RIP DAVE BROCKIE
As we were going to print last week news was confirmed that Dave Brockie (i.e. Gwar’s Oderus Urungus) had passed away aged 50. This is a huge loss for the metal community – Dave was known as one of those ridiculously nice guys who had time for anyone who cared to say hello, and underneath all the bloody mayhem of a Gwar concert there was still a message in there, buried amongst the alien-intestines and luminous jizz. That message, at least as I see it, was “Everything’s ridiculous, so think for yourself.” The annual Gwar-B-Q will still be held this year in Richmond, Virginia in Dave’s memory. “On behalf of Dave Brockie’s family, Slave Pit Inc. and GWAR, we would like to thank all the loyal fans worldwide for the outpouring of love and support shown to us over the past few days,” said the band’s manager, Jack Flanagan. “Knowing that we have such amazing family, friends and fans is truly helping us all get through this tough time.”
NEW ZAKK ON THE WAY
The new album by Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society, Catacombs of the Black Vatican, is out on Friday April 11 and it’s definitely a must-have. This is probably the most complete, perfect, all-killer-no-filler album Zakk has made, with post-Sabbath traditional metal, a few very Alice In Chains-esque moments (both the heavier stuff and things like Jar Of Flies) and some Allman Brothers-ish mellow moments, all filtered through Zakk’s personality and style, and of course his insane guitar technique. I had a chat with the man last night and he promises that this album “will solve world hunger and win us the Nobel Peace Prize.”
KYLESA AT THE ESPY
If you missed the wonderful Kylesa last week, fear not! They return for a show at the Espy’s Gershwin Room on Friday April 4 with I Exist, Broozer and Clagg. Tickets from trybooking.com/ECOB and doors open at 7.30pm.
JASON BECKER PERPETUAL BURN
Here’s one for my fellow guitar nerds. Seymour Duncan began developing a signature guitar pickup with Jason Becker (Cacophony, David Lee Roth) back in the early ‘90s, but Jason’s battle with the degenerative condition ALS left him in a wheelchair unable to move or speak. But Jason can still communicate and compose music using an eye movement system devised by his dad. Last year Jason asked Seymour Duncan if they could finish work on the pickup. So with Jason’s ears and the hands of Michael Lee Firkins and Mike Bemesderfer, the Perpetual Burn ‘HumBecker’ is now a reality. In terms of tone and output it’s midway between Seymour Duncan’s ’59 and JB models. “I would say the final tone sounds like me, only way better,” Jason says.
ROYAL HUNT TOUR CANCELLED
Sadly Royal Hunt’s first ever Australian tour has been cancelled. We received this message from Rockstar Productions: “At the 11th hour a critical impasse culminated between the parties involved with the Royal Hunt tour. This irreconcilable impasse made the tour and the shows itself untenable, as such, the tour is cancelled. We are disappointed in light of these events all the while remaining steadfast in the fact that we did everything to try and make the tour happen. We advise all ticket holders to return their purchased tickets from the place of purchase for a full refund.”
KING PARROT RETURN!
King Parrot will return to Australian soil after what has so far been a hugely successful debut North American tour. They’ve been stunning audiences nationwide with their brand of grind-thrash-punk chaos and scored top three accolades at SXSW festival in Texas from one of the US’ leading websites, Metal Injection. Their unique and explosive live show and humour is building them a reputation internationally as one of the most entertaining acts in extreme metal. Before they take a break to write new material and undertake further international touring, the band will visit the major cities of mainland Australia to pay respects to their loyal fans and share the stage with some of their favourite bands. Catch them at the Corner Hotel on Thursday May 8 with Origin, AMDBL and Eternal Rest. They’ll also be at Next on Thursday May 29 (supports TBA) and at The Loft in Warrnambool with Hadal Maw and Spaulding on Friday May 30.
AUDEMIA AT CHERRY BAR
Check out the excellent grunge-influenced heavy rockers Audemia at Cherry bar on Friday April 4. They have a great EP called The One which you can pick up at audemia.bandcamp.com or on CD.
TOXIC HOLOCAUST & SKELETONWITCH
Toxic Holocaust and Skeletonwitch begin a pretty damn respectable run of New Zealand and Australian dates in April (eleven dates in total, which is pretty cool to see given that many overseas bands only hit Sydney and Melbourne). They’re playing Melbourne twice: at the Gershwin Room at The Espy on Sunday April 20, and at The Hi-Fi on Sunday April 27 to wrap up the tour. Tickets are only $35 – seriously – from oztix.com.au.
PELICAN TO TOUR
After a short hiatus and armed with their first studio album in four years, 2013’s Forever Becoming, US post-metal torchbearers Pelican are set to make a thundering return to Australian shores this July for a set of spectacular musical journeys that will leave their fans in awe. Known for serving up walls of sound comprised of “percussive repetition, overtone basslines, and nuanced guitar riffing” (Allmusic), there is no better place to witness such grandeur than in a live setting. Pelican’s Australian fans are in for some magic as the iconic instrumentalists masterfully translate the “wide variety of musical emotions and atmospheres” (Metal Injection) of their records into intricate and brutally astonishing masterpieces packed with pure emotion and heaviness and executed with infectious levels of energy. They’ll be at The Hi-Fi on Friday July 25. Tickets are $45 plus booking fee, on sale April 3 from metropolistouring.com
