One day away from Friday! Here’s some music news to get you through:
Godsmack frontman Sully Erna was asked in a recent interview on Los Angeles radio station KLOS which bands continue to inspire him. Erna replied, “That’s a really good question, especially in today’s day and age. There’s just a lot of stuff out there that I’m just concerned about. I don’t wanna say it’s bad, I don’t wanna say it’s good, I’m just saying that I’m a little concerned about music right now. I feel like there’s a lack of true bands out there.”
Erna continued, “Some of the bands that I still have a lot of high regard for are bands like Foo Fighters, and in the pop genre, the Lady Gagas and people like that, that are really still singing, still playing, still dancing, doing what they do, showing their art, working hard, sweating, grinding, ’cause that’s where the true magic happens for me. Not someone who’s sitting behind a Pro Tools machine and pre-building drum beats and sampled sounds and just putting together like you glue a scrapbook together.”
Erna added, “There’s a lot of electronically built songs right now with a singer, and I’m just concerned about the talent and where it’s going.” Godsmack’s seventh studio album, When Legends Rise, arrives this Friday, April 27th. The first single is called “Bulletproof.” The new disc follows up 2014’s 1000 Horsepower and comes as Godsmack commemorates its 20th anniversary as a recording act. Godsmack will perform at several music festivals this spring and summer, before launching a tour with Shinedown on July 22nd in Clarkston, Michigan.
Ghost lead singer Tobias Forge, who performs under the names Papa Emeritus and now Cardinal Copia, told us what inspired him to write “Rats,” the first single from the Swedish act’s upcoming album Prequelle: “A few years ago, I decided, like, ‘I really want to have a big opening track that just blows people’s minds immediately.’ So I wrote ‘Square Hammer’ and that went well. But I didn’t want ‘Square Hammer’ to turn into a ‘Start Me Up,’ where that always feels best to play first. I want to be able to mix it up. So we needed another song that works as an opening track. That was basically my intention with ‘Rats.’”
Ghost has officially announced a June 1st release date for Prequelle, which follows up the breakthrough 2015 album Meliora. A number of pre-order packages for Prequelle have been launched, and among the items available are Ghost-themed masks similar to those worn by plague doctors back in the 17th century. Forge has hinted that the theme of the album has to do in part with the arrival of the Black Plague in Europe, among other events in history. Ghost will kick off a run of North American dates on May 5th in Riverside, California.
In This Moment has released a teaser for the official music video to the song “Black Wedding.” The track, which features a guest appearance by Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford as he duets with lead singer Maria Brink, is from In This Moment’s latest LP, Ritual, which came out last July. Halford appears in the video too, dressed appropriately enough in the robes of a priest.
Guitarist Chris Howorth told us not long ago how the collaboration happened: “Maria was kind of like, she liked the chorus but she wasn’t really happy with the way the verses were going, so she started having this idea of a mother and a priest. And you know, we’re friends with Rob Halford, so we asked Rob and he said yes — he’s the greatest dude ever — and you know, he came down to Vegas and did the vocals for it and it was unbelievable. I mean, when I hear his voice kick in on the song, it’s unreal.”
Brink said in an interview last year with DOMKcast that having Halford guest on the song was “an honor.” She explained, “He’s a legend. So we’re so excited. We became friends with him, and what an honor to have him be a part of it.” In addition to “Black Wedding,” Ritual includes the singles “Roots” and “Oh Lord,” as well as a cover of Phil Collins‘ “In The Air Tonight.”
In This Moment will co-headline a tour with Halestorm this spring and summer featuring all female-fronted acts. The first leg kicks off on April 30th in Houston, Texas, with dates through May. The second leg begins July 27th in Kansas City, Missouri and run through the end of August.
Late Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell‘s widow, Vicky Cornell, has announced the launch of Addiction Resource Center (ARC) For Chris, an online resource for individuals and families struggling with addiction, as well as the Addiction Resource Line (ARL), a hotline that connects those in need with clinicians and peer recovery support advocates. Both the site and the hotline aim to provide a central hub of information to assist people who are struggling with a substance use disorder and their loved ones.
Vicky said in a statement, “Addiction is a preventable and treatable disease. While it’s too late to bring Chris back, it’s not too late for millions of other people who are struggling with addiction. These resources are designed to connect people to the help they need — help that is often way too difficult to find — in the hope that other families are spared the loss that my family is experiencing. There is no better way to honor to Chris than by saving lives.”
Chris Cornell committed suicide last May 18th following a Soundgarden show in Detroit. He was 52 years old and left behind three children. The vocalist had a history of substance use disorder and his family has suggested that a relapse in substance use may have contributed to his mental state prior to his death.
The Addiction Resource Center (ARC) For Chris is described as a comprehensive, interactive portal to help individuals and families struggling with addiction learn about substance use disorders and access help. The Addiction Resource Line is a 1-800 helpline — 1-833-301-HELP (4357) — for individuals concerned about their own substance use or recovery or a loved one’s substance use, and for family members grieving from an addiction related loss. The helpline is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. It is staffed by clinicians and peer recovery support advocates that can provide information or connect callers to local treatment and support programs.
Late Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland was reportedly so deeply in debt when he died in December 2015 that his estate may not be able to pay back all his creditors. His ex-wife Mary Weiland, who is the estate administrator, filed documents late last year stating that City National Bank had a claim of nearly $692,000 owed by the vocalist, while the Riverside County Department of Social Services filed a lien to the tune of $1,026,268, in addition to other creditors.
It is not clear whether that latter sum is for child support payments for Scott’s two teenage children with Mary or for another offspring. Mary herself is seeking $4,000 a month in child support from the estate.
Meanwhile, Mary said that Scott’s total property was still being appraised but had only totaled just under $562,000 so far — nowhere near enough to cover the reported debts.
Mary estimated that the estate may end up being worth around $2 million once everything was appraised. Scott possessed a vast amount of music gear along with rock and sports memorabilia that could be worth more than half a million dollars.
Scott Weiland was dismissed for a second time from Stone Temple Pilots in 2013 and was found dead of a drug and alcohol overdose on his tour bus while on the road with his solo band, the Wildabouts.
Finally, we’d like to wish a Happy Birthday to former Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, and Incubus drummer Jose Pasillas II!
