Chris Macias from Star-ecentral has spoke with Tom Araya, Slayer frontman about various topics including some of the band's demonic material.

The early days weren't so easy for the band that's fond of pentagrams. Slayer formed in Southern California during the early 1980s, just as hair-metal was taking over the scene. Slayer was just too devilish in that sea of spandex. 

"We tried to play a few clubs," says Araya. "And at that time, if you didn't have an audience, the club didn't want you to play (there). You had to go out and advertise your show, so eventually we picked up on an idea of getting our own little hall, renting it ourselves and then making up these fliers and putting them around the neighbourhood (and) hitting the high schools, the areas where kids would be. For $5 you could come watch us play. Yeah, in order to get ourselves heard, that was an uphill struggle." 

Devotion now runs so deep for Slayer that some fans carve the band's name into their bodies with razor blades. You can see an example of this in the liner notes in Slayer's "Divine Intervention" album. The picture was taken backstage at a Slayer concert, but even the voice behind Raining Blood felt freaked out when he saw the fan with "Slayer" carved in his arm. 

"That's crazy!" says Araya. "He was like, `Look!' and we're like, `That's crazy, dude. Go see the emergency med guy that's here.'" 

Some might see Slayer as evil incarnate, like a bunch of Lucifers with guitar picks and drumsticks. The band has sung of Satan and Nazi Germany and never met a theme of death and destruction that it didn't like. So of course there's been some fallout: The Christ Illusion album was pulled from stores in India after protests from Christian groups. Back in the United States, promotional bus-bench ads for Christ Illusion in Fullerton, California, were yanked by city officials who found them in bad taste. 

And what does Araya say to the parents who don't like their kids listening to songs such as Altar of Sacrifice? 

"I don't think they should be too concerned, as long as they're paying attention to what their kids are listening to," says Araya, who has children of his own. "And if they have questions, ask. Don't deny. Don't try and take something away, because it will only widen the gap. You don't take away, you become part of their world and part of their life."

And could it be now that the family that listens to Slayer together stays together? 

"There's a whole new generation of kids now in the audience," says Araya. "There's a lot of young faces. You see the ones in between there. And then you see the die-hard, the hard-core, the loyal and faithful. They're still there. Nothing has changed." 

Source Star-Ecentral

TributeAlbum recently spoke with Alex Grossi, Quiet Riot guitarist about his participation on the forthcoming tribute to GUNS N' ROSES, Chinese Hypocrisy. Few excerpts are follows:

TributeAlbums.com: Jon Bon Jovi and Ritchie Sambora are often credited with kicking off the popularity of rock artists re-creating their hits in acoustic form with their performance of 'Livin' On A Prayer' and 'Wanted Dead Or Alive' during the 1989 MTV Music Video Awards. Why do you think acoustic versions of otherwise fully produced songs have become so popular?

Alex Grossi: "I think in a lot of cases, certain songs may be too 'rock' for your average listener, making them acoustic can get them to a wider audience. Look at how many rock bands had their biggest, and sometimes ONLY hit, with an acoustic song. How many soccer moms do you think were pissed when they heard the REST of that Mr. Big record?? LOL!"

TributeAlbums.com: Paul Stanley of KISS once said "If a song doesn't sound good on an acoustic guitar, it's just a crappy song." Your acoustic version of Guns N' Roses' 'November Rain' shows that the song itself is quite solid. Taking a song like 'November Rain' that has such full instrumentation, and stripping it down to an acoustic version cannot be a simple task. How did you approach the arrangement?

Alex Grossi: "I based what we did off a demo that has been floating around forever of GN'R doing it from the pre-Appetite days. Just a couple guitars and a vocal... Straight and to the point."

TributeAlbums.com: Did you have any difficulty scaling the song down?

Alex Grossi: "It was all pretty easy. A good song plays itself. Zoli is one of the best new singers out there. He came in and nailed it in a couple hours."

TributeAlbums.com: 'November Rain' is one of the longest songs ever recorded by Guns N' Roses, coming in at 8 minutes 57 seconds. Your acoustic arrangement on Chinese Hypocrisy comes in at about 6 minutes and 19 seconds. What was left out and how did you decide what to skip?

Alex Grossi: "We skipped one of the solos, and didn't do the outro. It just seemed to work better at that length."

TributeAlbums.com: Slash's guitar solo in 'November Rain' is ranked Number 6 on Guitar World Magazine's "The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos." How does your solo differ from his and how did you arrive at it's sound?

Alex Grossi: "The main difference is that it's not Slash! (or even close!). I just wanted to do a short, cleaner tone solo. I ended up just using a LINE 6 POD for it."

TributeAlbums.com: Now that you are working with Dizzy Reed in HOOKERS N' BLOW, have you gotten any feedback from the GNR camp about your version of 'November Rain'?

Alex Grossi: "Not yet, but I look forward to playing for Diz and seeing what he thinks...."

Album details here

Source TributeAlbum

Andrew McNeice from Melodicrock.com has issued the following VAN HALEN update:

"Ok, an exclusive Van Halen update for you today...gotta love that! I have said all along I would print confirmed news here when available, so here is the very latest up to date (as of today) information. There is already a list of 17 Van Halen tour dates that was posted online over the weekend. I won't print the list, as my source has an update. Apparently the whole tour is yet to be confirmed 100% and those dates leaked are merely a proposed itinerary/routing that is no longer valid.
I'm told the only dates on that list that have validity at the moment are the late April dates at The Pearl at The Palms Casino, Las Vegas (April 27 and 28). I'm told there is a good chance those dates will happen but the proper tour is now likely to start later than the other May dates listed.

There is also talk of - believe it or not - yet another compilation from the band. Yes, that seems correct. I talked to my source at Rhino Records today about the proposed compilation, described at one online store as Van Halen - Best Of 1978-1984.
So I asked - is this a planned compilation? My source states 'There is more truth to that than not.' Upon further prompting, I'm told that there are plans for a new compilation concentrating solely on the David Lee Roth years and the situation is currently 'nothing firm...but something should come of this...' In closing, my source says the title is not yet decided, but definitely will have a little more character than just Best Of 1978-1984. I couldn't hang up without asking about a long overdue Van Halen box set. The reply - 'Hopefully one day...' Before anyone asks....this compilation will feature no new material and I'm sticking to my long held position that there is still no new material with David Lee Roth planned at all. I am also of the opinion that there will be no press release this week..."

Source TributeAlbum