For the past five years, Metallica has been selling downloads of old concerts dating all the way back to 1982. However, up until now, fans had to buy the whole concert to get that Master of Puppets live mp3 they wanted so bad. These tracks are now available at $0.99 a pop from Live Metallica. Full concerts are priced at $9.95. Most of them anyway….some of them are free.

That’s right, free Metallica downloads on the internet. And drummer/RIAA poster child Lars Ulrich isn’t bitching about it in a courtroom somewhere.  Of course we all remember Lars spearheading the campaign against Napster when Metallica tunes were being passed around by millions online without the band or the label being compensated. Lars had this to say about this borderline hypocrisy:

“Give away stuff for free? Not a problem. The Internet? Not a problem. Who makes the decision? We make the decision. I’ll give away all my shit for free. But I’ll decide when and where and how.”

We’re still waiting on the official word on when, where, and how exactly Lars plans to give away all his shit for free.

As if Metallica embracing free digital downloads wasn’t progressive enough, they are also reportedly considering an internet release of their next ablum, since that’s the new cool thing to do. Now that Metallica is free of any contractual obligation to any record label, they are free to release their next album however the heck they want.

I guess the internet isn’t so bad after all, right Lars?

For being such a good sport, I’m going to put this post in the “metal” category, even though we all know you abandoned metal under George Bush Sr in favor of whatever it is exactly that you call your new Metallica music.

Burn!

Less than a week ago was the birthday of legendary deceased guitarist Darrell Lance Abbott, aka Dimebag Darrell, the infamous lead guitarist for a little heavy metal group by the name of Pantera.

Dimebag’s life was tragically cut short on December 8, 2004, when a deranged and die-hard Pantera fan by the name of Nathan Gale stormed the stage while Dimebag performed with his new group, Damageplan, and proceeded to fire multiple gunshots at Dimebag, striking him five times, once in the head. Dimebag was killed instantly by the shot to the head. Damageplan’s tour manager, Jeff “Mayhem” Thompson, was also killed after attempting to subdue the gunman. An employee of the venue, Erin Halk, was killed after attempting to rush the gunman while he was reloading, but did not succeed in time. A Damageplan fan by the name of Nathan Bray was also murdered as he attempted to perform CPR on the fallen Dimebag and Thompson.

Fortunately, police made their way into the venue before Gale could cause any more destruction. Officer James D. Niggemeyer made his way to the back of the stage and fired one shot with his 12-gauge Remington 870 shotgun that connected with Gale’s face, simultaneously ending his rampage as well as his life. After investigating the body of the assailant, it was discovered that he still had 35 rounds of ammunition remaining.

The loss of Dimebag Darrell was felt by music fans all over the world. Personally, Pantera has always been my favorite metal band. I thought I would take this post to remind everyone that the music world suffered a tragic loss in December of 2004.

In tribute, here is one of my favorite Pantera songs, “Hollow”. This song does a great job of exhibiting how Pantera was more than just a mean heavy metal band with huge riffs and growling vocals. It also features some of Dimebag’s most beautiful guitar work ever (in my opinion):

Sure seems like there have been a lot of legal battles in the music world lately. Perhaps even accomplished musicians are feeling the sting of the dwindling economy and resorting to desperate measures in these desperate times?

The latest legal battle comes from famed rockstar and egocentric Ozzy Osbourne, who is suing Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi who recently assumed ownership of the band name “Black Sabbath” in a filing with teh US Patent and Trademark Office. The Osbourne camp insists that the success of Black Sabbath can mainly be attributed to Ozzy’s signature vocals that carried the band to mainstream popularity in the first place. They also emphasize the band’s steep decline in popularity shortly after Osbourne left the group.

Ozzy is demanding a 50% stake in the name as well as a portion of revenue that the band earned while he was not active with them. Iommi has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit. For more details, check out the full article on Billboard.com.

 Not many metal bands have been able to stand the test of time like Slayer has. Some might argue that Metallica has stood the test of time and then some, but then the old school Metallica fans would of course flip out. Slayer, on the other hand, has a much less divided and loyal fan base, one which they’ve been cultivating since 1981.

The veteran thrash metalheads have already begun tracking in the studio tracking with producer/engineer Greg Fidelman (The Killers, Metallica, U2) for their tenth album. Rolling Stone was there first hand to witness some of the recording. Combining a Jägermeister machine, ambiet candles, and one of the most notorious metal bands in the world, it sounds like one recording session that would be pretty interesting to sit in on.

The album is going to contain 11 mind-melting tracks and is slated for a release date sometime this July. The release of the album will coincide nicely with their appearances on the Mayhem Festival tour with Marilyn Manson. On board as executive producer on the record is Rick Rubin (Run DMC, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Johnny Cash…to name a few), who also produced Slayer’s 1986 smash hit album Reign in Blood. The title of the new record has yet to be announced.

This will be Slayer’s second album since original drummer Dave Lombardo re-joined in 2002 after his departure way back in 1992. I think it’s safe to say you can expect the classic Slayer thrash/ball of hell fire/ton of steel falling off the Empire State Building sound, perhaps with a bit of 2009-esque polish. Slayer fans will not likely be disappointed.

Metallica will be officially inducted to the Rock and Roll hall of fame this Saturday night in Cleveland…and they’ll be performing with two bass players.

Apparently there was a bit of confusion as to which bass player would (and should) be performing with the band. Their original bassist, Cliff Burton, tragically passed away as the result of a tour bus accident in 2006. He was replaced by Jason Newstead who became the new official Metallica bass player from ‘86 until 2001, a time period that was arguably the most significant in Metallica’s career. After Newstead left the band, he was replaced by the band’s current bass player, Robert Trujillo.

Since the Black Album is regarded by many as Metallica’s biggest and most important album, lots of folks felt that the performance should include Newstead, who played bass on that record. However, Newstead himself publicly stated that he felt he should only be there as a fan and Trujillo should be the one playing since he is the band’s official bass player.

So, why not have both play? At least that seems to be the band’s take on the situation. Both bass players will be performing live Saturday night at the ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio.

Nowadays, it isn’t uncommon for rock bands to have two or even three guitarists, but there is seldom ever more than one bassist. It will be interesting to hear how they sound with that much bass. Will they both be playing the basic basslines? Or will one come up with something different?

Along with Metallica, Jeff Beck, Run DMC, Little Anthony & the Imperials and Bobby Womack will also be inducted to the Hall of Fame Saturday night.

Long before drummer Lars Ulrich was the poster boy for the RIAA, he was a total bad ass belonging to an even greater group of badasses, a.k.a Metallica. Although the band is still technically together, it is a far cry from the seriously mind-thrashing heavy metal of their past. Today’s Metallica is sort of a diet Metallica.

A friend of mine who grew up listening to Metallica recently told me that if anyone was ever an absentee father that walked out on him during the most crucial developmental period in his life, it was Metallica.

That said, they put out some freaking great albums. I could dig really deep and talk about …And Justice For All, or Ride the Lightning, but I don’t want to push my luck with you, oh anonymous readers. If you have the misfortune of being someone who has not truly experienced old Metallica, then I invite you to check out the Black Album.

The reason I choose the Black Album (not to be confused with the Jay-Z album of the same name)  is because it was their last album before they apparently decided that more good albums would be a terrible idea. It is also arguably one of their best albums, and less arguably the best produced. You’re probably already familiar with singles off the album that still get a trickle of radio play such as “Enter Sandman” and “Unforgiven”.  Great songs. And the Black Album has many more great songs to offer you.

My personal favorite is “Sad But True”. Unapologetical, pure head-banging  metal at its best. There really is no other way to describe it. Even though lead vocalist James Hetfield is sort of ridiculous (as is his facial hair, at times), he was the perfect voice for that band. Well, maybe he still is. Who knows? I don’t think anyone listens to new Metallica. But I suppose I could be wrong.

And I know, I know, their new album was supposedly a return to their roots. Well, I heard the new album, and while it was not the most upsetting piece of recording art I’ve ever experienced, it is no Black Album. Sorry, guys.

You know what to do. Go get the Black Album. STAT.

Oooo-wah-ah-ah-ah!!!

2009 is here and Disturbed will be headlining the Music as a Weapon IV tour beginning in March, covering 38 cities from March to May.  Coming off the heels of their 3rd straight #1 Billboard album, “Indestructible”. You can expect the events to be jam-packed with eager Disturbians.

Coming along with Disturbed to partake in the mayhem will be such notable acts as Killswitch Engage, Lacuna Coil, Chimaira, and several other bands that have yet to be announced.

They’re really going all out with the tour this year. This time around there will be two stages showcasing your favorite hard rock and metal bands, some extreme sports demos, a gaming area, and even traveling tattoo artists! Sort of like a metal circus, if you will.

To keep up to date with information about the tour, be sure to check out <a href=”http://musicasaweapon4.com”>Musicasaweapon4.com</a>. Tickets for select shows will be going on sale as early as January 30th!

Not sure what we did here on the west coast that may have offended David Draiman and company, but it doesn’t look like the tour will be paying us a visit. Looks like the furthest west the tour will touch is Glendale, AZ. This leaves me feeling rather…perturbed.

After two years in the lab, South Bay (So Cal) melodic metal powerhouse Ninth Circle has finally officially released “The Power of One“.  If you’re a fan of GOOD metal (which is the opposite of ‘nu metal’), you owe it to yourself to check out this album.

The opening track, “Frontman”, is a haunting and simultaneously ass-kicking song about the perils of war from the perspective of a lone soldier. A fiery blaze of a cappella vocal harmony kicks the song off with the line “There is nowhere to run”, and then it’s full speed ahead as lead singer Dennis Brown and company paint a picture of the battleground, complete with insightful lyrics, booming drums and bass, and of course layers of harmonic guitar riffs!

The band wastes no time and gets right to the title track with track #2, “The Power of One”.  One thing that really sets Ninth Circle apart from other bands attempting to gain attention in the melodic metal genre is their vocal harmonies, which is abundantly clear on just about every track on this CD (and there are 12 of them).

Another thing that adds to their dynamic is the bass playing. Whereas many other bass players just sort thump away on those root notes and hold down the low end, bass player Frank Forray actually contributes unique basslines that compliment Brown’s busy guitar work perfectly and really carry the transitions nicely.

Track #5, “Our Last Days”, is probably my personal favorite track on the album. The first pounding rhythm during the verses is simply bad ass. Also, you can tell Dennis really had a lot of fun with the guitar solo on this one and didn’t hold anything back. The way he executes the guitar harmonies is totally calculated and really just makes the track explode. Then again that happens on pretty much every track on this album.

Speaking of incredible guitar work, the solo on “Obsession” is nothing short of spectacular. So many metal guitar players place such a huge emphasis on moving their fingers as fast as humanly possible, and totally neglect to actually construct GREAT solos. On this song especially, Dennis demonstrates that he doesn’t have a problem striking a balance between both lightning quick and also melodic and effective.

Fans of Iron Maiden will be happy to know that Ninth Circle covered the classic song “The Trooper” on this record.  Dare I say that I like their version better than the original?

Ninth Circle is really bringing back that classic metal sound that we all fell in love with way back when (at least, those of us with any common sense). Countless groups have attempted to do it, but no one pulls it off quite like them.

If you get the chance to catch them live, you’ll probably be surprised to learn that the band that produces such a mind-blowing wall of sound is actually just a three-piece outfit. Somehow they still manage to pull it off live.

Upcoming shows include Feb. 26th at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA with  famed 80’s hard rock/metal group Dokken, and then another appearance in Redondo Beach, CA on March 21st at a club called Brixton.

To find out more about Ninth Circle, check out their official site or their MySpace. If you’d like to get your hands on a copy of “The Power of One”, it is currently for sale at CDbaby.com.

You can also visit the group right here on Moshable!