TEN ALBUMS THAT CHANGED MY LIFE written by Wayne Static

1) KISS "ALIVE" Before discovering Kiss I was not really into music. I was very young and all I knew of music was what my parents listened to (mostly Elvis) and whatever pop song was on the radio. I remember going to the drug store (there was no record store in my town, the drug store had a small music section) and staring at the cover photo and thinking "this is the coolest thing I've ever seen." I saved my allowance money for two weeks and purchased the record. After that Kiss was my life.
They were all I thought about. I wanted to be Paul Stanley. I started my first band shortly after that. We called ourselves Black Diamond and played all Kiss songs.

2) RUSH "HEMISPHERES" At some point I started getting burned out on Kiss, and saw a music video by Rush. Their music immediately drew me in. There was a certain darkness to it, I loved all the moody sections of the songs. I went down and purchased the only Rush album I could find in the racks, Hemispheres. Alex Lifeson became my new guitar hero and I strived to make my guitar sound like his. I learned as many Rush songs as I could figure out. My band started playing a lot of Rush cover songs. Then my voice changed and that was the end of covering Rush songs!

3) JOY DIVISION "UNKNOWN PLEASURES" The first time I heard Joy Division was at a small party. I remember walking into the house and hearing this haunting dark music playing in the background. I asked my friend what was playing on the stereo. I ran out the next day and bought the record. That was the beginning of the Goth years for me. This was in 1984, there was no Hot Topic or any other store selling that type of clothing, so I put all of my clothes into a big bucket with some black fabric dye.

4) THE SISTERS OF MERCY "FIRST AND LAST AND ALWAYS" Fully entrenched in the idea of being Goth, I spent time at record stores seeking out more music. I came across The Sisters and fell in love with the dance beats, the melodic guitars, and that deep voice. This band was the inspiration for dying my hair black and spiking it. The Sisters were the epitome of Goth.

5) MINISTRY "TWITCH" I first discovered Ministry in 1984. My sister's boyfriend's brother was in the band at the time and I went to see them play in Chicago. At this time Ministry was moving away from their early synth pop sound and beginning to create a new genre of dark music called Industrial. I was getting into dance beats a lot, and this album was cutting edge at the time. This is still my favorite Ministry record, even though Al Jourgensen won't even talk about it or play it live.

6) THE CULT "LOVE" I first heard the song "She Sells Sanctuary" while
hanging out at The Smart Bar, a dance club in Chicago. I was underage
but no one seemed to care back then. That song was the perfect mix of dance floor beats, hooky guitars, and one of the best voices in rock.
Add in some Goth sensibility and The Cult became my new favorite band.
I wanted to be just like singer Ian Asbury so I grew my hair long just like his and started wearing tuxedo shirts and bell bottom pants.

7) PRONG "BEG TO DIFFER" I happened to be watching the original Headbanger's Ball one night. I was not really into Metal at the time, but I heard this cool music at the start of the show, and then Ricki Rachman said the music was by a band called Prong. Then they played the video for the song Beg To Differ. I had never heard guitars that sounded like that, mixed with the non-melodic rhythmic vocals and funky drum beats. I fell in love with this album, and started getting into Metal because of it.

PANTERA "VULGER DISPLAY OF POWER" As I was seeking out Metal bands (the entire genre was new to me still) I heard the song Walk on a college radio station. I thought to myself, "this is the most amazing
shit I've ever heard!" I did everything I could to make my guitar
sound like Dime. I bought a noise gate pedal and started writing tight rhythmic riffs. This is also when I started trying to scream instead of sing. I had never heard anyone sing like Phil. To sum up: This band blew my f*cking mind!

9) CROWBAR "OBEDIANCE THROUGH SUFFERING" In my never ending quest to discover new Metal bands I came across Crowbar. I had never heard music this slow and low. I tuned my guitar down to B so I could play along with the record. I heard somewhere that the band was looking to replace their guitar player who had just quit. I called their record label and they gave me band leader Kirk's home phone number! I called him up, introduced myself, and asked for an audition. I flew down to New Orleans prepared to play all their songs. Instead of jamming, the band and myself sat around all weekend and drank beer. I guess that was my audition! I weighed about 120 pounds at the time and just couldn't keep up with those guys. I didn't get the gig, but I never tuned my guitar back up after that.

10) PRODIGY "THE FAT OF THE LAND" Around 1994 I moved to Los Angeles and started getting back into dance/industrial music again. This was around the time I was forming Static-X and was searching for a new and exciting musical direction. The Fat Of The Land was certainly new and exciting. Most of the dance music at that time got boring very quickly because there were no songs. Prodigy proved that you could have songs with vocals and still keep the dance floor pumping. This band put the idea of Evil Disco in my head and marked the birth of the Static-X sound.

Even though this St. Louis area pizza chain doesn't have anything to do with one of metal's greatest ever quartets, they would clearly benefit from some clever marketing.

We recommend the following Pantera menu items: Cowparts From Hell (ground beef, steak, roast beef, pot roast, extra jalapenos); the Great Southern Overkill (BBQ beef, pork, mushrooms, bacon, sausage, green peppers, onions, olives, pineapple, corn, pasta, ham, chitlins, grits, extra jalapenos); Strength Beyond Strength (ham, bacon, beef, pork, chicken, broken glass, staples, safety pins, extra jalapenos); Dimebag Deluxe (extra cheese, BBQ sauce, sausage, Crown Royal, Sky Vodka, Pabst Blue Ribbon, firecrackers, extra jalapenos); and finally, the Vinnie Paul (extra beef, extra pork, extra cheese, extra ham, extra sausage, extra pepperoni, diced panties, quartered bra cups, vodka, gin, whisky, bourbon, beer, moonshine, extra jalapenos).

Before they could pay homage to the greats, though, they'd have to redecorate a bit. Pink lettering for "Pantera," after all, is grounds for a major lawsuit for defamation of character -- or at least facial reconstruction from singer Phil Anselmo.

This is what he looks like when he's screaming mad:

We're as fed up with PC rock stars as the next cranky cynic, but this one just seems to fall under the "maybe you shoulda thought twice before doing that" department.

Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil -- who battled the bottle for years and was once so drunk behind the wheel, he flipped his car and killed the drummer of another band -- is opening a bar in West Palm Beach called Dr. Feelgood's Rock Bar, after the 1989 Mötley Crüe disc, Dr. Feelgood, reports the Florida Palm Beach Post.

The building, which currently houses the MonkeyClub, will feature Vince's rock memorabilia and his collection of Harleys, but not any pieces of the car he flipped. Also in a move of questionable taste, the bar area will be modeled after a pharmacy, with liquor bottles displayed between oversized pill bottles and heroin needles -- just kidding about the needles thing. Those will be available behind the bar.

Not to be outdone by Hooters, the barmaids will be dressed in skimpy nurses uniforms. Neil is expected to give a free concert for the opening. Who says the Osbournes are the only philanthropic metal celebrities?

Other investors in Dr. Feelgod's Rock Bar include former Miami Dolphins offensive tackle, Todd Wade and ex-Florida Gator quarterback Bob Hewko.

Now for someting that's actually worthwhile: the video for Mötley Crüe's "Looks that Kill."

Catch Chimaira on the No Fear tour with Killswitch Engage, Dragonforce, and He Is Legend. See dates below...

Until then, Watch "Ressurection":

Apr 26 2007 7:00P
Cafe Iguana Monterrey, MX
Apr 27 2007 7:00P
Circo Volador Mexico City, MX
Apr 29 2007 7:00P
Teatro Teleton Santiago, CL
Jun 1 2007 12:00P
Earthshaker Days Zurich, CH
Jun 7 2007 7:00P
Academy Glasgow, UK
Jun 8 2007 7:00P
Balmoral Hall Belfast, IE
Jun 9 2007 7:00P
TBA Sheffield, UK
Jun 10 2007 12:00P
Download Festival Donington, UK
Jun 15 2007 12:00P
Provinssi Rock Seinäjoki, FI
Jun 17 2007 12:00P
Nova Rock Nickelsdorf, AT
Jun 20 2007 7:00P
TBA Berlin, DE
Jun 21 2007 7:00P
013 Tilburg, NL
Jun 22 2007 12:00P
Hellfest Clisson, FR
Jun 24 2007 12:00P
Graspop Festival Dessel, BE

Don't miss the debut of Clutch's new video for "Electric Worry" on this weekend's "Headbangers Ball."

The band filmed the clip earlier this year at the historic Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown, Maryland. The track comes from the band's new album From Beale Street to Oblivion, which came out March 27 and entered the Billboard album chart at #52, the highest-ever debut for the eclectic metal veterans.

The disc was produced by Joe Barresi and is full of stoner metal riffs, southern rock licks, blues metal rhythms and straight out rock jams.

"This is probably the most 'live' album we have recorded," said frontman Neil Fallon on the band's Web site. "We went out for a few weeks, and played the music on the road. So, when we went into the studio, all of us knew exactly what was going to happen — a first for Clutch. I don't know why we haven't done it this way all along; it's so much easier."

The band also recorded the basic tracks directly to tape, a technique they haven't used since their 1998 album, The Elephant Riders. "There's nothing digital on there at all," Fallon says. "And this record has a few more bluesy elements than has been the case in the past, but nothing so blatant that it could be called alien to what we do. Musically, we've become much more of a rock 'n' roll band now, as opposed to being metal or hardcore. "Our style is riff-oriented, with a swing."

Clutch return from their current European tour following a show in Copenhagen, Denmark on April 29. They begin their next U.S. tour on May 11 in Washington, D.C. Dates are scheduled through June 17 in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Now watch the strange and wonderful "Burning Beard"

The folks at Century Media announced last week that Behemoth will join Ozzfest this summer opening for Second Stage Headliners Hatebreed.
Check out their video for "Conquer All":

Kittie has unveiled the logo for their new record label X of Infamy.
On Febuary 20th, the gals released their new album "Funeral for Yesterday" on the new X of Infamy imprint. Girl Power rulez!

Check out the video for "Funeral for Yesterday":

In case your just getting to know the band Seemless, you'll notice some familiar faces, since its members come from metal giants Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, and Overcast. Seemless has announced that they will be the tour support on Soil's North American dates.

Check out their video for "Cast No Shadow":

Here are the tour dates:

May 1st - Vnuk's Lounge - Cudahy, WI
May 2nd - The Machine Shop - Flint, MI
May 3rd - Elixur - Rockford, IL
May 4th - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
May 7th - The Buffalo Icon - Buffalo, NY
May 8th - Ace's - Johnstown, PA
May 10th - Crocodile Rock - Allentown, PA
May 12th - Jaxx - West Springfield, VA
May 13th - Webster Theatre - Hartford, CT
May 16th - Jester's Pub - Fayetteville, NC
May 17th - Hooligans - Jacksonville, NC
May 18th - Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC
May 21st - Exit / In - Nashville, TN
May 22nd - Zydeco - Birmingham, AL
May 25th - The Ritz - Warren, MI
May 26th - The Pearl Room - Mokena, IL
May 27th - Level 8 - Evansville, WI

On March 26, at the world's first virtual press conference, Korn, Hellyeah and Atreyu talked with fans about this year's Family Values (click here, for the full story on MTVnews.com).

Fans got inside tour lineup information directly from the artists, as they went online to interact with computer generated images of their favorite band members. "The fans really made last year's tour incredible, so we just had to do it again this year," said Korn singer Jonathan Davis. "We could not be more excited about this year's lineup."

The tour launches on July 16 in St. Louis, Missouri, and will also feature Evanescence, Trivium and Flyleaf.

"We are very psyched to see some of our favorite bands and getting all of our fans together for this amazing festival," said Evanescence frontwoman, Amy Lee.

In addition to normally priced house seats, lawn seats will be available for $9.99 at every outdoor stop. "It's important to us that we do all we can to have a great line-up and make this tour affordable," said Davis. "Live music should be something that all of us should be able to share together. The success of last year's tour proves we can make a difference. I believe it has already had an effect on a lot of other tours, and that's cool."

Family Values will hit the following cities (dates and venues TBA): St. Louis, MO; Minneapolis, MN; Chicago, IL; Columbus, OH; Camden, NJ; Boston, MA; Washington DC; Hartford, CT; Buffalo, NY; Detroit, MI; Toronto, ON; Pittsburgh, PA; Scranton, PA; East Rutherford, NJ; Indianapolis, IN; Atlanta, GA; Orlando, FL; Miami, FL; Tampa, FL; Dallas, TX; Houston, TX; San Antonia, TX; Oklahoma City, OK; Kansas City, MO; Denver, CO; Albuquerque, NM; Phoenix, AZ; Bakersfield, CA; Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA; Irvine, CA.

Discovered by Trivium, nurtured by Megadeth, Sanctity have had some pretty strong role models to support their rise through the ranks. And now, they're ready to leave the nest and cause trouble on their own.

The band's debut album, Road to Bloodshed, comes out April 24 and the new video from the disc, "Beneath the Machine," will debut this weekend on Headbangers Ball.

The video was filmed last month with director Ramon B., who also shot the band's clip for "Zeppo."

"Beneath the Machine," "Zeppo" and a demo for "Seconds" can be heard on Sanctity's MySpace page.

Sanctity formed in 2000 and features singer and rhythm guitarist Jared MacEachern, lead guitarist Zeff Childress, bassist Derek Anderson and drummer Jeremy London. Last year, the band took part in Gigantour, the technical metal extravaganza organized by Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine.

Now, here's Sanctity's video for "Zeppo":
Sanctity " Zeppo "

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