In this week’s Album of the Week poll, you, the fans, voted Adrenaline Mob to the top spot, for their EP, Coverta. Check out the top five vote-getters below:
1. Adrenaline Mob – Coverta
2. Biffy Clyro – Opposites
3. Rammstein – Videos 1995-2012 DVD
4. Off with Their Heads – Home
5. Fit For A King – Creation/Destruction
Stay tuned for this week’s poll, which will be live tomorrow on RevolverMag.com. Until then, you can check out Adrenaline Mob’s cover of the Dio classic “Stand Up and Shout” off Coverta below:
This week sees new shit from Adrenaline Mob, Biffy Clyro, Rammstein, and more hitting stores. Check out the list of releases below and let us know which ones you’re snagging a copy of and which record should be the Album of the Week. Pick your favorite and feel free to vote as many times as you want. Voting ends on Monday, March 18, at noon, when the results will be announced.
UPDATE: The poll is closed. For the result, click here.
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Drummer Mike Portnoy hasn’t only played in many bands. He’s covered many as well.
The former Dream Theater drummer — and current skinsman for Adrenaline Mob — has always been drawn to covers. He’s such a fan, in fact, that Adrenaline Mob will be releasing Coverta, an EP packed with eight covers of songs ranging from Dio to The Doors.
“I’m a huge fan of covers,” Portnoy says. “Doing covers is a chance to pay tribute to a favorite band, bring new life to an obscure gem, or perhaps help make a new generation of listeners aware of your influences. In any case, whether you play it safe and remain faithful to the original or completely rework and reinterpret the song, it’s always fun!”
Revolver asked Portnoy to list his favorite covers:
1. Metallica, “Mercyful Fate Medley” “I was always a huge Mercyful Fate fan and Metallica did the ultimate tribute with this amazing medley of riffs from the classic Melissa and Don’t Break the Oath albums. Tackling King Diamond’s vocals could’ve been impossible, but James did some great reinterpretations.”
2. Iron Maiden, “Cross Eyed Mary” “In the early days of Maiden, they would always record covers and extra B-sides for their 12-inch singles. This Jethro Tull cover was the B-side to “The Trooper” and tipped off Steve Harris’ appreciation of classic prog.”
3. Tool, “No Quarter” “Not many bands can cover Led Zeppelin and equal the original’s greatness, but I think Tool came damn close with this amazing version of Zeppelin’s moody and haunting classic.”
4. Anthrax, “Bring the Noise” “Anthrax have always done so many great covers through the years, ranging from the expected (Kiss and Sabbath) to the not so expected (Radiohead, Journey and Boston). Here’s an example of taking a cover that completely crosses over genres. Anthrax took this Public Enemy classic, gave it some serious balls and energy and kickstarted a metal and rap revolution that would reverberate for years. Forget about Run DMC doing “Walk This Way” … this is where metal and rap really crossed over!”
5. Judas Priest, “Diamonds and Rust” and “The Green Manalishi” “Two great examples of covering songs and making them your own. How many of you out there didn’t even realize these weren’t written by Priest? That’s right, these Judas Priest classics are actually covers of Joan Baez and Fleetwood Mac!”
In support of their album, Omertà, and debut single, “Come Undone,” Adrenaline Mob, featuring Russell Allen (Symphony X), Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater) and Mike Orlando (Sonic Stomp), will start a US tour on March 12.
That same day, the band will release Coverta, an eight-track EP featuring cover versions of some of the band’s favorite songs. Long-time fans of Mike Portnoy are aware of the multiple cover CDs he has released with Dream Theater and with Neal Morse. Coverta is the first CD of covers recorded by Adrenaline Mob. Here’s the track listing:
01. High Wire- Badlands
02. Stand Up and Shout- Dio
03. Break on Through- The Doors
04. Romeo Delight- Van Halen
05. Barracuda- Heart
06. Kill the King- Rainbow
07. The Lemon Song- Led Zeppelin
08. The Mob Rules- Black Sabbath
The tour will consist of two legs this spring. The dates for the first leg are:
Tue 12 Mar – New Haven CT @ Toads Place
Wed 13 Mar – New York NY @ Marlin @ Webster Hall
Thu 14 Mar – Pittsburgh PA @ Altar Bar
Fri 15 Mar – Allentown PA @ Crocodile Rock
Sat 16 Mar – West Springfield VA @ Empire
Mon 18 Mar – Jacksonville FL @ Brewster’s Roc Bar
Tue 19 Mar – Tampa FL @ Orpheum
Wed 20 Mar – Orlando FL @ The Haven
Fri 22 Mar – Houston TX @ Scout Bar
Sat 23 Mar – San Antonio TX @ Backstage Live
Sun 24 Mar – Dallas TX @ Trees
Tue 26 Mar – Albuquerque NM @ Launch Pad
Wed 27 Mar – Phoenix AZ @ Joe’s Grotto
Thu 28 Mar – San Diego CA @ Brick By Brick
Fri 29 Mar – Las Vegas NV @ Cheyenne Saloon
Sat 30 Mar – Los Angeles CA @ Roxy
Mon 01 Apr – Colorado Springs CO @ Black Sheep
Tue 02 Apr – Kansas City KS @ The Voodoo Lounge
Thu 04 Apr – St Louis MO @ Fubar
Fri 05 Apr – Nashville TN @ Exit IN
Sat 06 Apr – Atlanta GA @ Masquerade
Sun 07 Apr – Richmond VA @ Kingdom
Tickets for all shows go on sale this weekend. Nothing More will be the support act on the first leg.
For more information on Adrenaline Mob, visit adrenalinemob.com.
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Chris Krovatin is the author of three young adult novels, Heavy Metal & You, Venomous, and Gravediggers: Mountain of Bones. He is currently working on multiple new writing projects, as well as new material with his local New York metal band Flaming Tusk. He is a contributing writer for Revolver and generally comes off as a good-natured pain in everyone’s collective ass. This column represents his opinions–and probably only his opinions.
It is rare that great albums have great covers. On the odd instance they do, something beautiful occurs, a perfect coupling of music and imagery that cements that record into your mind. But plenty of incredible records have lame faces forward. For every British Steel, there is an Ace of Spades. For every South of Heaven, there is a Bonded By Blood. Sometimes, the lack of an awesome cover makes the album even better–a mind-blowing collection of songs with a solidly “Meh” cover makes the music even cooler, as it stands on its own without the help of flashy graphics. Most importantly, a bad album with a bad cover is the worst thing in the world and should be treated as such. Maybe the “Black Album” doesn’t look as good as Master of Puppets, but we all know Lulu can go fuck itself.
This year in metal was no different than any other. Some bands blew our minds with the evocative imagery, and some really shat the bed in full-force. Of course, underground bands with more investment in actual art took the lead, creating awesome weird cover art that speaks to creative souls, while mainstream artists on major labels pumped out cliché and over-produced pieces of hackneyed crap (though in the case of Tankard, you can’t even blame the big record companies–they just chose poorly). So if you consider yourself an artistic soul or a philistine, enjoy my Six Best and Worst Metal Album Covers of 2012. Damn your eyes.
The Six Best Metal Album Covers of 2012:
1. Sigh, In Somniphobia I wish I could even begin to describe what the fuck is going on here. The way I’m seeing it, the elderly aristocrat is pregnant with her eighth dead baby, and everyone at the Italian outdoor market is overjoyed about it. Incredible, but fuck, man.
2. Black Breath, Sentenced To Life This is like a cooler version of those old Exciter album covers—a single hand, leather-clad, coming out of the darkness and smashing the fourth wall with a sledgehammer. The image is both awesome on its own and a perfect representation of the album’s general atmosphere. Brutal.
3. Lord Mantis, Pervertor Here’s what I’m getting: Christ is in Hell, and a number of corpse-faced ambulatory cocks are using their barbed tongues to explore his newly created vagina. Is…is that what’s going on here? Because if that’s it, I’m really not sure whether I should be overjoyed or very, very worried.
4. Six Feet Under, Undead Not only was Undead a solid and entertaining death-metal album, but it had an absolutely incredible cover, with a whirling mind of evil meat perfectly illustrating the inner workings of the zombie. Finally, these guys figured it out.
5. The Howling Wind, Of Babalon Drawn by the inimitable Tony Roberts, this creeping and sinister cover exudes a sense of organic black magic that many fans dream of. It’s one of the few recent album covers that features a naked woman which doesn’t immediately seem corny to me.
6. Kreator, Phantom Antichrist Wes Benscoter, king among death-metal album artists, has done it again with this twisted, over-the-top illustration of…well, the Phantom Antichrist, I guess? Once again, it’s probably a good sign that I have no exact idea what’s happening here, I just want in.
Honorable mentions: The Northless/Light Bearer split for its creepy electric doom priests, and the Horseback/Locrian split for its giant woodland vagina castle.
The Six Worst Metal Album Covers of 2012:
1. Tankard, A Girl Called Cerveza BLECCH. Nevermind that Tankard’s thrash paeans to beer have gone a little flat over time—this cover is beyond hideous. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve all drank enough to flirt with a broad like this, but ugh. Why would you even. GYAH.
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2. Geoff Tate, Kings and Thieves I promise, as much as I find Geoff Tate a ridiculous cornball, I won’t make fun of his album cover if it’s—oh, wait, it’s a confused mess reminiscent of 2008 with its fleur de lis and ravens. Is the one raven stuck? How does this relate to the album? Man, you’re batting a thousand, Geoff.
3. In This Moment, Blood Remember what I said about naked chicks in the last list? Case in point. Between teasing us with naked women that are then weird mannequins and showcasing Maria Brink (are there other members to this band?), In This Moment lost the plot with this album cover. Cool title—wish you’d done something here with it. So the record’s about what? Boobs or crows?
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4. Ministry, Relapse Whelp, sometimes the mighty fall far. The gods of metallic industrial have graced us with the image of a fat, foaming-at-the-mouth ODing metal dude in a…church? Or something? Ugh. This
5. Adrenaline Mob, Omerta BWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAH! Guys, let’s not do this. Everything going on here has been done better by bands like Volbeat and Chrome Division. The rings on the skeletons finger only make me think of some jackass rapper, any jackass rapper. And the devil/angel girl card? Grow the fuck up.
6. Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force, Spellbound What. An. Asshole.
Samson, Hartke, Zoom, and Best Buy are pleased to announce the third installment of Samson’s “Metal Masters” series of instrument clinics, which will be held on Thursday, April 12, at the Key Club on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, CA. Doors will open at 7:00pm.
Having surprised the audience at Metal Master 2 in New York City with surprise appearances by Philip Anselmo (Pantera / Down) and Scott Ian (Anthrax), as well as a full Anthrax performance, Charlie Benante and Frank Bello (Anthrax), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Mike Portnoy (ex–Dream Theater/Adrenaline Mob), Kerry King and now Dave Lombardo (both of Slayer) are back on the West Coast with an exclusive metal experience that’s bigger than ever. Artists will perform both individually and collectively, demonstrating their personal techniques and how they all come together to create the music that millions bang their heads to every day.
“We’re extremely excited to be bringing the Metal Masters series back to the West Coast where it originated,” says Mark Menghi, Samson’s Director of Marketing. “And with the artists we have participating and the surprises we have planned, Metal Masters 3 is going to be the best one yet.”
Tickets are available for $20 (first come, first served) at the Key Club’s box office, located at 9039 Sunset Boulevard, or via www.keyclub.com. With door giveaways and surprise guests, all should purchase their tickets early for this All Ages event to witness the return of the Metal Masters.
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In case you’ve been living under a rock, the 2012 Revolver Golden Gods Awards are taking place April 11 in Downtown Los Angeles at Club Nokia. Check out a preview of the show below featuring Alice Cooper, Zakk Wylde, Hellyeah’s Vinnie Paul, Kill Devil Hill’s and Heaven and Hell’s Vinny Appice, Adrenaline Mob’s Mike Portnoy and John Moyer, and some punk named Chris Jericho. And if you haven’t already, click here to vote for your favorite artists.
]]>For more info on the events, and to vote for your favorite artists or purchase tickets, click here.
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Supergroup Adrenaline Mob, featuring the vocalist Russell Allen (Symphony X), guitarist Mike Orlando, drummer Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold), have announced that they’re adding Disturbed bassist John Moyer to their lineup. The four-stringer will be making his onstage debut with the group on March 12, at New York City’s Hiro Ballroom, a day before they release their debut full-length, Omertá.
“Mike Portnoy called me about auditioning for his new band Adrenaline Mob,” Moyer said in a statement. “He had heard through the grapevine that I was looking to stay busy while Disturbed is on hiatus. After jamming with Russ, MO, and Portnoy, the chemistry as musicians was undeniable. I am super stoked about joining ‘The Family’ and I can’t wait to hit the road with these guys and see what kind of musical mayhem we can create!”
Photo by Kellie Hoeke
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The hard-rock supergroup Adrenaline Mob—which features Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold fame, vocalist Russell Allen of Symphony X, and guitarist Mike Orlando—will release their debut full-length, Omertá, on March 13. You can get an early taste of the album below with the video for its first song, “Undaunted.” Let us know what you think of it in the comments.
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