DREAM THEATER's new anime-themed video for the song "Forsaken", taken from the band's latest album, "Systematic Chaos", received its small-screen premiere this past Saturday (January 26) on MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball". The clip was created by the Japanese animation studio Gonzo and director Yasufumi Soejima and can be viewed below. The video's executive producer, Joey Goubeaud of Amusement Park Media, coordinated the efforts between DREAM THEATER and Gonzo.
According to a posting on the AnimeNewsNetwork.com web site, the band based the song on Ivan Turgenev's "Phantoms", a short story about an enigmatic woman who haunts a man as he travels the world. However, instead of the 19th century setting of the short story, the band agreed with Soejima's decision to place the music video in a future science-fiction setting. Soejima said the video's male lead is an innocent man abandoned and jailed by an "inhumane world." The female lead (who is described as "an apparition, a restless soul, an evil spirit, a sylphide, a vampire" or something else entirely in Turgenev's story) is "an android that was made as the toy of [an] ancient regime."
Soejima had previously worked with LINKIN PARK, THE STRANGLERS, and the Japanese musician PERFUME. Notably, Jean-Jacques Burnel of THE STRANGLERS contributed several pieces to the soundtrack of Gonzo's "Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo", an anime series for which Soejima was the digital director and textile designer.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
The Making Of DREAM THEATER's 'Forsaken' Video: More Information Revealed - Jan. 29, 2008
FEAR MY THOUGHTS To Enter Studio Next Month - Jan. 29, 2008
German modern melodic death hopefuls FEAR MY THOUGHTS have issued the following update:
"It's a pleasure to announce that from now on, Rock The Nation agency, [which] also represents such great artists as WINTERSUN, SIX FEET UNDER, KATAKLYSM, THE VISION BLEAK and more, will be handling all future booking for FEAR MY THOUGHTS in Europe.
"On February 11 we'll enter the studio of our singer Martin [Fischer] to record our new album. It's the first time that we're recording an album on our own and we're a little bit excited. All songs are written and feel great and we can't wait to play them live for you. It will be a great mixture of progressive rock, smellin' rock 'n' roll and metal.
"In early March we're flying to Sweden to mix our album with Daniel Bergstrand in the Dug Out studios. So Sweden, beware — we're coming!!!"
FEAR MY THOUGHTS' Century Media Records debut, "Vulcanus", was released in Europe in January 2007. Helmed by acclaimed Danish producer Jacob Hansen (RAUNCHY, COMMUNIC, MAROON, HATESPHERE, MERCENARY), the CD contains 12 new tracks covering a wide variety of styles, incorporating influences from death and thrash metal to Seventies hard and progressive rock. A personal highlight for the band was the guest appearance on "Accelerate Or Die" by DESTRUCTION frontman Marcel "Schmier" Schirmer and guitarist Mike Sifringer.
FEAR MY THOUGHTS' "Blankness" video (taken from "Vulcanus"):
OBITUARY Members Check In From Europe - Jan. 29, 2008
OBITUARY vocalist John Tardy has posted the following message on the band's official web site:
"The show [Saturday] night [January 26] in Glauchau [Germany] was totally sick and packed! We really appreciate all the support from our German fans. I think we have played like six shows in Germany and all the shows there were awesome. We will be back for one more show on January 30 in Munich. Today we are in Prague, Czech Republic and it looks like from the pre-sales that the show at Abaton may end up sold out! I am sure it is going to be crazy in here tonight! Tomorrow is a day off, and after seven consecutive shows I think we are all ready for that. The plan is to spend the day in Budapest, Hungary, which is also the city where the next show will be! A38 is the club we will be at."
OBITUARY guitarist Ralph Santolla has also checked in with the following update::
"[On January 25] was Langenprozelten, Germany. It's a small village near the site of the Up From The Ground festival. The venue was right next to a river and mountains, so it was a better vibe than the usual industrial scenery. Another day of sitting around with not much to do, so we started working out our set list for the summer festivals. We've got some surprises for you guys; you should be happy with what we've come up with."
OBITUARY recently shot a video for the song "Evil Ways" with comic book stalwart and director Hart D. Fisher.
Check out the photos from the shoot at this location.
"Evil Ways" is the lead single from OBITUARY's new album, "Xecutioner's Return", which was released in North America on August 28 via Candlelight Records. The CD was mixed at Redroom Recorders and was mastered in June at Morrisound Studios in Tampa. The band once again worked with artist Andreas Marschall, who has previously created the art for "The End Complete" and the group's last record, "Frozen in Time".
Roadrunner Records has just released a "best-of" collection from OBITUARY. Entitled, appropriately enough, "The Best of Obituary", the CD features the following track listing:
01. Internal Bleeding
02. 'Til Death
03. Slowly We Rot
04. Cause Of Death
05. Chopped In Half
06. Turned Inside Out
07. The End Complete
08. I'm In Pain
09. Don't Care
10. Final Thoughts
11. Kill For Me
12. Threatening Skies
13. On The Floor
Fan-filmed video footage of OBITUARY performing the song "Slowly we Rot" on January 9, 2008 in Krakow, Poland can be viewed below (courtesy of "KKROB1"). Support at the gig came from long-running German thrashers HOLY MOSES and Swedish metallers AVATAR.
THE FIFTH SUN: Hard At Work On New Album - Jan. 29, 2008
Minnesota-based melodic death metallers THE FIFTH SUN, whose current recording lineup includes Swedish drummer Patrik J. Sten (PASSENGER, ex-KEROZENE, TRANSPORT LEAGUE), have issued the following update:
"We are hard at work on our new album. Thus far it appears to be much more thrashy and heavier than our previous efforts, while still retaining our old-school feel.
"Don't worry: [there is] none of the weak-ass, paint-by-the-numbers crap that 99% of the labels are putting out.
"We are entertaining offers we have received to play some shows this summer. Some very big, some less so."
THE FIFTH SUN's second album, "The Hunger to Survive", was released in 2005. The CD was recorded at Studio Fredman and is the follow-up to the group's debut album, 2001's "The Moment of Truth".
GORGOROTH, CELTIC FROST, SKITLIV Members To Appear At INFERNO MUSIC CONFERENCE - Jan. 29, 2008
Tom Gabriel Fischer (CELTIC FROST), Gaahl (GORGOROTH) and Maniac (SKITLIV, ex-MAYHEM) will appear on a panel at the the third edition of the Inferno Music Conference (IMC) on March 21 to discuss extremism in metal. 15 years after the climax of Norwegian black metal murders and church fire, it is time to look ahead. Is there a limit to what record labels and other interacting music business-related people can work with? What is the next extreme thing to happen?
The Inferno Music Conference is part of the Inferno festival, which is set to take place March 19-22, 2008 at the Rockefeller and John Dee venues in Oslo, Norway.
The "Can metal become more extreme? Taboos and metal – where do we go
from here?" discussion will be moderated by Michael Berberian of Season Of Mist and will be held on Friday, March 21 at 2:00 p.m. Gaahl will also be the keynote speaker at the event, where he will give his first-ever interview in front of a live audience.
Gaahl being interviewed for the "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" documentary:
Former MANOWAR Guitarist DAVID SHANKLE Shreds The Axe At NAMM; Video Available - Jan. 29, 2008
Video footage of former MANOWAR guitarist David Shankle shredding the axe at this year's winter NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show, which was held January 17-20 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, can be viewed below.
DAVID SHANKLE GROUP's latest album, "Hellborn", came out on July 6, 2007 through Magic Circle Music.
According to a press release, "Hellborn" is "a very different animal to [its predecessor], 'Ashes to Ashes' [2003], and offers something for all fans of true metal.
"David is known for having a vast array of musical influences and styles at his command. 'Hellborn' is a perfect example of that flexibility. The solid team of musicians that David has assembled, along with the steadfast efforts of soundman, engineer and amplifier guru Jay Walsh of Farview Recording, has ensured that 'Hellborn' is a powerful and impressive sophomore effort from the DAVID SHANKLE GROUP."
DAVID SHANKLE GROUP is:
David Shankle - Guitars
Dennis Hirschauer- Vocals
Jeff Kylloe- Bass
Brad Sabathne - Drums
"Daydreams":
"The Voyage":
OVERKILL: Promo Video For 'Live At Wacken Open Air 2007' Available - Jan. 29, 2008
Veteran New Jersey thrashers OVERKILL will release their second DVD, "Live at Wacken Open Air 2007", on February 5 via Bodog Music.
The 50-minute disc was shot during the band’s headline set at the festival in front of an audience of 40,000, and features songs that span OVERKILL's 28-year career, including "Walk Through Fire" (which can be viewed below) from the group's new disc "Immortalis", "Rotten to the Core", "Elimination", "Fuck You", "In Union We Stand", "Necroshine", "Skull and Bones", "Old School" and "Wrecking Crew".
The show was previously released as the limited-edition bonus DVD with the German digipack edition of the band's latest album, "Immortalis".
"Live at Wacken Open Air 2007" track listing:
01. Rotten to the Core
02. Elimination
03. Necroshine
04. Thanx for Nothin'
05. Skull and Bones
06. In Union We Stand
07. Walk through Fire
08. Wrecking Crew
09. Old School
10. Fuck You
OVERKILL's last DVD, "Wrecking Everything: Live", came out in 2002 and was re-released October 2.
A promotional video for the DVD can be viewed below.
OVERKILL's last DVD, "Wrecking Everything: Live", came out in 2002 and was re-released October 2, 2007.
OVERKILL last fall completed a short tour in support of "Immortalis". The trek began on October 3 in Elmira, NY at The The Amp and concluded with a special appearance at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City on Sunday, October 21.
"Immortalis" sold 2,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Issued on October 9 via Bodog Music, the CD marks OVERKILL's reunion with Jonny and Marsha Zazula, previous owners of Megaforce Records, the label responsible for putting metal on the map and bringing OVERKILL's New Jersey thrash metal to the world. The Zazulas are now a part of the Bodog Music team in the United States.
"Immortalis" is the follow-up to 2005's "RelixIV", which has sold around 16,000 copies in the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
OVERKILL's top-selling album of the SoundScan era (1991-) is "Horrorscope", which has shifted around 118,000 units in the U.S. since its 1991 release (there is no SoundScan data available for LPs sold prior to 1991).
