Artist Interview
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, performing together as the Big Four, stormed New York City's Yankee Stadium Wednesday for triumphant sets. Revolver's own Stephanie Cabral was there and captured the mayhem in the photo pit. Check out these pictures of Metallica, who will release a record titled Lulu with Lou Reed on November 1.
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, performing together as the Big Four, stormed New York City's Yankee Stadium yesterday for triumphant sets. Revolver's own Stephanie Cabral was there and captured the mayhem in the photo pit. Check out these pictures of Megadeth, who will release their new record TH1RT3EN on November 1.
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, performing together as the Big Four, stormed New York City's Yankee Stadium yesterday for triumphant sets. Revolver's own Stephanie Cabral was there and captured the mayhem in the photo pit. Check out these pictures of Slayer, who performed with Exodus guitarist Gary Holt in place of Jeff Hanneman.
Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax, performing together as the Big Four, stormed New York City's Yankee Stadium yesterday for triumphant sets. Revolver's own Stephanie Cabral was there and captured the mayhem in the photo pit. Check out pictures of New York's hometown heroes in Anthrax, who released their first new album in eight years, Worship Music, on Tuesday.
Staind are performing a special show to benefit the families of 9/11 at the Best Buy Theater in New York City tonight. All proceeds from the concert are going to the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund. In case you can't make it to the show, we're giving you the chance to watch a live stream of the entire performance, which kicks off at 9 P.M. EST, right here.
The Metal Masters Clinic 2—featuring Slayer's Kerry King, Anthrax's Frank Bello and Charlie Benante, Megadeth's David Ellefson, and drum legend Mike Portnoy—is took place yesterday at the Best Buy Theater in New York City. You can watch that and a concert by Anthrax—featuring a surprise guest appearance by Phil Anselmo of Pantera and Down fame—right here. The clinic is being presented by Samson, Hartke, Zoom, and Best Buy Music Gear.
The Clinic
The Anthrax Concert
In an interview with Zakk Wylde for RevolverTV, backstage at tonight's Metal Masters 2 clinic, bassist David Ellefson revealed that Megadeth would not be playing the Big Four concert on Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. When Zakk asked him whether he was excited about the big show, the bassist said that it was hard for him because it looked like they wouldn't be playing. Vocalist-guitarist Dave Mustaine had injured his shoulder while playing on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour and was unable to play. He did say that there were two more days and he asked everyone to pray for the Megadeth frontman and maybe somehow they would be able to play. Revolver will keep you posted of any developments as they happen.
Static-X main man Wayne Static will be releasing his debut solo album, Pighammer (Dirthouse), on October 4, and hitting the road in support, starting on September 27. But right here, right now, he's exclusively unleashing a new song from the record, "Thunder Invader"! So crank up the volume, hit play, and be one of the first to bang your head to the track. Then read below what Static has to say about the song, and let us know what you think in the comments.
REVOLVER Why did you want to record a solo album?
WAYNE STATIC I've wanted to do a solo album since 2000 when I was writing songs for the Machine record. Even in those early years of Static-X, there was a pattern emerging where I would spend all my free time writing songs for Static-X and the other guys in the band spent their free time working on their other projects. I was a bit jealous that they had time to do more than one thing, but, being the band's main songwriter, I knew that if I were to do a solo album, I would have to put Static-X on hold, and it wasn't until recently that I've been willing to do that. After the 2009 Cult of Static touring cycle ended, I felt that, as a band, Static-X had accomplished everything we set out to accomplish, and now I could finally take the time to do my own thing and make a record that is completely my vision without compromising for anyone or anything.
What did you want to do differently with your solo project than what you've done with Static-X?
Mainly, I didn't want to compromise. Don't get me wrong: I love the great times I had with Static-X, but sometimes the writing/recording process was frustrating for me. I would spend months by myself writing and recording demos, then hand them over to the band, then we would rehearse for weeks during which time everyone changed parts and added their own ideas. By the end of the process, I always felt some of my original vision and passion was lost. This time I wrote and recorded everything on my own, playing all the instruments myself, and did not compromise with anyone.
When did you write this song in particular?
There are generally two types of songs that I write. One type comes together really fast, like in a couple days. The other takes weeks or months to be completed. "Thunder Invader" was one of those songs that was a work in progress for many months. This song was born early in the Pighammer writing process. It was one of the first songs I started writing in 2009, and one of the last to be finished in 2011.
What's the song about?
I spent over a year writing and recording Pighammer at the Giant Rock studio in Joshua Tree, California, which is adjacent to the 29 Palms Marine Base. My wife, Tera Wray, and I sold our house in Los Angeles, moved to the high desert, and lived at the studio the entire time. Usually Joshua Tree is most peaceful place in the universe, but sometimes out of nowhere the Marine Base will start up bombing practice, which can last for days. You can see the bombing range from the studio. You can see multiple bright flares hanging in the sky all night. And the explosions are like thunderous earthquakes. The first time it happened, I thought we were being attacked by aliens! I jumped in my Bronco and started driving toward the flares but had to stop when I reached the edge of the military base. "Thunder Invader" was an attempt to capture that entire experience.
Which part of it did you come up with first? What was the inspiration?
The chorus came first, and then many incarnations of the verses, and finally the ending. As I worked on the song it started to move to a dance-floor direction. So the inspiration was to keep the metal onslaught alive, but meld it with dance beats.
Was this an easy song to write or record?
The entire Pighammer album was very challenging to write and record. I did not use Pro Tools. I recorded on 24 tracks with no editing. This was my choice. This is how we recorded [Static-X's] Wisconsin Death Trip, and I feel when you start editing on the computer, the recording starts to lose it's organic feel. This was also the first time I wrote and recorded an album at the same time in the studio. I recorded vocal parts as I wrote them. In the past, I would write and record demos, then try to recapture the original excitement months later in another studio, which is nearly impossible. "Thunder Invader," in particular, was a challenge because of the very nature of the song. I probably spent a week just building the intro sequence. The song is tricky because I was blending huge drum-machine loops with live drums, guitars, and tons of synths and samples. And I had to figure out how to transition from the bulk of the song, which is very "Metallic," into the dance-party ending.
What sort of feedback have you gotten on the song so far?
Right now while I'm doing this interview, no one outside of my camp has even heard it! I love the song and feel it completely represents my latest version of "Evil Disco." I'm confident all Evil Disco followers will love this song as well.
Acting legend and recipient of the Honorary Headbanger Award at this year's Revolver Golden Gods has finally released his version of Black Sabbath's "Iron Man." The Star Trek captain holed up with Black Label Society and former Ozzy Osbourne axman Zakk Wylde and Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez earlier this year to record the track, which can be found on his new double-album, Seeking Major Tom (Cleopatra), which comes out on October 11. Presales for the album start today right here!
Of working with Wylde, Shatner commented, "He's fantastic! I'm energized." Wylde was thrilled to have the opportunity to work with Shatner and added, "He's super cool, we had an awesome time working together."
Let us know what you think in the comments.
Photo by Eric Hendrikx
D.C. natives Magrudergrind have been pummeling their brand of grindcore across the globe since forming in 2002. However, the trio are about to embark on a tour through more familiar haunts, up and down the East Coast, alongside Despise You. Right before heading out on the road, frontman Avi Kulawy spoke to Revolver about the tour, how the D.C. music scene has changed, and their passion for street art.
REVOLVER You've recently done a bunch of shows over in Europe. What are you looking forward to most about touring the East Coast again?
AVI KULAWY Seeing all our friends up and down the coast. We haven't played Florida in years and I'm really excited for this. Stoked to hit up the beach down there and also stoked to eat some good Carolina BBQ.
What should people expect at your upcoming shows with Despise You?
Expect it to be rowdy. The "grind entourage" is gonna bring the brutality in the form of noise and party.
You will be playing with a lot of other cool bands at various dates. What bands are you looking forward to playing with most and why?
There are so many… I'm really eager to play with Floor and Suppression in their respective hometowns, Florida and Richmond. Getting the chance to see these bands jam in the home-turf is going to be epic. We're also playing with a bunch of our friend's bands including Shitstorm, Defeatist, Asshole Parade, Backslider, Cannabis Corpse, Callous, Primate, Cellgraft, Man Will Destroy Himself, Draize, etc. Looking forward to seeing all of them.
Are you working on any new music?
We're writing new material for our next full-length record. It's coming along relatively slow, but moving forward nonetheless. Since I moved to Brooklyn and we all picked up concentrating on the other parts of lives when we're not touring, writing has become somewhat complicated. That said, we're hoping to further marginalize ourselves with it sometime in 2012.
Since you're back in a home mindset, how have you seen D.C. change—musically or otherwise—since you started up?
As I previously mentioned, Brooklyn is my home now. But that makes this question more relevant because when I go back to D.C. I can track the changes more so than others who live there though. Aside from the endless supply of straightedge hardcore bands and false activism, the scene is changing as a result of the venue supplies diminishing. The D.C. area is about to lose, in my skewed opinion, one of the most important houses that has hosted shows in the area for some years. The Corpse Fortress in Silver Spring, Maryland, right outside D.C., is a venue that has hosted tons of touring bands from an extremely eclectic mix of genres. Many of my friends have lived, and still do live, there over the years. Magrudergrind has played there and they have had some of the craziest parties I can remember. It's very unfortunate because this is yet another important asset being plucked from the already acute D.I.Y. music scene in the city. There are less and less small-scaled, D.I.Y. spots for bands to play and this is detrimental to keeping the D.I.Y. scene thriving.
Graffiti has always been a big part of Magrudergrind's ethos. Have you gone "heavy bombing" lately?
I have not painted in some years. Graff and street art are as much an element of our music as the hip-hop samples we use. We all love hip-hop culture. By using imagery, samples, and lyrics we convey this interest in our aesthetic.
Magrudergrind/Despise You tour dates:
09/09 Washington, D.C., St. Stephens
09/10 Cambridge, MA, The Democracy Center *
09/11 Brooklyn, NY, Shea Stadium ^
09/12 Philadelphia, PA, The Barbary w/ Backslider, Callous
09/13 Richmond, VA, Strange Matter %
09/14 Raleigh, NC, Kings
09/15 Atlanta, GA, WonderRoot #!
09/16 Tampa, FL, Transitions Art Gallery #
09/17 Gainesville, FL, The Atlantic #$
* = w/ Vaccine and more
^ = w/ Defeatist and more
% = w/ Suppression, Cannabis Corpse
# = w/ Shitstorm
#! = w/ Shitstorm and Primate
#$ = w/ Shitstorm, Floor, Asshole Parade