John Shearer / Kevin Mazur / Scott Dudelson, Getty Images
Green Day, the Black Crowes and Joni Mitchell are among the rock stars who have already delivered impressive performances at tonight’s FireAid benefit concert.
Dozens of the music industry’s biggest stars – all with strong connections to the city of wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles – are taking part in the still-ongoing event.
Rod Stewart kick-started the show at the Intuit Dome with a three-song set that included “People Get Ready,” “Forever Young” and “Maggie May.”
Pink got in on the classic rock fun too, covering Zeppelin’s “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” and Janis Joplin‘s “Me and Bobby McGee.” Country star Jelly Roll was joined by Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker for a cover of Bob Seger‘s “Hollywood Nights.”
Feature Photo: Justin Higuchi from Los Angeles, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Sabrina’s path to stardom began when she started uploading her vocal covers to YouTube at a young age. This exposure caught the attention of industry professionals, setting the stage for her eventual rise as a singer, songwriter, and actress.
Carpenter’s acting career was launched when she appeared on television in guest roles, most notably in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. However, her big break came in 2014 when she starred as Maya Hart on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, a spin-off of the beloved 1990s series Boy Meets World. Her portrayal of Maya, a bold and loyal best friend, earned her widespread acclaim and opened doors for her music career. As her acting flourished, Carpenter began pursuing her passion for singing, signing with Hollywood Records in 2014.
Sabrina released her debut EP, Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, the same year she rose to fame on Disney Channel. The EP showcased her songwriting skills and vocal versatility, with its title track becoming a fan favorite. Her first full-length album, Eyes Wide Open (2015), solidified her place in the pop music scene with songs like “We’ll Be the Stars,” which highlighted her youthful yet mature perspective on life and dreams.
Over the years, Carpenter has released five studio albums, each reflecting her growth as an artist. EVOLution (2016) introduced a more polished pop sound with hits like “Thumbs,” a song praised for its catchy rhythm and socially conscious lyrics. Her subsequent albums, Singular: Act I (2018) and Singular: Act II (2019), explored themes of independence and self-expression, with tracks such as “Sue Me” and “Paris” becoming anthems of empowerment. In 2022, she released Emails I Can’t Send, a deeply personal album inspired by her experiences and emotions, featuring hits like “Nonsense” and “Because I Liked a Boy.”
Sabrina’s career is marked by her ability to connect with audiences through authentic storytelling. She has been recognized for her musical talent with numerous Teen Choice Awards and Radio Disney Music Awards, underscoring her impact on younger generations. Carpenter’s seamless transition from a child star to a respected musician demonstrates her dedication to her craft and her refusal to be confined to a single genre or medium.
Beyond music and acting, Sabrina has used her platform to make a difference. She is an advocate for mental health awareness, often discussing the importance of self-care and emotional well-being in her interviews. Additionally, she has participated in charitable initiatives, including WE Day events, which inspire young people to engage in positive social change.
Sabrina Carpenter’s enduring popularity stems from her genuine connection with fans and her ability to balance vulnerability with confidence. Her journey, from a small-town girl with big dreams to an international star, serves as an inspiration to aspiring artists and fans alike. Whether through her heartfelt lyrics, captivating performances, or advocacy for important causes, Carpenter continues to leave a meaningful mark on the entertainment industry.
(A-B)
“A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes/So This Is Love” – — (2016) “All We Have Is Love” – Evolution (2016) “Alien” – Blue (Japanese edition) and Singular: Act I (Japanese edition) (2016) “Almost Love” – Singular: Act I (2018) “Already Over” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “A Nonsense Christmas” – Fruitcake (2022) “Bad for Business” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “Bad Time” – Singular: Act I (2018) “Because I Liked a Boy” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “Bed Chem” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Best Thing I Got” – Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying and Eyes Wide Open (2014) “Bet U Wanna” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “Blueberries” – Clouds (2020) “Buy Me Presents” – Fruitcake (2023)
(C-D)
“Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying” – Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying and Eyes Wide Open (2014) “Cindy Lou Who” – Fruitcake (2023) “Clouds” – Clouds (2020) “Coincidence” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Cupid (Twin Ver.)” (remix) – The Beginning (2023) “Darling I’m a Mess” – Eyes Wide Open (2015) “Decode” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “Diamonds Are Forever” – Singular: Act I (2018) “Don’t Smile” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Don’t Want It Back” – Evolution (2016) “Dumb & Poetic” – Short n’ Sweet (2024)
(E-H)
“Emails I Can’t Send” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “Espresso” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Exhale” – Singular: Act II (2019) “Eyes Wide Open” – Eyes Wide Open (2015) “Fast Times” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “Feather” – Emails I Can’t Send Fwd: (2023) “Feels Like Loneliness” – Evolution (2016) “First Love” – We Are Lost Kings (Japan EP) (2017) “Fix Me Up” – Clouds (2020) “Good Graces” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Hands” – Night & Day (2017) “Honeymoon Fades” – (—) (2020) “Hold Tight” – Singular: Act I (2018) “How Many Things” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “How To Go To Confession” – Clouds (2020)
(I-O)
“I Can’t Stop Me” – Singular: Act II (2019) “I Knew You Were Trouble” (cover) – Spotify Singles (2023) “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” (cover) – Peter Hollens (2014) “I’m Fakin” – Singular: Act II (2019) “In My Bed” – Singular: Act II (2019) “Is It New Years Yet?” – Fruitcake (2023) “Juno” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Let Me Move You” – Work It (2020) “Lie for Love” – Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018) “Lie to Girls” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Lonesome” – Emails I Can’t Send Fwd: (2023) “Looking At Me” – Singular: Act II (2019) “Mirage” – Evolution (2016) “Mona Lisa” – Singular: Act I (2018) “Needless to Say” – Short n’ Sweet (limited edition) (2024) “Nonsense” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “No Words” – Evolution (2016) “On My Way” – World of Walker (2019) “On Purpose” – Evolution (2016) “Opposite” – Emails I Can’t Send Fwd: (2023)
(P-S)
“Paris” – Singular: Act I (2018) “Perfect Song” – Royalties (2020) “Please Please Please” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Prfct” – Singular: Act I (2018) “Pushing 20” – Singular: Act II (2019) “Read Your Mind” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “Rescue Me” – Teen Beach 2 (2015) “Right Now” – Eyes Wide Open (2015) “Run and Hide” – Evolution (2016) “Santa Doesn’t Know You Like I Do” – Fruitcake (2023) “Seamless” – Eyes Wide Open (2015) “Shadows” – Evolution (2016) “Sharpest Tool” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Sign of the Times” (cover) – — (2017) “Skin” – — (2021) “Skinny Dipping” – Emails I Can’t Send (2021) “Slim Pickins” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Smile” – Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust (2012) “Smoke and Fire” – — (2016) “Space” – Evolution (2016) “Stand Out” – How to Build a Better Boy (2014) “Sue Me” – Singular: Act I (2018)
(T-Z)
“Take Off All Your Cool” – Singular: Act II (2019) “Take On the World” – — (2014) “Take You Back” – Singular: Act II (2019) “Taste” – Short n’ Sweet (2024) “Tell Em” – Singular: Act II (2019) “That’s Not How This Works” (Sabrina’s version) – — (2023) “The Middle of Starting Over” – Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying and Eyes Wide Open (2014) “Things I Wish You Said” – Emails I Can’t Send Fwd: (2023) “Thumbs” – Evolution (2016) “Too Young” – Eyes Wide Open (2015) “Tornado Warnings” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “Tricky” – Flash (2020) “Two Young Hearts” – Eyes Wide Open (2015) “Vicious” – Emails I Can’t Send (2022) “We’ll Be the Stars” – Eyes Wide Open (2015) “What a Girl Wants” (Spotify Anniversaries version) – The 25th Anniversary of Christina Aguilera (Spotify Anniversaries Live) (2024) “White Flag” – Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying and Eyes Wide Open (2014) “White Xmas” (cover) – Fruitcake (2023) “Why” – Singular: Act I (Japanese edition) (2018) “Wildside” – Your Favorite Songs from 100 Disney Channel Original Movies (2016) “Wow” (remix) – — (2020) “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” (cover) – Warmer in the Winter (2017) “You Need Me Now?” – I’m Doing It Again Baby! (2024) “Your Love’s Like” – Eyes Wide Open (2015)
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Sabrina Carpenter articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
“Man, it was amazing, the reactions we got for a Britney Spears cover. A lot of kids were super-mad at us”: The rocket-fuelled rise of Finnish hellraisers Children Of Bodom
(Image credit: Press)
In the late 1990s, Children Of Bodom did as much to put Finnish metal on the map as countrymen Nightwish and HIM. In 2013, late frontman Alexi Laiho and Janne Wirman looked back on the rise of these Nordic hellraisers.
Ask Children Of Bodom founder and frontman Alexi Laiho how he got the nickname ‘Wildchild’, and indeed, why he’s still using it at the ripe old age of 33, and he sniggers and says, “Actually I don’t use it these days, and it doesn’t appear on our album covers any more, but some people still call me that. I guess I’ve had a few crazy times over the past few years.”
You could say that. The career trajectory of Finnish fivesome Children Of Bodom has been a rollercoaster ride, but it hardly compares to the life experience of Alexi himself, who has been through more broken bones and bottles of Jägermeister than most of us would encounter in three lifetimes. How he’s made it this far is a mystery to us.
COB, now one of Finland’s bestselling metal bands and a Europe-wide force as well as in the UK and America, have humble roots at their high school in the tedious Helsinki district of Espoo, whose name is about the most amusing thing about the place.
“Espoo is boring in every single way,” says Alexi, looking back at the band’s early days. “It’s just another suburb of Helsinki: there’s nothing there, and nothing to do, so you have to find things to do. For me it was playing guitar and skateboarding. Most of us went to the same school in Espoo: me and our drummer Jaska [Raatikainen] started playing together when we were about 12 years old. Then a bass player called Samuli Miettinen joined us and we started playing covers – crappy versions of Metallica and Sepultura songs. We didn’t really know how to play, but we did it anyway. A couple of years later we started writing our own stuff.”
The band called themselves Inearthed and played pretty basic death metal, recalls Alexi. “We wanted to come up with a name that was death metal-sounding,” he shrugs. “We recorded three demos under that name: they’re surprisingly good for 16-year-old kids. The lyrics are a bit juvenile but by this age, we could play a bit. The music was death metal, but later we incorporated keyboards into them. I heard one of the songs a while back when someone played it at a party: they’re all over YouTube!”
Children Of Bodom in the early 2000s: Alexi Laiho, second right (Image credit: Press)
Like all teenage bands, Inearthed rehearsed wherever they could, including a stint chez Alexi. “We rehearsed in my dad’s garage,” he recalls, “and later at a place where young people hung out which had a room at the back. We’ve moved around a lot since then, though. The one we have now is better than my dad’s garage, ha ha ha!”
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A solid line-up first came together when Samuli took off for a new life Stateside. “The original bass player moved to the States and then Henkka [‘Blacksmith’ Seppälä] joined,” Alexi adds. “We’ve been together a long time now. We’re still good friends. We argue and bitch at each other every once in a while, but it’s nothing serious.”
A second guitarist, Alexander Kuoppala, and a keyboard player called Jani Pirisjoki were recruited and Inearthed were now in a position to make serious music. The group may have been in their mid-teens, says Alexi, but there was no shortage of ambition among them. “We always took it seriously,” he tells us. “Even around the time we recorded the first demo, we were practising every single day, for hours. We did that for years and years, rehearsing constantly. We were very serious about taking the next step forward. We sent our demos all over the place, to pretty much every single independent record label that we knew. We got rejected every single time.”
Finally, a small label (which had better remain unnamed, as you’ll see) took the bait and asked Inearthed to sign on the dotted line, which they duly did without realising what a crap deal they were being offered. At the same time, Finnish metal specialists Spinefarm offered them a much better contract, leaving the band in a quandary. As Alexi remembers, “There was one record company that we sent the demo to and signed a deal with, and it was a totally bad deal – but then we heard that Spinefarm were interested, so we just told the guy [at the first label] that we’d decided to break up, and then we changed our name to Children Of Bodom and went with Spinefarm. I’m sure he was pissed off, but you know what? Fuck him! The record deal he gave us was basically stealing candy from a baby. I don’t feel bad about it.”
As for the new deal with Spinefarm, fortunately the label were good eggs and didn’t rip their new signings off, Alexi adds. “We had no management because no one was interested, and we didn’t have lawyers because we didn’t have any fuckin’ money, so basically we just signed Spinefarm’s contract. They could have really fucked us over, because we were just stupid kids – but we got a fair deal.”
And so Inearthed became Children Of Bodom. For those not well-versed in Finnish social history, a popular Espoo attraction is Lake Bodom, which became infamous in 1960 when three teenagers were murdered while camping there. Calling the band after the murder victims might seem a bit tasteless with hindsight, but Alexi says that he’s never received any criticism on the subject.
“I’m not really sure how the name came about,” he says, “but Lake Bodom is near where we grew up. There was the whole story [about the murdered children] and somebody came up with the idea of using the word ‘Bodom’. We came up with different options before landing on the name Children Of Bodom. I was expecting to get some shit about the name, but nobody said a goddamn thing. Then again, we’re not afraid of it: if we’d had some crap about the band name, it would have been publicity, and good for us!”
Keyboard player Janne Wirman joined just as COB began recording their first album, Something Wild, in 1997. “The songs were already written when I arrived,” says Janne. “Children Of Bodom looked like a really cool band to be in. I was only supposed to stay for that first album, actually, but I ended up staying.” As you’ll know if you’ve seen COB live, Janne is as much of a headbanger as either of the guitarists, playing his keyboards at a slanted angle. Why? Because it’s more metal that way. Chuckling at our suggestion that he might have invented heavy metal synth playing, Janne explains: “I guess I wanted to play keyboards like a guitarist plays guitar, and the slanted keyboards make sense because they’ re easier to play.”
Like the rest of the band, Janne had to work at a rubbish job all day in order to pay the bills. “I was a janitor at a school,” he recalls. “Actually it was really easy, because all I had to do was open the gates in the morning and close them again in the afternoon!” Alexi, meanwhile, had a job erecting tents at outdoor events, which might not sound bad if you’ve never seen how massive those things are…
Children Of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho onstage in 2008 (Image credit: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Perhaps the effort of doing a McJob all day and rocking out at night explains the sheer exuberance of Something Wild, which Spinefarm released in 1997. “I like the energy of that album,” says Alexi. “To me, it just sounds like young dudes who want to crank out metal. It has good vibes, even though I wasn’t an experienced songwriter at the time. Some of the arrangements don’t make any sense, but then again, it was back in the day: death metal songs had wacky arrangements anyway.”
Once the album was out, COB hit the road, first for a Finnish tour and then across Europe with the Swedish death metal band Hypocrisy and German black metallers Agathodaimon. The road was where COB were born to be, says Alexi. “I fuckin’ loved it from the first second! First we just toured Finland, and then we did our first European tour in early 1998. We had a blast, it was so much fun. Was it debauched? Definitely – you can only imagine! Free beer everywhere, and you play a show every goddamn night… We’ve basically been on the road since we were 18.”
Having grabbed the European metal scene’s attention with their blend of death metal, power metal and straightahead heavy stuff, Children Of Bodom recorded Hatebreeder, a noticeable step up in sophistication.
“You can hear the improvements in the band between those two albums – in the songwriting and the arrangements. It was a real leap forward for us,” says Alexi, who also remembers the release as the point when he could finally stop working day jobs. As any budding musician will know, playing music is the easy part: actually paying your bills with it is much more difficult – a fact which Alexi has always appreciated.
“When Hatebreeder came out, that’s more or less when I stopped working other jobs,” he says. “All I ever wanted was to make a living out of music, and I’m so happy about it.”
Although the third album, Follow The Reaper, on which COB experimented with their sound, was a respectable effort, it wasn’t until 2003 and Hate Crew Deathroll that COB made a serious impact. Solid touring in Europe had consolidated the band’s fanbase and a world tour beckoned. “Hate Crew Deathroll was our breakthrough album. We found our sound and our place in the world,” says Alexi.
Although that same world tour claimed a casualty – Alexander Kuoppala, who was replaced by Roope Latvala after citing a lack of enthusiasm for the touring life – nothing could stop Alexi’s hate crew now, and in fact the band even decided to spark up a little controversy by recording a metallised cover of Oops, I Did It Again by Britney Spears.
“We recorded that cover during the Hate Crew Deathroll sessions,” sniggers Alexi. “It was a fun way of freaking people out. We love doing covers anyway, and it was so much fun for us to do a Britney Spears song instead of metal songs: it was more challenging and more fun.” Predictably, a whole bunch of headbangers failed to see the joke. “Man, it was amazing, the reactions we got out of people. A lot of kids were super-mad at us, but I think most people understood the joke.”
Having built up serious momentum, COB were on a roll in 2005 when they released their next album, Are You Dead Yet?, although Alexi noted some moderate whining from people who resented the similar title to the previous year’s Aren’t You Dead Yet? album by Swedish thrashers Carnal Forge. As he says now, “It was a coincidence. I heard about it afterwards and I was like ‘What are you gonna do? The damage is done.’” This last sentence is also pertinent in the light of a bruising encounter between tarmac and Alexi’s skeleton, when he broke his shoulder after a few sherries one night…
“Before we started writing Are You Dead Yet?,” recalls Alexi shamefacedly, “I broke my wrist when I was drunk and acting like an idiot. I was standing on a car roof and it was snowing, so slippery, and I fell and smacked my head on the concrete. I used my wrist to break the fall. I had a cast on for six weeks, so I couldn’t play, which sucked. I started writing songs, though. The good thing was that we’d just got back from the road, so we didn’t have any shows left. If you had to break a wrist, that was the time to do it!”
Alexi and the band in 2006 (Image credit: Mick Hutson/Redferns)
More importantly than either busted arms or inadvertent title clashes, AYDY? was the biggest-selling Children Of Bodom album yet, widening the band’s appeal still more – and Alexi was rewarded in 2006 with a gong for Best Guitarist at that year’s Metal Hammer Golden Gods. Asked if he was chuffed by our recognition of his shredding mastery, Alexi exclaims: “That was awesome! Whenever anything like that happens, it’s always rewarding and flattering. I don’t see myself as the king of the guitar or anything, though. I’m still learning.”
Reluctant as we are to admit that anything is cooler than getting a Golden God award, the most impressive thing to happen to COB that year had to be Slayer’s invitation to join them as part of that year’s Unholy Alliance tour. By this time, Slayer guitarist Kerry King had become a vocal admirer of Alexi’s instrumental prowess, and the idea of the two bands playing on the same stage made sense.
But perhaps not when it came to Alexi attempting to match Kerry’s legendary drinking capacity. Asked if he partied with the Slayer co-founder, Alexi groans. “A lot! He drank me under the table so many goddamn times. It takes a lot to do that, because I can drink more than most people, but when it comes to Kerry King and Jägermeister, dude, there’s no way! I’m telling you, I tried…”
Keyboardist Janne didn’t get off lightly either. “Fuck, we drank so much Jäger with Kerry that I literally couldn’t touch it again for years! Those tours were amazing because they taught us so much about how a really professional tour operates at the top level.”
A few months after the Unholy Alliance tour, Alexi managed to pull off an amazing feat of self-injury, and this time in a deeply un-metal location. He’s laughing as he tells Hammer this next anecdote, but we dread to think how much it must have hurt.
“Ah, the infamous bowling accident,” he sighs. “I was drinking at a bowling alley and I slipped next to the bowling lane, because it’s really fuckin’ slippery and I was wearing those bowling shoes, which are also slippery. Some- how I flipped upside down in the air; I don’t know how it was possible, but I did a complete 180˚ flip and landed on my shoulder.
“That pretty much makes me the biggest fuckin’ idiot walking on this Earth,” he laments. “No one’s ever broken a bone while bowling. Ah well, shit happens, you live and learn…” Except he didn’t…
Blooddrunk came out in 2008 and once again, COB had stepped up their game. “The song- writing and performances had definitely developed again,” nods Alexi. “It was more professional, and we had taken it in a heavier and dirtier direction. I think it had the same sort of anger that Something Wild had.” You want to talk about serious touring? This time COB went for it with all guns blazing, playing at Download and Wacken and touring alongside giants of metal such as Slipknot, Machine Head, Cannibal Corpse and Lamb Of God.
In 2009, Alexi managed to fuck himself up again, this time in bed (the safest place it is possible for a human to be). We’ll let him tell the story in his own words… “Well,” he begins, “when we were on a tourbus, I always used to sleep in the top bunk, which was probably not a good idea to begin with. We were out on tour supporting Lamb Of God, and I guess I had climbed up there to my bunk one night and passed out, with one of my legs hanging outside the bunk or whatever. Then the bus made a really sharp turn and I just fell out. I slammed into the floor pretty hard. My shoulder was fucked up again, and this time I broke a couple of ribs too. I was like, ‘Not again!’ But we were supporting Lamb Of God, so I had to do it. I got some painkillers and played 10 shows with the broken bones.”
Ever broken a rib? Then you’ll know what Alexi went through. “I’ll tell you, dude, broken ribs are some painful shit: even breathing hurts, so imagine what it was like when I was trying to sing and scream!” he says. “I was in fuckin’ agony, seriously. It just got worse and worse, and in the end we had to cancel the last five shows. I sleep in the bottom bunk nowadays, by the way! I still go bowling, though.”
Alexi Laiho: 8 April, 1979 – 29 December, 2020 (Image credit: Joby Sessions/Total Guitar Magazine/Future via Getty Images))
Janne tells us, with massive diplomacy, “It got a bit frustrating, having to cancel shows because Alexi had hurt himself again. You expect a bit of crazy stuff to happen when you’re on the road, of course. Anyway, he hasn’t done it for a while…”
After a covers EP, Skeletons In The Closet, Children Of Bodom released their most recent album, Relentless Reckless Forever, in 2010. “With each album, we’ve come forward as a band, and that’s all we ever wanted to do,” says Alexi. “With this album we’ve got to play countries that we’ve never played before, and I thought we’d been everywhere! We’re almost done with the touring cycle now, so we’re gonna do a bunch of festivals and club shows in the summer, and after that we’re gonna start writing new shit. For release in 2013? Yes, that’s the plan: we want to be a bit quicker between albums than we were last time.”
Does Alexi ever get tired of the album-tour cycle? “I never get sick of it, no,” he tells us. “Sometimes it gets exhausting, and it’s hard to get up in the morning and get to the point when you’re ready to play the show, but you just have to kick your own ass. And you get into the right zone as soon as you hit the stage. Being on stage and seeing the kids always wakes you up!”
Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 231 (May 2012)
Joel McIver is a British author. The best-known of his 25 books to date is the bestselling Justice For All: The Truth About Metallica, first published in 2004 and appearing in nine languages since then. McIver’s other works include biographies of Black Sabbath, Slayer, Ice Cube and Queens Of The Stone Age. His writing also appears in newspapers and magazines such as The Guardian, Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Rolling Stone, and he is a regular guest on music-related BBC and commercial radio.
You may not have noticed, but Toyah Willcox and Robert Fripp‘s Sunday Lunch broadcast series has been quiet of late, with new episodes appearing with less frequency than in days of yore. Instead, old episodes have been sneakily re-uploaded, presumably in the hope that publishers like ourselves don’t notice and write stories proclaiming the pair’s ongoing weekly genius.
Last week, for instance, a typically delightful albeit ragged cover of The Cardigans’ 1998 single My Favourite Game appearedon Toyah’s YouTube channel. “It’s a funny one this week!” read the description beneath the video, as if it were a new clip. “Enjoy, guys!”
Well, the same video originally appeared on the same channel on December 5, 2022. See what we mean? In this post-truth world, even the King Crimson man and his post-punk princess bride appear capable of twisting reality into deceitful new shapes. Well, we’re not falling into that particular trap.
However, we’re thrilled to announce that this week they’re back with an actual new performance. In the latest clip, Frippcox perform a playful cover ofU Should Not Be Doing Thatby Australian oiks Amyl and the Sniffers, and a very creditable performance it is, too. Fripp snarls like he’s auditioning for Britain’s Got Punk Talent, and Willcox dances alluringly on the table because that’s just one of the many things she’s good at.
In barely tangential news, earlier this month King Crimson announced a partnership with Nugs, the online platform that hosts recordings of live performances by acts like Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Pearl Jam and Dead & Company. The first fruits of the deal are now online, and all 19 shows from King Crimson’s Seven Headed Beast 2014 US tour are available to stream or buy on CD.
Toyah and Robert – U SHOULD NOT BE DOING THAT – YouTube
Easy Anglian rock behemoths The Darkness have released the latest single from their upcoming Dreams On Toast album. True to its title, Rock And Roll Party Cowboy is a livewire affair, kicking off with what sounds like a motorbike revving its engine before a classic, old-school riff powers proceedings towards the heart of Saturday night.
“Leather jacket, no sleeves,” sings Hawkins. “Harley Davidson, yes, please!”
Hawkins then goes on to list the items an actual rock’n’roll party cowboy might accessorise with, including a Zippo lighter, Marlboro Reds and “sewn-on patches”, and he’s clearly speaking from experience.
“People recognise me as astronaut pirate movie star cool and that’s obviously accurate,” advises Hawkins. “What they may have overlooked though, is that I am also Rock And Roll Party Cowboy cool… which is a good 15 per cent cooler! I think you’ll recognise that in the first listen.”
Rock And Roll Party Cowboy is the follow-up to I Hate Myself, which was released in December, which was itself the follow-up to The Longest Kiss, whicharrived in September.
The Darkness will celebrate the album’s release with an 18-date UK tour which kicks off with a pair of hometown shows at Ipswich’s Regent’s Theatre on March 6 and 7. The schedule comes to a frothing climax at London’s Wembley Arena on March 29. Support from Northern Irish rock trio Ash. Full dates below.
Dreams On Toast will be released on March 28.
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The Darkness – Rock and Roll Party Cowboy (Official Visualiser) – YouTube
06 Mar: Ipswich Regent’s Theatre 07 Mar: Ipswich Regent’s Theatre 08 Mar: Oxford New Theatre 09 Mar: Swansea Arena 11 Mar: Guildford G Live 12 Mar: Hull Connexin Arena 14 Mar: Liverpool Guild Of Students 15 Mar: Wolverhampton Civic Hall 17 Mar: York Barbican 18 Mar: Edinburgh Usher Hall 20 Mar: Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 21 Mar: Newcastle O2 City Hall 22 Mar: Manchester O2 Apollo 24 Mar: Bristol Beacon Theatre 25 Mar: Portsmouth Guildhall 27 Mar: Leicester De Montford Hall 28 Mar: Cambridge Corn Exchange 29 Mar: London OVO Arena Wembley
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Kendrick Lamar articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Brian Kachejian was born in Manhattan and raised in the Bronx. He is the founder and Editor in Chief of ClassicRockHistory.com. He has spent thirty years in the music business often working with many of the people who have appeared on this site. Brian Kachejian also holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Stony Brook University along with New York State Public School Education Certifications in Music and Social Studies. Brian Kachejian is also an active member of the New York Press.
Celtic Frost were one of the most influential extreme metal bands of the 1980s, releasing classic albums Morbid Tales, To Mega Therion and Into The Pandemonium before losing the musical plot and splitting in the early 1990s. In 2006 they reunited for the acclaimed Monotheist album. As frontman Thomas Gabriel Fischer told Metal Hammer, it was their attempt to erase the mistakes of the past – even if the reunion wouldn’t fall apart once more two years later.
Reunions suck. There isn’t a sadder sight than seeing some band that maybe meant something to you 10 or even 20 years ago getting together again to trot through a set of their greatest hits that somehow never sound quite as good as they once did. And many of them never leave it at that; they insist on making bog awful new albums and playing material from them that nobody wants to hear.
We live in a culture of permanent nostalgia, with even the most extreme bastions of underground metal not immune to the lure of a few bucks to relive some former glories. The past is constantly being recycled and history rewritten. There is not a band who has ever been who can’t be reformed again. You can’t blame the bands; you have to blame their fans who have now grown up and are intent on reliving their own youth and loving them to death.
The rule is this: you can go as long as you want, 20 years, even 30 years, and as long as you don’t actually split up, you can still make fantastic music. Look at Slayer, Metallica and Darkthrone. But as soon as you reform with a so-called ‘classic’ line-up, you become shit. Nobody knows why: it’s just the rule for the way things are.
There are, of course, honourable exceptions. Judas Priest is one. Emperor – arguably – is another. And as soon as the opening assault of Celtic Frost’s belated sixth full-length album Monotheist blasts from your speakers, it’s clear that here is the most exceptional exception to the steadfast rule.
The Swiss band were, along with Venom and Bathory, one of the bands who created extreme metal as we know it today. A whole generation of corpse-painted Norwegians owe their existence to the pioneering work of Celtic Frost, but also bands such as Neurosis and Isis, who incline towards a more progressive and experimental take on metal, acknowledge them with respect. It isn’t quite a two way street: frontman/guitarist Thomas Gabriel Fischer professes no great knowledge of contemporary metal, though 1349’s Ravn sings backing vocals on the new album.
Celtic Frost in 2006: (from left) Franco Sesa, Thomas Gabriel Fischer, Martin Eric Ain (Image credit: Press)
Monotheist much anticipated, then, in many quarters. Planned in secret since 2000, bassist Martin Ain and Fischer have sweated through a tortuous process of creation to deliver an album that is possibly the first great Celtic Frost record since Into The Pandemonium, in 1987 years ago.
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That album was a dazzling demonstration of the possibilities of heavy metal, a crazed bomb wielding anarchist in a room full of ultra conservatives. Yet it marked the start of a terrible struggle that ultimately resulted in the demise of the ‘classic’ line-up.
This feature originally appeared in Metal Hammer issue 153 (May 2006) (Image credit: Future)
“We had so many problems with our record company in the 80s,” says Fischer. “We had to fight for our artistic freedom, for our right to make albums like ‘Into The Pandemonium’ that were very unusual in heavy metal terms. We had to take legal action against them.”
This war of attrition wore the band down. Founding member Ain, who had been Fischer’s partner in the pre-Celtic Frost black/death metal pioneers Hellhammer, left the band.
The glam-tinged Cold Lake, the follow up to Into The Pandemonium, was generally regarded as a failure by fans, critics and Fischer himself. 1990’s Vanity/Nemesis was an unsatisfactory attempt to reset the Celtic Froday sound.
Although Martin rejoined the band around the time of Vanity/Nemesis, he had no input into the songwriting or the production, and to this day Fischer doesn’t actually regard it or Cold Lake as being ‘proper’ Celtic Frost albums. So does he then regard Monotheist as being the legitimate follow up to Into The Pandemonium?
CELTIC FROST – A Dying God Coming Into Human Flesh (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
“Proper Celtic Frost albums are those where both Martin and me were involved in every aspect of production,” he says. “We struggled so hard to make Into The Pandemonium to incorporate the more experimental aspects into the sound of Celtic Frost. In this album the experiments are more integrated into the sound, they aren’t just add-ons. Every album is different. In many ways this one is closer to [1985’s] To Mega Therion than to Into The Pandemonium.”
Celtic Frost were formally wrapped up after the release of 1992’S compilation Parched With Thirst I Am And Dying. That album included new songs that many hoped would be a taster for a forthcoming sixth Celtic Frost album to be called Under Apollyon’s Sun, but alas that wasn’t to be. Fischer decided to go off with guitarist Erol Unala to form the more industrial influenced Apollyon Sun.
“It left both Martin and me feeling that Celtic Frost hadn’t said everything that we were supposed to say,” says Fischer.
In the late 90s they met in a restaurant and talked about the possibility of doing a new album. In 2001, Fischer and Ain began to write music together, along with Erol Unala and drummer Franco Sesa. The plan was to record a very dark and heavy album. It wasn’t planned to take so long but the years racked up.
“We didn’t want to do a cheap cash-in, a quick reunion album. We took our damn time,” says Fischer.
Everyone in the band gave time and money to see that the project was completed. There was a casualty along the way with Unala quitting the band shortly after the album was completed.
Despite this, once all was done and dusted, Fischer and Ain describe it as “the darkest album Celtic Frost have ever recorded” (the original title that they considered was Dark Matter Manifest).
Celtic Frost’s Thomas Gabriel Fischer onstage at London Koko, March 18, 2007 (Image credit: Brigitte Engl/Redferns)
In the process, he explains, they recorded and discarded enough material to fill at least three albums, gradually distilling the songs into the hour or so that fills ‘Monotheist’.
“We were extremely self critical,” he says. “I think that’s a very Celtic Frost trait. Some of the rejected material that we did was interesting and we recorded it to quite a high standard –and we do go back and listen to it from time to time – but we thought ‘what would be the point of making a Celtic Frost album after 20 years if it didn’t actually sound like Celtic Frost songs?’ Some of it was amazing, really experimental, but it couldn’t have been released as a Celtic Frost album.”
Because of their previous bad experiences with labels, they paid for the album out of their own black pockets and then took the finished product around to different record companies – who by that stage were battering down the door in a chequebook waving frenzy.
“There were a million offers, particularly after they heard some of the songs. What was difficult was to get Martin and me to the point in the negotiations where we were happy to let it out of our hands and into the hands of the record label,” says Fischer. “There were a lot of negotiations to make sure that we had the tools to control what we need to.”
The band signed a distribution deal with Century Media at the beginning of the year, after announcing headlining slots at festivals around Europe.
Strangely, Fischer agrees that most band reunions are lame and went through a lot of soul searching before committing to the resurrection of Celtic Frost.
“We’ve had so many offers over the years from promoters, from record companies and from former Celtic Frost members. We’d turn them down and the offers would get higher and higher until it got really insane. For a long time I thought that the very word ‘reunion’ was embarrassing,” he says.
Celtic Frost – live Stuttgart 2007 – b-light.tv – YouTube
Ironically then, the band actually spent a lot of their own money making Monotheist when there were lots of fat cats out there who were prepared to pay them shitloads.
“I think that the impetus had to come from within rather than from without,” says Fischer. “When Martin and I met up in 1999 when we were working on the remastered Celtic Frost albums, we found that there was still so much of a vibe between us, even although it had been 10 years since we last played music together. And from that point on it was a very natural progression. And I think that’s what makes this different from all other reunions. A lot of people may be sceptical about this, of course.”
They may be. Reunions still suck, but Celtic Frost are prepared to let the music answer. It’s always exceptions that prove the rule.
Originally published in Metal Hammer issue 153, May 2006
Tainá Bergamaschi is one of two fierce guitarists in the all-female Brazilian death metal band, Crypta. With two critically acclaimed records – Echoes Of The Soul and their latest, Shades Of Sorrow – Crypta has solidified their place in the global metal scene. The band has been touring relentlessly, bringing their crushing sound to fans worldwide, and they show no signs of slowing down. Now, Solar Guitars is thrilled to introduce Tainá’s first-ever signature guitar: the V1.6TAINA.
Tainá unveils the guitar below. Go to this location for more information and to purchase.
Crypta delivered a thunderous performance on the Ronnie James Dio Main Stage at Bloodstock Open Air 2024 on August 10. Known for their ferocity and crushing sound, the band emerged as one of the festival’s standout acts. Led by the formidable bassist-vocalist Fernanda Lira and the relentless drummer Luana Dametto, Crypta has been rising rapidly in the metal scene since their formation in 2019.
This performance, drenched in raw energy and deep passion, includes highlights like “Lift the Blindfold”, “The Other Side of Anger”, and “From the Ashes.” Each track echoes Crypta’s drive to push boundaries in the genre, leaving a powerful mark on Bloodstock’s massive audience of metalheads.
Setlist:
“The Aftermath” “The Other Side of Anger” “Poisonous Apathy” “Lift the Blindfold” “The Outsider” “Stronghold” “Dark Clouds” “From the Ashes”
Former Sabaton guitarist / Majestica frontman Tommy Johansson has shared his weekly cover, this time performing Van Halen’s 1984 hit, “Jump”.
Swedish power metal champions, Majestica, invite fans to embark on an electrifying journey with their new single, “A Story In The Night”, from their new album, Power Train, set for release on February 7.
A blistering showcase of speed, melody, and storytelling, “A Story In The Night” is a power metal anthem that captures the heart-pounding essence of the genre. The track, clocking in as one of Majestica’s most dynamic works to date, is accompanied by an epic music video that brings the song’s vivid narrative to life with striking visuals and cinematic flair.
Frontman Tommy Johansson comments: ”Fast, extreme, melodic and fast – 4 words that really describes the new single ’A Story In The Night’ perfect.The fastest song on the new album, filled with guitar solos, glorious melodies and epic power metal vocals that tells a tragic story…in the night.”
Watch the video below, and stream the song on all platforms here.
When it came to the process of recording and putting all the pieces together, the band did not change a lot compared to the last projects. Again the music was written, recorded, and produced by Majestica themselves.
“Like our previous albums this one is also produced by ourselves, and we recorded most parts in our new place Majestic Studios. For mixing we went back to Jonas Kjellgren as we have been very happy with the sound of A Christmas Carol and Metal United,” says bassist Chris Davidsson.
Regarding the amazing artwork for Power Train, Chris explains: “For the artwork we teamed up with Jan Yrlund / Darkgrove design. It invites you to join this majepic ride of the Power Train, imagine standing there on the platform eagerly waiting, and you hear ”all aboard”!”
Power Train contains ten brand new tracks and will be available in the following formats: CD Jewel (incl. booklet), Vinyl, and digital.
Power Train tracklisting:
“Power Train” “No Pain, No Gain” “Battle Cry” “Megatrue” “My Epic Dragon” “Thunder Power” “A Story In The Night” “Go Higher” “Victorious” “Alliance Anthem”
“Power Train” video:
Majestica have already confirmed some festival appearances, including 70000 Tons Of Metal 2025, which takes place one week before the release of the album and where fans can have justified hopes that Majestica will also play a few new tracks from Power Train live.
Happy 72nd Nigel Glockler (SAXON) – January 24th, 1953
Happy 58th John Myung (DREAM THEATER) − January 24th, 1967
Happy 57th Michael Kiske (HELLOWEEN, UNISONIC) − January 24th, 1968
HEAVY RELEASES
Happy 36th SKID ROW’s Skid Row – January 24th, 1989
MASTERS OF REALITY’s Masters of Reality – January 24th, 1989
DARK ANGEL’S Leave Scars – January 24th, 1989
Happy 30th VAN HALEN’s Balance – January 24th, 1995
Happy 20th DARK TRANQUILLITY’s Character – January 24th, 2005 STURMGEIST’s Meister Mephisto – January 24th, 2005
Happy 19th SWORN ENEMY’s The Beginning Of The End – January 24th, 2006
Happy 15th PRIMORDIAL’s All Empires Fall – January 24th, 2010
Happy 14th ALLFADER’s Black Blood Flux – January 24th, 2011 ARCHITECTS’s The Here And Now – January 24th, 2011
Happy 13th LAMB OF GOD’s Resolution – January 24th, 2012 LACUNA COIL’s Dark Adrenaline – January 24th, 2012 ABIGAIL WILLIAMS – Becoming – January 24th, 2012 OPERA IX – Strix Maledictae In Aeternum – January 24th, 2012
Happy 11th PRIMAL FEAR’s Delivering The Black – January 24th, 2014 CALIBAN’s Ghost Empire – January 24th, 2014 ELYSION’s Someplace Better – January 24th, 2014
Happy 5th ANNIHILATOR – Ballistic, Sadistic – January 24th, 2020 BREAKING BENJAMIN – Aurora – January 24th, 2020 DAVEY SUICIDE – Rock Ain’t Dead – January 24th, 2020 DAWN OF SOLACE – Waves – January 24th, 2020 HIGHER POWER – 27 Miles Underwater – January 24th, 2020 JORN – Heavy Rock Radio II – Executing the Classics (covers album) – January 24th, 2020 KIRK WINDSTEIN – Dream in Motion – January 24th, 2020 MARCO HIETALA – Pyre of the Black Heart – January 24th, 2020 NERO DI MARTE – Immoto – January 24th, 2020
NOVELISTS – Cèst La Vie – January 24th, 2020 PYOGENESIS – A Silent Soul Screams Loud – January 24th, 2020 TEMPERANCE – Viridian – January 24th, 2020 THY CATAFALQUE – Naiv[ – January 24th, 2020
