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Tag: heavy metal

  • Christopher Lee: Heavy Metal, Horror, Wizardry; The Occult?

    When Christopher Lee died recently at the age of 93, the memorials and biographical news segments came pouring.

    We learned that Christopher Lee was in the British Special Forces We learned that Lee was not only in a James Bond film, he was related to Ian Fleming by marriage.

    While Lee was famous for his later life roles, such as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit series, as well as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequels, he had a large body of work prior to those. Many did not know that Christopher Lee had an entire career in horror films long before his Saruman days.

    Lee starred in a long series of horror films in the 1950s and ’60s for Hammer Film Productions.

    These “Hammer Horror” films are cult classics to this day. In the Hammer Horror films Lee played Frankenstein’s monster, Dracula, Sir Henry Baskerville, Rasputin, and many other roles.

    Then there was the heavy metal music that Christopher Lee jumped into when he was already in his 80s. Not “in the 80s,” in HIS 80s.

    Lee had sung on albums before, particularly opera and musicals. But he got into heavy metal in 2004 on an album by metal band Rhapsody. Lee released his own album in 2006 called Revelation. After that came Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross in 2010, and Charlemagne: The Omens of Death in 2013.

    Christopher Lee also did two heavy metal Christmas albums, followed by the EP Metal Knight.

    Lee said he got a kick out of giving his metal fans some fun with the Christmas albums.

    “It’s light-hearted, joyful and fun… At my age, the most important thing for me is to keep active by doing things that I truly enjoy. I do not know how long I am going to be around, so every day is a celebration and I want to share it with my fans.”

    He did horror films and heavy metal music, but was Christopher Lee involved in the occult?

    There were many long-standing rumors that Christopher Lee was a big proponent of the occult. Some claimed that Lee had a library of over 20,000 books on the occult.

    Lee dismissed these rumors as ridiculous.

    “Somebody wrote I have 20,000 books. I’d have to live in a bath! I have maybe four or five [occult books].”

    In fact, Christopher Lee was very wary of occult involvement, telling students, “I warn all of you: never, never, never. You will not only lose your mind, you’ll lose your soul.”

  • Marilyn Manson Mourning A Loss: His Mother Has Passed Away

    Heavy metal musician Marilyn Manson may be best known for his dark, cutting, and brutal vocals and his dismal and dissonant instrumentals, but a few days ago some real darkness entered into his life.

    His mother has passed away.

    “Barbara J. Warner age 68, passed peacefully on Tuesday after a long battle with dementia. She was a wife, lover, mother and friend who will be missed forever,” an obituary stated, “Services were private. The Lamiell Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the the Alzheimer’s Association.”

    After a few days of her passing, Manson made the announcement to his fans by posting the following message to his Twitter and Facebook page:

    On Facebook, over 100,000 people have liked the post.

    According to Biography.com, Manson, born Brian Hugh Warner, had a tough childhood, which included surviving molestation from a neighbor. When he and his family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Manson took on his musical persona by forming the eponymous band while also working as a journalist.

    More recently, Manson provided music for the opening title credits to WGN America’s Salem. The musician performed Tyler Bates’s song “Cupid Carries a Gun”. “The song ‘Cupid Carries a Gun’ was the last track we just finished for my new album,” Manson said according to the Hollywood Reporter, “The occult and witchcraft [are] so often used in cinema with a heinous disregard for even researching its origins. However, I liked the themes of Salem. It looks at the witch trials without being cliche like most modern films.”

    No word has been posted on whether the loss will impact Manson’s work, tours, or performances. Presumably, life will go on for Marilyn Manson as he lives in a world without his mother.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons.

  • Ozzy Osbourne Has Bat Trouble Again

    Ozzy Osbourne Has Bat Trouble Again

    In a twist of a tale that will surely leave heavy metal fans chuckling, Ozzy Osbourne once again has a bat problem.

    The heavy metal Prince of Darkness is famous for several pieces of rock and roll lore, one of which is about the time he bit the head off a bat.

    Back in 1981, Ozzy was touring in support of his Diary of a Madman album. The tour was called “Night of the Living Dead”. During the course of the night, Ozzy would throw pig intestines and calf livers into the audience. Audience members started bringing things to throw back onto the stage. One kid brought what he thought was a dead bat.

    When the bat was thrown onto the stage, Ozzy thought it was rubber. He picked it up and bit off the head. Turns out, the thing was not only real, it was alive. Ozzy ended up getting rabies shots, and a metal legend was born.

    Trouble was, this was a tale that Ozzy could not live down, and neither could his kids. On one episode of the show The Osbournes, daughter Kelly talks about how some kids she knows are constantly bugging her about her dad biting the head off a bat.

    Now Ozzy has bat trouble again.

    The singer has been planning to convert a barn on his English estate into a two-bedroom home. But it turns out there are bats living in the barn. And these bats are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010.

    A District Council spokesman said that a survey of the site revealed that bats and owls were living there.

    “Mr Osbourne cannot convert his listed building until satisfactory surveys and related mitigation, allowing the bats and owls to remain living on the site, is submitted. We must be satisfied measures have been put in place to protect the animals before planning permission can be considered.”

    The bats will have to be relocated from the site in a humane fashion and in accordance with the law.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Scorpions Drummer Jailed for a Month in Dubai

    Scorpions Drummer Jailed for a Month in Dubai

    Scorpions drummer James Kottak was arrested at Dubai International Airport for drunk and disorderly conduct on April 3, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail for the crime of insulting Islam. According to Dubai state-run newspaper The National, Kottak flipped the bird and mooned other travelers while in an airport transit hall.

    Kottak told police he had taken a wrong turn on his way to a Formula One grand prix gig in Bahrain, and subsequently denied flashing his middle finger, dropping his pants or insulting Islam.

    A witness described as ‘Officer AA’ said he heard Kottak saying “what is this disgusting smell?” before insulting Islam. “I didn’t see anything else but I heard him. I then informed my supervisor, who came and took the defendant away,” AA added. A Jordanian passenger services agent called ‘AB’ said that Kottak was shouting “non-educated Muslims” and then gave other passengers the middle finger.

    Kottak has been sitting in a Dubai jail since the incident, and will soon be released, having logged some time served. Kottak did plead guilty to being intoxicated without a license, and paid a fine of roughly $550. The drummer also explained that he was merely showing people his back tattoo, not mooning. During his misdemeanor trial, Kottak’s attorney Hamid Al Khazraji told the judge, “Their testimonies are contradictory, your honor.”

    Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965, and have sold between 75 and 100 million records worldwide. Here is a bit of a Scorpions refresher:

    Awesome.

    James Kottack, 51, of Louisville, Kentucky joined the band in 1996, and was previously married to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee’s sister Althena.

    Here is Kottak doing a drum solo at a Scorpions gig:

    Kottak’s fans took to Twitter, relaying some confusion regarding the missing musician:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • ‘Metallica Through The Never’ Hits Netflix

    Metallica Through the Never is now available on Netflix’s streaming service in the U.S. This didn’t appear on our most recent list of coming releases, but sure enough, here it is.

    The Netflix description is as follows:

    Veteran heavy metal band Metallica is captured live in 3D in this spectacular concert film, highlighted by a staged accident involving a crew member. Narrative bios of band members and a chronicle of Metallica’s career are also featured in the movie.

    The film came to Netflix’s DVD catalog back in January.

    We’ll have another list of titles coming to Netflix streaming later this week. Personally, I’d like to see Cliff ‘Em All make an appearance.

    Now here’s Metallica playing the song Through the Never in 1992:

    It kind of rocks harder than the studio version.

    Metallica Through the Never is currently the only Metallica title available on Netflix’s streaming service. The DVD service offers nearly 20 (of varying degrees of quality) plus Hesher.

    Image via Netflix

  • Dave Brockie Of GWAR Found Dead In Richmond Home

    Founder and lead vocalist of the thrash metal band GWAR, Dave Brockie, was found dead in his Richmond home on Sunday.

    According to Dionne Waugh of the Richmond Police, the authorities were called to Brockie’s residence at around 6:53 p.m. for a reported death. The authorities discovered the lifeless body of 50-year-old Brockie when they arrived at the scene.

    Detectives do not suspect any foul play, and the official cause of death is soon to be determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

    GWAR’s manager, Jack Flanagan, has issued a statement saying that more information surrounding Brockie’s death will be released as soon as details have been confirmed. He also said that his focus is to look after Brockie’s family and the rest of the band.

    GWAR was formed in 1984 in Richmond, Virginia. The band is known for their heavy music and theatrical performances. Each band member has his own persona and alias, as well as out-of-this-world costume.

    The band just came back from shows in Japan to celebrate their 30th anniversary in the music business. They also released their 13th studio album just last year.

    Mike Bishop, the former bassist for the band, says that Brockie was one of the smartest and funniest guys that he has ever known. “He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics, and art.”

    Brockie, who was known as Oderus Urungus, was the only GWAR character who has ever existed in every incarnation of the band. He started out as the band’s guitarist, then moved on to playing the bass, and eventually ended up being the band’s vocalist. He also contributed to the Fox News Channel as Oderus Urungus.

    Oderus Urungus on Fox News

    The death of Brockie came three years after the death of their guitarist Cory Smoot. Smoot died due to a heart attack that he had while they were on their 2011 tour.

    GWAR rocks the show

    Image via YouTube

  • Here’s Metallica Performing The Star-Spangled Banner

    Metallica frontman/guitarist James Hetfield and guitarist Kirk Hammett played “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Giants/Dodgers game a few days ago, in a segment that in some ways felt like it could have been the intro to a Metallica album of yesteryear (think “Fight Fire With Fire,” “Battery,” or “Blackened”).

    Unfortunately, what followed was just a baseball game and not five minutes of heavy metal thunder. Still worth a watch.

    Note, both Metallica members are wearing Giants jerseys, and have Giants logos on their guitars, as the band is from San Francisco.

    The Giants won the game 4-3.

    Oh, and here’s Lars throwing out the first pitch:

  • Slayer Guitarist Jeff Hanneman Dies Of Liver Failure

    Jeff Hanneman, one of two guitarists for the legendary heavy metal band Slayer, has died of liver failure. He was 49. The above image currently appears on the band’s official site, where they shared the following statement:

    Slayer is devastated to inform that their bandmate and brother, Jeff Hanneman, passed away at about 11AM this morning near his Southern California home. Hanneman was in an area hospital when he suffered liver failure. He is survived by his wife Kathy, his sister Kathy and his brothers Michael and Larry, and will be sorely missed.

    A couple years back, Hanneman began suffering from a skin disease called necrotizing fasciitis (which ironically sounds like it could have been the name of a Slayer song). This was believed to have stemmed from a spider bite. Guitar World shares a statement that band made in 2011:

    “As you know, Jeff was bitten by a spider more than a year ago, but what you may not have known was that for a couple of days after he went to the ER, things were touch-and-go. There was talk that he might have to have his arm amputated, and we didn’t know if he was going to pull through at all. He was in a medically-induced coma for a few days and had several operations to remove the dead and dying tissue from his arm. So, understand, he was in really, really bad shape. It’s been about a year since he got out of the hospital, and since then, he had to learn to walk again, he’s had several painful skin grafts, he’s been in rehab doing exercises to regain the strength in his arm; but best of all, he’s been playing guitar.”

    In February, bandmate Kerry King had reportedly indicated that Hanneman’s health was still an issue, though it’s not entirely clear at this point whether the liver failure is directly related to the illness described.

    Hanneman was a founding member of Slayer. In fact, the band was formed in 1981 when Hanneman and King met while trying out for another band, and ultimately just decided to start their own. Slayer would go on to become one of the most influential bands in the history of the heavy metal genre. I think it’s safe to say that no other band, apart from possibly Metallica has had as much influence on modern day metal.

    Slayer may not have achieved the mainstream success that Metallica has, but in the metal world, they’re just as big. Slayer did not produce songs that catered to radio play as Metallica did. This is about as close as they came to radio-friendly (keep in mind, they came up in the era before the Internet and satellite radio):

    Slayer’s songs almost always took on life’s darker realities (and occasionally non-realities). Their “softer” songs tended to be about real-life serial killers. They didn’t have “Whiskey in the Jar” covers or sports arena anthems like “Enter Sandman” to propel them up the charts.

    Still, Slayer’s influence has been heavily felt in the genre, without question, but also across other genres. The band’s song “Angel of Death” was used as the basis for a Public Enemy song, for example:

    King played on the Beastie Boys’ classic Licensed to Ill album. The band has also collaborated with Ice-T and Atari Teenage Riot (who also sampled the band’s “Dead Skin Mask” for another song).

    Even Tori Amos took on “Raining Blood”:

    Search “Slayer cover” on YouTube, and you’ll find an endless plethora of bands and individuals trying to emulate what the band and Hanneman have given the world.

    I had the pleasure of meeting Hanneman (and the rest of the band) one time after a show about thirteen of fourteen years ago. They were all incredibly cool and friendly, ready to chit chat with complete strangers, as they must have been doing night after night on tour. I won’t pretend that my brief encounter with Hanneman was anything more than that, but it always struck me how a band like that who has such massive fame (at least among its target audience) was that friendly to its fans. Plenty of others (including those with much less fame) are not like that. I returned to the same venue to see them again a few years later.

    There are no doubt countless others with similar, and probably more interesting tales to tell of meeting Hanneman at shows, but many of his peers in the music world also have fond memories of him. Here are a few tweets from fans and friends:

    There’s plenty more where that came from.

  • New Devil May Cry Trailer Features Urban Destruction

    Straight from this weekend’s New York Comic Con, Capcom has released a new trailer for Devil May Cry. Unsurprisingly, it looks a lot like older Devil May Cry games and features a similar combo and juggling fighting style.

    Judging from the video, seen below, the urban landscape of the game will lend itself well to destruction on an apocalyptic scale. A young-looking Dante will seek revenge with his signature sword and guns, though new weapons will also appear. For example, a whip is briefly glimpsed in the new trailer.

    In an welcome change from recent trailers in the game industry, this one does not feature dubstep. Instead, a pounding heavy metal score highlights the violent hack n slash action. Capcom has previously promised that this new Devil May Cry will feature “dark and brutal gameplay” that will “redefine the franchise.”

    Though the new trailer doesn’t particularly show a redefined Devil May Cry, it does show what appears to be a fun game.

  • BitTorrent Testing Peer-To-Peer Video Streaming

    BitTorrent Testing Peer-To-Peer Video Streaming

    BitTorrent changed the way we shared information. Now they’re changing the way we stream information.

    BitTorrent in association with Dean Guitars will be live streaming NAMM Jam this Friday night from 6:45 p.m. to midnight. The live stream will be using BitTorrent’s new protocol that allows the duties of sharing the stream data among all those watching, just like the traditional peer-to-peer file sharing the company is famous is spearheading.

    For those unaware, the NAMM Jam is a metal band festival being held at The Grove of Anaheim. The event will feature “must-see” metal acts including Testament and Jackyl.

    The event will be a testing ground for BitTorrent’s new live peer-to-peer streaming protocol invented by Bram Cohen, BitTorrent’s founder and chief scientist. The protocol promises to solve the fundamental challenges of live streaming media over the Internet by eliminating the need for expensive server infrastructure and dramatically reducing latency.

    “Dean Guitars are legendary and the NAMM Jam is an iconic event,” Cohen said. “While the live protocol is still in the testing phases, it’s proving to be incredibly stable. We need to push the limits and see what happens when large numbers of people join a live swarm. If anyone can do it, it’s metal fans. Jump on and help us test it.”

    Curse Mackey, director of marketing at Dean Guitars and candidate for best name ever award, praised BitTorrent for providing a solution that makes live streaming easy and possible for musicians everywhere.

    “Dean Guitars has always pushed to stay ahead of the curve and we’re excited to help BitTorrent break new ground for the good of musicians around the world,” Mackey said.

    The BitTorrent live stream distributes the workload amongst peers viewing the stream. Peer-based architectures take advantage of the computing, storage and network resources of each person, the more people who join a stream the better it performs.

    The company is currently testing the protocol every Friday at 8 p.m. by inviting a live DJ to perform at the company’s headquarters.