About.com Heavy Metal

Ellefson Rejoins Megadeth

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:48:17 +0000

After an acrimonious departure in 2002, original bassist David Ellefson is rejoining Megadeth, the band he was a part of for nearly 20 years beginning in 1983. Ellefson replaces James LoMenzo, who had been in the band since 2006. The reunion coincides with the 20th anniversary of Megadeth's classic Rust In Peace album, which the band will be playing in its entirety on a tour that begins March first.

Frontman Dave Mustaine comments on Ellefson's return: "This shows the power of brotherly love and forgiveness. "David Ellefson belongs in Megadeth. Next we are going to show you the power of getting your asses kicked...HARD!"

David Ellefson concurs: "This is a huge moment for all of us, band and fans alike. It is a great celebration of the music from one of the biggest landmark albums of our career."

I recently interviewed LoMenzo, who is a really nice guy and excellent bass player. He's served the band well, but Ellefson is an original member, and it's cool he's coming back. This Megadeth lineup, which also includes guitarist Chris Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover, has the potential to be the strongest incarnation of the band since the early '90s.

Ellefson Rejoins Megadeth originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Tuesday, February 9th, 2010 at 10:48:17.

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Full Metal Jackie Interview

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:17:34 +0000

Jackie Kajzer, aka Full Metal Jackie, is the host of a nationally syndicated metal radio show, and the co-author of the new book Full Metal Jackie Certified: The 50 Most Influential Heavy Metal Songs Of The '80s And The True Stories Behind Their Lyrics. The book title is pretty self-explanatory, and it's a really interesting read, with great stories from the songs' writers. In the following interview Jackie gives the scoop on the book and how it came about, her radio show, some of her metal favorites, who's going to break big in 2010 and many other topics.

Chad Bowar: How did the idea for the book come about?
Jackie Kajzer (Full Metal Jackie): I produce and host a syndicated metal radio show that airs weekly on commercial stations. Since profanities are prohibited from broadcast, and since many of the songs were never intended for airplay and have no existing radio edit versions, I make them myself. That means I research the lyrics to every song, every week. Reading the lyrics while listening to the songs, it really made me realize the depth of the songs is greater than most people think.

Read the complete Full Metal Jackie Interview

(photo courtesy Full Metal Jackie)

Full Metal Jackie Interview originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 00:17:34.

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St. Vitus Concert Review

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:13:49 +0000

Each year brings a series of much-ballyhooed metal reunion shows. Some tours are a deserved welcome back and others amount to little more than victory laps that come twenty years late. If the band is Saint Vitus - the 1980s Los Angeles act that literally shaped doom metal along with forefathers Black Sabbath - expectations will be even higher.

The members of Vitus are all pushing 50, but the added years aren't holding them back. Their recent one-off dates in California with up-and-coming doom/stoner bands Laudanum and Saviours showed that Vitus has lost none of its legendary tone or power. Justin M. Norton reviewed the St. Vitus, Saviours and Laudanum show at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco on January 29, 2010.

Read the complete St. Vitus, Saviours and Laudanum Concert Review

(photo courtesy Raymond Ahner)

St. Vitus Concert Review originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Sunday, February 7th, 2010 at 00:13:49.

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Megadeth Tour Dates

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 00:26:22 +0000

Megadeth will be embarking on a tour with Testament and Exodus in support of their 2009 CD Endgame. In honor of the album's 20th anniversary, Megadeth will play 1990's Rust in Peace in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth favorites.

2010 Megadeth, Testament and Exodus Tour Dates:
3/1 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory
3/2 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
3/3 - Medford, OR - Medford Armory
3/6 - Calgary, AB - Big Four (Testament with Special Guests)
3/7 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Centre (Testament with Special Guests)
3/8 - Saskatoon, SK - Prairieland Exhibition Hall
3/11 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theater
3/12 - Pittsburgh, PA - Palace Theater
3/13 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
3/15 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
3/16 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
3/18 - Scranton, PA - Scranton Cultural Center
3/19 - Norfolk, VA - The NorVa
3/21 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
3/22 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
3/23 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood Hall
3/25 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater
3/26 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Amphitheater
3/27 - Lubbock, TX - The Pavilion
3/28 - El Paso, TX - Club 101
3/30 - Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theater
3/31 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Palladium (Testament with Special Guests)

Tour Dates For Other Heavy Metal Bands

(photo courtesy Roadrunner Records)

Megadeth Tour Dates originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at 00:26:22.

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Through The Eyes Of The Dead - Skepsis Review

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 16:05:44 +0000

With their third effort Skepsis featuring three new members including impressive vocalist Danny Rodriguez, the band proves in no uncertain terms that they're the big kids on the block with pointed riffage, drumming and gurgling that takes a page or two from Morbid Angel and At The Gates.

With that said, they're more than a mere sum of their influences, for the most part. Their strengths predominantly rest with their brutal yet melodic passages (far removed from At The Gates carbon copied riffs), as with the black metal-esque dirge of "Insomnium," or the savage but melancholy-driven title track.

Read the complete Through The Eyes Of The Dead - Skepsis Review

(CD cover courtesy Prosthetic Records)

Through The Eyes Of The Dead - Skepsis Review originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 16:05:44.

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Charred Walls Of The Damned Interview

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 00:28:59 +0000

Drummer extraordinaire and Howard Stern show cast member Richard Christy's new band is Charred Walls Of The Damned. If you've listened to Stern, you know Richard and Sal make prank phone calls to local radio shows and ask and say extremely inappropriate and hilarious things. One of the victims of a prank used the phrase "charred walls of the damned" on the air after Richard's call, and a band name was born. In addition to Christy, the band includes vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens, guitarist and producer Jason Suecof and bassist Steve DiGiorgio. Christy fills us in on the project's self-titled debut CD, whether they'll be able to tour, and some of his road stories from back in the day.

Chad Bowar: How did Charred Walls Of The Damned get started?
Richard Christy: Steve I've known for about 12 or 13 years now. When I was playing in Death he flew out to Orlando once or twice to jam with us. He didn't end up playing on the Death album, but he played on the Control Denied album that we did. He's always been one of my favorite bass players since the days of the old Sadus stuff. I've been a fan of his for a long time. He played in Iced Earth with me also. I've been wanting to jam with him again and we're really good friends. As soon as I started putting this band together, he was the first bass player I thought of. He was really into it and up for doing some recording.

Tim and I were in Iced Earth. We did a tour together and we had a lot of fun. He's a cool guy and fun to hang out with. He's also one of my all-time favorite singers. He was my first choice for a singer. I was thinking of him as I was writing this music, and luckily he was able to work his schedule to be able to do it. It was a lot of fun. When I put this project together, the main thing is I wanted to make some killer music and have a lot of fun in the studio.

Jason is a really fun guy to work with. Jason and Steve already knew each other, and Jason was a big fan of Tim's but hadn't met him before. He was excited about working with him. We ended up having a total blast in the studio. There's a special edition DVD that's coming out with the CD, and it has a documentary on the making of the album. It shows how much fun we had making the album, and brings back some cool memories.

Read the complete Charred Walls Of The Damned Interview
Charred Walls Of The Damned - Charred Walls Of The Damned Review

(photo courtesy Metal Blade Records)

Charred Walls Of The Damned Interview originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Thursday, February 4th, 2010 at 00:28:59.

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Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1990

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:40:42 +0000

The decade of the '90s started strong. There were outstanding releases from mainstays like Megadeth, Judas Priest, Slayer and Anthrax. More extreme acts like Emtombed and Deicide also cracked the top 10. Quality albums like Testament - Souls Of Black, King Diamond - The Eye and Trouble - Trouble narrowly missed the cut. Here's my list for the best metal albums released in 1990.

Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 1990

Here are my other lists of the Best Heavy Metal CDs of the 1990s:

Best Heavy Metal Albums Of 1990 originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 00:40:42.

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January 2010 Best Heavy Metal CDs

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:48:03 +0000

Generally the beginning of the year is a fairly slow time for new releases as labels get back into the swing of things after their holiday break. In 2010 there were several excellent CDs released in the first month of the year, and a couple are good enough they may even make the best of the year list, depending on what else happens throughout the rest of 2010. Ihsahn tops January's list with his third solo CD After, but it was a tight race between him and Sigh.

January 2010 Best Heavy Metal CDs

(CD cover courtesy Candlelight Records)

January 2010 Best Heavy Metal CDs originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 12:48:03.

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Suicidal Tendencies - Live At The Olympic Auditorium DVD Review

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:14:14 +0000

A two-year breakup period notwithstanding, Suicidal Tendencies have plugged away since 1981. In its earliest of days, as Mike Muir's brief but passionate interview in Live At The Olympic Auditorium indicates, the band had no ambition of doing anything other than practicing in their kitchen for fun (or playing their own "rent parties"). It's been a long time, and they've come a long way. And the performance on this DVD, showcasing their idiosyncratic, highly-unique street punk/thrash hybrid, reveals a band as energetic as bands half their age.

Notable members like guitarist Rocky George, drummer Jimmy DeGrasso and current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo have in the past spent time alongside Muir, the only remaining original member, yet he has without a doubt always been the band's core. Yet while the current lineup may differ completely from fan favorite "classic" periods, they don't sound like a troupe of hired guns. Air-tight in delivery, they throw in dashes of funk, blues and rock into a mix that's much more heavy on the punk dynamic ("Institutionalized") rather than the metallic one.

Read the complete Suicidal Tendencies - Live At The Olympic Auditorium DVD Review

(DVD cover courtesy Suicidal Records)

Suicidal Tendencies - Live At The Olympic Auditorium DVD Review originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 at 08:14:14.

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Judas Priest, AC/DC Win Grammys

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 06:40:38 +0000

Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Kings Of Leon were the stars of the 52nd annual Grammys Sunday night, but there were awards in the realm of heavy music.

Judas Priest won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance for "Dissident Aggressor" from their CD A Touch Of Evil Live.

The Grammy for best hard rock performance went to AC/DC for "War Machine" from Black Ice. For a complete list of winners, go to Grammy.com.

(AC/DC photo courtesy Columbia Records)

Judas Priest, AC/DC Win Grammys originally appeared on About.com Heavy Metal on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 06:40:38.

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