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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Everything Old is New Again



G'day, it occured to me the other day that there are some crackin bands getting about ...usually I find these bands courtesy of Classic Rock magazine or occasionally I hear a song on a movie soundtrack and go on the hunt and get some stuff ...ANYWHOO...here is a collection of bands that live on my mp3 gizmo that weren't formed in the 70's or 80's ...have look, have a listen and get amongst it.




BLACKOUT SUPERSTARS
according to BLACKOUT SUPERSTAR's official bio, the band's goal is "a simple one: to help put the 'roll' back in rock 'n' roll. . . High-energy performances, well-crafted anthems and an insatiable appetite for ruling the airwaves make BLACKOUT SUPERSTAR a must-see, must-hear culmination of euphonious excellence. With a full-length record, series of music videos and a summer tour in the works, BLACKOUT SUPERSTAR are a kinetic ball of symphonious fury, kicking ass and taking names the entire time. If it's a party you want, then you won't want to miss a second of the BLACKOUT SUPERSTAR journey."




BROKEN CHORDS
Broken Chords is a trio made up of Kevin Spiers: Singer Songwriter, Joe Shaw: Drums and Mike Batsch: Electric Bass. Kevin has been writing acoustic ballads for many years. In 2010 he was joined by then 16 year old drummer Joe Shaw. The acoustic drums and percussion bought another element to the sound and connected brilliantly with the acoustic guitar. In 2011 Kevin met Mike Batsch an electric bass player from Taunton and the band was formed.







CRASHDIET
The band was originally formed in 2000. Taking influence from Kiss, Mötley Crüe, Skid Row, Guns N' Roses, and Hanoi Rocks, Crashdïet built up a cult following with the release of their first demos, several of which were released on their official website via download. In 2002, the band split up, and vocalist Dave Lepard reformed the band with members from the current lineup, while the old members went to play in Repugnant and SubVision.




DEAD SHED JOKERS
huge post-Zeppelin riffs and dramatic vocals that nod to the old Gods of NWOBHM all adding up to a pure headbanger’s delight




ELECTRIC RIVER
Electric River are an energetic group with elements of punk into a melting pot of rock and pop influences. The core of Electric River was formed when Chris Aldis and Will Whisson both moved to Kent in 2003 from very different parts of the world. (Will from Singapore and Chris from London.) They met at a festival after only being in Kent for a matter of days and ever since then the writing partnership has continued



EUPHORIA AUDIO
EUPHORIA AUDIO is a Rock/Pop band from Wakefield, UK. Matt Shirty, Ben Lloyd, Ben Hughes and Josh Hughes create music for the airwaves, music for the broken hearted, the elated and those looking to be a part of something new, real and honest. EUPHORIA AUDIO is here for those who want to raise their hands, sing until their lungs burst and light the room with their mobile phones.





GRAVELTONES
The Graveltones are a 2 piece heavy blues rock and roll band based in London.The Graveltones are influenced by artists such as Captain Beefheart, John Lee Hooker and Queens Of The Stoneage....The Graveltones formed in London in 2011 after 2 Australians, Jimmy O (Vocals & Guitar) and Mikey Sorbello (Drums & Noises) met in the famous Tin Pan Alley. 3 days after meeting in a studio for a jam they played their first gig at the 100 Club in London, February 2011.








HEAVEN AND EARTH
Taking up from where bands like Deep Purple and Bad Company have left off, Heaven & Earth is on a mission to resurrect the sanctity of classic rock to its purist, most accessible form. Heaven & Earth fuses elements of hard rock, blues, even bits of classical, to create a potent blend of high-powered anthems, melodic rockers and introspective ballads that evoke the spirit of a magical era.....Tapping into the methodology and madness of old-school rock with a new-school attitude, Heaven & Earth are shaking their classic rock roots down to the very core on their newest effort, Dig (Quarto Valley Records). The album, produced by Dave Jenkins — who’s turned the knobs for everyone from Metallica to Tower of Power — and scheduled for an April 2013 release, features guitarist Stuart Smith, singer Joe Retta, bassist Chuck Wright, drummer Richie Onori and keyboardist Arlan Schierbaum, along with special guests Howard Leese (Heart, Paul Rodgers) and David Paich (Toto) and Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi).




ISOLATED ATOMS
Isolated Atoms are an English RocknRoll band from in the Black Country, in the English Midlands....The band consists of Grant Ashmand (Vocals), David Davies (Bass), Mark Neat (Guitars) and Jake 'Yang' Osei Tutu (Drums/Percussion)....During May and June 2011 Isolated Atoms visited Los Angeles where they performed at the Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Strip and appeared live on Time Warner's 'Focus In The Mix' Rock TV station with Denise Ames....July 2011 saw Isolated Atoms on the cover of US rock publication All Access Magazine where they were described as "the next British invasion".







JETTBLACK
Jettblack is a contemporary hard rock band from High Wycombe, England. They have released two studio albums, Get Your Hands Dirty (2010) and Raining Rock (2012).
Originally known as skate rock band Skirtbox, who released two albums between 2000 and 2003.

2008 took them touring with Airbourne and playing a variety of high profile summer festivals such as T in the Park, finishing off the year headlining the third stage at Hard Rock Hell Festival.

 the releasing of their debut album "Get Your Hands Dirty" occured on 7th June 2010. 

In 2011, Jettblack supported Australian rock group Grinspoon in their UK tour before embarking on their own co-headline tour with Heaven's Basement. They then played the Jägermeister Stage at Sonisphere UK 2011 where they were joined on-stage by two female fire-eaters during their song "Two Hot Girls". They also played a number of small acoustic sets at the festival that same day. In September 2011, They played at Merthyr Rock Festival before setting out on another UK in November with Fozzy.

On 30th May 2012 they played their first solo headlining show, at a launch party for their new album to a sold out crowd at the Borderline in London.
Their second album Raining Rock, was released on 4th June 2012.







RUMHONEY
Members: Sky Wood, Jaime Blake, Dominic Giannetta, Niol Sweeney, Noel Martin
Sounds Like: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Rolling Stones, The Black Crowes, Aerosmith, Cry of Love....Jaime and Sky first started writing together in 2001. After some successful studio recordings, and one or two helpful words from those that count, they put the rumHoney band together and began to play the songs live.The music of rumHoney is a celebration of their roots. The sound is blues-based on the twin guitar attack of the great rock ‘n roll bands, such as Aerosmith, The Black Crowes, and The Rolling Stones – the same bands they grew up listening to and treasuring as rumHoney younglings. After some years working together rumHoney have developed their own sound and direction and have financed and produced their own music with no external assistance or influence




SILVER ARM
 Silver Arm are a band from rural England that draw on punk rock, post punk, noise and other things to create intense psychedelic music that will not hesitate to tear your face off like a horse with a machine gun.

The band are influenced by things like the beautiful green central Bedfordshire woodpecker, early 80s American hardcore, British post punk, fictional languages, heavy metal, The Supremes, the building of pyramids, The Stooges, Devo, tales of rural terror both historical and current, The Mothers Of Invention, The 13th Floor Elevators, the traditional biscuit and shoe-making industries, Fugazi, Sonic Youth, the exploration of new continents and planets and the frigid air that drifts through the copses and lanes of England in the 21st century, which is the same air that drifted through them a thousand years ago.








SIMON MCBRIDE
McBride started playing the guitar when he was ten. By age 15 he entered Guitarist Magazine’s Young Guitarist of The Year, a performance competition staged that year at Wembley Conference Centre, which he won....Less than a year later, a few months after his sixteenth birthday, McBride was recruited by the Belfast-based metal band Sweet Savage, which reformed in 1994 without their founding guitarist, Vivian Campbell (Dio, Def Leppard), who McBride replaced. He toured with the band and recorded two albums, Killing Time 1996 and Rune 1998.

After leaving Sweet Savage in 1998, he joined fellow Irishman Andrew Strong, who made his name in the 1991 cult film The Commitments and went on to establish a singing career. Playing with Strong was in stark contrast to Sweet Savage, involving mostly of soul, R&B and some pop songs. 

In 2008 McBride released his debut album, Rich Man Falling on Nugene Records, a boutique label with a specialisation in guitarists and blues-based artists. The album contains covers of Be My Friend originally by Free (band) and the Jimi Hendrix song Power of Soul.
His 2010 sophomore release Since Then (Nugene Records) gained him nominations in the British Blues Awards.

By this time he had opened shows in the UK and Ireland for Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa and US slide guitarist Derek Trucks. In autumn 2010 he toured the UK supporting one of his early guitar heroes, Joe Satriani. In 2011 he played major festivals including Glastonbury Festival, and other gatherings including a special guest spot at Don Airey’s Soul & Blues Festival.






SONDURA
Formed by Tom and his younger brother, guitarist Jack, Sondura have the songs, the sound and the dedication to become the next big British rock band of the 21st century. Propelled furiously along by the air-tight rhythm section of bassist Steve Dillon and drummer Fred Green, the London-based quartet have struck upon a uniquely powerful and accessible signature sound that combines the crushing , belligerent sonic might of Black Album-era Metallica with the incisive radio-friendly sensibilities of Nickelback and the edgy verve of Hundred Reasons; a fresh and invigorating collision of styles, custom-built to send Sondura the name means hard sound - rocketing from the enervating slog of the UK toilet circuit to the realms of bona fide rock stardom.

Ultimately, for Sondura its all about the power of the song. As showcased on their debut 3-track EP, these young men have already developed an astute grasp of the melodic candour and dynamic oomph required to send shivers of recognition and elation down the spines of the masses. From the breathless, pit-friendly onslaught of lead track Lights Out, through to the dark, fluid swagger of Antics and the pounding, emotive balladry of the closing Fake, this is a bold and startling statement of intent.




ST.PROSTITUTE
The band was founded back in 2007 under the name L.A. Prostitutes by 4 guys sharing the same passion for rock *N* Roll and the time when rock stars were rock stars. Change of name to St. Prostitute took place late 2011. Besides the Korsholm Brothers (Fussy – Lead Vocal, Morten – Lead Guitarist), St. Prostitute includes the hard hitting drummer Jack Andy, the bass player Jones Bak and Kris Freeze on guitar, making the band an explosive cocktail of uncompromised, melodic & extremely powerful Rock *N* Roll!! In April 2011, St. Prostitute got the honor of playing at ”Fredags Rock In Tivoli, Copenhagen”. In front of more than 12.000 excited audiences, the band supported the legendary Danish veterans Pretty Maids. Through the years St. Prostitute has played some of Denmark’s most respected venues. In January 2010, St. Prostitute was on a PR Tour in California, USA playing at The Viper Room and Whiskey A*GO*GO in Hollywood, Wasted Space (Hard Rock Hotel) in Las Vegas as the first Danish band ever. Later that year the band was asked to play at the festival ”In The Palace Festival” in Bulgaria.




THE TREATMENT
“The Treatment were formed in 2008, when founder member drummer Dhani Mansworth was still at school in Cambridge . Although only 15 at the time he already had a clear vision of the kind of band he wanted to form. Having grown up on a diet of ACDC, Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith he began to put the band together under the watchful eye of his father guitarist and manager Laurie Mansworth (More, Airrace, Roadstar).

Having had little success with local musicians he decided to go further afield. First to join the line up was 18 year old Ben Brookland from Tadley, he shared the same passion for classic bands as Dhani. Ben's unique guitar style suited the bill perfectly. Soon after came bass player Rick Newman (aka Swoggle) also 15. Rick's enthusiasm and solid bass sound fitted perfectly. Rick suggested that the band audition Tagore Grey his school friend and guitarist from Petersfield. Rick's recommendation was spot on as Tag's guitar style was exactly what they had been looking for. The boys passion for the band was proved when they all packed bags and moved to Cambridge were they shared a home with The Mansworths so they could focus completely on the band and rehearse on a daily basis.

After a 6 month search they found the final piece of the jigsaw. Matt Jones a 17 year old wonder kid hailing from Norwich . His high energy rock vocals was exactly what the guys were looking for. Matt moved to Cambridge within 1 week of joining the band and after locking themselves away to refine their sound, they emerged one year later, they were ready to showcase.

On March 2nd at The Borderline supporting Voodoo Six, Powerage A&R guru Derek Oliver came down to check out the bands set. He was very impressed and immediately signed the band.  They have just finished recording their first album ‘This Might Hurt’ (at Iron Maiden Steve Harris's Barnyard studios). The album was produced by Laurie Mansworth and mixed by Tony Newton of Voodoo Six.”



THE LAST VEGAS
The Last Vegas are a hard rock band from Chicago whose style draws from glam, punk, and sleaze metal. Composed of Chad Cherry (lead vocals), John Wator (guitar), Adam Arling (guitar), Danny Smash (bass), and Nate Arling (drums), the band released the album Whatever Gets You Off, in April 2009, on Eleven Seven Music. The album was produced by Nikki Sixx, Sixx:A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba, as well as Marti Frederiksen....The Last Vegas are a hard rock band with influences from genres including glam rock, heavy metal, and punk rock, citing influences such as Aerosmith, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Cheap Trick, and Skid Row. They hail from Chicago, Illinois and have performed all over the world since 2003.







THE UNION
After  Thunder went into semi - retirement in 2009, guitarist Luke Morley announced that he had formed a new group with Pete Shoulder, whose previous band, Winterville, had split in 2007. The band was to be called The Union. The pair had met each other eight years previously and had "worked together ever since whenever our previous commitments allowed us time". Chris Childs (also previously in Thunder) and Phil Martini (from Down 'n' Outz) were later named as the bassist and drummer respectively for the band, although not as 'full' members of the group, as they intend to have a more "fluid line-up".

The Union made their live debut on 15 December 2009, at The Relentless Garage in London. The show was filmed for a live DVD, which was released with their debut album. It was announced in February 2010 that the band were to play at that year's inaugural High Voltage Festival,  they played the Main Stage on Saturday 24 July.
The band's debut single, "Step up to the Plate", was premiered on Planet Rock on Thursday 18 March, and was available to download from the band's website.  The band's second single, "Black Monday", was available as a free download in mid-May.
The Union's eponymous debut album was originally scheduled to be released on 16 August 2010; however it was eventually released a week later, on 23 August 2010."Watch the River Flow", the band's third single, was released on 25 October. It was followed on 13 December by "This Time Next Year" which was the first official 'ChildLine Rocks' single.

At the Classic Rock Awards on 10 November 2010, The Union were named the best new band of the year.
The Union supported Thin Lizzy on tour in January 2011, supported Triggerfinger on a tour of Belgium and The Netherlands in March 2011  and opened for Whitesnake when they toured the UK in June.




ULYSSES
Ulysses is an indie rock band formed by Robert Schneider (lead vocalist of The Apples in Stereo) along with John Ferguson and Ben Fulton in the spring of 2003. Robert Beatty (of Hair Police) joined later that year. They released their first album, 010, on October 26, 2004 through Eenie Meenie Records. The album was released in mono.
While touring Spain with The Apples in stereo, Schneider was inspired to write "Push You Away", the first song written for 010. Schneider began writing other songs for the album as well.
Schneider's main influences for the band's songs were The Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine.
In Lexington, Kentucky, the band formed by impulse when Schneider invited Ferguson and Fulton to organize songs for Schneider's other side project, Marbles. Schneider asked them to first play his set of 10 songs, and Ulysses was born. The band recorded the album 010 live in Schneider's garage studio, in mono with the drums and amplifiers situated symmetrically around a single microphone. The album was released on Eenie Meenie Records.
In the process of writing and recording 010, Schneider's marriage with Apples in Stereo bandmate Hilarie Sidney ended.








VOODOO VEGAS
Voodoo Vegas are a hard rocking 5 piece rock band from the south coast. They’ve toured the UK, been on Total Rock FM amongst many radio stations, featured in Classic Rock Magazine, NME and have played many major venues such as the Opera House and Mr Kyps supporting high profile bands

Voodoo Vegas original compositions are high-energy rock, and they have shared stages with any number of great bands including The Quireboys, Ginger, Waysted, and most of the UK’s Top Rock Tribute acts, toured the UK with American Dog, and used that time in whipping the audience into a frenzy and making themselves a hard act to follow. 

Stalwart members, Lawrence Case – vocals / harmonica; Nick Brown – guitar / acoustic guitar / backing vocals; Ash Moulton – bass guitar / backing vocals and Chris Mackonochie – drums; were joined by their new female guitarist, Merylina Hamilton.



SO...there you go...a few newish bands I like...google 'em I insist









































Monday, July 22, 2013

Let the Hammer Fall...The Hammerfall Story





 I picked up a copy of Classic Rock a few years ago and on this issue was a bonus dvd with the Metal God awards and a selection of various metal bands music videos ...stuff like Dragonforce , Nightwish, a couple of hairy arsed viking looking dudes that done nothing for me AND my very first view of a Hammerfall video "Bloodbound"  and as usually happens, that was me hooked good and proper...I got on the net and purchased myself some albums and dvds and have had a rollicking good time ever since...



HammerFall is from Gothenburg, Sweden. The band was formed in 1993 by ex-Ceremonial Oath guitarist Oscar Dronjak. ....Oscar had quit Ceremonial Oath and invited Jesper Strömblad (from In Flames) to join him as a drummer in a new musical project he had been contemplating for some time. Dronjak had already composed the song "Steel Meets Steel," which was later included on the debut album. 



Dronjak and Strömblad were later joined by guitarist Niklas Sundin, bassist Johan Larsson, and vocalist Mikael Stanne. When Niklas Sundin and Johan Larsson left HammerFall the following year, Glenn Ljungström (then guitarist of In Flames) and Fredrik Larsson (bassist of the former Swedish death metal band Dispatched), replaced them.



All five members played in other bands at the time. Dronjak and Larsson played in Crystal Age; Strömblad and Ljungström played in In Flames and Stanne sang for Dark Tranquillity. Both of these bands influenced Swedish melodic death metal. HammerFall was relegated to being a side project of them all for several years. Their concerts were limited mostly to a local music contest named Rockslaget. The band had few songs of their own and played mostly covers from bands such as Pretty Maids, Judas Priest and Alice Cooper.



In 1996, HammerFall reached the semi-finals of Rockslaget. When Mikael Stanne could not perform with the band in the semi-finals, they found Joacim Cans, who agreed to play with them for the night. The concert was a success although the judges disqualified HammerFall for the finals. By the end of that day, Joacim had already been made an official member of the band.



To give more exposure to their work and try for a professional recording deal, a short live performance was recorded and sent to the Dutch label, Vic Records. The musicians soon received a deal and spent the whole of the following year writing the album Glory to the Brave. The album was initially released in the Netherlands and obtained positive feedback; it is also worthy of notice that the band's mascot, the paladin Hector, first appeared on the cover of this album.

As HammerFall grew in popularity, the time available for members of the band to dedicate to other projects became limited. Dronjak and Cans wanted to pursue the path of Hammerfall (Dronjak's Crystal Age had ceased to exist some time ago), but Strömblad and Ljungström were committed to In Flames and Larsson was committed to the thrash metal band None. Thus, HammerFall's line-up soon underwent changes. Stefan Elmgren assumed the lead guitar and Patrik Räfling assumed the drums (they joined the band in the end of 1997 after the release of Glory to the Brave album) and Larsson decided to remain in the band until a suitable replacement for him was found.



 This happened in May 1997, when bassist Magnus Rosén joined the band. Stefan Elmgren played some of the guitars on the Glory to the Brave album (such as the acoustic guitars on "I Believe") and Patrik Räfling actually played the drums on all songs in place of Jesper. However, at the time they were considered as guest performers, not members of the band.



In early 1997, German label Nuclear Blast approached HammerFall with a contract for a European release deal, which included four albums. The deal was accepted and the band proceeded to record their first two music videos — "HammerFall" and "Glory to the Brave". After the release of a promotional single, Glory to the Brave was released throughout Europe. The results were quite unexpected, even after the intense marketing campaign made by Nuclear Blast. The album reached position number 38 on the German Music Chart on the week of its release, something which had never before been achieved by a debut heavy metal music album.



Siding with bands Gamma Ray, Jag Panzer, Lake of Tears and Raven, several tours through the European continent ensued. The concert on Wacken Open Air was performed to a crowd of over ten thousand people.




Towards the end of 1997, Glory to the Brave was released in Japan and the United States. Sales of the album reached one hundred thousand copies. HammerFall was also nominated for the Swedish Grammy award in the Best Hard Rock act category.




The recording of Legacy of Kings began. This album was once more written by Joacim, Oscar, and Jesper, who despite having quit the band still took part in the process in order to keep the same general mood of their first release. The album was produced by Fredrik Nordström (from Dream Evil) and Oscar, with the help of Joacim. The band spent a total of one and a half months in the studio recording this album.

HammerFall made some expressive concerts before the release of Legacy of Kings, playing in festivals together with bands such as Alice Cooper, Rammstein, Deep Purple, Dream Theater, Saxon and Stratovarius.




Their first world tour took place in October 1998. During the shows in Sweden, Joacim Cans caught a serious throat infection which made it impossible for him to sing. Shortly afterwards, Magnus Rosén was afflicted with the same disease, and after him the whole of HammerFall's support crew became sick. The members of the band played for as long as possible and then were forced to postpone or cancel a few dates. During their passage through South America, HammerFall took a short break to visit the Brazilian beaches, but they soon resumed their tour.
By the end of that tour, drummer Patrik Räfling left the band, and Anders Johansson, a friend of Magnus Rosén, joined as a touring musician. In the beginning of 1999 he was made a permanent member of the band. Anders had previously worked with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen on Rising Force in the 80's and 90's and on a number of other projects; he is the brother of Jens Johansson from Stratovarius. Anders father was a famous Swedish jazzmusician who is mostly known for writing the music for Pippi Longstocking and the record "Jazz på svenska" which is the best selling Swedish jazz record of all times. Anders is running a record company, Heptagon Records, and doesnt mind getting his clobber off for a casual streak caught on video




After a long series of concerts, the band returned to Sweden in order to spend time with their families and begin writing songs for their next album. HammerFall made arrangements for this album to be recorded by Michael Wagener, who had previously produced bands such as Accept, Alice Cooper and Ozzy Osbourne. The recording took eight weeks, and the album was entitled Renegade. The switch from producer Fredrik Nordström to Wagener was met with skepticism from the media in general. However, after the release, critics were mostly positive, even though there was a consensus that the band's sound was remarkably different. A music video by director Roger Johansson was created for the song "Renegade" and reached the top of the Swedish parade; the same soon happened with the album itself, which reached gold status with over forty thousand copies sold.

Oscar stated on www.metalrules.com just prior to the release of 'Renegade' that they were going for a more "commercial" sound in order to attract a broader audience that otherwise would have been lost to them and that future albums wouldn't follow in this mold.




The band's second world tour began in January 2001. Concerts from this tour counted with a replica version of the album's cover on stage. It was set up as a castle in ruins from which the musicians entered the stage. In total, the tour included almost sixty shows.


The band then released a DVD entitled The Templar Renegade Crusades, which included video footage from recording sessions, live concerts, tour backstages, and encounters with fans. The footage ranged from the recording sessions of Legacy of Kings to the gold album party which took place in November 2001.





HammerFall proceeded to record their fourth album ( and my personal favourite) Crimson Thunder. Arrangements were made for recording sessions to take place in both JM Studios: from Charlie Bauerfeind, in Wisseloord Studios — in the Netherlands, and studio Blind Guardian — in Germany, for the bass.

By the end of the recording sessions in 2002, a listening session for the press was held. Overall, the reactions were quite positive, and most seemed to perceive the album as a change for the better from Renegade. A single for the song "Hearts on Fire" was released six weeks prior to the album's launch and remained for weeks on the number one spot on the parades of some European countries. The song also attracted a number of new fans to the band due to its chorus-driven melody and simple riffs coupled with fast guitar solos.




The shooting of the music video "Hearts on Fire" by director Roger Johansson was scheduled for August of that year. The band's plans, however, had to be held back for a week due to Joacim getting beat up by some drunken jerkoff.... While Joacim was drinking with his girlfriend in a rock club he had been frequenting for over a decade, he was attacked by said pissed nitwit, who hit him in the head with a beer glass and bolted for the exit ( like all great drunken legends). Joacim was knocked nine shades of goofy and had to be taken to a hospital, in which he underwent plastic surgery and rested for a couple of days. As soon as it became medically possible, he joined the band to record the music video.





In order to promote the release of the band's album in North America, they toured with Dio during November and December 2002. AND then the manager of the band disappeared, taking the entirety of the tour's revenue with him. Despite this the tour was very successful, and proceeded to Europe. Changes were made to the band's stage setting, and much coin was spent on effects and on the presence of the mascot Hector . The scenery on the cover of the single Hearts on Fire was also reproduced and added to the performances. The tour progressed to Japan and then to South America. HammerFall was present on festivals in Germany, Spain and the Czech Republic, playing with bands such as Iron Maiden, Slayer, Twisted Sister, U.D.O. and Stratovarius.



HammerFall's tour was brought to a sudden end when Oscar Dronjak suffered a motorcycle accident, breaking his left arm and sustaining several minor injuries.

They were then left with no choice but to take a break. Stefan dedicated himself to getting a pilot license, Magnus and Anders continued working on their side projects and Joacim began work on his solo album and had his first child. Oscar simply focused on recovering. Together with a group of specialists, he was able to recover to his full capacities. He then joined Anders, Joacim, Stefan again, with bands Helloween, Gamma Ray and Pretty Maids, amongst others, and played in the celebration of the 20 years of the German rock club Rockfabrik.



The live album and DVD One Crimson Night was released in February 2003. After two years of hiatus the band released Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken, which was followed by a European and South American tour. A video for the song "Bloodbound" was made by director Roger Johansson.




On October 16 it was reported that HammerFall (along with the band Europe) would be part of the Eurovision song contest. This rumor was refuted by lead singer Joacim Cans only a couple weeks later. Joacim was quoted as saying "So there were no talks whatsoever to be part of this."



Their 6th album, titled Threshold, was released on October 20, 2006 and it went directly to a number 1 position on the Swedish charts.

On March 6, 2007, a statement was posted online at HammerFall's official website (and his own official website), that bassist Magnus Rosén would not be involved with the band anymore. The reason for his departure stated that he was unhappy in the band and wants to focus on other projects. On his own website (and therefore with his own official statement) it was announced that Magnus was tired of the simple bassplaying he was forced to play in HammerFall, and that he was unable to bring his own material to the band. He now wants to "be more creative in his  career"  




On April 10 it was announced on the official Hammerfall homepage that the replacement for Magnus is former member Fredrik Larsson, who played bass on the Glory to the Brave album. Three new songs were recorded for the band's first compilation album. These are "Last Man Standing", "Restless Soul", and "The Abyss". They also rerecorded the Glory To The Brave track "HammerFall". "Steel Meets Steel - Ten Years of Glory" was released on 12 October 2007.



On April 2, 2008 Stefan Elmgren announced his decision to leave HammerFall in order to pursue a career as a commercial pilot. His replacement is Pontus Norgren from The Poodles. On June 27, 2008, the band released the compilation album "Masterpieces". The album has on it a collection of every song the band has covered, plus three new cover songs previously unreleased. This was Stefan Elmgren's last release with the band.




HammerFall's album No Sacrifice, No Victory was released in the UK on 23 February 2009. Songs on this album include "Any Means Necessary", "Life is Now", "Punish and Enslave", "Bring the Hammer Down", and a My Sharona cover. The Album peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard heatseakers charts.



There is also a music video for the song "Any Means Necessary". To kick off their new album HammerFall toured all over the world in support of their new album No Sacrifice, No Victory. The tour had supporting acts, Powerglove and Echoes of Eternity.[citation needed]. In the summer 2010 the band played a couple of high profile festivals throughout Europe including Sonisphere Festival, High Voltage Festival, Metalcamp, Graspop Metal Meeting and many more. The summer tour was named "Any Festival Necessary".




HammerFall's 8th album was released on 20 May 2011, under the name Infected. After several months of recordings in Göteborg, Sweden and Nashville, TN, the new studio album was finally finished on February 19, It was released on May 20 and charted well all over Europe.




 In support of the album the band performed at many festival's throughout the summer and later announced a European tour. Infected is also the first HammerFall album not to feature the mascot, the paladin Hector, on the cover. In 2012 Hammerfall announced a hiatus for two years.


Band members

Current members
Joacim Cans 1996–present
Oscar Dronjak 1993–present
Pontus Norgren 2008–present
Fredrik Larsson 1994–1997, 2007–present
Anders Johansson 1998 - presentt

Former members
Stefan Elmgren 1997–2008
Magnus Rosén 1997–2007
Patrik Räfling 1997–1999
Jesper Strömblad 1993–1997
Glenn Ljungström 1995–1997
Mikael Stanne 1993–1996
Niklas Sundin 1993–1995
Johan Larsson 1993–1994
Pontus Egberg
 (The Poodles) - bass (Wacken 2012) 






Glory to the Brave (1997)
Legacy of Kings (1998)
Renegade (2000)
Crimson Thunder (2002)
Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken (2005)
Threshold (2006)
No Sacrifice, No Victory (2009)
Infected (2011)






























Thursday, July 18, 2013

They came from Babylons gutter - Its Guns n Roses








Guns N' Roses formed in L.A in 1985. The classic lineup as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler. Today, Axl Rose is the only remaining original member, in a lineup that comprises Use Your Illusion–era keyboardist Dizzy Reed, lead guitarists DJ Ashba and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, lead and rhythm guitarist Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy Stinson, drummer Frank Ferrer and keyboardist Chris Pitman. The band released six studio albums, accumulating sales of more than 100 million records worldwide, including shipments of 45 million in the United States,  making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time.



A year after its release, Guns N' Roses' debut album Appetite for Destruction (1987) reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, on the strength of the hit "Sweet Child o' Mine", their only single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album has sold in excess of 28 million copies worldwide, including 18 million units sold in the United States, making it the best-selling debut album of all time in the U.S. The success of their debut was followed by the eight-song album G N' R Lies (1988). 


The twin albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II (1991) debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and have sold a combined 35 million copies worldwide, including 14 million units sold in the United States alone. The cover album "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993) was the band's last studio album to feature Slash and McKagan. After more than a decade of work and many lineup changes, Guns N' Roses released the long-awaited album Chinese Democracy (2008) which, at an estimated fourteen million dollars in production costs, made it the most expensive album to ever be produced in music history. It debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 but underwhelmed industry expectations, despite mostly positive critical reception.



Guns N' Roses have been credited with reviving the mainstream popularity of rock music, at a time when popular music was dominated by dance music and pop metal  Their late 1980s and early 1990s years have been described as the period in which they brought forth a "hedonistic rebelliousness" reminiscent of the early Rolling Stones,[a reputation that had earned them the nickname "The Most Dangerous Band in the World". The band's classic lineup, along with later members Reed and drummer Matt Sorum, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, their first year of eligibility









Guns N' Roses was formed in March 1985 by singer Axl Rose and rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin of Hollywood Rose, along with lead guitarist Tracii Guns, bassist Ole Beich, and drummer Rob Gardner of L.A. Guns.The band coined its name by combining the names of both previous groups. After only a short time, during which they reportedly played just two or three shows, Beich was replaced by Duff McKagan, while Guns' lack of attendance at rehearsals led to his replacement by Slash. Gardner quit soon after and was replaced by Steven Adler... Stradlin had previously played with Slash in Hollywood Rose, while Slash had played with McKagan and Adler in Road Crew.


In June 1985, just four days after the lineup was finalized, the band embarked on a short, disorganized tour of the West Coast, from Sacramento, California, to McKagan's hometown of Seattle, Washington. The so-called "Hell Tour" cemented the band's first stable lineup, with McKagan later commenting, "This trip had set a new benchmark for what we were capable of, what we could and would put ourselves through to achieve our goals as a band."

Through their increasing presence on the Hollywood club scene—playing such famed bars as The Troubadour and The Roxy—Guns N' Roses drew the attention of major record labels. They were signed by Geffen Records in March 1986, receiving a $75,000 advance. In December of that year, they released the four-song EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide, designed to keep interest in the band alive while they withdrew from the club scene to work in the studio. The EP contained covers of Rose Tattoo's "Nice Boys" and Aerosmith's "Mama Kin", along with two original compositions—the punk anthem "Reckless Life" and the classic rock-inspired "Move to the City." 


Although billed as a live recording, the four songs were taken from the band's demo tapes and overdubbed with crowd noise. Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide was released on the Geffen subsidiary UZI Suicide, with production limited to 10,000 vinyl copies.

Guns N' Roses' debut album Appetite for Destruction was released July 7, 1987. The album underwent an artwork change after the original cover design by Robert Williams—depicting a surrealist scene in which a dagger-toothed monster vengefully attacks a robot rapist—was deemed too controversial. The revised cover was a design by Bill White, a tattoo artist, who had originally designed the artwork for a tattoo Rose had acquired the previous year. The artwork featured each of the five band members' skulls layered on a cross. Rose later insisted that the Gold and Platinum plaques issued by the RIAA be set using the original cover art, which can be found in the booklet of the CD release.





In 1990, Guns N' Roses returned to the studio to begin recording their most ambitious undertaking yet. During the recording session of "Civil War", drummer Steven Adler was unable to perform well due to his struggles with cocaine and heroin addiction – his difficulties in the studio caused the band to do nearly 30 takes. As a result, Adler was fired on July 11, 1990, and was replaced by drummer Matt Sorum, who had played briefly with The Cult, and whom Axl credited for saving the band.


In response to an interviewer's suggestion that replacing Adler with Sorum had turned Guns N' Roses from a rock 'n' roll band into a heavy metal one, Stradlin responded, "Yeah, a big musical difference. The first time I realized what Steve did for the band was when he broke his hand in Michigan. Tried to punch through a wall and busted his hand. So we had Fred Coury come in from Cinderella for the Houston show. Fred played technically good and steady, but the songs sounded just awful. They were written with Steve playing the drums and his sense of swing was the push and pull that give the songs their feel. When that was gone, it was just...unbelievable, weird. Nothing worked. I would have preferred to continue with Steve, but we'd had two years off and we couldn't wait any longer. It just didn't work for Slash to be telling Steve to straighten out. He wasn't ready to clean up."

A few months prior, keyboardist Dizzy Reed became the sixth member of the group when he joined as a full-time member. The band fired their manager, Alan Niven, replacing him with Doug Goldstein in May 1991. According to a 1991 cover story by Rolling Stone magazine, Rose forced the dismissal of Niven (against the wishes of some of his band-mates) by refusing to complete the albums until he was replaced.


With enough music for two albums, the band released Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II on September 17, 1991. The tactic paid off when the albums debuted at No. 2 and No. 1 respectively in the Billboard charts, setting a record as they became the first and only group to achieve this feat until Hip-Hop artist Nelly accomplished the same with his simultaneously released albums Sweat and Suit, which broke the long-standing sales records set by Use Your Illusion I and II. The albums spent 108 weeks in the chart.

Guns N' Roses accompanied the Use Your Illusion albums with many videos, including "Don't Cry", "November Rain" and "Estranged" – some of the most expensive music videos ever made. The hit ballad "November Rain" (No. 3 US) became the most requested video on MTV, eventually winning the 1992 MTV Video Music Award for best cinematography. It is also the longest song in chart history to reach the Top Ten, clocking in at 8:57. During the awards show, the band performed the song with Elton John accompanying on piano.



Both prior to and after the release of the albums, Guns N' Roses embarked on the 28-month-long Use Your Illusion Tour. It became famous for both its financial success and the many controversial incidents that occurred at the shows, and is still currently the longest tour in rock history.


On July 2, 1991, at the Riverport Amphitheater in Maryland Heights, Missouri, just outside of St. Louis, during a performance of "Rocket Queen", Rose noticed that a fan was filming the show with a camera. He asked the venue's security to take away the camera, and after a few seconds decided to take it himself, jumping into the audience and tackling the fan. He had a heated confrontation with the fan before physically assaulting him. After being pulled out of the audience by members of the crew, Rose said, "Well, thanks to the lame-ass security, I'm going home!", threw his microphone to the ground and stormed off stage. The angry crowd began to riot and dozens of people were injured. Footage was captured by Robert John, who was documenting the entire tour. Rose was wanted by the police for inciting the riot, but police were unable to arrest him until almost a year later, as the band went overseas to continue the tour. Charges were filed against Rose, but a judge ruled that he did not directly incite the riot.





 In his defense, Rose stated that the Guns N' Roses security team had made four separate requests to the venue's security staff to remove the camera, all of which were ignored, and that other members of the band had reported being hit by bottles launched from the audience, while the security staff was refusing to enforce a drinking limit. Consequently, Use Your Illusion's liner notes featured a hidden message amidst the Thank You section: "Fuck You, St. Louis!"




Rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin abruptly quit the band on November 7, 1991, after a repeat of the St. Louis incident nearly unfolded during a concert in Germany. Stradlin cited a combination of Rose's personal behavior (Rose frequently delayed the start of shows by hours at a time) and his mismanagement of the band and difficulties being around Slash, Sorum, and McKagan, due to his new-found sobriety and their continuing alcohol and substance addictions.  



Axl Rose originally wanted Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro to replace Stradlin, but Stradlin was eventually replaced by Los Angeles-based guitarist Gilby Clarke, whom Slash credited for saving the band. During many shows throughout the tour, Rose introduced Clarke to the audience, and Slash and Clarke would then play "Wild Horses", a Rolling Stones cover. In late 1991, Rose added a touring ensemble to the band which included a horns section and several background vocalists despite the rest of the band's refusal. Izzy Stradlin has since produced eleven solo albums, more work than any other single member of Guns N' Roses had produced.



In 1992, the band appeared at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, performing a three-song set. Slash later performed "Tie Your Mother Down" with the remaining members of Queen and Def Leppard vocalist Joe Elliott, while Axl Rose performed "We Will Rock You" and sang a duet with Elton John on "Bohemian Rhapsody". 


Their personal set included "Paradise City" and "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". When they returned to the US for the second leg of the Use Your Illusion Tour, Queen guitarist Brian May opened the shows with a band that included Cozy Powell on drums. Axl had originally wanted the grunge band (and labelmates) Nirvana to open their Use Your Illusion Tour, but frontman Kurt Cobain refused. Cobain also bagged Guns N' Roses, which infuriated Rose, and started off one of his biggest feuds, other than the ones with his band mates.




Later in the year, they went on the Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour, with American Metal band Metallica. During a show in August 1992 at Montreal's Olympic Stadium, Metallica frontman James Hetfield suffered severe burns after malfunctions with a pyrotechnics blast. Metallica was forced to cancel the second hour of the show, but promised to return to the city for another performance. 



After a long delay, during which the audience became increasingly restless, Guns N' Roses took the stage. However, the shortened time between sets did not allow for adequate tuning of stage monitors, resulting in members of G N' R not being able to hear themselves. In addition, Rose claimed that his throat hurt, causing the band to leave the stage early. 



The cancellation led to another riot by audience members, reminiscent of the St. Louis riot, that had occurred one year earlier. Rioters overturned cars, smashed windows, looted local stores and set fires. Local authorities were barely able to bring the mob under control. This can be seen on video in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica. On MTV's rock-u-mentary about Metallica, the band spoke about this tour and how they learned from Guns N' Roses "what not to do" as a band.



In December 1994, Guns N' Roses released a cover recording of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil". The song appeared in the film Interview with the Vampire, as well as Fallen, on the movie's soundtrack and was also released separately as a single. It is the final Guns N' Roses single to feature Slash on lead guitar, Duff McKagan on bass, and Matt Sorum on the drums. It also featured Paul Huge on rhythm guitar. Huge's presence on the track and in the band created great tension between Rose and Slash, because Slash disliked Huge and felt he had no place nor the 'chops' to fit in G N' R.



The recording of "Sympathy for the Devil", as well as tension between him and Rose, led Slash to quit the band officially in October 1996. He was replaced by Nine Inch Nails touring guitarist Robin Finck in January 1997, who signed a two-year contract with the band in August 1997, making him an official member. 







Slash's departure was followed shortly thereafter by Matt Sorum, who was fired in April 1997 and then by bassist Duff McKagan, who resigned from the band in August 1997. As such, all of the members who had taken part in the recording of Appetite for Destruction (aside from Rose) had departed from the band. Multiple views have been presented on the departures by various band members (current and former). 1994 was the last year Rose held a press conference or performed until 2001 with his new cast. Rose's only performance in 1994 was a duet with Bruce Springsteen on a cover of The Beatles song "Come Together". An actual break-up of Guns N' Roses never occurred, as new players were brought in as the old ones left. 





McKagan was the last of the Appetite lineup to leave, resigning as bassist in August 1997, being replaced later that year by Tommy Stinson (formerly of The Replacements). 



Sorum was replaced by Chris Vrenna for a short time in April to May 1997, followed briefly by Pod, and finally by Josh Freese in the summer of 1997. By the end of 1998, a new version of Guns N' Roses had emerged: many musicians have come and gone from the new band, but the core group has included Rose, Stinson, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and multi-instrumentalist Chris Pitman.



Geffen released Live Era '87-'93, a collection of live performances from various concerts during the Appetite for Destruction and Use Your Illusion tours. The band owed Universal/Interscope a live album, which was primarily assembled by Duff, who at the time was still a partner in the band.





ALLEDGED CURRENT LINEUP
Axl Rose
Dizzy Reed
Tommy Stinson
Chris Pitman
Richard Fortus
Ron Thal
Frank Ferrer
DJ Ashba

EX - GUNNERS
Izzy Stradlin, Tracii Guns
  Ole Beich, Rob Gardner
Duff McKagan, Slash
Steven Adler, Matt Sorum
Gilby Clarke, Paul Tobias
Robin Finck, Josh Freese
Buckethead,  Bryan Mantia





Appetite for Destruction (1987)
G N' R Lies (1988)
Use Your Illusion I (1991)
Use Your Illusion II (1991)
"The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993)
Chinese Democracy (2008)