JOEY JORDISON LEAVES SLIPKNOT
You may have already heard this but if you too have been neck-deep in eggnog and brandy in the lead-up to Christmas you may have missed it: drummer Joey Jordison has left Slipknot. What the fuck? How is that even possible? What the hell would a post-Joey version of Slipknot be like? With the sad passing of Paul Gray and now the departure of Joey, the ‘Knot are really gonna have to pull out all the stops on their next album, which is being written now. (In fact, a few weeks ago guitarist Jim Root announced he was stepping aside from Stone Sour touring for now so he could focus on songwriting for Slipknot – and now I guess we can see why, since Joey was a big songwriting force within the band.) Joey is currently all sorts of busy with his new band Scar The Martyr, who you really should check out.
SYDONIA AT DV8
With their long-awaited sophomore album set to be unleashed in the front half of next year, Melbourne alternative rock/metal powerhouse Sydonia play their final show for 2013 at DV8 Nightclub on Saturday December 21. Joining them to celebrate Christmas and see out the year are energetic electronic rockers Nothing Hurts Robot and riveting alternative rock act High Side Driver.
THE CRIMSON PROJEKCT OFFICIAL BOOTLEG
The Crimson ProjeKCt – that’s Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Markus Reuter, Julie Slick and Tobias Ralph – are touring Australia in January and Public Opinion is releasing Official Bootleg Live, an exclusive double CD release featuring live performances of their 2012 Dream Theater tour, plus recordings from March this year live in Tokyo. This tour will be the first time Australia has had the opportunity to witness the power of King Crimson and the three-hour live performance is sure to be unforgettable. The CD will be released on Tuesday January 14, but you can catch the band at The Hi-Fi on Thursday January 9. Tickets available from tombowler.com.au.
LAST KILL TV GIG OF THE YEAR
Kill TV play their last show of the year on Wednesday December 18 at The Bendigo Hotel. The band is still a puppy (eight months old) but already have a manager and interest from a record label in Seattle. And keep Friday February 21 free as the band will be launching their debut single Never Gonna Change at Station 59 in Richmond.
PERIPHERY TO RELEASE EXPERIMENTAL …THING
Periphery represents the vanguard of addictive, chaotic, challenging and cathartically inviting heavy music for the modern era. Their triple-guitar attack and rhythmic dexterity has won them devoted adherents across underground subcultures, regardless of whether those fans were weaned on the passion-fuelled sounds of progressive rock from bands like Dream Theater or Rush or modern avant-garde rock bands like Deftones. Their new experimental recording, Clear, isn’t quite an EP and isn’t quite an album. It features seven tracks: one written by each member of the band, as well as an overture to tie it all together. It’ll be released on Friday January 24.
Guitarist Jake Bowen says, “Clear is an experiment to explore all of the different writing styles in the band. It’s rare when you have a band where every member is capable of writing and producing music. With each member controlling their own track, this recording enabled us to go down any path we chose in terms of style and sound. Every track also contains a melodic theme established in Clear’s intro track Overture – this common thread links all of the songs together, even though they all sound wildly different.” Periphery will head to Australia in the New Year playing three East Coast shows with special guests Animals As Leaders, and they’re at Billboard on Sunday February 2.
SKID ROW & UGLY KID JOE TOUR!
Killrockstar Big Dog Entertainment presents Ugly Kid Joe and Skid Row, bringing their co-headline tour to Australia in April 2014. The bands are currently touring Europe together having completed a hugely successful run of dates across the UK. With combined sales of millions of albums, each band will play a full set of the songs fans want to hear. The current tour is boasting sold out shows across 12 countries, so Australia will be lucky 13! Led by founding members Rachel Bolan, Snake Sabo, Scotti Hill, new drummer Rob Hammersmith and powerhouse vocalist and 14-year veteran of the band Johnny Solinger, Skid Row will deliver the best from their catalogue of gold and platinum selling albums and anthemic singles like Youth Gone Wild, Monkey Business, I Remember You, 18 & Life, Slave To The Grind and many more. They will also showcase tracks from their new mini-album United World Rebellion Chapter 1.
Ugly Kid Joe’s Whit, Klaus and Cordell, along with Snot/Sevendust guitarist Sonny Mayo and Zac Morris are back for their first Australian tour since 1994! Stairway To Hell, their first new music since 1996, will be released in Australia to coincide with the tour. The album features six brand new songs along with three acoustic versions of songs from their past. Opening the shows are Melbourne’s own Dead City Ruins, who kick all sorts of ass and are also serving as the support for the European tour. They’re at the Palace Theatre on Friday April 25. Tickets on sale now.
