METAL AT THE BENDIGO
The Bendigo Hotel in Collingwood has a killer metal one-two punch on Friday June 6 and Saturday June 7. On Friday King Fate with more Mercyful Fate and King Diamond classics in their only Melbourne show. Support from Thrash Titans Maniaxe with Mr Rob Wog spinning some classics all night! Then on Saturday Orpheus Omega will be playing a one-off headliner in their home town, off the back of touring alongside Dark Tranquillity and Children Of Bodom around Australia. Support comes from thrash champions Harlott (whose debut release Origin has seen them quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the Australian thrash scene) and Sydney’s Before Ciada, Melbourne’s Anient and up and coming melodic metal quintet Trigger who are supporting the release of their debut EP Machina.
STEVE VAI TO MAKE A GUITAR-GEEK ALBUM
The legendary Mr. Steve Vai has dropped some tantalising news in his latest email newsletter. He says, “The next thing you will see on the horizon is the Vai Camp, Japan tour, Geneva festival, finishing of the CD and DVD of the show we filmed at the Nokia Theatre in LA and then when the smoke clears and I’m home in October I will clear the boards and start working on a record that I have been wanting to make for many years. Remember how I use to say that I don’t feel that I have made a record that fully encompasses my potential on the guitar? Well, this one will. I’ve been challenging you all with records that have tremendous diversity on them. Well I’m ready for a totally instrumental, stripped down, guitar record. I’m frothing just thinking about it.”
2014 RECLINK COMMUNITY CUP
The Cup is being polished, the Sherrin is being pumped, excitement is mounting as preparations are well underway for the annual take-no-prisoners traditional clash between Triple R 102.7FM/PBS 106.7FM Megahertz and the Rockdogs which will be fought out at Elsternwick Park on Sunday June 22. With only four weeks until the event, it is time to reveal who will be performing and as always it’s a fun-packed and eclectic bunch. Aussie cult ‘80s favourite Painters And Dockers will grace the stage in a rare performance, along with Saskwatch, who will deliver their special brand of traditional soul meets modern atmospheric rock. Melbourne folk-punk four-piece Smith Street Band will also make an appearance and are bound to stir up the crowd, as well as indie darling and leader of the cosmic country spaceways Fraser A. Gorman. And first up, a family pre-match treat, direct from Sesame Street Elmo & Friends featuring Elmo himself with that lovable glutton Cookie Monster performing for the kids. The anthem will be delivered by David Bridie, lending it his special twist. The Reclink Community Cup raises funds for Reclink Australia and celebrates Melbourne’s dynamic music and community broadcasting cultures.
MEGADETH’S NEXT ONE WILL BE HEAVY
Remember Megadeth’s last album, Super Collider? It was a return to more of the hard rock elements of the band’s sound as heard around the Youthanasia/Cryptic Writings era (a lot of people compared it to the much-maligned Risk, but if you listen to the two side-by-side that comparison doesn’t really hold up). Anyway, the band is now working on ideas for a follow-up, and it sounds like it’s gonna be back to the brutality. As drummer Shawn Drover said on Facebook over the weekend: “Spent this week in the studio with Dave [Mustaine] tracking demo ‘ideas’ for the next record.” He added, “[There are] some really heavy riffs going on here, and if I say it, you know it’s true.” Can’t wait to hear what form this takes. I feel like the last two Megadeth records haven’t quite gotten there in the way that 2009’s Endgame did.
GORGUTS TO TOUR AUSTRALIA
Canadian metal visionaries Gorguts will tour Australia for the first time this November. Few extreme bands have the pedigree of these guys. During their early days as part of death metal’s first wave they created a legacy of legendary releases including their 1991 debut album Considered Dead and its follow-up, 1993’s Erosion of Sanity. (The latter saw them becoming more experimental and technical.) After various hiatuses, lineup changes and more hiatuses, Gorguts is back with an all-star lineup featuring founding member Luc Lemay, John Longstreath (Origin, Skinless), Colin Marston (Behold The Arctopus) and Kevin Hufnagel (Dysrhythmia), and a new album titled Colored Sands. They’ll be at the Northcote Social Club on Friday November 14 to play material from Colored Sands as well as classic Gorguts tracks. Tickets on sale now.
RECOIL VOR PARTS WAYS WITH BASSIST
Sydney progressive thrashers Recoil VOR have announced the departure of bass player Adam ‘Adz’ Norbury. Adz says, “I’ve decided to leave RVOR, my heart is no longer in it so it would be unfair to everyone involved if I continued. I would like to publicly say thank you to Matt, Evan, Wade and Palmer for the massive amount of support with my decision and future plans”. Recoil VOR have already locked in a new bassist and will be announcing future shows with him/her in the near future. The band have been busy writing and recording the follow up to 2013’s very well received Sleep For The Masses and they plan to release a series of multiple EPs over several months towards the end of this year.
JOE SATRIANI AUTOBIOGRAPHY OUT NOW
I had a great chat with guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani the other day – Joe has been hinting at the possibility of an Australian tour, don’t ya know – and he’s super-psyched about his new book, Strange Beautiful Music – A Musical Memoir. Written with music journalist Jake Brown, the book goes into detail about Satriani’s early days as a guitarist in Long Island where as a 16-year-old Joe taught a 12-year-old Steve Vai how to play guitar; his move to San Francisco where he taught the likes of Kirk Hammett, Testament’s Alex Skolnick, Charlie Hunter and Primus’s Larry LaLonde; his rise to multiplatinum fame with Surfing With The Alien, and his supergroup Chickenfoot with Sammy Hagar, Chad Smith and Michael Anthony. It’s out now, and he’s also just released Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings, a 15-disc box set containing all of his albums in remastered form. It includes Added Creations And Bonus Tracks, a newly curated anthology disc of rare compositions and performances falling outside the purview of his official album canon.
