IRON MAIDEN Documentary Makers Interviewed On CBC's 'Q'; Video Available

Jian Ghomeshi of CBC's cultural affairs show "Q" conducted an interview with directors Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn of Toronto, Ontario, Canada's Banger Films Inc. — creators of "Iron Maiden: Flight 666", the feature-length documentary film which follows the IRON MAIDEN bandmembers on the first leg of their "Somewhere Back In Time World Tour" in February and March of 2008 — on April 14, 2009. The 15-minute chat can now be viewed below.

"Iron Maiden: Flight 666" was released on extended Blu-ray and DVD formats, alongside a double-CD soundtrack album and limited edition double-vinyl picture disc. It was made available Monday, May 25 on EMI Records in Europe, and June 9 on EMI Records Canada and UMe in the USA.

For "Iron Maiden: Flight 666", IRON MAIDEN was accompanied everywhere by McFadyen and Dunn, who have received international critical acclaim for their previous movies "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" and recently "Global Metal". Dunn and his team bring an intimate, behind-the-scenes view of this remarkable journey, with a close look at the logistics involved and following Team Maiden in the cockpit, on the plane and on and offstage, getting to the heart of this global adventure of a band that has very rarely even let cameras backstage before.

Shot in high definition and with superb 5.1 surround sound, mixed by the band's producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley, "Flight 666" brings to the screen all the drama, excitement and hysteria that followed the band around the world every time Ed Force One (the band's plane) touched down in a new country. The film documents the intensity of the punishing show schedules, the struggle with the time zones, the pressures of ensuring that every performance matched the energy of the many thousands of ecstatic and expectant fans from many cultural backgrounds, unusual angles from the spectacular shows... and, of course, the fun had on the way!

As a very special bonus for the fans, MAIDEN has included a second disc of the entire set from the 2008 segment of this tour with the DVD (and as a long-play Blu-ray). Sixteen songs from sixteen different cities in eleven countries around the world, for the first time ever encompassing such varied places and cultures in one concert. In addition to a standard double DVD, EMI released a special souvenir limited-edition deluxe DVD with 30-page booklet. The soundtrack audio version of the live show was made available on two CDs, as a limited-edition vinyl set with two picture discs, and a digital download especially for those fans who do not have DVD access or just want to enjoy the show as a great live album. All are lavishly packaged as an ultimate memento of a tour to remember!

To recognize the global phenomenon of MAIDEN, the Blu-ray/DVD are also subtitled in Hindi, Japanese, Dutch, German, Spanish, Brazilian, French, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish.

CARCASS Confirmed For Next Year's NEUROTIC DEATHFEST

According to M.A.D. Tourbooking, reactivated British extreme metal legends CARCASS are the first confirmed band for next year's Neurotic Deathfest, set to take place April 30 - May 1, 2010 in Tilburg, Holland.

CARCASS performed at this year's Gods Of Metal festival, which was held June 27-28, 2009 in Monza, Italy. Watch fan-filmed video footage of the concert below (courtesy of "ginmetal").

CARCASS' reunion lineup:

Bill Steer (FIREBIRD) - Vocals, Guitar
Jeff Walker (BRUJERIA) - Vocals, Bass
Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY) - Guitar
Daniel Erlandsson (ARCH ENEMY) - Drums

CARCASS guitarist Bill Steer recently hinted in the press that a new studio album from the band was a possibility. Revolver magazine contacted vocalist/bassist Jeff Walker for the scoop. I'm waiting for Bill to confirm it, just like you!" he said. "It's gone from 'No' to 'Maybe' to 'Never say never' — just spit it out, God damn it! We never wanted to be one of those bands that reformed, played again, and then [went on to be] totally lackluster and uninspired."

SLAYER Frontman: MUSTAINE Talks A Lot Of Sh*t, Apologizes For It, Then Continues Talking Sh*t

Mark Eglinton of The Quietus conducted an interview with SLAYER vocalist/bassist Tom Araya on Tuesday, September 1. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Quietus: Isn't it difficult being a responsible father while singing about some of that challenging subject matter?

Araya: No, my kids are fans of the band — they've seen the band live. Our album covers, they've seen all that and know all that, and, you know, they're two separate worlds. It's like you when you've got your daytime job and you do your work, then you go home and you're with the kids. It's no different for me. Even when I'm out on the road, they come with me; it's no different. They know that the minute I'm on stage I'm in SLAYER and I'm playing and singing. But I come off the stage and I'm Dad. They kind of have a grasp of what's going on or the extent of the popularity of the band but they know me as Dad and don't know me as anything else.

The Quietus: How did the tour with MEGADETH go? And was there any evidence of a rift between SLAYER and Dave Mustaine?

Araya: You know, I ran into him on two occasions, but when you see someone, and if you're a human being, you respect them and treat them as human beings — they're another living person. Other than that, the only thing we shared was that we did those four shows together. You know what I mean?! Nothing's really changed for me about him; I'm just waiting for him to open his mouth. [Laughs]

The Quietus: What is the burning issue between MEGADETH and SLAYER?

Araya: There isn't really a burning issue. The thing is he talks a lot of shit — then he apologizes for it, then he continues [talking shit]. Did you see [METALLICA's documentary] "Some Kind of Monster" [which features Mustaine in a scene with METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich and "performance enhancement coach" Phil Towle]? That should give you some kind of idea how he is!

The Quietus: In hindsight, would you have ever radically compromised your style for commercial gain? It must have been discussed?

Araya: We've never discussed it and it's something we'd never do. And we haven't. Let's put it this way: when we did "Divine Intervention", this was the last conference we ever had with a record label where they sat us down and sold us the idea of how they wanted to do "Divine", and how they were going to do this with the cover... and all these different ideas for the album. Then one guy looked at us and said, "But we need a hit song." And we said, "But you've got eleven songs, and if you can't find a hit in one of them than you're shit out of luck because that's what we're giving you." So we're like saying to them, "Right, you write the fucking hit song and we'll record it." That shut the guy up and that was the last time we had any kind of meetings like that! [Laughs]

The Quietus: So monetary success is not a driving force?

Araya: No, it's not really. Well, it would be nice to have monetary success, but we're not going to go out of our way to try to achieve that — we're going to be SLAYER and you're going to like us for what we do. We're going to make you buy a million records!
The Quietus: Is the controversy spotlight off SLAYER nowadays given some bands have taken things somewhat further and appear to mean it, too?

Araya: I don't really think about it and I don't really care. Even if we were getting the attention and now we're not, it doesn't really matter. If we've got protesters, I don't care. Someone says they don't like it, I don't care. No one has to like us and they're more than welcome to hate us.

The Quietus: How do you replace the huge adrenaline that SLAYER must give you when you're at home and away from the band?

Araya: Home's a sanctuary. Peace and quiet is what I want there. You know it doesn't take much to get the adrenaline going— we're in SLAYER! You start playing the music and you get a rush so there's no shortage of adrenaline. You recharge the batteries and I enjoy that kind of tranquility. I don't realize how much noise goes on around me until I get home and sit outside listening to the trees. Silence... just quiet.

Read the entire interview from The Quietus..

METALLICA's 'Most Sensitive' Member Revealed

Jim Breuer, comedian, Sirius XM host and diehard METALLICA fan, sat down for a rare and hilarious interview with all the members of the legendary metal band for his weekly show on Sirius XM's Raw Dog comedy channel. The hour-long interview, taped before the band's performance at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, delved into rare subject matter and humorous hypotheticals, including which band member each would call to help hide a body and what government agencies they would assign to one another if METALLICA were its own country. The special also included a quiz portion where each member is quizzed on prices of common household products to determine how out of touch, if at all, they are from everyday life.

The first webisode featuring highlights from the interview contains the question of "Who is (by far) the most sensitive member in the group?" in regards to crying.

The answer may be shocking to some people.

"Fridays with Breuer" is an intimate show hosted by Jim Breuer, one of the county's most outrageous and beloved comedians. Breuer invites millions of Sirius XM listeners each week into his life and brain, sharing hilarious anecdotes about his adventures as a family man, doing impressions of his favorite performers, riffing on his colorful experiences from performing around the country, and discussing his beloved New York Mets, his favorite rock legends and more.

MELDRUM: Two Full Songs From 'Lifer' Posted Online

The surviving members of MELDRUM — the band formed by ex-PHANTOM BLUE guitarist Michelle Meldrum — have posted two full new songs on their MySpace page. Both songs will appear on MELDRUM's forthcoming third album (for which Michelle recorded her tracks prior to her passing), "Lifer", which will be available for purchase through iTunes starting in October.

MELDRUM has scheduled the following dates:

Sep. 02 - The Jumping Turtle, San Diego, CA
Sep. 03 - [to be announced]
Sep. 04 - Brookside Inn, Brookside Monterey, CA
Sep. 05 - Lost on Main, Chico, CA
Sep. 06 - Studio Seven, Seattle, WA
Sep. 08 - Dante’s, Portland, OR
Sep. 10 - Last Day Saloon, Santa Rosa, CA
Sep. 11 - Burnin Burro, Livermore, CA (Oakland Metro)
Sep. 12 - UB's, Mesa, AZ
Sep. 15 - Whisky A Go Go, Hollywood, CA

Michelle Meldrum died in May 2008 as a result of a cystic growth that had restricted oxygen and blood flow to her brain, rendering her braindead.

Commented MELDRUM drummer Gene Hoglan (also of STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, FEAR FACTORY, DEATH, TESTAMENT, DARK ANGEL): "We're all super-excited to announce this upcoming MELDRUM tour! It's gonna be a few selected West Coast dates, where we unveil the new lineup of rip-snortin' bitches, and I'd love for everybody to come out and get your heads handed to ya! We're gonna be focusing on the upcoming 'Lifer' material which is a big step forward for the band, and we can't wait to pummel all of ya with some heavy. We'll see you on the road, people!"

"Lifer" stands as a proud tribute to Michelle, who wrote the material for the CD with Hoglan, along with new members Laura Christine (bass) and Michele Madden (vocals).

"Lifer" is sonically different in direction than anything previously released by the band. With new life, and new talent, this album has carried the talents these four have to a higher level.

Hoglan previously stated about the CD: "Let me say this: Never have I obsessed over the recording of any album I've been involved in as I have with MELDRUM's latest. The tragic circumstances that took Michelle from us also provided us with a laser-sharp focus to record the most amazing album we could. Michele Madden, Laura Christine, and hell, even Chicken, our engineer, put forth performances of a lifetime, with each member's full love and respect going into every nuance of every song. Not only to honor Michelle, but to also lay down some bad-ass music, which was ultimately what she stood for… what MELDRUM stands for. I think the songs speak for themselves, and I, for one, have never been prouder to be a part of a family, let alone a project such as this. Metal with balls. Crank it up, indeed."

Michelle Meldrum was born on September 28, 1968 in Detroit, Michigan to a family of musicians and actors, and moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 13. She started her career in music by forming the thrash metal band WARGOD with drummer Gene Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, DEATH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD), then moved on to become both co-founder and lead guitarist in PHANTOM BLUE. PHANTOM BLUE released its self-titled debut album on Shrapnel Records in the U.S. (Roadrunner in Europe and Japan) and eventually landed a major label deal with Geffen.

While her career flourished, Michelle married EUROPE guitarist John Norum and moved to Sweden to form MELDRUM. After many successful tours with such acts as MOTÖRHEAD and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, she reunited with Gene in 2006 when he appeared as a guest on MELDRUM album and events. Inspired to once again collaborate, Michelle moved back to America where she and Gene began writing the third MELDRUM album together.

Video footage of Gene Hoglan laying down tracks for the new MELDRUM album can be viewed below.

KITTIE Drummer: '90% Of The People Out There Don't Realize We're Canadian'

Steven K. of Swigged! recently conducted an interview with KITTIE drummer Mercedes Lander. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Swigged!: The band recently taped a video with David Brodsky. When should fans be expecting [to see it]?

Mercedes: Actually, it was two videos. I just saw the first cut of the first video we shot called "Cut Throat" yesterday. The other video is for "Sorrow I Know". I believe "Cut Throat" will be coming out first. It should only be a couple of weeks. He was really cool with taking our ideas and running with them. Our fans were able to be extras in it. We had an open casting call — people flew from all over to be in the video, which I thought was really cool.

Swigged!: The new record is going to be called "In the Black". I presume you're not referring to the economy?

Mercedes: Actually, yeah, it's a play on that financial term. Being "in the red" obviously means you're going down the hole. "In the black" doesn't mean you're clear of all your problems, but you're on your way to doing better. That's kind of how we feel right now. We're doing a lot better — we're on our way towards making a full recovery.

Swigged!: Who produced "In The Black"?

Mercedes: A guy named Siegfried Meier. Actually, funny story about him, he was the third in line engineer on the album "Oracle" — he was basically the studio bitch about eight years ago. [Laughs] Now, he has his own studio and a very lucrative business as a music producer. We decided to go with him because he was a real awesome person to work with [while we recorded "Oracle"]. He actually got our jokes! His new studio is amazing — state of the art and in the middle of nowhere in Ontario. We lived in a trailer for three weeks as we recorded ["In The Black"] in the freezing cold. We literally met him at the beginning of his career eight years ago.

Swigged!: So what led you to decide and go with him?

Mercedes: We see each other quite often actually. He told us one day he was building his own studio and a friend of ours actually recorded there as it was being built. After that, we decided to record there too.

Swigged!: Switching gears a bit, the band recently inked a deal with E1 Music – how did that come to be?

Mercedes: The vice president [of metal] there, Scott Givens, we've actually known him for about 10 years now. He used to work from Roadrunner Records, Capitol, RCA — so we've known him for quite awhile. He has always been a really awesome guy — very supportive of the band and always there when we needed it. Once he landed at E1, it was the obvious move. There were other labels that were interested, but they were just "Eh, blah blah." We went with him because he was on the ball.

Swigged!: You mentioned before how the new album in essence represents a new turning point for the band. This may be an obvious answer, but looking back, do you believe you've received more flak for being a Canadian metal band or for being an all-female metal act?

Mercedes: To be honest, 90% of the people out there don't realize we're Canadian. In all honestly that might be because we really don't do a whole lot here in Canada. I think people tend to go towards the obvious, which is that we're an all-girl band. It's too bad, but it's something we have to deal with. There really is no way around it — the only way there would be is if people stopped talking about it. We really hope that they do, because it's very annoying.

Swigged!: Do you think the metal scene is sexist?

Mercedes: I think that any scene [can be] sexist. But really, who cares? We play music — I really don't give a shit if there's a girl or a guy in the bands that I listen to, so why do other people? I don't understand them, I guess. If someone likes my music, it doesn't matter. If you're enjoying the music, you shouldn't get caught up in what they look like or what they do or any of that. Just my personal opinion…

Read the entire interview from Swigged!.

SLAYER's KING Says DAVE MUSTAINE Is 'Pompous', 'A Hypocrite' And 'A Great Guitar Player'

SLAYER members Kerry King (guitar) and Dave Lombardo (drums) took part in a press conference with members of the French media on August 31, 2009 in Paris, France. Watch the question-and-answer session in three parts below.

When asked about his long-running "feud" with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and SLAYER's recent Canadian tour with MEGADETH, King stated, "We only did four [shows with MEGADETH so far on the current touring cycle]. I think it's cool for the fans [to have SLAYER and MEGADETH touring together], you know. Everybody's all worried about the beef with me and Dave; we don't really get along. But I don't really have anything against him. I think he's a great guitar player. When we had that Canada thing pop up, I just said, 'I'm gonna go, and if I see Dave, I'll be cordial. I'll say, 'Hey, Dave. What's up?!' But if he's a dick to me, I'm gonna be a bigger dick to him. And that's how [the upcoming SLAYER/MEGADETH tour of] Australia is gonna be, and that's how the next Canadian tour [with MEGADETH] is gonna be. I think maybe he's grown up a bit because I think he's a little pompous and I think he's a big hypocrite — that's my problem with him, personally — but I could never take anything away from his guitar playing; I think he's great."

According to Eil.com, the world's leading provider of rare music and music memorabilia, SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", will be released in Japan on October 14. The limited-edition two-disc set will include the 11-track CD album, plus a bonus Region 2 NTSC DVD (content to be announced), picture sleeve and Obi strip.

An Obi strip is a loop of folded paper usually found around the left side or bottom of a Japanese or Taiwanese LP record, music CD, video game, or book. It features the title and other information, such as price and catalog numbers. The name comes from the sashes worn with kimonos and martial arts uniforms.

Former Metal Edge editor-in-chief Phil Freeman has written the first track-by-track review of "World Painted Blood" for MSN Music's Heavy Metal Superfan site. After describing each of the album's 11 tracks in detail, he concludes: "A lot of people say SLAYER hasn't really been great since 'Seasons in the Abyss'. Those people are wrong. The Paul Bostaph years had a lot to recommend them ('Diabolus in Musica' is a seriously underrated album), and 'Christ Illusion' showed that SLAYER could experiment with dissonance and melody, and kick their own playing and songwriting up a notch when they wanted to. The bandmembers have given a lot of interviews talking about how a lot of this album was written in the studio. Listening to it, you can't tell. That's really impressive. Much the way METALLICA's 'Death Magnetic' combined the thrash of their early years with the hard-rock grooves of their 1990s work, 'World Painted Blood' builds on the success of every SLAYER album before it. It's not a legacy-polishing effort; it's the next step in a still-ongoing journey. Highly recommended."

Read the entire review at this location.

Tentatively due in the U.S. in early October via American Recordings/Columbia Records, "World Painted Blood" will feature the following track listing:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God

"World Painted Blood" was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. The CD was produced by Greg Fidelman, who's spent time in the studio with METALLICA, THE GOSSIP, THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, SLIPKNOT and others, and executive-produced by longtime SLAYER colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project.

Dimmu Borgir Splits With Bassist Vortex And Keyboardist Mustis

Norwegian black metal group Dimmu Borgir has announced that they have parted ways with their bassist, Vortex, and their keyboard player, Mustis. A message from the band reads as follows:

"We regret to inform you that we have parted ways with both (bassist) Vortex and (keyboardist) Mustis. However, we do want to make it perfectly clear that the creative force in the band is highly intact, perhaps even more so than ever. With that being said, we're currently working on our next album and are excited to start a new chapter in the legacy that is Dimmu Borgir."

Behemoth Debut “Ov Fire And The Void” Banned From Youtube

The irreverent and thought provoking new video from one of the world’s most extreme music acts, Behemoth, is finally ready for its world premiere. Ov Fire And The Void, the making of which was chronicled and viewed by thousands on Behemoth’s youtube channel is now available for viewing.

Ov Fire And The Void was filmed by Grupa 13 in Poland, the same people behind Behemoth’s last video, At The Left Hand Ov God. Nergal comments on the video, “We are proud and we are satisfied. This is our life’s work and we are happy to finally get it out to people. Watch and enjoy!”

Evangelion, the band’s ninth full length album, was recorded in the band's hometown at Radio Gdansk studio with longtime sound engineer Malta, the Wieslawscy Brothers, and Daniel Bergstrand (drum engineering) in the producers' chairs. Evangelion was mixed in Miloco Studios by Colin Richardson (Machine Head, Slipknot, Carcass, Napalm Death) and will be unleashed in the US on August 11th via Metal Blade Records and in Europe on August 9th via Nuclear blast.

The irreverent and thought provoking new video from one of the world’s most extreme music acts, Behemoth, has been pulled from youtube. The uncensored version of Ov Fire And The Void is now available for viewing on http://www.metalblade.com/behemoth.