Videos
Although most fans of Ozzy Osbourne and the late Randy Rhoads have already seen video of various parts of Osbourne's After Hours TV appearance from the spring of 1981, you might want to check out this new "enhanced" version of one clip.
This new version (top video), which was posted March 17, certainly does look better than other After Hours clips on YouTube, including one that's called "HQ Best Quality - After Hours," which you can check out below (bottom video) to compare and contrast. (NOTE: The performances in the two clips don't match up, but they're from the same After Hours broadcast — so you can still compare the quality of the videos, which is our point.)
Also note that this clip is only four minutes long; perhaps the enhancers (whoever they might be) are still working on the rest of the show. Regardless, enjoy it — and let us know if you think it looks better!
Los Angeles rock group Sasquatch has teamed up with Revolver to premiere their new music video for "Smoke Signal." The band released IV last year.
Director Cesar Rodriguez Bautista said, "We shot this video using Super 8mm. I have always wanted to shoot on black and white film. It gives you that old school look you only see in the classic movies. I'm a big fan of the old WW II imagery."
The listening party for the Ronnie James Dio tribute album This Is Your Life was held last night in Hollywood, California. There were special live performances and appearances by Halestorm, Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor, Duff McKagan, Anthrax's Scott Ian, Tim "Ripper" Owens, and others. Awards were also presented, including the "Man on the Silver Mountain" award to Judas Priest's Rob Halford.
Video footage of the event can be seen below.
This Is Your Life will be released via Rhino on April 1.
Lacuna Coil have premiered a new lyric video for "Die and Rise." Check it out below and let us know what you think!
The song comes from their new album, Broken Crown Halo, set for release April 1 via Century Media Records.
The band is currently on Revolver's Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock Tour, but they have also announced a headlining tour. Check out the dates below.
3/21/14 @ Slims - San Francisco, CA
3/23/14 @ Ace Of Spades - Sacramento, CA
3/24/14 @ Knitting Factory - Reno, NV
3/25/14 @ Knitting Factory Concert House - Boise, ID
3/27/14 @ Sunshine Theater - Albuquerque, NM
3/28/14 @ The Black Sheep - Colorado Springs, CO
3/29/14 @ Top Deck - Farmington, NM
3/30/14 @ Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ
4/02/14 @ Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
4/4/14 @ The Lucky Mule - Abilene, TX
4/5/14 @ Malls Of America - San Antonio, TX
4/6/14 @ Brewster Street Ice House - Corpus Christi, TX
4/8/14 @ Juanitas Cantina Ballroom - Little Rock, AR
4/9/14 @ Strange Brew - Shreveport, LA
4/11/14 @ Vinyl Music Hall - Pensacola, FL
EARTHDAY BIRTHDAY:
4/12/14 @ Central Florida Fairgrounds - Orlando,FL
4/14/14 @ Exit/In - Nashville,TN
4/16/14 @ The Machine Shop - Flint, MI
4/17/14 @ Austin's - Libertyville, IL
4/18/14 @ POV's - Spring Lake Park, MN
98 ROCKFEST 2014:
4/25/14 @ Tampa Bay Times Forum - Tampa, FL
FORT ROCK:
4/26/14 @ Jet Blue Park - Ft.Meyers,FL
WELCOME TO ROCKVILLE:
4/27/14 @ Metropolitan - Jacksonville, FL
By John Katic
Supergroups and side projects are nothing new. The first supergroups debuted in the mid- to late Sixties with Cream; Blind Faith and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, to name just a few.
To the ranks of supergroups, you now can add KXM, a band whose name is derived from Korn (K), King's X (X) and Lynch Mob (M). The band features Ray Luzier of Korn on drums, plus guitarist George Lynch (Lynch Mob, ex-Dokken) and bassist dUg/Doug Pinnick (King's X). The three long-time friends have joined forces to create a distinct sound, and they released their new self-titled album Tuesday, March 11.
I recently chatted with all three members of the band.
REVOLVER: The obvious question is, who approached who? What got the ball rolling?
Ray Luzier: I had a birthday party for my son and invited a bunch of friends and musicians. dUg and George ended up in my home studio picking up my guitars and jamming around a bit. George said, "We should all do a record together sometime," and I said, "That would be a dream come true!"
I've been a huge King's X fan for decades and have been following George and had respected his playing for decades. We just tried to figure out everyone's schedules to make it happen. I give it up for George for being so persistent in getting this going. Korn tours all year, every year, and with dUg and George's crazy schedules, it's just awesome that we made it happen. I'm very pleased with the result.
dUg Pinnick: George was the instigator. Ray and I have known each other for quite a while and always talked about doing something together, but George brought it up at Ray's party and we agreed. George got after it and Ray did the same! Before I knew it, we were in a studio in the mountains, got a record deal, a video and a CD. As they say in Texas, "You gotta get after it!" George has an incredible amount of energy and humor, and he gets things done. I've learned a lot from him. He's a true genius with the heart of a saint — and he comes up with some crazy guitar parts.
George Lynch: When you're working as a pro musician in LA, you're frequently running into other players who you know and respect. A lot of times, the "dream band" conversation comes up. It's fun to talk about. A lot of times, it's the alcohol talking. But the reality for most of us is that we're locked into other commitments and obligations that in the cold light of day don't really afford us the time or flexibility to pull off these projects that look great on paper.
I'm not trying to take credit here, but I gotta honestly say I was determined to follow through and at least push hard enough to see if we could get any momentum going. Ray jumped right in and was obviously really excited about making it happen, despite his insanely busy schedule with Korn. I think for dUg it was sort of like, "well, yeah, sure, I'll invest some time and energy into this," but I don't think he realized how profound and potentially musically rewarding and even important KXM could become. But as the writing and recording started to happen and evolve, he became like a little kid in a candy store!
Can you describe what it's like to "bare your soul," so to speak, with a new band and new sound?
dUg: I've always bore my soul in everything I do, to everyone I know — to a fault! So I'm just being me. And it's easy being who I am around these guys. And we have a short history, but we're old enough to know that the world is ugly and cold, so there is no bullshit between us, especially on the personal level.
dUg, you've played with drummer Jerry [Gaskill] for quite a while. How is it different working with Ray?
dUg: They're totally different players, so we naturally will have a different relationship. It would be unfair to compare, and I love playing with both of them. I had no difficulty connecting with Ray, especially because he's very interested in what I'm playing off of what he's playing. It makes me feel like we're connected. And the result is just a pure surprise and fun. We're like two school kids in a garage who just learned "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks.
What in particular attracted you to this project?
George: I've said this before in interviews: When I'm hearing the music that's banging around in my head, it's dUg's voice I hear over it. dUg comes from a gospel and blues background that he fused with his rock sensibilities. I'm woven from that same cloth.
dUg: It was total curiosity. I knew it would be something interesting, and I'm glad it is! I just want to have fun. And these guys are fun.
Ray: I always told dUg that before I die, I'm playing tambourine on one of his solo CDs! I've probably seen King's X like 40 times. He was cool enough to invite me down to play on a track on his CD Up. That was awesome, but I still wanted to do way more and create music with him. George asked me to jam on one of his instructional DVDs years back. That day I knew I wanted to see what we could write together. I love the way dUg and George take control of what they're doing and are very passionate and strong-willed about their music.
Can you talk about how the writing process went?
Ray: I wrote everything [laughs]! We all came in fresh every day in the studio and would create and write on the spot. It was important to all three of us that this is the way we're going to do it. A couple of tunes started with me messing around on my drums, getting tuned up. dUg or George would just join in and start jamming on the groove. George started a couple tunes by messing with a cool effect pedal or riff. dUg has a massive, great bass tone. He would start some really cool ideas. So it was all three of us going through parts, then solidifying the arrangements and making the best songs we could.
dUg: It took me, as usual, a bit longer to find lyrics and a melodic hook, but something about what everyone was playing dictated a feeling that made me find things to sing about that are on my mind.
George: This is amazing, really. We booked a private studio that's in a big house in a very remote part of California. We had no songs or pre-conceived ideas of what we were going to play. We just trusted ourselves and fate to work things out. We set up in a big room, mic'd everything up, just started jamming and the ideas just flowed. We initially spent eight days up there and had a blast.
We worked really hard but had fun hanging and just enjoying the process and our time together. It felt like we'd been playing together all our lives. No tension, no egos. Ray would come up with one of his crazy ambidextrous tribal beats and dUg and I would just be throwing riffs and melodies out. Then we'd spend a few hours working out an arrangement and start tracking it. We'd always get at least one song a day written and recorded.
"Supergroups" don't always equal super results. How would you describe the chemistry among the three of you?
George: It's cool if somebody wants to classify us a supergroup. For us it was just getting together with friends that you also admire and respect as musicians and as people and creating music outside the industry bubble outside of the Hollywood/LA scene and sort of uninhibited.
Ray: We're a super-duper group! We all just laugh a lot. Sometimes you can get along as people but not musically. Luckily, we all three get along both ways. We've all played for so many years and have tons of experience. There's no BS or drama. We just had fun making music. I can't wait for to start writing the next record!
dUg: I have been doing this thing for a very long time so I have no time to waste doing a project without a strong connection musically and as people. We work hard, laugh a lot and have total faith in each other. I can feel it personally. This is something we threw together but thought a lot about in the process. There was no pressure and the music came naturally and quickly.
Did you have an idea in mind of what KXM should sound like before you guys plugged in the first time?
dUg: I had no clue or idea, not even on paper could I come up with any scenario, and I'm surprised people like it!
George: Of course not. How could we? That's what was so fun and interesting about it. Not only being on the "inside" and experiencing what this unique chemistry would result in but also experiencing the "outside" perspective like a fan would. When you're working on this stuff in the heat of the moment, you're not thinking, "Wow, this is cool; this is a band with dUg Pinnick, George Lynch and Ray Luzier." You're just wrapped up in the work and the process. But when you're able to step away at some point and listen to what we've created, you get the chance to appreciate it from an outside perspective.
Ray: It's obvious we all put our stamps on this record. George will always sound like George. No one on the planet sounds like him! And dUg's voice is so soulful and deep, his bass tones and playing are very massive. So I think we all grew and branched out a bit on this, taking our own familiar styles and taking them even further.
Ray, stylistically this is different from Korn. How, as a drummer, do you approach playing with diverse musicians?
Ray: It's very different from Korn, but I still play with all my heart and soul no matter what band or project I'm doing. I really got to branch out with this CD. We all just played whatever we were feeling at the time and didn't over-think anything. I was a session musician for many years, so I adapt quickly to other people's playing styles and feels. dUg and George play from the heart, and that's exactly how I play. I encourage my musician friends to go play with as many different players as possible. You grow so much and broaden your musical vocabulary. It opens your mind in a great way.
Obviously, all three of you have busy day jobs. Do you see the potential to take this on the road?
dUg: There's always time to take this on the road, and we do have a lot of commitments, and I think we like it like that. There's always time. I believe it will be soon, and I cant wait!
George: KXM is going to try and pull off at least a select handful of dates worldwide. We're not going to announce dates until the last minute, and I believe we're going to intentionally route these dates very randomly. Almost like secret shows. I can't say much more about it.
Ray: If Taco Bell gives me some time off, we might tour. My boss loves the KXM CD [laughs]! It's kind of a big secret at this time, but you will see us out there together. Stay tuned, everyone!
KXM's self-titled album was released March 11 and is available at ratpakrecordsamerica.com.
Dance Gavin Dance have premiered a new music video for their song "Death of the Robot with Human Hair." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!
Their latest album, Acceptance Speech, was released last year.
Today, RevolverMag.com presents an exclusive video by Monster Truck — "Live in Germany, Episode 4." You can check it out below.
The clip is part of a six-part series that will be published here and on GuitarWorld.com. You can check out Episode 1 here, Episode 2 here and Episode 3 here.
All the episodes were shot during the band's recent German tour, and they serve as the perfect tour diary for Monster Truck fans. You see the band on stage, back stage, hanging out, talking gear and much more.
Be sure to tell us what you think of the clip!
For more about Monster Truck, visit ilovemonstertruck.com.
Los Angeles hard-rock band Trigger Point will release their new album, Giving Up the Ghost--which was produced by Far guitarist and Crosses member Shaun Lopez–on March 25 via THC Music/InGrooves. In anticipation, the group has teamed with Revolver to premiere the music video for the track, "Cabin Song." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments.
Frontman Taylor Wallace says, "This song is about my personal struggles with insomnia in the past, which can be maddening. So for the video we really tried to make the viewer feel that sense of discomfort and irritability that comes when you are tossing and turning all night. It's mixed with sleepwalking, dream sequences and performance footage. All three of us live in different cities so we actually filmed our parts separately, which I think brings on the feeling of isolation. We hope that the viewer feels disoriented and a little on edge after watching it."
For more on Trigger Point, visit their Facebook page.
Italian metalcore band Upon this Dawning will release their new album, We Are All Sinners, on April 29 via Artery Recordings. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere the new song, "Anima." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!
We Are All Sinners is available for pre-order on Artery Recordings and iTunes. For more on Upon this Dawning, visit their Facebook and Twitter.
Last week Phoenix metalcore band, Blessthefall, released their music video for "Hollow Bodies." Revolver has the behind-the-scenes exclusive video. Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!
Guitarist Eric Lambert said, "This video is easily my favorite that we have ever done. Surprisingly, it was also the easiest video we have ever done as well. All we really had to do was show up and jump of stuff in front of a green screen. Daniel did such an incredible job with all of the postproduction and it's insane to see everything come to life."
Blessthefall is touring on support of their record, Hollow Bodies (available on iTunes), on the Rockstar Presents Hollow Bodies tour with Silverstein, The Amity Affliction, Secrets, and Heartist. For more on Blessthefall, visit their Twitter and Facebook.