It saddens us to inform you all that vocalist Seth Putnam of Grind Metal machines Anal Cunt, died yesterday morning (Saturday, June 11). According to Catharsis PR (Anal Cunt's PR company) Putnam died from a heart attack.
Seth Putnam will always be remembered for writing controversial music, which included lyrics that would shock, offend, or invoke morbid humor. Apart for being the vocalist of Anal Cunt since 1988 (year when the band was formed), Putnam lend his infamous scream to many Heavy Music bands. His most notorious guest appearance was when he laid down some wild vocals on Pantera's eighth studio album titled "The Great Southern Trendkill".
We had the chance to meet Seth years ago at Duff's Brooklyn and he was a very unique person who always made sure that everyone around him was enjoying themselves, saying that he was the life of the party is an understatement. Rest In Peace brother of the Grind, you will be missed by your family, friends, and the entire Heavy Music scene!
Whenever you feel down, or if someone pisses you off, we recommend that you let your frustrations out in a constructive and positive way. A great stress reliever is to go to a live concert, enter the pit, and throw your Horns Up. But if you are sitting at home and don't feel like dealing with the outside world, here are a dozen LIVE songs that we'll soothe your soul and make you want to rise up and dominate! So crank up your sound system, clear your throat, and let it rip!
PANTERA: RISE "It's time to spread the word! Let the voice be heard! All of us, one of us, all of us! Dominate and take the motherfucking world!"
METALLICA: MASTER OF PUPPETS "Master of Puppets I'm pulling your strings! Twisting your mind and smashing your dreams! Blinded by me, you can't see a thing!"
SLAYER: SEASONS IN THE ABYSS "Close your eyes! Look deep in your soul! Step outside yourself! And let your mind go!
HATEBREED: PERSEVERANCE "Perseverance! Against all opposition! Crushing all limitations! Pure strength through solitude! Discipline and determination!"
MADBALL: PRIDE "Life`s hard, you struggle some times! In the end I`ll get what`s mine! But for now I`ll deal with the times! Have some faith and you`ll get by!"
AGNOSTIC FRONT: FOR MY FAMILY "We always stuck together! We always had something to prove! We gave birth to a movement! This is for the old school and the new!"
AT THE GATES: SLAUGHTER OF THE SOUL "Always the same! My tired eyes have seen enough! Of all your lies! My hate is blind!"
MESHUGGAH: NEW MILLENIUM CYANIDE CHRIST "I eradicate the fake pre-present me! Elevate me to a higher human form! The characters I am, made into a word complete! Then I'll be the new norm!"
AMON AMARTH: THE PURSUIT OF VIKINGS "It carries us out to sea! With hope of fame and pride! And glorious all will be! That with sword in hand will die!"
TESTAMENT: TRIAL BY FIRE "Trapped by flames of fury! Ordered unto by the jury! Death is their desire! Thrown in the fire!"
MEGADETH: SWEATING BULLETS "Well, me... It's nice talking to myself! A credit to dementia! Some day you too will know my pain! And smile its blacktooth grin!"
LAMB OF GOD: WALK WITH ME IN HELL "Take hold of my hand! For you are no longer alone! Walk with me in hell!"
On March 11, 1964 in Abilene, Texas, Heavy Music history was made when Vincent Paul Abbott, also known as "Vinnie Paul", was born with a pair of drum sticks. No really, when you think about successful drummers within Heavy Music that have defined not only the style of playing but also the attitude, Vinnie Paul reigns supreme. Whither you know Vinnie from his legendary performances with Pantera, Damageplan, or Hellyeah. One thing is for sure, Vinnie has always put the pedal to the Metal.
It all started when Vinnie and his brother Darrell Lance Abbott (RIP), also known as "Diamond Darrell", started jamming out to bands like Deep Purple, Van Halen and Kiss. After many jam sessions, the Abbott brothers recruited Donnie Hart on vocals, Terry Glaze on guitar, and Tommy Bradford on bass, and started a band called Pantera's Metal Magic (which eventually became Pantera).
Once the band started picking up steam, singer Donnie Hart left the band and Terry Glaze took over vocals, leaving Dimebag as the only guitarist. Later that year bassist Tommy Bradford quit the band and was replaced by Rex Robert Brown, also known as "Rex Brown". Once the line up was locked Pantera became an underground sensation, specially after being part of regional tours that took them beyond Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.
After releasing "Metal Magic" in 1983, which was produced by Dime and Vinnie's father Jerry Abbott, they worked very hard at getting their music exposed to the masses. During the next few years, Pantera released Projects in the Jungle (1984), and I Am the Night (1985). As we all know, all these albums didn't have the same punch as their later albums, mainly because singer Terrence Lee was missing that punch in your face style of vocals. After Pantera decided to switch gears, they parted ways with Terrence Lee and recruited Philip Anselmo. The band released a slightly heavier album in 1988, titled "Power Metal.
Pantera soon decided that they needed to change their musical style and become an engine of aggression and to single-handedly save Heavy Metal, this is when they ripped off the spandex and decided that "these magic clothes don't play music; we do. Let's just go out there and be comfortable—jeans, t-shirt, whatever—and see where it goes." After the release of "Power Metal", Dimebag auditioned for Megadeth, got offered the gig, but he didn't accept it since his condition was that if Megadeth wanted him in the band, they had to also recruit his brother Vinnie.
You may think that Pantera got their "break" really easily since they were such an original hard working band, but the reality is that the band was turned down 28 times! In a leap of faith, everything changed for them when Hurricane Hugo stranded ATCO Records representative Mark Ross in Texas. His boss Derek Shulman asked Ross to go check out Pantera, who he had been interested in signing after receiving numerous amounts of home videos produced by the band. Ross went to see the band at a birthday party, and after a few songs he had no question that ATCO had to sign Pantera! At the end of 1989, the band recorded "Cowboys From Hell" (its major label debut) at Pantego Studios.
"Cowboys From Hell" proved that Pantera had smartly switched gears into a Heavier and more ass kicking sound, that would win them millions of fans worldwide. After the release of the album, Pantera were asked to perform in front of over 500,000 people at the "Monsters of Rock" in Moscow, Russia. The event was a celebration of the new freedom of performing Western music in the former Soviet Union.
From that moment on Pantera became one of the hardest working bands in Heavy Music history, and released legendary albums such as "Vulgar Display of Power" and "Far Beyond Driven", which hit number 1 on the Billboard Charts.
During the production of "The Great Southern Trendkill", it became evident that the band was having internal problems. The personal relations within the band were an all time low, so Anselmo decided to record vocals for this record at Trent Reznor's studio in New Orleans while the rest of the band recorded in Dallas. Once this furious album was released, the band managed to keep their focus on the music and to tour the world non-stop. In a turn of events, on July 13, 1996, Philip Anselmo overdosed on heroine while at a Texas hometown gig.
From that moment the media took out their magnifying glass and had a feast with all the chaos surrounding the band. After many feuds with the media, specially from Anselmo, the band decided to use their stage as their weapon. They definitely proved this with the release of "Live 101 Proof", which also included two studio tracks.
At the turn of the century, Pantera released "Reinventing the Steel" and once again toured the entire world. After a year and a half of successful touring, which included co-headlining Ozzfest 2000 with Black Sabbath, the band came to a halt on September 11, 2001 due to the terrorist attacks in the United States. At the time, Anselmo told his band members that he was going to go take care of his health issues, but ended up reforming Down and Superjoint Ritual
After a few years of waiting for Anselmo to rejoin the band, who was busy on the road with Down and Superjoint Ritual, Dime and Vinnie decided to start Damageplan. At first glimpse, the fans were very confused about the new band, and were desperately waiting for the reunion of Pantera. After lots of hard work, and when they were finally starting make some noise, on December 8, 2004, Dimebag was shot and killed while at a gig at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio. This would be the end of Pantera!
Here is an EXCLUSIVE interview with drumming legend Vinnie Paul, in which we discuss the legacy of Pantera. This interview took place in Los Angeles at the "Black Carpet", at the 3rd installment of Revolver Golden Gods Awards. Grab a black tooth and enjoy!
We want to thank Pantera, Vinnie Paul, Revolver Magazine & all the fans! This piece is dedicated to DIMEBAG (RIP)! \m/
Have you ever wondered what a Heavy Music show would be without a good amount of cold refreshing beer? It would be like eating a burger without cheese! While we as Metaleros tend to disagree and argue about different bands, we all agree that beer is the international drink of choice for the headbangers of the world.
Today is National Beer Day, yes a day devoted to our favorite drink! Whither you are cheap beer drinker and love the taste of Coors Light, Bud Light and PBR. Or you only consume high quality beer because you believe in catching a quality buzz. We can all agree that beer is a key element of the music scene we all love! So how did this awesome Metallic beverage arrive to the United States?
As we all know, Milwaukee (beer capital of the world) is synonymous to beer here in the United States and is were the first brewery (The Milwaukee Brewery) was established in the 1850's. But who brought beer into the United States? The Germans of course. When the Germans arrived to Milwaukee in the 1850's, they brought with them the knowledge of how to brew the best beer in the world (whoever argues that German beer is not the best, doesn't know much about beer). Did you know that Milwaukee was once the home to four of the world's largest breweries (Schlitz, Blatz, Pabst, and Miller)?
So how did National Beer Day get established?
In 1933 during the prohibition era, President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Cullen-Harrison Act on March 23rd. The law was enacted on April 7th. This law gave the green light for the legal brewing and sale of beer in the United States as long as it was < 3.2% (4% ABV). It is said that numerous amount of people waited in line overnight on April 6th outside Milwaukee breweries just so they could legally buy beer for the first time in over 13 years. And this is why April 7th (today) is National Beer Day and April 6th is called New Beers Eve.
Here is a rundown of which Metal icons have made beer popular within the Heavy Music world:
- Pantera: The Kings Of Metal would often bring cups of beer on stage and throw them to the hungry crowd. They also required for anyone working with them to be an avid drinker, because in Pantera once the show was over, it was party time!
- Metallica (or Alcohollica): They are not only the biggest Heavy Metal band in history, but they used to also be the drunkest band of them all. As we all know James Hetfield took an extended break in 2001 to go through a rehabilitation process.
- Slayer: The most evil band in Heavy Metal supports beer, almost as much as they support religion (yeah right). Guitarist Jeff Hanneman had a guitar built for him with the Heineken logo with a twist involved: the guitar reads Hanneman (instead of Heineken), Anti Christ - Premium Quality.
- Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society): The mountain man of Metal was an avid Beck's drinker and would often have a case or two with him, which he would consume while doing press. He had to cut-down after having his doctors found blood clots in his body.
The list goes and on, but you get the picture. So Heavy National Beer Day and remember to never drink and drive, drinking is fun but don't be stupid! \m/
The world was definitely a safer place before Pantera released "Vulgar Display Of Power" on February 25, 1992 through Atco Records. Not only was this album very influential in the 90s within the Heavy Music world, but it is also considered one of the best records in Heavy Metal history. Full of adrenaline and with songs that are more dangerous than giving a loaded gun to an inmate at San Quentin State Prison, Pantera changed Heavy Metal forever when they punched the world in the face with this no holds barred ass kicking record!
Here are some facts about Pantera's "Vulgar Display Of Power":
- The album was produced, engineered and mixed by Terry Date and Vinnie Paul (Pantera's drummer) at Pantego Sound Studio, Pantego, Texas. Pantego Sound Studio is owned and operated by Jerry Abbott (Dime and Vinnie's father).
- It has sold over 2 million copies and it was #44 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
- According to Q magazine it is one of the "50 Heaviest Albums of All-Time."
- IGN named it the 11th most influential Heavy Metal album of All-Time.
- It has been listed as one of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
- This is what the media had to say about the album:
Entertainment Weekly (3/6/92, p. 59): "One of the most satisfying Heavy Metal records since Metallica's early-80s cult days... 11 caustic songs of unabashed brute force... a fully realized album that goes way beyond metal's usual crunch-and-burn." - Rating: A
Q magazine (7/01, p. 90): "Pantera's new, heavier direction... was succinctly summed up by 'A New Level's' sludge-thick chorus and the neck-snapping riffage of bile-flecked hate anthem 'Fucking Hostile'."
Hellyeah is what you get when you place a group of very talented musicians in the same room, and tell them to let their creativity flow without a set agenda. The whole concept behind Hellyeah is to create a musical blend that is aged to perfection just like a fine bottle of Scotch. While they don't necessarily fit into a musical category, their music is honest and serves as the perfect soundtrack to a night of debauchery.
Recently, our European correspondent Tanja Caciur from Music Photocalypse sat down with Hellyeah's Chad Gray and Vinnie Paul for a very intimate interview. Here is what went down!
You guys have been touring non-stop for a while now. What is it like being on tour with Hellyeah?
Chad: It is blurry.
Vinnie: Yeah, blurry. A lot of press, a lot of drinking, never get to soundcheck… I mean, we would like to have one, but being a support band, usually things are not ready in time for us to do that. But we like to do a lot of things. This is the most I’ve ever gotten to see of Europe, from all the times I’ve ever been on tour. Every day I get out and walk somewhere. On every tour I did with Pantera, I never saw anything. It was just stay on the bus, go to the hotel, and go to the gig. That was it. The other day in Milan I walked around the whole damn square, it is really cool to experience that. We have done a lot of this support stuff in the States. We were recently on tour with Avenged Sevenfold and Stone Sour at the Uproar Festival. We were done at 5.30 in the afternoon every day. So we started drinking at 4… (laughter). That is not really a Rock’N’Roll life style when you are done doing your job at 5.30 in the afternoon. If we have a singing to do, we are done at 7. So there is a lot of looning about that goes on from bar to bar, from place to place, to this to that.
Chad: The worst part about tours like Uproar is those ‘sheds’ that are just in the middle of fucking nowhere, there is literally nothing to do. We headline the 2nd stage; we play, like he said, at 5.30. So we start drinking about an hour before we go on and I am getting up at 3. I am only sober literally like a fucking hour a day for the whole summer, it is amazing. That is how we usually are out here [in Europe] too, but it has been awesome.
How would you describe Hellyeah to people who have never heard the band? Give me some kind of a teaser.
Vinnie: It is a fucking Friday night, a full on freight train. It is all about working class people that bust their fucking asses, living in the real world, not the shit you see on MTV (laughs). And you know, you bust your ass and you cannot wait for Friday night, forget about your problems, drink, have a good time and just enjoy yourself. That is the basic vibe that we put out, that’s kinda it in a nutshell.
Chad: I think Hellyeah as a band… it is more of an attitude; a kind of lifestyle…
You speak about the working class people, but I would assume you have not been a part of the working class for quite a while…
Vinnie: I wouldn’t say that. When you have to do what we do every day… OK, but its not a 9 to 5 kind of job…
Vinnie: No, it is a 24-hour a day job. You cannot take this face off, anywhere you go people will expect something from you. They want an autograph, they want to say hi, they want to shake hands… its part of it, and you don’t get a day off. If I get sick, there is nobody else who’s going to get there to play the drums. But then you can cancel the show.
Vinnie: No you can’t just cancel the show.
Chad: You’ve got to understand that everything is tied down to a budget. If you take one show out of that budget, you are fucking everything up. And we have got to play. You know, I am not going to say that I am laying bricks…
Vinnie: But back in the day you were.
Chad: Yeah, I have done that.
Vinnie: I worked in McDonald’s back in the day. You start off somewhere.
Chad: I have worked in construction, I’ve worked at factories and so has Vinnie. There are great elements to what we do now, there is party, the drinking and shit like that. But when I leave home... I am gone, I go to work. When I grab my suitcase and go out of the door... I am going to work. I’ve got to work for months sometimes before I can go home to my wife, my dogs, sleep in my own bed. Trust me; we’ve got 6 more days now until the end of the tour. We have been out since April and been going really fucking hard since July.
What is the first thing you are going to do when you get home?
Chad: Sit down. (laughter)
You’re sitting down right now.
Chad: It is a whole different sit down.
Vinnie: I will probably go straight to shop for Thanksgiving; we get home the day before probably one of the biggest holidays in the United States. And there are always a lot of people coming over, so there is a lot of work to be done when I get home. Now, with that being said, it is a job that we love and we are lucky. A lot of people go to work and they hate doing their job. This is a job that you love, the music… that is why you are there in the first place... and you find out you can pay your bills sometimes and then you do it. To me it is like being a professional athlete of some sort. It is something you love to do, but it’s not easy. And very few people are lucky enough to get to live their dream and do that kind of thing. So we appreciate it.
How does each of you contribute to writing music in Hellyeah? I know Chad writes the lyrics, right?
Vinnie: He is an amazing lyricist and really great coming up with melodies and stuff, and Greg works with him quite a bit on some of that. And for me, I’ve always wanted to be more than a drummer. I cannot sing for shit, so I don’t try (laughs). I leave that up to Chad. But I do find myself involved in the production process, help arrange the music, sometimes I will come in and work with Chad on some stuff. We all trust each other from the start, we all work together. So I guess everybody truly puts everything they have into the band musically. When I watch Greg and Tom sit down and start riffing, it is the two of them. Somebody’s going to change something along the way and they work it together. Anyways, it all comes together as Hellyeah in the end.
Chad: Mudvayne was coming up on a break when we first started Hellyeah. And I told Greg: “I would really like for you to do this with me”. Because I knew we were going to take a break, we had to take a fucking break. We had been working non-stop for years. And I was like: “You can either go home and sit down on your ass and watch TV or we can go do something else.” Kind of explore the different sides of ourselves. This was before Vinnie actually came in. Greg thought about it and was like: ‘Yeah OK, cool’. And then we got Vince. We went to Dallas and we all got together and I did not even know Vinnie. Then we went to dinner, got drunk and got up the next day and went into the studio. And we wrote a song that night, we wrote 7 songs in the first 7 days. It is weird, because it’s like Damageplan… one guitar-player band, Nothingface… one guitar-player band, Mudvayne… one guitar-player band. I was blown away by 3 different guys from one guitar-player bands who can get together and work amazingly. And we just went like boom! Song, next day… boom! Song, next day… boom! We had no idea what the hell we were even doing. We just started writing music and it became what it is. It is a very honest band. We are not trying to be like anybody. If anything, in the future we will probably try not to be like people who are trying to be like us.
Chad, what is the difference for you between fronting Hellyeah and fronting Mudvayne?
Chad: It is like night and day. Mudvayne is pretty calculated and there is always a deep theme that runs through the fabric of the entire record as a whole. So you have to get the ideas around and then kind of adhere to something. In Hellyeah we just write about whatever, it does not matter what it is. It has been really liberating for me to do this, all I knew for so long was Mudvayne. So with Hellyeah I am be able to just write whatever I want to write about, write whatever kind of songs I want to write. We don’t stick to one theme and I think that has been really awesome. You know, Damageplan, Nothingface, Mudvayne they have to write these types of songs. You can’t really go too far out of that box before everyone will go “What the fuck are you doing?” Hellyeah started that way, so now we can just go wherever. We can write any kind of fucking song. We wrote a country song called “Alcohaulin’ Ass”, which is as country as it gets, and then we can write a rock song like “Pole Rider” about strippers. I have never written a song like that. I never had a reason to, but they started playing the song and that is what came into my head. It is kind of a part of this band’s lifestyle: just partying and barbequing, drinking, we do a lot of this shit.
What would you say “Stampede” is about?
Chad: It is like the dictionary definition of it: a herd of wild animals that are unstoppable. It’s not about one thing; it is the most diverse record I have ever written. There are songs like “Stampede”, there are songs like “Better Man” or “Stand Or Walk Away”, and then there are songs like “Pole Rider”. So many different vibes all the way through the record… every song is different from the previous one. It is just how we write. It’s really hard to put in a box… like what is “Stampede”? Fuck, I don’t know.
Are you planning to sustain this kind of ‘badass cowboy’ style on the upcoming albums?
Chad: Tom and I have been wearing fucking cowboy hats since like 2000; we’ve been wearing cowboy hats since we met. It is not like we are out roping cows or mending fences. People look at us and go like: “What is up with the cowboys thing?” We are not trying to look like cowboys; we’re trying to look like fucking outlaws. It has a Southern vibe to it, of course, but the way we look at it, it is more about being real people. You know, like that is how people really look. We just walk on stage in what we wear.
Both of you have been in the music industry for quite a while. What would you say was the most valuable lesson that you have learned along the way?
Vinnie: Probably the most valuable lesson anybody should learn is never piss on the people on your way to the top, because you are going to have to see them on your way down, some day. That is a very valuable lesson. And another lesson is to try to learn to be somewhat business-minded. You know, it is called the music business. We have all gotten into it because we love the music, and a lot of people end up with nothing at the end of the day, after they have done all of this great music… because they never learned any of the business side. So to be able to pick up on some of that is helpful for sure. Don’t just say: “Well I will just let my accountant handle that”. Still to this day, I pay my own fucking bills, they come to my house, they don’t go to some dude in Los Angeles and he does it. I want to look through them; I want to make sure there is no bullshit.
Chad: The first thing he said about not pissing on people on your way up… I have always been the kind of person who has really kept my feet on the ground. I know that he has been that kind of person too. I think that is why the respect level that we have for each other was so high right from the get go. It’s because when we met each other… there was no bullshit, there was no ego. It was like wow, this is fucking amazing, because it is really hard to find that in this business. Hellyeah has been very humble. Mudvayne saw a certain level of success: we have 3 records out in the States. We make money when we go out in the States, we sold almost 6 million records worldwide and that is a big deal. Hellyeah is like starting over in this new world that we live in with downloading and so on. It has been really humble; it has been fucking awesome too. It’s really taking me back to be able to live a life and make a climb for 10 years and then turn around and come back and start all over again. It just makes you really appreciate all of your work, where you kind of end up. It has been really awesome for me. I never saw the level of success he saw. It is a testament to the headspace of Hellyeah and what we are about. I do not know many people that could do what we are doing right now, and how we are living our lives right now. Trust me; this has been the biggest and the nicest dressing room we have seen on this whole tour. All the props in the world to Stone Sour, they have taken such a good care of us, being really respectful and doing the best that they can.
Vinnie, I have read some speculations online regarding the possibility of you ever re-creating Pantera without Dime. I do not know what triggered these speculations, but what do you have to say to these people?
Vinnie: It is ridiculous. Dime was such a huge part of it; it would be just completely asinine to even consider that. I think it’s pretty disrespectful from people to even suggest it. He left an amazing legacy and it is going to be left untouched. It’s beautiful, it’s pristine and I want to leave it that way. I am really proud of what I do with Hellyeah. Of course the history of Pantera speaks for itself. I want him to always be known as ‘the dude’, you know. Period. Forever!
Yeah, but the comments I have read were actually criticizing you as if you have ever said that this was possible.
Vinnie: No no, I have never said this was possible. Not me. It might have been some of the other clowns that used to be in Pantera, but not me. (laughs)
You are quite accomplished musicians today. Is there anything that you still strive for musically, or it is more like just chilling and playing what you like?
Vinnie: With the economy like this, with the music business like it is and everything else, of course we are striving to be successful. If we get to some level like that, then that is going to be a dream for me. My dream when we put this band together was to scpre a gold record with Hellyeah. We are so close to doing that in the States, it is almost there. Gold records these days are like having a double-platinum record, it really is. It is an amazing accomplishment. So for that and to just, you know, be able to stay healthy, enjoy what we do and keep writing great songs. Our chemistry is incredible, everybody works together, it is a respect thing, you know? You never have to worry about anybody stepping on somebody else’s toes; we all fit together pretty well.
There are many young bands these days who act kind of arrogant, thinking that they basically made history in a way, even though they really just make noise. And then there are guys like you two who have actually made history, but you are really down to earth. So what helps you keep your feet on the ground?
Chad: It is probably that statement that Vince made. That is the greatest thing I have ever learned and I learned that from Ozzy from the “Decline Of Western Civilization Part II” documentary. Do not fuck with people on your way up, because you will meet them on your way down. I remember watching that whole documentary and I was like “that’s it!” I was probably 17 when I saw it, way before I have ever done anything, but I always kept that in my head for some reason. It’s all going to go away, it all ends. Here today, gone tomorrow. If you got the attitude like “I am the fucking shit” for the here today, what happens when you are gone tomorrow? You’re going to look like a fucking fool, when you are working at the record store or flipping fries. Hang on to your integrity as a person. It’s just a fucking job. We love our job, but it is a job.
What is it about music that you love so much, what gives you goose bumps?
Vince: It is just creating it and performing it, you know. There is not a bigger rush in this world then to hear a crowd roar when the lights go down. If you cannot get up for that, you can’t get up for anything. That is what it’s all about… performing. You look out there and whether it is 500 people, or Donington with 100,000 people, or Monsters of Rock with half a million people… you are making these people happy and they are into it.
Chad: For me it starts when we start writing something, putting something together. I listen to a song and I will listen to it over and over again. A lot of times you are kind of holding on, trying to figure it out so you know where to go with it. The more I listen to the song as a singer and a writer, the more I familiarize myself with it, the more I tend to just unconsciously let go off the song. Then it is just in my head, and all of a sudden here comes the melody, here come the lyrics, everything just starts coming in. And I love that feeling when I start writing and everything is just pouring out, I am so fucking excited… I cannot wait to get behind the mike. So you got that one moment. Then you get the moment of getting behind the mike and actually hearing it. And then you get on stage and there is this fucking energy, like what Vince was talking about. We’ll get on stage tonight and there are all these people that have never seen us here in Oslo. And if everything is really cool and everybody is being really open-minded and everybody really wants to give it a shot, there is this energy exchange that happens. We are giving them something and then they go ‘Waaaah!!’ and they give it back. And then we go “Oh yeah!” and we give it harder and then they give it harder. And the next thing you know everybody is fucking partying and fist-pumping and drinking… We fucking bring it pretty hard and I think that is what people receive from us. They see that we are very passionate about what we do. It is a real fucking thing, you can almost touch it. The big thing with us is honesty, we are not out to fool anybody. We just want to share our music and if you like it then take it, if you don’t… OK.
If you could go down in history as the first band that did... what?
Chad: …Drank one billion beers. I think we are close. (laughter)
Vinnie: And tha is just the four of them, because I drink vodka. I drink a lot of vodka. And I have been drinking Finlandia all the time I've been here.
Chad: Yeah well… one thing. I think just to leave any kind of mark, not from record sales or this or that, but actually leave a mark with what we have done, that would be amazing! I mean worldwide mark.
Horns Up Rocks wants to wish every single one of you: HEAVY HOLIDAYS and a METALLIC 2011! Thanks so much for your support, and rest assured that will keep the HORNS way UP in 2011! Please be safe, because we need every single one of you to keep the Heavy Music Army growing and becoming STRONGER THAN ALL!
We decided to take a look at all the memories that we lived throughout 2010, and give you our beloved fans, the ultimate Top 10! Starting today, we will post one memory a day! The best memory of 2010 will be posted on New Years Day (December 31st)!
\m/ NUMBER 10: THE HIXON Chronicles - On August 27th, Horns Up Rocks and Jefferson Avenue Productions brought the annual Hixonfest to the Ace of Clubs bar in New York City. The event featured live music by Lies Beneath, Canons, S.W.A.K., female Judas Priest tribute band Judas Priestess, and New Jersey's Thrash Metal titans The Hixon. Additionally, the event was hosted by Richard Christy from the Howard Stern Show and Charred Walls of the Damned. The event also featured a sexy model search hosted by Crown Ink Divas CEO Frankie Scorpion.
Before the event, and before we all started our drink-a-thon, Horns Up Rocks founder Jo Schuftan interviewed The Hixon. Here is what went down:
\m/ NUMBER 9: METAL meets COMEDY (with Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine of VH1 Classic's THAT METAL SHOW) - When it comes to mixing Heavy Metal and Comedy, there are very few people that can blend them together like Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine do. You may be familiar with this two maniacs, from VH1 Classic's That Metal Show, or from the infamous "Terrorizing Tele-marketers CD's. You may also know them from Comedy Central's Crankyankers and Meet the Creeps, or maybe from a Heavy Metal concert. Regardless of where you know them from, what this two man have achieved in their careers, is truly admirable! We had the chance to interview both of them together, and somehow managed to keep them somewhat controlled! Check it out:
\m/ NUMBER 8: SLAYER, MEGADETH & ANTHRAX @ American Carnage 2 - On Friday October 8th, we headed to the Nassau Vetarans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island to experience one of the best tours in Heavy Metal history. Which tour are we talking about? The second leg of the American Carnage tour, sponsored by Jägermeister Music, which features Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax.
We arrived at the venue around 4 o'clock, and immediately headed to lot 6 (pretty appropriate) for Jo Schuftan's (founder of Horns Up Rocks) tailgate birthday party! As soon as we arrived to lot 6, Heavy Metal was blasting from every car in the parking lot! It was heaven for any Metal head and hell for everyone else. Check out the videos we captured!
\m/ NUMBER 7:At the 2010 Hixonfest, the Judas Priestess played a furious set right after New Jersey's Metaleros The Hixon almost burned the house down. The all female Judas Priest tribute band puts the pedal to the Metal, and they do it from start to finish. Judas Priestess deliver a vulgar display of adrenaline, that can be addictive. Not only can they make the dudes headbang out of control, they also get the chicks to shake their booties lambada style. When the Judas Priestess ladies rock the hell out of the stage, nobody is safe. Here is the interview that METAL LOVE did with the ladies of Judas Priestess! This became an instant hit and was published on BLABBERMOUTH! \m/
\m/ NUMBER 666: New Orleans has always been known for its influence in music and its multilingual cross-cultural heritage. This ever-changing region of the United States gave birth to Jazz music, and is universally known for its cuisine. Recently they became known for their NFL football team, thanks to the New Orleans Saints victory over the Indianapolis Colts at this years Super Bowl in Miami. What does all this have to do with Heavy Music? Well, NOLA is the birthplace of some of the best bands in the country! This year we produced a lot of legendary interview videos, but two interviews that we are very proud of are the ones with Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Down, Kingdom of Sorrow), and Ben Falgoust (Goatwhore, Soilent Green). Check this two jewels out:
\m/ NUMBER 5: Eugene Victor Hoglan II, known by many of you as Gene Hoglan or "The Atomic Clock", is one of the best drummers in the world. During his 26 year career he has played in bands such as Strapping Young Lad, Testament, Dark Angel, War God and Dethklok. When I heard that he was joining the mighty Fear Factory, my heart started beating at triple the tempo. I started envisioning what the new generation of Fear Factory would sound like. The results blew my mind when I heard their latest album titled "Mechanized". Here is our interview with Gene Hoglan (featured on Blabbermouth), as well as some live footage of Fear Factory!
\m/ NUMBER 4: As we all know, Ronnie James Dio passed away earlier this year after losing his battle to stomach cancer. A few weeks before his passing, Ronnie made his way to Los Angeles from a cancer clinic in Texas, for the Revolver Golden Gods Awards. To me this is very inspiring and proofs the power behind Heavy Music. Ronnie James Dio will always be remembered as a true warrior!
We had a chance to talk to Jose Mangin (Sirius XM Liquid Metal & MTV Headbangers Ball), Don Jamieson (That Metal Show), Brandon Geist (Revolver Magazine), and even Alex Skolnick (Testament) about the legacy of Ronnie James Dio which Corey. All of them tell us their "behind the scenes" stories involving Ronnie James Dio. Check it out!
\m/ NUMBER 3: "When I think about what brought me to New York, the first thing that comes to my mind is New York Hard Core. Growing up in Colombia in the mid 90's, back when Pablo Escobar and crew controlled the country through acts of violence. I experienced lots of hardship by watching my own country, become the country of fear. I was around 15 years old when I first heard downset, I know downset are from LA but once I was hooked on the Hard Core movement, I started to listen to New York Hard Core through bands like Sick Of It All, Madball, Agnostic Front, Biohazard, Vision of Disorder and a whole bunch of other bands (mostly through mix tapes)." -Jo Schüftan (Founder of Horns Up Rocks)
Here are some legendary interviews I did this year with some of the biggest Hardcore artists:
\m/ NUMBER 2: "Ever since I became a diehard Pantera fan, I wanted to get a CFH (Cowboys From Hell) tattoo! Not only is Pantera my all time favorite band, but also a huge influence on who I am. Pantera defines what life is all about: Determination, Passion and making the best out of every single moment lived. With that said, when I went to the Philadelphia Tattoo Convention I knew I had to have an appointment with the needle and chinese ink. Now I am officially Scarred For Life and a Pantera fan until the day I die." -Jo Schuftan (Founder of Horns Up Rocks)
Apart from covering the CFH tattoo story, we also covered some awesome Pantera events, check this out:
\m/ NUMBER UNO: As we all know, the great Peter Steele from Type O Negative died on April 14, 2010 from heart failure. Peter will always be remembered as one of the most charismatic musicians in history. Together with his bands Type O Negative and Carnivore, he created a legacy that will never die! Fortunately, Peter will always live through his passionate music and if you ever had a chance to meet him or to see perform live, you know that he was a true legend.
This was the saddest and biggest story this year for Horns Up Rocks to cover. Pete ignited a flame that we will never let die! Here are some of the videos we produced in memory of Peter Steele, 'the giant man with a heart of gold!"
Today marks the death anniversary of two of the most influential Rock N’ Roll figures in history. We are talking about John Lennon from The Beatles, and "Dimebag” Darrell Abbott from Pantera and Damageplan. Coincidentally, they were both assassinated by delusional fans of their music. In order to celebrate the legacy of this two amazing artists, we decided to recap both of their lives. So raise your horns way up for Lennon and Dimebag, clear your eyes, and read on...
John Winston Ono Lennon was born on October 9, 1940 in Liverpool UK. Lennon gained worldwide fame when him and Paul McCartney formed The Beatles. In our opinion the Lennon-McCartney duo, is the most successful and influential songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. Lennon's first band was The Quarrymen, which evolved into The Beatles in 1960. By the end of the decade the group started disintegrating, and Lennon embarked into a solo career. This is when he released the highly acclaimed albums “John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band” and “Imagine”, with iconic songs such as “Give Peace a Chance” and “Imagine”. In 1975, Lennon took a break from the music industry to devote time to his family. After 5 years he re-merged with an album titled “Double Fantasy”.
Three weeks after the release of “Double Fantasy”, Lennon was shot it in the back 4 times by Mark David Chapman as he was entering his apartment in Manhattan NY. Lennon was taken to the Emergency Room of Roosevelt Hospital, but was pronounced dead upon arrival at 11:07 pm. His wife Yoko Ono released the following statement the next day: “There is no funeral for John, John loved and prayed for the human race. Please pray the same for him.” Lennon was cremated in Hartsdale New York and his ashes were scattered in New York’s Central Park, which is where the “Strawberry Fields Memorial” can be found.
You may be wondering what this has to do with Heavy Music. Well, John Lennon and The Beatles are direct influences of Black Sabbath, which ultimately influenced every single Heavy Music band including Pantera!
Pantera’s guitarist Dimebag Darrell Abbott was born on August 20, 1966 in Ennis Texas. Influenced by his father Jerry Abbott who is a country musician and producer, Dime and his brother Vinnie Paul fell in love with music at a young age. At first Dimebag wanted to play the drums but his older brother Vinnie took over the drum kit. This was tough for Dime, who eventually started playing the trombone. However, his father was not having it, and convinced Dime to try playing the guitar. Goddamn, was his father right!
Dime’s first guitar was a Hondo Les Paul, which he got with a small amplifier. At the beginning all he did was pose in front of the mirror with Ace Frehley (Kiss) makeup, and his guitar in hand. Vinnie needed someone to play with so he started harassing his little brother. One day, Dime goes into the jam room and tells Vinnie: “Hey dude, you want to jam?” Little did they know that they were planting the seed of what would later become Pantera, which is arguably the best Heavy Metal band of the 90’s.
After a few months of jamming classics like Deep Purple’s “Smoke In The Water” with Vinnie. Dime started competing on local guitar competitions, which he usually won. On one of these competitions he was awarded a Dean ML. Coincidentally, his father Jerry had bought him a cherry burst finish Dean ML standard, the same morning of the competition. At another competition, he won a Randall Amplifier. As we all know, this became Pantera’s signature sound. Eventually, the organizers barred Dimebag from competing, because they wanted to give other kids a chance to win.
In 1981, Dimebag formed Pantera with his brother Vinnie. The two recruited vocalist Terrence Glaze (replaced by Philip Anselmo in 1987) and bassist Rex Brown. After releasing 4 albums that were produced by their father, who also owned a studio called “Pantego Sound”. Pantera got their big break, and things would never be the same in the Heavy Music World. Signed by Atco Records, who had already turned them down, the story about how Pantera got signed is very unique.
After being stranded in Texas due to a hurricane, Mark Ross (Atco Records) was asked by his boss to go check out Pantera, who were playing a birthday party in Dallas. After experiencing the insanity of Pantera (there was birthday cake all over the floor), Mark called his boss and told him: “We have to sign this guys!” Next thing you know Dimebag heads over to Philip Anselmo’s house and shows him the record contract.
From that moment on Pantera put the pedal to the Metal and started taking over the world. The band got their big break when the Metal God Rob Halford, invited the band to tour with Judas Priest in Europe. Soon after, they were asked to play the “Monsters of Rock” festival in Moscow Russia in front of 1,000,000 people. That day they outperformed Metallica, AC/DC, and the Black Crowes. During their successful career, Pantera also shared the stage with legendary bands like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Megadeth, Motörhead, and Venom.
After 13 years of hard-hitting success, and releasing classic albums such as Cowboys From Hell, Vulgar Display of Power, and Far Beyond Driven (which charted #1 on Billboard). Pantera’s career came to a halt, mainly because of Anselmo’s addiction problems. After various failed attempts of communicating with Philip, Dimebag and Vinnie decided to start a new band called Damageplan.
In order to complete the lineup, Dime and Vinnie recruited former Rob Halford guitarist Pat Lachman to perform vocal duties, and Bob Zilla on bass. Damageplan released “ New Found Power” in the US on February 10, 2004. When writing music for Damageplan, Dimebag said that: "Damageplan wanted to stretch out and expand our capabilities to their fullest.”
On December 8th 2004, Nathan Gale shot Dimebag Darrell Abbott on stage, while Damageplan was performing at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus Ohio. Dime was shot six times (four times in the head), which killed him instantly. Gale continued shooting, killing four others and wounding a further seven. Jeff “Mayhem” Thompson (Damageplan’s head of security) was killed after tackling Gale, as was Alrosa Villa employee Erin Halk. Nathan Bray (a fan of the band) was killed while trying to perform CPR on Dimebag and Mayhem. Gale was finally shot dead by officer James James D. Niggemeyer. Dimebag Darrell was laid to rest at the Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas. From that moment on Heavy Music was never the same.
“I remember when I met Dimebag in Cologne Germany after Pantera’s spectacular performance. We see Dime in the distance (at least 20 feet away); we call him up and next thing you know he stumbles towards us. He was drunk as hell, and said that we were way too sober for being at a Pantera show! He calls Bobby (Pantera videographer) over, and tells him: “get this kids some blacktooths and get them on the new home video.” Lo and behold Bobby came back with some blacktooths, which we all put back fast. To this day I think of Dimebag every day, because he is the driven force of the lifestyle that we Metaleros share and are proud of.” –Jo Schuftan (founder of Horns Up Rocks)
We want to dedicate this piece to Dimebag Darrell Abbott and his family, John Lennon and his family, and Juan Carlos Posada (who committed suicide 2 years ago). Juan Carlos was Jo Schuftan’s best friend in High School, and together they lived some of the best and hardest years of their lives in Colombia. RIP brother, I love you so much and hope to see you again some day! \m/
Music videos have played a very important role in the music industry. Historically, there have been many bands that have crossed the spectrum of success, thanks to eye catching videos. Today we are presenting to you, a segment called "TEN Life-Changing Metal Videos". These are videos that once your eyesight gets infected by them, you can never cleanse them out of your eye balls!
Want to send us your picks? Hit us up at info@hornsuprocks.com!
BLACK SABBATH "Paranoid"
JUDAS PRIEST "Breaking the Law"
METALLICA "One"
PANTERA "Domination (Live in Moscow)"
SLAYER "South Of Heaven"
IRON MAIDEN "Run to the Hills"
SEPULTURA "Territory"
LAMB OF GOD "Laid To Rest"
SLIPKNOT "Before I Forget"
RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE "Freedom"
Want to send us your picks? Hit us up at info@hornsuprocks.com!
It saddens us to inform you all that vocalist Seth Putnam of Grind Metal machines Anal Cunt, died yesterday morning (Saturday, June 11). According to Catharsis PR (Anal Cunt's PR company) Putnam died from a heart attack.
