MIKE PORTNOY Discusses THE WINERY DOGS With France's LOUDER! MAGAZINE

 

On September 16, Louder! Magazine conducted an interview with drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) after THE WINERY DOGS' headlining concert La Maroquinerie in Paris, France. You can now watch the chat below.

THE WINERY DOGS' self-titled debut album sold around 10,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in North America on July 23 via Loud & Proud Records and in Japan on May 15 via Victor Entertainment, the CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER.

"Bands like [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE WHO, THE [ROLLING] STONES, and THE BEATLES, CREAM, and [Jimi] Hendrix. I mean, I grew up with that stuff," Portnoy told Voice Of America. "And, although I've been able to pay tribute to it throughout my career with tribute bands and things like that, I've never been in an all-original band that was kind of playing classic rock power trio stuff. That's how I describe this band: just a straight-up rock band."

Regarding the songwriting process for THE WINERY DOGS' album, Portnoy said: "In all cases, the music was the very first element and from there, Richie would start melodies on top of it. Sometimes the final lyrics were there, coming up on the spot, and other times he would take the melodies and write lyrics later. There were a couple of examples of Richie having something and bringing it in. In those cases, like 'Damaged' and 'Regret', we just left them. Because in those two particular cases, the songs were great as they were."

Portnoy was full of praise for his THE WINERY DOGS bandmates, telling Voice Of America: "Billy Sheehan is my favorite bass player on earth and he has been for almost 30 years now. So to work with him and make music with him for me is an honor. And Richie is someone I have the utmost respect for as an artist. I mean, he is just so underappreciated, not only as a guitarist, but as a singer and a writer as well. I think for me, the most exciting aspect of this band is for people to discover Richie that aren't aware of what a musical genius he is."

THE FLOWER KINGS: 'Desolation Rose' To Receive U.S. Release In October

 

Swedish progressive rockers THE FLOWER KINGS have had a busy year since regrouping in 2012 for the "Banks Of Eden" album, and with a new creative vigor, the band is following that with the fantastic new CD, "Desolation Rose", due out in the USA on October 29. To be issued in a digipack, the U.S. release will also include a bonus disc. The cover artwork was once again created by Silas Toball and can be seen below.

Commented THE FLOWER KINGS: "Being somewhat of a political statement, the epic theme of 'Desolation Rose' is a logical step in a time where perpetual war, famine, environmental threats, religious conflicts dominate the media and our minds.

"This is a time to wake up and the music on this album takes you on a journey where you are forced to questions what the mainstream media feed us and to rethink your whole worldview on all of the above.

"This is in many ways a typical FLOWER KINGS album, but we have also taken it into another realm where we do take chances and where you may struggle to get into the music — or the lyrics — but trust me when I say that you will be rewarded, as this may be our most involved, important and interesting album ever. "

"Desolation Rose" track listing:

01. Tower One (13:39)
02. Sleeping Bones (04:16)
03. Desolation Road (04:00)
04. White Tuxedos (06:30)
05. The Resurrected Judas (08:24)
06. Silent Masses (06:17)
07. Last Carnivore (04:22)
08. Dark Fascist Skies (06:05)
09. Blood Of Eden (03:12)
10. Silent Graveyards (02:52)

You can listen to samples of the new album by using the SoundCloud widget below.

Earlier this year, THE FLOWER KINGS embarked on a very special tour alongside Neal Morse and Mike Portnoy to celebrate InsideOut Music's 20th anniversary, playing to sold-out crowds across Europe and the U.S.

DOWN, OPETH, OVERKILL, ARMORED SAINT Featured On ROCK HARD's Covermount Live CD

The September 2013 issue of Rock Hard magazine will include an exclusive live CD (recorded at Rock Hard Festival) that will be not available in record stores. "Archives - Best Of 2007-2012" is the follow-up to many outstanding recordings Rock Hard released with the magazine (KREATOR, OPETH, OVERKILL, various compilations) and features some of the finest names in metal.

Says Rock Hard publisher Holger Stratmann, who is responsible for the CD production: "I‘ve been trying to select a good mixture of classic and brand new artists.

"The songs are all well-performed festival highlights and we have been trying very hard to get the best possible sound for our anniversary issue. Besides that, I can only hope the compilation will be considered 'tasty.'"

Adds OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni: "I think Rock Hard Festival is the best in the world. We have been to a lot of them and I really enjoy them all, but Rock Hard is just the right size, where it feels like a club show in a way. The fans that come there are always totally psyched and ready for a great show. They remind me in a way of New York sports fans. They are smart.

"Some festivals, you get a lot of curiosity seekers, or just people who want to party, and that's cool. But at the Rock Hard festival, there are always real fans of music! And beer drinkers, of course. You can feel the buzz from the crowd, so I genuinely look forward to it each time we play."

"Archives - Best Of 2007-2012" track listing:

01. JON OLIVA - "City Beneath The Surface/Sirens"
02. OVERKILL - "Hello From The Gutter"
03. DOWN - "New Orleans Is A Dying Whore"
04. ENSLAVED - "Fusion Of Sense And Earth"
05. AMORPHIS - "You I Need"
06. ARMORED SAINT - "Last Train Home"
07. TURBONEGRO - "Get It On"
08. GRAVEYARD - "Uncomfortably Numb"
09. OPETH - "The Lotus Eater"

All songs were recorded at the Amphitheater in Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Check out audio samples in the YouTube clip below.

The September 2013 issue of Rock Hard magazine can be ordered by writing to versand@rockhard.de.

On September 25, the October issue of Rock Hard is being be published in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with a circulation of 75,000 copies.

DREAM THEATER's New Album Projected To Sell 30K-35K First Week

 

The new, self-titled album from progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER is likely to sell between 30,000 and 35,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on September 24 via Roadrunner

DREAM THEATER's previous CD, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", opened with 36,000 units to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 8. The band's 2009 effort, "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", premiered with 40,000 copies to land at No. 6. This was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Systematic Chaos", which shifted 36,000 copies in 2007 to enter the chart at No. 19. 2005's "Octavarium" premiered with 27,000 copies to debut at No. 36.

Speaking to Ultimate-Guitar.com, guitarist John Petrucci stated about "Dream Theater": "I think it's building on [what we did on the "A Dramatic Turn of Events" album], but taking it to the next level. One of the things I really wanted to do on 'A Dramatic Turn of Events' was to create something that was sonically very rich and high-def and powerful and I think we accomplished that. But on this album, I wanted to take that even further…. [I wanted to] get more cinematic with it and more earthy and aggressive and bigger. I wanted a bigger, more forward in-your-face kind of sound. I think that kind of dictated the sounds we went for while we were writing and recording and then ultimately how it was mixed. So yeah, it was kind of building on that, but taking it to the next level. You always need to progress and to try and do something different and kind of have a little bit different take on it and a different perspective. But hopefully make it better as you go."

The nine-track disc was recorded at Cove City Studio in Glen Cove, Long Island, with Petrucci producing and Richard Chycki engineering and mixing. It's the band's second album with drummer Mike Mangini, and the first one on which he was a part of the writing process from Day One.

In January, Petrucci said of Mangini's work: "When people hear the drumming on this album, they're gonna be pretty freaked out. On the last album, he did a great job, but he wasn't there for the writing process and he was interpreting drum parts that I had programmed. Even though he used his creativity, of course, to change them up and do his thing, I feel like now he's just Mike Mangini unleashed. It's all him. It's all his creativity, all his decisions and ideas and man, the guy's an animal."

"Dream Theater" track listing:

01. False Awakening Suite
I. Sleep Paralysis
II. Night Terrors
III. Lucid Dream
02. The Enemy Inside
03. The Looking Glass
04. Enigma Machine
05. The Bigger Picture
06. Behind The Veil
07. Surrender To Reason
08. Along For The Ride
09. Illumination Theory
I. Paradoxe de la Lumière Noire
II. Live, Die, Kill
III. The Embracing Circle
IV. The Pursuit of Truth
V. Surrender, Trust & Passion

"Dream Theater" was made available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard and special edition CDs, 180-gram double LP, and a limited-edition boxed set.

The video for the song "The Enemy Inside" was directed by Bill Fishman (RAMONES, STEVE RAY VAUGHAN). The strictly conceptual clip deals with the torment of a soldier who's struggling with reintegrating into his life back home due to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Regarding the song's lyrics, Petrucci told Billboard.com: "At the time that we were in the studio working on the [new DREAM THEATER] album and I was writing lyrics, the Boston Marathon bombings happened. There was a lot of discussion of terrorism and PTSD as if affects people who witness traumatic events like terrorism, so it was just very on my mind. It linked very well with the mood of the song, and as we started to get into it, I watched some documentaries and things like that. I was like, 'This is really something that needs to be written about.'"

DELAIN Singer Interviewed By Superskum.com

 

Singer Charlotte Wessels of Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN was interviewed by Superskum.com prior to the band's September 14 performance at Bluebird Theater in Denver, Colorado as the support act for KAMELOT. You can now watch the chat below.

DELAIN recently released a special album, "Interlude", via Napalm Records. The effort is described in in a press release as "a fantastic blend of brand-new songs, special versions and mixes of popular DELAIN tracks, covers, and the beautiful single 'Are You Done With Me'. Thanks to the new mix, the well-known anthem shines with a new-found splendor. The album includes a special DVD featuring exclusive live footage and clips from the band's career. 'Interlude' is not only a must for loyal DELAIN fans, but also for those who have not experienced the music by DELAIN so far. It is the perfect introduction to the world of DELAIN and the starting point to an emotional and bombastic journey!"

DELAIN's third full-length studio album, "We Are The Others", was released in North America via the New Jersey-based top-tier progressive metal label Sensory Records. CNR Entertainment handled the release in The Netherlands and Roadrunner Records issued the CD in the rest of Europe.