GLENN HUGHES SEVEN SONGS WRITTEN FOR UPCOMING ALBUM
Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) took part in a online chat with the Glenn Hughes Fan Forum on Saturday, February 17. When asked about when fans can expect to hear the follow-up to his latest album, "Music for the Divine", Hughes responded, "The songwriting has already started. I have seven songs. (Drummer) Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) will be on the album. I really can't say who else at the moment. I am sure there will be a surprise. Chad will also be involved in the production. Right now we plan on doing the recording at his house in Malibu. We are shooting for October/November, if possible."
Recently, Deadtide, Adam L., conducted an interview with Enslaved guitarist, Ivar Bjørnson. Few excerpts are follows:
Deadtide.com: What would you characterize as the defining moral and active traits of the Vikings?
Ivar: My interpretation is sort of an exploration theory. You want to find new things, and you want to explore, while at the same time having tremendous respect for your neighbors. For everybody else to have the freedom to do the same. It's very closely related to Crowleyism, in "Do what thou wilt." But I think there's a significant difference from anarchy. "Doing what thou wilt" is not about puking in your neighbor's shoes. It's more like, if you want to puke in some shoes, puke in your own, if you wanna explore that concept. Whatever you want to do, and follow any kind of curiosity that you have. But (with a tone of conviction) make sure that you're leaving everybody else's paths open. It's like the planets, they don't crash into each other because they're not concerned about each other. That's modern life, Christianity, or Islam, or whatever, they keep crashing into each other because they're so fucking concerned with what the next guy is doing, so nobody gets anywhere.
Deadtide.com: What won't you draw from [musically]?
Ivar: I think some of the… (motioning to the room across the hall where the venue was hosting a rap show simultaneously). Yeah. Some of that. The R&B stuff, and the hip-hop, where the music is actually second. I find that sort of disrespectful. Music is not where it's the price of your jacket that's the main focus. But to be honest, that's not limited to hip-hop or R&B, you can find that in a lot of black metal, where the philosophy comes first and they have no regard for the music. Everything is real when there's someone that's sacrificing some part of himself to make it.
Deadtide.com: Of all the musicians that have been in the band, which one made the biggest impact when they came or left?
Ivar: Cato, the drummer. He became the stabilizing force that we had been waiting for. He joined the band in 2002, and everything just fell into place. Everything just got better. ENSLAVED has always had that chaotic lineup, searching, and coming, and going, and swinging back and forth, until the point that Cato came in, and he became the ice block in the middle. He's kept everything together. Definitely Cato.
PETER STEELE "I WAS PRETTY LOST IN THE COCAINE THING FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS"
Recently Tina Cederberg of Sweden's GetMetal conducted an interview with TYPE O NEGATIVE's Peter Steele (vocals, bass) and Johnny Kelly (drums). Few excerpts are follows:
GetMetal.com: The new album has been a long time in the making, tell us why?
Johnny: We were traveling through space! Haha…
Peter: Last album was released in June 2003. After that we did a couple of tours and at the same time we were switching record labels. Which is not a good thing to do for a band while writing songs. So we didn’t sign with Roadrunner Records again, they were not giving us any tour support or anything else. So we kind of fell off the face of the earth for awhile. At the same time we were working on the "Sympathy for the Devil" DVD. That took a lot of time. In the meantime I was writing songs for this forthcoming album. After we finished the DVD we finally went into the studio and started to rehearse for the album and that brings us to March 19th... (release date for new album)
GetMetal.com: The cover of the album is of Russian mystic Rasputin. Tell us why?
Peter: Me being the songwriter and art coordinator for the band I thought the visual would go with the title "Dead Again". And being Slavic and having quite a bit in common with Rasputin — he was an alcoholic, a drug addict, a womanizer, he had a big penis. It's also the whole blood thing; he could cure the Romanov prince of hemophilia just by looking at the kid. And the communists couldn't kill him, just like they could not kill me. And he looks like a TYPE O NEGATIVE member! But a very good-looking one, haha.
GetMetal.com: There is a song on the album called "Halloween in Heaven". The lyrics deal with dead rock stars. Elaborate.
Peter: It actually has a very somber meaning. Dimebag Darrell [late PANTERA guitarist] was a very close friend and it kind of inspired me to write that song because I know that Dimebag is in a much better place right now and I'm sure he's out there with Bonham, Entwistle and Lennon and all the other famous dead rock 'n' roll musicians. I miss him very much — we all miss him very much. I'm still in shock about what happened. I left his name off the list of the deceased, [because] I didn't want people to think that I was exploiting his death. It is one of my favorite songs. Hopefully we will be playing that live. We'll also play "Dead Again", "Profits Of Doom" as well. We have the videos lined up to do once we get back to New York.
GetMetal.com: The song "Dead Again" touches on drug abuse. Peter, how is your drug situation today?
Peter: Well, I'm not 100%, since alcohol is a liquid drug. I was pretty lost in the cocaine thing for a couple of years. I'm not gonna say I'm an angel or fully recovered; at times I do find myself indulging. When I wake up the next day, or next week, however long the binge lasts, I feel this great sense of shame. I feel like I've killed part of myself, so hence "Dead Again". There is an old saying it's better to learn from the mistakes of others than from your own... So I hope I can give something to the fans by saying, If you haven't tried drugs — DON'T. Run away. It's only gonna get worse. I was 35 years old when I started using cocaine and how fucking stupid is that? I am ashamed of myself. Over the course of 10 years I've been up and down. It's hurt me, it's hurt my friends and family and it's hurting the band, my reputation. Fortunately, I feel like I have a second chance, and maybe I can make amends by saying to the fans, don't try it!
GetMetal.com: Peter, you have given given the impression of being a depressed and gloomy person... Are you really like that in private? What makes you happy?
Peter: Food? Actually, I've always been a very depressed person, but that’s only one side of me, you know. It makes me feel better when I can express my depression, my anger, my frustration through music. Sonic therapy. What makes me happy... is really making the people I care about happy. That's true happiness. So TYPE O NEGATIVE is just one of Peter Steele's many faces, 'cos everyone has many faces. But on a side note, I believe that this forthcoming album, "Dead Again", is probably the most positive TYPE O album. It's not as melancholic, like "Fuck life, kill yourself." etc.
Johnny: After "Life Is Killing Me", it can only go up... Every record creates a mood and atmosphere. When you're at the bottom the only way to go is up. This record, most of it seems to me is a straight-up rock record. Stuff that we grew up on and is a positive influence on us. A few drinks in us and we’re still screaming BLACK SABBATH songs, ya know, at the top of our lungs! And that kind of feeling got onto this record.
