Various sources are reporting Mark Reale, founding member/guitarist of New York metal legends Riot, has been hospitalized with severe complications related to Crohn’s Disease. Though there are conflicting reports as to his current condition, all suggest this is a serious and life threatening situation and at a minimum, will impact his participation in Riot‘s upcoming tour in support of their Immortal Soul album. Riot released the following statement on their website:
“We are receiving updates on his condition several times daily, and Mark is currently undergoing procedures to stabilize him. His father, in addition to several dedicated friends of the band and the family, are at Mark’s side constantly as doctors work to restore him to health. In accordance with the family’s wishes, no further details are being released at this time. While we are saddened by these developments, Riot’s music has been Mark’s lifeblood for over 30 years. We have struggled with idea of performing without him, and we are continuing to prepare with heavy hearts, but the entire Riot organization has agreed on the importance of bringing our music to the fans who have supported us for so long. Please watch this site for news on Mark’s recovery, and we ask that friends and fans pray for the best possible outcome. Thank you for continuing to support Riot during this difficult time, and we will see you at the shows.”
Mike, Tony, Bobby and Don
We here at Angry Metal Guy want to join in extending our hopes for a full and speedy recovery to Mark and all his loved ones. May the metal keep you strong and have you back in the spotlight very soon!
So, I just got this off a forum who apparently got it off of one of the band member’s Facebook pages, but apparently Joe Lombard who played the full lengths Blasphemy, Decimate Christendom, and Primordial Domination for Incantation has died. Here’s his obituary. It apparently happened on the 3rd of January, 2012.
RIP.
Edit: SMN is reporting that he committed suicide. That’s a damned shame.
The Swedish blogger (and ridiculously fucking metal) Demonia has posted some pictures and videos (in Swedish—though, she’s got Google translator embedded for the foreigners) from Blaze Bayley‘s show in Stockholm. I, being Poor Metal Guy, managed to miss this one, but hopefully they’ll be back soon (though, what with shedding their manager and drummer in the last few days I’m not sure when that’ll actually be). Anyway, the turnout seems like it was actually pretty damn good and the band is on. I have to say that their bassist (David Bermudez) is one of the best heavy metal performers I’ve ever seen. I commented on it from the live DVD, the dude is just a fucking beast. Los hermanos Bermúdez are pretty awesome in general, I’d say. I’ll post four here, but she’s got others on her blog and some on YouTube as well.
Here’s one of my favorite songs off of the mighty Tenth Dimension record:
And here’s “Faceless” from 2010′s Promise and Terror:
And of course, “Futureal” from the much maligned Virtual XI record. But once again the band shows that had that record had some production and energy it would’ve been a much better album.
Well fuck. 2010 really blows so far. First, Pete Steele and now Ronnie James Dio who died earlier today, according to Blabbermouth. This time it ain’t a mistake.
Wendy Dio, wife/manager of legendary heavy metal singer Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW), has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
“Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. [on Sunday] 16th May. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.
“Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.
“We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us.
“Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.
“Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”
It was only a month ago that Dio, 67, spoke about his battle with cancer with the Artisan News Service on the “black carpet” of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which took place on April 8 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. When asked about how he had been feeling since he was diagnosed with the disease late last year, Dio said, “Well, I feel good and bad at times. It’s a long process. Chemotherapy is a… I never realized what a difficult thing it was to go through. It’s a real cumulative effect — the more you have, the more it piles up on top and it takes longer and longer to get over it. I find it very difficult to eat. I don’t like to eat anyway, so I guess that’s OK. But I know I have to. But this makes it very, very hard. But if you’re determined to beat it, then you have to go with what you believe is going to beat it for you, and in this case it’s that. I go to a great hospital in Houston called M.D. Anderson, which I think is the best hospital in the world, I have the best doctor in the world, Dr. Ajani, who I really trust and I really believe in, so I think I’ve done all the right things. It makes me feel positive about my life and positive that there is a lot more of it to live.”
Earlier this month, HEAVEN & HELL canceled its summer tour plans in Europe due to Dio‘s treatment for stomach cancer. The band said in a statement that Dio wasn’t “well enough to tour this summer. We hope that everyone understands and want to thank fans and industry colleagues for their continuing support at this time.”
Ronnie James Dio had performed with ELF, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, and his own band DIO. Other musical projects included the collective fundraiser “Hear ‘n Aid”. He is widely hailed as one of the most powerful singers in heavy metal, renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the “devil’s horns” hand gesture in metal culture. He was most recently involved with HEAVEN & HELL, a project which also included former BLACK SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice. Their first and only studio album, “The Devil You Know”, was released on April 28, 2009.
Once again I’m left with the unenviable task of writing a eulogy for a man I never knew. But let me just be clear about this: Ronnie James Dio was a heavy metal institution. He was the best of the best. He was the man who saved Black Sabbath from Ozzy and who made, at the age 66, one of the most widely acclaimed heavy metal records of 2009—not to mention his excellent solo career. He was tiny, but he had a huge voice and personality and he invented the metal horns as we know it (supposedly). There are few out there who I have as much respect for and there will never be anyone quite like the man. I will definitely be listening to some Dio and thinking fondly of learning to play his music and wishing I could sing like him.
I wish his wife and family all the best in this fucking shitty time and all of us here at AMG will definitely raise a toast to his memory while blasting his tunes.
Arckanum have signed with Sweden’s very own Regain Records! Just got the press release. The band has a new record coming out this year called Sviga Læ and it should probably be fucking awesome.
Swedish black metallers Arckanum have inked a deal with Regain Records. Shamaatae (all instruments) states: “It feels really good to work with Regain Records. The new Arckanum album ”Sviga Læ” is a dedication to Surtr; Giant and Ruler of the world of flames Múspellzheimr, and Loki; the Flaming Giant and Archenemy of the worlds. ”Sviga Læ” is a manifestation of the blazing Chaos and the burning of the gods.” ”Sviga Læ” is scheduled to be out later in 2010.
Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes will be the title of the new Amorphis DVD which is set for release on the 25th of June via Nuclear Blast. The band revealed this today through a posting to their facebook page and a quick update on their website. Like most DVDs, this is also getting the double live album treatment. The track listing appears to be pretty heavy on the later material, but I don’t think that’s anything to complain about as the last three albums have been spectacular. It’s no secret that this Angry Metal Guy has been a really big fan of the later Amorphis stuff, so you can imagine that this is pretty exciting for me.
DVD 1:
Live in Oulu 2009
01. Silver Bride
02. Sampo
03. Towards And Against
04. The Castaway
05. Smithereens / The Smoke
06. Majestic Beast
07. Alone
08. Silent Waters
09. Divinity
10. Elegy Medley
(Against Widows / Cares / On Rich And Poor)
11. From The Heaven Of My Heart
12. Sky Is Mine
13. Magic And Mayhem / Black Winter Day
14. Sign From The North Side
15. House Of Sleep
16. My Kantele
DVD 2:
Summer Breeze Open Air 2009
01. Leaves Scar
02. Towards And Against
03. From The Heaven Of My Heart
04. Against Windows
05. The Castaway
06. Sampo
07. Silver Bride
08. Alone
09. The Smoke
10. My Kantele
11. House Of Sleep
12. Magic And Mayhem
Bonus Material:
- Tales From The 20 Years (documentary)
- Video clips:
01. Black Winter Day
02. My Kantele
03. Against Windows
04. Divinity
05. Alone
06. Evil Inside
07. House Of Sleep
08. The Smoke
09. Silent Waters
10. Silver Bride
11. From The Heaven Of My Heart
12. My Kantele (Jyrki TV show, 1996)
13. Interview (Jyrki TV show, 1996)
- Photo gallery
CD 1 – Live in Oulu 2009
(Deluxe Edition only):
01. Silver Bride
02. Sampo
03. Towards And Against
04. The Castaway
05. Smithereens / The Smoke
06. Majestic Beast
07. Alone
08. Silent Waters
09. Divinity
CD 2 – Live in Oulu 2009
(Deluxe Edition only):
01. Elegy Medley
(Against Widows / Cares / On Rich And Poor)
02. From The Heaven Of My Heart
03. Sky Is Mine
04. Magic And Mayhem / Black Winter Day
05. Sign From The North Side
06. House Of Sleep
07. My Kantele
So that’s something to look forward to, even from a guy who isn’t at all a fan of live albums in general. I really am curious to see how this turns out, to check out the bonus materials and to really dig in deep with it.
Black Sun Aeon uploaded their new video for the track “Frozen”, which is probably one of the best on the new record Routa that came out 3 days ago in the US. Check it out!
I normally don’t spend a lot of time pimping labels attempts to make money off of a band’s discog, but in this case I think it’s too fucking cool not to write about! Formulas Fatal to the Flesh, the David Vincentless 6th album from Morbid Angel is now being made available on vinyl for the first time. For nerds like me who love vinyl, or at least the idea of it, this is something totally worth having. Here’s the press release:
FORMULAS FATAL TO THE FLESH, the 1998 death metal masterclass from MORBID ANGEL, is out now on vinyl for the first time ever.
Marking the third release in Earache’s “First Time on Vinyl” campaign, FORMULAS FATAL TO THE FLESH marked a new era for MORBID ANGEL upon its release, being the band’s first album with new vocalist and bassist Steve Tucker.
While FORMULAS FATAL TO THE FLESH featured the traditional, blasting death metal for which MORBID ANGEL became known, the album also included more experimental instrumental pieces, showcasing a new diversity and ambition from the band.
FORMULAS FATAL TO THE FLESH is available now on limited edition double gatefold vinyl LP in the following colours:
Lava vinyl – 100 copies – SOLD OUT
Red vinyl – 200 copies
Clear vinyl – 300 copies
Black vinyl – 1400
The official track listing is as follows:
Side A:
01. Heaving Earth
02. Prayer Of Hatred
03. Bil Ursag
Side B:
04. Nothing Is Not
05. Chambers Of Dis
06. Disturbance In The Great Slumber
Side C:
07. Umulamahri
08. Hellspawn: The Rebirth
09. Covenant Of Death
10. Hymn To A Gas Giant
Side D:
11. Invocation Of The Continual One
12. Ascent Through The Spheres
13. Hymnos Rituales De Guerra
14. Trooper
I’d've liked to have seen the lava vinyl, but no pictures were included! Laaame.
So, much to my happiness, excitement and general satisfaction, Rhapsody [of Fire] has finally released more information about their new album! The record had previously been announced to be coming out on the 5th of March, but this obviously didn’t happen. Now let me say, first: the artwork is great! Sure, it’s not as colorful as the previous stuff, but I really like it. Secondly, I can’t wait to hear what these guys sound like now that they’re not shackled by the Manowar dudes. I don’t know what went down there, but I would love to get an interview about that stuff, because honestly, that shit is fascinating. They were forced to stop touring? They got like no support. Manowar basically stole their sound on the following album. That shit is crazy.
Anyway, you can now download the new song for free from their website! I’ve downloaded it and listened to it a bunch of times. It’s great. Nice to hear a good guitar solo in there, too. I cannot wait. So the new album, entitled The Frozen Tears of Angels will be released on the 30th of April in Europe! Who’s excited!? Angry Metal Guy is excited. Now if only I could actually get promo of these things….
One of this Angry Metal Guy’s most-anticipated records of 2010 is definitely Orphaned Land‘s forthcoming record The Never Ending Way of the ORwarriOR (which, btw, I’ll be posting a review of shortly). According to a press-release that I received today have put up a new track on MySpace “Disciples of the Sacred Oath II”. This song is awesome (actually the whole album is awesome) and everyone should go check it out. There are already two tracks up there, the first single “Sapari” and “Vayeh OR”, both of which are also excellent. Here’s the presser:
Israel’s ORPHANED LAND kick off the New Year with a brand-new track from their upcoming opus “The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR”.
Singer Kobi Farhi explains: “Disciples Of The Sacred Oath II is a heavy song, both musically and lyrically and it is one of the most important tracks of the album by its meaning. Indeed, it calls for a laying down of arms, to realize that the warriors are first of all brothers: “Lay down your swords, blood and flesh you share”…”Shall we see the end of war, bloodbrothers?”. It is definitively the most outspoken text we ever wrote on this subject. Furthermore, as this song contains Arabic lyrics, we would like to dedicate it to our Arab fans and we hope that one day we will sing it together in a show in their home countries!”
OK, *that's* cool. Too bad about the shitty bands, then RT @Metal_Mark: Metallica will be playing Ride The Lightning in it's entirety! WOW!” - 4 hours ago
Various sources are reporting Mark Reale, founding member/guitarist of New York metal legends Riot, has been hospitalized with severe complications related to Crohn’s Disease. Though there are conflicting reports as to his current condition, all suggest this is a serious and life threatening situation and at a minimum, will impact his participation in Riot‘s upcoming tour in support of their Immortal Soul album. Riot released the following statement on their website:
Forging the Land of Thousand Lakes will be the title of the new Amorphis DVD which is set for release on the 25th of June via Nuclear Blast. The band revealed this today through a posting to their facebook page and a quick update on their website. Like most DVDs, this is also getting the double live album treatment. The track listing appears to be pretty heavy on the later material, but I don’t think that’s anything to complain about as the last three albums have been spectacular. It’s no secret that this Angry Metal Guy has been a really big fan of the later Amorphis stuff, so you can imagine that this is pretty exciting for me.
