When I first got started in this business back in 1985, there was considerable value in an album of recorded music, in and of itself. An LP or cassette was, at that time, the primary item a band could offer for sale, and certainly the most important connection they had with their fans. Record companies recognized this value by financing the recording process in legitimate studios, and they would see the project through each creative element until it hit the store shelves. More importantly, the band at hand would be focused primarily, if not entirely, on creating meaningful music. Read more...
In 1993 my band Prong released a record called Cleansing. It featured a song called "Snap Your Fingers ,Snap Your Neck". Who knew that 16 years later I would still be breaking my back doing Prong, and busting my ass, literally, on a weird diet called the "Master Cleanse." Read more...
Hello, my name is JD DeServio from Black Label Society and Cycle of Pain, and I'm an addict --a sports addict!
I've always been way into sports and my teams (New York Rangers, New York Giants, New York Mets, New York Knicks). Read more...
photo by Alex Solca
Cannibal Corpse bassist and songwriter Alex Webster has obviously heard tons of comparisons between his band and other death metal acts, including ex-vocalist Chris Barnes' group Six Feet Under and vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher's former band Monstrosity. He has probably also taken part in at least a few heated conversations about which musicians are better than other musicians. In his first guest entry for HeadbangersBlog.com, Webster addresses why metal fans feel inclined to rank their favorites and why he has determined that such discussions are completely irrelevant.
As long as I've been a fan of music, I've always heard arguments about which band is the best, which musician is the best and so on. When I was young, these arguments would be among friends or maybe presented in a magazine by a writer, and of course now you can find them all over the internet. It's pretty hard not to run into a "who's the best" type argument on any music website that has a forum or allows comments. Read more...
Atlanta, Georgia progressive death metal band Daath are getting ready to launch a tour with Cynic and Dragonforce which runs from April 15 in Anaheim, California through July 31 in Urbana, Illinois. Many musicians in such situations dread the endless miles they'll have to drive between cities as they zigzag the country. Guitarist Eyal Levi is more concerned about the planes they'll occasionally have to board to travel extremely long distances, especially overseas. In this edition of "Jumping Darkness Parade," Levi addresses his crippling fear of flight and how he combats his anxiety.
I’m writing this from 33,000 feet where I’m being shaken like a baby by an abusive father, like a heroin addict going through withdrawal, like an alcoholic on the way to work -- YOU GET THE F--KICK POINT!
Anyone who knows me knows that I hate flying with a passion, but that I have to do it a hell of a lot -- Waaaaay too much for someone that hates it. This hate isn’t new. I've been this way since I saw that movie “Alive” when I was 13 years old. No joke. Somehow, that stupid movie about soccer-playing cannibals made me have near-anxiety attacks every single time I stepped foot on an airplane. Read more...
When you pose for publicity photos like tongue-in-cheek metal band Psychostick in the above shot, maybe sex, drugs and fame aren't really an option. But that seems to be just fine with guitarist Josh Key, who titles his HeadbangersBlog.com guest entry, "Screw the Sex, Drugs and Fame... We Tour for Food." Click "more" to read what the dude's got on his plate. Read more...
The debut album by Los Angeles industrial rock album, The Bull, which features a recontextualized cover of Danzig's "Mother," came out on Tuesday, and that's reason enough for us to invite the band's frontman Stacey Quinealty to write us a guest blog.
Considering the unchained, hedonistic vibe of the album, we expected something about rocking, partying and getting arrested. Instead, Quinealty checked in with a thoughtful essay about the struggle between man and machine that grows worse with the advancement of technology. Click "more" to read the guest blog and stream the full album. Read more...
Most of us in the Red Fang camp have been watching "Headbangers Ball" since Riki Rachtman had hair. In the ate '80s, the show was a metalhead's only reason to live. Just saying the name brings back memories of betamax tapes with labels like “DON'T ERASE! WASP, SCORPS, MAIDEN...” Remember when Adam Curry used to host it? He would be chillin' with Tabitha Soren one minute talking about Wham or some s--t, then the next minute he would throw on some tight pants and talk about Megadeth -- as if the pants made him metal. I'm 99 percent sure that no self respecting rocker ever thought, "Well, I didn't think he was a real rocker, but he did have tight pants on..."
Okay, enough reminiscing, let's get down to business. The one complaint I consistently hear from other bands on the the road is how hard eating good can be. This is something I have never understood. During all the years I have been on the road with Red Fang, eating has never been a problem. Sure, if you're one of those people that likes fancy places where you get to hold the menu, you might have trouble, but a well seasoned crew such as the Fang laugh in the face of such hoity-toityness. Truck stops, gas stations, corner markets and even the occasional grocery store (if someone found some money on the ground or somethin') are chock full of all the fuel needed to keep this well lubricated machine on the road.
Over the last few weeks on the road I have been compiling the be all, end all, definitive guide to eating right on the road. What you are about to read could change your life... You're welcome. Read more...
On April 21, Atlanta band Daath will release their second album, The Concealers, which was produced and mixed by Jason Suecof and Mark Lewis (Trivium, DevilDriver). Before he gets tied up in promotions and touring, guitarist Eyal Levi wanted to start working with us on a new column, which he hopes to update with some frequency. Here's the first installment of "Jumping Darkness Parade."
I love music. I love the music business. Funny that people say they hate it so much. If it was so truly so bad they wouldn't be in it. True, there are lots of scumbags to deal with. Trust me. In my various pursuits in music I've encountered my share. I've fired plenty and I'm sure I will again. You can't avoid it. These are the bottom feeders. Read more...
Right now, EyeHateGod frontman Mike IX Williams, one of the founders of the NOLA heavy metal scene, is probably slumped in a corner somewhere sleeping off the decadence and debauchery of last night's Mardi Gras celebration, and in just a few hours he'll start preparing for tonight's braincell-popping party.
Actually, the week-long alcohol imbibing, breast-baring bacchanalia of Mardi Gras is maybe only slightly more extreme than Williams' daily lifestyle, but it offers the perfect timing for the vocalist's guest blog about the tenacity and resilience of New Orleans and its thriving metal scene. Click more to read on. Read more...
