Following the hot topic, Ultimate Guitar’s Joe Matera interviewed Anthrax’ Scott Ian last month. The guitar player talked about the latest happenings in the Anthrax world (there are many), and his take on the music industry. An excerpt below, you will be able to read the full interview this week on UG read the full interview right here!

Image credit: revista_offline on Flickr

Did you ever think that some 30 years later along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer, you’d still be here doing what you love and influencing a generation of other metal bands?

It is fuckin’ amazing. I started this thing 29 years ago, I co-founded the band with Danny Lilker and its amazing to me. And I’m sure it is not only for Anthrax but for all four of the bands involved in the Big Four as well, they feel the same. It is like about 26 years since our first album came out and the fact that on a worldwide level, so many people still care about what we’re doing and that it means so much to so many people all around the world, that just makes me feel great.

And the fact that after all this time it is the first time that the four of us have ever played together, and that its happening after all this time on such a massive level, it is just incredible. These upcoming shows are probably going to be some of the biggest gigs any of us will ever play.

Aside from your musical endeavors, you have a passion for writing comic books?

Yeah last year I put out my first book for DC Comics. I wrote a two issue series for their character Lobo. A two issue Prestige Format and each book had 64 pages, so it was like 128 pages of Lobo and it was called Lobo: Highway To Hell. It was so much fun for me and was a dream come true. It was something I have always wanted to do. I spent a long time, about a year working on the book with Sam Kieth the artist and it turned out great and I loved the whole experience.

I’m currently working on my second thing for DC Comics right now for another character which I can’t mention at the moment as DC are going to announce it soon so I can’t really jump the gun on it. But it is coming along great and it is even more story intensive and more layered. And obviously the more I do the better I’ll get at it all. I’ve been reading comics my whole life and to be involved in that world is something I never thought I’d get to do.

Finally out of all your years spent in this tough music industry, what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned?

To just do things your own way, the business is a necessary evil obviously, but you just got to have your own vision as an artist. And you have to know what you want and you have to know who you are because if you don’t, somebody is going to mold you into something you’re not and then you are going to suck.

We’ve only ever done things our own way and that is the only way I know how to do it and whether it is right or wrong. That’s the best lesson I’ve ever learned. So you better show up with a good sense of who you are as an artist otherwise, you’re going to get fucked.

So here we go, Slayer just entered the “app age” with the launch of Slayer: Pinball Rocks, a new pinball game app developed in conjunction with American Recordings/Columbia Records, Sony Music Entertainment and Gameprom.

Slayer: Pinball Rocks

“As a life-size pinball player, this looks so awesome,” said Slayer’s Kerry King. “It looks really fun and entertaining, with a shot of evil, and it could definitely keep me up all night with a few shots for myself…”

Slayer: Pinball Rocks should appeal to both long-time and new Slayer fans, as well as any pinball enthusiast, by giving gamers multi-ball play and tap-along mini-game, as well as cool visual elements like spinning razor blades, guitars, amps, concert lights, and a skull that eats your ball and spits it out through its eyeball. As you might have guessed, this is all accompanied by music courtesy of Slayer.

Slayer: Pinball Rocks is available worldwide for $2.99 from the App Store. The game includes original voiceovers from Slayer members as well as songs from Slayer’s latest American Recordings release, World Painted Blood.

This app has been developed by Gameprom, a company famous for its series of Pinball games for iPhone and iPad.

See a video of Slayer: Pinball Rocks below:

Have you tried this out? Thoughts?

Designed and built by RUNE Entertainment and GRAND Creative Studios, the website opens with the story of family man and steel factory worker Drake Carter ending his affair with seductive co-worker Thea Landa. This sparks a chain of events that leads to Drake’s murder at the hands of his former lover and secret Villain as she moves to claim his soul.

Hail The Villain website

Freezing time in that savage moment, the website allows you to navigate through the scene to unlock character back-stories, clues, downloads, to participate in the story by becoming “Villain-ized” and to share messages with the band.

According to the press release, the concept for the website grew out of a series of sketches the band had created as a rough draft for a comic book inspired by the sounds of their new album, Population: Declining which will be released via Roadrunner Records on June 8, 2010.

HailTheVillain.com includes a series of illustrated environments to explore, with clues and hints, character bios and Easter eggs hidden here and there. Numbers scrawled in matchbooks unlock audio content when punched into a phone booth, while a map hidden in the glove compartment foreshadows a darker plot twist that will be revealed in one of the upcoming comics.

You are also invited to activate your webcam at the beginning to “uncover various opportunities to upload and modify pictures of yourselves,” (FYS look pretty modest with their simple flash app) record and share videos with the band and other users.

I haven’t had a chance to test the game with a webcam, but the experience was impressing enough even without it – now I just can’t call this game a website anymore. Great job.

Your thoughts?

When asked by Joe Matera, how important the musician thinks is touring these days with the way the whole internet and downloading issue has affected the industry in general, Nick said:

Photo credit: Rudy De Doncker

Selective touring is the name of the game now so it is not about how much touring but about when you do tours, to do more thorough tours.

Do every country and every big city and do them as well as you can so you don’t have to keep on going through them as often. The cost of touring has gone up immensely because of fuel costs and because everyone has increased their fees for everything from airlines to backline companies.

So it is much more expensive to tour today. And for us, because Tim has a family now and Phil is married, we don’t want to go out longer than we need to. On the flipside though, touring has been how we’ve been able to do this band since the early days, by touring as hard as we have in the past. It is what we have to do to make our living from this.

My point is that concerts are as important to musicinas as ever (even more than ever), but the approach is becoming different – especially for the relatevely smaller bands.

You can read the original interview at this location.

Chairman and CEO of Metal Blade Records, Brian Slagel comments:

We are very excited about the launch of our own TV channel, Metal Blade TV! We are going to bring you not only content from Metal Blade artists, but from the entire world of Heavy Metal. We want to take you behind the scenes and see all the bands in a different way. Also there will be a lot of rare live video clips too! We really hope you enjoy this new venture from Metal Blade Records!

We Are The Fallen video shoot

What I also love about this idea is how Metal Blade looks to showcase metal from all over the scene on Metal Blade TV. From being one of the leading independent metal record labels, this shows a love for the game, which if you think about it, we are all fans of the game at heart.

Another fine example that comes to mind is Trustkill Records, and their involvement in the music scene running the website KillerTours.com. Such an upbeat and stylish website where you can find all of the latest tours, embed widgets of your favorite band’s upcoming shows, and there are also in depth CD reviews and interviews. You can just tell that the Trustkill guys have a love for the music scene as a whole, and will do anything to help spread the word. Killer Tours also sponsors tours, run ticket giveaways, and they help increases awareness for all involved.

Simply put, Killer Tours is the go-to-place to find all of your metal, hardcore, and punk shows. You’ll never be lost in the dark wondering when your favorite show is coming around. I mean, man, I’m always looking around for shows in the area, and a lot of the time you never know they are even there! Killer Tours is the perfect place to find the shows that you want to see. It’s an easy site to navigate through, and you can adjust the search engine to your local area, or to all around the globe. Seriously, go there right now, make a profile, and join in on all of the action. In the end, there’s nothing like a killer tour!

Check out few interesting to Dotted Music comments from Whitechapel guitarist Alex Wade below. The full interview is going to be posted on Ultimate Guitar pretty soon, but you read it first, as usual!

Alex Wade

The band has toured heavily in its relatively short lifespan, how important is touring these days for a band such as Whitechapel despite all the doom and gloom within the industry?

It is absolutely crucial for a band. And for us that is the only way we can make money. We do get a royalty check here and there, but our royalties really goes back into paying off all of the stuff we have to acquire as a band. So the only way we can really make any money and be able to do it as a career is to tour. If you are a young band looking to tour and stuff like that, and you are really wanting to make this your career and make this your lifestyle, I am not telling you to quit your job or quit your school and head out on the road, but it definitely takes 110% and all of your effort and everything like. You have to put everything you are into the band and hopefully from all of that, you’ll reap the rewards.

It is well known that Whitechapel adhere to a clean living, straight-edge lifestyle?

Yes but that is just me. I am the only band member that is straight edge. Honestly, the other guys really don’t party as hard as people probably think they do. I mean they do enjoy a couple brews now and then, but nobody has any problems with drugs or alcohol or anything like that. I am very thankful to be in a band like this and living the lifestyle that I do. I do it for myself so I don’t really care what other people do. I have a lot of friends that drink and I have more non-straight edge friends than I do straight-edge friends. And it definitely helps not having to worry about my band members being sloshed all the time and stuff like that.

Do you find it hard to maintain that kind of lifestyle within an industry that is known for excesses of every conceivable kind?

No, not really. A lot of people tend to say to me, “man I don’t how you do it being in a metal band“. But honestly my whole life I’ve grown up being pretty clean as I’ve never really drank or done drugs or stuff like that so for me, it is a pretty easy lifestyle.

I should be doing a separate post on this topic soon. My point is that living a stereotyped sex, drugs and rock n’ roll lifestyle is not as affordable nowadays as it used to be (I don’t touch the moral aspects here). You are a CEO of yourself and your band, and you have to work hard to push your business (music). I doubt you know a lot of successful companies’ CEOs getting drunk each evening or sniffing coke from whores here and there (OK, maybe CEOs just don’t have the same opportunities as rock stars, but you got the point).

The 145-page book contains the full tablature for all rhythm and lead guitar tracks on the album, expanded album artwork, track by track commentary and an introduction from the band, as well as a digital download of Cosmogenesis which includes isolated rhythm guitar and solo tracks, and more.

Obscura's Cosmogenesis cover

What gives a cool twist about this is all the added bonuses. The artwork on Cosmogenesis is incredible, and fans of the band should definitely check out the expanded artwork. The other huge bonus I like is the fact that a digital download of Cosmogenesis with isolated rhythm guitar and solo tracks is included. I mean, it really gives a complete package here.

The one thing I wish is that bass tablature would have been included somehow. Seeing the technical shredding death metal virtuosity that Obscura unleashes, each member brings such a unique talent, and if you listen closely, bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling really makes his bass a lead, counter attacking the guitars with such brilliance!

Anyway, all of you guitar players need to pick up this sweet deal, and shred along/attempt to shred along.

“It happened very organically” says Gama Bomb frontman Philly Byrne of how the decision came to be. “One night, me and Joe (McGuigan) our bassist were having a bit of a chat, sitting about in his house with a cup of tea. We started saying “Yeah, we’re gonna make another album“, and “We’re gonna make an album a year for a wee while. There was an album last year. We’ll make one this year. It’ll be more consistent, like the way bands used to be in the eighties“. Releasing albums frequently is dying off a lot, so that was the first thing that we thought, that we would make one. Then we said “What if we give it away for free?“. I don’t really remember who said it first. We talked to the rest of the lads, and they said “Yeah, that’s a good idea“. We played a show in London, and Digby Pearson, who runs Earache Records, came along to the show. We spoke to him, and he said “Yeah, so you guys are talking about an album?“. We said “Yeah, yeah. We want to give it away for free“, and he just said “Yeah, good idea” (laughs), which was surprising.”

Given Earache Records‘ penchant for off the wall decisions though, the most notable being the release of 1987 Napalm Death album ‘Scum‘, was Pearson‘s reaction that much of a surprise?

“He has a history of doing things his way I suppose. It’s not that alarming, really. They were waiting for a band who were willing to do it for some time, and obviously with the changing trends and all these things in music consumption, and music trends, it’s actually quite a smart move for them to make. So yeah, it came about really organically, and it’s just a reflection of how we’ve been listening to music. I’ve been downloading music for ages now, and I’m not paying for any of it. I don’t think you should have to either. You should pay for gigs, you should pay for T-shirts, and for I don’t know, thermal flasks with logos on them or whatever other rubbish you want, but music should be free. That’s why the album is.”

More cynical quarters might simply dismiss Gama Bomb‘s decision to issue ‘Tales From the Grave In Space‘ as a ploy to encourage more concert ticket sales, though Byrne stresses this wasn’t a factor in the group’s decision.

Gama Bomb promo photo

“T-shirts and gig sales, the money side, weren’t really what motivated us. Obviously, money does smooth the way and you keep doing what you’re doing for longer. If there was no money, you’d be back home in a month. The Earache stance on it was that if we made our CD available in the traditional way, it’d only sell X thousand number of copies, and that’d only generate this much of a return. If we took a gamble though, and said “This is for free“, it might generate more interest, and make more of a return in the long term. Our interest in giving it away for free was to draw people in, to get more fans, and to get our songs out there so that we could play bigger gigs, play better tours, meet more people, play more shows, and have more fans. That’s the be all, and end all – just to enjoy the music with other people really. I think it is actually working right now. The first day the album was on release, we got six thousand downloads from the Earache site, and that’s a significant number. Yeah, I think it’s working – our shows are better attended and everything already.”

As mentioned, embracing newer methods of distribution is something commonly associated with Nine Inch Nails and Radiohead. In reality however, Gama Bomb have little in common with either, finances being the major difference. Surely digitally distributing ‘Tales From the Grave In Space‘ must’ve been a riskier decision by comparison?

“There’s two big differences. One, they’re not on a record label and we are, and two, they’re all fucking minted. There’s five million people who are insanely into Radiohead, me included, who want to have the album, whether it be for free, or paying a quid or whatever (laughs). That’s the difference. There is a bigger risk involved, because we’re on a label, and it’s some guy’s money we’re spending. But then again, it may be the best use of that money, rather than just another CD. It’s worth the risk.”

To digitally distribute ‘Tales From the Grave In Space‘, Earache Records has partnered with RapidShare, one of the world’s largest file-hosting websites.

“We’re delighted with RapidShare” Philly enthuses. “RapidShare are our friends in downloading; if you want to get an album, just go onto RapidShare, and get your link. We’re very happy to partner with RapidShare, because as I say, we’re very familiar with their service. It’s a goodwill gesture, and that’s what the album is all about. There’s other people who are making that gesture too. In December, Metal Hammer are gonna give away our album for free as a CD, which has never been done before to my knowledge. They’re paying to print up all the CDs – they’re printing an X number, thousands of pounds worth, and giving it away for nothing, because they understand the gesture is worth making. It’s really cool to see that.”

In the United Kingdom, the subject of illegal downloading has been a hotly debated topic. In August 2009, Lord Peter Mandelson, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, proposed introducing legislation that would see those who persistently and illegally download copyrighted content having their broadband connection cut. Unsurprisingly, Philly doesn’t share Mandelson’s views.

[quote]

“I think that’s nonsense. They just need to devise a better system. I don’t think cutting off people’s broadband is gonna work, and here’s the other thing as well. If people start cutting off broadband because of downloading, I’ll just start a company that sells broadband where you don’t get cut off for downloading, and then I’ll be really rich. If I didn’t do it, some wee man would, and he’d be really rich. There’s always a way around these things, and that’s the other thing as well. The internet is like a pocket full of holes; you think you’re gonna put something into it, and someone’s gonna catch it whenever it comes out the other end. Thinking you can stop people downloading is just a fantasy. When is he fucking looking for a DJ Shadow album (laughs)? When’s he gonna go looking for an obscure thrash metal EP from Belgium in the eighties? When is he not gonna be sure about the new Amy Winehouse album, and will want to hear it first? He’s literally out of touch, and doesn’t consume in the way that people do now.”

One musician who came out in support of Mandelson was popstar Lily Allen, who echoed the man’s proposals to disconnect illegal downloaders. Responding, Philly airs his feelings on Allen, and doesn’t mince his words.

“Lily Allen grew up in that Notting Hill, Britpop society with her dad. She was literally taken to Alton Towers by people like Damon Albarn (Blur vocalist) on the strength of CD sales or whatever, so her whole life has been funded by “Vindaloo” (1998 song by Fat Les, fronted by father Keith) and fucking “Country House” (1995 UK chart topping Blur song which features father Keith in its music video), and whatever other songs. She’s a major label artist; they’re coached, and talked into saying what they say. I’m just saying maybe you got an A&R guy and somebody with a big chart with a load of numbers on it, going “Here’s the amount of money we can make in a month” or whatever. No wonder she’s got pound signs in her eyes, running around going “For flip sake, stop downloading“. She can see the imaginary nirvana of cash that she’s supposed to be reaching, and she can’t reach it, but the truth is, she can easily do that and already has. She’s just looking at the other alternatives. It’s just that all those labels have their fingers in their ears.”
quote

Gama Bomb promo photo

And will Gama Bomb release its future albums through RapidShare?

“I don’t see any reason to go back on this plan. I’d also like to try something else, to be honest, because that’s what a career is. You make calls, you make projects, and it’s not just music as the whole thing. I like the idea of doing a whole load of singles, and then Joe’s talking about doing two EPs. Other different ways of distributing our stuff are really interesting, so yeah, we will look at it. I would be disappointed if we just did another CD after this, and I don’t think I’d settle for that. There’s definitely gonna be more of this kinda thing, because to be fair, by the time we do another thing, this is how the world’s gonna be. The doors are coming down now, and the music business is starting to re-solidify after years of being in a blender. I’m sure by the time we get our heads together to make another album in a year or two years, it’ll probably be how things are done anyway.”

Slightly tempted to download ‘Tales From the Grave In Space‘, especially since it’s legally available? If you’re not wholly tempted, and need further reasons to take the plunge, then Philly happily supplies those reasons in abundance.

“The album is eighties thrash metal, eighties thrash speed metal, very much in the vein of Megadeth and stuff. It draws on all the best points of that, condensed down with a bit of the musical retrospect you get when you’re a younger person listening to music from back in the day. It’s that, and it’s themed around fifties and sixties horror, and sci-fi compilations, things like ‘Twilight Zone’ and ‘Tales From the Crypt’. The whole artwork (designed by Jeff Jordan), and all the themes and stories on the album, reflect that. It’s an album of stories, really, and of course there’s one to two songs on it that don’t stick to that theme, but that’s just what happens when you make a record. It’s really fast, really, really fast, with a lot of riffs, a lot of screaming vocals, bass and drums, and penny dreadful horror stories for people who are too old to enjoy that sort of thing, but still do (laughs).”

Of course, not all are enamoured by digital downloading, with many still purchasing compact discs. In fact, several mourn the steady decline, if not extinction, of the vinyl record. Thrash metal lovers who harbour such feelings have no reason to feel sad then, since ‘Tales From the Grave In Space‘ will still experience a release via more traditional formats in February 2010.

“We’ll have it out on CD, vinyl, and in a box set” confirms Philly. “It’s coming with an EP as well that we recorded separately from the album, an EP of all new songs. That gives you a bit of an incentive to buy the album.”

Robert Gray is a freelance interviewer, whose interview series “Hit The Lights” can be viewed exclusively at Ultimate-Guitar.com. If you wish to contact Robert, you can email him at robertpgray@ymail.com.

Sybreed

Plus you can win some killer Sybreed gear – which I declare the band as awesome. So why not give it a shot? The band is calling for your video skills; here’s the deal:

1. Produce your own 10 to 15 seconds video advertising “The Pulse of Awakening” and send it before the 21st of December to contest@listenable.net
2. They will then launch the best ones on Sybreed’s official Youtube Channel (The Sytube for short) and the video that has been viewed the most after two weeks will be declared the winner.
3. The creator of this video will be rewarded with 2 T-Shirts, Sybreed’s complete discography and a signed poster. The video will be posted as well in the media section of the band’s Myspace page.

To note: For obvious reasons, please make sure you avoid any political imagery (guys with small moustaches are utterly forbidden), as well as explicit violence or gore (Sybreed aren’t Cannibal Corpse after all).

Even promoters (outside buyers) are starting to struggle, and the cycle of survival becomes evident. Venues are upping their prices to rent their space to survive the times, and without a big name Metallica or a well known local on the bill, it’s not worth it to put on a show, even if the metal itself is absolutely amazing. The promoters are going to loose money if they don’t play it smart. With the state of economy, even the kids are having a hard time finding the money to buy merch, let alone a ticket!

Church Of The 8th Day

The one big plus about a live setting that everyone can innovate on is that a live performance cannot be duplicated. Sure you can possibly check out YouTube or Metal Injection footage, but being there at the exact moment in time is totally different; it’s priceless. Concerts = memories. See a band you love from a live perspective, or discover one on first impression, and you’re always tempted to buy some merch. Merch = souvenirs, as you’ll always be able to say, “Well hey, I got this at show X, and I’ll always remember that night!” Merch = advertising, which obviously helps everyone all around.

Our great friends in Church Of The 8th Day booking truly know how to change with the times, and the guys have been booking/promoting underground metal shows/festivals in Southern California for quite some time now. Check them out at churchofthe8thday.com.