O M G! Did you watch last night? No spoilers, but geez! That one rivaled the one where Jon Snow battled those other guys and no one thought he’d…..well, I won’t give anything away if you haven’t seen it yet, but OH MAN! Counting the hours til Sunday night!
Ya know, with the advent of this solar eclipse, and PLEASE, DO NOT LOOK AT THE ECLIPSE IN PROGRESS WITHOUT THOSE DAMN GLASSES OR WELDER’S SHIELDS, crazy things have been happening. Was Mercury in retrograde? Man, this happened to Queens Of The Stone Age! The Pulse Of Radio reporting three previously unheard songs were accidentally included on advance vinyl pressings of an album called Reservoir by Australian electro-folk singer Gordi, according to Exclaim. The mistake was due to a manufacturing defect and was limited to Australia. The Queens songs were supposed to be contained on a vinyl edition of the band’s new album Villains.
Chris Swanson, co-founder of the vinyl subscription club Secretly Society, explained to Pitchfork, “This is a pressing defect that we’re working diligently to resolve as quickly as possible. It’s not the first time this sort of thing has happened, but we’re all hoping it’s the last.”
The Queens tracks that showed up on Gordi’s album were “Fortress,” “Haunted House” and “Un-Reborn.” There is no word on whether the defect was limited to Gordi LPs pressed just for the subscription club or copies pressed for general release. With the company ceasing to manufacture the LPs to fix the mistake, it won’t be unusual to see copies of the defective pressing going for good money on the collector’s circuit.
Villains is the seventh studio album from the Queens and is due out this Friday (Aug 25th). It features the Top 15 rock radio track “The Way You Used To Do,” for which the band has just issued a video.
Frontman Josh Homme told us a while back that once an album is finished, he can’t wait to get out there and tour it: “I think any time you have a bunch of new songs, you’re leaning on a gate waiting for someone to open it, you know. And so I’m just gonna lean on the gate until they open that sucker, and then I’m gonna do everything I have to do.”
Queens Of The Stone Age begin a lengthy North American tour with Royal Blood on Sep 6th in Port Chester, New York, wrapping up on Oct 24th in New York City.
Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin spoke to The Morning Call about the progress of the songwriting for the follow-up to 2014’s 1000hp album. Larkin revealed, “We have a strong seven (songs completed) right now, but we also have another 10 that are works in progress. But we do have the majority of the new record, and I’m really happy with it. It’s great songs, man, and that’s why it takes us usually four years in between albums, ’cause we really care about our songs.”
The group’s seventh studio disc will arrive in 2018 to coincide with the group’s twentieth anniversary. Larkin admitted, “We felt a little extra pressure to make this a great record after two decades.” Larkin said about the direction of the new material, “It is a new sound for us in that we’re working with different producers and so we’re trying to implement some kind of new sound without losing our heritage.”
Several producers and songwriters have been involved in crafting the new material, although the actual producer for the new disc has yet to be confirmed. The plan right now is for Godsmack to issue a new single next January, followed by the full album in April.
Singer Sully Erna hinted to us a while back that the new LP will mark a shift in Godsmack’s sound: “I really think the new record is gonna be a reflection of where we’re at in our lives now. I think it’s gonna be a lot more uplifting, a lot more neutral rock music. Not metal, you know, not — it’s not gonna be too classic rock, but it’s certainly not gonna be metal. And I think bands like the Foo Fighters do it great.”
Singer Ivan Moody returned to the stage with Five Finger Death Punch on Saturday (Aug 19th) at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, IL. The performance was his first since his most recent relapse with substance abuse, which saw him leave the road to seek treatment in June. All That Remains was also on the bill with their frontman Phil Labonte joining Five Finger onstage for a performance of “Wash It All Away.” Labonte previously filled in for Moody on a late 2016 tour that Moody also exited. (The PRP)
A physically handicapped Metallica fan named Derrick Jones who traveled seven hours to catch the band’s Aug 16th show at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, AB, Canada found himself unable to fully enjoy the band’s set. Jones, who is wheelchair-bound, purchased wheelchair-accessible seating but his view was obscured during the entire set by several fans standing in front of him. Venue staffers were said to have offered no help on the matter. Jones’ story quickly went viral and attracted the attention of online and national media, with stadium officials saying they planned to reach out to Jones. (Metal Sucks)
Foo Fighters and Rick Astley were both on the bill at this weekend’s Summer Sonic Festival in Japan. During their headlining set, Foo Fighters invited Astley onstage to join them in performing his Number One single, “Never Gonna Give You Up.” Appropriately, however, the band trolled the audience by playing the song in the style of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Only after Astley began singing the lyrics to “Never Gonna Give You Up” did the audience realize it had been RickRolled. (Consequence Of Sound)
Evanescence has released a reworking of its debut single and global hit, “Bring Me To Life,” from the band’s upcoming album Synthesis. The reworked version of the song strips out the rock guitars and drums, replacing them with full orchestration and electronic beats. Synthesis is due out this fall and will feature two new Evanescence songs in addition to fan favorites re-recorded with a live orchestra and electronics. (Blabbermouth)
Finally and sadly today, The Pulse Of Radio reporting the late Alice In Chains singer Layne Staley would have turned 50 tomorrow (Aug 22nd), and his mother Nancy McCallum has opened up in a new interview with the Seattle Times about her son’s struggle with heroin addiction and her views on the current opioid crisis. McCallum said that her son’s music was about “the life of an addict,” adding, “He was caught in a trap. I came to understand it too late. Addiction is a disease like any other. Like a cancer, it can be treated, but it can also reoccur. We shouldn’t judge. The emphasis should be on research and treatment.” McCallum said about her son’s struggle, “He chose to write about it and sing about it and perform about it. It was a warning.”
McCallum was present when police discovered Staley’s partially decomposed body in his apartment on Apr 19th, 2002, insisting that she sit with him for a few minutes. She recalled, “I told him I was sorry this was how it turned out.” McCallum said that she was dismayed about the growing opioid crisis, blaming it on doctors who overprescribe painkillers. She added, “I don’t have any magic answers. I just try to console people. It’s heartbreaking and overwhelming and unnecessary.”
An annual tribute concert was held for Staley at the Moore Theatre in Seattle on Saturday (Aug19th), featuring performances from Alice In Chains tribute band Jar Of Flies as well as special guests. Proceeds to were earmarked for Therapeutic Health Services
And don’t forget, DON’T LOOK AT THE SUN! Look at this!