Founding At The Gates Guitarist Anders Björler Parts Ways with Band

Rock and roll legend Chuck Berry died on Saturday, March 18, at his home at the age of 90. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Known for writing hit songs such as "Maybelline," "Roll Over Beethoven," "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Johnny B. Goode," the latter in which Carl Sagan launched into space in 1977 on an 'Earth Sounds and Music' disc, Berry was one of the first ever people to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Berry's legacy touched and inspired many of today's modern rock and metal musicians. Upon the news of his death, various members of the metal community took to twitter to pay tribute to the icon. The tweets can be seen below.

"One of the first solos I ever learned was Chuck Berry's. I'm truly saddened this morning, as we've lost another legend. RIP Mr. Berry!" – Dave Mustaine, Megadeth

"Rest in Peace Chuck Berry....one of the original rock and roll guitar legends....thank you for the music!" - Rush

"#rip Mr Chuck Berry Thank you for your contributions #legend #guitarist one of the 1st licks I've every learned is his. God bless. #guitarworld #guitarplayer" – Marcos Curiel, P.O.D.

"My profound respect and admiration to one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, who sadly passed today — the late, great CHUCK BERRY" – Gene Simmons, KISS

"RIP CHUCK BERRY. Truly a cornerstone of all that is, was and will be Rock and Roll. An icon like few others." – Paul Stanley, KISS

"I'm gonna be bummed if Keith Richards doesn't snort and/or smoke some of Chuck Berry's remains #RIPChuckBerry #RockNRoll." – Jamey Jasta, Hatebreed

"Chuck Berry=1st lead gtr licks I ever learned. Direct impact on Beatles/Hendrix/ACDC/Prince/Lemmy & so many more RIP" – Alex Skolnick, Testament

"If you don't know how great Chuck Berry was please see the fantastic doc 'Hail Hail Rock and Roll' RIP Chuck Berry" – Brendon Small, Metalocalypse

"Chuck Berry didn't build this house ... Chuck Berry created the things to build the house in the first place." – Zach Myers, Shinedown

"R.I.P. Chuck Berry #JohnnyBGood #legend" – Rob Caggiano, Volbeat

"Heart broken to hear of the passing of Chuck Berry. He was undisputedly the king. A moment of silence is definitely in order. RIP" – Slash, Guns 'n' Roses

"RIP Chuck Berry! A pioneer for guitar playing and rock music!" – Paolo Gregoletto, Trivium

"RIP Chuck Berry. Without him Rock n Roll wouldn't be what it came to be." – Nikki Sixx, Sixx:A.M., Mötley Crüe

"Rest In Peace Chuck Berry!!! Thank you for the blue print and the road map! Hail! Hail! Rock n roll!!!!" – The Bronx

"RIP #ChuckBerry, the genesis behind the great sound of rock n roll. All of us in rock have now lost our father." – Alice Cooper

"R.I.P Chuck Berry #chuckberry #rocknrollpioneer" Michael Amott, Arch Enemy

"Guitar playing. Songwriting Stagecraft. ALL OF IT. Chuck Berry" – Vernon Reid, Living Colour

"RIP #ChuckBerry He is the reason. He made it look fun. He made it possible. Thank you! 'gone like a cool breeze'" – Living Colour

"'One of my big lights has gone out.'- Keith, 3/18/17" – Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones

"GOD BLESS The ROCK N' ROLL PONTIFF CHUCK BERRY - 1926/2O17 - tBLSt SDMF" – Zakk Wylde, Black Label Society

"Chuck Berry IS rock and roll! It's sad day for rock and roll, but his music will live on forever. Hail, hail rock and roll!!!!!" – AC/DC

In addition to Twitter tributes, original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward posted a lengthy tribute to his Facebook page, which said the following:

"Chuck Berry RIP

"When my grandchildren ask, what was rock 'n' roll? I will open my scrapbook to a time when a guitarist, singer and songwriter played and influenced untold thousands of musicians. Like the Pied Piper of Hamelin, I would hold onto his coattails while he illuminated a reachable path to my wildest dreams.

"I'll show my grandchildren a picture of this suited up man dancing and playing on one leg and strutting across the stage. I'll play the first 30 seconds or so of "Johnny B Goode." That's what rock 'n' roll looks and sounds like, kids. And when they ask who this man is, I'll tell them smiling, Chuck Berry, kids, Chuck Berry.

"Thanks, and RIP Mr. Berry.

"Our condolences to his family and fans."

Revolver sends their condolences to Berry's family and friends. R.I.P.

Revocation's track "Communion" will be featured in the forthcoming 'Power Rangers' movie, which is in theaters on March 24. The song is taken from the band's latest release, 'Great is Our Sin,' and can be heard below.

Will you see the new 'Power Rangers' movie? Tell us in the comments!

During an interview with Jamey Jasta, Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds revealed that he will make an appearance on the seventh season of 'Games of Thrones.'

Hinds explained: "I just came back from my second cameo Game of Thrones. This time, I had my broken leg and they were like 'You're doing the best zombie walk, we want you to come right towards the camera. I want you to drag this axe behind you.' I'm like a reborn, come to life wildling turning into a White Walker."

This will be Hinds' second time on the series as he previously made a cameo on Season Five as a wildling who turned into a White Walker. The band also wrote a 'Game of Thrones' inspired song titled, "White Walker," which you can hear at this location.

All That Remains will embark on a headlining tour this spring in addition to various headline dates. Kicking off on April 29 at Welcome to Rockville in Jacksonville, F.L. and concluding on May 25 in Patchogue, N.Y., the band will be supporting their forthcoming release, 'Madness.' The effort is due on April 28 via Razor & Tie. The full itinerary is below.

04/29: Jacksonville, F.L. @ Welcome To Rockville
04/30: Ft. Myers, F.L. @ Fort Rock
05/03: Richmond, V.A. @ Canal Club
05/06: Concord, N.C. @ Carolina Rebellion
05/07: Silver Spring, M.D. @ Fillmore (feat. Korn)
05/08: Pittsburgh, P.A. @ Mr. Smalls
05/09: Louisville, K.Y. @ Mercury Ballroom
05/11: Milwaukee, W.I. – The Rave (feat. The Devil Wears Prada, Fozzy, Kyng & Sons Of Texas)
05/12: Ringle, W.I. @ Q & Z Expo Center (feat. The Devil Wears Prada)
05/14: Kansas City, M.O. @ Uptown Theater (feat. Korn)
05/16: Hidalgo, T.X. @ Pharr Events Center (feat. Five Finger Death Punch)
05/17: Corpus Christi, T.X. @ Concrete Street Amphitheater (feat. Five Finger Death Punch
05/19: Baton Rouge, L.A. @ The Varsity Theatre
05/20: Mobile, A.L. @ Soul Kitchen
05/21: Knoxville, T.N. @ The Concourse At The International
05/23: Baltimore, M.D. @ Baltimore Soundstage
05/24: Lancaster, P.A. @ Chameleon Club
05/25: Patchogue, N.Y. @ The Emporium

Tool will embark on a North American tour this spring. The trek will kick off on May 24 in Fairfax, V.A. and will conclude on June 8 in Rosemont, I.L. Tickets will be available starting on Friday, March 17 at 10:00 A.M. local time with the exception of the Rosemont, I.L. date, which will be on sale at 11:00 A.M. The full itinerary is listed below.

05/24 Fairfax, VA – Eaglebank Arena
05/27 Bangor, ME – Darling's Waterfront Pavilion
05/28 Allston, MA – Harvard Athletic Complex ("Boston Calling")
05/30 Rochester, NY – Blue Cross Arena
05/31 Hamilton, ON – First Ontario Centre
06/02 Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
06/04 Randall's Island Park, NY – Governors Ball Music Festival
06/05 Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center
06/07 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
06/08 Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena

For more information on tickets, visit this location.

Avenged Sevenfold will embark on a number of U.S. dates this summer, where they will be supported by Volbeat and A Day To Remember. The dates are scheduled around Metallica's "Worldwired" North American Tour, for which Avenged Sevenfold will be supporting the band in select markets. The full itinerary for A7X's headliners is available below.

With Volbeat:
06/19: Mt. Pleasant, M.I. @ Soaring Eagle Casino Resort
07/10: Cincinnati, O.H. @ Riverbend Music Center
07/18: Gilford, N.H. @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion

With A Day To Remember:
07/28: Mountain View, C.A. @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
07/31: Sacramento, C.A. @ Golden 1 Center
08/03: Albuquerque, N.M. @ Isleta Amphitheater
08/11: Salt Lake City, U.T. @ USANA Amphitheatre
08/12: Nampa, I.D. @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater

A mysterious video trailer has been posted to YouTube, indicating that Northlane will possibly be sharing news in the foreseeable future. The three-minute long video, titled "MESMER," features vague samples of music over montages of various imagery, including clips of the band. There is no indication as to what the band might be teasing.

In addition to the clip, the band also launched a chat bot via Facebook, which you can access here. The bot greets those who engage about someone named Mr. Snow. Two common replies that the bot has repeated when asked about what Northlane might be up to include: "Don't shift your view. You might slip and fall" and "There is a transmission coming. I can't say anything else right now."

What do you think the clip is teasing? Leave your theories in the comments!

'Damn the Machine - The Story of Noise Records' is hitting shelves on March 24 via Deliberation Press and Iron Pages Books.

Authored by journalist David E. Gehlke, the book features cover art by Voivod drummer Michel 'Away' Langevin, and a foreword penned by Blind Guardian vocalist Hansi Kürsch. The book's inner design was handled by EasyRabbit CreArtions, the team behind Helloween's 2015 career-spanning Hellbook. At over 500 pages, 'Damn the Machine' tackles the complicated history of Germany's Noise Records, one of the most influential European independent heavy metal record companies of the 1980s. Noise and its owner Karl-Ulrich Walterbach were responsible for signing and developing the likes of Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Coroner, Gamma Ray, Grave Digger, Helloween, Kamelot, Kreator, and many more.

Today, they share an excerpt from the book. Below is chapter nine "Order from Chaos" on Kreator.

When owner Karl-Ulrich Walterbach was starting to expand the Noise roster in the mid-Eighties, he encountered a consistent problem: bands could rarely keep a steady line-up once they signed their contract with the label. Becoming a musician and paying the bills with such a creative trade was simply not a reality for the previous generation. For the lower class, options were limited to a life of hard labor in a factory or mine. The middle class and up had the chance to attend a university and enter the private sector. Becoming a professional musician? Unlikely, and frowned upon.

Forming a band and getting it oﬀ the ground wasn't the main issue. It was determining who was going to receive the most money when contract discussions began. Walterbach often insisted his bands determine who the primary songwriter was to ensure they were taken care of when it came time to register publishing with GEMA (Germany's society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights). The band's singer (if not the main songwriter) was to be next, since he considered vocals to be an integral part of any band's sound. The rest of the musicians were deemed expendable if they were not critical to the band's overall creative vision. More often than not, they were put on salary, receiving menial payments. Inevitably, band line-ups would begin to crack once they began work on their first album with Noise. There wasn't enough money to go around to satisfy musicians from a middle class background, so they would quit and go back to college or get a real job. A few of the bands who were able to keep it together were the ones from the lower class: like Kreator.

"Metal in Germany seemed to attract the educated, middle-class kids who learned to play an instrument in their early teens and form a band in school," says Walterbach. "By the time they reach their eighteenth birthday, they come around like a real metal band or are really technically proficient. Being in a band from a working class background was unique. Commitment to your project, to your vision, based on your social standing when you have no options in society is a very important aspect. What's the alternative? Working in the coal mines. Going into a low-paying, working-class environment and doing what your parents and all of the people around you did. That's frustrating and not an option for someone who is rebellious like Mille. You really try, by all means, to get out of this. And the music is a means to get out."

The advent of punk and metal music around the Eighties provided an outlet from the back-breaking ordinariness of life in manual labor, particularly in Essen, part of the coal mine-dominated Ruhr area of Germany. The sheer fantasy of starting a band and making it out of Essen was alluring, but actually doing it and succeeding were two entirely separate matters.

For Miland 'Mille' Petrozza, there was no other option. It was a go for broke proposition, all designed at avoiding life in the mines—something that, oddly enough, one of Petrozza's career-long contemporaries, Tom Angelripper of Sodom, was unable to evade. So determined was Petrozza to never have to endure hard, blue-collar labor, that he willingly subjected his band, Kreator, to a rigorous workload that Walterbach and Noise had no problem signing oﬀ on. While other bands gave the label diﬃculties over studio output, touring workload, and creative direction, Kreator might have been the band that gave the label the least amount of headaches. But that also came at a price.

"Kreator was maybe the band who was treated the worst," says Noise managing director Antje Lange. "There were a few occasions where Karl was really not nice to Mille at all. Karl once told Mille, 'You should come to Berlin. We need to have a meeting.' The poor guy traveled five hundred or six hundred kilometers over here and he was waiting for Karl, sitting in our oﬃce for five or six hours. Karl came in later in the day and said, 'Look, I don't have the time. I have more important things.' These things happened a few times. Karl maybe thought Kreator was a little bit dumb. I had the feeling he never respected Mille much, and Mille felt that quite badly. He was a young guy, and a bit shy, here and there. This was not good when you worked with Karl; you better not be shy. Otherwise, he would eat you for breakfast, and this is exactly what he did with Kreator. He did whatever he liked to do, and he did not show a lot of respect for Kreator. Some other young kids, who maybe were a little more self-confident, would say, 'Look, no, we don't do this.' Mille was never daring enough to do that. Karl was really playing hardball with Mille. I don't think he expected him to be there for such a long time."

***

During Kreator's time with Noise, from 1985 to 1994, there were few noticeable gaps in productivity. The band could be counted upon to produce a new studio eﬀort on a near-annual basis, then hit the road for six to eight months at a time. Perhaps not surprisingly, the longest gap between studio albums for the band happened when they were trying to get out of their deal with Noise in the mid-Nineties. Kreator wasn't even among the label's top sellers; Walterbach reckons their numbers usually didn't approach that of Celtic Frost, Helloween, or Running Wild. But to Petrozza, the fact that he was able to even make a modest living from being in a band was enough for him. It's an approach he maintains to this day.

"I always wanted to be a musician," he says. "Even if I never made any money, that's what I wanted to do. I know so many musicians or artists in general who make zero money, but they have to do it. The life I live right now, I want to live it the way I want to. From day one, that's what I wanted to do; it was never an option, like, 'Financial reasons forced me to get a real job.' It was never an option. I never thought about those things."

Originally working under the name of Tormentor in 1982, Petrozza, along with long-time drummer and comrade, Jürgen 'Ventor' Reil and bassist Rob Fioretti, were incredibly young and relegated to playing youth centers in Essen. Two demos were produced, the latter of which —1984's End of the World— caught the ear of Walterbach, who was in need of a legitimate German thrash band to add to his roster.

Destruction and Sodom had already been snapped up by SPV/ Steamhammer and Manfred Schütz. Düsseldorf's Deathrow and Frankfurt's Tankard were there for the taking, but weren't quite ready. Out of fear of losing out on the burgeoning Teutonic thrash movement completely, Walterbach took a flier on the teens from Essen.

"I did my research and got the End of the World demo on my table. I couldn't handle it at first. I said, 'Okay, this is a young metal band.' Being around, somehow, it's punkish because it was thrashy, extreme metal. So I figured, let's go for it."

Walterbach signed Tormentor in early 1985. Tormentor, as was common in those days, was without a manager when they signed their deal with Noise. The deal was for the standard one album, plus an option for four worldwide, with Noise advancing recording costs. Walterbach said Kreator were given fourteen to sixteen points oﬀ the suggested selling price of their albums.

"I don't have any figures, but I think it was pretty bad," says Petrozza in relation to the band's first Noise contract. "Later on, my lawyer looked at some of the stuﬀ in the contract; it was one of those early Eighties' deals, where the band had to pay for everything and get nothing, kind of deal. It was unclear. You don't have to pay for the production, the recordings are paid for by the label, and you get deductions for everything. You don't know how much —typical for the times, the Eighties. It wasn't anything that just Karl was oﬀering. I bet if you ask bands who were working with major record companies, it was probably the same or worse.

"I was like seventeen, eighteen years old," he continues. "I wasn't focused on the business; I was focused on the music. I still am, but now I know both. To me, it's very obvious that if you don't watch your own business, and if you don't watch the money that goes in and comes out, you're being ripped oﬀ. It's just a natural thing. Back then, I didn't know. I thought, 'This guy is such a fan. He gave us a record deal.' We put out a record. That's all we cared about. That was the same for all of us. No matter what other bands will say, that's all we wanted. I don't think any of us wanted anything more than that."

Several other Tormentors existed at the time, not including the Hungarian version, who would supply future Mayhem vocalist, Attila Cihsar. A name change was needed. One of the top suggestions was simply 'Creator', which was brought forth by Walterbach, but under the condition the 'C' be exchanged for a 'K'. According to Walterbach, this was the idea of former cover artist, Phil Lawvere. All it took was a simple phone call to Petrozza, who readily agreed to the Kreator name. (Lawvere, a then-American ex-pat living in Berlin, later waged an internet battle with Kreator in 2012 over royalties for his residual artwork found on Kreator merchandise. Lawvere ultimately never pursued a lawsuit.)

To Walterbach, such a quick decision from Petrozza personified the relationship between band and label. Although Petrozza and his bandmates were not even eighteen at the time of signing to Noise, the fact Petrozza had a clear vision for the band was encouraging to Walterbach. "The visionary thing came easy for him. I felt extreme metal needs extreme images. Instinctively, he had the same approach as I. We both liked horror, bloody splatter movies. We came together organically and easily. We both had the same feeling that these images needed to be generated from horror movies. This is why he and I never had any disputes. I took what was there and tried to package it in a professional way. It was organic."

In natural Noise fashion, Kreator was shipped to Caet Studios in Berlin to record their debut eﬀort with producer Horst Müller. Titled Endless Pain, the album was completed in the span of ten days, which, considering the lack of Pro Tools and other modern recording advancements, wasn't a great deal of time. Müller, who already achieved some modicum of success with Celtic Frost, Destruction, and Running Wild, never connected on a personal level with Kreator. According to Petrozza, the producer didn't take the band seriously, often rushing them in and out of takes, accepting passes that were full of mistakes. In a way, this came to add a reckless charm to Endless Pain.

"If you listen to Endless Pain, you can hear how sloppy it is," says Petrozza. "Recordings were mostly done on first takes. He was like, 'Yeah, sounds good!' We asked, 'Really?' And he'd say, 'Yeah, sounds great!' Then we'd ask, 'Are you sure?' Then Horst would say, 'Yeah, sounds great! You won't hear it in the mix.' He didn't care. He was smoking weed all day. I think he even made fun of us. Just to give you an idea: none of us had a driver's license because we were too young. My cousin drove me to Berlin, we got in there and the studio was booked for fourteen days. Horst, after ten days, said to us, 'You know what? You're done. But don't tell Karl I sent you home early.' We were like, 'Yeah, great! We can go home early.'"

Petrozza still bristles at Müller's production job, citing how clear and powerful Celtic Frost sounded on To Mega Therion, which was recorded by Müller a few months later —albeit at a diﬀerent studio. Having Reed St. Mark on the drums certainly helped, not to mention the simplicity of Celtic Frost's riﬀs— two variables Kreator simply did not have at the time. Besides, Celtic Frost encountered a similar experience with Müller during the recording of To Mega Therion, but achieved much diﬀerent sonic results.

Nevertheless, Endless Pain is an unquestioned German thrash classic, comparable to the debuts of Destruction (Infernal Overkill) and Sodom (In the Sign of Evil), even if Kreator was lagging behind the other two in the musical department. Whereas Destruction could rely on the riﬀ pyro of Mike Sifringer, and Sodom had a rather obvious death metal backbone, Kreator got by on sheer will and energy.

Highlighted by 'Tormentor' and their undisputed anthem 'Flag of Hate', Endless Pain firmly placed Kreator in the running with their fellow German thrash peers. Predicated by their age, the album functions as a product of youthful exuberance, with energy taking precedence over musicianship. One could argue, however, that Petrozza's riﬀ sensibilities and larynx-shredding vocals had already started to take their identifiable shape by then, although Petrozza and Ventor would end up splitting vocal duties across the album. Still, Endless Pain is as unrelenting of a listen as you'll find from any of the German thrash bands circa the mid-Eighties. It's suitably reckless, yet readily engaging, made apparent by the tempo-pushing 'Son of Evil', where Ventor's drums hang on to the meter by a thread, or the Destruction-esque 'Total Death', which at first blush, resembles 'Mad Butcher'.

Of all the songs on Endless Pain, 'Flag of Hate' has endured the most. A permanent live staple which often finds Petrozza bringing a replica flag onstage embroidered with the Kreator logo, the song —complete with quasi-gore lyrics from Petrozza ("I'll eat your intestines no matter if you pray or please.")— is an anti-everything anthem, aimed directly at the powers that be in the corporate, government, or religious world.

"If you listen to these songs, and I see the crowd reaction; no matter how tired they are, once we kick into 'Flag of Hate', people go berserk," notes Petrozza. "There's something about the beat and the raw energy, I think that's what people loved about Endless Pain. It's not perfect, but it's raw. You cannot play these songs any diﬀerently. The structure of the song demands you to play direct and very raw and aggressive. It's almost like a rock and roll structure to it. It sounds totally Eighties. It's the most Eighties song we still play."

Harris Johns was called upon to engineer and produce Kreator's sophomore album, 1986's Pleasure to Kill. Released in a year that was arguably the best for thrash metal (the list is endless: Darkness Descends, Master of Puppets, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? and Reign in Blood), Pleasure to Kill found Kreator expanding upon the barbaric force of Endless Pain. The noticeable diﬀerence between the two albums is Johns' production work. Whereas Müller was often stoned and disinterested during the recordings of Endless Pain, the ever-patient and relaxed Johns (who, by 1986, was already a Noise band veteran thanks to his work with Grave Digger and Helloween) was all ears to what Kreator had in mind, including suggestions that the album's sound be mirrored after Slayer's Hell Awaits and Possessed's Seven Churches.

"We didn't think that we would be able to do another album," says Petrozza. "It was like, after Endless Pain, 'Okay, nine months later, we're back in the studio.' We were like 'Yeah! Now something is happening with the band.' We went back into the rehearsal room. We were there every day anyway. We wrote more songs. We liked those songs better than the ones on Endless Pain."

Pleasure to Kill, when lined up next to its predecessor, is the superior album, and not just because Kreator was more prepared when recording with Johns. Played at an even faster speed than on Endless Pain, songs such as 'Ripping Corpse', 'Death is Your Savior', and 'Under the Guillotine' each possessed a venomous vibrancy that captured a band on the hinge of totally flying oﬀ the rails. Growth was embodied by the mid-paced 'Riot of Violence', a harbinger of things to come several albums down the road, not to mention Ventor's blood-curdling vocal performance, a highlight of the drummer's short-lived career as a co-vocalist. And in a year littered with legendary thrash albums in the band's home country (Destruction released Eternal Devastation, Sodom put out Obsessed by Cruelty, and Tankard unleashed Zombie Attack), Pleasure to Kill may just slay them all.

Kreator was promptly sent over to the United States on a tour with label mates Voivod, who, by early 1987, was just about to enter its wildly ambitious and experimental thrash phase with Killing Technology and Dimension Hatross. The version of Voivod Kreator was paired with was mostly on equal footing; both bands have knee-deep roots in unhinged, punk-influenced thrash. The two bands crammed into a three-row GMC van and made the always eventful trek across the United States, playing in front of crowds ranging anywhere from fifty to a few hundred people.

The buzz on Kreator in America was surprisingly strong, much to the surprise of Petrozza, who had minimal expectations for the tour. "For us, Voivod was a big band. Voivod was from Montreal, and the first album [War and Pain] and Killing Technology was like man, we were such big fans of them. Then we figured out there were a lot of people coming to see us. That was a great experience. We would never have dreamed of anything like that. We had all the fun we could have on this tour. We lived oﬀ of something where each of us got like ten dollars a day. We bought cheap food, but it was great. Everything was perfect. It's not like nowadays. Of course, there's still a lot of talented bands who would never play anywhere outside their local territory, but for us, people would tell us it wasn't possible. Then we were there and doing it, so it was possible. To us, it was an eye-opening experience."

Kreator was joined on the tour by their recently-inserted manager, Boggi Kopec. Several years the senior to the band, Kopec played the dual role of tour manager and father figure, tasked with the role of corralling the rambunctious teens and applying a rigid schedule for the tour. Yet there probably wasn't a better choice than Kopec, whose patience and experience served Kreator well during their first time in America. Unfortunately (or fortunately) for Kopec, the American tour would be the last time he would ever join a band on the road.

"It was a nightmare," laughs Kopec. "There are diﬀerent views, but Kreator was fantastic. They played before Voivod. The fans loved Kreator. Kreator was much bigger than we thought when we came. We played there for nothing; we got only per diems, which I think was about twenty-five dollars a day. We were together in one van with Voivod. They took the support, the whole merchandising from us. We had nothing. It wasn't written in a contract; when they wrote merchandising, they just wrote t-shirts. So I had ideas; I made a lot of patches, picture vinyl, all of this little stuﬀ, buttons, and I sold a lot of this shit. This was the only money we had. It was a terrible tour. After two weeks, I started to hate the tour. Kreator were youngsters; they never slept. They were partying every day. Sometimes we had to drive eight hundred kilometers from one show to the other, and we were sitting in a van which was really tight. Everyone was sleeping but me."

Kreator quickly became attuned to the fickle nature of the American touring circuit, where there is a clear and defined set of markets (major and secondary), not to mention poor conditions. Potential inconveniences like long drives, non-spacious forms of transportation, rough treatment from promoters, and the lack of proper shower facilities at venues were usually enough to turn oﬀ many European bands who were used to much better conditions in their own territory. But since their initial venture into America in 1987, Kreator never shied away from crossing the pond during their Noise tenure, with subsequent jaunts taking place in 1988 with D.R.I., 1989 with Coroner (the band's first oﬃcial headline tour in America), and 1993 with emerging British goth metal heroes, Paradise Lost.

According to Petrozza, the lessons learned on Kreator's maiden voyage to America have carried over into to the band's approach of today. "If you believe in what you do, you can go places. The biggest mistake you can make as a band is becoming bitter and jealous of other bands who are bigger than you. A lot of bands think the industry is not fair. It's not fair. Life isn't fair. Just go with it. To me, that's always been my attitude. I'm a big fan of the PMA attitude —the Positive Mental Attitude— and I think that's got me to certain places that no one would have imagined I would go. Even if I have to play small shows sometimes, I look forward as much to them as the big shows. It doesn't make a big diﬀerence to me. It's just the way it is. I've seen many of the bands I've been on tour with go, 'Yeah, why is this band bigger than we are?' I always say, 'Who cares? Just be yourself.' Do whatever you can do best. That's all you can do."

For more and to pre-order the book, visit Deliberation Press' website.

Late Slipknot bassist Paul Gray's personal memorabilia will be auctioned off in a unique "Paul Gray All Access Legacy Auction" via Backstage Auctions this April. The rare event, which will take place online at this location between April 1 and April 9, will feature Gray's personal touring and studio equipment such as his bass guitar, amps and cabinets as well as his jumpsuits, set lists, awards, signed merchandise and much more. All proceeds will benefit Gray's daughter, October Gray, who was born three months after his death.

"Each of the guitars and jumpsuits has their own story to tell and represent a significant element of Paul Gray's touring and recording history," commented Backstage Auctions founder Jacques Van Gool. "I have personally worked with Brenna Gray over the past eighteen months and her final selection of items from Paul's collection is amazing and truly honors Paul's legacy. She has hand-picked items that will appeal to Paul Gray and Slipknot collectors all around the world. It's truly a privilege to be hosting this event especially knowing that it will benefit Paul's daughter October."

A special V.I.P. All Access Preview of the collection will be available online starting March 25. To register, visit this location.

Gray died from a drug overdose on May 24, 2010. He was 38-years-old.

Founding At The Gates guitarist Anders Björler has parted ways with the band. The band shared the news along with an official statement.

The statement went on to say:

"So, it is now official that Anders Björler is no longer a part of At the Gates. He will always be part of the At the Gates family, of course, but he will no longer write, record or play with us live.

"This is something that we, the rest of the band, have felt was on its way for quite some time, as that special spark was no longer with him the last year.

"We are grateful for all we have experienced together with him, all the records, all the songs, all the gigs, all the laughs and good times.

"The rest of us have in the meantime started the work on the follow up to 'At War with Reality,' we already have three songs written, and the direction is set for an intense, hungry follow-up album.

"Jonas [Björler, bassist/brother of Anders] has always written a considerable part of the bands' material and we are fully confident that the new material will live up to the standards set by our previous records. It is ripping.

"The four of us still has the burning urge to create death metal together, and we love playing live in front of our fans, so we will go on, with an even stronger intent.

"While writing the new record, that we intend to record in the beginning of 2018, we are trying out Anders' replacement. Some auditions are being held as we speak, and we will get back to you with news on the matter as soon as we know more."

Björler added:

"Just a quick note to let everybody know that I am leaving At the Gates permanently. The passion is just gone. There might be a more lengthy statement in the future, but at the moment I feel no need to explain further.

"This is a personal decision, and it has 100% to do with the music side of things.

"The reunion in 2008, and the subsequent tours, as well as the comeback album 'At War with Reality,' really helped revisiting our friendship, and it brought us together in a way I will always remember and cherish.

"I would also like to thank all the people that supported us throughout the reunion shows as well as the 'At War with Reality' album.

"Thanks a lot!"

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