Megadeth Working On New Album

Dave Ellefson has spoken out about the direction you can expect in the follow-up to 2009’s incredible, ‘Endgame’.

Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson has confirmed that the band are currently writing material for a brand new album.

“We are working on it now so it’s a bit early to encapsulate what the final will ultimately sound like, Ellefson told UGO. “I think we know the punch and impact we want it to have but also not be afraid to let new ideas develop, too. Just know it will be heavy, hooky, and have the trademarks you’d come to expect from us.”

“I know the business side want to lock in schedules for release but sometimes you can’t contain a creative process AND a schedule. For us, the scheduling is second to making a great record. It will be done when it’s done.”

http://www.metalhammer.co.uk/news/megadeth-working-on-new-album/

Exclusive Download: Love's Lost 1973 Classic 'Midnight Sun'

On June 7th fans of the Sixties Los Angeles psychedelic band Love will finally get the chance to hear the group's 1973 lost classic Black Beauty. Some tracks on the disc were co-produced by longtime Doors producer Paul Rothchild and was meant to be Love's comeback LP, but the label went bankrupt and the album was shelved. Collectors have circulated bootlegs of the album for years, but High Moon Records has acquired the rights the disc and they are releasing it with bonus tracks and remastered sound. Now, check out this exclusive download (right-click on the link to save) of the Hendrix-inspired track "Midnight Sun," or stream it below. Original members of Love's Black Beauty line-up are going to reunite April 29th at the Roxy in Los Angeles to play cuts from the disc.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-download-loves-lost-1973-classic-midnight-sun-20110404

The Gibson Interview: Jeff Beck

Hot on the heels of a triple-Grammy win and the much-anticipated release of the new CD/DVD/Blu-ray, Rock ’n’ Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul), Jeff Beck is taking his Led Boots back out on the road this year. With dates scheduled for both The Imelda May Band (who accompanied Beck on his Les Paul tribute), and his regular touring band, the guitar god has a full dance card in 2011.
Fortunately, the ever-amiable Beck was kind enough to chat with Gibson.com just as his touring schedule was about to kick into overdrive.

Congratulations on the Grammy wins! I take it you had a good time at the ceremony?

The ceremony is a very long day, but you can’t help but have a good time. You never expect to win any Grammys, so it is always a surprise to hear your name called. The most nerve-wracking part is the acceptance speech, because I am always going to miss out thanking someone. So three more Grammys to add to my collection, thank you very much!


And now, Rock ’n’ Roll Party (Honoring Les Paul) has just been released. What are your memories of those two nights at the Iridium?

It was a crazy few days and I cannot believe the atmosphere in the Iridium and also the people who turned up. I remember we didn’t get too much time to rehearse and that was worrying me the most, especially having the guests join me on stage. The audience seemed to love it and, honestly, I don’t think we could have got a better reaction. Just wish Les had been alive to see it.


How important was it to you, personally, to pay tribute to Les?

Les was an innovator. He created the most incredible sounds and was also my friend. I felt that I wanted to put on a tribute show to him, which I knew he would have appreciated and enjoyed.

It must have been fun making up that set list. You’ve got Les, Hank Marvin, Santo & Johnny… a pretty good excuse to get out the old records.

There are so many songs we could have chosen that, in the end, we had to be strict, otherwise the show would have gone on for hours.


You have some dates coming up with The Imelda May Band. Are you enjoying taking the Rock ’n’ Roll Party on the road?

I think this tour will be a “party” every night. Rock ’n’ roll music is just feel-good and puts a smile on everyone’s face.


Any chance you’ll revisit this material or team up with Imelda’s band in the future?

Who knows what the future holds?


Will any of that material stay in your set as you rejoin your Emotion & Commotion band later this spring? It seems a place like Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium would be perfect for that old timey music.


Well, I have played “How High the Moon” in my set since the 2010 Grammys, so we might keep it in there. The music for Emotion & Commotion seems to fit in anywhere.


Of course, the flip side of it is, you must look forward – at a certain point – to getting back out on the road with that Emotion & Commotion band. Such a killer lineup.


My band and I have had a break since mid-December and I am looking forward to being back on the road with them. Narada [Michael Walden] is a powerhouse with incredible energy, Rhonda [Smith] is phenemonal and I love how she plays and what she gives to every performance, and Jason [Rebello] is great and pushes it on every show. I am looking forward to being back together.


2011 looks to be a pretty busy (potentially exhausting) year for you out on the road. What is it about live performance that keeps luring you back?


Nothing beats a live performance. The audience create the atmosphere and push us to give the best show we can.
Photo credit: John Rahim


http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/jeff-beck-0303-2011/

Top 50 Metal Songs List, Readers Poll Revealed

With today’s announcement of the Top 10 Metal Songs, Gibson.com’s list of the greatest metal songs is complete. Below, you can check out the entire list in order. For more information on each entry, click here for #50-41, #40-31, #30-21, #20-11 and #10-1. Again, we’d like to thank all of the Gibson.com editors and writers who participated and, most importantly, the readers.

On that note, you can scroll down to see the results of the Readers Poll, which included some very interesting choices. Further down the page, you can check out the “repeat offenders” on Gibson.com’s Top 50 Metal Songs, and see which band landed the most songs on the final list.

Gibson.com’s Top 50 Metal Songs of All Time

1. “Master of Puppets,” Metallica
2. “Ace of Spades,” Motörhead
3. “Crazy Train,” Ozzy Osbourne
4. “Iron Man,” Black Sabbath
5. “The Number of the Beast,” Iron Maiden
6. “War Pigs,” Black Sabbath
7. “Paranoid,” Black Sabbath
8. “One,” Metallica
9. “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” Iron Maiden
10. “Breaking the Law,” Judas Priest
11. “Children of the Grave,” Black Sabbath
12. “Welcome to the Jungle,” Guns N’ Roses
13. “Black Sabbath,” Black Sabbath
14. “Hells Bells,” AC/DC
15. “The Trooper,” Iron Maiden
16. “Painkiller,” Judas Priest
17. “Stargazer,” Rainbow
18. “Enter Sandman,” Metallica
19. “Back in Black,” AC/DC
20. “Runnin’ with the Devil,” Van Halen
21. “The Hellion/Electric Eye,” Judas Priest
22. “Run to the Hills,” Iron Maiden
23. “Let it Go,” Def Leppard
24. “Epic,” Faith No More
25. “Hangar 18,” Megadeth
26. “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Iron Maiden
27. “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,” Judas Priest
28. “Fear of the Dark,” Iron Maiden
29. “Raining Blood,” Slayer
30. “Walk,” Pantera
31. “Holy Diver,” Dio
32. “Highway to Hell,” AC/DC
33. “Heaven and Hell,” Black Sabbath
34. “Bulls on Parade,” Rage Against the Machine
35. “Fade to Black,” Metallica
36. “Angel of Death,” Slayer
37. “Peace Sells,” Megadeth
38. “Freak on a Leash,” Korn
39. “Them Bones,” Alice in Chains
40. “Cemetery Gates,” Pantera
41. “Detroit Rock City,” KISS
42. “Devil’s Child,” Judas Priest
43. “Run with the Wolf,” Rainbow
44. “Would?,” Alice in Chains
45. “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” Twisted Sister
46. “Hell Bent for Leather,” Judas Priest
47. “Beyond the Realms of Death,” Judas Priest
48. “Bomber,” Motörhead
49. “Unchained,” Van Halen
50. “10,000 Days (Wings, Part II),” Tool

Readers Poll – Top 25 Metal Songs

Although they share some commonalities, the Readers Poll and final list vary a lot from each other. For instance, the readers showed love for old-school hard rockers Mountain (“Never in My Life” at #4) and for newer metal acts such as Slipknot and Lamb of God (at #14 and #11, respectively). They also got the Led out with a couple of Zeppelin classics – “Whole Lotta Love” and “Stairway to Heaven” – that weren’t included on the final list.

1. “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” Iron Maiden
2. “Paranoid,” Black Sabbath
3. “Master of Puppets,” Metallica
4. “Never in My Life,” Mountain
5. “Iron Man,” Black Sabbath
6. “Enter Sandman,” Metallica
7. “One,” Metallica
8. “Black Sabbath,” Black Sabbath
9. “Crazy Train,” Ozzy Osbourne
10. “Ace of Spades,” Motörhead
11. “Laid to Rest,” Lamb of God
12. “The Number of the Beast,” Iron Maiden
13. “Bang Your Head (Metal Health),” Quiet Riot
14. “Psychosocial,” Slipknot
15. “Children of the Grave,” Black Sabbath
16. “Run to the Hills,” Iron Maiden
17. “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Iron Maiden
18. “Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin
19. “War Pigs,” Black Sabbath
20. “Creek Mary’s Blood,” Nightwish
21. “Whole Lotta Love,” Led Zeppelin
22. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” Black Sabbath
23. “Mr. Crowley,” Ozzy Osbourne
24. “Peace Sells,” Megadeth
25. “Seek and Destroy,” Metallica

Repeat Offenders

If you were to judge by the amount of entries on the Top 50 Metal Songs of All Time, Judas Priest would be the supreme metal gods for all eternity. Rob Halford and the band beat out fellow metal greats Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and Metallica to land a staggering seven songs on the countdown. If you don’t think Priest deserve such an honor, you’ve got another thing comin’.

Judas Priest – 7 (“Breaking the Law,” “Painkiller,” “The Hellion/Electric Eye,” “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’,” “Devil’s Child,” “Hell Bent for Leather” and “Beyond the Realms of Death”)
Iron Maiden – 6 (“The Number of the Beast,” “Hallowed Be Thy Name,” “The Trooper,” “Run to the Hills,” “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Fear of the Dark”)
Black Sabbath – 6 (“Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” “Children of the Grave,” “Black Sabbath” and “Heaven and Hell”)
Metallica – 4 (“Master of Puppets,” “One,” “Enter Sandman” and “Fade to Black”)
AC/DC – 3 (“Hells Bells,” “Back in Black” and “Highway to Hell”)
Pantera – 2 (“Walk” and “Cemetery Gates”)
Slayer – 2 (“Raining Blood” and “Angel of Death”)
Megadeth – 2 (“Hangar 18” and “Peace Sells”)
Rainbow – 2 (“Stargazer” and “Run with the Wolf”)
Alice in Chains – 2 (“Them Bones” and “Would?”)
Van Halen – 2 (“Runnin’ with the Devil” and “Unchained”)
Motörhead – 2 (“Ace of Spades” and “Bomber”)



http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/top-50-metal-0318-2011/

Gene Simmons Saved Ace Frehley from Drowning

Bass player, singer-songwriter, fire-breather, blood-spewer, entrepreneur… you can now add certified lifeguard to the many titles held by the inimitable Gene Simmons of KISS. In a recent interview with Eddie Trunk and Don Jamieson on VH1’s That Metal Show, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley told the story of how Gene saved him from drowning in a hotel pool.

“I didn’t know Gene was a lifeguard,” Frehley said. “I actually drowned one day at a Holiday Inn. [laughs] I’m serious … this was in the ’70s. I actually drowned. Everyone else was [expletive] up, I was [expletive] up obviously, but everyone else was loaded, and I went under… the next thing you know, I’m drowning. Gene pulls me out of the pool and pumps the water out of me.”
The Space Ace went on to say, “Only later I found out that he was a certified lifeguard when he used to go to college.” No word on whether the heroic Demon’s mammoth mouth muscle assisted in the rescue.

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/N