Rockers Wolfmother has released a new single for streaming from their forthcoming album Victorious (Universal Music Group). The track ‘Gypsy Caravan’ can be heard at this link or below:
Frontman Andrew Stockdale commented on the creative process for the new album:
“Back in the early days, I’d play guitar, bass, and drums and then present the ideas to the band and we’d work on the arrangement together,” he says. “I thought it would be cool to get back to demoing ideas by myself and playing everything. It’s a good way to do things because it can make the style more cohesive.”
Stockdale wrote the album himself playing guitar and bass. For the recording sessions he brought in Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, Bruce Springsteen, A Perfect Circle) and Joey Waronker (AIR, Beck, Rem) to split drum duties.
Stockdale continued to wax about the sound of Victorious:
We wanted to get back to that big sound. The album is a balance of garage-y energy and big production. It’s wild, energetic … perfect for a festival main stage.”
Victorious was tracked at Henson Studios in Los Angeles with two-time Grammy-winning producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Ac/Dc, Chris Cornell, Bruce Springsteen).
Slayer (bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, guitarist Kerry King, and returning drummer Paul Bostaph, along with touring guitarist Gary Holt) have completed recording their yet to be titled eleventh studio album with producer Terry Date, due out later this year via their own yet to be named label (through Nuclear Blast).
Following Slayer’s studio sessions in March 2014 that yielded the track “Implode,” offered by the band as a free download, Slayer recorded on and off between September and mid-January at L.A.’s Henson Studios, and is currently mixing the album. Eleven songs have been recorded, but what will end up on the final track listing is yet to be determined. Early reports indicate that Slayer fans have a lot to look forward to – the new music is a sonic assault of brutal, ominous, lightening-fast and heavy-as-hell music with lyrics that unmask what Slayer knows best – the terror, the corruption and the societal turmoil that dominates our world.
Fans got a second preview of the new album this past Saturday when another one of the new songs, “When The Stillness Comes,” was released as a limited-edition (only 5000 copies worldwide), seven-inch vinyl picture disc exclusive for Record Store Day.
The new album marks the first time Slayer has worked with producer Terry Date (Slipknot, Soundgarden, Deftones), Bostaph’s return to the Slayer recording line-up since 2001’s God Hates Us All, and Holt’s first appearance on a Slayer album. It’s also the first Slayer album without the presence of founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman, athough a Hanneman-penned song is on the final track listing.
Slayer will tour extensively to support the new album, headlining this summer’sRockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, as well as playing other major outdoor festivals and several “An Evening With…” Slayer only concerts.
Apr 24: Iron City – Birmingham, AL (“An Evening with…” headline dates)
Apr 25: Metropolitian Park (Monster Energy Welcome to Rockville) – Jacksonville, FL
Apr 26: Civic Theatre – New Orleans, LA (“An Evening with…” headline dates)
May 01: Farm Bureau Live (Lunatic Luau) – Virginia Beach, VA
May 03: Carolina Rebellion – Charlotte, NC
May 22: Rocklahoma – Pryor, OK
May 23: Socorro Casino – El Paso, TX (“An Evening with…” headline dates)
Jun 13: Bonnaroo – Manchester, TN
Jun 16: Paramount – Huntington (Long Island), NY (“An Evening with…” headline dates)
Jun 17: Paramount – Huntington (Long Island), NY (“An Evening with…” headline dates)
Jun 19: State Theatre – Portland, ME
Jun 20: Amnesia Rockfest – Montebello, QC
(Mayhem headline dates):
Jun 26: Sleep Train Amphitheater – San Diego, CA
Jun 27: San Manuel Amphitheater – San Bernardino, CA
Jun 28: Shoreline Amphitheater – Mountain View, CA
Jun 30: White River Amphitheater – Auburn, WA (Seattle)
Jul 01: Idaho Center Amphitheater – Boise, ID
Jul 03: Ak-Chin Amphitheater – Phoenix, AZ
Jul 04: Isleta Amphitheater – Albuquerque, NM
Jul 05: Red Rocks – Denver, CO
Jul 07: Harrah’s Council Bluffs – Council Bluffs, IA
Jul 08: Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
Jul 10: Klipsch Amphitheater – Noblesville, IN (Indianapolis)
Jul 11: DTE Energy Amphitheater – Clarkston, MI (Detroit)
Jul 12: First Midwest Bank Amphitheater – Tinley Park, IL (Chicago)
Jul 15: Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON
Jul 17: Susquehanna Bank Arts Center – Camden, NJ (Philadelphia)
Jul 18: First Niagara Pavilion – Burgettstown, PA (Pittsburgh)
Jul 19: Xfinity Theatre – Hartford, CT
Jul 21: PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
Jul 22: Meadowbrook (Bank of NH Pavilion) – Gilford, NH
Jul 24: Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
Jul 25: Xfinity Center – Boston, MA
Jul 26: Nikon at Jones Beach – Wantagh, NY
Jul 29: Aaron’s Amphitheater at Lakewood – Atlanta, GA
Jul 31: Whitewater Amphitheater – San Antonio, TX
Aug 01: Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – Houston, TX
Aug 02: Gexa Energy Amphitheater – Dallas, TX
Slayer bassist/vocalist gave a recording update on the band’s eleventh studio album, due out later in 2015 via Nuclear Blast. The band recorded their new album over a four month period at Hollywood, CA studio Henson Studios with producer Terry Date (Pantera, Soundgarden, Korn).
“We’re in kind of the beginning stages of the finishing stages, if that makes any sense,”
“We’re doing the mixing and mastering now, but we still need to sit down and figure out the album title, the album cover, the song titles, and the song list. We’ve recorded 13 songs for it; we’ll probably put ten on there, but who knows? Maybe you’ll get lucky and we’ll put all 13 on there!”
The album will be the first without co-founder, guitarist and co-writer Jeff Hanneman, who passed away in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. Exodus guitarist Gary Holt and returning drummer Paul Bostaph (replacing Dave Lombardo) have joined the band and are recording the new album.
Said Araya:
“The whole process of this album started three years ago, when Jeff was still a part of it. There is one track on there that we recorded with him, that he did play on, which was completely done except we hadn’t finalized the vocals for it. So we were fortunate to have something that he had participated in.”
According to Araya, it’s been “just odd and strange” making the new album without Hanneman “because he’s never gonna be there again, you know?” he said. “Even when we were doing stuff without him while he was still alive, that felt strange. Yeah, I missed him during the process. But the way things turned out, I think he was definitely a part of it, even if he wasn’t there physically.”
