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METAL NEWS
Twisted Sister at Amnesia RockFest – Photo courtesy Dee Snider
RockFest Turns Into CrapFest for Twisted Sister
Twisted Sister was extremely disappointed with how they were treated during their final Canadian show on their Forty and F**K It tour, on June 24 at Amnesia Rockfest in Montebello, QC.
In a profanity-fueled tirade posted on Twisted Sister’s website, the band’s tour blogger and Tour/Production Assistant “Armadillo Terry” says the Amnesia Rockfest — or “Shitfest,” as he called it — was the “WORST. FESTIVAL. EVER.”
Said Twisted front-man Dee Snider, in a House Of Hair exclusive: “The promoters and production staff (with a few exceptions) at Amnesia Rockfest treated us like shit and they are lucky I didn’t know the half of what was going on or I would have really humiliated them from the stage. Canada is our biggest country in the world per capita, and this was our one and only chance to say farewell. The scumbag sound crew guys literally pulled the plug on me saying the word, “goodbye.”
Dee included a photo of the band on stage and continued: “Look at the size and enthusiasm of the crowd! Canada loves Twisted Sister and Twisted Sister loves Canada!”
The post with all the juicy details was taken down from Twisted’s website on July 5.
Amnesia Rockfest founder Alex Martel has released a statement regarding the Twisted Sister crew member’s comments.
Read it in full below:
“I was extremely disappointed earlier today to read the comments made by Twister Sister’s blogger after their show at Amnesia Rockfest 2016. We contacted the band’s team as soon as we became aware of these comments, and they immediately decided to remove the blog post outlining their dissatisfaction. However, I think it’s important that we set the record straight to prevent misunderstandings. In the 11 years of the festival, I have never seen anything like this. No member of the Twisted Sister camp contacted me at any point during or after the festival to express any concerns – we are always open to constructive criticism and improvement. I could tell the other side of the story. I could explain how running a festival with 130 bands over two days works and how our entire team makes serious efforts to accommodate them all, rather than giving priority to a single band. I could mention that all the logistical information was sent to performers weeks prior to the event to ensure there would be no surprises about our hospitality, production or the site’s geographic location. I could also name the hundreds of bands who are satisfied with their experience at Rockfest year after year. Even though I strongly disagree with their claims and the way they chose to share their views, I still have tremendous respect for this legendary band and I wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
— Alex Martel, founder, Amnesia Rockfest
This isn’t the first time Rockfest has faced criticism for the way it’s run. There were numerous reports describing the 2013 festival as a nightmare. It was described as “an organizational shit show”, thanks to lack of box office staff, overflowing portable toilets, band delays and cancellations and garbage that was not picked up.
Lemmy and Mötorhead Celebrated In Special Edition Magazine
The life and career of Lemmy Kilmister and Mötorhead are celebrated in a new collector’s magazine Mötorhead – The Ultimate Tribute. The magazine is a 148-page special edition dedicated entirely to the legendary British band and their iconic singer featuring new interviews with the surviving members of Mötorhead, rare photographs and classic encounters taken from the archives of Classic Rock and Metal Hammer magazines.
Edited by Geoff Barton (ex-Sounds and Kerrang!), the collectible magazine traces the band’s history across the last five decades, from Lemmy’s very first interview shortly after he had been kicked out of Hawkwind up to the legend’s final stand, taking in classic TV appearances, broken necks and (alleged) phone calls with Halle Berry.
Surviving Mötorhead guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee also open up about life after Lemmy in brand new interviews, while producer Cameron Webb, Mötorhead manager Todd Singerman and PR supremo Ute Kromrey look back at their long and eventful relationships with the great man – and what the future holds for them.
Former Iron Maiden Singer Paul Di’Anno Battling Cancer
Back in May, it was announced that Di’Anno was hospitalized for an undisclosed medical issue, forcing him to cancel his previously announced June 2016 tour of Brazil. His Architects of Chaoz bandmates stated at the time that Paul had “a shadow on his chest and lungs and a problem with his lymph nodes.” They added that he had “a total arthritic breakdown with his legs.” No further details were given.
In a brand new interview with Chile’s HumoNegro web site, Di’Anno’s friend and fellow ex-Iron Maiden singer, Blaze Bayley was asked when fans could expect to see Bayley and Di’Anno touring South America together, as the two singers had done in other parts of the world, Blaze responded: “Paul’s in the hospital right now. He’s got cancer, and also he’s got problems with his knees and his hip. So he’s gonna be in the hospital for another four months. He’s doing okay and he’s responding to treatment.”
“We’ve played together many shows around the world — in Russia, Sweden and Australia — and the only places, really, that we haven’t done are South America. So when he gets better — maybe in a year or so — maybe we’ll be able to do a tour like that.”
AC/DC Fans Offered Earliest Brian Johnson Recordings
From a unique release, you have the chance to hear some of the earliest recordings made by Brian Johnson. It’s from his 1971 “middle of the road” era from the unreleased Jasper Hart Band sessions, before he went on to front Geordie, where he stayed until joining AC/DC in 1980.
Jasper Hart Band guitarist Ken Brown recently discovered the original tapes, and he’s gearing up to release them for the first time on a limited-edition basis for the AC/DC “anorak” or “memorabilia fanatic.”
Brown says: “You may be surprised to learn that Brian was not always a rock singer, but a very good ‘middle of the road’ chanter.
“In the late 60s and early 70s, Brian was a member of the Gobi Desert Kanoo Klub and The Jasper Hart Band, who played in the North East of England with reasonable success.”
Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson and Son to Take Part in Charity Rally
Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson and his son Griffin are among a group of 32 friends who are driving in a rally to Cannes with the hope of raising £50,000 [about $65,000 USD] for four of their favorite charities.
In pairs, the drivers will travel 832 miles in cheap cars to raise funds for children, domestic violence victims and those less wealthy than themselves.
The rules of the Dash to the Med are simple – each car has to be worth less than £500 and no sat-navs [GPS] or motorways can be used throughout the journey.
Funds will be distributed equally between Variety Children’s Charity, East Surrey Domestic Abuse Services, The Children’s Trust and the Royal Grammar School Foundation.
TALKING HEADBANGERS
Dave Mustaine says Chris Adler Now “Has Nothing To Do With” Megadeth
Dave Mustaine says that Lamb of God drummer Chris Adler now “has nothing to do with” Megadeth.
Adler was recruited by Megadeth to play drums on the band’s latest studio album Dystopia but has now returned to his primary gig with Lamb of God. Soilwork’s Dirk Verbeuren has taken over drumming duties for Megadeth’s current tour.
The Megadeth front-man said during a news conference in Tel Aviv, “If you’re in the presence of greatness, it’s shameful not to allow that to be great. But let me back up though: Chris Adler is not in Megadeth, he’s in Lamb of God. He was a session guy, he was what you could call work for hire. And he has nothing to do with us anymore, and he is with his band. I am very grateful for his contributions, I’m grateful for him introducing us to Dirk. We still haven’t announced who our new drummer is going to be, it won’t be Chris Adler, because he’s in Lamb of God.”
Slash Does First Interview Since Guns N’ Roses Reunion
Guns N’ Roses lead guitarist Slash gave his first interview since the legendary band kicked off their Not In This Lifetime reunion tour, which marked the first time that he, Axl Rose and Duff McKagan had shared the stage together in over 20 years.
Slash spoke to Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer about how the reunion is going, “Everybody’s playing great – playing nice. Everybody’s getting along and everybody’s playing great, and the shows have been awesome. We all were pretty positive that that would never happen, so it’s still sort of blowing our minds. It seems so surreal to me, you know. But everybody’s really getting along great and I think everybody’s come a long way, and it’s all cool.”
Listen to the full interview here.
Glenn Hughes Would Be Honored To Work With Toni Iommi Again
Glenn Hughes says he’d be “honored” to work on another album with Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi. The former Deep Purple man, who briefly fronted Sabbath in the mid-80s, says he remains a close friend of Iommi’s. He was last featured on the guitarist’s 2005 solo album Fused.
When asked at a press conference at Hellfest, France, if they could collaborate following Black Sabbath’s The End Tour, Hughes says it could be possible as they “work together really well.”
He adds: “Tony and I speak, or get together, every year, and we sort of look at each other and go, ‘Shall we do another one?’ And it’s kind of like a little joke, but you never know, because we really are close friends and we really do work together really, really well.”
NEW RELEASES
Rumored Release Date for New Metallica Album
According to the German newspaper Bild, the new Metallica album will be released on October 14. Neither the band nor the label has confirmed that date, however.
The album is done being recorded, and it’s being mixed by Greg Fidelman, the same dude who did such a bang-up job on Death Magnetic.
Lars Ulrich has compared it to Master of Puppets, however, remember, this is the guy who promised that Lulu would make “… And Justice for All sound like the first Ramones album,” so he’s maybe not the best critic of his own work.
Twisted Sister’s ‘Metal Meltdown’ Concert Video Set For Release July 22
The Metal Meltdown concert series event kicked off at The Joint at the world famous Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas on May 30, 2015 when legendary, multi-Platinum selling rockers Twisted Sister performed an explosive 90-minute concert with their biggest hits spanning their 40-year career.
The show was dedicated to Twisted Sister’s iconic drummer, A.J. Pero, whose tragic, sudden death just two months prior to the filming of this event shocked the music world.
Twisted Sister fans will now get to witness that special concert. Directed by Brian Lockwood (Bon Jovi, Metallica, Mötley Crüe), Metal Meltdown – Featuring Twisted Sister Live At The Hard Rock Casino – Las Vegas, features that complete concert, as well as Rockshow, a bonus documentary that takes fans through the band’s 40-year ride from local club outcasts to world domination with exclusive interviews, archive footage from the ‘80s, and a photo gallery.
Set for release July 22, the retail package includes both BluRay and DVD formats as well as an audio CD.
New Scorpions Book Tells the Story of Influential 70’s Era
German Metal Machine: Scorpions in the ’70s is the first-ever book to focus solely on this period of the band. Interviews include such former members as Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Francis Buchholz, and Herman Rarebell, longtime Scorpions producer Dieter Dierks, plus members of other bands who are major admirers, including KK Downing (Judas Priest), Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins), Joe Satriani, Tom Hamilton (Aerosmith), David Ellefson (Megadeth), and Alex Skolnick (Testament), among many others. Kirk Hammett (Metallica) provides a foreword.
Few rock bands were as successful as the Scorpions by the mid ’80s – headlining arenas/stadiums worldwide, scoring two mega-selling albums (the platinum-certified Blackout and the triple-platinum certified Love at First Sting) and two hit singles/videos (“No One Like You” and “Rock You Like a Hurricane”).
But what quite a few newcomers to the band didn’t realize was that the Scorpions had been regularly recording music since 1972, and that throughout the remainder of the decade, featured two guitarists (Michael Schenker and Uli Jon Roth) at separate points that are considered legendary among the heavy metal masses.
And while the 70s albums as Lonesome Crow, Fly to the Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer, Taken by Force, Tokyo Tapes, and Lovedrive did not come close to obtaining the commercial success of the aforementioned ’80s era efforts, they inspired and influenced countless renowned musicians.
Metalheads Say The Damnedest Things
“I come from a musical family. My dad and all my brothers played an instrument, mostly guitars. So there was all these instruments [laying] around. You picked it up and played it away. There was always people to show you how to get on with it.
“I work out stuff all the time; I keep working away,” he added. “Every day I listen and try to find bits that I missed or something that Malcolm did that would help with what’s [going on] in the tunes. I’m not trying to imitate or copy him, but trying to keep the spirit of what he did in the band.”
~ AC/DC rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, the nephew of guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young. He took Malcolm’s place in the band prior to the recording of the group’s 16th studio album, “Rock Or Bust”.