K.K. goes away but replacement’s on the way

Nice rhymes, right? Blow me.

Anyway, I don’t know what to make of this Judas Priest ‘last tour.’ First K.K. Downing gets excited about it, then they announce the tour is their last one, then they ‘clarify‘ that it’s just the last big tour and not their last one and now K.K. Downing is being replaced.

Double-you-tea-eff.

“It is with regret that Judas Priest announce that K.K. Downing has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming Epitaph Tour. […] Fate also stepped in and delivered the perfect replacement – 31 year old British guitar player Richie Faulkner – he has blended into the band perfectly and is a great talent who is going to help set the stage on fire!“

Read full statement here.

Umm… Okay? By the way, if you don’t know what to expect from their upcoming live shows, they clear that shit up as well…

“The Metal Gods are preparing to tour the planet once more – Heavy Metal at its best complete with lasers, lights, bikes and hellfire!! It’s a show not to be missed!!“

Bikes, lasers and hellfire? Oh, you know me all too well, Judas Priest PR guy who wrote this thing. I’m definitely going now!!!!!!!

What the hell is Otep Shamaya smoking?

If you happen to know, please share the info, ’cause I’ve got to try this shit… Speaking of Otep’s new album, Shamaya had the following to say:

“This album is a return to the umbra, to the darkest parts of me. I am fortifying this fortress of sound with Cyclopean masonry.

“The language on my lips is forged from forbidden tongues 12 lifetimes old. I am the heart of the gorgon, the broken mind of the lunatic, the courage of the martyr, the voice of the insurrectionist, the agog of the alchemist, I am the defiance in the aching souls waiting for the flame, I am the mighty Minotaur raging against the labyrinths of isolation and sadness.

“There is a purposeful primal spirit to this record, a coded provocation to remember our connection to the infinite, to the mysterious, to each other.”

What. The. Fuck.

Dan Nelson is a busy man

Dan Nelson (pictured above with his Blackgates bandmates) is hard at work. Here’s a little overview of what he’s been up to lately:

• Blackgates released their first song ‘Seeds Of War’ (listen to the song below) on their official Reverbnation site and are going to release a second song next saturday. Stay updated on Facebook.




• After a reunion concert last saturday in New York City (videos after the jump), Inside Hollow, with Nelson on vocals, decided to get back together as a full-time band. You can listen to their album from 2005, called ‘The Lazarus Pit,’ on their MySpace page. Take it from me, it’s awesome!
• Farewell to Washington, Dan’s third band, are on a break for now with their two additional bandmembers being busy with work and personal related stuff.

Now, make the jump for the live videos of the above mentioned Inside Hollow reunion gig.

Tuesday Trivia: What’s in a name

Some people say names aren’t really important – well, they probably don’t share a name with a future Sony gadget (like me) and have normal names. But what if you’re in a metal nu metal rock euro dance band and you’re called Chester Bennington. It doesn’t sound tough now, does it?

Make the jump to read a few stories regarding the issue of having a name (not) fitting to the genre you’ve found yourself in.

Paul Stanley discusses hearing loss

According to Blabbermouth, Paul Stanley, the frontman of Kiss, will be discussing the issue of noise-induced hearing loss, and his own hearing disability, in an interview with CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta today.

Noise induced hearing loss amongst teens and young adults is a huge issue, and I think it’s great that Paul Stanley is bringing the issue to light. The biggest problem is most likely Kiss‘ music, so it certainly is big of Mr Stanley to take some responsibility. Before you slate me, just look at the evidence. Paul Stanley is half deaf, and he plays in Kiss. And Kiss fans must be deaf, otherwise why would they listen to Kiss? Coincidence? I think not.

Of course, I’m joking and being a little crude, Stanley was actually born deaf in his right ear. Regardless, click the Blabbermouth link if you’re interested.