“When you write from the heart, it’s pure…”; Machine Head’s guitarist Phil Demmel talks new album

Machine Head’s guitarist Phil Demmel recently spoke about MH’s new album ideas with The Nervous Breakdown. Here are some of the excerpts below…

The Nervous Breakdown:

“Let’s just throw it out there—have you started thinking about the next record?”

Phil Demmel:

“After this tour, we want to get in and start writing. We’ve got a couple of things for next year, but for the most part we want to get in and hopefully start recording before the end of the year next year. Have we thought about directions or any of that? It hasn’t really been agreed upon yet. I think we’re just going to write like we have been. Our formula has been to just come up with something and see what happens. Nothing contrived, you know? That’s how Darkness Within happened, and that’s how a lot of the stuff on the last album happened, so we’ll just see how we progress. Robb took classical lessons before the last record, so I think it’s just going to be an amalgamation of everything we’ve learned so far. We keep evolving, and it’s not going to be Blackening II and it’s not going to be Unto the Locust II. I think it’s going to be our strongest record.”

The Nervous Breakdown:

“Expectations for the next album will be quite a bit different. They might have been somewhat low for Unto the Locust simply because, as you say, no one thought you’d top The Blackening. Yet popular opinion now holds that you did. Therefore, the next record will necessarily bring the highest expectations yet. Can you write with the same authenticity amid such attention?”

Phil Demmel:

“I think so. For myself, yeah, absolutely. It’s the same thing. Being able to create and play and have people enjoy what we do is the best thing in the world. We’re so blessed to be able to be out here and doing this, and for me to sit down and have something come out and be able to record it is amazing. I have a little recorder and I mouth riffs into it. Sitting around watching football and just noodling and recording little harmonies come up, and having them come together with these guys is an amazing process. When you write from the heart, it’s pure and it’s genuine and that’s how we’re going to do it. I won’t be in the band if that’s not going to be the case.”

You can read the entire Phil Demmel interview with The Nervous Breakdown here.

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Trailer for “Deconsecrate,” first-ever music video by The Faceless

Well goddamn. The Faceless is making their first music video.

The music video is for their song “Deconsecrate,” the finale of their “Autotheist Movement” trilogy that is featured as the first three songs on their latest album “Autotheism.” The music video is being directed by Ramon Boutviseth.

However, this isn’t the music video below. It’s just the trailer. That’s right. A trailer for a music video.

I expect greatness from this music video even more now. In fact, why don’t they just make a music video for the goddamn entirety of “Autotheism.” You hear me Sumerian Records and The Faceless? DO YOU HEAR ME?!? I want to SEE this album, not just hear it!

Anyways, enjoy 🙂

P.S. If you haven’t read through the lyrics while listening through the album yet, it’s definitely worth your time. Exhibit A, a line from “Autotheist Movement I: Create”

“A flower takes bloom and births a new reality”

At first, I was like “Wow, that doesn’t sound very metal…wait…actually…”

Then I was like “…n’oh my god…”

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Trailer for Metallica’s “Quebec Magnetic” DVD/Blu-ray

Gotta say, this concert looks shockingly grand. It’s almost like Metallica wants to defibrillate the devotion they used to receive before St. Anger.

Wayne Isham directed the Metallica concert in Quebec City in 2009 when Metallica embarked on their global Death Magnetic tour. The DVD/Blu-ray, which comes out December 10, will be the first release from Metallica’s self-owned label.

An interesting fact to note is that the setlist for the Quebec Magnetic concert was decided upon entirely by fans. Here’s what they chose:

1. That Was Just Your Life
2. The End Of The Line
3. The Four Horsemen
4. The Shortest Straw
5. One
6. Broken, Beat & Scarred
7. My Apocalypse
8. Sad But True
9. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
10. The Judas Kiss
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master of Puppets
13. Battery
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
16. Killing Time
17. Whiplash
18. Seek & Destroy

Bonus songs include For Whom the Bell Tolls, Holier Than Thou, Cyanide, Turn the Page, All Nightmare Long, Damage, Inc., Breadfan and Phantom Lord.

I swear, Lars Ulrich is pictured standing or off of his drumset at least twice as much as he is pictured actually playing drums in this trailer.

-G

Metal prevails on La France a un incroyable talent (France has incredible talent)!

By now you’ve probably heard of the Sybreed-singing sensation Rachel La Voix D’Homme, the contestant on “La France a un incroyable talent” (essentially France’s version of “[insert country] has/got talent”) who belted out “Emma O” the other night to a perplexed panel of judges and audience members…and advanced to the next round!!!

Rachel is also the frontwoman for French melodic death metal band Dividead.

From all of us here at IFLHM, keep kicking ass Rachel! \m/ \m/

-G

Metalocalypse creator Brendon Small video interview

Lamb Of God legal issues. Machine Head health problems. Hurricane Sandy.

What do these unfortunate events have in common? They may be part of a so-called “Deth Kurse” that was cast upon Dethklok’s tour this year. “Metalocalypse” creator Brendon Small claims there is no evidence to support the conspiracy theory of a “Deth Kurse”…but the aforementioned events sure sound like they’d all be  in an episode of “Metalocalypse.”

In addition to shedding light on Dethklok’s tour this year, Small talks about the creation of “Dethalbum III,” the fourth season of “Metalocalypse,” his personal songwriting process, his stand-up comedy and “Galaktikon,” his space opera-esque “high stakes intergalactic extreme rock album.”

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Ozzfest Japan 2013 is going to be f@ckin brutal

Let’s just take a moment to read that all again.

Night 1: Deftones, Slash and headliner Slipknot.

Night 2:  Stone Sour, Tool and headliner Black Sabbath.

Looks like I’m gonna have to make a trip to Japan next May…I just may.

This is the first-ever Ozzfest to take place in Japan. My god did they get a damn good lineup.

Oh, and here’s a little bit of Ozzy for ya 🙂

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Minute long Periphery song-ish

It seems that the boys in Periphery are…writing new material.

And it so preeeedy.

Periphery posted this video on their Facebook page today of guitarist Mark Holcomb, a.k.a. Mraky, laying down some groovy Periffs that sound fresh outta Zazzville.

Perhaps this riff will appear on Periphery’s next album, which is supposedly titled “Juggernaut.”

We will have to wait and see…and listen.

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Video interview with As I Lay Dying guitarist Phil Sgrosso

Check out this awesome interview that Profanity TV conducted with As I Lay Dying guitarist and all-around chill-dude Phil Sgrosso.

The interview covers topics such as:

-What happens when the brakes on a tour bus catch on FIRE

-Memories of late Suicide Silence front man Mitch Lucker

-The reason for the album’s title, “Awakened”

-Choosing Bill Stevenson (drummer for Descendents and Black Flag) as the producer for “Awakened”

-AILD’s approach to clean vocals

-Sgrosso’s take (or lack thereof) on the 2012 election (just when you thought you wouldn’t hear more about it…)

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Dillinger Escape Plan sign with the sphinx…a.k.a. Sumerian Records

It seems the Dillinger Escape Plan took advantage of everyone filling their bellies and sleeping to try and slip some important information by us!

Dillinger Escape Plan, a “mathcore” group from New Jersey, has signed with Sumerian Records, home of bands such as The Faceless, After The Burial, Veil Of Maya, Periphery, The Haarp Machine and many more. Dillinger Escape Plan’s own imprint label, Party Smasher Inc., will now be housed within Sumerian Records. DEP is currently recording a new album, which is set for a spring 2013 release, with producer Steve Evetts. Evetts has experience working with bands such as Every Time I Die, Poison the Well, Sepultura and Suicide Silence (RIP Mitch Lucker).

DEP guitarist Ben Weinman said this regarding the upcoming album:

“This new material is very punk-, very hardcore-influenced. Maybe it’s all the amazing bands reuniting from my youth that is inspiring this. Billy [Rymer, drums] and I have just been listening to old hardcore records blasting through my house and then going down to the dungeon and just bashing. Greg [Puciato, vocals] also seems to be in a very dark place lyrically. I think it’s going to be pretty creepy. If these songs don’t put some holes in the wall, I don’t know what will.”

Here’s a video of DEP announcing their deal with Sumerian Records.

-G

Killswitch Engage vocalist Jesse Leach answers fan questions

Check out Killswitch Engage front man Jesse Leach’s responses to some fan questions he received during an interview with Roadrunner Records!

Weren’t you a vegan for a while, and when/how did that change?
Yeah, I was vegetarian for 12 years, vegan for a year, and I think I got to the point where I realized in my own mind that it’s more important to support local and organic stuff—farm products, food, whatever the case may be. Cause the reason I got into vegetarianism in the first place was for environmental purposes, caring for the earth and not wanting to contribute the corporate farming that was going on, which I’m still very much opposed to. But I think it got to a point in my life where I realized I wanted to be more locally minded, and the way the economy was, the way my mindset was four years ago when I decided to partake in meat again—I don’t want to say I grew out of it, but I realized the goal was more environmentalism as opposed to vegetarianism. So local and organic is the way to go, that’s the short version of it. And I do not regret it at all.
Do you have any plans to tour places you’ve never been in 2013?
Yes, and I would love to, that’s all I can say. I will go anywhere in the world; I just want to get out there. Absolutely.
Do you have any pre-show rituals or superstitions?
Oh, I’ve got tons of rituals. Tons of water, like, ridiculous amounts ofwater. I do Melissa Cross vocal warmups religiously, every single day. And just a little bit of whiskey. And stretching—I do all kinds of stretches, physically not vocally. I’m a creature of habit, I stick to my routine and I’m very cautious in everything I do because I care that much; I want every performance to be as good as it can be.

Killswitch Engage is going on a North American tour starting tomorrow, November 24. During the tour, they will play the entirety of their 2002 album “Alive Or Just Breathing” (the last one with Leach as vocalist).

11/24/2012

NOS Event Center San Bernardino, US

11/25/2012

Slim’s San Francisco, US

11/27/2012

Studio 7 Seattle, US

11/28/2012

Hawthorne Theatre Portland, US

11/30/2012

Fox Theatre Boulder, US

12/01/2012

The Beaumont Kansas City, US

12/02/2012

Trees Dallas, US

12/04/2012

State Theater St. Petersburg, US

12/05/2012

Vinyl Music Hall Pensacola, US

12/06/2012

The Masquerade Atlanta, US

12/07/2012

Orange Peel Asheville, US

12/09/2012

Headliner’s Toledo, US

12/10/2012

The Bottom Lounge Chicago, US

12/11/2012

Al Rosa Columbus, US

12/12/2012

Opera House Toronto, CA

12/14/2012

Town Ballroom Buffalo, US

12/15/2012

Chameleon Club Lancaster, US

12/16/2012

Music Hall of Williamsburg Brooklyn, US

12/18/2012

Higher Ground South Burlington, US

12/19/2012

Pearl Street Northampton, US

12/20/2012

State Theatre Portland, US

12/27/2012

Rams Head Live Baltimore, US

12/28/2012

The Sherman Theater Stroudsburg, US

12/28/2012

Starland Ballroom Sayreville, US

12/29/2012

Upstate Concert Hall Clifton Park, US

03/16/2013

Egan Civic Center Anchorage, US