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Interviews (268)
The interviews - both video, audio and text - from the world of rock!
Kevin Courtney of The Irish Times recently conducted an interview with BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.
On BLACK SABBATH's enduring influence:
Ozzy: "I remember it was a year or two after my departure from SABBATH, people would come to me and ask me questions about the band, and I didn't realise we had such a huge underground following within the industry. Like, other bands were very influenced by the early works. There was a box-set, 'The Ozzy Osbourne Years', and it just took on its own steam. And I thought people were just taking the piss for the longest time, y'know. I remember METALLICA, before they were the success they were, they were out on tour with me and they were playing BLACK SABBATH songs, and I honestly believed they were taking the piss, and someone said, no, no, no, their biggest influence is BLACK SABBATH. When I was doing the Ozzfests, and bands would come up to me and say, 'you guys were gods to us', I thought, 'wow. The following that we had'."
On working on the new BLACK SABBATH album, "13", a short time after the band's guitarist and main songwriter, Tony Iommi, was diagnosed with lymphoma:
Ozzy: "To be honest with you, I don't know how the guy, after chemotherapy and treatment, still had the ability to do what he fucking did. There may be something to this black magic shit after all!
"Every time we try to do something, something happens to someone. The drummer got a heart attack when we tried to do something a few years ago. I mean, we all decided, if we're all going to do an album together, this is the last chance we're going to get. Unfortunately it didn't work out with Bill Ward, but we did the album."
On drummer Bill Ward's decision to back out of the BLACK SABBATH reunion over contractual disagreements:
Ozzy: "What can I say? It just didn't work out. I mean , I'm not gonna slag Bill, 'cause I love him, but it just didn't work out, y'know. There's only a different drummer on this album, and the drumming is pretty similar to what Bill Ward would have played anyway.
"We all decided that if we were going to do this, this is our last chance, 'cause we're all into our 60s now, and we couldn't do it in another five years, we'd be fucking 70, and then we'd be dead, you know? I said to the others, now is the time to do the album, and do a tour. Otherwise we'll never get a fucking thing done. It's a pity that Bill had to . . . that it didn't work out with Bill. I love the guy, and I'm not going to start slagging Bill Ward, he's a very, very dear friend of mine, like family."
On performing live in his 60s:
Ozzy: "I don't feel any different than when I was 55, or 45. I mean, it's only a number. Your body will start to tell you when to slow down. But I get up most mornings and I go into the gym. I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't do drugs, I don't womanize, I just do my thing, y'know.
"It's a miracle that I have survived this long. I mean, Gary Moore died there last year. I was fucking shocked. 'Cause Gary wasn't a big party animal. He used to drink beer a bit, but nothing like what I fucking used to do!
"I've been doing it solo for the past 30 years on my own, so the only problem with stepping back is that it's not my band, you know. I'm the singer with a band called BLACK SABBATH. But putting that hat back on is kind of difficult, because 30 years is a long time to be your own boss. I had to just go, OK, I'm not going to complain about anything, because throughout BLACK SABBATH's career, we could never all agree on one thing, you know. So step back, 'cause otherwise it's just going to be another disaster."
On being fired from BLACK SABBATH in the late 1970s and taking Iommi to court in a battle over ownership of the BLACK SABBATH name:
Ozzy: "Listen, we can sit and bicker and fucking moan, but as I said earlier on, if we want to get the album done, forget the differences, get on with it. Shake hands and do it. Because otherwise we're never gonna get the fucking album out, we're never gonna do the tour. You gotta forget your differences. Of course I was pissed off getting fired from the band I helped create. Of course I was upset. It was like a divorce — you can either be really miserable and fucking not want to be in the same room as your ex-wife. Or you can just get on with your life. You can't have it all your own way. It gave me a determination when I got fired to get successful. And I was very lucky."
Read the entire interview from The Irish Times.
The Front Row Report recently conducted an interview with guitarist Keith Nelson of Californian rockers BUCKCHERRY. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.
BUCKCHERRY's sixth studio album, "Confessions", sold 18,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 20 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"Confessions" was produced by Keith Nelson and Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, OZZY OSBOURNE) and features eclectic CD artwork by graffiti artist Ewok. The songs on "Confessions" merge punk grit, gutter attitude, honest storytelling, and razor sharp hooks, while the lyrics are tied together by the underlying theme of the Seven Deadly Sins.
In a recent interview with Loudwire.com, singer Josh Todd elaborated on the album's subject matter. Josh explained, "There was a point in my life when I was a youth when I lost a family member and I acted out in my grieving process through the deadly sins, so that's kind of what the story's about on the record. I think the seven sins are timeless and that everybody struggles with them in their daily lives all the time."
The provocative video for the album's first single, "Gluttony", was directed by Billy Jayne and filmed in a North Hollywood church.
A two-disc deluxe version of the "Confessions" CD is also available and features the bonus tracks "Give 'Em What They Want" and "When The Fire Starts". In addition, a bonus DVD includes the "Gluttony" music video and lyric video, behind-the-scenes footage and band interviews from the set of the "Gluttony" video shoot, and "The Story Behind Confessions" featurette.
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Sergio Pereira of South Africa's Muse magazine conducted an interview with METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo last month when the band returned to South Africa for three shows — one in Johannesburg and two in Cape Town.
Muse: Would you ever be interested in recording with a South African producer in South Africa?
Trujillo: With Kevin Shirley [grins]?
Muse: Perhaps. I don't think Mutt Lange is available right now. [laughs]
Trujillo: I think that's been pursued [smirk]… maybe. Right now at this phase of the game, we're concentrating on great riffs, potential songs and ideas – it's great to be able to take a break from all of that and come to South Africa. We're going to Asia in August — and that's exciting. [Then], we're going to South America in October… First things first, we've got to start getting our blueprints for songs together and make sure they're the best possible — and then we see what producers are available. We made a great album with Rick Rubin the last time — that's a strong possibility still. Obviously, there are no guarantees in anything in this day and age, but if there is a great producer, who has something to bring to METALLICA, we will investigate it.
Muse: Since you've been to South Africa, have you spread the word about it to other bands?
Trujillo: Yeah. I've been texting a lot of my friends who have been like, "I've never been to South Africa…" I tell them straight: the fans are great; the people are passionate; if you get there when the weather is nice, it's like Southern California — the water is a little bit cold, but that's okay, bring a wetsuit [laughs]; and watch out for sharks [bigger laughs].
Muse: What attracted you to return to South Africa again?
Trujillo: The promoters obviously wanted us to come back and brought us over again. You gotta understand that when there is the demand, you realize that people do care. It has to come from the fans. Like the show tonight, it is pretty special for us and that doesn't happen to every band on the planet. We're still lucky to be around and relevant in a lot of people's eyes. To look out in the crowd and see young kids out there, too: teenagers and kids, who were, like, 5 years old when we came out here last time, headbanging is really exciting. So, yeah, just make sure the fans spread the word and continue keeping us relevant.
Read the entire interview from Muse magazine.
Epiphone conducted an interview with the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE on the "black carpet" at the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods awards on May 2 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles, California. You can now watch the chat below.
The Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE will release its new album, simply titled "Queensrÿche", on June 25 via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created by Craig Howell, who has previously worked on designs for "Star Wars", SLIPKNOT and "American Idol", to name a few.
"Queensrÿche" marks the debut release from the lineup comprised of La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY), Michael Wilton (guitar), Parker Lundgren (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums). The drums for the album were recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with producer James "Jimbo" Barton — the man who engineered and mixed the band's classic 1988 LP, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its 1990 follow-up, "Empire", and co-produced 1994's "Promised Land". The rest of the music and vocals were laid down at several different facilities on the West Coast.
"Queensrÿche" track listing:
01. X2
02. Where Dreams Go To Die
03. Spore
04. In This Light
05. Redemption
06. Vindication
07. Midnight Lullaby
08. A World Without
09. Don't Look Back
10. Fallout
11. Open Road
Several versions of "Queensrÿche" are now available for pre-order:
*** Standard Jewel Case Version
Regular CD that includes a 4x4 patch.
*** Deluxe Box Set Edition CD (North America only)
Regular CD with the following bonus tracks:
* Queen Of The Reich (live)
* En Force (live)
* Prophecy (live)
Housed in a small box with an exclusive patch, sticker, guitar pick and button pack.
*** 2-CD Media Book (For Europe only)
Standard CD, plus 2nd CD with the following bonus tracks, all recorded live in Snoqualmie, WA on October 27, 2012:
01. Queen Of The Reich (live)
02. En Force (live)
03. Prophecy (live)
*** LP Version
One LP with the standard cd inserted into the sleeve as a bonus.
Side A
01. X2
02. Where Dreams Go To Die
03. Spore
04. In This Light
05. Redemption
06. Vindication
Side B
01. Midnight Lullaby
02. A World Without
03. Don't Look Back
04. Fallout
05. Open Road
06. Queen Of The Reich (live)
07. En Force (live)
*** iTunes Digital Version
Standard CD version, plus the following bonus tracks:
01. Queen Of The Reich (live)
02. En Force (live)
Fans were treated to a taste of the new album when the band released "Redemption" and it has been garnering praise ever since. The song has been listened to over 185,000 times on YouTube since it was unveiled in March.
"This gets said often by a lot of bands, but we believe we have recorded some of our finest music in years," says drummer Scott Rockenfield.
"The collaborative effort of everyone on this album is something we are extremely proud of.
"Working with Jimbo and the addition of Todd has revitalized the band in ways we never knew until we heard the final results.
"We know you have to wait a little longer but are excited for all of our fans to hear it. QUEENSRŸCHE wouldn't be in this position if not for your unwavering support."
Asked which album in QUEENSRŸCHE's catalog would most closely compare to what the band is doing now, Scott told "Noize In The Attic": "Our big goal was, once we kind of made our transition last year and moved on as a band, and Todd being in the band, and our focus of the live shows and everything, it's always kind of been about looking at what really made QUEENSRŸCHE special. And for the live show, it's the old stuff. And we've been focusing a lot, in the show, doing that, for the last year, and we're continue to focus on doing that. On the record, I think the vein of what the record is a combination of all that great old stuff that we're kind of known best for. I mean, for me, I kind of summarize it by saying, to me, it's everything from the [debut] EP up to 'Empire', or maybe even 'Promised Land' at that point, which is, to me, the most defining catalog that we've ever done. And I think for this record, it's visiting that and taking that into the future."
Added guitarist Michael Wilton: "I also think that when you hear this record, each song is gonna be unique in its own. For people that have heard the single that's on YouTube called 'Redemption'. Everybody's asking, 'Is the album gonna sound just like that?' And I can say, 'No.' What's great about this record is that every individual here was in the creative process and the writing — there was no outside writers, like [there were] on the last few albums. And it really shows, and it's a real great blend of everybody's strength and their creative elements, and the songs are definitely reflective of the personalities of this band right now."
Continued Scott: "I think that's important. Especially what Michael was saying. I think the focus of that earlier stuff, there was a massive chemistry between all of us that really worked, and we wanted to find that chemistry again, 'cause we've, unfortunately, had to struggle with that the last few years. But we always knew that that's what we wanted to do, so now that we're able to do that, finding that chemistry and that energy that got us to make those records is what that energy now is in this record. And Michael's right: the songs, there's a great variety of things in it, but they're all QUEENSRŸCHE, they're all us doing it, it's our chemistry of working together."
Said Michael: "If you listen to all the other albums, like from 'Promised Land' back to the EP, you're gonna hear all these dynamics, from song after another song — you're gonna hear those dynamics, and that's the same sort of approach we wanted to take on this new one."
SLAYER's estranged drummer Dave Lombardo has paid tribute to the band's guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who passed away on Thursday (May 2) from liver failure at the age of 49.
Said Lombardo: "This picture [see below] was taken at the Troubadour in Hollywood around 1982.
"Jeff was the guy that shaved his head and shared the music he was so inspired by. I enjoyed DEAD KENNEDYS, CIRCLE JERKS, BLACK FLAG and THE GERMS with him.
"My drumming was getting faster and Jeff was writing original songs with a punk attitude.
"The fusion of heavy metal and punk took over SLAYER's early mediocre style, hence a new force was born.
"Thank you, Jeff, for your inspiring discovery of punk rock that has continued to shape my personal drumming style."
Lombardo sat out SLAYER's recent Australian tour due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX).
Hanneman had actually not been playing with SLAYER for more than two years since he contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard in January 2011. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.
Hanneman's last appearance with SLAYER was in April 2011, when he played an encore with the band at the "Big Four" concert in Indio, California.
It is not clear whether the cause of his death was linked to his struggle with the flesh-eating infection.
Hanneman recalled in a 2011 interview with Classic Rock magazine that he initially didn't even feel the spider bite, adding, "But an hour later, I knew that I was ill. I could see the flesh corrupting. The arm was real hot. I got to the emergency room, and thank god the nurse knew straight away what it was . . . At that point, I was an hour away from death."
SLAYER was founded in 1981 in Los Angeles and went on to become one of most popular bands of the speed/thrash metal movement, eventually being considered one of the "Big Four" alongside METALLICA, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX.
While never a band that got any substantial radio airplay, the group has long been considered a major influence on the metal genre and acclaimed as one of the best live metal acts of the past 30 years.
SLAYER guitarist Kerry King received a huge ovation from the crowd at the Revolver Golden Gods awards show on May 2 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, where he said that Hanneman would have wanted "noise" rather than a moment of silence and then drank two shots in his bandmate's honor.
On May 1, Steve Baltin of RollingStone.com conducted an interview with former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist and current NEWSTED frontman Jason Newsted. An excerpt from the chat follows below.
RollingStone.com: Do you appreciate [performing on stage again] more after the hiatus?
Newsted: I think the deeper the challenge — I had a bunch of shoulder surgeries to get myself together — whatever that level of thing, you come back with that same level of matching appreciation. It's new eyes, new mind, new world to recognize and appreciate, there's no question about that. It did happen so fast. We wrote the songs in fall of last year, recorded 16 or 20 songs since that time, put the EP out in January. I've got an LP done already, a world tour at our feet in six months' time, so that's pretty quick for all that to be coming around and for me to fathom it. In a big band like METALLICA, in METALLICA in particular, it is such a machine, and especially when I was in, the same people working together for 25 years for us, same band, same crew guys working for us — it was such a fine-tuned thing, that's what I got conditioned to. And so many of the detail things were kept from me because they're not gonna bother you with all the bullshit. So I skipped over this part that I'm doing right now in the first 30 years of my career. October of 1986 on Halloween I played the last show with FLOTSAM AND JETSAM — 10 days later onstage in Japan, sold out Budokan with METALLICA. I didn't ever do the van around the countryside, slugging it out place to place, come to the Roxy to play or anything like that. I skipped over it. Now I'm doing it, and appreciate it.
RollingStone.com: Now you're doing it, though, with a different wisdom.
Newsted: That's the thing. That was Lars [Ulrich] in METALLICA — I never recognized it. I used to give him grief because, "Dude, how come you're not practicing more? How come you're not on time?" And he's like, "If you only knew what I had to do." I didn't realize, but he was so on top of that kind of stuff, and geographically aware and all these things. "We gotta go here, they're letting Western music in here, now we're going here," that kind of thing. He was so on top of it, but I didn't realize it until now. I've gained so much respect for all those guys in the camp, but especially him in particular.
RollingStone.com: Have you told him that?
Newsted: No, but I will tomorrow (at the Revolver Golden Gods in L.A.). We're seeing each other for the first time since the reunion. We've seen each other two times since the Hall Of Fame. They're busy, I'm busy. April of 2009 was the Hall Of Fame for us and December of 2011 was the reunion. We've become so much closer as far as that goes, with respecting each other. He came to my first gallery shows of my paintings, and he's the one who actually turned me on to Basquiat. For him to come and do that, we get that special bond we didn't have before. There's some cool shit going on. We're life partners in business. We are forever. I'm always a part of METALLICA, and we're always gonna be sharing decisions about different kinds of crazy stuff.
RollingStone.com: Would you see yourself playing with them again?
Newsted: I'll always jam with them, but I'll pretty much jam with everybody. I'll always jam with them if they ask me.
Read the entire interview from RollingStone.com.
On April 10, journalist and musician Barbara Caserta of Linearock conducted an interview with Finnish/Swedish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS at Radio Lombardia Studios in Milan, Italy. You can now watch the chat below.
STRATOVARIUS' latest full-length album, "Nemesis", was released via earMUSIC. Hailed by the media as, "the best STRATOVARIUS album in many, many years" by Metal Hammer Germany, "a collection of the band’s greatest hits that you never heard until now" by Metal Underground in the U.S. and "the strongest STRATOVARIUS album since the beginning of the century" by KaaosZine in Finland, STRATOVARIUS was once again able to live up to its reputation as one of the leading names of the metal genre, once again exceeding fans' and critics' expectations and charting all over the world: Finland at #3, Czech Republic at #12, Switzerland at #30, Spain at #32, Germany at #41, Sweden at #44, France at #56, Norway at #56, Austria at #62 and Canada at #126.
"Nemesis" has a dark and more modern sound compared to the band's last album, "Elysium". It clearly shows how much the band has matured and grown as songwriters. At the same time, the band focused all their attention and work into creating and recording "Nemesis". Singer Timo Kotipelto spent three weeks recording the vocals in a cottage in the Finnish countryside.
"Nemesis" track listing:
01. Abandon
02. Unbreakable
03. Stand My Ground
04. Halcyon Days
05. Fantasy
06. Out Of The Fog
07. Castles In The Air
08. Dragons
09. One Must Fall
10. If The Story Is Over
11. Nemesis
STRATOVARIUS in June 2012 announced the addition of drummer Rolf Pilve to the group's ranks.
On March 11, GetYourRockOut conducted an interview with singer Lzzy Hale of Pennsylvanian rockers HALESTORM before the band's concert in Nottingham, England. You can now watch the chat below.
The members of HALESTORM told Swedish web site Metalshrine that the band has finished recording its second covers EP. The follow-up to 2011's "ReAnimate" will be out sometime in the next few months, "probably summer," according to Lzzy. While she and guitarist Joe Hottinger did not reveal the track list, Hale said that the EP will feature "a few things that I didn't think we'd pull off, but I think we did." The band recorded seven songs, with six likely to make the final release.
Hale said about covering the songs, "We're definitely building each one in our own way. Sometimes that's hard, but we learned a lot as musicians by doing that. You can take the 'Oh, is this a good song?' thing out of it because it's already a proven song, so you just have fun and experiment."
Hale told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago why she thinks so many bands enjoy playing cover songs. "It's a reminiscent thing of when you're trying to make it and coming up in the club scene and also maybe it's kind of nostalgic, like when you're first learning how to play guitar, some of the songs that you used to jam to with your bandmates, and it's really cool," she said."
The "ReAnimate" EP featured remakes of songs by SKID ROW, GUNS N' ROSES, LADY GAGA and THE BEATLES.
HALESTORM, which won the Grammy last month for "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance", will return to the U.S. to begin the "HardDrive Live Tour" with BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, starting April 12 in Denver.
ultureTV conducted an interview with vocalist Jacoby Shaddix of Californian rockers PAPA ROACH at Brixton Academy in London, England in December 2012. You can now watch the chat below.
PAPA ROACH's fall 2012 European trek with STONE SOUR marked the band's first extended tour since Jacoby Shaddix had surgery on his vocal cords in September. Asked by the Armed Forces Network how his voice was holding up, Shaddix said, "Voice is great. I'm slaying it on the shows so far and I feel really good. I was definitely blessed to go to the right doctor and get my surgery performed by him. It was scary, but I'm good."
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Shaddix said that during his recovery, he got to spend some time with his kids and also learn the latest musical trends. He explained, "After my surgery, I had some time at home so I was helping coach my son's tackle football team . . . I'd turn around and they're behind me doing the 'Gangnam' dance. I was like, 'Alright, we save that for after practice.'"
Even before his vocal problems started, Shaddix admitted in several interviews that he came close to committing suicide earlier in the year as he struggled with both marital problems and falling off the wagon.
Dean (a.k.a. Trauma) of Metal Nation Radio recently conducted an interview with Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE). You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.
BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's long-talked-about "Unblackened" DVD, which was previously scheduled to be filmed in late August at The Mayan in Los Angeles, California, and was then pushed back to January, was finally shot on March 6 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. The set contained intimate versions of some of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's most popular songs, as well as songs from mainman Zakk Wylde's solo album "Book Of Shadows" and his Southern rock band PRIDE & GLORY. The show featured Wylde on guitar and piano, alongside the members of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, as well as a four-piece string section, pedal steel, and special guests. The concert was also broadcast live exclusively on AXS TV. A CD/DVD will be released later this year.
