News

In last week's album of the week poll, you, the fans, voted Strength Through Suffering to the top spot, for their album 'Setting Things Straight.' Check out the top five vote-getters below:

1. Strength Through Suffering - Setting Things Straight
2. Cradle of Filth - Hammer Of The Witches
3. Black Veil Brides - Alive and Burning DVD
4. Between The Buried And Me - Coma Ecliptic
5. Villains - Freudian Slip

Stay tuned for this week's poll, which will be live tomorrow on RevolverMag.com. Until then, you can check out Strength Through Suffering's "Dawg Eat Dawg [Live]" from 'Setting Things Straight' below:

Finger Eleven will release their new album, 'Five Crooked Lines,' on July 31. In anticipation, the band has teamed up with Revolver to premiere their new song and lyric video, "Five Crooked Lines." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

To get, 'Five Crooked Lines,' visit iTunes. For more on Finger Eleven, follow them on Facebook and Twitter.
 

The following is an excerpt from Revolver's August/September issue—which is on stands July 21 or available for purchase in our webstore. Here, Bullet for My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck talks about losing bassist Jason "Jay" James and the addition of new member, Jamie Mathias.

by Dan Epstein

There is another reason for the darkness and anger that roils and rages throughout 'Venom,' even if the album's lyrics don't make explicit reference to it: Last July, Bullet for My Valentine parted ways with longtime bassist Jason "Jay" James. Though James joined the band in 2003 as a replacement for original bassist Nick Crandle, who'd quit on the eve of the recording sessions for Bullet for My Valentine's self-titled first EP, his friendship with Tuck, Paget and Thomas pre-dates his recruitment by about a decade. (In a 2013 interview, James credited Tuck with turning him on to Metallica during his adolescence.)

"Parting ways with Jay was the most difficult thing we've ever had to do," says Tuck, "and not just in the band or in our careers, but in our lives, personally. It was awful. Losing a long-term member—and our best friend, which was much more important to us—was a very powerful moment that we'd never been through before, and it was a decision that we deliberated over for, like, three months; we kept fighting and fighting to find valid reasons for him to stay, but eventually it was just impossible.

"I'm not going to go into detail," Tuck continues, "but it was in Jay's best interest personally, more than ours, that he was not in the band. People can read into that what they want, which they will anyway; but it was just stuff going on that was jeopardizing the band's career, and it had to stop. And, unfortunately, it came to the point where enough was enough, and we just had to make that call."

James' bandmates finally made their decision in July of last year, though they kept it under wraps until this February. "We parted ways with him a long time before we announced it," Tuck explains. "We wanted to make sure we were comfortable making that decision, and comfortable with making that statement publicly. We wanted to get the album ready to be recorded before we said anything...

"Behind the scenes, we were going through a bit of emotional distress," Tuck continues. "But apart from that, as far as the band was concerned, everything was great. We were writing good songs, and it probably helped having that emotional distress to bring out that feistiness that the last album lacked, you know? It's good to have that emotional drama in a band, sometimes; it can really help with the creative process."

Adding to the excitement is the addition of bassist Jamie Mathias, formerly of the Welsh metal band Revoker. A friend of Paget's, Mathias was working at a car dealership in Cardiff, Wales when he got the call to audition for BFMV's vacant bass spot. "His audition tape was flawless, so we thought, 'Okay, this guy's really good!'" Tuck recalls. "But then he came in and just completely smashed it. He wasn't fazed by anything—we were actually filming it for a documentary, so there were camera people there—and he was just awesome.

"We invited him back two weeks later for a second audition, and it was the same thing; it was just like he'd always been there. And he's from Wales, just 20 minutes down the road from where we're all from, so we're on the same wavelength on every single level—our sense of humor, our accents, our upbringing. He slides straight in, and he can just be himself. It's very cool, and it seems like it was all meant to be!"

For the rest of our interview, pick up the August/September issue of Revolver.
 

Lamb of God have premiered a new song, "Embers," which features a guest vocal spot from Deftones' Chino Moreno.  Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

The band will release 'VII: Sturm Und Drang' on on July 24 via Epic Records.

Ghost have premiered a new song, "From the Pinnacle to the Pit." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

The group will release 'Meliora' on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings.
 

Revolver's own Stephanie Cabral was on hand to catch all the action at the Pomona, California stop of Warped Tour. Check out the photos she captured of Pierce the Veil for us below–you can also follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

The following is several excerpts the Huntress profile in the August/September issue of Revolver—which is on newsstands July 21 and is available for purchase in our webstore. Here, frontwoman Jill Janus opens up for the first time about her lifelong battle with mental illness and recent cancer diagnosis.

by J. Bennett

You probably know Jill Janus as the badass frontwoman for Los Angeles metal battalion Huntress, who have spent the last several years tearing up the global touring circuit with the likes of Amon Amarth, Lamb of God, DragonForce, and many more. In that time, they've released two albums—2012's 'Spell Eater' and 2013's 'Starbound Beast'—and they're about to unveil their third, 'Static,' this fall. What you don't know is that Janus has been suffering from severe mental illnesses for most of her life—including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and dissociative identity disorder, a condition previously known as multiple personality disorder. In fact, Janus was released from the psych ward just 10 days before she met with Revolver to discuss her mental health publicly for the first time.

In her most personal interview ever, Janus divulges her psychiatric history, her numerous suicide attempts, her perilous physical health, and reveals the identity of the longtime boyfriend who has proven to be her savior. She says she's decided to address these topics openly because she wants others to reach out for help if they need it. "If you are hurting, you are not alone," she offers. "I am revealing these things about myself because you don't have to be ashamed. We are survivors!"

REVOLVER Why were you in the hospital a few days ago?
JILL JANUS Once a Huntress album is done, it's almost like I slip into a postpartum depression. Being bipolar and schizophrenic, I have to be hospitalized so I don't hurt myself or anyone else around me. It can be very dangerous. This time I was forced into the hospital by [Huntress guitarist] Blake [Meahl]. He called an ambulance. I spent some time in the hospital so I could be re-evaluated and medicated properly. I've been prescribed new meds, so I'm feeling more stable.

When were you first diagnosed with schizophrenia?
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder first, when I was 20. I started to show signs of it when I was 13, though, and I struggled with it through high school. But it started to get dangerous in my early teens. By the time I was 20 and living in Manhattan, it was very, very difficult for me. That's when I was admitted into a mental health facility and was diagnosed bipolar with schizoaffective disorder, which progressed into schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder.

What do you mean when you say it was starting to get dangerous?
I was suicidal constantly. I was very suicidal early on in my life. Then in my mid-20s, it shifted to full-blown mania, where I can't really remember much of my 20s. I can't remember anybody from high school, either. I lost my long-term memory and can't remember names, faces, or even places. We'll be at a venue on tour and Blake will be like, "We've played here two times before," but I'll have no recollection.

And now you're developing dissociative identity disorder as well?
My friends started to notice that I was developing these other personalities, almost as protection. That's also why I started to change my name along the way. I was slowly not wanting to be who I was. That started to come into play at the age of 18 when I was going to music school in Manhattan. I took on this persona Penelope Tuesdae, which helped me go out into nightlife and conceal my other life as an opera singer. I really wanted to split the two lives. Penelope Tuesdae started to take on a life of her own.

In addition to your psychiatric issues, you now have a serious physical problem as well. What can you tell us about it?
During the process of writing and recording our third album, I began to feel like something bad was growing within me. When we were on tour with Amon Amarth, I started to bleed heavily between my periods. I had a procedure, and my doctor found early stages of cancer in my uterus. I will have a hysterectomy in June. I know I'll survive. I've survived much worse.

Janus recommends the following resources for anyone with thoughts of suicide: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, To Write Love on Her Arms, and SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.

UPDATE: Janus is now cancer-free due to a hysterectomy performed two weeks ago. She is now recovering from a successful surgery at home.

For the rest of the in-depth interview with Janus, pick up the August/September issue of Revolver.

Lamb of God appear on the cover of the next issue of Revolver, which will hit newsstands on July 21 and is available for purchase online right now. You can view the cover below, which was shot by Travis Shinn.

You also can read an excerpt from the issue's cover story, written by Richard Bienstock. In this section, frontman Randy Blythe talks how he channeled his thoughts from the Czech Republic manslaughter trial and personal accountability.

The project into which Blythe ultimately did channel most of his thoughts on the incident was the 'Dark Days' book. But even there, he says, "The only reason I wrote a book is because I got convinced to do so by my literary agent. I said, 'I'm not ready to do this.' But my agent said, 'Well your memory's going to fade...' And it's like, 'You know, you're right.' So I wrote the book, and then I had a couple photos that I took in the Czech Republic while I was over there for the trial that I put in my exhibition. And that's it. There's nothing else to add. It's covered. Done. You know what I mean? Now, when someone asks me, 'What was prison like?' I'll say, 'I wrote a book! Read it and it will answer all your questions.' Because it was three years ago that I got out, you know? I'm not in this constant state of getting out of prison. Other things have happened since then."

Another thing about the book, according to Blythe: "I think that maybe it can help some people. Because there's a big message in there about personal accountability." This is a subject that is of utmost importance to the singer. In fact, when he was first released on bail from Pankrác, Blythe was adamant that, if summoned to stand trial, he would return to the Czech Republic—even though doing so could have resulted in a five to 10 year prison sentence. In a 2012 statement, he wrote, "While I maintain my innocence 100 percent, and will do so steadfastly. I will not hide in the United States, safe from extradition and possible prosecution." He added, "I feel very strongly that as an adult, it would be both irresponsible and immoral for me not to return to Prague if I am summoned."

The idea of personal accountability is touched on throughout the lyrics on 'VII: Sturm und Drang,' in lines like "I live / I fight / I die" ("Anthropoid") and, most explicitly, in "Delusion Pandemic," where Blythe recites, "You are completely responsible for your own life / No one is going to save you from yourself / So stop blaming your problems on any and everything else / It does not matter one tiny fucking bit how unfair you think the world is."

The latter song also finds the singer opining at length on modern culture, in particular on how people attack one another anonymously on the Internet. When asked to delve further into the topic, Blythe is only too happy to oblige. "I'm not a luddite," he says, "but at this point I don't believe technology is changing the way people view the world—it's warping it. What people accept as normal about life these days fucking blows my mind. If you think about the type of shit you can talk on the Internet anonymously, this would never, ever happen 30 years ago."

But he's just getting warmed up. "I mean, this will sound funny, but think about Justin Bieber. I want you to think about the Bieb, OK? Now, I can't name a single Justin Bieber song. I don't really know what his music sounds like. But I'm sure it's not good. He's not writing anything life-changing. But if you Google 'I hate Justin Bieber,' or 'Kill Justin Bieber'—and I did this one time—there's thousands of hits that come up. So I went down the rabbit hole. I spent a little while looking at 'Kill Justin Bieber.' And I read all these comments from anonymous people, some of whom are probably 14-year-old kids. And they're writing stuff like, 'I hope he dies.' 'I wish he'd catch on fire.' 'Someone should murder him.' They're doing this in a public forum, and this is the norm. There are no repercussions. So, yes, Justin Bieber probably sucks. But does he deserve to die? Dude, he's a fucking Canadian pop singer! When I was a kid, if I had a problem with someone I'd go to his fucking face and deal with it. It's insane to me that this type of shit is accepted now. It's fucking nuts."

You may remember Dissimulator vocalist Jared Dines from his viral videos, "10 Ways to Headbang for Beginners"  and "Things Parents Say to Metal Musicians." Check out "Things Fangirls Say to Musicians" below and let us know what you think in the comments!

For more on Jared Dines, follow him on YouTube and Facebook.

Pop Evil has premiered a new song, "In Disarray." Check it out below and let us know what you think in the comments!

The group will release 'Up' on August 21 via eOne Music.