Metallica to headline Download 2012

Catchy headline, am I right? It almost puts Chlamydia to shame.

Lulu may have only sold 13,000 odd copies in its first week (about the same number of wanks I have a week), and fans may have called it the last straw, vowing to boycott Metallica from now on (for the eleventh time no doubt), but that hasn’t stopped the band from being booked to headline next year’s Download festival in the UK.

Not only will ‘Tallica be headlining the festival though, but they will also be playing the Black album from start to finish, in its entirety, which kind of sucks because I was hoping to hear St Anger, but oh well.

For more information (and when I say “more”, I use that loosely, since I pretty much summed up everything), check out the official Download page.

Last person on the way out of Chimaira, please turn off the lights.

Shocking update on the Chimaira front: both guitarists have left the band.

Holy shit.

Here’s what the last man standing (not counting new members who have replaced the original drummer, bass and the keyboard player), Mark Hunter, had to say:

Early in July, we were informed that Rob Arnold [guitar] and Matt DeVries [guitar] would be leaving Chimaira at the end of 2011. Of course, this was a huge blow, but there were no hard feelings. We understand that life invades art, everything runs its course, and we have to take different paths. We respect their decision and wish them only the best. We made heavy metal history together and that is all that matters at the end of the day. ‘Chimaira Christmas 12’ will be their last show, and we’ve been preparing to make it one that you’ll never forget.

I would personally like to thank Rob and Matt for all of their hard work, years of service to Chimaira, amazing songs, and for their friendship. Together we built something special that will remain for generations to come.

I’m looking forward to spending another five weeks on the road with two of the best (and criminally underrated) guitarists in modern metal.

What’s next for Chimaira in 2012? More on that very soon.

Rather than try and make light of unpleasant news, or downplay this by hyping up a new lineup, let’s take a few to honor Rob and Matt. My favorite solo of Rob’s is on ‘The Heart Of It All’ and my favorite riff of Matt’s is ‘The Dehumanizing Process’. I’ll be cranking those today. What about you?

Well, not to be a pessimist, rather simply realistic, this is pretty much the end of the band — both Rob and Matt are involved with Six Feet Under and it is now obvious they were just waiting to end whatever commitment they had to Mark , and the rest of the current lineup is almost all Daath anyway. I seriously doubt Mark would continue the band being the sole original member, and I also don’t see any of the older members coming back.

What’s done is done — it’s up to the band to wrap up the current tour, and we’ll keep you updated with any news.

Interview: Tomi Joutsen and Esa Holopainen of Amorphis

Due to our enormous influence on the metal scene, the uncanny negotiating abilities of our own Alex, and the kindness of Markus Jacob from Nuclear Blast, I’ve had the chance to bust my proverbial cherry and take my first interview ever. As luck would have it, I got to talk with one of the bands I like very much: Amorphis.

After stalking their tour bus and attracting several suspicious looks I approached them, taking advantage of the fact that they were basking in the late November sun and that their tour manager assured them I was harmless (a big thank you to Mr. Gerrit Wissdorf!). I warned them about DoM being an ubercool metal humor site, only to be warned back: “We don’t laugh. We are people from the dark North”. “Yep, I know, and you also don’t talk before breakfast”, I quipped. Witty comeback, huh.

Once all the kidding around finished and my persona was firmly established as a dork, we headed to the tour bus, where Tomi Joutsen and Esa Holopainen were more than accommodating hosts.

So, here goes the interview. I still wonder how tough these guys are, since they heroically resisted my assault of lame ass questions…

One more thing, all photos were taken by yours truly during the gig, while trying hard not to bust my camera with my own metal frolicking. You can click them for a larger version (that’s what she said!)

Prepare your face to get rocked: Amorphis exclusive interview coming your way

I’ve had the opportunity to attend an Amorphis gig. Mind you, it’s a band that has been one of my favorites for the most part of the last 20 years, so when an opportunity to also interview them arose, I took it with both hands. The gig kicked my ass so hard it still hurts, and the guys were ubercool, so stay tuned to see what happened when our awesomeness collided with theirs.

The video above is a taste of things to come.

Hide your kids! Video of Loutallica performing is here

I honestly haven’t played that, and I’d advise you not to do it either, but hey, if you’re into this shit.. Go ahead.

Another video after the jump.

🙁