Monday, October 31, 2011

Music News of October 31, 2011

First and foremost... HAPPY HAUNTING HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!  Hope the weekend was good and  the parties were epic.  Now time to let all the lil ghouls and goblins take to the streets tonight to ransack and plunder! Mwuahahaha...

Anyways, a lot has happened over the last few days in the music world.  We saw on Friday (October 28) a few bands releasing their official music videos, but it didn't end there.  More music videos were released over the weekend:

(John 5 - Welcome To Violence)

(Brian "Head" Welch - Paralyzed)

(In Flames - Where The Dead Ships Dwell)

(Headstones - Been This Way For Years)

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As for other news, here's what has been making [AFGM] headlines:


Rammstein have released the album cover for the upcoming 'Best Of' album:




The album, released on December 6th, 2011, will feature hit songs over the span of their career and added a few bonuses as well, depending on what version you get.

"Made In Germany 1995 - 2011" will be available in three different editions:

Standard Edition: CD Digipak - Best of Album

Special Edition: 2-CD Digipak - Best of Album and Best of Remixes

Super Deluxe Edition: 2-CD (Best of Album and Best of Remixes) as well as 3 DVDs (including the full Rammstein video catalog, all previously available "Making of" and 8 unreleased "Making of" videos) packaged in a steel box complete with a 240-page booklet. Limited to 1200 copies in the U.S.

All songs and videos on "Made In Germany 1995 - 2011" have been remastered for this release.

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Montreal's Slaves On Dope have unveiled their album artwork for their upcoming EP (available digital only) "Careless Coma":


A full length LP "Over The Influence" is set to be in the works and released in the spring of 2012.  "Careless Coma" features three new studio tracks, as well as remixes and a radio edit of the title cut:

01. Careless Coma
02. Careless Coma (Radio Edit)
03. No One to Blame
04. Sicker Than You
05. Careless Coma (FTR Metalstep Remix)
06. Careless Coma (Merederah Soundkilla Remix)
07. Careless Coma (Duke Remix)

(Careless Coma)

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Prince has announced that he will be touring Canada for eleven dates.  The 'Purple Rain' musician has not been through Canada since approximately 2002 and fans are eager to see him once again.  The dates for the  Welcome 2 Canada Tour are as follows:


11/25/11 - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON
11/26/11 - Air Canada Centre - Toronto, ON
11/30/11 - Halifax Metro Centre - Halifax, NS
12/02/11 - Bell Centre - Montreal, QB
12/03/11 - Scotiabank Place - Ottawa, ON
12/05/11 - John Labatt Centre - London, ON
12/08/11 - MTS Centre - Winnipeg, MB
12/11/11 - Credit Union Centre - Saskatoon, SK
12/13/11 - Rexall Place - Edmonton, AB
12/16/11 - Rogers Arena - Vancouver, BC
12/17/11 - Save on Foods Memorial Centre - Victoria, BC

More information to be released as it comes.

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Two power house metal bands have combined forces for an assault on North America!

"We are very excited about the upcoming North American tour with ICED EARTH. We first met Jon and the guys a few years back and they were really cool. When the idea of a co-headline tour surfaced, we thought it would be awesome. The fans can expect a night of great music from both bands. We look forward to seeing you all real soon!" -Michael Romeo (Symphony X guitarist)

"I'm excited to tour with Symphony X.  They're phenomenal musicians and very cool guys. This co-headliner tour will be a great experience for the fans. It is also way overdue for us to play a proper tour of North America. Get ready!" -Jon Schaffer (Iced Earth guitarist & founder)

Iced Earth & Symphony X will be heading out on a massive US/Canada tour with Warbringer as its direct support.  Here is what we can tell you so far in regards to touring schedule:


More information will come closer to when the tour kicks off.  For now, keep checking Ticketmaster for information on when tickets will be available, door times, prices, etc OR head to Enter The Vault for initial information.

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Lamb of God have announced the newest addiction to their discography.  The five piece American group have dubbed "Resolution" as their newest LP, due in stores on January 20, 2012 via Roadrunner Records.


Track listing is as follows:
1. Straight for the Sun
2. Desolation
3. Ghost Walking
4. Guilty
5. The Undertow
6. The Number Six
7. Barbarosa
8. Invictus
9. Cheated
10. Insurrection
11. Terminally Unique
12. To The End
13. Visitation
14. King Me

More information to be released as it comes in.

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And as always, you can head over to AFGM Facebook for many more articles, photos, videos, etc.  Cheers!




On Halloween... My Eyes Have Been Burdened (Exclusive Q&A with Sweden's Descend!)


All month I have been searching for my next interview with a spooky kind of feel to it.  Well, since today is the best day of the whole month, I couldn't have found a better group to do a focus piece on then Sweden's own DESCEND!  Straight from the mouth of hell (well... actually Stockholm), these guys instantly landed on today's Halloween post with the release of their latest album "Through The Eyes of the Burdened".  


I had a chance to sit down and come up with some great Q&A to get an inside look on how these guys are focus shifting the metal industry in Sweden and their plans to overhaul the continent.

Before we kick off that though, I felt I should be giving you guys a little inside information into the who, what, where, when, how and why these guys are continually 'wowing' crowd after crowd with their distinctive guitar licks, blasting beats and guttural vocals.

(Descend [in no particular order] is: Andreas Lindström, Jonathan Persson, Justin Biggs, Alex Wijkman, Nima Farhadian Langroudi)

The following is a biography, taken from Descend's Myspace:

"The story of Swedish metal band Descend started out in early 2003, when founding member Andreas Lindström, together with a couple of friends, decided to start a thrash metal band. Since then, several line-up changes has occurred and formed the band that is Descend today. 

It is hard to put a label on Descends musical style, but the most accurate definition would be some kind of progressive melodic death metal. Also, of course, the thrash influences can still be found in the bands sound today. Regardless of what people like to call the music, the most important thing is that all the members truly enjoy and stand for the music that the band is playing today. Descend released their first EP entitled Broken Pieces in 2006, containing 6 songs. Out of the line-up recording Broken Pieces, guitarist Andreas Lindström and drummer Jonathan Persson, are the two remaining members. In 2007, Orders From Above was released, containing 2 songs. 

The bands musical style had developed to be somewhat more progressive and bass player Justin Biggs had joined the band. After Orders From Above, the bands biggest and most defining line-up change was about to occur, when vocalist Leo Johansson decided to leave. At about the same time, the remaining members realized that something had to be done to take the bands music to the next level. Said and done, auditions for a second guitarist was held and Alex Wijkman joined the band after a couple of months. 

The four instrumentalists got more and more linked musically and the search for a vocalist began. After almost a year of auditioning enthusiastic vocalists, the band finally found Nima Farhadian, who fit perfectly both musically and on a personal level. With this complete and final line-up, the band started to record new songs in 2008 and released the EP; The Reckoning in 2009, containing 3 powerful songs that represent the music that Descend stands for today." -Descend

Descend comes from a long line of influences for their creative sides.  Descend has noted that Opeth, Gojira, Soilwork, Martyr, Katatonia, Decapitated, Necrophagist, Meshuggah, Porcupine Tree, Textures, Sikth, The Dillinger Escape Plan, System of a Down are all sources of intellectual stimulation and influence when creating music.

Descend has come a long way and has the momentum and willingness to keep going, despite the potential harsh roads that the music industry sometimes can throw at you.  Perseverance is a mental game plan for these guys as they plan to enter the studio once again to follow up their impressive debut album release.

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- First off, what have you guys been up to recently (within the last month)?

Alex: At the moment we have our focus set on writing new songs. Everybody’s really creative and coming up with brilliant ideas, so it’s going to be very interesting to see the new album taking shape. Our goal is to record the next album at the end of summer 2012. Hopefully we have some shows coming up in December that will be announced soon so we’re getting ready for them as well.

- How was the recording process for your debut album? Can you shed some light in regards to a typical day of recording?

Justin: A typical day in the studio wasn’t really your nine to five sort of day. We worked long days in the studio. Obviously some days were shorter than others but basically we utilized the time we had. We had drums and guitars first. This meant that the first week was dedicated to drums and the following weeks guitars. In week 2 and 3 we completed all the guitars, the heavy, the acoustic, and the clean guitars plus the solos. In week 3 we also completed bass on all the tracks and the last 2 weeks were for vocals and mixing.

We finalized the mix and final master about 2 months after the recording.


- What studio did you choose for this album? Who was the producer(s)?

Alex: We decided to leave Sweden, despite the fact that we have some amazing studios here, and flew over to Escape Route Studios in UK. We couldn’t be happier with the result really! Dan Abela and Joe Smyth did a great job with the production and made us play at the top of our game.

- Each band has a different game plan when it comes to composing new material, how does your band compose from start to finish?

Alex: The usual process for us is that someone in the band comes up with a riff, or a series of riffs, and shows the rest of the band in rehearsal. We decide whether it’s something for us or not, and then elaborate on it further. I think me and Andreas (the other guitar player) are the main writers on Through The Eyes Of The Burdened, but the arrangements are always made by the whole band in our rehearsal space.

Justin: Yea, Andreas and Alex wrote the bulk of Through The Eyes Of The Burdened. Today, it’s definitely more open. We all write and come with small riffs or a series of riffs and bring them to the rehearsal room. So the next album will be more like a solid effort from all five of us.

- Any specific reason why you guys use the hardware you do? Endorsements? Feel? Tone? Compatibility?

Alex: Both Andreas and I play ESP Guitars, but we’re not endorsed. I think we both like the tone and versatility, which is important when playing both fast riffing and clean picking.

Justin: I am endorsed by Woodo guitars. I like the overall feel and tone of them both live and in the studio.


- We saw Descend doing an open air festival last summer (Metal Splash Open Air Vol. IV), how was that compared to doing club gigs?

Alex: A lot different. Club gigs are fun, but in terms of crowd size, stage sound and overall feel playing at an open air festival is something else really. I think it was one of our best gigs so far!

Justin: It was a cool experience being invited down to Germany to play. Club gigs are always fun and intimate in terms of space and crowds. Outdoor festivals you get larger crowds. Playing this festival gave us the opportunity to build up our fanbase in Germany.

- Even though your fan base lies mostly within Europe, any plans to jump on a package deal and possibly expose Descend to North America, Australia, etc.?

Alex: Given the fact that Justin comes from Canada, North America is interesting. Right now I think we have to focus on Europe. When we did the gigs in Germany and Finland we realized that we have quite a few fans there, so we’re absolutely look forward to going back soon.

Justin: I would love to jump over the pond and play in North America, Canada especially because I grew up there! But, as Alex said we have to focus more on Europe at the moment because that’s where most of our fanbase is. If the right opportunity comes up we’ll take it of course!


- How does a band who just kicked off their debut record, hope to make enough $ to continue making music? We all know that with downloading and the constant expansion of record labels and bands making albums, its hard for bands to make their mark in music history, how does Descend plan to accomplish this?

Justin: Downloading is what is. In this day and age you have to get out and tour. The idea is to show people that you stand out and that you’re serious about what you do. Playing as much as humanly possible is the best way to achieve longevity in the music business. By doing small pub gigs where maybe a handful of people show up to doing festivals in and outside of Europe is the best way to keep yourself heard. Just playing all the time!

- So the new album is done, is there any bonus material fans might get of songs that didn't make the cut? Any plans for more material for those eager fans? Will Supernova Records be a part of your future distributions?

Alex: We actually included every song that was recorded in England on the album. However, a new album is in the making and the sound of it so far is great. I think the new songs have a different flow; they are put together very well. Still there will be a good mix between long slower tunes and fast-as-hell riffage.


- Justin, being that you are from Canada, how did you end up with this band? 

Justin: Well, I moved to Sweden to pursue music and life on a new level and Descend was actually the first band I joined when I moved to Sweden. They put out an add for a bassist and I answered it. The music appealed to me and we clicked.

- Any plans for music videos or lyric videos?

Alex: We’ve discussed doing a video for our single “The Life Delusion”, so that might just happen one day.

- Lets talk album artwork. Where did it come from? Who designed it? What message were you trying to get across to your fans about the artwork?

Alex: Travis Smith did the artwork for our album. Given the fact that he is one of the most well known names in the industry, the result is of course amazing. We contacted him and gave him the album title and sent him some songs, he replied with a couple of ideas that he thought would work well with the title.

Justin:  The message in the artwork is more or less the direct result of the music on the record. So the message rests in the music.



- Do you find that social media helps expose your band in ways you couldn't do with word of mouth or posters?

Alex: I think the best exposure we can get, except doing gigs of course, is getting good reviews. We have been reviewed in Sweden’s two largest metal magazines and got great words in both – which is fantastic. 

- The reviews for Eyes of the Burden have been very promising for the group, how do you feel the press have been portraying your band and album?

Alex: Overall we’re happy with the reviews we’ve gotten. Naturally, we are being compared to Opeth (given the fact that we both play progressive death and come from Sweden) but I think most critics have been able to see through that and appreciate our unique style. One thing that’s interesting is that people seem to think that we’re very technical. Personally I don’t see myself as a technically advanced guitar player but it’s always nice to get appreciation from others!

Justin: The reviews have been great. We take all reviews as constructive criticism. It's cool to hear what people think whether it be good or bad.


TIME TO PLAY RANDOM QUESTION TIME!

- Favourite band/song and why?

Alex: I listen to a lot of music, mostly metal; everything from old days Metallica to Gojira and Soilwork. I appreciate good musicianship and good guitar work of course.

Justin: Difficult! There are so many! Probably anything from Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Led Zepplin… The music of the 70’s was and is timeless!

- Who’s dressing up for Halloween!?!?

Justin: It’s not that big over here to be honest. I think a few Halloween parties are planned. Jonathan (Persson – Drums) will more than likely go out all zombified! He’s a sport when it comes to that sort of thing!

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To give you a preview of what to expect from their album, as well as a clip from their recent open air festival appearance, check out the links below:






(*FYI, show some love if you are impressed with the album and pick up a copy of their album today, hit up the Amazon UK store to purchase an MP3 copy or hit up the official Descend website for links to purchase the album)

You can reach the guys at at 'info@descend.se' for any questions, comments, etc.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Music Video Fridays

Today was definitely a day for music videos people!  Machine Head, Tesseract, Trivium and Iced Earth all dropped new music videos for the weekend.  You can check them all out below:


(Machine Head - Locust)

(Tesseract - Eden)

(Trivium - Built To Fall)

(Iced Earth - Dystopia)

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Music News for October 27, 2011

What's going on world?!

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Korn has dropped their new music video for the latest single "Narcissistic Cannibal", coming of their album "Path of Totality", due in stores on December 6th, 2011 via Roadrunner Records.


 Personally, as much as the dubstep genre is not my thing, I think Korn are doing a great job giving 110% as always.  Check out the video below:


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Lamb of God has reported they have completed their upcoming album, due in early 2012 through Epic Records.  No titled or any other details for that matter have been released in regards to the newly completed album.  Chris (below) put it in his own words...


"The album is done. Details coming soon. The first set of invitees have been brought in to listen (no press copies kids), and the response is fantastic. Press has begun for the release and the tours we have coming in 2012. We've made it this far." -Chris Alder

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Matt Tuck (front man for UK's Bullet For My Valentine) has made a few comments regard a side project he has been working on the past few months.  He didn't go into great detail about the project, only that it will be quite heavy compared to what you're used to hearing from BFMV...


"At the moment, there's just three [guys in the new band], but there'll be a minimum of four [in the final lineup]." 

Regarding the new projects's musical direction: "It's, like, far more like SLIPKNOT, PANTERA… It's metal as fuck, you know what I mean?! Stepping away from the melodic, not giving a fuck… 'Cause obviously BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE is a business and we have our formula, and what we do works — it's great — so we won't stray from that. So it's nice to step out of that comfort zone and do something fucking ridiculous and not worry about what people are gonna think, because it doesn't exist yet. . . We wanted to go in there with kind of like a SLIPKNOT attitude of just everything… Like the 'Iowa' album — just fucking violent. Let it all out. No holds barred." - Matt Tuck

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OK, I am biased a tad because Rammstein happens to be one of my all time favourite bands, but I am totally baffled on the image that Rammstein went with their latest single:


Mein Land will be hitting record store shelves on November 14, 2011 via Vagrant Records (Universal Germany as well)

It will be made available as a four-track CD digipak, as well as a seven-inch vinyl with two tracks. In addition to "Mein Land", it includes the previously unreleased song "Vergiss Uns Nicht", as well as remixes of the title cut by BossHoss and Mogwai.  This will kick off approximately the same time as Rammstein's new European headline tour.


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Maynard James Keenan has a lot of work on his plate right now.  Between newly reunited A Perfect Circle and the latest release of Puscifer, this guy has been going 24/7.  All the hardcore fans want to know one thing though... when is the new Tool album going to drop?!?


In a recent interview with Loudwire, Keenan explained, "I'm allowing them [Adam Jones and Danny Carey] their space to do what they do, so we're still in that mode. Even if they told me how close they are to being done, I couldn't tell you because if I say 60 percent people will start counting down. When it's done everyone will know. But I haven't done anything yet. They write forever and then we go in and knock it all out."

Keenan also added, "We're writing. We're writing vocals. But nothing's solid. With PUSCIFER, there's ideas and then we'll record stuff . . . But with TOOL, we practice jams, but there's no actual recording going on until it's time to record."

Kennan was also asked about the potential for an upcoming Tool tour, "Physically, I can't do it, so that's not gonna happen. We will tour, but it won't be the old-school dog-and-pony show of eight months of beating yourself to death."

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Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie really seem to have a knack for scaring the s**t out of people and theatrics. Alice has gone ahead and planned a great 4 night performance to the fine folks of the UK.


The New York Dolls will be joining Alice Cooper's 'Halloween Night Of Fear' tour from Oct 27th-31st, supporting the following shows:

Thurs, Oct 27 NIA, Birmingham
Sat, Oct 29 Alexandra Palace, London
Sun, Oct 30 O2 Apollo, Manchester
Mon, Oct 31 Clyde Auditorium, Glasgow

You can head to the Live Nation site for ticket purchases.

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Metallica & Lou Reed have given fans another insight into the album production and songs before the November 1st release:




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In Flames have made an announcement that they will be releasing their second single from their latest album "Sounds of a Playground Fading".  The single for release will be "Where The Dead Ships Dwell".  The single will be officially released on November 12, 2011.


The track listing for the single is as follows:

01. Where The Dead Ships Dwell
02. Where The Dead Ships Dwell (Casper Remix)
03. Where The Dead Ships Dwell (The Qemists Remix)
04. Where The Dead Ships Dwell (Kristof Bathory - Dawn of Ashes Remix) (iTunes-exclusive track)

"The songs have already been made and the originals are as good as they can be, but what if I give them to an artist from a whole different genre, what would be there take on it?" I love collaborations like this and all the artists we worked with have done an awesome job. It's not meant to be taken dead serious and it's not how In Flames is gonna sound next, but I love it and I hope you'll enjoy a twist to the formula." -Anders Fridén (vocals)

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(Photo by Dean Karr)

Canadian rocker Dank Jones issued the following statement recently:

"On November 8th we will release Mouth To Mouth, a 5-track digital EP consisting of songs from the Below The Belt sessions. Two of the tracks are never before released and the other three have been featured as bonus tracks on different versions of the Below The Belt album. More info and full track list will be announced shortly. If you want us to remind you on the day of the release and to receive special offers, sign up for our mailing list below."


Keep checking back for more details closer to the release date of this EP.

"If you wanna do it do it right, up and down side to side, baby we can do it for a night, don't hold me back!"

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On a final note... these guys are back on the air!


Hell yeah!

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And as always, head over to AFGM Facebook for extra news, pic, vids, etc.  Cheers!




Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Music News for October 26, 2011

The Smith's originator Morrisey has been granted a trial in his recent lawsuit filed against NME for defamation of character in a 2007 interview.  The article gave the portrayal that he was a racist and a xenophobic.  The trial is set to begin in 2012 


"Overall, in my judgment a proper balance between the Article 10 right of freedom of expression of [NME magazine] and Mr. Morrissey's right to the protection of his individual reputation requires, in the circumstances of this case, that the action be permitted to proceed." -Mr. Justice Tugendhat (Britain's most senior libel judge)

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The Sorrow have been hard at work with new material for the upcoming album (tentatively due in 2012 but no details yet) and their recent ink deal with Napalm Records.  Seen below is some pro-ish shot footage of their hit single, "Crossing Jordan", from their performance in Vienna, Austria on September 9th, 2011:

(The Sorrow - Crossing Jordan LIVE)

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Rolling Stone Magazine released a great article titled "The New Economics of the Music Industry: How artists really make money in the cloud – or don't".  



Basically it outlines how musicians are making money nowadays with digital media and old school vinyl, CDs, etc.  You can read the full article here.

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Following the re-release of Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, EMI Records are going to release their album "Wish You Were Here" as an Immersion and Experience editions as well.  The set is slated for a November 7, 2011 release via EMI Records.  Here is a layout of what the versions will entail:


Wish You Were Here - Immersion box-set contains 5 discs. 

Disc 1 - CD1
The Original Album, Remastered in 2011 
‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Parts 1-5) 
‘Welcome To The Machine’ 
‘Have A Cigar’ 
‘Wish You Were Here’ 
‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Parts 6-9) 

Disc 2 - CD2
Unreleased Audio Tracks (approx. 66 mins) 
‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Live At Wembley 1974) 20'22" 
‘Raving And Drooling’ (Live At Wembley 1974) 12'35" 
‘You've Got To Be Craz’y (Live At Wembley 1974) 18'09" 
‘Wine Glasses’ (from the 'Household Objects' project) 2'12" 
‘Have A Cigar’ (Alternative Version) 7'07" 
‘Wish You Were Here’ (with Stéphane Grappelli) 6'13" 

Disc 3 - DVD 1, All Audio
‘Wish You Were Here’ Multi - Channel Audio Mixes 
‘Wish You Were Here’ 5.1 Surround Mix (2009) 448 kbps 
‘Wish You Were Here’ 5.1 Surround Mix (2009) 640 kbps 
‘Wish You Were Here’ LPCM Original Stereo Mix (1975) remastered in 2011 
‘Wish You Were Here’ 4.0 Quad Mix (1975) 448 kbps 
‘Wish You Were Here’ 4.0 Quad Mix (1975) 640 kbps 

Disc 4 - DVD 2, Audio Visual
Audio-Visual Material (approx. 75 mins) 
Concert Screen Films, 1975 (20 mins approx.) 
-‘ Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Part 1) 
- ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ 
- ‘Welcome To The Machine’ 
in LPCM Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound 
Storm Thorgerson Short Film, 2000 (6 mins) in Stereo only 

Disc 5 - Blu-Ray
High Resolution Audio and Audio - Visual Material 
‘Wish You Were Here’ 5.1 Surround Mix (2009) 96kHz/24bit 
‘Wish You Were Here’ Original Stereo Mix (1975) remastered in 2011, 96kHz/24bit 
‘Wish You Were Here’ 4.0 Quad Mix (1975) 96kHz/24bit 
Concert Screen Films, 1975 (20 mins approx.) LPCM Stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound, 48kHz/24bit 
- ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ (Part 1) 
- ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ 
- ‘Welcome To The Machine’ 
Storm Thorgerson Short Film, 2000 (6 mins) in Stereo only 

Plus
36-page 26cm x 26 cm booklet designed by Storm Thorgerson, 
20-page 26cm x 26cm photo book edited by Jill Furmanovsky 
Exclusive Storm Thorgerson Art Print, 
4 x Collectors' Cards featuring art and comments by Storm Thorgerson, 
Replica of Wish You Were Here tour ticket 
Replica of Wish You Were Here backstage pass 
Printed scarf 
3 x clear marbles, 
9 x coasters (unique to this box) featuring early Storm Thorgerson design sketches, and a 12-page credits booklet. 

A Foot In The Door - The Best Of Pink Floyd will feature the following tracks
‘Hey You’ 
‘See Emily Play’ 
‘The Happiest Days Of Our Lives 
‘Another Brick In The Wall’, Part 2 
‘Have A Cigar’ 
‘Wish You Were Here’ 
‘Time’ 
‘The Great Gig In The Sky’ 
‘Money’ 
‘Comfortably Numb’ 
‘High Hopes’ 
‘Learning To Fly’ 
‘The Fletcher Memorial Home’ 
‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ 
‘Brain Damage’ 
‘Eclipse’

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Last but not least, Nine Inch Nails have released their rendition of U2's Zoo Station (even though NIN is supposed to be on indefinite hiatus...).  Below is a clip of the tune:

(Zoo Station)

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And as always, you can head over to AFGM Facebook for more photos, articles, news feeds, videos, etc for all your music needs.  Cheers!


Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Tonight @ The Phoenix Concert Hall!


Ladies and Gentleman,

GWAR Presents:
Return Of The World Maggot Tour!


Tickets can be purchased at Rotate This or Ticketmaster

For those unaware of the chaos that is Gwar:


(Let Us Slay)

(Zombies, March!)

And just so you have an idea of the supporting bands:

(Ghoul - Metallicus Ex Morits)

(Every Time I Die - We'rewolf)

Music Headlines of October 25, 2011

Aretha Franklin was in New York on Sunday for a special performance for the nuptials of Bill White and Bryan Eure (Bill was formerly the president of New York's Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum).  The kicker about the show was that in order for Franklin to deliver 100% performance for the 69 year old voice,  she asked that the organizer have the room at a well heated 86 degrees Fahrenheit.


There are also claims that Franklin charged a whopping $250,000 for the 20 minute performance.  The organizers of the event have argued this comment, "This was not the fee, which we agreed with Ms. Franklin not to discuss. Whatever her fee was, the Queen of Soul was worth every penny." - Bill White

Aretha was only scheduled to sing for 15-20 minutes, but surprised the crowd with a performance of almost 60 minutes, with all the hits in the set list!

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Two articles have been making headlines today for Poison, one is the kind-hearted move by lead vocalist Brett Michaels.  Michaels has announced he will be donating media equipment for a waiting room.  St. Joseph's Barrow Neurological Institute, where he was treated in April 2010 for a brain hemorrhage, is the welcome recipient of this gesture.


The other article involves a much different view of Poison.  Members of a former Chicago rock group known as Kid Rocker, have filed lawsuits against the members of Poison for apparently stealing four songs from Kid Rocker.  Billy McCarthy and James Stonich are the former band members filing the lawsuit against all members of Poison.


According to Kid Rocker members, here is how the controversy began:
"According to the plaintiffs, in 1984, before guitarist C.C. DeVille joined Poison, he auditioned for Kid Rocker. During this time, he allegedly was shown completed and formatted songs and was lent master-recorded studio tapes.

Kid Rocker disbanded that year, but McCarthy purportedly presented songs for DeVille's use as a member of another band, Screamin' Mimis. Then DeVille joined Poison, and the rest is history. Poison became one of the stars of the glam era as their debut album, Look What the Cat Dragged In, sold approximately 4 million copies." -Hollywood Reporter

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Former vocalist of the trio project "Divine Heresy", Tommy Vext, has been making some rumbles in the headlines with his apparent collaboration with members of Mutiny Within.



Jersey based Mutiny Within announced their indefinite hiatus last month, but advised fans that they will continue to keep the Facebook page running for update on the band member's side projects and collaborations.


Not much light has been shed on this project.  More details to arrive as they are announced!

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Funeral For A Friend dropped a new music video today for the song "Spinning Over The Island":

The song is taken from the album "Welcome Home Armageddon", which was released on March 15, 2011 via Good Fight Music.

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Guns N Roses decided to stop playing through their opening song "Chinese Democracy" on Sunday night when members of the audience (Arena Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico) started to throw random objects onto the stage:


Axl decides to stop during the song and speak to the crowd:
"Is that what you wanna do?  Cause we will go home. Is that what you wanna do — throw shit? We would like to have fun. You wanna have a good time?" 

He then told his bandmates, "Alright, let's just skip that song," before launching into "Welcome To The Jungle".

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Fans of the ever famous tenor Andrea Bocelli will once again be able to catch his performance on another DVD series.  The CD/DVD combo will feature Bocelli's FREE performance in Central Park, New York.  The concert was performed to an audience of 60,000+ and featured all of Bocelli's classic hits:



The combo is scheduled for a November 15th, 2011 release

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Alice Cooper got a mobile app!  Alice and his lovable band of "Nightmare" musicians have decided to go the way of many other big names and go mobile!


Here is what the app will feature:

Features:

* Play along with tracks from Alice Cooper's epic new album, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", on air guitar and air drums
* Remix tracks with the air FX 
* Challenge your friends and post scores via Facebook and Twitter 
* Follow Alice with direct access to Facebook and Twitter feeds 
* Sign up for the latest Alice Cooper news, downloads and exclusive competitions 
* Grab "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" direct on iTunes, CD or colored vinyl

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And as always, you can hit me up on AFGM Facebook for other articles, videos, photos, etc.  Cheers!


Whats Out In Stores for October 25, 2011?

Here is what you can find at your local record store today or online.  My two recommendations are HMV and Amazon:

Carnifex - Until I Feel Nothing

Black Tusk - Set The Dial 

Kelly Clarkson - Stronger 

Moltov Solution - Insurrection 

Russian Circles - Empros 

Scott Weiland - The Most Wonderful Time of The Year 

Skinny Puppy - Handover 

 Structures - Divided By

Tom Waits - Bas As Me

Junius - Reports From The Threshold of Death

Michael Buble - Christmas

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

Deer Tick - Divine Providence