Metal Guitarist Injured In 'Freak Accident' With A Blender

The Slipknot and Stone Sour singer explains his plans for both bands during the event last Sunday (July 19th) at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, Ca. A video of the exchange has been posted online and Blabbermouth posted the following transcript of that part of his comments.

Taylor said, "I will give you a little glipse of the future of Slipknot right now. "First of all, more than likely, we will continue to work with the two new people who we made '.5: The Gray Chapter' with, who, I'm sure you've read, is Jay [Weinberg, drums] and Alex [Alessandro 'Vman' Venturella, bass]. We're going to tour until June next year. We're gonna go around the world again and then we are definitely gonna come back to the States and try to hit some of the other places that we didn't get to hit. That will more than likely wrap up the tour cycle.

"I will then go and do Stone Sour. Clown has got a couple of movies that he wants to direct. And let me tell you something: they just put together an initial cut of his first movie, 'Officer Downe', and I guess it is blowing people away, so I'm so f***ing proud of him.

"Everybody else is gonna kind of do their thing in Slipknot, I'm gonna do Stone Sour, and then we will reconvene, and I know, a couple of the guys, we've been talking about a double concept album, which I don't know if we could... But it's an interesting idea. So they told me to start thinking of an idea for a story. So we'll see what happens."

The idea of the double concept album was first discussed publicly by Shawn "Clown" Crahan during a recent interview on BBC Radio 1. He said, "I've been on Jim, and I'm just, like, 'Man, we've gotta write an art record. We've gotta write our [Pink Floyd's 'The Wall', Beatles 'Sgt. Pepper's']� whatever you wanna say. And that's where I'm at.

"We've got so many records on our record deal. We've done five. I'd love it if we could do a double album, just� interludes� Have a concept, [and] maybe make a movie. I mean, things that have all been done, things that have all been done before, but� you know, our way, our interpretation. That would be a grand slam for the Clown. Don't get me wrong: we'd still do our thing. We're still gonna be Slipknot."

He'd announced his split from the band last month after publishing a long and confused announcement that appeared to suggest he was suffering from mental trauma.

Richard Fortus spoke with Schallau about the supergroup The Dead Daisies' new album "Revoluci�n" and conversation naturally turned to his other group Guns N' Roses.

While Fortus said that the band's future plans are "up in the air" at the moment, he also discussed frontman and bandleader Axl Rose's motivations. He said, "Axl has always been cool with me and he's a hell of a musician. Some people are just really musical. They just are music and he is music personified, he really is. He's just one of the cats that just lives it. He always thinks musically. He listens - which is what makes him a great musician. Music is all that matters to him. I've never met anyone with as much musical and artistic integrity as Axl Rose.

"People talk about not doing stuff for money, but he really will not do something strictly for money. He's all about the music. It's gotta be about the music. That's why he doesn't do interviews, because it's not about the music. And to him that's the only thing that matters. I think that's incredibly admirable. Axl encompasses in a lot of ways what's missing from rock n' roll now - his mystique and he's an enigma.

"And he won't talk. He won't defend himself. People like Slash know that. They know Axl's not going to defend himself in the press. So they'll say whatever they want about him knowing he's not going to refute it. Because early on he got screwed over so much by journalists over and over again to the point where he won't do it. People are gonna say whatever the f--- they want to say. But he's at a place where it's not about anything other than the music. That's all he cares about and you don't see that anymore."

Fortus also discussed what his audition for the band was like back in 2001. He said, "I had received a call to asking me if I was interested in auditioning for GNR. I was heading out to L.A. in a few weeks at the time and I said 'Yeah sure. I'm going to be out there anyway doing a record so I'll do it at this time.' They said, 'Great.' I had spoken back and forth with their management and I didn't hear anything back from them, so I thought, 'It's not happening.' Then I got out to L.A. and Tommy Stinson [The Replacements] and Josh Freese [A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails], who were the bass player and drummer with GNR at the time, were the rhythm section for the album I was hired to play on.

"So I said, 'Hey! I was supposed to come audition for you guys this week. Funny that we're playing on the same session.' They said, 'Oh yeah! You're the guy! Well Axl found this guy Buckethead and he called off all the auditions.' We did the record and Tommy and I became best friends and we ended up doing a bunch of other stuff together. And Josh and I did some stuff together. But next time GNR needed somebody about a year later they called me again. At that time I was on tour in Europe. I had two days off and I flew to L.A. from London. I got off the plane did the audition, got to hang out with Axl talking about music, and then got back on the plane, went back to Europe and finished the tour I was on. After that tour ended I started with GNR in 2001."

The band will be kicking off the headline tour, with support from Issues, on October 1st in Orlando, FL at the Hard Rock and concluding the trek on with an appearance at this year's Knotfest, put on by Slipknot, on October 25th in San Bernardino, CA.

The trek also features performances at a handful of other music festivals including the Louder Than Life Fest in Louisville on October 3rd, the Rock Allegiance Festival in Pennsylvania on October 10th, the KUPD radio show in Mesa on October 22nd and the Aftershock Festival in Sacramento on October 24th.

Motley Crue are scheduled to play the final show of "The Final Tour," which they billed as their last tour together, on New Year's Eve in Los Angeles and so far Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Mick Mars have given tidbits of information about their plans after the Crue play that final show.

Tommy Lee has now given a few hints at his future plans in a new interview with Clubhead TV (via Blabbermouth). Lee said, "Right now, I haven't really told anybody about my future plans, but just know that I've got plans, and I've been writing a bunch of music and kind of putting aside.

"I think I'm gonna take a little break, first of all, when we get down with the tour, 'cause this will be, by the time we're done with it, close to a two-year tour with Motley. So I'll take a little bit of time off, but, knowing me, I won't be able to sit around very long. I'm gonna start getting it together for some time in 2016. Just know that I've got a whole brand new thing planned that I've got going."

Vocalist Tyler Joseph said this month that he and drummer Josh Dun were not sure how the record would be perceived. He said: "The record was written on the road, so it didn't feel very universal at the time. It was in the back of the bus or the hotel room and small areas where songs were being written and concepts put together.

The famed musician and producer had the following to say about the Rock Hall, "I don't watch the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for obvious reasons. At the beginning I was part of the organization and I played at the inductions at the Waldorf Astoria with Paul Shaffer and those guys.

"But early on [in the Hall of Fame's lifetime], I left. Spiritually, I'm a hippie. My parents were beatniks. I know so much about rock and roll, or what I call rock and roll. When I was young, I played at Electric Ladyland when it was called Generation; it wasn't even a studio, it was a nightclub. On any given night, you would see Johnny Winter there, Jethro Tull, Danny Kalb and the Blues Project. That's who I was playing with, we were young kids, smokin'. Smokin'!

"To me, that's the bands that should be in the Hall of Fame. To me, rock and roll became this broad category that all music was in, once it hit the top 40. Now it feels gentrified. Like, when I was a kid, we were into Country Joe and the Fish and Quicksilver Messenger Service and Cactus. That's the [best] stuff, to me! How about Hapshash and the Coloured Coat and the Peanut Butter Conspiracy and Moby Grape?

"I remember when I first bought Dr. John the Night Tripper['s 1968 debut Gris-Gris]. In fact, Bowie and I have talked about covering "I Walk on Gilded Splinters." For years! It was passionate.

"When they describe Chic as a 'sub-genre' of rock and roll, I go, 'A sub-genre?' Everything is a sub genre of what rock and roll used to be! None of those bands sound like the early rock and roll artists! I went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and it was unbelievable. I felt like I was at the Museum of Natural History, it was the most moving thing, I was brought to tears. And I learned so much about country music and the history, and they had no problem acknowledging the contributions of black people and addressing the racism. The curator said, 'We changed it to 'country and western' so white people would buy it!' I didn't expect that! I thought it was really brave to address that, because people don't want to talk about that. It was a history lesson.

"I've been to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - believe it or not, they've asked us to play - it sort of feels like the Hard Rock Cafe. But in my opinion, at the Rock Hall, you're not feeling those surf bands, you're not feeling [the band] Love. If bands didn't sell [a lot], they're not there, even though their influence was so strong. Like, Love: every band in L.A. wanted to be Love. The Doors wanted to be like Love!

Taylor tells Eddie Trunk (via Blabbermouth): "It's kind of going in a different direction than the older stuff - a little more rock and roll, a little more expanding the range again.

Diamond shared his excitement about the jam with the following posting on his Facebook page, "Tonight was a very special night for us. We had an amazing audience, a rogue smoke machine, and were joined on stage by the legendary Kerry King of Slayer, who played along on the entire Mercyful Fate song 'Evil'.

The tour will be kicking off in Birmingham, England on October 9th at The Library and concluding on October 28th in Dusseldorf at Zakk. Monroe will then play two special dates with Alice Cooper on October 29th in Plymouth and the 30th in Swindon.

Monroe is launching the tour in support of his forthcoming studio album "Blackout States", which is set to be release by Spinefarm Records on October 16th.

He had the following to say about the album, "I'm extremely excited about our new album, 'Blackout States'. It has all the ingredients of a perfect rock'n'roll record - strong melodic songs with great meaningful lyrics that defy all clich�s, delivered with a punky, ballsy attitude by a killer band.

The Complete Island Recordings box set will be offered in two configurations, a standard edition and a special Collector's Edition, each featuring 11 albums on 180-gram vinyl.

The albums included in each version include "Catch A Fire," "Burnin'," "Natty Dread," "Live!," "Rastaman Vibration," "Exodus," "Babylon By Bus," "Kaya," "Survival," "Uprising," and "Confrontation."

We were sent these details about each version: "Both boxes will include Bob's 70th Birthday logo and all nine Bob Marley & The Wailers studio albums recorded for Island Records along with two live albums."

"The Complete Island Recordings will include 11-LPs packaged in a rigid card box with lift top lid, and wrapped in silver paper that simulates the brushed metal finish of a hinged lighter."

"The Complete Island Recordings: Collector's Edition will included 11-LPs, a 70th anniversary slip mat and two photos in glassine envelopes, all packaged in a unique metal box set, numbered and lined with velvet and connected to truly emulate a hinged lighter. "

Instrument maker ESP is assisting with the auction. They report: "When Jeff passed away he left behind thousands of fans, as well as fellow musician whom he influenced via his distinctive playing style.

The follow up to last year's Sun Red Sun is available to pre-order through iTunes, with those buying ahead of launch getting instant access to the track along with Automatic Fix and War.

Arch Enemy have also revealed a limited-edition run of War Eternal LPs in a black and blue splatter design. Only 500 have been made and will be sold on the upcoming Summer Slaughter tour, which the band is headlining.

Ghost's 'Nameless Ghouls' tells the website, "The thing was there was never a lawsuit. It was basically, I have to just explain myself after I hang one institution out to dry here and that was not our real label, but the bigger umbrella version of our label. Unfortunately in the legal world in general, and it's not an anti-American thing, but especially in America where people are so conscious about not being sued, obviously all corporations are extremely conscious about not getting sued.

"So the big major label, specifically, had a policy that said that every artist they sign must own their own name. Obviously we don't have exclusive rights to our band name because it's a word so commonly used. There are so many brands that have the word 'ghost' that I think it's almost un-ownable, in a way, unless it's more specific. So it was basically a demand from the label that we added something."

He also explained what the B.C. stood for, "What we found least irritating was that if it was something short for something else. We added the B.C. 'Because of Copyright' or, obviously, 'Before Christ.'

Zoom was recently diagnosed with and began treatment for an aggressive form of bladder cancer. His band and manager immediate launched a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than the original goal of $50,000 in a few short days.

We were sent these details about Sweet Relief: "The program was created to assist individuals with long term expenses and treatment for cancer and other severe illnesses or disabilities. Program services include guidance on medical bills and insurance plans as well as after care patient resources. Sweet Relief will also assist with fundraising events, managing contributions and providing charitable tax receipts."

Executive Director at Sweet Relief Rob Max had this to say, "X and Billy Zoom have been amazing supporters of our cause to assist musicians for the past two decades. We are grateful and honored to be working with Billy and his family." Find more details about Billy's fund here.

White tells Billboard: "It's certainly going to be hard without him - but he called me and asked me to keep everything going regardless of what happens. So absolutely we're moving ahead. I'm going to do it for him."

He adds: "Everything has been pretty positive in that regard. The fans are behind the band. It doesn't seem like anybody's given up. Things can't just stop. We've got to maintain the Yes name and meet the high standards of musicianship Chris created."

He believes Squire knew in April that he was seriously ill, but only told his bandmates the following month. "We got an email that said, 'I don't think I'm going to be able to make this tour, so if you can do it without me I want you to keep things going.

Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Robb Reiner have already started recording the follow-up to 2013's Hope In Hell - and they're confident their fans will support them.

They say: "Considering that almost anyone aware of Anvil knows our long and sometimes brutal history, we're hoping you would be honoured to help and prove us right in our belief in you.

The US metalcore outfit got back together in 2014 after a three-year hiatus, returning with free track So Others May Live. They're gearing up to release sixth album Long Live in September.

Saller tells Metal Talk: "The energy with the band - you can't calculate it. It's insane that we all have the same fire in our bellies that we did when we were 16 years old. I feel fortunate that we can go away for five years and not play a single show, and have exponentially grown in that time. It's just baffling."

"My mission with the Sixx Sense platform is to reenergize and revitalize music by giving new artists a chance," says the bassist. "To not only keep rock and alternative music relevant, but also to help it secure its well-deserved place in history.

"I can't remember a time in life when a new song came on the radio and I didn't feel like I was experiencing something special and important - when a good song hits, whether it soothes the romantic soul or ignites the fire of ten thousand fists, it's real. I guess you can say that's why music and radio are so important to me."

Friden says: "First time I heard Black Temple I freaked and I said to myself, 'I gotta work with these guys somehow.' The whole expression of their music is a perfect introduction to Razzia Notes and our new collaboration with Century Media. It's a monster of an album."

Guitarist Igor Omodei says: "We started working in 2012. We had no clear idea about the sound we were aiming for - we only knew we'd like something organic sounding, that would keep its momentum through the whole album.

Weaver is credited with playing on the very first blues record which featured a guitar-only accompaniment - Sara Martin's Longing For Daddy Blues, released in 1923.

The bassist will be joined by Revolution Saints guitarist Doug Aldrich and Swedish drummer Pontus Engborg for the dates, which will see Hughes perform highlights from his extensive career, including music from Trapeze, Deep Purple, Black Country Communion, California Breed and solo material.

They're all designed to support Vennart's debut album The Demon Joke, released in June via Superball Music. It spawned an animated promo for Operate, a live shoot of Retaliate, and a lyric video for Don't Forget The Joker.