Anthrax
No more Mr. Nice Guy dogs. It’s coming down fast and it’s coming down hard. Thanks for listening to METAL SHOP.
The major metal news outlets have not confirmed, but this site posted yesterday that a ‘source close to AC/DC confirms singer Brian Johnson was fired.’ Comedian Jim Breuer feels ‘really bad’ about invading AC/DC’s privacy last week when he said Brian Johnson was “kicked to the curb” by the band, but the report from United Media Publishing claims “everything Mr. Breuer originally said is basically the truth, in a roundabout way.”
The informant, speaking out only under the condition of anonymity, says it’s his loyalty to Brian Johnson as to why he’s risking his job by speaking out. He says Brian is a “fab guy and has been treated like shit. He does have hearing issues but not as serious as they’re saying. This was just an excuse to fire the guy, basically.” The insider also denied claims that KROKUS singer Marc Storace was contacted by the band’s record label to possibly replace Johnson.
The source said lead guitarist (and sole remaining original member) Angus Young has narrowed the search down to two or three guys, all relative unknowns outside of their respective countries, putting to rest rumors of a possible mashup of classic rock royalty. “They’re not well known names. The band never considered any big name vocalists to replace Brian. I think they wanted to find a fresh new talent. The plan is to decide on the singer within the next couple of weeks, maybe sooner, reschedule the tour and get back out on the road as if nothing’s happened.”
METALLICA released audio of ‘The Four Horseman’ from the remastered edition of ‘Kill ‘Em All,’ coming out April 15th. The quality is excellent, but probably too clean. Maybe new fans will appreciate this, but I still get most excited hearing the energy and raw sound of the original that got me hooked in the first place. Have a listen – Click Here.
After a major runway accident in Chile, IRON MAIDEN’s Ed Force One has been repaired and will rejoin the tour today in Brasilia. While Maiden had continued touring South America without it, it’s good news if you hoped to get a glimpse of the plane when they come to your town.
Maiden’s third album and first with singer Bruce Dickinson, “The Number of the Beast,” was released today in 1982. The album cover was originally created for the song “Purgatory”, but was deemed too high a calibre of artwork for a single release and it was saved for The Number of the Beast album instead. The original 1982 artwork includes a blue sky in the background; this was a mistake by the printers of the album cover, and was later rectified and became black when the album was remastered for compact disc in 1998.
ANTHRAX released their big breakthrough album “Among the Living” today in 1987. It features the singles, “I Am the Law” and “Indians” and was dedicated to the memory of METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton.
SCORPIONS were forced to cut short their concert in Hamburg last night because of a “viral infection” affecting the voice of the band’s lead singer, Klaus Meine. The band reportedly performed for about thirty minutes before calling off the rest of the gig. It is not clear if Meine will be well enough to take part in the next performance scheduled for Wednesday in Leipzig.
An official announcement is expected today, but there is speculation that former GUNS N’ ROSES drummer Steven Adler will join the big reunion. Stay tuned.
Welcome to a Monday. We’re those old fuckers that play those old heavy metal songs. METAL SHOP rolls out kick ass 80’s metal and hard rock 24/7.
All your favorites are always in the mix, including IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, METALLICA, DIO, MÖTLEY CRÜE, MEGADETH, QUEENSRŸCHE, SCORPIONS, RATT, SLAYER, and more.
Listen also for the new ANTHRAX… ‘Evil Twin’ is coming up soon. The new album ‘For All Kings’ is excellent and cracked the U.S. Top 10 in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart.
In a recent interview with vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS, he said “we’re not considered one of the [so-called] “Big Four” [of 1980s thrash metal, which consists of METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX], and I hate that phrase. METALLICA is by far the biggest band in the world, so to put the other three in that category? No disrespect to MEGADETH, ANTHRAX or SLAYER; I love all of those bands, but I lived in the Bay Area when metal was being born, and everybody wanted to be like EXODUS. That goes from POSSESSED, LEGACY, DEATH ANGEL. It was not necessarily METALLICA, it was EXODUS. So, to me, that was the band that innovated and started it out.”
Checkout this video an IRON MAIDEN fan uploaded of the official and bootleg merchandise stands at the band’s March 3rd concert at Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City. METAL SHOP’s Ralph Cartel noted that in Las Vegas, the official merchandise booth was out of control. In Mexico though, not a soul is buying a t-shirt inside the venue but if you go outside it’s a whole different story.
Former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider is currently on tour where he is performing ACCEPT songs one last time before he closes the chapter for good, saying “I wanna close, like a book, and say, ‘Okay, that’s it. I read it.’ Sometimes you have to come to an end with something. I wanna close up everything with ACCEPT. Click Here to read more and see video footage from Friday’s show in Jyväskylä, Finland.
Happy Birthday to Linda Jarota listening to METAL SHOP in Pennsylvania, Chris Hiles listening in Washington State, Tony Nicholl listening in the U.K., and Jorge Zorrilla Diaz listening in Peru.
Have a good one all and stay dry out there.
Oh yeah! It’s Friday. Now read that again in James Hetfield’s voice – “Oh yeah!”
Here we go…
Like any good celebrity memoir, Lita Ford’s new book ‘Living Like a Runaway’ has its share of surprising all-star revelations — like her memories of the night Robert Plant asked her if she wanted to join Led Zeppelin. Their encounter, as recalled in an excerpt published by the New York Post, took place in 1975 after the Runaways’ first headlining gig in Los Angeles. After posing for photos with the band, Plant took Ford aside and asked if she could play bass. When she wondered who she’d be playing bass for, Plant retorted, “Led Zep.” “He might have been drinking or pulling my leg,” wrote Ford, “but he seemed to be dead serious in the moment.”
The IRON MAIDEN ‘The Book of Souls Tour’ resumes tonight (Feb. 26) in Tulsa, Oklahoma after opening in Florida this week. Maiden will be in Vegas on Sunday and then off to Mexico. Kind of a strange tour route in North America, but maybe pilot Bruce Dickinson is not interested in short flights 🙂 Checkout the IRON MAIDEN facebook page to view photos from Wednesday’s tour kickoff show in Florida.
Whitesnake has announced a Greatest Hits tour for this summer. The group’s release last year, ‘The Purple Album’ was meant to be singer David Coverdale’s last work, but he admitted it gave him a new lease of life. “I have no desire to hang up my rock’n’roll sneakers just yet,” he said.
Today in 1981, JUDAS PRIEST released their 7th album “Point of Entry.” Following the instant classic “British Steel,” Priest wasn’t content to simply fast-track a quick carbon copy for their next effort. The problem was, they couldn’t agree on their next step, according to frontman Rob Halford. “The band wanted to do something different, but the record company had seen we could deliver hit singles and wanted more of the same. We were not so sure, so I think Point of Entry suffers from too many people pulling in too many directions.” Can you believe their record label rejected the vaguely futuristic album cover design chosen overseas and replaced it with an arguably more abstract interpretation of the title?
ANTHRAX’s long-awaited new album, “For All Kings”, is out today (Feb. 26). A review in The Guardian calls the new record “crowd-pleasing destruction from the thrash masters.” Listen for the single “Breathing Lightning” now playing on METAL SHOP.
Happy Friday and let’s raise a toast to 80’s metal this weekend. Cheers!
Welcome to a Wednesday 80’s Metal Dogs! Sometimes I do miss my mullet. I started growing it around 1985 and now I can’t grow anything, but bald is beautiful too 🙂
The term “supergroup” gets thrown around on a regular basis these days, however, a new tour featuring some of the greatest guitarists of all time is about to truly give the term a whole new meaning. It’s called “Generation Axe” and features Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Yngwie Malmsteen, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi. There will be 26 performances in North America, beginning April 5th in Seattle.
Next week, the new documentary, We Are Twisted F***ing Sister!, which focuses on the 10 years the group spent playing as a full-time bar band before finally making it big, will be released on DVD, VOD and digital download (Feb. 23). Dee Snider recently discussed the movie saying, “If you’re from the Northeast, there’s a reference and understanding of the importance of Twisted Sister. That’s why you’ll see bands like Cinderella and Bon Jovi, Kix and Poison, Anthrax and Overkill. When they talk about Twisted, it’s like they’re talking about somebody that’s in their band. People from the West Coast, and overseas and South America, they get confused — ‘this is the band with two songs?’ The bands I mentioned, growing up in the Northeast, they were aware of the Twisted presence and the Twisted influence over these bands. So many of them would get in line with thousands of others to see Twisted Sister in a bar or a club, packed to the rafters to see this band. It’s great for that story to finally be made available.”
AC/DC released their debut album (only in Australia) ‘High Voltage’ today in 1975. The album featured ‘She’s Got Balls’ which was written about singer Bon Scott’s ex-wife Irene. At some point, she had complained he had never written a song about her; lead guitarist Angus Young said: “So he wrote She’s Got Balls and she left him!”
KING DIAMOND also released their debut album “Fatal Portrait” in 1986 and today in 1984, MEGADETH played their first-ever show at Ruthie’s Inn in Berkeley, California. The line-up consisted of Dave Mustaine on guitar, David Ellefson on bass, Kerry King on guitar and Lee Rausch on drums. Check out the original flyer below.
At the peak of the hair band run, David Coverdale married actress Tawny Kitaen (known for her provocative appearances in Whitesnake’s music videos ‘Here I Go Again, ‘Is This Love’ and ‘Still of the Night’) today in 1989. The couple divorced in 1991.
Finally, here’s a fun time suck – 100 Metal Facts You Might Not Know, including Rob Halford worked at a porno movie theatre before he joined JUDAS PRIEST and early era IRON MAIDEN singer Dennis Wilcock quitting the band because the other members wouldn’t follow his lead and don KISS-inspired makeup, and this one… Between his stints in METALLICA and MEGADETH, Dave Mustaine worked as a telemarketer… “Hello me, meet the real me and will Tuesday at 4pm work for me to come by and demonstrate our new vacuum cleaner?” Click Here for more.
If you are on twitter, be sure to follow METAL SHOP there for songs now playing and ALL the latest 80’s Metal/Hair Band News – Click Here.
Now go rock the day and thanks for listening!
You know it’s Friday because the volume on your 80’s metal has gone up a little before you crank it to 11 at the end of the day.
30 years ago this year, METALLICA released their finest album “Master Of Puppets” and to celebrate will be releasing a book in the fall on the making of that classic 1986 record. The bands says they hit the storage lockers, attics and basements to fill the book with hundreds of never-before-seen images pulled from their personal archives. Highlights includes interviews with members of the bands who toured with Metallica, ANTHRAX and ARMORED SAINT and Cliff Burton’s dad Ray sat down for an extensive interview.
What a trip last weekend for METAL SHOP’s Ralph Cartel, who made the 400 mile drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco to see the Metallica Pre-Super Bowl Concert. His recap that includes a link to the entire concert in HD is on the METAL SHOP website.
Former Dio and Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell (currently playing with Last In Line and Def Leppard), who has been battling cancer since 2013, was recently asked why he continues to tour and not simply stay at home given his health issues. He replied, “That to me would be the death sentence. My work is catharsis for me. There’s nothing that brings me greater happiness. All I ever wanted to do in my life was play guitar in a band. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than staying at home just me and my illness.” Catch more of the interview at this location – Click Here
On this date in 1982, IRON MAIDEN released the single “Run To The Hills” from the album “The Number Of The Beast” and MÖTLEY CRÜE began the first of a three night run at the world famous Whisky A Go Go in L.A. Were you there? We would love to hear your memories and see photos if you have any.
For #FBF, check out the photo below posted by KROKUS on their Facebook page of the Single/45 record release of 1984’s “The Blitz”. Did you know Krokus was the first musical act from Switzerland to hit the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. with “Midnite Maniac” from that same “Blitz” album?
Don’t forget Valentine’s Day is Sunday and METAL SHOP’s sister station HAIR BAND RADIO is celebrating with all Power Ballads, Love Songs & Breakup Songs all day. Give your sweetie a squeeze and tune in here
Have a great weekend.
Who Are The Top 20 Metal Bands Of All Time?
Depends who you ask and how they define who is metal or just hard rock. For example, many agree that Metalica, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest are metal, but KISS, AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses are not metal.
That is how the authors of the new book ‘The Merciless Book of Metal Lists‘ see it in one of several indexes they compiled for this release set for April 9, 2013 by Abrams Image.
Howie Abrams and Sacha Jenkins’ book features numerous compilations of bests (songs, guitarists, album covers featuring goats) and worsts (embarrassing metal videos, metal fashion faux pas’).
80’s metal fans will also surely appreciate unconventional lists such as: ’10 Reasons Why EVERYONE Loves Slayer’s ‘Reign In Blood” and ’10 Accomplishments Iron Maiden Would Never Have Achieved had Paul Di’Anno Remained Their Singer’.
One of the lists sure to spark some debate is ’20 of the Greatest Metal Voices.’ They nailed the top three (my opinion) and Queensryche’s Geoff Tate certainly deserves a top five appearance:
1. Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath, Dio)
2. Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
3. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
4. Eric Adams (Manowar)
5. Geoff Tate (Queensrÿche)
6. King Diamond (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond)
7. Tom Araya (Slayer)
8. John Bush (Armored Saint/Anthrax)
9. James Hetfield (Metallica)
10. Max Cavalera (Sepultura, Soulfly)
In an interview with the New York Times, Abrams said Dio was the unanimous choice for the top spot because he had a virtuosity that set him far apart from other top metal vocalists.
“If he needed to apply darkness, he could do it,” said Abrams. “If he needed to belt and go to a higher range, he could. He replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath, and I’m not sure there was a taller task for a vocalist. He did it with ease and grace, and he may have improved on what Oz did in the first place.”
‘The Merciless Book of Metal Lists’ is a fun read. I especially enjoyed viewing the artwork from ‘200 Embarrassingly Bad Album Covers’… Anthrax took the top two spots with ‘State of Euphoria’ and number one ‘Fistful of Metal.’
Last night in Hollywood, California, ANTHRAX, who are headlining the Metal Alliance Tour, played to a sold-out crowd at the House of Blues. But the fans got a little more than Anthrax playing their classic Among The Living album front-to-back, or songs from the just-released covers EP, Anthems.
Joining Anthrax on stage for their AC/DC cover of “T.N.T.” was none other than Slash who played lead on the song, and then, later in the show, Chuck D came out for “Bring The Noise,” the song Anthrax and Public Enemy recorded together in 1991.
Also in the House last night were Slayer’s Kerry King, John Tempesta from The Cult, Justin Chandellor from Tool, Dethklok/Metalocalpyse’s Brendon Small and actor/musician Brian Posehn.
The Metal Alliance Tour, that also features Exodus, High on Fire, Municipal Waste and Holy Grail, will be touring the country through late April. Click Here for remaining dates.
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Emerging from the blues and psychedelic rock of the 1960s and ’70s, heavy metal has been a driving force in music for nearly 50 years — known for its massive sound, extended guitar solos, and unrelenting intensity.
Despite being critically reviled throughout its history, metal has stood the test of time with bands such as Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Mötley Crüe achieving legendary status, unfathomable wealth and exerting a profound influence on generations of musicians and fans. Unlike many forms of popular music, whose followers are fickle and transitory, metalheads tend to embrace their favorite bands and follow them over decades. Metal is not only a pastime — it’s a lifestyle.
Written by veteran rock journalists Jon Wiederhorn and Katherine Turman, “Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History Of Metal” (It Books; May 14, 2013; Hardcover; $32.50) was assembled from more than 300 interviews with members of Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Van Halen and many others, conducted over a 25-year span. Turman and Wiederhorn dug deep into their extensive list of contacts to uncover never- before-heard stories, eye-opening admissions and the truth behind metal’s most explosive legends. With an introduction by Scott Ian of Anthrax and an afterword by Rob Halford of Judas Priest, this is the book metal fans have been waiting for.
Icons of the genre offer candid and confessional commentary, including: Ronnie James Dio, Ozzy Osbourne, Bruce Dickinson, Eddie Van Halen, Vince Neil, Tommy Lee, Lita Ford, Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Axl Rose, Slash, Dave Mustaine, King Diamond, Kerry King, Philip Anselmo and more. The many musicians interviewed offer their take on their influences, touring, the music business and songwriting, as well as their often-traumatic upbringings, battles with substance abuse and bizarre sexual exploits. Industry insiders (including managers, record label executives, family members, friends, scenesters, groupies, journalists and porn stars) provide additional insight.
“Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History Of Metal” explores the transformation of metal culture, with stories and anecdotes straight from the mouths of the most infamous and successful bands. Filled with hundreds of revealing interviews representing every type and era of heavy metal — from metal progenitors such as Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, and the MC5 to current day innovators — “Louder Than Hell” is the ultimate look behind the curtain at one of our most dynamic, controversial and enduring musical genres.
Alice Cooper: “This is the book every metal fan should own. A fascinating high-octane chronicle of metal mayhem that takes readers on a wild ride, from metal’s earliest days to the headbanging present. I’m not saying this just because I’m in the book, but . . . if you love metal, great stories, and music history told by the people who made it, then ‘Louder Than Hell’ is a must-read.”
LOS ANGELES, CA – TUESDAY, January 15, 2013 — Anthems, Anthrax’s long-awaited, eight-track EP that pays tribute to the classic songs by some of Anthrax’s favorite bands from the 1970s, will be released in North America on March 19 (MRI/Megaforce), and on March 22 in Europe (Nuclear Blast). Anthems’s track listing features Rush’s “Anthem,” Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak,” “TNT” by AC/DC, Boston’s “Smokin’,” “Big Eyes” by Cheap Trick, Journey’s “Keep on Runnin,” as well as the album version and a special remix of Anthrax’s “Crawl” from the band’s critically-acclaimed 2011 album Worship Music.
Said the band’s vocalist Joey Belladonna, “These are all bands I grew up with and have listened to forever. It’s just great music. I had fun singing these songs and I was happy recording together with Anthrax, doing classic rock songs. Fun stuff!”
On Boston’s “Smokin’,” Anthrax brought in a special guest to play keyboards – Fred Mandel, who has played with Alice Cooper, Queen, Elton John, Cheap Trick, Supertramp and on Pink Floyd’s The Wall. About the track, drummer Charlie Benante said, “If ever there were a perfect first album, it’s Boston’s first album. The harmony leads they did would later be heard by Iron Maiden, which of course would lead to thrash metal.”
The EP will be available on CD as well as digitally via iTunes and other online retailers. In addition to Anthems’ cover art (attached), Benante and artist Stephen Thompson have subtly redesigned each track’s original album cover art to “Anthrax” it. The Anthems EP will first be housed in one of the “re-imagined” digipak covers, and then inserted inside the main CD cover sleeve. The main cover sleeve has been designed in such a way so fans will be able to see which one of the six “re-imagined” covers is inside.
Anthems was produced by Anthrax, Jay Ruston and Rob Caggiano, and recorded for the most part throughout 2012 literally all over the world: at Benante’s home studio, in Ruston’s New York studio, on the band’s tour bus while on last summer’s Mayhem Tour, in hotel rooms, and backstage at their Berlin show last December.
The Grammy-nominated Anthrax – Belladonna, Benate/drums, Scott Ian/guitar and Frank Bello/bass – will hit the road in support Anthems on February 16 with dates in India and Australia, and then return to North America to headline the Metal Alliance Tour that kicks off March 22. For all of these dates, Anthrax will be joined by Shadows Fall guitarist Jon Donais.
(Update 1/18/13): Anthrax’s cover of Rush’s “Anthem” is now available for streaming at RollingStone.com.
IrishTimes.com: They were lost for a while, but 1980s metal megastars Anthrax are back, with old frontman Joey Belladonna, a new album and a new energy. “We sell more tickets now than in 1986,” says guitarist Scott Ian.
THERE ARE NO second acts in American life, according to F Scott Fitzgerald, but somebody forgot to tell Anthrax. In the 1980s, they were in the vanguard of thrash heavy metal riffs played at punk-rock pace, which changed heavy metal forever, and for the better.
In 2009, after more than a decade of diminishing returns, they had recorded an album of new material, but had no singer – ironic given that they have had eight since the band’s formation. They had parted ways with Dan Nelson and then his replacement John Bush, who had been in the band previously and was the longest-serving vocalist Anthrax had ever had.
The death rattle of a band in its final throes was audible. What to do? Ian now admits that he should never have fired Belladona in the first place. “People say ‘why it is so hard to keep a line-up together?’. People don’t get it. It’s worse than family,” he says.
The induction of Metallica, the undisputed kings of thrash, into the Roll and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 provided another fillip. Ever scheming and dreaming of ways to keep Metallica in the public eye, drummer Lars Ulrich came up with his most audacious plan to date, a tour involving the “Big Four” of thrash metal, Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax.
“I can’t really say enough about those shows. Metallica have many reasons for their success over the years, and timing certainly is one of them. Success in the entertainment business is luck and timing. It really gave us the kick in the arse to keep moving forward.