5. All Nightmare Long
6. Cyanide
7. The Unforgiven III
8. The Judas Kiss
9. Suicide and Redemption
10. My Apocalypse


Vocalist James Hetfield explained why he thinks the album has turned out so well, saying; "We've got to the point where we know how to operate as a band. We know how to consider the needs of each person as well as doing what it takes to best serve the music, and the album is a result of that process and I think it sounds like a good Metallica album."

Regarding the conflicting reports of which Metallica album Death Magnetic sounds closest to, Hetfield said; "If I had to desrcibe it, I would say Death Magnetic sits somewhere between Ride The Lightning and Master of Puppets."

The band have spent the last few years working on the album, and last year they went to California to work with producer Rick Rubin (Red Hot Chili Peppers, System of a Down, Slayer) who is said to have been instrumental in helping Metallica get the new album just right.

"We've always liked to work at our own pace," said guitarist Kirk Hammett. "Every four to six weeks, Rick would come in to the studio and listen to what we were doing and then make suggestions. He'd say 'Maybe you should focus on these parts' or, 'Try and focus on these elements of the songs.' And that's how it worked, and I think it came out great."

Regarding Rubin, Hetfield spoke to MTV news last week and said; "Rick's mission statement was to get to the essence of Metallica. He told us, 'Think back to Master of Puppets — what were you doing? What were you thinking? What were your influences? What bothered you? What was around you? Where did that hunger come from?' And that was a little bit of homework for us that was a little impossible to get to. You could dress up like you're in 1986, [but] you just can't be there again. We've been through so much — you can't erase the learning we'd done."

As revealed last week, the album will see a worldwide release on Friday September 12.

On Monday, the band issued the following statement;

Metallica has issued the following update:

"Today we finished mixing and mastering our ninth studio album of original material, Death Magnetic which hits the streets worldwide on Friday, September 12. Plus, you'll be able to download every song from the album for "Guitar Hero III" on the same day! Produced by Rick Rubin and recorded at Sound City Studios, Shangri La Studios, and our very own HQ. The first track and video 'The Day That Never Comes' will hit the airwaves later this month."

New Release Info

Queen + Paul Rodgers will be releasing their very first studio album on September 15th worldwide, except North America, which'll have to wait another month for The Cosmos Rocks to drop.

Here's the tracklisting and album art for the upcoming release.

Cosmos Rockin' (4:10)
Time To Shine (4:23)
Still Burnin' (4:04)
Small (4:39)
Warboys (3:18)
We Believe (6:08)
Call Me (2:59)
Voodoo (4:27)
Some Things That Glitter (4:03)
C-lebrity (3:38)
Through The Night (4:54)
Say It's Not True (4:00)
Surf's Up . . . School's Out! (5:38)
Small Reprise (2:05)


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The Rolling Stones will release a special Collector's Edition DVD of their Martin Scorsese-directed film Shine A Light on November 10. The package will include four new songs and a backstage documentary featuring rehearsal and rare archive footage. Each copy will include a 16-page booklet featuring the film's production notes, and will and come in numbered packaging. A second disc will also contain a digital copy of the film, enabling fans to transfer it onto their iPod or laptop. The film was shot at New York's Beacon Theatre by legendary director Scorsese on The Rolling Stones' 'A Bigger Bang' tour in August 2006.

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The Clash's Oct. 13, 1982, performance at New York's Shea Stadium will finally see official release Oct. 7 via Legacy. The gig found the Clash opening for the Who on the latter band's "farewell" tour, and features a wealth of favorites, from "London Calling" and "Police on My Back" to "The Magnificent Seven" and "Clampdown."

The band, which at the time was touring in support of its recent album Combat Rock, also offered up the singles from that effort, "Should I Stay or Should I Go" and "Rock the Casbah." According to Legacy, late guitarist Joe Strummer found the Shea tapes while preparing to move into a new house.

Here is the track listing for the album;

1. London Calling
2. Police on My Back
3. Guns Of Brixton
4. Tommy Gun
5. The Magnificent Seven
6. Armagideon Time
7. The Magnificent Seven (return)
8. Rock the Casbah
9. Train in Vain
10. Career Opportunities
11. Spanish Bombs
12. Clampdown
13. English Civil War
14. Should I Stay or Should I Go
15. I Fought the Law

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The Police will sell their forthcoming live CD / DVD album Certifiable exclusively through Best Buy in the U.S., it has been revealed. The album is a recording of a show filmed in December 2007 in Buenos Aires and will be sold from October 7th. Here is the tracklisting;

1. Message in a Bottle
2. Synchronicity II
3. Walking on the Moon
4. Voices Inside My Head / When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around
5. Don't Stand So Close to Me
6. Driven to Tears
7. Hole in my Life
8. Truth Hits Everybody
9. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
10. Wrapped Around Your Finger
11. De Do Do Do De Da Da Da
12. Invisible Sun
13. Walking in your Footsteps
14. Can't Stand Losing You
15. Roxanne
16. King of Pain
17. So Lonely
18. Every Breath You Take
19. Next to You

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My Chemical Romance, AFI, Fall Out Boy, 30 Seconds To Mars and 65daysofstatic have all teamed up to remix tracks by The Cure in aid of the International Red Cross.

The Hypnagogic States EP will be rleased on September 13 and will feature the following tracklisting:

1. The Only One (remixed by Jared Leto from 30 Seconds To Mars)
2. Freakshow (remixed by Jade Puget from AFI)
3. Sleep When I'm Dead (remixed by Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance)
4. The Perfect Boy (remixed by Pete Wentz and Patrick Stump from Fall Out Boy)
5. Exploding Head Syndrome' (a mix of all four tracks by 65 Days Of Static)

The Cure's as yet untitled 13th studio album will be released on October 13.

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With its the Final Riot! Tour in motion, Paramore is using soundchecks to work on new material for the follow-up to its platinum 2007 sophomore album Riot.

Guitarist Josh Farro says that the group has "anywhere from seven to 10 songs ... they're not complete, but they're really good ideas I think we have a good chance of using. It's mainly just music that I've written and Hayley [Williams, Paramore's singer] has some lyrics and melodies. She's kind of just waiting on me to finish my musical ideas before I can give them to her. It's a slow process."

Farro says he expects the group to start working in earnest on its third album this fall, after coming off the road. He hopes to be in the studio by January and have the album out by mid-2009. No producer has been chosen yet, but Farro says that "a lot of people are interested, a lot of big-name guys we're going to meet with. It feels pretty good to have some big-name producers that really want to record you're band, but ... I think we're gonna wait 'til we have some actual songs that are finished."

The new songs, according to the guitarist, are a varied bunch. "I can just see it having a lot more dynamics," Farro predicts. "The first record [2005's All We Know is Falling) and Riot! seemed to stay at the same level, but now we've got some really, really mellow songs that you'd never expect to hear out of our band, and then we've got even heavier songs than we've ever had. It's gonna be a little different."

Farro also acknowledges that there's "a ton of pressure" on the next album, which the group is trying to keep at bay.

"[Riot!] went platinum, which means we've got to beat that or at least match it, and that's a hard thing to do these days," Farro says. "So we want to make sure we make the right record. But if we don't make platinum on the next record, we're not gonna be all upset or anything. We're just gonna make a record we love. If it doesn't do well, there's not much we can do. We're just here to make music we love."

Before the next album, however, fans may get a DVD from the Last Riot! Tour. Farro says a friend is on the road filming shows and videotaping behind the scenes, and he expects the footage to be released in some form.

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Trivium have revealed the art work for their new album Shogun, set to be released Sept 30 in the US, and a day earlier in Europe.


Shogun, mixed by Colin Richardson (Slipknot, Machine Head, Fear Factory), includes the following tracks:

1. Kirisute Gomen
2. Torn Between Scylla And Charybdis
3. Down From The Sky
4. Insurrection',
5. Into The Mouth Of Hell We March
6. Throes Of Perdition
7. He Who Spawned the Furies
8. Of Prometheus And The Crucifix
9. The Calamity
10. Like Callisto To A Star In Heaven
11. Shogun

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Bring Me The Horizon have also revealed artwork for their upcoming album. Suicide Season is the band's sophomore effort and will be released Setpember 28.



Here's the first video from the album.


"The Comedown" - Bring Me The Horizon
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From Autumn To Ashes guitarist Brian Deneeve has launched an as-yet-unnamed new project with ex-Emanuel singer Matt Breen, bassist Matt Trinkwald and drummer Joe Magurn. The band will enter the studio on August 25 with producer Dean Maher (FATA, Rise Against, Atreyu) to begin recording its debut CD. Deneeve says, "I am excited for this project. I'm really proud of the songs we are writing and can't wait to share them with you soon!"

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In related news, Warship — the new band featuring Francis Mark (vocals, drums) and Rob Lauritsen (guitar, bass) of From Autumn To Ashes — will make its live debut on Saturday, August 16 in Brooklyn, New York as a warm-up show for its tour with Reggie and the Full Effect in August/September. The group recently completed work on its album with Andrew Schneider (Cave In, Daughters, Unsane) and is expecting a fall release on Vagrant Records.

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Brazillian metal legends Sepultura have announced that the title of their Clockwork Orange inspired new album will be A-Lex (Russian for "no law".) The band states the album "features 14 songs in 60 minutes total playtime and it's a milestone in Sepultura's career. It's the first album recorded with drummer Jean Dolabella and it sounds different from any other work from Sepultura."

The album is expected to be released this November.

The tracklisting is as follows:

1. A-Lex I
2. Moloko Mesto
3. Filthy Rot
4. We've Lost You
5. What I Do!
6. A-Lex II:
7. The Treatment
8. Metamorphosis
9. Sadistic Values
10. Forceful Behavior
11. Conform
12. A-Lex III
13. The Experiment
14. Strike
15. Enough Said
16. Ludwig Van
17. A-Lex IV
18. Paradox

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Toronto-based Billy Talent have begun work on their forthcoming full length. The popular Canadian band explained: "The summer is half over and things with Billy Talent are as busy as ever. We just got home from a two and a half week tour through Europe. We played Moscow and Warsaw, which was a first for us and we were blown away from the response. The tour ended with us doing the massive Hurricane/Southside festivals and then a show in Prague with our friends in Anti-Flag. Right after that we headed to Quebec and P.E.I. to officially end touring of II. We ended up flying on 12 planes in 18 days!!"

"We took about a week off and now we're fully into writing mode. We're having a blast with our new creations and looking forward to getting into the studio to begin recording. I guess all of you would have heard "Turn Your Back" which we played everyday on the last tour. It was up on YouTube about 24 hours after we first played it live."

The band's last studio album, Billy Talent II, dropped in 2006.

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On September 16th, Buckcherry will release their new album, Black Butterfly. It will contain the following 12 songs:

1. Rescue Me
2. Tired Of You
3. Too Drunk...
4. Dreams
5. Talk To Me
6. Child Called "It"
7. Don't Go Away
8. Fallout
9. Rose
10. All Of Me
11. Imminent Bail Out
12. Cream

Here's the album cover...


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Unearth have finished recording their new album which is entitled The March. The album will be released on October 13th. Song titles scheduled to appear on the album include "Hail The Shrine," "Letting Go" and "Cutman."

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Charlie Simpson of Fightstar has revealed that the band are hard at work on their third studio album. The band entered the studio this week, and will be there until November - with the album hopefully being released in February '09. He says one of the tracks (tentative title: "War Machine") has a distinct rock opera feel to it - with heavy strings. Other song titles include "English Way" (possibly the first single) and "Mercury Summer".

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Los Campesinos! have finished their second album just five months after releasing their debut Hold On Now, Youngster.

We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed, out October 13, was originally intended to be an EP, but has been extended to ten tracks after the band couldn't decide which of the new songs to include. Recorded in Seattle with producer John Goodmanson, the Welsh indie rockers say the release is "no post-album cash in".

"It's no B-sides and rarities or 'songs that weren't good enough to be on the album cobbled together with some remixes and field recordings of Cardiff's indie scene. It's ten all-new tracks that none of you have ever heard before," the band explained. "Sure, we considered re-releasing a radio-edit of 'You! Me! Dancing!' and trying to get famous and scraping another tour out of that, but our parents unanimously agreed that if we did they would never speak to us again."

The tracklisting for the album is:

1. Ways To Make It Through The Wall
2. Miserabilia
3. We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
4. Between An Erupting Earth And An Exploding Sky
5. You'll Need Those Fingers For Crossing
6. It's Never That Easy Though, Is It? (Song For The Other Kurt)
7. The End Of The Asterisk
8. Documented Minor Emotional Breakdown # 1
9. Heart Swells/Pacific Daylight Time
10. All Your Kayfabe Friends

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Scar For Life, the new Portuguese project led by Alex S (Vyruz, Redstains), will release its self-titled debut album in September. "Creating songs from the most vitriolic, groovy assaults to soft acoustic pieces, this project seems to embrace all the influences that make it emotional and powerful," according to a press release.

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Cyprus-based metal act Prodigal Earth will release its debut album, Zenith II Zero, in October via Pitch Black Records. According to a press release, the CD "includes 12 melodic heavy/power compositions characterized by an overall fresh sound as well as Nicholas Leptos' (Diphtheria, Arryan Path) charismatic voice.

All The Other News

Velvet Revolver are still searching for a new singer, and there's still a ton of hype for the revelation. But it's not Lenny Kravitz. An official spokesperson for the band has dismissed the rumour, along with stories suggesting former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar and Spacehog frontman Royston Langdon are to complete the line-up.

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Ozzy Osbourne has revealed that he will make two more albums then draw the curtain on his music career. Speaking to USA Today, the Black Sabbath legend admitted that the LPs may take some time as he is struggling to master the music software he intended to use to record the new material.

He said: "I am recording another album soon. I've got a ProTools machine downstairs in my house now, I record from home now. I can't turn the fucking thing on. It's like the brain of the house."

"But when you have somebody who knows what they are doing, it's so easy to make records now, it's not even funny. The art of making records is somewhat diminishing. It's taking the passion out of it. But I will try to give it as much real me as I can."

He added: "I want to make two albums. Make one and go out on that one, and make another one and go out on that. Time is very valuable to me now. I'm 60 this December. It doesn't seem ten years since I was 50, it really doesn't. My mission now is to do as much as I can."

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Following up on last week's news, Wolfmother have not quite split-up, but two members of the Australian band have left the group, meaning a new line-up will be formed. Recent rumours suggested the trio were rowing and that a split was imminent. However, according to the Wolfmother website, bassist / keyboard player Chris Ross and drummer Myles Heskett have now left the band. Singer and guitarist Andrew Stockdale will continue under the Wolfmother name, alongside new musicans he will find in the coming months.

The statement on the site says: "Longstanding frictions within the group then lead them to take an extended break during the second half of 2007 to consider their future. In early 2008 they regrouped and worked on new material. Initially encouraged by those sessions, they committed to a handful of live shows to 'road test' the new songs and to try to find a way forward. Those dates concluded with a headlining slot last Sunday [Aug 3] at the Splendour In The Grass Festival in Australia's Byron Bay where rumours circulated about possible lineup changes. Following that show Chris Ross decided to announce that he was leaving the band due to irreconcilable personal and musical differences. Myles Heskett has also decided to leave the band rather than continuing as part of a changed lineup. The pair has been working together on songs for some time and they plan to focus their energies on that new project in the future."

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In related news, Although out of Wolfmother less than a week, former bass player/keyboard player Chris Ross and drummer/vocalist Myles Heskett are said to be upgrading their side-project Doom Buggy into their fully-fledged next band.

The drum and bass section of Wolfmother unveiled Doom Buggy last year with a low-key gig at Sydney's Hopetoun Hotel one year ago. The band is a complete departure from the Wolfmother sound, featuring electronic instrumentals closer to a Kraftwerk sound than Wolfmother's Deep Purple and Black Sabbath influences.

Ross and Heskett have made no comment about their immediate plans just yet but have the new vehicle ready to roll if they choose.

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The Enemy's frontman Tom Clarke injured himself onstage at weekend, after slicing off the end of his finger. The band were performing at Lollapalooza in Chicago, which was also their first American show. Despite cutting his finger, Clarke continued on playing live until they had finished their set.

"I managed to slash the end off my finger playing guitar there was fucking blood everywhere," Tom said. "The doctor looked at it after the set and said I'd have to miss a couple of gigs. I said I'd miss one but I'm not missing LA. I don't really care if my finger's pissing blood--it's not the end of the world, it's an occupational hazard," the singer added.

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It has been revealed that Ozzy Osbourne, Black Label Society and System Of A Down are the latest acts to be confirmed for the forthcoming Guitar Hero: World Tour game. System Of A Down will contribute with their hit song "B.Y.O.B." from the acclaimed Mezmerize album and Black Label Society will donate "Stillborn" to the game. Ozzy Osbourne will have two songs featured, both of which come from his 1980 debut album, Blizzard Of Ozz. The songs will be the staple "Crazy Train" and the haunting "Mr. Crowley." In addition to this, both Ozzy and his long time partner in crime Zakk Wylde will be playable characters in the game.

The acts join in with other confirmed acts such as Def Leppard and Van Halen.

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And finally...

The Ting Tings have revealed they are quite happy as a two-piece band and do not want any more members to join. Drummer Jules Di Martino tells the Daily Star: "We get a bit of flak for just being a duo and not having a bassist. But I think less is more. Being in a duo you have that feeling that you have to give 110% every night, you can't have a bad gig or rely on anyone else except yourself."

"We're fans of bands like The White Stripes and the Dresden Dolls," Di Martino added, "who are a duo but have enormous energy - even Nirvana, who admittedly had three members, made a big noise."

Outro

Here's a bunch of stuff currently streaming online.

Staind's new album, The Illusion of Progress is available in its entirety here.

Check out the new album from Clutch, again in its entirety, here. The album is called Full Fathom Five.

Well I'm done for another week. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I'll leave you with one final music video from Mindless Self Indulgence.


"Never Wanted To Dance" - Mindless Self Indulgence