Music
Ohio-based thrashers Skeletonwitch are releasing their fourth full-length, Forever Abomination (Prosthetic), on October 11. In anticipation of the new album, the band is unleashing the new track "This Horrifying Force (the Desire to Kill)" right here! Read what vocalist Chance Garnette has to say about the song below, and let us know what you think in the comments.
REVOLVER What's this song about?
CHANCE GARNETTE The song, "This Horrifying Force," is about the actual unseen force that drives a person to despise and therefore want to viciously end all human life.
Which part of it did you come up with first?
With Skeletonwitch, we hash out all the music first. I show the guys where the lyrics and phrasing will be, and we make sure nobody is stepping on anyone else's dick. Then I turn the vocal rhythms into the actual lyrics. Most of the time, the first words of a song aren't the first words I will write down. Whatever part comes to me first, I'll write down and build around that part backwards and forwards. But with this song, I started at the beginning and wrote from the top. Odd for me, but, shit, as long as my brain is working and I'm being productive...
And what was the inspiration?
In the past, I've written songs about the desire to kill and the act of killing, etc. You know, "Evil dude coming to get you." With this, I wanted to go a layer beneath that and focus on the "thing" that makes a person cross the line, go nuts, and therefore desire nothing but human blood.
Was this an easy song to write or record? Why or why not?
For me, lyrically, no songs are "easy" to write. I go through several drafts, changing, improving, and tweaking the words until I know it's exactly what I wanted to say. My song book is a mess with scratched out sections and notes. So when it comes to recording, I'm ready. I've been over it so many times by then I'm definitely prepared to record. Now come on, voice!
What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far? What kind of reaction do you want to get to the song?
Well, at this point the album isn't out, so feedback is limited. But I've played it for people and the reaction seems consistent that this was the perfect song to open Forever Abomination with. Something a little unexpected yet still 100% Skeletonwitch at the same time.
Last week we all helped Zakk Wylde down rapper/producer J. Cole in ESPN's Baseball Tonight theme-song contest. Now the hirsute Black Label Society main man is up against jazz musician John Pizzarelli. Check out the two musicians' versions below. So we're calling all headbangers to vote for Father Zakk and take this one home for Team Metal—again! Vote right here.
System of a Down frontman and solo artist Serj Tankian has contributed a track to
Batman: Arkham City – The Album, the upcoming soundtrack to the highly anticipated video game, Batman: Arkham City.
Featuring 12 new original tracks by Coheed and Cambria, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Damned Things, and more (full track list below), Batman: Arkham City – The Album will be released on October 4, two weeks prior to the game's North American release on October 18. The Batman: Arkham City Collector's Edition of the game will include a download code for the album along with additional bonus content. Check out "Total Paranoia" below and let us know what you think in the comments.
The artists featured on Batman: Arkham City – The Album approached their contributions to the album with their own unique interpretations of the stories surrounding Batman. The track listing for the Batman: Arkham City soundtrack is:
1. Panic! At The Disco - Mercenary
2. Coheed and Cambria - Deranged
3. The Duke Spirit - Creature
4. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Shadow On The Run
5. Blaqk Audio - Afterdark
6. Raveonettes - Oh, Stranger
7. ††† (Crosses) - The Years
8. The Damned Things – Trophy Widow
9. Daughtry - Drown In You
10. The Boxer Rebellion - Losing You
11. Serj Tankian - Total Paranoia
*Bonus Collector's Edition track
12. A Place to Bury Strangers - In The Shadow
The highly anticipated videogame will hit store shelves for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows PC and the PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by Rocksteady Studios, Batman: Arkham City builds upon the foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players into Arkham City, the new maximum security "home" for all of Gotham City's thugs, gangsters, and insane criminal master-minds. The sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay.
Fans can visit www.batmanarkhamcity.com to sign up to receive updates regarding the game and join the discussion on the recently launched community site at: http://community.batmanarkhamcity.com to participate in forums, read upcoming developer diaries and stay abreast of all the latest Batman: Arkham City news.
Vocalist-guitarist Brian "Head" Welch, formerly of Korn, will release a new single, "Paralyzed," digitally on October 4. Below, you can hear the track and see his tour dates.
About the song, Head says, "'Paralyzed' was one of the first songs co-written with Producer Jason Rauch. He came to me with the idea and we both dove into it until it was all there. Jason is really helping me get back to crushing riffs. My first solo CD was an experimental album so the riffs were definitely lacking. Today's a new day and I'm excited about the future. 'Paralyzed' is only a taste of what's to come."
Brian "Head" Welch Tour Dates
Oct 01 - Rock on the River - Ashland, KY
Oct 02 - Christ Temple Church - Huntington, WV
Oct 07 - Lucky Mule Saloon - Abilene, TX
Oct 09 - Beaumont Club - Kansas City, MO
Oct 11 - Mojoes - Joliet, IL
Oct 12 - The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
Oct 14 - THE ATTIC - Dayton, OH
Oct 15 - Emerald Theater - Mt Clemens, MI
Oct 17 - Gramercy Theater - New York, NY
Oct 18 - Toad's Place - New Haven, CT
Oct 21 - ELEANOR RIGBY'S - Jermyn, PA
Oct 22 - The Chameleon Club - Lancaster, PA
Oct 23 - Big Sandy Supercenter Grand Ballroom - Huntington, WV
Oct 24 - Norva Theatre - Norfolk, VA
Oct 26 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Nov 03 - Speaking at the Church on the Eastern Shore - Fairhope, AL
Nov 11 - Private speaking event at Boonville High School - Boonville, IN
Nov 12 - Boonville High School - Boonville, IN
Nov 19 - Speaking at the Fairview Arts and Education Building - Fairview, OK
Dec 03 - Speaking at Cornwall Church - Bellingham, WA
Dec 03 - Speaking at Cornwall Church - Bellingham, WA
Dec 04 - Speaking at Cornwall Church - Bellingham, WA
Dec 04 - Speaking at Cornwall Church - Bellingham, WA
Jan 07 - Speaking engagement at the Crossing Church - Elk River, MN
American Idol season 10 finalist James Durbin—who performed on the show with Zakk Wylde and Judas Priest, and is featured in the current issue of Revolver—is releasing his debut album in November on Wind-up Records. In advance of the record, however, the singer has unveiled his song "Stand Up," which is featured on the Official Gameday NFL Music Vol. 2 EP. Let us know what you think in the comments.
Megadeth have released a new track from the band's upcoming album Th1rt3en (Roadrunner), to be released on November 1, titled "Never Dead." The song is also set to feature on the soundtrack for the new Konami video-game franchise NeverDead. Check it out below and tell us what you think of it in the comments.
Groove-metal group Volumes are releasing their first full-length, Via (Mediaskare), tomorrow. You can hear the whole album, however, below. Let us know what you think of it in the comments, and don't forget to enter the Volumes contest for chances to win a guitar or T-shirt here.
VOLUMES Tour Dates
Sep 26 - Minnehans Fun Center - Lakeville, NY
Sep 27 - The Waterfront Tavern - Holyoke, MA
Sep 28 - Party Expo - Brooklyn, NY
Sep 29 - Championship Bar & Grill - Trenton, NJ
Sep 30 - Championship - Lemoyne, PA
Oct 01 - The Harmony Grange Hall - Wilmington, DE
Oct 02 - Kingdom - Richmond, VA
Oct 03 - Club Relevant - Virginia Beach, VA
Oct 04 - Jimbo Rock Lounge - Charleston, SC
Oct 06 - The Speakeasy - Lake Worth, FL
Oct 07 - Transitions Art Gallery - Tampa, FL
Oct 08 - Gallery 13 - Columbus, GA
Oct 09 - Cains Ashes - Houston, TX
Oct 12 - The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
Oct 13 - The Rock - Tucson, AZ
Oct 14 - Soma - San Diego, CA
Oct 15 - The Glass House - Pomona, CA
Oct 16 - The Key Club - West Hollywood, CA
Oct 17 - Ace of Spades - Sacramento, CA
Dec 03 Opera House - Toronto, Canada
Metallica and Lou Reed, who are releasing a collaborative album titled Lulu on November 1, have released a full version of their new song "The View." Check it out below and let us know what you think of it in the comments.
As you should know by now, Metallica are releasing a collaborative record, titled Lulu, with underground rock legend Lou Reed on November 1. They released a 30-second sample of the song "The View" last week. Now they've topped that with a new, 90-second snippet from the same tune. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.
ESPN enlisted a number of musicians to provide interpretations of the theme song of the show Baseball Tonight during the 2011 season. Now they want the fans to help them crown the best version of them all.
For 11 weeks, ESPN will have two artists square off in a poll for fans to vote on. The winner will then face the next artist on the schedule and so on until the final week, when they'll see who is the last one standing.
Right now rapper and producer J. Cole is on a roll, winning for the fourth consecutive week by defeating singer-songwriter Steve Earle in last week's matchup. Now Cole takes on Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde in Week 9 (you can hear the two versions below). So we're calling all headbangers to vote for Father Zakk and take this one home for Team Metal! Vote right here.