Canadian Music Hall Of Fame inductees, Chilliwack, are set to rock the Allan Slaight Stage at Massey Hall on Thursday, May 22 as part of their “Gone Gone Gone – Farewell To Friends Tour”.
Massey Hall is excited to offer you a chance to purchase tickets before they’re on sale to the general public tomorrow. Use presale code GONEGONEGONE to buy tickets. Code is valid today till 10 PM. Get tickets here.
Rising out of the ashes of psychedelia in 1969, Canada’s legendary Chilliwack released 12 albums over a 15 year period producing numerous Canadian and international hits including “Lonesome Mary”, “Fly At Night”, and “California Girl” in the 70’s; and “My Girl (Gone Gone Gone)”, “Whatcha Gonna Do” in the 80’s. All this work led to fifteen gold and platinum certifications, a host of awards, high profile TV appearances and coliseum concert tours. Chilliwack’s reputation for consistently powerful shows continue, and with the live CD There And Back still winning over new fans and delighting long time ones, Bill Henderson and the band are rocking like never before. Hearing the revitalized Chilliwack of today is like hearing those songs for the first time… all over again.
Chilliwack’s “Gone Gone Gone – Farewell To Friends Tour” dates are listed below. Further details can be found here.
Tour dates:
March 21 – Calgary, AB – Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts: Bella Concert Hall 22 – Calgary, AB – Taylor Centre for the Performing Arts: Bella Concert Hall
April 19 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
May 8 – St. Catherines, ON – FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre 10 – Minett, ON – JW Marriott The Rosseau Muskoka Resort 22 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall
July 12 – Parksville, BC – Parksville Outdoor Theatre 20 – Thunder Bay, ON – Old Fort William Historical Park
Led Zeppelin are the cover stars of the new issue of Britain’s leading vinyl, collectables and memorabilia magazine, Record Collector.
Description: This month, there are two cover stars, and they’re quite unconnected, unless you count the fact that they’re both brilliant: Led Zeppelin and XTC. The Zep feature catches the rock behemoths as they work on their colossal double-LP, Physical Graffiti. Zep author Dave Lewis examines the making of the album and remembers the day he bought it in February 1975. We present a double-page spread of PG memorabilia while Nick Anderson compiles a PG discography and David Stubbs assesses the LP’s sonic impact today.
The XTC feature, meanwhile, finds three members of the band routinely described as The Post-Punk Beatles talking in-depth to RC about their incredible run of albums from 1978’s White Music and Go 2 through Drums And Wires, Black Sea, English Settlement to 1986’s Skylarking and beyond. Elsewhere, we meet Brit-reggae/dub pioneer, Dennis Bovell MBE, and half of 80s baroque pop duo, Shelleyan Orphan, and we run down the 45 best 45s ever made by Sheffield pop groups/singers.
Find out more about the new issue of Record Collector here.
In the video below from Gibson TV, Dweezil Zappa recounts the unforgettable story of meeting Eddie Van Halen at just 12 years old and the life-changing gift the legendary guitarist gave him.
Description: In this clip from The Collection with Dweezil Zappa, available now on Gibson TV, listen to Dweezil recount how the legendary Eddie Van Halen showed up unannounced at Dweezil’s house, carrying a purple Kramer guitar with tape over the headstock – an early model he was using before endorsing the brand. Listen to how Dweezil requested that Eddie show him how to play the iconic “Eruption” solo, every guitarist’s dream!
Listen as Dweezil shares the surreal moment Eddie Van Halen attended his school band practice, watching a 12-year-old Dweezil soundcheck “Runnin’ With the Devil.” Noticing his guitar was out of tune, Eddie went home to bring back his own guitar, not only helping him play it correctly but letting Dweezil use it during the performance insisting that he keep the guitar, which Dweezil later customised as a homage to Van Halen’s signature style.
Dweezil also reflects on Eddie’s profound kindness, recounting how Eddie was the first to call him after his father, Frank Zappa, passed away. That early-morning phone call and Eddie’s offer of support left a lasting impression, demonstrating the generosity and heart of a rock legend who wasn’t just an inspiration to a young guitarist and performer on stage but also as a friend.
This is a story of music, mentorship, and the incredible connection between two guitarists at very different stages of their lives and just how important those little impressions can be.
Three-time Grammy-nominated hard rock heavyweights and platinum-selling band Killswitch Engage – Jesse Leach, vocals; Adam Dutkiewicz, guitar; Joel Stroetzel, guitar; Mike D’Antonio, bass; and Justin Foley, drums – are gearing up for the release of their new album, This Consequence, out February 21 via Metal Blade. Pre-order it here.
Today, they have shared the video for the new single, “I Believe”. Watch below.
“‘I Believe’ is about undying hope,” shares Leach. “During difficult times perspective is everything. Knowing deep down that ‘this too shall pass’ has been a beacon of light for me. I do believe there is meaning behind suffering. If we are able to push through difficult times and come out the other side, there is a renewed sense of purpose.”
He continues, “I know there are much more commonalities between all of us as humans than there are differences. The good far outweighs the bad. This is my message to anyone who’s listening, things will get better! However you have to believe that they will!. There is power in faith, there is power in manifestation and prayer! Keep the faith and push forward with the confidence of better days ahead. Do not let this world pull you down into despair. Tomorrow is a new day and a new possibility for change!”
Regarding the album, Leach says, “This Consequence, to me, is the combination of everything the past five years has thrown at us as a band, as humans, and society as a whole. This album is just as much about everybody and their stories as it is for me about my journey personally. Sonically, I love the combination of everybody’s ideas and contributions on this album. It feels more like a collaboration than the past few records have been. When all is said and done, I wouldn’t change anything about this album.”
He adds, “I think it’s the exact record we needed to make. I’m honoured and proud of what we all were able to create and refine through this music and message.”
This Consequence will be available in the following formats:
– CD: 8-panel digipak with spot gloss and emboss + 20-page booklet – LP: Single LP – gatefold jacket with spot gloss and emboss + 8-page 8.5″x11″ booklet – Digital/Streaming
US Vinyl Variants:
– Ancient Stone – Blood Sunset (Indie Retail Exclusive) – Engulfing Moss (Revolver Exclusive) – Cold Dead Eyes (Indiemerch Exclusive) – Charred Rust (Band Store Exclusive)
“Abandon Us” “Discordant Nation” “Aftermath” “Forever Aligned” “I Believe” “Where It Dies” “Collusion” “The Fall Of Us” “Broken Glass” “Requiem”
“Forever Aligned” video:
Killswitch Engage are also returning to the road this winter and spring. Their upcoming winter headline tour features support from Kublai Khan TX, Fit For A King and Frozen Soul, and kicks off on March 5 in Nashville and runs through April 12 in Portland, Maine.
The band has also announced dates for May, which will feature support from Shadows Fall, Fit For A King, and Boundaries.
“We are very excited to be back out on the road in support of our incoming new album,” states Leach. “What better way to roll it out than to have a few dates with our close friends and local boys Shadows Fall with us! They have come back with a vengeance and we want to have them along for the party on these run of shows. To round it out will be the mighty Fit For a King and the heavy hitters Boundaries! All killer, no filler.”
He continues, “This new album means the world to us so we will be giving it our absolute all on these shows. Be sure to come out; it will be one for the memories!”
March 5 – Nashville, TN – The Pinnacle 6 – Chesterfield, MO – The Factory 8 – Fayetteville, AR – JJ’s Live 9 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion 11 – El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center Arena 13 – Las Vegas, NV – The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas 14 – Reno, NV – Grand Theatre at The Grand Sierra Resort 15 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live 17 – Garden City, ID – Revolution Concert House 18 – Seattle, WA – The Paramount 19 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Forum 21 – Penticton, BC – South Okanagan Events Centre 22 – Tsuut’ina, AB – Grey Eagle Resort & Casino 24 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre 27 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center 28 – Waukee, IA- Vibrant Music Hall 29 – La Vista, NE – The Astro 30 – Kansas City, MO – The Midland Theatre
April 1 – Grand Rapids, MI – GLC Live 20 Monroe 3 – Corbin, KY – The Corbin Arena 4 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE 5 – Philadelphia, PA – Franklin Music Hall 6 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Special Events Center 8 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall 9 – Buffalo, NY – Buffalo RiverWorks 11 – Laval, QC -Place Bell 12 – Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena
May 8 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple* 16 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville* 11 – Memphis, TN – Minglewood Hall 13 – New Orleans, LA – The Fillmore New Orleans 14 – Birmingham, AL – Avondale Brewing Company 16 – Daytona Beach. FL – Welcome To Rockville* 17 – Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues 18 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Dome
Forbes Senior Contributor, Hugh McIntyre, is reporting that Metallica is one of the big winners on this week’s “Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart”, the ranking of the most successful tunes in those styles in the United Kingdom. They can almost always be found somewhere on the tally, but this time around, they fill a pair of spaces, with both of their cuts standing out as Top 40 hits, decades after they were released.
“Enter Sandman” lifts very slightly this time around on the list of the bestselling tracks of any rock subgenre throughout the country. This frame, it pushes from #16 to #15, but it’s not their only appearance on that roster at the moment.
Another one of Metallica’s most familiar songs, “Nothing Else Matters,” proves how much it does still matter to this day. The smash narrowly manages to find space on the 40-spot roster this time around, landing at #40 on the “Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart”, after not finding space last week.
Read more at Forbes, and check out the “Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart” – featuring tracks from Guns N’ Roses, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, and others – here.
“Mike Oldfield was pushing it a bit and I was getting edgy. He said, ‘I owed you that because I auditioned with Family and you blew me out.’ Good on him!” Roger Chapman’s journey from local band stage invader to unique prog star
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Roger Chapman was Family’s main songwriter, co-writing the hit singles In My Own Time and Burlesque, from their 1966 formation until their 1973 disintegration. He went on to co-found Streetwalkers and released his first solo album, Chappo, in 1979. He later sang on a Mike Oldfield single, and in 2021, marking the release of Life In The Pond – his most recent record to date – he looked back over his career with Prog.
As a teenager Roger Chapman would take the mic “for a laugh” when the local palais dance band ran through the rock’n’roll hits of the day. He tried to emulate the likes of Little Richard, Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry – but he never dreamed he‘d become a singer, let alone one of the most original vocalists of his generation. Chapman sang with bands on the Leicester gig circuit, including the Rocking Rs and The Exciters, then in 1966 he joined rhythm and blues band The Farinas, who soon became Family.
Over the next seven years the group moved through the psychedelia of their debut Music In A Doll’s House (1968) into one of the most imaginative and respected groups of 70s progressive rock era. Their wide stylistic remit encompassed rock, folk, blues, jazz and eastern influences. They went on to release another six albums, and their singles the Strange BandEP (1970), In My Own Time (1971) and Burlesque (1972) all entered the UK Top 20.
When Family split in 1973 Chapman and guitarist John ‘Charlie’ Whitney continued, initially as a duo, and took a rockier route on their 1974 Chapman-Whitney album Streetwalkers. The line-up morphed into the five-piece Streetwalkers, who toured extensively in the US and UK with The Who, 10cc and Wings, but didn’t achieve the success their albums had promised, and they split in 1977.
Chapman recorded debut solo album Chappo in 1979, and has since been a popular live draw on mainland Europe, particularly in Germany, with his backing group The Shortlist. His most high-profile guest spot was singing Shadow On The Wall on Mike Oldfield’s 1983 album Crises, which was also released as a single. Family reformed in 2013 and played live on and off until 2016.
In 2021, at the age of 79, Chapman released the acclaimed Life In The Pond, his first solo studio album since One More Time For Peace in 2007, which was expanded and reissued as Peaceology seven years later, and the 2009 compilation Hide Go Seek.
How did you get to join The Farinas?
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Quite a few bands in Leicester asked me to join, and I sang with them, although I didn’t stay long; I’m not sure if it was my personality. I was in the building trade, a steel fixer, and one day Charlie Whitney and [saxophonist/vocalist] Jim King came on the site and asked me to join The Farinas. I said yes because they really were the main chaps in Leicestershire. I knew them fairly well and I had a tendency to jump onstage and join in without being asked – which obviously endeared me to them! And [bassist] Ric Grech had been in my previous band The Exciters. We were then called something silly – The Roaring Sixties – then Family.
One of Family’s trademarks was the group’s adventurous arrangements, which date right back to Music In A Doll’s House. Were you consciously trying to sound different?
Everyone had to remember that people liked us because we were playing songs we’d arranged, so they weren’t going to alter them much
In about early ’67, we got picked up by John Gilbert, who wanted to manage us, and he moved us all into a house in Chelsea. We started writing our own songs – and of course we had to write our own arrangements, as opposed to playing other people’s songs and copying their arrangements. That became Music In A Doll’s House. We didn’t know what we were doing; we were just arranging these things the way we liked them. There were three or four of us involved in writing, and the one who had the most input had the most say in what they wanted to hear. From my side there was more rock’n’roll; Charlie was more West Coast; Jim would be jazz.
We were manipulated quite a bit by John, but in a good way. I won’t take anything away from him. We were quite intelligent people, just naïve in a musical sense. He put us in Olympic Studios, and the sort of people recording there were The Stones and The Beatles, Hendrix and Traffic. I think [Traffic guitarist] Dave Mason was brought in to produce because we were pals – not to order us about, but a good producer does need lot of willpower. He has to put up with personalities and what’s going down. But we were actually quite an easy bunch of people to work with. Then there was Jimmy Miller, who produced a couple of tracks as well. But everyone had to remember that people liked us because we were playing songs we’d arranged, so they weren’t going to alter them much.
You played the Middle Earth club in ’68. Were you influenced by the underground culture?
It wasn’t an influence on us; we were already there. Pink Floyd were in it about a year before we were, but we were all part of that same kind of culture. I used to like those gigs. We were playing our strange arrangements – although they weren’t strange to us – and various bands said, “How do you play that music?” But it was just natural.
The early 70s was a time when people were listening out for something new. You could have a hit record with an intense and uncompromising song such as In My Own Time. Did you think that maybe your music could cross over into the pop mainstream?
There was almost an obsession in those days that you didn’t put singles out, or if you did it wasn’t your fault. It was a really strange idea. People might say, “Oh, you’ve sold out.” I’d say, “Why do you think we release records? Not to hide them under the bed! We put them out to sell.” We put out the Strange Band EP with The Weaver’s Answer on the A-side. I think our record company, Reprise, thought The Weaver’s Answer could get on the playlist better.
With In My Own Time, Charlie and I thought, ‘This could be a good single.’ We did the intro twice on the first recording and the record company said, “You can put it out, but just do it once – it’ll be too much for DJs to get into.” So we said, “Alright, we’ll sell out!” It was specially edited for radio play, but we kept our original arrangement live and it became a hit.
This article first appeared in Prog 123 (Image credit: Future)
In the Speakeasy one night, Ritchie Blackmore said to me, “How do you write these hit singles?” I said, “I don’t write hit singles; it’s other people who make them into hits. I just write songs.” And Purple went on to write their own hit singles. But then the more I think about it, the less I know.
You’ve said that the lyrics for The Weaver’s Answer came to you from literary influences and acid. Was that something you did to unlock things creatively?
In California they might take some acid and see if they could write a song, but definitely not in my case. It was nothing to do with being creative – you just took these things to get off on them and to go out. The thing is, when you come back from the club you’re still on it for a bit, so instead of getting to sleep you start getting creative.
I was an avid reader and things I must have read as a kid had stayed in my mind; and all of a sudden they were coming out. I started to write it one night and we had a gig somewhere up north next morning, and I finished it in the van.
Some people have said, with regard to your voice, that you could have achieved the success of people like Rod Stewart or Van Morrison. Do you ever think about your career in those terms?
I only think about it when I read it. I mean, a lot of these guys have respect for what I’ve done as a singer; they know I can seriously sing. But I’ve never really wanted to become a star and I’ve shied away from it at times. I’m just Rog up the street – that’s okay for me.
Not everyone likes the tone of my voice, but there’s nothing much I can do about that. I’ve had people trying to get me to change the way I sang and I thought, “No, I’m not having that at all.” Maybe my approach was like an evangelical preacher down south: you will listen or fuck off!
Family went from being really different and creative to being too ordinary
Your voice has an astonishing vibrato. Did you cultivate that at all?
It was just the sound that came out. I didn’t have a clue it was there. When we were making Doll’s House, about halfway through the album the management brought in various popular DJs of the day. And they said, “Wow, your voice!” And I said, “Oh, what have I done?” And all of the sudden they were telling me how different I was.
I couldn’t even hear it on the playbacks. I didn’t think my voice is strange – I was just singing songs. I could be melodic, quite gentle at times, which I was obviously very capable of doing. And then once I’d got on stage and with certain particles ingested, I’d get a lot more enthusiastic! Which frightened some people, who thought it was just over the top. In retrospect I’ll agree that it was rather over the top at times. But I just do what I do and try not to injure anybody, mentally or otherwise.
When Family split up in 1973, you and Charlie initially carried on as Chapman Whitney. Had you already discussed that option?
I think we’d started to record while all that was happening. We were already writing, and I’d also recorded some solo material with Jim Cregan producing. It was an ongoing thing; we’d get together every couple of weeks and see what we had. Then Reprise asked us if we wanted to make an album of the songs, and it went from there.
Family’s final album It’s Only A Movie has its admirers, but it felt like you might be running out of steam…
Oh, Family definitely ran out of steam, and that’s why it folded. It went from being really different and creative to being too ordinary. I like a bit of rock’n’roll myself, but it lost all the good intentions. Booze had also become a big thing and booze doesn’t do your shows any good at all.
The music that you and Charlie made in Streetwalkers seemed really to be an extension of the funkier style that Family played on Burlesque.
From being Leicester-ites, Charlie and I fell into this whole culture of musicians who were living in London. And whereas for the past seven years in Family, we only heard each other playing and got used to that, these guys were different – I wouldn’t say better, but different. After we recorded the album, the record company asked us to promote it, and we played a show in town and it went very well. We decided to carry on as a group, then Bob Tench joined on guitar and vocals, and we got Nicko McBrain [who’d later join Iron Maiden] on drums, and a guy called Tim Hinkley on keyboards.
Streetwalkers had a more direct sound. I don’t know why it happened like that: maybe it was just Bob’s fiery guitar. As a solo singer I’ve always enjoyed it when people joined in on singing. Jim, Ric and I all used to share vocals in Family, and Bob has a fantastic voice. It was like soul singers on a rock base. I think it was quite different for its time.
You wrote songs with Charlie Whitney for 11 years. Can you describe how the chemistry worked between the two of you?
Charlie would come up with these difficult and magical chord sequences that were just outrageous, and I had some lyrics; I just sang a melody straight through them. I could do that without even thinking about it. Maybe if he had been with a more classical person there might have been a more classical direction to these chords. I was the simple one! I had one talent, he had the other, and we merged together very well, it seems.
I said, “Yes, I’ll sing on anything.” I’ve always been like that; it’s just interesting
Did it to come as a surprise when Mike Oldfield asked you to sing Shadow On The Wall?
Mike had said to this pal of mine, would I like to sing on the album? And I said, “Yes, I’ll sing on anything, really.” I’ve always been like that; it’s just interesting. I met Mike and gave him a couple of my albums, Hyenas Only Laugh For Fun and Chappo. He sent me this riff and it was quite like the sort of music I like anyway. I went to his studio and he gave me an old fag packet with some words on it and we created Shadow On The Wall. And thankfully it went into people’s consciousness and became a huge hit. I was very grateful for that.
Is it true that Oldfield auditioned as a bass player for Family?
When we were in the studio, Mike was a little strong, pushing it a bit, and I was getting a bit edgy – as you do. He said, “You’re getting the hump, aren’t you? Well, I owed you that because I went for an audition with Family and you blew me out!” That must have been in 1971 when John Weider left and John Wetton joined. I didn’t remember that – but anyway, good on him!
Why do you think you’ve been so popular in Germany as a solo artist?
The countries in Eastern Europe liked me as well. I don’t know, maybe it’s just my attitude: maybe they just like the freedom of speech more. But I’m grateful for it. In Germany they give you more room to do things that are a bit further afield musically. Just because you’re not on pop TV or radio doesn’t mean that you’ll be counted out.
Did you enjoy the Family reunion? Prog saw you in 2013 at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire. It sounded great and there was a lot of love in the room.
The really emotional part for me was the first two dates, being on stage and reconnecting with Charlie and Jim and Ric. In retrospect that’s when we should’ve finished. But we got quite a few more offers to go out and do gigs. In rehearsal it sounded like this fantastic orchestra playing Family tunes, it really did, with all the intricacies worked out properly, and adding some musical elements. But some guys wanted us to tear the place up.
The idea was to make it musical, not try to rip the ceiling down, and some people didn’t get with it
Back in the day we were not thoughtful – we just played it, drunk or stoned. But by the time we got into our 60s and 70s the idea was to make it musical, not try to rip the ceiling down, and some people didn’t get with it. They were saying, “This is not what Family used to be.” I’m sorry that I couldn’t be sick on the front row, but there you go!
One review of Life In The Pond stated: “The band are excellent.” But isn’t it just you and ex-Family multi-instrumentalist John ‘Poli’ Palmer?
It’s all programmed. The only three musicians on it are me, Poli and Geoff Whitehorn [from Procol Harum] on lead guitar.
Mike Oldfield – Shadow On The Wall (Official Video) – YouTube
Not really, –we started it in late 2019. We’ve always been close; and recently Poli joined my band, Roger Chapman, Family And Friends. He has a studio in Putney. I said, “I’ve got some new stuff; I’d like to come over and demo some things.” The first song I took over was Dark Side Of The Stairs. We put it down and said, “This is great – shall we do a few more to see what happens?”
We wrote all the songs together, and did the arrangements and production ourselves. Geoff came in later because we needed a live guitar player. Poli can also play drums. We’d be doing the songs and saying, “If we were on stage now we’d be doing this,” and we started to add that sort of element into the production. Because the thing I realise is that most of the albums I make don’t get what I do onstage, because I’m more conservative when I’m in the studio. When I’m free and open I can go anywhere. I’m being big-headed, but my timing and tuning is second to none. That’s why it sounds real – because Poli and I were making it sound like a band. The only difference is that nothing’s out of time!
I never chose to be a songwriter, but thoughts and images came to me, and thankfully still do
What sort of things inspire your lyrics nowadays?
I never chose to be a songwriter, but thoughts and images came to me, and thankfully still do. It may seem a little far-fetched at times, but they are mostly things that have stirred me through the day, although they might be subliminal thoughts. I’ll just watch TV, see the news and read the papers about all the arseholes that are out there. Writing all this down is the way I can have a go at them.
Do you have any plans to play this new music live?
I’m sure lots of people would like me to, and I’d like to myself, but I can’t be bothered with booking things in until there’s a definite future. I’m just pleased to get this album out and it’s got a great response from all over the world. The guys from the label Ruf Records seem have a lot of faith in me, and if it does well I’ll bask in the glory – I’ll go to my pub and let everyone buy me a drink.
Mike Barnes is the author of Captain Beefheart – The Biography (Omnibus Press, 2011) and A New Day Yesterday: UK Progressive Rock & the 1970s (2020). He was a regular contributor to Select magazine and his work regularly appears in Prog, Mojo and Wire. He also plays the drums.
Four years, nine months and 23 days – that’s how long Slayer’s retirement lasted. When the thrash icons announced back in February that they would be returning with a trio of festival shows after they took their allegedly final bow in November 2019, it was a complete shock – not least because guitarist Kerry King was about to drop his debut solo album, taking a few shots at his not-so-former bandmate, Tom Araya, in the press in the process.
But you can’t keep a great band down. The two comeback shows they played in the US (Hurricane Helene put paid to the third) were as triumphant as we wanted, celebrating past glories and burnishing their legacy. They’re warning us not to expect any new music, but think of it this way: a world with Slayer back in it is infinitely better than a world without them. In celebration of their live reunion, we asked longtime super-fan and Body Count leader Ice-T for his take.
Did you expect a Slayer comeback in 2024?
“I always expected it would happen. Kerry King has come out and done his own band, but it’s not gonna take much to get them back together. It’s different when a group retires to when a group breaks up. When a group breaks up, you may never see them again. But when a group retires, that’s just taking a break. I’m like, ‘Yeah, that means they’ll retire from the ritual of touring, but they’ll play one-off gigs down the road.’ The worst thing is to retire and nobody gives a fuck and people go ‘Good riddance’, but that’s never gonna happen with Slayer, is it?!”
Do you want to hear new music from them?
“Of course. You always want to hear new music from bands you love. That’s like saying Body Count shouldn’t make a new album. They should do whatever the fuck they want.”
Why do Slayer still matter after all this time?
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“Slayer’s a one-off band. There’s no group like them. They created a sound – they’re the bar as far as precision, this fast thing that knows how to stop on a dime. Body Count have been fortunate enough to work with them, they’ve allowed us to cover them. We’re in debt to Slayer forever.”
BODY COUNT – Raining In Blood / Postmortem 2017 (OFFICIAL VIDEO) – YouTube
Former Megadeth member Marty Friedman offers guitar tips with a sensual twist in a new interview.
Talking to Ultimate Guitar, the famed thrash metal player, who left Megadeth in 2000 and has since pursued a successful multimedia career in Japan, likens mastering the instrument to getting better at sex, in that practising alone doesn’t necessarily correlate to improving at “the real thing”.
“Everything that I always say about this can be related to sex in some way,” Friedman says before offering some sage advice on the six-string. “If you practise at home, you’re going to get good at practising at home. If you go out and do the real thing [performing onstage], you’re going to get good at doing the real thing.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Friedman admits that he hasn’t practised guitar playing at home in “probably three decades”. “I’m playing guitar so incredibly much, all of the time: either performing, writing, rehearsing, recording,” he explains.
He later adds that playing his instrument for live crowds since his mid-teens has been extremely helpful for his development.
“I’ve been very lucky that I’ve been playing live since I was 14, 15, so all I’ve been doing since then is creating music and performing it, and oftentimes having to explain it, whether it be guitar seminars or music videos for instructional things. So, I have to know exactly what it is I’m doing.”
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“I was in too much pain to think,” he writes. “I fell off the couch and couldn’t move. My heart was racing like a coke fiend about to go into cardiac arrest, and the palpitations were so strong they hurt the muscles in my chest. Fucking hell, could this be a heart attack?”
“Had I taken that offer, I would have been paid less in a week than I made in a normal day in Japan,” he remembers. “I was stunned and angry and told them I couldn’t even consider it. I made a counteroffer, which was the bare minimum I could accept, and far less than I have received from any of the artists I’ve toured with in Japan.”
Friedman eventually did reunite with Megadeth, but only for one night, playing two songs with the thrashers during their 2023 show at the Budokan venue in Tokyo.
“If Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell were to decorate their shared home in heaven, they would use our Dirty Collection.” Flexing an imaginary endorsement from two dead rock stars must surely be the weirdest and most random product launch idea ever
Ever wondered what home improvements Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell might undertake if the two deceased rock legends were to wind up sharing an apartment in the afterlife? Or, more specifically, have you ever mused upon which colours of paint the former frontmen of Nirvana and Soundgarden might choose were they to decorate an imaginary shared home in heaven? We’re going to go out on a limb here and predict that your answer to both questions here is a hard ‘No’, because to do so would be pretty fucking weird, right? And yet this is the angle that a British paints company has chosen to promote their imminent launch of a new product range.
According to the press release we received today, YesColours’ new Dirty Collection, set for launch on February 1, is “a rebellious set of earthy paint colours that extend a gentle wink to the mighty colour wheel in all its glory.” Good stuff. But wait, there’s more…
“These hues are our grunge heroes with a sexy AF personality,” the press release continues, much to our delight, because up to now sourcing paint with a “sexy AF personality” was proving to be a real ball-ache if we’re perfectly honest.
Do tell us more, ad agency friends!
“We firmly believe that if Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell were to decorate their shared home in heaven, they would use nothing else but our Dirty Collection.”
Really? Really? That’s a belief you hold strongly, is it? A hill you’d be prepared to die on? I mean, you do you huns, but it does seem like a bit of a stretch, respectfully.
But do carry on.
“As we embrace all of the emotions in our homes, these muted paint colours are sure to create a brooding atmosphere, even if it’s a little unconventional.”
Okie dokie. Gotcha.
Now, to be fair to YesColours, there is a connection between the early ’90s grunge explosion and paint. If Kurt Cobain and Bikini Kill’s Kathleen Hanna hadn’t teamed up to spray-paint the words ‘fake abortion clinic’ and ‘God Is Gay’ on the walls of a teen pregnancy centre in Olympia, Washington in August 1990, and then got utterly wasted together to celebrate their successful graffiti protest, then Hanna might never have scrawled the phrase ‘Kurt smells like Teen Spirit’ on Cobain’s bedroom wall, and Nirvana’s lead single from Nevermind might have emerged with an entirely different and possibly less intriguing title.
Might the pair have liked to have had the option of choosing between Dirty Red, Dirty Peach and Dirty Yellow paints for their spirited act of rebellion/vandalism? Who among us can honestly say for sure?
But still, with all that said, it’s still fucking weird YesColours. Even if your palette is, as you claim, inspired by “real-life experiences, food and music”, and part of your stated mission “to open up colour to everyone”.
By the way, do tell Kurt and Chris that we just love what they’ve done with the place… heavenly!
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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
Kreator singer/guitarist Mille Petrozza has revealed which of the thrashers’ songs was influenced by 9/11.
Talking exclusively to Metal Hammer, the frontman says that the Germans’ 2005 track Enemy Of God drew from the panic and anger engendered by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001.
“It describes the confusion, when this thing happened and everyone was like, ‘Whoa, fuck man, it’s the end of the world!’” Petrozza explains.
“It really captured the chaos of the time. It captured the vibe of everybody not knowing what’s gonna happen next. Everybody thought, ‘Now World War III is gonna come!’ It didn’t, but it was still a tragic event.”
Watch the full chat with Petrozza, where he names the five essential Kreator songs, below.
During a Hammer interview back in 2019, Petrozza stated that Enemy Of God “is one of the strongest Kreator tracks ever”. “Under the impression of September 11, 2001, I wrote this song in 2002,” he said, “and it ended up becoming the title track to our 2005 album. The lyrics are obviously about terrorism.”
Despite Kreator having written tracks about such real-world events as 9/11, Petrozza said during a discussion with Alter Bridge’s Mark Tremonti in 2022 that his band are not a political act.
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“If you were to call Kreator a political band, I wouldn’t like that term,” he explained. “We’re having to deal with politics all day! When I listen to metal, I don’t want to listen to more politics. For me, it’s more on a humanistic level: ‘Fuck, this sucks! Why isn’t there world peace? Why can’t it happen?’”
The frontman pointed to the then-recent Russian invasion of Ukraine as an example. “I don’t care who thinks it’s right or wrong; war is so outdated. I’m so disappointed that we see another war around the corner in Europe.
“Today, I took the train from Berlin to Essen; the whole train was full of people that had left Ukraine. They’ve had to leave their homes! What the fuck is happening?!”
Kreator’s latest album, Hate Über Alles, came out in 2022 and the four-piece are currently at work on a follow-up. Petrozza said via social media last year that he and his bandmates will re-enter the studio in early 2025.
Meanwhile, the film has the working title Dystopia And Hope and is being directed by German filmmaker, author and producer Cordula Kablitz-Post.
“The whole concept came from Cordula, who approached us with this proposition and she has full creative control,” Petrozza said of the documentary last year. “She is a very well-respected director who has produced some incredible cinematic documentaries in the past, so I’m very excited to see the finished film.”
5 Essential Kreator Songs By Mille Petrozza | Metal Hammer – YouTube
