Volbeat’s latest album, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies, features a guest appearance from the legendary King Diamond. Today, King Diamond and Volbeat are pleased to release the Jacob Hansen-mastered version of this track, titled “Room 24,” as a free download gift to the fans.
Fans can download the track in full-quality HERE.
The track “Room 24″ features a massive coup for Volbeat with the guest appearance from King Diamond, the legendary frontman of Danish metal pioneers Mercyful Fate, and one of frontman Michael Poulsen’s musical idols. Volbeat reveals, “I’m a huge fan of Mercyful Fate and King Diamond. Having King on the record is a huge privilege. Normally, it’s not something he does. He wrote his own lines, and it is half my lyrics and half his. It’s a weird, scary story, and he’s the perfect person for it.”
To read the entire article, click HERE. Listen to “Room 24″ below.
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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.
One of the best parts of Halloween is dressing up like something you don’t often get to be in your everyday life—be that a monster, pun, or sexpot—and parading around town, reveling in that borrowed personality. That’s why Halloween will always have an aspect of the insane to it: because everyone is someone else, thriving behind their masks and cloaks in a life they’ll abandon by sun-up. Of course, this has been taken in dangerous directions, especially with the Sexy _____ market. My philosophy, being a metalhead, has always been, “Gore, not whore.” However, this is a night where people get to be what they want, so who am I to shoot their ideas down?
Answer: Chris fucking Krovatin, that’s who. Because honestly, some costumes never work. Every so often, someone you know does a semi-decent job at pulling them off, but overall, they’re garbage. More so, there are some costumes no one does, but which are so awesome it hurts. And then, finally, there are the classics, the costumes that most people should just rotate through every couple of years. So if you’re feeling undecided, use this handy guide to help you pick your costume this October 31. Here, fear-mongers, is my second Halloween-edition triple six, with the Six Halloween Costumes That Never Work, the Six Halloween Costumes that I Wish People Wore More Often, and the Six Timeless Classic Halloween Costumes.
The Six Halloween Costumes That Never Work
Werewolf Torn flannel shirt? Check. Ripped jeans? Got ‘em. Fully functional wolf-human hybrid head? Oh wait, those don’t exist on the open market. Enjoy your mask or not-cool-and-gory prosthetic.- Mummy Don’t get me wrong, there are bad mummy costumes: skintight white gauze that makes you look like Darkman on Ice, or a weird striped jumpsuit with some dangling tatters. But really, why not just be List 3, Item 5?
- Jack Skellington Sorry, goth brother, but that shit always looks chunky and awkward. Jack is the world’s spookiest stick figure, and you drank four Michelob Ultras last night. Ain’t happening.
Mr. Hyde Edward Hyde looks like the evil side of a good man, the distilled darkness that resides within the darkest recesses of a good man’s soul. You look like Monkey McMuttonchops out on the town in foggy old London. It’s a nice idea.- Ghost What do you go for? A sheet? White clothing and skull lines of your face? Some Jacob Marley-ass chains? It never works. Ghosts are awesome in stories, movies, and video games, but you can’t make yourself transparent, and scaaary voices sound retaaarded.
- King Diamond Every year, I see a number of people rocking this outfit, and the truth is, it never looks good. I mean, unless you’ve got the pipes for it, you’ll never be King Diamond. Besides, he’s King Diamond so you don’t have to be.
The Six Halloween Costumes That I Wish People Wore More Often
Witchfinder General The original holy terror! Matthew Hopkins, England’s Witchfinder General, murdered countless young women in the name of Christ. But while it’d be fun to get all Exodus 22:18 on motherfuckers, you’d also spend the whole night getting asked if you were a pilgrim.- Hunchback I mean, I get why it’s not done. Either you do it half-assed so you can drink and maybe bone someone, or you do it full hog and end up being the stooped-over uncomfortable goon all night at the party. But it’s a cool costume, you have to admit.
- Tetsuo The antagonist from the classic anime comic Akira is a scary and iconic figure in the sci-fi world, and would make an awesome Halloween costume. I was going to do it this year, but I just don’t have the body type for it,
and really didn’t want to hear anyone use the phrase “Fatsuo.” - Bat Not a vampire. Not a gargoyle, or some kind of…Deviant Art demon. A bat. Maybe do the ears, and, if you’re a baller, the gross vagina-esque leaf nose. But just be a bat, OK? Just. A fucking. BAT.
- Cthulhu It’s hard to convince your friends that sitting on a bas relief all night and maybe rising up from your sunken city to devour the world would be the illest. But man, if someone busted out a truly solid Cthulhu costume, I’d give them props.
- Baron Samedi This is actually a totally doable costume—the voodoo loa of the dead wears a tattered suit and tails, a top hat, and some glasses with one eye busted out. It’s a shame that he’ll forever be remembered as a Bond villain.
The Six Timeless Classic Halloween Costumes
Witch Nothing says “Halloween” like an old woman who fucks the Devil. Whether you’re doing the Oz-style pointed hat or the Macbeth-ish stooped crone, the witch remains a classic in the Halloween pantheon. Variation: Gypsy.- Devil Halloween, we should remember, is a day when the fabric between our world and the world beyond is at its thinnest, allowing diabolical forces to slip through. Red-clad forces, with pencil mustaches, that want bite-size Snickers bars. Technically the most metal costume. Variation: The Man.
- Skeleton The original. For some reason, a walking set of bones remains a classic terror for mankind. But more importantly, a black outfit painted with bones remains an iconic image for the best day of the year. Variation: Grim Reaper.
Vampire Creature of the night, clad in black, ready to swoop down upon your village and enact a series of sexual metaphors you’ll never forget. A little white paint, some red dribble, and some wax teeth, and bam!—looking good, Dracula. Variation: A FUCKING BAT, GODAMMIT.- Zombie For the gorier horror fan, nothing is as simple and wonderful as the living dead—and given the recent zombie craze, you can buy all sorts of insane shit these days, intestines and lips-eaten-away mouth prosthetics and more. Variation: Zombie anything. “Zombie” is the new “sexy.” We’re them. They’re us.
- Pirate There’s a reason “pirate” was an iconic Halloween costume before that Johnny Depp franchise: Pirates are fucking scary. They slaughter innocent sailors before jamming their syphilitic cocks into the stab wounds. Yarr, man. Variation: Popeye.
The brainchild of musician Markus Johansson, Sylencer recently released their new album, A Lethal Dose of Truth, which features guest appearances by Brendon Small (Dethklok), Gene Hoglan (Death, Testament), Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater), Andy LaRocque (King Diamond), and Rob Caggiano (Anthrax). The last guest reflects Johansson’s love of the so-called “Big Four” of thrash metal–Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax. Below, he picks his top five albums by the Big Four bands.
1. Megadeth, Rust in Peace
“Arguably Megadeth’s finest hour, this album welcomed their most iconic lineup change, bringing lead guitarist Marty Friedman and drummer Nick Menza into the fold. Rust In Peace is relentless in its excellence, and you’d be hard pressed to find any Megadeth fan who wouldn’t fall out of their chair at the chance to see this lineup play this album in full.”
Recommended track: “Tornado of Souls.”
“On an album with iconic songs such as ‘Holy Wars,’ and ‘Hangar 18,’ “Tornado Of Souls’ reigns supreme because Marty Friedman’s guitar solo on this track could possibly be one of the greatest solos ever recorded…by anyone…ever.”
2. Slayer, Seasons in the Abyss
“This release has all of the classic elements that make a killer Slayer record for me, showcasing Slayer’s speed and intensity, while also slowing things down at times, and bringing in some melody. Seasons in the Abyss is also the last Slayer release to feature the legendary Dave Lombardo on drums, before his return nearly a decade later. If Lombardo had never returned to Slayer, this would’ve surely been a high note to leave on.”
Recommended track: “Seasons in the Abyss”
“‘Seasons’ is hands down my favorite Slayer song. I love everything about this track. The haunting intro, Dave Lombardo’s crazed drum fills, and the slightly more ‘melodic’ side of the shred we’ve come to know and love from guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman.”
3. Anthrax, Persistence of Time
“Anthrax made this record after losing most of their gear and recording studio to a fire. The result is a ‘darker’ side of Anthrax, both lyrically and musically. Sure, there’s the cover tune ‘Got the Time,’ which isn’t all that ‘dark,’ but there are some seriously killer songs on this album. A clean guitar intro with harmonized guitars even make an appearance, segueing into the lyrically charged and heavy ‘Belly of the Beast.’ Where Anthrax might have abandoned some of their brand of ‘speed metal’ on this album, they more than made up for with what some would call ‘maturity.’”
Recommended track: “Keep It in the Family”
“Even though this isn’t the track from Persistence of Time that made it into the Married with Children episode ‘My Dinner With Anthrax’ featuring the band, it has to be one of their best efforts to date. It’s heavy, groovy, and still maintains that classic Anthrax feel.”
4. Metallica, Masterof Puppets
“What can I possibly say about this album that hasn’t already been said 1,000 times before? From start to finish, this is arguably one of the best metal albums of all time. The longer songs all maintain their direction, as it was most likely the natural progression of the writing process that lead them there. They weren’t writing long tracks just for the sake of their being long. It explodes from where they left off with Ride the Lightning, and one can only imagine what direction the band would’ve taken on their next album, had Cliff Burton not tragically passed.
Recommended track: “Disposable Heroes”
“Warning: This song contains some of the best riffage that Metallica have ever produced. In fact, there are probably more great riffs in this song than on most other albums in their entirety. Contents may melt your face.”
5. Megadeth, Peace Sells… But Who’s Buying
“Despite the fact the song ‘Peace Sells’ has probably been played at every Megadeth gig since the song has been written, this album’s ‘Side B’ is the reason that I have put a second Megadeth album on a top five list that could have any number of alternate album listings from four of the biggest metal bands of all time. ‘Good Mourning/Black Friday’ and ‘My Last Words’ could easily have been the album’s first and fourth tracks, swapping positions with ‘Wake Up Dead’ and ‘Devil’s Island.’ And if you can juggle tracks around on an album in this way, just to rearrange the awesome, you know you’ve got something well worth listening to.”
Recommended track: “Good Mourning/Black Friday”
“The intro to this song is one of the coolest of Megadeth’s entire catalog. You could probably sit in a studio today, with an army of producers, engineers, and modern technology to try and recreate the sound and feel that was captured in this track, only to fail miserably. The ending of the song also rips something fierce.”
For the finale of Metallica’s four-night 30th Anniversary concert extravaganza on Saturday night at San Francisco’s the Fillmore, the legendary thrash band reunited onstage with the musicians of its earliest lineups for a rendition of the song “Hit the Lights.” Guitarist Dave Mustaine, who’s made his name with Megadeth in this years since his departure from Metallica, joined Metallica with original bassist Ron McGovney and guitarist Lloyd Grant, who played on the first recording of the song as it appeared on the Metal Massacre compilation in 1982. You can see fan-filmed video of the performance below.
Over the course of the shows, which were held for members of the band’s fan club, Metallica paid tribute to their now-deceased bassist Cliff Burton and joined up with musicians whom they have played with over the years, including Jason Newsted, Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler, Kid Rock, Lou Reed, Marianne Faithfull, Glenn Danzig, Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell, and present and former members of Mercyful Fate, Diamond Head, Armored Saint, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Down, Faith No More, the Anti-Nowhere League, Death Angel, Apocalyptica, Saxon, and more. The band filmed each of the shows, so look for a release of these shows in some form in the future.
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Livia Zita, wife of legendary Danish heavy metal singer King Diamond—who underwent open-heart triple-bypass surgery last November—has revealed that he has successfully completed his cardiac rehabilitation program. Zita issued the following statement:
“Some of you have been asking for an update on King’s health, so I thought I’ll write what’s been going on.
“King has just finished his cardiac rehabilitation program this past Friday, and graduated with flying colors. Thanks to the wonderful people at the rehab center, his exercise regimen helped him gain a lot of muscle, and start on the road of building up good endurance.
“We will start regular exercises now to get the endurance up to nice levels.
“The examinations by his heart surgeon and cardiologist revealed that his health is steadily improving, and they all expect him to feel better than ever, 15 years younger than he really is.
“I am immensely proud of what he has achieved in these short three months, stopped smoking entirely, changed diet and doing regular exercise among other things.
“I cannot say anything certain about when he will be back working on King Diamond-related things, but he is looking forward to finishing the DVDs eventually, and he is most certainly not stopping music.
“I hope this information was helpful. I can honestly say that his progress has been nothing short of amazing. He is the strongest person I know. He would also like to extend his huge gratitude to all of you, for your absolutely amazing support. It has really meant a lot to him.”
]]>Ever since that creepy witch woman stared out from that field on the cover of Black Sabbath's first record, album cover art has been a vital part of the heavy-music scene–that’s why any diehard fan has at least a few T-shirts or posters emblazoned with their favorite cover images. In Revolver's new "The Art of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal" Special Issue–available on newsstands now–we’ve tracked down and interviewed the artists behind the covers of such landmark records as Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy, Black Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell, Queen’s Queen II, Metallica’s Master of Puppets, Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction, Pantera’s Far Beyond Driven, Korn’s Korn, Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, Ministry’s Psalm 69, Lamb of God’s Ashes of the Wake, and many, many others. We’ve also unearthed all kinds of rare sketches, photo shoot outtakes, and alternate versions, taking readers through the whole creative process behind these iconic album covers. And we've profiled noted metal artists Ed Repka (Megadeth), Paul Romano (Mastodon, the Red Chord, Trivium), Arik Roper (High on Fire, Sleep), and Wes Benscoter (Slayer, Mortician, Dio, Nile).
And with your copy of the issue, you get to enter for a chance to have Benscoter paint your band's cover art. Click here, enter your info with a link where the Revolver editors can listen to your band, and make sure you have your copy of the "Art of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal" Special Issue handy. Good luck!!!