MEGADETH:Dave Mustaine Interviewed On 'Hangar 19'

Cutter of Envision Radio Networks' "Hangar 19" recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

MEGADETH's new album, "Super Collider", sold 29,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 4 via Mustaine's new label, Tradecraft, distributed by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). The disc follows up "TH1RT3EN", which opened with 42,000 units back in November 2011 to enter the chart at No. 11. The band's 2009 CD, "Endgame", premiered with 45,000 copies to debut at No. 9. This was slightly less than the 54,000 first-week tally registered by 2007's "United Abominations", which entered the chart at No. 8. 2004's "The System Has Failed" premiered with 46,000 copies (No. 18) while 2001's "The World Needs A Hero" moved 61,000 units in its first week (No. 16).

The album is available as a limited-edition CD with 3-D cover and bonus tracks, regular CD, regular LP, limited LP plus a bonus colored seven-inch single with two bonus tracks, and a download voucher.

The track "Super Collider", which was premiered on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio metal show on April 20, was released digitally on April 23 via iTunes.

"That song kind of came from that 'Symphony Of Destruction' corner of my mind," Mustaine told Guitar World magazine. "You can't always play aggressive, thrashy stuff. Sometimes those aren't even songs; they're like musical rams. But because I'm not a pop guy, I'm also not really comfortable playing sing-along songs. To me, 'Super Collider' made sense like a normal song — a verse-chorus-verse-chorus kind of thing. It's written the way a real songwriter would write the song, instead of just taking all these musical twists and turns."

"Super Collider" is MEGADETH's first release since the band's recent split with Roadrunner Records.

MEGADETH filmed a video for the "Super Collider" title track on May 10 in the Los Angeles area. California-based model, actress, singer and songwriter Hunter Elizabeth was cast in the lead role in the clip, which she says is "about a high-school couple still loving each other after all the years after graduation, and at the 10-year reunion, both characters find themselves successful (a model and a mathematician) and still very in love."

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Jared MacEachern announced as new Machine Head bassist

Machine Head have found their new bassist! After the group parted ways with longtime bassist Adam Duce, Machine Head allowed the public to audition for a chance to act as the band’s touring bassist for the entire duration of the 2013 Mayhem Festival. After months of searching, bassist Jared MacEachern has finally been given the gig.

Soon after Duce’s exit from Machine Head was announced, frontman Robb Flynn posted a long and emotional statement, revealing that Duce had been fired. Although Duce put in 21 years of service into Machine Head, Flynn claims that Duce was mentally checked out for a long period of time. The decision was painful for Flynn, but after much pondering, he did what needed to be done. Thus, Machine Head began the search for a new bassist.

Jared MacEachern, formerly of Sanctity, will man the low end for Machine Head during Mayhem 2013. Not only will MacEachern perform live with Machine Head, but the bassist will also head into the studio with the band to begin pre-production on Machine Head’s eight studio album.

Machine Head announced the decision on their official website earlier today (June 24):

"It is with great pride and excitement that Machine Head announce Jared MacEachern as their new bass player. Jared has already begun rehearsals for the upcoming Rockstar Mayhem U.S. summer festival tour and will soon relocate from North Carolina to Northern California to begin pre-production for Machine Head’s upcoming 8th studio release.

Some fans might remember MacEachern from 2007′s The Black Tyranny Tour, playing with his previous band Sanctity. Machine Head, challenged to find a fill-in bass player for the North American tour after an injury sidelined their then-4-stringer, also found themselves in need of someone to sing harmony with singer/guitarist Robb Flynn. Flynn remembers, “We had locked in Brandon Sigmund of local boys Hostility to play bass on that tour, but we soon realized we’d need someone to hit the high harmonies. Our A&R guy Monte Conner recommended Jared since he was already on the tour, and that ended up being a great call. Jared flew out a few days before the tour and rehearsed with us and did great. What was most impressive about the whole thing was that he was doing double duty – opening for Machine Head with his band at the time Sanctity, and then later singing with us. He would stay sober until after our set, and often get in the van and drive all night. His seriousness and dedication was awesome to see and it stuck with us”.

Earlier this year, Machine Head conducted an extensive search for candidates through various channels, the most fruitful of which proved to be video submissions. Sifting through more than 400 videos, the band personally reviewed and evaluated everyone’s performances, including MacEachern, who made the short list without a second thought. Lead guitarist Phil Demmel recalls, “There were dozens of amazing players, and it was interesting to watch each one take on our tunes. One of our biggest criteria for this gig was to be able to sing the high harmonies. That was our litmus test. And Jared passed with flying colors.”

After reviewing all of the submissions, the band narrowed down the 400+ candidates to a short list of 7, each of whom took a trip to Oakland to perform a handful of songs in person and spend the day hanging with the band. Remembers Drummer Dave McClain, “Jared came in to the audition and just killed it! Besides being able to nail the bass and vocal harmonies, he also had the vibe and personality to make it feel like we were a BAND again. It was a great feeling and we all knew he was the guy.”

MacEachern first picked up concert bass at 12 and around the same time, discovered metal. Jared recalls, “I heard the song ‘Unforgiven’ and really liked it. The next day my friend gave me ‘Kill ‘Em All’ and it was over. I became completely enamored with all the metal bands of that time; Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and Pantera, but when it came to bass, it was all about Cliff Burton, he was, and is my dude.” With a brief stint at the Brevard School for Music Performance, Jared has consistently played bass for the past 22 years, most notably in Sanctity, where oddly enough, the band needed a guitar player. “That was purely out of necessity” he explains, “I’d been a bass player, but that gig opened up and I gave it a shot on the 6-stringer.”

After extensive global touring with Sanctity and the birth of his daughter in 2007, the band’s release from their label ignited Jared’s sense of responsibility and he quit the band to focus on her. But music stayed a part of his life and he continued to jam locally throughout the south with death metal bands From A Dig and Telic, until he saw Machine Head were in need and thought he’d try out.

Frontman Robb Flynn reflects, “We really wanted a guy that was hungry for this, someone who could live and breathe this with us. Dave would joke around that we didn’t want to get someone too green that’d be like ‘oh my god, is this a dressing room?!’, but we also didn’t want someone who was too jaded by the whole thing and ‘been there done that’. We thought the perfect guy would be someone who’d paid some dues, who had done 9 or 10 crummy van tours, and wasn’t broken by that, but inspired to keep going and play music, and in many ways that was Jared. I mean hell, the guy’s only rode in a bus for two nights, one of which was with us! It brings a really cool level of appreciation to the table, and it shows where his heart’s at.”

Jared enthuses, -“I’m ready to get to work! This tour is going to kick ass and the new tunes are heavy as shit! I’m SO looking forward to making good music with good dudes!”

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Tom Araya Uncertain About Slayer Future

The remaining members of Slayer seem to have different stands on what the future holds for the iconic thrash act. During an interview with Guitar World, guitarist Kerry King and singer/bassist Tom Araya showed different levels of determination to move on without the late axeman.

As Blabbermouth reports, Araya was more uncertain in his predictions, saying that "after 30 years, it would literally be like starting over."

"To move forward without Jeff [Hanneman] just wouldn't be the same," he said, "and I'm not sure the fans would be so accepting of that drastic a change. Especially when you consider how much he contributed to the band musically. And you can have someone sit in for him, but there's no one on this planet that can do what Jeff did. There's no replacing him."
On the other hand, King clearly stressed that he has no intention in letting the Slayer machine stop. "I plan on continuing," the guitarist said. "I don't think we should throw in the towel just because Jeff's not here."

Araya also discussed the state of Hanneman's health during his final years and the arthritic condition the axeman was battling.

"His ability to play was slowly deteriorating," the frontman said. "But he didn't let anybody know that. We could just tell that things were going wrong. It was becoming hard to get stuff out of him. He was very proud and didn't want to make anyone worry about anything. Jeff would show up and play, and he didn't want anyone to know or worry about what else was going on with him. He tried to be really strong and sometimes that can weigh you down."

The group's former drummer Dave Lombardo also chipped in on the subject, saying, "You would notice it in his hands and a little bit in his walk. It seemed like He was struggling with his playing - it wasn't fluid. You could hear it in the leads. His playing just wasn't as tight as it could have been."

After Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis from a spider bite, the band was forced to find a temporary replacement. Araya remembers that time as a rough period, admitting that he considered it almost impossible to move on without Jeff.

"For me it was really difficult to make the decision to go on without Jeff," he said. "They started naming names to take his place, and I'm like, 'How can you guys even think about this? We can't do this without Jeff.' But we had to do something. Slayer, aside from being band members and really tight-knit, we are a business. Those are aspects of what we do that fans have a tough time understanding. So we had to make decisions because we were obligated to do these tours."

"It eats you up because you think 'Why can't I fix this guy?'" King concluded. "And it's not that he didn't want to be fixed . I mean, he didn't want to die. But he also couldn't help himself before it was too late."

Jeff Hanneman passed away on May 2 near his Southern California home after suffering a liver failure. He was 49.

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Lemmy Health Scare Cancels Festival Show

Motorhead were forced to cancel a festival appearance at the weekend when front man Lemmy was diagnosed with a serious health issue.

The renown bassist has reportedly suffered a hematoma, where blood collects outside of blood vessels under the skin, according to Blabbermouth.

It looks quite unpleasant, judging by the wikipedia page for the ailment, and the effects can vary so it's not clear exactly how serious is it, but the fact that they were forced to cancel a festival appearance has concerned some fans.


It's not the first health concern for ol' Lemmy in recent months. He recently had a defibrillator fitted to help his heart beat normally after experiencing chest problems. Perhaps it's no surprise that Lemmy is finally hitting bad health, after decades of hedonism and allegedly drinking a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every day.
Meanwhile, Motorhead is planning to release a brand new album titled "Aftershock" in September, to follow their 2010 effort "The World Is Yours."

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Black Metal Logo in 5 Easy Steps

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Bands Confirmed For Bloodstock With Headliners Lamb Of God

 

Voivod, Sabaton and Wolfsbane are among the latest bands confirmed for this year’s Bloodstock Open Air festival with headliners Slayer, Lamb Of God and King Diamond.

The four day event will be held at, Derbyshire in the United Kingdom from August 8-11. Lamb Of God will headline the Ronnie James Dio stage on day three of the festival on Saturday, August 10. The performance will be LOG’s first appearance in the UK for 2013.

Also confirmed for the third day is Tobias Sammet’s Avantasia, Sabaton, Kataklysm, Hell, 3 Inches Of Blood and Dying Fetus.


Accept, Anthrax, Municipal Waste, Devil Driver, Exodus, Fozzy and Whitechapel have also been confirmed for the festival, with several more bands expected to be announced soon.

View the full Bloodstock Open Air line-up at This location.

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Lamb of God's Mark Morton To Guest On New Unearth Album

 

Unearth guitarist Buz McGrath has revealed that Lamb Of God guitarist Mark Morton has recorded a bass solo for the band’s forthcoming sixth studio album.

 

Morton later confirmed the collaboration, when he told he would appear on, “about 8 measures” of the album.

Meanwhile, Unearth has announced they have parted ways with Metal Blade Records and will release their new album through eOne Music. Vocalist Trevor Phipps, explained the band’s decision in a statement posted online:

“A new chapter has begun for Unearth as we have found a few new places to call home. By joining forces with eOne (North America), Century Media (Europe), Howling Bull (Japan) and 3Wise (Australia) we will have a more focused attack from some of the most well known and respected labels in the world. We know this new beginning of sorts will bring bigger and better things for Unearth and our fans and we couldn’t be more excited for the future of all things Unearth.”

Phipps also gave an update on the new album: “We are currently in the studio recording some of the most aggressive, anthemic and energized metal we have ever written and we look forward to unleashing it to you all when it is finished.  Expect to hear more about our new album, release dates and future world wide touring plans later this summer.”

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