When Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson formed Marduk in Norrköping, Sweden in 1990, he set out to become the most brutal and blasphemous metal act ever. The band released its’ first record a year later, the five-song “Fuck Me Jesus,” with the first of many lineups. A proto-black metal album with heavy death beats and black vocals, the EP got  the band signed and Marduk embarked upon a two-decade plus journey that saw the highs and lows of personnel changes and label changes. Håkansson was resolute about his vision for the band from the beginning, and by the late 90s the band released its’ classic triology “Nightwing,” “Panzer Division Marduk” and “La Grande Danse Macabre.” The albums, released between 1998 and 2001, concerned Håkansson’s vision of black metal, that of blood, war and death.

The band continued marching on and expanded its’ fanbase in spite of lineup changes, including its’ third vocalist, Mortuus, who joined guitarist Håkansson in 2004. Along with bassist Devo Andersson and (since 2008) drummer Lars Broddesson, Marduk has recorded and toured relentlessly, releasing and album or EP almost every year. In 2012 the band released “Serperent Sermon,” its’ 12^th studio album and its’ 22^nd release (including live albums and compilations).

When he’s not recording and touring with Marduk, Håkansson has a side project called Death Wolf, in which he plays bass. The band is heavily influenced by the musical legacy of Glenn Danzig and often comes close to imitating the man himself in a roaring and metallic death-blues. The band has just released its’ second album, “DEATH WOLF – “II: Black Armoured Death” on Century Media and is on tour with Marduk. The tour is currently in North America with Portugese goth-metallers Moonspell; Inquisition from Columbia and Italy’s The Foreshadowing. When “The Voices From The Dark” tour stopped in New York City on Saturday, February 23^rd, Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson was able to spare some time to chat with ROCKSALT.MX.

Backstage at the Gramercy Theater, as Moonspell takes the stage, Morgan is lively and chatty, excited about the concert and happy to accommodate as the deafening bass-heavy blasts of Moonspell fill the backstage stairwell making conversation difficult. As the interview is moved here and there, seeking a somewhat quieter place (almost impossible given how small the backstage area is), Håkansson chatted about one of his favorite bands, The Cult. Prior to recording, Håkansson professed his love of the new album “Choice of Weapon” and how he came to enjoy The Cult’s previous release “Born Into This” (which he didn’t care for at first). When a place is secured after a few minutes, the interview begins (with special thanks to Nicolas Franco for his invaluable assistance).

ROCKSALT.MX: How did this tour lineup come together and why did you think it was a good fit for Marduk?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Yeah, yeah, yeah! I like it. I mean, it’s a good combination. It’s great to go out with a lot of different bands: something for everybody. I don’t mind that as well because it’s good to have something to offer for those with other preferences and it brings a different crowd. Contrasting tours. I believe in the power of diversity and with different bands it’s something for everybody. Some people will discover a band that some would not like, you know? And that’s fine.

ROCKSALT.MX: Given the state of the U.S. economy, what are the advantages and disadvantages of touring outside of Europe?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Yeah. We’re not a really big band as we’re doing lower-level venues I would say,  compared to other bands; though we’re bigger than others I guess as well. But I mean, I believe in touring all over the world for us to just make it happen. And when you do everything in the end it’s more or less about the same. I mean, I believe in trying to reach all the territories you can and some places even in The States, are better than others. But in the end, you know, it’s all good! Yeah, I don’t mind playing different places, sometimes it’s seven, eight hundred people; sometimes more, sometimes less. And I mean, on the tour we have done since we did the last one for Serpent Sermon, the first leg of that tour we started on a border town between Russia and Mongolia, in Siberia. So we’re playing everywhere! We’re trying to spread out gospels everywhere! So I mean, we’re not affected by financial things. Sometimes I understand why people would not tour because they have a hard time with it, but that’s the way it is. And we’re united for the music. You get people coming out to see you from all parts of the world, and it’s the same people everywhere, you know? People dedicated to music.

ROCKSALT.MX: There’s been a pleasant diversity to be found on Serpent Sermon… continuing a trend that began with Rom 5:12, Wormwood to now. Can you discuss the new album and how the songs evolved?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: I don’t know as I don’t know what to explain about specifics of the album. It’s ten songs and it’s no real concept behind it but it is a thin red line; and I think all the titles really speak for themselves. There’s no hidden agenda in the way that it’s very clear: the message is very clear and very basic. Sometimes we try to do it where it’s a bit more… harder to figure out. But it’s super straight-forward where the meaning is in the lyrics and the lyrics are written on the album. So everybody should be able to understand the true meaning of the concept, you know? The ideas are… well, I think all the titles are really speaking for themselves.

As for the songwriting, I don’t know how it develops because I think it’s an always developing never-ending format of how we work on music. Sometimes when I write music I can have a song title in my head and I make everything around the song title. Sometimes I have a riff and the lyrics come to me; sometimes you have everything at once and you record a few ideas and then it’s like, “Nah…” And it’s not that good! You put it away and you rediscover it later on so it’s new again. I believe that everything just comes naturally. That’s what I believe in music. I never sit down and plan: it will come to you the way it comes. Just let the inspiration guide you and see where it takes you.

In the past I used to write most of the material; but today with the band everybody’s participating. We have a lineup right now where everybody’s participating. And I think we’re working more as a band, as a unit than we ever did before. Our drummer wrote some material and our bass player wrote a few songs and he’d never done that before. We all take part in the ideas and we all take part in the arrangements and we never credited anybody more than anybody else, in the past as well, because even though I would write like, all of the basic ideas, when we get back in the rehearsal room that’s where they really get structured with everybody else. We all take part in the arrangements to make everything become one and make the music and lyrics match. It’s about creating a unit, for me. Some bands do the music and then they just write the lyrics; for us it’s about making them count as a force. That they reflect each other. I want the spirit and the lyrics and the music to reflect each other and the other way around. That’s really important I think.

ROCKSALT.MX: You’re an exrememly prolific band.

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Yeah, yeah. I mean, why wait? A lot of bands that… they take such a long time or they don’t have any inspiration and they just have to really work on getting an album done. We are the opposite. We have all these ideas and have to try to relax and not release too many albums. I mean, we could come back every week and do a new album. Because I know how many songs I have in my head and then every guy in the band has a lot of ideas. We haven’t rehearsed them because we wait until the touring cycle is over and then we go back and brainstorm all of the ideas we have. I mean, I believe in what I do and I believe in the triumph of the music and the lyrics so why should we waste time? We’re here now! Let’s march! I feel that way about touring – we were one of the first black metal bands to travel the most of South America. We went to Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador before anybody else. That’s real powerful. I mean, some cities like in Europe or New York, you see everything. Every band comes through. All the bands play here, but not all the bands play El Salvador, you see? You get a different reaction from the crowd, and the energy there is so inspiring. And so that fire within them, that’s very inspiring for us.

ROCKSALT.MX: What is your take on orthodox black metal vs. non orthodox, and where does Marduk fall?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: I think that… I don’t like the terms at all, because if it is black metal it should be orthodox in its’ own way. I know some people want to call it orthodox or non-orthodox, but for me if it’s not fanatical it’s not black metal. I don’t even know how many bands are calling themselves black metal now that everyone embodies some kind of artistic worth blah-blah-blah… for me it’s black metal or not black metal.

ROCKSALT.MX: Do you identify the band as black metal?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Always. Always, yeah. But I wouldn’t mind if somebody calls us death metal as well, because I mean, always my whole life with the band I considered us to be the best of death metal and black metal. There has always been a thin red line between those styles. If I speak about the band, I’d say Immolation and Marduk, we’re very connected in that way and still we believe in the same message, you know? They are death, we are black metal, but still we deliver the same message I would say.

ROCKSALT.MX: Do you have any comment about the resignation of Pope Benedict, (allegedly following a 300-page report delivered to him concerning an internal investigation that is said to have uncovered “a number of factions within the Vatican of gay men who have engaged in sexual activity with male prostitutes and at organized sex romps”)?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Ahh… yeah, I was just reading today, myself. I was surprised to see the Pope resign and whatever this arrangement is, I don’t know anything more about it. But that’s the way they work. It’s nothing new in the Catholic world, you know? They are the true danger to kids.

ROCKSALT.MX: Did you have any exposure to Catholicism growing up in Sweden?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: No, Sweden is Protestant. We live as a free country, but most people in Sweden are probably Protestant. We got rid of the Catholics in 1500 or so. We threw them all out back then! We had a king at that time who hated the Catholics and so we went to war – the Thirty Years War in Europe to defend ourselves against Catholics. They considered the Pope to be the Devil back in the day. And they took all the Catholic church clothes and everything worn by the priests… the royal family took them and sewed them as their party dresses. That’s how they took care of them, and then threw them all out. Back in the day… and they used the old scriptures to load the cannons!

ROCKSALT.MX: Marduk will be at Station 4 on February 28 in Saint Paul, MN, the day the Pope is resigning. Is this significant to you and do you have anything special planned for that show on the 28th?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Ah, no. There is nothing planned… not really, I really didn’t know that he was going to resign on that day. For me it’s going to be fun because we’ve been there a few times before and a lot of Swedes moved there back in the day. So there’s a lot of Swedish people. But I really don’t care: the Catholics are going down – they’re killing themselves – so why bother, you know? I don’t put any energy into anything with them.

ROCKSALT.MX: Moving on, then. How did Death Wolf form and what attracted you to playing this kind of music?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Yeah, yeah, yeah! We started out doing covers back in the year 2000. We had come off of a Marduk tour and got offered a new deal and we wanted to do something different, so we got some local musicians and the bass player from Marduk and rehearsed a few songs for kind of a Misfits, Danzig tribute, live show. Already after the first rehearsals we started writing our own songs in the same vein and since then we’ve got two albums and an EP, based around the same theme and kind of the same style, but during the recording of the first album it all kind of shifted and became Death Wolf. A bit darker, a bit more extreme if I should say so, but it’s always in development and will always have the Danzig connection because he’s one of those musicians that I always admired. Like The Cult. For me it’s more than music, it’s a symbol of an attitude. A lifestyle.

ROCKSALT.MX: We talked about The Cult earlier and how much you liked the last record, “Choice of Weapon”. What did you think of the last Danzig record, “Deth Red Sabaoth?”

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: I really liked it. I like everything he’s done because he’s got his own way of doing what he wants to do. Even with Blackacidevil which he got a lot of flack for; but for me, that’s an interesting album because I already felt it coming from Danzig 4. I mean, I love everything that he’s done from Misfits, Samhain to Danzig and for me it’s always been inspiring because he’s an artist who will do what he wants to do and doesn’t give a fuck. We played with him in Hollywood in 2001 and I’ve known him ever since; we did a tour of the states with him in 2010 (“The Blackest of the Black Tour”). He’s a great person and a great personality who gets a lot of shit, and I don’t know why. He’s chosen to go his own way and if people have a problem with it… (shrugs). I think he’s a genuinely great artist who is always bringing forth something unique.

ROCKSALT.MX: What are the future plans for Death Wolf, if any? Will Death Wolf go out on its’ own tour?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: We just had the new album coming out in Europe a few days ago. And here in the States it’s coming out – I think right now or in a few weeks. So really we just want to get the band rolling and after this tour we’re going to see what we’re going to do because we have some things to do with Marduk. But we are getting shitloads of offers for Death Wolf, so we’ll see if we can’t combine them; but I think we’re going to out and tour Europe later on as well. And we’re also working on music for the next album, so…

ROCKSALT.MX: Already?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Yes. For our third album. And our first album will be released later on by Century Media, because it kind of disappeared when we released it because it came out on our old label (Regain) in Sweden and fell apart around the same time the album came out, so it really didn’t get the good distribution. It’s going to be available again and we are going to continue to march!

ROCKSALT.MX: You’ve mentioned in past interviews that you love history. Is this something you studied in school, or would you say it’s more of a passion? As a lover of history, what patterns (if any) do you see in society, the world?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: I was, a student of history, but I quit studies because I had so much with tours going on. I did study, though; and maybe I’ll go back some time but I’m always reading about it. History will always repeat, you know; people are the way they are and fall into the same problems and history will always repeat, that’s just the way it is. Reading about history, reading a lot about specific happenings throughout history, has inspired me about how I work with music. Finding inspiration and how to proceed and solve things and allow me to keep on doing what I am doing. So for me, history is very much alive.

ROCKSALT.MX: What have you learned through when you look back on the 20+ year history of Marduk? Have you achieved everything you want to achieve; and if not, what do you hope to do in the future?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: In a way: yes. When we started out we never thought we would do what we’re doing maybe, but as the vision expands through the first years, you get new ideas, new visions and then you keep on expanding. I mean, I’ve done all that I wanted to do but of course I still see things that I want to reach and set up new goals. Naturally we will keep on marching! (laughs) That’s our attitude! I see other bands go out and they do a short tour and I think it’s ridiculous. We go out and do 200 shows and go back and do an album: so why not let it loose? We’re here, we’re now. I don’t want to sit down and wait for shit to happen.

ROCKSALT.MX: When Marduk first formed, you’ve said you wanted it to become the most blasphemous band in the world. As the founder and a Swede, do you celebrate the Christmas holiday? Do you exchange gifts with your family/what are the holidays like for you? Do you enjoy Dryck Julmust?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Ha! In a way, yes. Because coming from Sweden, it’s a pre-Christian tradition. It’s from the same time we had the mid-winter celebration back in our own history. Then we had the mid-winter celebration during the Viking age, both at the same time. Therefore the Christians tried to take those traditions and put them into Christianity. The full week of Christmas is still tradition for the Vikings. I always celebrate Christmas, but when I was young it was never any religious thing; but for me – I like the atmosphere of Christmas – but for me Christmas is about meeting with family, having good food and yeah, sure, gifts and shit like that but I never put a religious thing into it. It’s just a time to meet your family, eat good food and also you drink a lot of that thing you have written there… it’s very important.

ROCKSALT.MX: Dryck Julmust?

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Dryck Julmust. I am wondering where did you hear about that?

ROCKSALT.MX: Ikea!

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Okay! Well that is my favorite drink! We also drink it around Easter. I love it! It’s a very modern thing, but it’s very important in Sweden. The thing is, they actually tried to steal it – the celebration from us, the way we used to have it. Christians tried to adopt it just to make people happy back in the day. We had our mid-summer celebration which we still have and is really unique for Scandinavia; it’s also a tradition from the Viking age early on. We have two big celebrations: summer and mid-winter. So, the Christians stole our mid-winter tradition and still we have them with the same food which used to be from that time. It’s a very un-Christian tradition which needs to be kept un-Christian as a celebration. So we don’t celebrate Jesus being born, we celebrate the mid-winter.

ROCKSALT.MX: Last question: can you explain this? “Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul!”

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Ha! “Donald Duck and his friends wish you a merry Christmas!” Yes, since I was a kid we, it was always, every year, and still every year. I don’t really watch it; I don’t mind watching it right now but I mean, it’s a thing that all the kids are into and it’s just the most popular tv show that four million people watch every Christmas eve. But Christmas is a very un-Christian thing from the beginning; at least up where we live. And most of the traditions, even the Christmas tree, has nothing to do with Christianity and things like that. It’s something that they tried to steal for their religion back in the day, just to make people adopt to it easily. So we still keep a very un-Christian Christmas. But that is funny about Ikea and Dryck Julmust. You know even the Coca-Cola company in Sweden was very frustrated because at Christmas they increase their sales – except for in Sweden! They tried to buy it from the company that makes it but – nope! It’s kept un-corporate!

(At this point the interview time has passed and Marduk must get ready to take the stage.)

Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson: Thank you for all the questions! Keep marching on and we will see you on tour!

Remaining “Voices From The Dark” North American Tour Dates:

March 5 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
March 6 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
March 7 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
March 8 Oakland, CA @ Oakland Opera House
March 9 Los Angeles, CA @ The Vex
March 10 Tempe, AZ @ 910 Live
March 11 Albuquerque, NM @ TBC
March 12 Dallas, TX @ Tomcats West
March 13 San Antonio, TX @ Korova
March 15 Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room
March 16 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade

SERPENT SUMMER TOUR 2013

May 11 (BEL) Kuurne @ Throne Fest www.thronefest.be
May 17-19 (GER) Göllnitz @ Deathkult Open Air www.deathkult.de
June 21-23 (FRA) Clisson @ Hellfest www.hellfest.fr
June 27-30 (GER) Flugplatz Roitzschjora @ With Full Force Open Air Festival www.withfullforce.de
July 4-6 (SWE) Göteborg @ Metaltown www.metaltown.se
August 7-10 (CZ REP) Fortress Josefov @ Brutal Assault www.brutalassault.cz
August 15-18 (GER) Dinkesbühl @ Summer Breeze Open Air Festival www.summer-breeze.de

MARDUK online:

www.marduk.nu

www.facebook.com/mardukofficial

DEATH WOLF online:

http://www.deathwolf.net

http://www.facebook.com/deathwolfcult

Frank Bello

Rob Caggiano

Frank Bello and Rob Caggiano are members of the legendary thrash band Anthrax. Frank, a member since the second album 1985, is the bassist and a nephew of drummer Charlie Benante (a member of the band since the very first album). Rob Caggiano is a guitarist who has been with the band since 2001. In 2011, Anthrax released its’ first album in eight years and when the members came together to record and tour, it certainly felt as if Frank and Rob been in the band forever.

“Worship Music” was produced by Caggiano (and credit to him and Anthrax) and features singer Joey Belladonna on his original first recording with the band since “Persistence of Time” in 1990. Along with Belladonna , Bello, Benante, Caggiano and founding member Scott Ian, the new Anthrax album was hailed by critics as a return to form and garnered accolades while racheting up stars and tipping the scales of rock critics around the world. The band has been on an ceaseless upswing ever since.

Anthrax has been touring ever since to promote the album, including playing several “Big Four” stadium shows with Slayer, Megadeth and Metallica. Recently the band wrapped a summer tour on The Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, featuring Slayer, Motorhead and Slipknot. On August 17^th, Anthrax was the first metal band to have its’ music played on Mars. “Got The Time,” a cover of the Joe Jackson song, from the band’s 1990 Gold-certified “Persistence of Time,” was one of several songs on NASA’s wake-up playlist for the Mars Rover, Curiosity, that touched down on the Red Planet August 5.  “Got The Time” woke Curiosity up on Day Six. Meanwhile, back on Planet Earth, Anthrax is gearing up to embark on a co-headlining tour with Testament, featuring Death Angel.

Rocksalt.mx chatted with Mssrs. Bello and Caggiano when the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival stopped in Mansfield, Massachusetts.

ROCKSALT.MX: Thank you for taking the time gentlemen, as it’s clear you’re quite busy. How’s the tour been going? It’s coming to an end soon isn’t it?

ROB CAGGIANO: Great!

FRANK BELLO: Great! (laughs) It’s been a great run and it’s almost done. We’re winding down now. You can almost see the end and there’s been a little wear and tear but we’re doing alright.

ROB CAGGIANO: It’s been a great run.

ROCKSALT.MX: Are you planning on going out on your again after this tour ends?

FRANK BELLO: Yeah, we’re going out in September with Testament and Death Angel.

ROB CAGGIANO: Middle of September.

FRANK BELLO: We start in the Northwest and then come back this way.

ROB CAGGIANO: Through Canada – we’re going to do Canada.

ROCKSALT.MX: When you come to New York, where will you be, do you know?

FRANK BELLO: I don’t know if we’re going to play New York, we’re coming to New Jersey I think.

ROB CAGGIANO: Yeah, we’re playing Atlantic City I think and maybe one other place; but we’re not coming into the city.

FRANK BELLO: Not this time around. We’ve hit it a couple times and eventually next year we’ll probably be coming back. A different tour.

ROCKSALT.MX: You’ve been working really hard touring this record.

FRANK BELLO: Nonstop.

ROB CAGGIANO: From 2011 to 2013 at least.

FRANK BELLO: We have to: it’s the only way to make a record sell now. That’s just the way you do it now. You tour and get new fans, that’s what we’re doing on this tour; and then go out and try to expand your fanbase again to make people see you. That’s the way we’ve always done it, but now you just have to.

ROCKSALT.MX: How does that influence your sets for the shows on different legs of your tour – how do you keep it fresh?

ROB CAGGIANO: With this tour we only have forty minutes, so we gotta squeeze a lot of stuff in there.

FRANK BELLO: We were given forty minutes… so, “Best of” and one new song and that’s it. Really, there’s not a lot of time in this set; we barely have time to have a drink. It’s crazy. It’s a punch in the face, really: give ‘em our all, make ‘em want more. Thank God that it happens every night.

ROB CAGGIANO: (laughs)

ROCKSALT.MX: How does this tour compare to “The Big Four” shows, especially the one at Yankee Stadium?

ROB CAGGIANO: That was just big! Big!

FRANK BELLO: Well, yeah, that show was everything you think it was. This (Mayhem) is summer-camp for us. This is great; but that thing was that and more in a bigger way. That’s just the stadium kind-of vibe: it’s a special, special thing. We want to do more and they know it. It’s up to Metallica. It goes over really well, though! And we’re all ready… and we’ve been out with Slayer… forever! We’ve toured with them forever! We’re used to it at this point.

ROB CAGGIANO: It’s been a great run, this tour. This is more about expanding the fan base, though, and getting new fans.

ROCKSALT.MX: Rob, you were talking about… it was on Blabbermouth recently…

ROB CAGGIANO: Uh-oh! (laughs)

ROCKSALT.MX: …about Randy Blythe and I wonder if you can share….

ROB CAGGIANO: Honestly, I just found out this morning (August 3^rd, 2012) that they released him! I didn’t know, and Scott’s staff told me!

FRANK BELLO: Yeah! The press release is going out soon I think, but he’s actually in -or on his way to- New York then going on another flight to go home.

ROB CAGGIANO: So he’s doing Knotfest and then they’re going to tour – I think. But it’s all over and thank God for that, and now they can go out and tour! (laughs) And the lawyers take over as usual, so…

ROCKSALT.MX: Anthrax has been through a lot over the years, but the band started in New York. I understand Scott, who’s from Queens, is now based in L.A., but you’re still on the East Coast?

FRANK BELLO: We’re both in New York. I’m in Westchester and Rob’s…

ROB CAGGIANO: I’m in Manhattan.

ROCKSALT.MX: How does that work when you want to record or rehearse?

FRANK BELLO: Oh, yeah, well… now with recording you can do just anywhere, pretty much. And we never rehearse!

ROB CAGGIANO: (laughs) We don’t rehearse – ever!

FRANK BELLO: We know all the songs now. I think when the record first got done, we rehearsed a little bit. Before it came out, before the tour, we rehearsed the new songs, but… if we don’t know the old songs by now, then…

ROB CAGGIANO: Shoot us!

ROCKSALT.MX: Going back to touring, is this the longest you’ve worked a record by touring?

FRANK BELLO: Yeah. There were some issues there to begin with, we had some personnel changes, legal things and that stuff. But now that’s all passed us. It took a long time to get our shit together, and you know, that “Big Four” thing really kicked us in our ass to get it done.

ROB CAGGIANO: Right.

FRANK BELLO: So that was the catalyst to really get this done and move on this. And we released the record around the Yankee Stadium show and it’s all been great. We’ve been on tour together…. (turns to Rob) how long has it been?

ROB CAGGIANO: Three years, actually. Because, you know, we were touring even before the album came out. So yeah, we’ve been out here a long time.

ROCKSALT.MX: Now, Rob, you produce records and you did this one. Are you still able to produce or are you lining up things for when you get done touring?

ROB CAGGIANO: Yeah. There really hasn’t been any time off at all since the Anthrax roll-out. I’m still into producing and at some point I’ll get back into that, but for now, we tour.

ROCKSALT.MX: Are either of you thinking about writing songs at this point, considering how much attention you’re devoting to the album and tour?

FRANK BELLO: Eventually. That’ll come, but there’s so much more to do yet. We have all these songs on this record that we want to play, and the fans are asking us for them. So it’ll be fun to jam those again and just get on stage with those songs. But then eventually it’ll come out, organically. It’ll come out. Everyone’s got their lives to get together. So touring, then everyone getting their lives together… and then we’ll do it.

ROB CAGGIANO: Exactly.

ROCKSALT.MX: All right guys, I see your tour manager is heading over. Thanks so much for your time, and we’ll look for you on tour this fall!

ROB CAGGIANO: Thank you. And take care – maybe we’ll see you back in New York!

FRANK BELLO: Yeah, come down and say hi! Thanks to everyone and tell them we’ll see ‘em out there!

Upcoming Anthrax tour dates (with Testament and Death Angel):

SEPTEMBER

14     Ace of Spades, Sacramento, CA

15     Roseland Theatre, Portland, OR

16     Toyota Arena, Kennewick, WA

17     Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA

19     The Showbox @ The Market, Seattle, WA

20     Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC

21     MacEwan Hall Ballroom, Calgary, AL

22     Events Center, Edmonton, AL

24     The Odeon, Saskatoon, SK

25     Burton Cummings Theatre, Winnipeg, MB

27     Vic Theatre, Chicago, IL

28     Harpo’s Concert Theatre, Detroit, MI

29     Danforth Hall, Toronto, ON

30     Capitole du Quebec, Quebec City, QC

OCTOBER

2     Metropolis, Montreal, QC

3     State Theatre, Portland, ME

4     Webster Theatre, Hartford, CT

5     Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ

6     House of Blues, Atlantic City, NJ

By Mick Stingley

“Doktah! We’re gonna drive up tah thah Tweetuh, an’ staht tailgatin’ befoah thah show. Gonna crank AAF and get wicked hammahed fah SLAYUH!”

THE 2012 ROCKSTAR ENERGY MAYHEM FESTIVAL rolled into Mansfield, Massachusetts on Friday, August 3^rd. Now in its’ fourth year, Mayhem, as it casually referred to, is somewhat scaled back from previous years, but still entertaining. The Comcast Center, formerly The Tweeter Center (“The Tweetuh”) and formerly Great Wood Center For The Performing Arts was once again host for the New England stop.

When the festival debuted in 2008, Ozzfest was barely a distant memory. But a daylong package tour featuring the best and latest in metal music was something people would still turn out in droves to see. The festival would usually begin early in a fenced-off parking lot, with two stages side by side so that once one band finished playing, another would begin almost immediately. This would continue through the afternoon until “the second stage headliner” would perform; then people would trek across the lot to a dedicated outdoor “shed” venue where a host of luminaries would perform. Each year featured a different headliner and conclude at 11PM, leaving fans to schlep to the parking lot and wait another hour to get out of the lot to the highway.

Things were slightly different this year, with the one of side stages eliminated. A small stage was set up, away from the parking lot area, in the midst of picnic tables and pine trees, halfway between the primary second stage and the paths to the main shed. Even in 90º heat with no shelter from the sun, standing out on the blacktop waiting for the roadies to change up the band equipment was more preferable than walking away and losing a good spot to see who was playing at the stage in the picnic area. It was disappointing that the fluidity of set changes with two stages was changed as things dragged between bands.

Also conspicuously absent this year and greatly missed was the presence of the motocross team, Metal Mulisha, who appeared every year at every stop on the tour, admirably displaying its’ midair acrobatics and jumping. Watching a band tear up the second stage while a team of expert motorcycle stuntmen effortlessly flew through the air was an absolute highlight of the show. Metal Mulisha did appear at select stops on the tour this year, but Mansfield, Massachusetts was not one of them.

The lineup this year was Slipknot, Slayer, Motorhead and Asking Alexandria on the main stage. Anthrax will be headlining the Jagermeister Stage, along with The Devil Wears Prada, As I Lay Dying,  Whitechapel, and the local Jagermeister opener, Dead Season (from Maine).

Usually the local opener is in the unfortunate position of going on first to a crowd that wants to see bigger names. Dead Season, a heavy rock band with shades of Pantera, Black Label Society and Brand New Sin – and a decidedly contemporary active rock radio feel – opened the show as a thick crowd of mostly teenagers filed in and surrounded the stage.

Dead Season

Dead Season’s singer, Ian Truman, who is kind of a big burly guy, fell victim to the tired cliché of trying to incite a circle pit of moshing/slamming by basically ordering people to do so. This happens all the time with bands on the second stage and it grows tiresome – “I want you to make a circle and fucking show me what you’ve got!” or something similar. A lot of kids react to this, of course; but usually it’s people standing around waiting for the band to play songs, as newcomers to a band shouldn’t be yelled at to do anything. In fact, it ought to be the other way around: “Play your fucking songs and let me get a sense of who you are!” That said, Truman and his boys delivered a high-energy set and definitely got the crowd to move on the merit of the songs alone. Heavy, bouncing groove metal, if a bit slick and radio-ready their songs are catchy; Dead Season was a great band to kick off the Mayhem Fest. (Curiously, Dead Season has a slick rock cover of Cutting Crew’s “Died In Your Arms Tonight” and did not play it. Smart move; but then again, it might have entertaining to see the crowd reaction.) Dead Season only played a short set but it was enough to get people over to the band’s tent at the side of venue. Later, during the Anthrax set as tents were being broken down, a member of the band’s group walked through the crowd handing out CDs. Smart boys, Dead Season.

Whitechapel

Whitechapel, from Knoxville, Tennesse came on next and brought it hard. The six-piece Metal Blade powerhouse is supporting a self-titled album and is better-than-average deathcore. Growling thrash gets the party started in Massachusetts and Whitechapel came to party. The band favored material from the new album, but heated things up with “Possession” from “This Is Exile” and “The Darkest Day of Man” from “A New Era of Corruption” before testing the waters and asking the crowd if it “wanted to hear some new shit?” Unsurprisingly, the crowd did and Whitechapel made an excellent case for why people should check out the new album. The band is heavy, and exciting live; hopefully next year they’ll move up on the rotation and play a longer set.

Whitechapel set list:

1.Possesion
2.The Darkest Day of Man
3.This Is Exile
4.I, Dementia
5.Section 8
6.Possibilities of an Impossible Existence

The Devil Wears Prada and As I Lay Dying managed to bring a sense of “this crowd is crazy” to the event, and with temperatures exceeding 95º at midday, that is saying a lot. Mercifully, as with every year, Rockstar Energy Drink sponsors a tent with free – FREE! – Rockstar Energy Drinks. Blueberry Pomegranate Acai was the hit of the day and terribly refreshing after hours in the sun; which is more than can be said for The Devil Wears Prada and As I Lay Dying. Two more embarrassing and terrible bands could not exist in the metal genre unless they were hipster acts trying to be ironic. This reviewer is no fan of a band that would name itself after a terrible document of what passes for literature in the post-9/11 cultural climate; and the band’s music does nothing to inspire so much as an arched eyebrow of curiosity. As I Lay Dying is equally dreadful but at least had the good sense to name itself after a unique book by a respected author. However, both bands inspired the crowd in Mansfield to form circle pits and walls of death, which has to count for something.

Truly, the  heroes of the day were the second stage headliners, Anthrax. After countless delays and lead singer issues and changes, the ‘Thrax got it together to release one of the strongest albums of its’ career, “Worship Music.” With noted lead singer Joey Belladonna back in the fold, the band has been touring hard in support of the record and taking the slot on the Mayhem second stage seemed like dress rehearsal for something greater yet to come.

Anthrax

Scott Ian may have gray in his beard but he was every bit as youthful as he was twenty years ago when the band was opening for Iron Maiden and wearing surf-jams. Charlie Benante, Frank Bello (who have been with the band forever) held the rhythm section and played fast and tight (especially on the Joe Jackson cover “Got The Time”), while guitarist Rob Caggiano blazed along with Ian. Joey Belladonna, the “classic line-up” singer who returned two years ago (after having returned and left a few years prior), was in strong voice; though some of his goofy stage banter might have been lost on the crowd – as he encouraged the audience to “spark it up” a lot of people in the back just stared blankly.

Anthrax Has The Time

The set list was too short, but showcased the energy of the band; though two covers was one too much. While the Trust song “Antisocial” is something of an Anthrax classic, it was a curious choice for them considering they only played one song from the new album (“Fight ‘em ‘til You Can’t”). Still, the band delivers live; and for many in attendance that Friday afternoon, it was their first time seeing Anthrax so it was an excellent way to be introduced to the band.

Anthrax set list:

Caught In a Mosh
Got The Time
Fight ‘em ‘til You Can’t
Antisocial
Indians
Madhouse
I Am The Law

Asking Alexandria had the unfortunate opening slot on the main stage under the shed. Anyone who stayed to see Anthrax missed them in the long walk from the second stage area; although the word is the band is popular with teenage girls.

If you look really closely at the picture you can almost see Motorhead

With the sun starting to lower in the sky, the legendary Motorhead assembled on stage. Dispensing with the usual opening line, “We are Motorhead, and we play rock and roll!” the band (Phil Campbell, guitar; Mickey Dee, drums; Lemmy Kilmister, bass/vocals) went straight into “Bomber” and continued on without much ado. At some point Campbell addressed the crowd to mention that they almost didn’t make it on time, the tour bus having gotten stuck in traffic on the way. The band blazed through the classics and included one new song, “I Know How to Die,” from the recently released, “The World Is Yours.” Lemmy sounded a bit rough here and there, but was largely his usual gruff self. At 68 years of age, Lemmy has over 37 years playing in Motorhead and can hardly be criticized for having an off day; and certainly, as the elder statesman of the tour, whose band was the precursor to every other band on the package, he was, as always, a genuine treat to see. It does seem odd for the band to appear on a big package tour, but the exposure was clearly too good to pass up. Of the popular tee shirts of the day, Motorhead was doing extremely well. One highlight of the evening: a performance of the never performed in the U.S., “The One to Sing the Blues” from “1916.” The band has been playing it on the entire tour, along with a fantastic version of The Chase Is Better Than the Catch.” Motorhead, as always, was terrific.

Again, look really, really closely at the picture and there you will see Motorhead!

Motorhead set list:
Bomber
Damage Case
I Know How to Die
Stay Clean
Over the Top
The Chase Is Better Than the Catch
The One to Sing the Blues
(drum solo)
Going to Brazil
Killed by Death
Ace of Spades

Slayer, the titanic four-piece thrash machine, has been featured on Mayhem before, only three years ago (along with Marilyn Manson). At the time the band was promoting the forthcoming “World Painted Blood” and played one new song from the album, “Psychopathy Red” on the tour. This year, the band was showcasing some of the best songs in its’ catalogue, as no new album has been recorded since the illness of guitarist Jeff Hanneman. With Hanneman still recovering, Exodus’ Gary Holt has been playing with the band; and while Hanneman was clearly missed, this rare guest appearance (especially for fans of early thrash) was a highlight (especially considering the set list was “Greatest Hits”). Holt played well soloing with King and by himself, though no mention was made of Jeff’s situation (perhaps it was meant to be understood). Slayer was Slayer and rocked, bringing fans to their feet, cheering and chanting along with one chorus after the next. The Slayer “Slaytanic” logo burned above drummer Dave Lombardo for much of the show, and as usual (on recent tours), the guitar cabinets were arranged as upside-down crosses. The band opened with “Disciple” from “God Hates Us All” (which features a chorus that inspired the title) and kept the evil going for 75 minutes.

SLAY-ARRGGHH!

Slayer set list:

Disciple
War Ensemble
Die by the Sword
Hate Worldwide
Mandatory Suicide
Altar of Sacrifice
Jesus Saves
Season in the Abyss
Hell Awaits
Dead Skin Mask
Angel of Death

encore:
South of Heaven
Raining Blood

Slipknot

Lastly, Slipknot appeared to close the show. The band has been dormant since 2009 when the group went on hiatus following a year-long world tour. In May of 2010, bassist Paul Gray died of an accidental drug overdose. The remaining eight members decided to tour, with no album plans announced, perhaps as a tribute to Gray, perhaps for the fans. Record label RoadRunner released a Greatest Hits album (“Antennas To Hell”) in July and the set reflected this. With so many members on stage, Slipknot can be a very exciting band to watch and the band did not disappoint on August 3^rd. With a drummer, two percussionists, keyboardist, DJ, two guitarists scattered around the stage, singer Corey Taylor barely had to move, though he raced about frequently. Clad in orange union suits/prison jumpsuits, and masks from various albums, the wonder of Slipknot was in full effect. As percussionists were raised up by hydraulic lifts, and lights flashed and changed color every second, the group whirled through one favorite after the next. A dedication to Paul Gray was made toward the end of the show during “Duality.” They followed this with the “get down and jump up” anthem, “Spit It Out” which cemented the band’s headlining status on the tour as pretty much the entire crowd in attendance got down and jumped up. They moved into the crowd-pleasing “People = Shit” before cranking up “Surfacing” and a Joey Jordison spinning drum solo (his drum set moved up vertically and then spun around during this break). The band closed it out with the final notes of “’Til We Die.”

Slipknot, Paul Gray tribute

Slipknot set list:

(sic)
Eyeless
Sulfur
Wait and Bleed
Before I Forget
Disasterpiece
Gently
Vermilion
The Heretic Anthem
Psychosocial
Duality
Spit It Out
People = Shit
Surfacing
‘Til We Die

Slipknot Blue

BRINGING METAL TO THE CHILDREN
(The Complete Berserker’s Guide To World Tour Domination)
Zakk Wylde (with Eric Hendrikx)
William Morrow (Harper Collins)

ZAKK WYLDE IS A BELOVED FIGURE IN HARD MUSIC.
Born Jeffrey Phillip Wielandt, Zakk was a 19 year-old Jersey boy who was plucked from obscurity in 1987 to become the new sideman to Ozzy Osbourne. He quickly set himself apart from other guitarists with his signature use of harmonics and squeals amidst dense chords and frenzied leads. He wrote great riffs and could seemingly play anything as well as if not better than anyone Ozzy had worked with before. Between gigs with Ozzy he cultivated a following with his early solo efforts before starting Black Label Society, a monster rock band with an ever-changing lineup that blended hard rock, blues and southern boogie into a ferocious sound that became synonymous a hard-drinking, hard-partying, head-banging lifestyle. Black Label Society became a movement of sorts: a sound and identity, with fanatics sporting clothes (and merchandise) to resemble band members.

As the band grew, so did Zakk’s profile. In an era consumed with pop and bereft of guitar icons and rock gods, Zakk Wylde is the last true rock star. Larger than life and more chatty than a group of teenage girls, the persona of Zakk Wylde spilled out into the world through countless appearances in music magazines, instruction videos and video games. Cameos in film and television, along with constant touring, only expanded his audience, as people fell in love with his manic joking and self-deprecating humor. He was also fond of the occasional beer and frequently enjoyed himself in the public eye. He was popular with concert promoters as his band raised the sales on beer concessions from venue to venue: his concerts were less musical exhibitions than full-on house parties. And beneath the redneck biker-Viking exterior was a regular guy who married his high-school sweetheart and is a proud father of three.

BUT INSTEAD OF GETTING A BUDWEISER COMMERCIAL, HE WROTE A BOOK. Giving Zakk Wylde a book deal is like giving car keys to a kangaroo. He doesn’t need it to get where he’s going and it’s only going to slow him down anyway. Yet somehow, Zakk and his collaborator manage to capture most of what’s cool about listening to Zakk in interviews. Unlike straight forward rise-and-fall, rags-to-riches biographies and autobiographies (i.e., “The Dirt” and “Crazy From The Heat”), this is part philosophy, part tour diary and part bar stories. Very much like Zakk Wylde (and sort of like Garrison Keilor and Tucker Max discussing The Rat Pack).

And very much like Zakk the book is written in a disjointed manner, jumping around a lot, moving from narrator to narrator, which can be confounding. While Zakk handles the bulk of the story telling, Eric Hendrikx chimes in, as do many familiars in the Black Label commonwealth. This is the largest obstacle in “Bringing Metal To The Children,” and for those not indoctrinated into the BLS canon, parts of it might fall flat. Also, Zakk is entirely too fascinated with scatological humor.

What’s really terrific about Zakk’s book is Zakk. His personality is never muted and his sense of humor remains strong and intact – he is at his entertaining best throughout. His tale, “My Run-In With Satanism” stands out as the finest example of Zakk talking about his crazy life. Like a father regaling his children of glory days and admonishing them on the dangers of life as experienced by Zakk himself, the book frequently pleases. Tales of the road and debauchery blend seamlessly with advice about music and social behavior. Zakk rarely lets down his guard, which he may not be ready to do yet, and this leaves room for a sequel or proper telling of his story one day. “Bringing Metal To The Children” may not find itself standing on a bookshelf alongside such epic must-reads as “Hammer of the Gods,” “Catch A Fire” and “No One Here Gets Out Alive,” but as an introduction to Black Label it is as necessary as any of the band’s music, and as Zakk might say, would make a great bathroom read. Also, there’s lots of pictures. The audio book, if it is ever released, should be spectacular.

MADONNA

MDNA (Deluxe Edition)

Interscope

Release date: March 23, 2012

Iconic menopausal Cloverfield monster, Madonna, who once tantalized the world with her music videos and tormented it with her trite scandalous behavior, returns to music after a few years off laying eggs and shedding her skin.

Having signed a three-record deal with a new label, Madonna is evidently going into her 50s to prove she can reclaim her status as The Queen of Pop. Like some Alien Xenomorph slithering around, she keeps coming back. Probably she was sick of watching Fergie get all the attention for lowering people’s IQs; or maybe she just got tired of chasing Sigourney Weaver. Whatever. The damnable death of culture is back with her 12^th demon-spawn and that’s pretty newsworthy for Kathie Lee and Hoda.

It certainly doesn’t matter that she’s 53 – plenty of musicians continue to make new and exciting music well into their 50s and 60s – what matters is whether or not she can deliver. The problem is, for all of her experience, Madonna has nothing new to say. In her prime, Madonna was an exciting singer and performer who changed the musical landscape by manipulating DJ culture and varying styles with a canny sense of fashion, sex, religion and self-awareness. From “Holiday” and “Vogue” to “Beautiful Stranger” and “Ray Of Light” she was a performer who continued to raise the bar and push the boundaries while staying relevant with new, different and exciting music. Lately it seems she’s abandoned being adventurous for making disposable dance music.

The album is 17 tracks of meaningless pop confections. As usual, she has tons of people producing (William Orbit, Martin Solveig among them); and young, contemporary stars who join her (Nicki Minaj, M.I.A.). “Girl Gone Wild” will be the annoying Facehugger of the summer, blasting out of every Express and Limited with subzero air conditioning and two-for-ones on leggings. The same goes for the club-thumping “Gang Bang” that features the chorus, “Bang, bang shot you dead” and has nothing to do with a “gang bang,” but since it’s more salacious to title it this way, well, who cares? It has a dubstep break (so hot right now).

A few songs in, the album drags with repetition. “I’m Addicted” and “Turn Up The Radio” (not the Autograph song and a cheap shot at getting airplay – she could have just called the song “This Radio Station Is The Best Ever!”) are slimy and boring, but have the coarse acidity of being able to burn through speakers and will likely keep Madonna in the public eye well after the Apocalypse. “Give Me All Your Luvin’” is so bankrupt of originality Gwen Stefani should be getting royalties since she basically wrote it seven years ago. “Some Girls;” “Superstar;” “I Don’t Give A” are instantly forgettable. “I’m A Sinner” is a rewrite of “Beautiful Stranger” just in time for the next installment of Austin Powers. “Love Spent;” “Masterpiece” and “Falling Free” wouldn’t qualify as b-sides for Rebecca Black singles.

Of the bonus tracks, “Beautiful Killer” is not unlistenable French electronica; but the rest is garbage. “B-Day Song” is so cheesy it should only be listened to by children under ten with pictures of ponies and rainbows on their bedroom walls. This is the fault of the Black Eyed Peas who wrote that Bar Mitzvah song (now played at every single Bar Mitzvah), so clearly Madame Xenomorph had to slime all over with something to guarantee another 50 years of cash flow. Another bonus track is a remix of “Give Me All Your Luvin’” featuring LMFAO, which says everything.

She’s not branching out, she’s not breaking barriers, she’s not trying new genres. She could be moving into Deborah Harry territory, but she’s still trying to retain her crown as the Queen of Pop. So MDNA will do very well and undoubtedly enjoy promotion from the singer’s upcoming tour, but these songs are as forgettable as the songs on her last album. She needs to go back to the Nostromo, chase Sigourney Weaver around some more, and really think about her next move.

Tesla (Troy Luccketta, second from left)

TROY LUCCKETTA IS IN LONG ISLAND. It’s a rainy Wednesday afternoon and Tesla is getting ready to sound-check for its’ show at The Paramount in Huntington. Cell phone reception is cutting in and out, and Troy only has a few minutes to talk; but he is pleasant and forthright nonetheless.

Tesla is currently on tour supporting “Twisted Wires (& The Acoustic Sessions),” an album of acoustic songs. Ten of the songs are stripped-down versions of Tesla classics from the last acoustic recordings done with former guitarist Tommy Skeoch.  Two brand new songs (“Second Street” and “Better Off Without You”) were recorded with new guitarist Dave Rude.

The band is celebrating the 25 years since it began touring in earnest (their first album, “Mechanical Resonance” came out in December of 1986 –Ed.) with a tour that began in the summer of 2011 and stretches through the end of February of this year. Drummer Troy Luccketta and his bandmates, (singer Jeff Keith, guitarist Frank Hannon and bass player Brian Wheat), are also celebrating the 20-year Anniversary of “Five Man Acoustical Jam,” an album that rocketed Tesla to the top of the BillBoard charts.

“The Twisted Wires Tour” commemorates this with an all-acoustic show which has been, unsurprisingly to Tesla fans, getting rave reviews. The band has listed several dates on its’ website for April and July and Troy made a point to address the band’s upcoming plans. He also made time to chat about his role in charity concerts for victims of the Station Nightclub Fire in Rhode Island. And although he is very humble about his contribution, it soon becomes clear what a selfless and caring person he is.

ROCKSALT.MX: Can you start off by telling a little bit about your involvement with the benefit for the Station Fire Fund in Rhode Island?

TROY LUCCKETTA: I can’t do it real quickly, but I can certainly tell you about it. The deal is, basically… well, I mean, we’d come through the area many times. And when the fire happened, we had lost a personal assistant, Jeff Rader, in the fire, and his fiancée, Rebecca Shaw, who was from Warwick, Rhode Island. So we all kinda had some close ties to it. We had met some of the survivors when we had done some meet-and-greets, you know? And they gave us all the information and the package for the stationfamilyfund.org; they were trying to raise money and do different things. Initially I was just going to send some guitars until I got on the phone and spoke with them and… well, the short version is that I went back to the bus and talked to our singer and said, “Hey Jeff, let’s say we’ll go do a concert for these people.” And we all agreed to do that

ROCKSALT: You played a couple of shows.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah, and it all started like that. It basically spearheaded from that and we did two: we did it in ’05 and ’08. The first one was Tesla and Shinedown, and Carmine Appice with Pat Travers.

ROCKSALT: That was at the Providence Performing Arts Center.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah. Then we came back and did the arena, the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

ROCKSALT: The Dunk! Although some people still call it the Providence Civic Center. And that’s like, what? 15-16 thousand people.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah. And that was in 2008. And there was a lot of people who got involved with that one. And basically what happened with that was, I went down to the venue with this guy Donovan Williams; and he went ahead and he set me up with a gal named Debra Polselli, who was the assistant to the GM over at the arena. And I just pulled out a day and grabbed a date. And once I had the date, I got a hold of everybody in Tesla; and then I just started calling people. And before you know it we had a concert! Then VH1 got involved, and filmed it and aired it; Dee Snider was the host – it’s all over the internet and they’ve been playing that stuff on YouTube. “The Station Family Fire Concert in ’08,” stuff like that.

Click to watch Tesla performing “Love Song” at the Station Benefit in Providence, Rhode Island in 2008.

ROCKSALT: That’s wonderful.

TROY LUCCKETTA: It really was. Everybody from Aaron Lewis, Tesla, Dierks Bentley – a lot of country artists came. We had John Rich from Big and Rich, Gretchen Wilson; and then Twisted Sister, Tom Scholz from Boston, Winger, Stryper, Eric Martin form Mr. Big.… it was a lot of people and a lot of people who donated their talent and time. Yeah, it was a really good thing and we raised about 600 grand. It was really successful and it really worked. It was just one of those things, man, and it just… it just blew up my faith, you know?

ROCKSALT: That’s magnificent. Had you ever played The Station before?

TROY LUCCKETTA: I never did, but my singer Jeff, he did when he had his band called Bar Seven.

ROCKSALT: Right on. Do you have ideas or indication if something is going to happen next year for for the tenth anniversary? It seems odd to call it an anniversary, though…

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah, it is the tenth year. Yeah. I was talking to Gina Russo last night when we played. She’s had over a hundred surgeries, God bless her. And she looks really good now; she’s just been through a lot. She and Donovan came out last night, out in New Haven; and she’s got a book out - and a documentary she’s putting together. To go with the book, I think. That’s gonna happen sometime next year, I think. I don’t know what, if anything else, I’m not really sure. I think there will be something to commemorate the tenth year, but, I’m not sure what.

ROCKSALT: Very cool. Thank you for sharing that.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Of course. You know what? The bottom line is: that’s where the rubber meets the road. And that’s what, that we could actually do something with all the stuff we do out here, and this talent. You just start to grab people and it doesn’t take a lot to get people to show up, that’s really all it is, what it’s about. It’s calling. You just reach for the phone and you call people that you know in the business and before you know it you’ve got a concert. And it benefits all these people that have been… just been through so much, you know?

ROCKSALT: Of course, and thank you. I know it’s a bit of sad topic to start off with.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Nah, the topic, it’s fine. It’s… it’s just life. It’s reality, man. You know? But we can talk about all the good stuff, too! We’re out playing and doin’ fine!

ROCKSALT: You just started your tour. How was the first night?

TROY LUCCKETTA: Kicked off last night in New Haven, yeah. Valentine’s Day! It was all good, man! Every show people have a wonderful time!

ROCKSALT: You kicked off your first big tour, opening for David Lee Roth, on January 14, 1987, at the New Haven Colliseum. That was 25 years ago.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah, we were just talkin’ about that last night! That was a long time ago, man.

ROCKSALT: And now, of course, you’re out promoting “Twisted Wires.” What was the motivation for doing an album of acoustic versions of your songs? This is something you’ve obviously done before.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Well, it’s the 20^th Anniversary of “Five Man Acoustical Jam.” So we thought let’s put something out there and out and do a few shows and have some fun. You know? And that’s what we do. We just enjoy what we do. We keep it simple and we play music. If it’s electric, which it’s been most of the time, and that’s great. Because we had so much success with the “Five Man Acoustical Jam” that we’re not doing like, this whole big crazy show. There’s not a lot around it, promoting, but we’re doing just doing some dates, it’s an acknowledgement. You know what I mean? So it’s a pretty simple deal, it’s nothin’ too blown out, you know? We just packed up some acoustic guitars and go out; and we’re strippin’ it down and people dig it. It’s a good show!

ROCKSALT: It’s a nice contrast that you go back and forth from live to unplugged.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah. It really works. You know what? If it’s electric I enjoy it because I gotta work a little hard and I don’t have to be so lazy. And with my drums, at my age I can just play a little harder! (laughs) But outside of that, when we do this kind of show, I do enjoy the break and the fun; and I get to kick back, so that’s pretty cool, too!

ROCKSALT: Didn’t Tesla actually start out playing in bars, acoustically? Playing covers and things like that?

TROY LUCCKETTA: Back in the day before I joined them, they were definitely doing covers and things of that nature. But they had some originals. Everybody kinda starts with that, it seems like.

ROCKSALT: Not all bands; and a lot of bands can’t play acoustically.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Well, for us, it was part of everything. And it’s just, it’s a pretty natural progression for us to do it, you know? It’s just what we do, you know?

ROCKSALT: Tesla really nails it. The songs on “Twisted Wires” sound just as good, if not better acoustically.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah, you know? It’s just something that we’re really comfortable with. And we really enjoy doing it. It’s pretty cool. It’s all good!

ROCKSALT: One of the songs you did acoustically for “Twisted Wires” is “Hang Tough” from The Great Radio Controversy. That was a big hit for you guys. How important is radio to Tesla in the 21^st Century?

TROY LUCCKETTA: Oh, yeah, absolutely! Radio does matter to me. It matters a lot to me, but unfortunately, I don’t know if we matter to radio. (laughs) How’s that? (laughs) It would be nice to have a big giant hit, have the whole thing reinvented and all that; but… you know, it certainly matters, but we’re kinda cool with a lot of radio - radio stations – so we’re thankful for all that we have and what we’ve done. At the same time, we’re just plugging along and if they jump on and they support it, we’re very happy when they do. And if they don’t, you just gotta keep plugging along and do what you do, you know? And that’s what we’re doing.

ROCKSALT: Are there places you go where you can always count on radio support?

TROY LUCCKETTA: Absolutely. Different markets, sure. There are certain markets that are better than others, so it’s like anything that’s being sold. You’ve got your strong markets, your weaker markets, you’re A, B, C markets. There’s secondary markets and we still go and we play.

ROCKSALT: This seems like a short tour for the band; will you be adding more dates later on?

TROY LUCCKETTA: We’re probably not going to be doing a whole lotta touring touring. But we are going to continue doing dates I think, May through September. A lot of “fly” dates – you go fly out and play and fly home. There’s talk about a (redacted –Ed.) tour coming up here in June that we might do, for about five or six weeks.

ROCKSALT: Wow, that would great!

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah, we come back to NYC for Jones Beach, I see that one on there. So that’s part of it, too.

ROCKSALT: But that’s not official, yet?

TROY LUCCKETTA: It’s, ah… nah. Yeah, you should probably just keep it on the low… but, ah… yeah, it’s not a hundred per cent confirmed but it’s confirmed.

ROCKSALT: That’s fantastic.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah, I think that’s gonna happen because we just talked about it and said “Yes” to it last night, so…

ROCKSALT: And would you be playing electric… or acoustic?

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah, those will be electric shows. So people will be able to get the best of both worlds from Tesla this year.

ROCKSALT: Acoustic and electric in 2012. Excellent. Now I know we have to keep this brief since you’re playing tonight. So here’s your last question: Tesla has covered “War Pigs” in the past, I know you performed it the last time you played acoustically at Irving Plaza in New York City.

TROY LUCCKETTA: Oh, yeah. Right. That’s not in the set this time. Sorry.

ROCKSALT: Well, I wonder, as a drummer and obviously a fan of their music, if you have an opinion about what’s currently going on with Bill Ward and Black Sabbath?

TROY LUCCKETTA: Well, what is going on with Bill? I think Bill’s great, I’ve always loved Bill Ward.

ROCKSALT: I was referring to whether or not he’s back for the Sabbath reunion this year?

TROY LUCCKETTA: Oh, wow. I don’t even know what’s going on there. I don’t really have an opinion on all that. There’s so many things that happen in this business, and I don’t mean to be mean, but it doesn’t matter what I think, you know what I mean? I mean it’s like, c’mon – I want MIcheal Anthony in Van Halen – but, you know? (laughs)

ROCKSALT: Fair enough. Well thanks for taking the time, Troy. We’ll look forward to seeing out on tour and maybe later this year!

TROY LUCCKETTA: Yeah, you got it man! Thanks a lot! And just tell people to come out and have a good time!

Visit Tesla online for news and tour updates:

teslatheband.com
Tesla on MySpace 

Track listing
“Collapse in Eternal Worth”
“When Steel and Bone Meet”
“Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word”
“In Deathless Tradition”
“Judgement of the Bleeding Crown”
“Embodiment of this Bitter Chaos”
“Beyond the Spell of Discontent”
“Death to the Architects of Heaven”
“An End to Nothing”
“My Name is Frightful Among the Believers”

“New Orleans is one of the world’s most fascinating cities. Steeped in a history of influences from Europe, the Caribbean, Africa and beyond, it’s a brilliant mosaic of culture, food and music. You’ll find brimming bowls of gumbo, late nights in jazz clubs, strolls through historic neighborhoods and tantalizing festivals throughout the year. Come down and experience one of America’s most culturally and historically rich destinations.” -neworleansonline.com (The Official New Orleans Tourism Website)

The City That Care Forgot is well known for Mardi Gras, Étouffée and Le Vieux Carre. Hurricane Katrina cast a long shadow of hopelessness and despair upon the fabled town, but there has been a baneful presence growing since before 2005. Not even Sean Payton and Drew Brees could forestall the onslaught that is Goatwhore.

Formed in New Orleans at the end of the 90s, Goatwhore is something of an American black metal supergroup. Sammy Duet, guitarist from Acid Bath (and Crowbar) and vocalist Louis B. Falgoust II from Soilent Green started the band and brought influences of doom, sludge and grind from their respective former bands. After a number of changes the band added bassist James Harvey (Ritual Killer) and drummer Zack Simmons (from Nachtmystium) and have toured heavily since getting signed to Metal Blade in 2006.

Goatwhore makes crushing music: death metal style with elements of black metal (or, blackened death metal, if you prefer), the band exceeds any genrefication. Fast playing, squealing leads, frenetic drumming and coarse vocals comprise the bulk of the sound on “Blood For The Master.” The lyrics are tastefully nasty and bleak, often referring to a doomed heaven, crumbling like a bankrupt corporation; and a coming darkness (interestingly, the lyrics only mention Satan once). But what makes Goatwhore stand out is the sheer powerful appeal of the riffs. This is not just death, this is death and roll.

The album opens abruptly with “Collapse in Eternal Worth,” set-off by a furious drum attack and the throaty, spirited growl of Louis Falgoust II. When the song changes tempo and slows around :45, Falgoust warms and as he does, the song becomes rock even if only for the break. But it’s a foreshadowing of the rest of what “Blood For The Master” has to offer. “When Steel And Bone Meet” is a catchy, burning number that defines the album. A heavy, infectious guitar riff played at hardcore speed, with guttural vocals and a fat bottom bass that grooves as Sammy Duet’s scorching leads out-Zakk Black Label Society, while Falgoust sings of a war with heaven. The song clocks in at a cool three minutes and thirteen seconds and is easily “the hit.”

The album has plenty of standouts among the ten songs. “Parasitic Scriptures of the Sacred Word” is a heavy, black/death pounder with a grove break that slams; “In Deathless Tradition” opens with a black metal crack and segues into a mosh-groove Anthrax would kill for. “Embodiment of This Bitter Chaos” starts with acoustic strumming and wailing electric solo before crashing into a death march and breaking into a thrash attack. “Death to the Architects Of Heaven” reaches blast-beat speed and circles back into a blistering thrash riff as the singer rails against religion, “Rip out these hearts/Of this holy disguise/The beating heart of heaven, torn from the skies.” The album concludes with “My Name is Frightful Among the Believers,” a crushing black metal hymn to the abyss, punishing in its’ speed and pure in its’ hatred.

Fast, brutal, hook-filled groove-laden metal that calls to mind aspects of Immortal, Satyricon, Konkhra, Deicide and Black Label Society, this album is straight-up Death N’Roll for the masses, and it is fantastic. However Goatwhore chooses to identify, “Blood For The Master” is a killer collection of black death thrash rock that is destined to be on every “Best of” list at the end of the year. They are the Creole Jambalaya of extreme metal. Ils fais du mal et ils fais es il tres bien: Laissez Le Mal Temp Rouler!

Goatwhore.net

JACKY BLACQUE IS A VERY MYSTERIOUS WOMAN. As a backup singer for the industrial dance sensation My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Jacky Blacque stood out not only for her voice but for her captivating sex appeal and stinging wit. She was fun to watch on stage and funny to chat with afterwards. Miss Blacque has been with Thrill Kill from the beginning but she’s been away since their reunion tour with Lords Of Acid in 2010, and has been conspicuously absent from the music scene. Her web presence… is zero.

My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult was formed in Chicago in 1987 by Frankie Nardiello and Marston Daley. Inspired by kitschy pulp novels and trashy movies, the two friends envisioned making their own “B movie” with a soundtrack to match. The film was never finished but the demo they recorded to score it got them a deal with WaxTrax! Records and so the band was born. Combining dance-pop and programming with heavy, pounding beats, the music of My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult was awash in catchy choruses and tawdry lyrics. Nardiello and Daley, now Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy, wrote and recorded all the music; and when they needed a chorus of girls, manipulated their own voices in the studio to achieve this. However, in order to play live, the band recruited three female friends from the nightclub scene they patronized: among them, Jacky Blacque. They were called “The Bomb Gang Girlz.”

The story of the band is chronicled on the group’s website (and on Wikipedia). But finding out anything about Jacky Blacque is like playing a psychotic “Where’s Waldo?” She’s a mystery wrapped inside a riddle inside an enigma.

ROCKSALT.MX was fortunate enough to track her down and get her on the phone. She is both very shy and very outspoken. She downplays her role in Thrill Kill and is indifferent to the idea that she broke down barriers as a black woman in an industrial band. Whether being modest or jaded, Miss Blacque was always charming and spoke candidly about her early days and wild times with The Thrill Kill Kult. She loves music, she loves to travel, and she likes to party. She’s been fired by the band (twice) and she’s always good to her fans. And if you get belligerent on the tour bus, she’ll put you in a headlock and throw you the hell off!

ROCKSALT: You haven’t toured with Thrill Kill in a while.

JACKY BLACQUE: No, I haven’t. I have not been with them in quite some time. I came back for the Lords of Acid/Thrill Kill Kult Ten Year Anniversary of “The Sextacy Ball” that happened… ten, fifteen years ago. That was in July and August of 2010. Then I did the Wax Trax! Reunion in Chicago; but that’s pretty much it.

ROCKSALT: People have been wondering where you are: you’re certainly beloved. But you have zero web presence. You need a detective to track you down.

JACKY BLACQUE: That’s a good thing. I have to maintain my mystique! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: Don’t you think there’s people out there who are interested in what you’ve been up to and why you’ve been away? And why you tour so infrequently with Thrill Kill? I’m curious.

JACKY BLACQUE: (laughs) Oh, well, if they want to know, let’s tell ‘em all right now!

ROCKSALT: Okay! What are you doing?

JACKY BLACQUE: Well… I live in Washington, D.C. (pause) Thrill Kill was… um, was-is a fun part of my life, you know, because basically you get paid to work an hour and a half a day, right? Maybe two hours a day. (laughs) And it was great. I got to see all of these United States for free, and hang out with fun people… and drink. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. You just fill in those blanks, okay? You have spoken with Al (Jourgensen), I saw that interview. Soo… that was that. And when I’m needed – and when I’m available – I go out with them; otherwise, I haven’t been with them for approximately ten years.

ROCKSALT: Wow, okay…

JACKY BLACQUE: Or seven years? Seven years; something like that, yeah.

ROCKSALT: Why haven’t you done anything since then?

JACKY BLACQUE: What do you mean?

ROCKSALT: No solo records? No new projects?

JACKY BLACQUE: Solo stuff? Oh, GOD, no! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: No?

JACKY BLACQUE: No! Buzz and I do do some stuff when I go out to visit him. He lives out in L.A…. (But) the record industry is just HORRIBLE! You know? They treat you like the next big thing and then they dump you. Ahh! No! Thrill Kill Kult is my one and only band for life.

ROCKSALT: Your band for life, but only when you’re available. So there’s a chance we’ll see your return?

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh… I don’t know. I doubt it.

ROCKSALT: Are you interested or comfortable in speaking about what you’re doing these days?

JACKY BLACQUE: (long pause) Ahh… yeah, you know – things. Work. I’m going to buy a boat – a catamaran – and sail around the world.

ROCKSALT: You’re…

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah! Seriously, yeah!

ROCKSALT: That’s pretty excellent.

JACKY BLACQUE: Uh-huh!

ROCKSALT: What precipitated that?

JACKY BLACQUE: Well, I don’t want to work anymore. I mean, who does, right?

ROCKSALT: No one.

JACKY BLACQUE: And I figure that would be a wonderful thing to do. I’d just have my boat and I’d go sailing and fish for food and… you know. That’s it!

ROCKSALT: So that’s the “Jet Set” life that’s referred to in your bio on the Thrill Kill site?

JACKY BLACQUE: (laughs) That’s what I want to do now! God only remembers what I was talking about then! You know? (laughs) But that’s what I’m planning to do now, and hopefully Buzz will come with me because he knows how to sail. I don’t. (laughs)

ROCKSALT: You don’t know how to sail?

JACKY BLACQUE: (laughs) No!

ROCKSALT: But that’s something you want to do.

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah, exactly!

ROCKSALT: So, Jacky Blacque. Buzz and Frankie do tons of press. But what about you? What about everyone else?

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah, well, there is no one else, really. Buzz and Frank, yeah; and the supporting cast, so to speak. (laughs) A cast of characters!

ROCKSALT: How did you come to join them in the first place?

JACKY BLACQUE: (pause) I… was living in Chicago, at that time, and I’d go out to the clubs, you know? I was always out. I worked at a bar, three or four days a week; and the other three or four days a week I was out at bars. And I met Marsden – Buzz – one day, and I asked him if he could give me a ride home. And he said, “Sure.” And then later, another time, I asked him if I could buy him a drink. And he said, “Yeah,” and that’s basically how it started. And then the next thing I know, I get a phone call, voice message, from Kitty Kildare. One of the other Bomb Gang Girlz. And she says, “Buzz wants you to call him. He wants you to sing backup in his band.” And I thought that was kinda weird, because I didn’t really know her that well – she worked at another bar. And that’s how it happened.

ROCKSALT: What was the bar you worked at?

JACKY BLACQUE: I didn’t work at any of the bars where I met them, I went to them. Kitty worked at Exit, and I used to go to Exit, and Mars and Frank-Groovie went there as well. I met Marsden at Smart Bar in Chicago; and the first Blondie – her name was, uh… God, I can’t even remember, but she was a Bomb Gang Girl – she worked at Smart Bar as a cocktail waitress. So that’s how… it was very incestuous.

ROCKSALT: Are any of those bars still around?

JACKY BLACQUE: Exit is still around, at a different location. Smart Bar is still there, just redesigned. But not really, because it still looks a shame! (laughs) Actually, I was just there not too long ago, for the WaxTrax! reunions they did.

ROCKSALT: So what were doing at the time? Were you in school?

JACKY BLACQUE: No, I was bartending at another bar, further north, that none of those people frequented. It was more of a “House” club: it was called (redacted, Ed.). Actually, don’t put that in there! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: Why not? Is it something bad? What is it, a strip bar?

JACKY BLACQUE: No. It’ll just date me; it will age me. (laughs) Anyway! Buzz and Groovie had met on a tour for Ministry and had a project together, and they decided to go off to Belgium and do something with Luc Van Acker. So we – meaning all the people from all the bars – had a goodbye party for Groovie and Mars, and that’s when, I guess, we were all in the same place that we actually knew we were all there together. And that’s where it all came from, and where it all started for us, for the Bomb Gang Girlz.

ROCKSALT: Had you sung before?

JACKY BLACQUE: No! (laughs) In the shower! (laughs) You know? They basically, Buzz and Frank – “Groovie” – they just picked three chicks from the crew of women they knew from various bars. And it just happened to be me, Kitty and Blondie. And that’s how that happened.

ROCKSALT: And that’s how that happened…

JACKY BLACQUE: Mm-hmm.

ROCKSALT: And what songs do you actually sing on?

JACKY BLACQUE: Songs that I actually sing on? I sing on “Confessions of a Knife” on “Mommy.” On “Sexplosion” there’s a couple: the lead singer for “Sexplosion” was Jazzie and she does a lot of the high end, and I’d do the harmony.

ROCKSALT: So it wasn’t Groovie and Buzz?

JACKY BLACQUE: That was for the first one. On the very first one there were no Bomb Gang Girlz – on the very first cd, “I See Good Spirits, I See Bad Spirits.” Groovie and Buzz, when they were in Belgium, they tweaked their vocals to be high end to sound like girls. So when they came back, that’s when they go the Bomb Gang Girlz together. So there were no female vocals on that cd; on all the rest going forward they had women singing. And that’s how I got started.

ROCKSALT: And how did your contribution evolve over the years?

JACKY BLACQUE: Well, I was just the one person that was always available; as opposed to Kitty and Blondie, as they had set schedules. So I just went out more with them and I think I was a little bit more… extroverted than they were. So that kinda helped. You know? So they kept me around; and I’ve been around on and off, good times, bad times – I’ve been fired more times than I could probably remember…

ROCKSALT: Fired by… those guys?

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, yeah! (laughs) Oh yeah!

ROCKSALT: For what?

JACKY BLACQUE: Insubordination! (laughs) And excessiveness!

ROCKSALT: Excessiveness..?

JACKY BLACQUE: Excessive drinking! Excessive partying! (laughs) Yeah, you name it, I got fired for it! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: That must have been pretty big, considering… the, uh, stories about the band… I would imagine.

JACKY BLACQUE: Ah, well… you know. When I say “excessive”… I’m not underestimating the effect of the word: excessive! So… there you go.

ROCKSALT: So you were asked to leave for…

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, no – I was fired! (laughs) There was no ‘asked to leave’ (laughs). Okay… let me try to explain it. You’re on a tour bus. Have you ever been on a tour bus?

ROCKSALT: Many times. In fact, the first one I was ever on was on your tour bus after the “13 Above The Night” show in Providence, Rhode Island.

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, right! (laughs) So you know how it is. There’s that fake living room with the lavatory off to the side; there’s the middle part with the bunks, maybe twelve bunks, six by six, or eight bunks depending on how big the bunks are and how much money you have to spend, and then you have the bathroom. When you’re in those cold confines for aaalll this time – three, four, five, six weeks – it gets very difficult. You know? Because we have lots of different personalities. And I’ve got a very strong… somewhat overbearing, but that’s just me, personality. And when I get pissed I like to let everybody know. BUT. That being said – and make sure you add this – our whole theory in the band was  “All fights are over in the morning!” That was it. So anyway… I pissed a bunch of people off, I got into a fight with the lead singer, I beat him up and he fired me. Bang, there you go!

ROCKSALT: (laughs) You beat up… like you actually threw punches and kicks, or what?

JACKY BLACQUE: I didn’t say argued, did I? I know the difference between arguing and beating. (laughs)

ROCKSALT: So you were fired – and then you got asked back?

JACKY BLACQUE: Apparently. (laughs)

ROCKSALT: So everything was water under the bridge at that point?

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah…

ROCKSALT: How long after the firing was it before you got asked back?

JACKY BLACQUE: A couple of tours later.

ROCKSALT: You must have felt pretty good about that.

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah. It was fun. It was fun going across the country, enjoying the hospitality of the locals, while everybody was trying to have a good time and treat you well and dancing and singing and staying up all night. It was just a wonderful environment. If you ever go on tour, you have to realize that that’s the most amazing thing in the world because everybody’s constantly telling you the best things about their city and taking you there, and to the best bars in their city, or the best stores, or the best… whatever there is. You know? Drag shows! And that’s the greatest most powerful thing that touring had, for me: it has this hold on you. Because I remember, I would look at my tour schedule, tour books; and right when we would hit halfway all of a sudden I would become really depressed. Well, not really depressed, but you know, because I knew it was going to be over soon. And there’s this weird transition where you go from the last day of the tour where everybody loads out, you get your luggage and you take your cabs home. And you’re at home and there’s nobody there. Nobody calling you: nothing. Nobody saying “We’re going to do this! We’re going to do that!” So you go from being this huge ball of energy to… a rock. You know? It’s very different. Or the time that we did a show at Medusa in Chicago – we did an early show. It was like 10 o’clock, Friday. We did the show, and then I left and I go to work and I’m bartending. It was like, “Ohhh…” Fifteen minutes ago people were praising me; and now people are being freaking assholes to me over one drink. It’s very… it’s one of those very up and down… (pause) Okay, I’ve ranted enough. What else do you want to know?

ROCKSALT: Well, how did you cope with that feeling, then? What did you do?

JACKY BLACQUE: Drugs.

ROCKSALT: Ah…

JACKY BLACQUE: (laughs) I’m just kidding! Ah… you just look forward to the next show, or the next tour.

ROCKSALT: Were you able to have a life? Or is that the life?

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, did I seem like I was unhappy about it? I loved it! It was great, everything about it! But there are ups and downs, I’m just showing you… of being on tour. I loved it – I still love it. When I went out with Lords of Acid it was great. Draining. Because the schedule now is so much different than when we first went out. You’re working five, six nights a week which puts a lot of strain on the body when you have to do a show and then party all night! (laughs) Poor me! You know? Going to sleep at six and then getting up at two and then having to do it all over again! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: So they asked you back for the Lords of Acid tour because…

JACKY BLACQUE: Because they wanted all original members from the Lords of Acid/Thrill Kill thing we did those years prior. There weren’t all original members in Lords of Acid from the tour ten years before, so they wanted all original Thrill Kill members. And since I was on vacation, instead of going to Antigua – no, not Antigua. It was someplace in Southeast Asia. Instead of doing that, I went on tour.

ROCKSALT: What drew you to Southeast Asia originally?

JACKY BLACQUE: I’ve been there quite a few times. I love it. Been to Viet Nam twice, and Cambodia – every place. Bali. Everything is just so different and so hot – I love hot sweltering weather and lots of fruit! There’s just something about it – you’ve gotta go, you’ll love it!

ROCKSALT: Can we talk a little about the albums? “13 Above The Night” and “Hit And Run Holiday” come to mind…

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah, that was my favorite, “Hit And Run Holiday.” It was supposed to be a Bomb Gang Girlz cd. It was supposed to be, the concept of the whole cd, was the Bomb Gang Girlz. So when we toured it was going to be a tour with the Thrill Kill Kult and the Bomb Gang Girlz. But… you know how things are. It just started to meld together and it became us, both. Because if you notice, a lot of the songs are… there’s a lot of female vocals. And you really didn’t see that… not even “13 Above The Night.” That has sporadic female vocals, but “Hit And Run” is predominantly, I would say a good 60 per cent, right? From what I recall of our vocals. And then that’s when we were going to make the movie…

ROCKSALT: The movie?

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeeaaahhh… “The Thrill Kill Kult Movie!” (laughs) Yeah, I don’t think we have a… actually it was going to be a rock opera. Like “Tommy” or a “Tommy”-type thing, but not like that.

ROCKSALT: Was there ever an actual treatment, or was this just… bar talk?

JACKY BLACQUE: No-ooh! (pause) Yes! (laughs) There is some footage… but we decided it wouldn’t be in the best interests of anybody’s future political career, so… (laughs).

ROCKSALT: Ah. Okay. And this was, the movie, this was after WaxTrax!…?

JACKY BLACQUE: No, that was… what was the label? (pause) Interscope! That was in those days. It was always a thought, early on; but it was kinda planned out more during those days, at Interscope. And then it just went by the wayside.

ROCKSALT: Were you, or you and the Bomb Gang Girlz, officially signed to Interscope?

JACKY BLACQUE: It was Thrill Kill Kult and whatever Thrill Kill Kult wanted to do. And Thrill Kill Kult is basically Groovie and Buzz; and then they hire – and fire – whomever they want! (laughs) However often they want!

ROCKSALT: You’re so blasé about it. Did you consider at the time that you might be something of an innovator, intentionally or otherwise?

JACKY BLACQUE: How so?

ROCKSALT: Well, perhaps it doesn’t seem to be a big deal on reflection, but at the time being a black female singer in alternative music, certainly industrial, was something of a rarity.

JACKY BLACQUE: (laughs) Well, you have to realize now, I’m not a singer. I was just a woman in a bar and they asked me to sing something for them. So I wasn’t traveling in the music scene, so to speak. The only time I went to the studios was when Thrill Kill Kult or some other people that were on the WaxTrax! label said, “Do you want to come by?” – because it was kind of a party time. There was a place called “Chicago Trax” on… Chicago?

ROCKSALT: You certainly became synonymous with Thrill Kill as a presence.

JACKY BLACQUE: Well, it was just personality. I mean, Buzz and Groovie were looking for someone else to share the spotlight and they didn’t want to be bothered. And they were looking for personality. (laughs) And we – meaning the first three Bomb Gang Girlz, me, Kitty Kildare and Rhonda Bond – were people they had met in bars with what they thought had personality! And that’s where we came from: the fact that we could sing was incidental. We were all kinda disheveled and overweight… and drunk and happy! (laughs) And I can say that I still am – though I’m not too much overweight now, but I am disheveled.

ROCKSALT: And you don’t consider yourself a singer so much as a personality.

JACKY BLACQUE: No. You have to realize that a lot of the high end vocals came from Shawn Christopher. She was a friend of mine who, Buzz asked me when he was doing one of the cds, if I knew someone who had a little bit more range than I did. And I was like, “Yeah!” Her name was Jazzie, her Thrill Kill Kult name, and she came in and did a lot of the power vocals and I harmonized behind her. So we mixed it up that way. I was around more because of job availability. The other two girls, Kitty and Rhonda, they worked at Smart Bar and Exit or vice versa, and they couldn’t get away. I worked at a bar, but I had more leeway: I only worked three days a week back then so I could get away more often. Therefore, I went out with them more. (pause) Plus I was more fun anyway! (laughs) And that’s kinda how that happened.

ROCKSALT: Okay!

JACKY BLACQUE: After the very first tour we did, we did a bunch of small tours called the “Infernal Express.” And basically we’d go out on a weekend, two weekends in a row, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and then come back. So because I was the only one available, I went. At least, that’s what Buzz told me. (laughs)

ROCKSALT: But now years later, you’re maybe planning to sail around the world with Buzz – so you’re still in touch with him?

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, yeah! Please! I see him every… well, I go there for Christmas and New Year’s or Thanksgiving. Always have, for the past twenty years.

ROCKSALT: So you haven’t even been in Chicago for twenty years?

JACKY BLACQUE: No, I’ve not been in Chicago for six years. And I can’t remember how long he’s been out of Chicago. I wanna say… (pause) well, a while., I don’t even remember. I was in Chicago, left; went to New Orleans, then went to Atlanta, then back to Chicago. Then I went down to Miami, then back to Chicago; and now I’m in D.C.

ROCKSALT: Why all the moving around? Why those places?

JACKY BLACQUE: I just like to travel. It’s fun, don’t you think? I mean, before you moved to New York, you were in Rhode Island – or somewhere, right?

ROCKSALT: Well, true.

JACKY BLACQUE: It’s just fun going to new places and meeting different people, et cetera, et cetera. I think.

ROCKSALT: Is that part of why you moved around so much – the hot weather?

JACKY BLACQUE: I went to Miami first when I was a kid. And New Orleans – I was there pre-Katrina. And it’s the most beautiful place in the world. They have those cypress trees, with the Spanish moss hanging off of them; and then the fog creeps in and it’s just amazing. It’s like a fantasy story that you’ve walked into.

ROCKSALT: That’s a big contrast from Chicago and D.C.

JACKY BLACQUE: I hate D.C. One out of ten, maybe one out of five people here work for the government and they’re all these robots. They never say anything that’s outta place – my personality does not fit! Most people just look at me when I say something, so of course I instigate them and they don’t have anything to say. But the money’s good. And it’s a good place to be in the recession. I’ve been here about five years now, and when I got here it was just the start.

ROCKSALT: So you’re not singing with a band and you don’t like the city but the money’s good even though people are robots. How do you entertain yourself?

JACKY BLACQUE: (laughs) I play pool! And I play the piano! Dancing is the one thing that I miss, I don’t do it as much as I’d like to – at all. Which is why I’m playing the piano: even though it’s not the same, it’s different – obviously – it’s a very sedentary life. The life of the dead! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: And now you’re in D.C. Are you still tending bar?

JACKY BLACQUE: Noooo. I wish! (laughs) I wish I was, though; but I am not. I… (pause) I deal with money.

ROCKSALT: You deal with money? Fair enough. Top secret and all that?

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah!

ROCKSALT: Okay! Well, can you share some stories about being on the road with Thrill Kill? Some of the good, some of the bad?

JACKY BLACQUE: Some of the good times with Thrill Kill Kult? Ahh… there were a lot! Well… one of my favorite memories, and this is the first tour we ever did, we were going someplace in the South. We were in one of the Carolinas, I do believe. And we stopped in this hotel, to sleep, blah, blah, blah. And we get to the hotel and all the parking lot is full. We finally get into the hotel, get our rooms, we all go to sleep. The next morning we wake up, and the parking lot is empty – well, of course that makes sense. So we’re sitting on the bus or in the van or whatever it was and everybody’s talking about their dreams. And all of us, or 90 per cent of us, had the same basic dream: someone was standing over us or hovering above us while we slept. And it was one of those things where you’re out to dinner with somebody and you say, “Wow, I had the weirdest dream last night!” And somebody said the same thing, and then they did, and they did; and then everybody’s Bible – in the hotel room – was open to the same page!

ROCKSALT: Weird.

JACKY BLACQUE:  Weird! It’s not like we read the Bible before we went to bed! (laughs) Okay, we did do that every now and again! (laughs) But that was really weird. I think it was a “Scottish Inn” too, or something like it. It was very weird because I remembered my dream vividly: I couldn’t move and there was a person at the end of the bed, just looking at me. Maybe it was because we all did the same… ah, nevermind. (laughs)

ROCKSALT: Okay…

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh! And then we were in one hotel that caught on fire, and one of our band members had to jump out the window…

ROCKSALT: Who jumped out the window?

JACKY BLACQUE: I think it was the drummer, but – oh! This current tour we went on – do you know the Utah story?

ROCKSALT: No, what happened?

JACKY BLACQUE: We went to Utah. We were playing… whatever. Some place. This was on the last tour I did, the Anniversary tour with the Lords of Acid. So, we’re in Utah, and we were first. Thrill Kill was on first. And Groovie wanted to go out into the crowd, and I was a little tired; so I just gave Groovie to these fans, just to watch and then have fun. So, they do. And me and Buzz went on the bus. And we’re hanging out and all of sudden this guy comes on and he says, “I’ve come for Frank!” Groovie, you know? And I’m like, “He’s not on the bus.” And he says, “I’m Frank’s bodyguard!” and the guy got really belligerent… so I put him in a chokehold and…

ROCKSALT: You put him in a chokehold?

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah, and the drummer was hitting him. Anyway, he finally gets off the bus, and he leaves his backpack behind. So we looked inside and his backpack had three – THREE – nine millimeters and five extra clips! I swear to God!

ROCKSALT: Holy shit!

JACKY BLACQUE: (laughs) So ooo-kayyy! And the whole time this is going on, the members of Lords of Acid are waiting in this guy’s car to go to another bar. Now that’s pretty much as strange as it gets. I think.

ROCKSALT: Wow. So what did you do with the bag?

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, we gave it to the cops. The cops came, they arrested him. And they found two AK-47s in his car, too! Can you believe it? Don’t go to Utah! You know? Don’t even drive through it – just fly over it! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: (laughs) Yeah, I guess. I think the takeaway here is “Don’t Fuck With Jacky!”

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah! (laughs) And it was really messed up because the drummer broke his hand when he hit the guy, so he had to quit the tour. Drama.

ROCKSALT: You’ve played a lot of places and clubs over the years, some crazy, some maybe not. What do you think about the way the scene has changed?

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, it’s just changed dramatically! Back then you had all these breakout record labels, you know? WaxTrax! and everything that was going down in Washington with the grunge stuff, and all the stuff that was going on in Texas and all the different types of music that was coming out, and it was very exciting. Now, I don’t see that very much. Or it’s all college-based. It just doesn’t seem like it’s happening as much. The first time we came to D.C. we played at a place called the 9:30 Club.

ROCKSALT: Famous place.

JACKY BLACQUE: And now that I live here, years later, I don’t see any bands that are, like, different. So to speak. They all seem to be pigeon-holed. Which is kinda sad. And everything is electronic now; of course there’s nothing wrong with that because that’s how we lived, but it just doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of cutting edge music, or lyrics. Nothing. I guess everybody says that at some point.

ROCKSALT: What were you into before you joined the Thrill Kill Kult?

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, well, I loved hip-hop and punk music. I was really into punk. I was into hip-hop and punk in the beginning days: they had the same message. Different continents of course, but it was the same. We’re being passed over by our government, but they each had a unique way, a different way of projecting those thoughts. But the same message, so to speak. I think.

ROCKSALT: Sure.

JACKY BLACQUE: And I love the English Beat! I LOVE them! I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! Oh! I remember the first EP – “Twist And Crawl!” Right? I must have played that thing to death! (laughs) “Faster, faster, faster, faster – STOP!” My favorite, favorite, favorite, favorite group! I love them! God… them and The Specials. I mean, I hold them – they’re on an altar. Just amazing. And I loved the whole inter-racial aspect of both of the bands, you know?

ROCKSALT: As do I.

JACKY BLACQUE: You know, one of my favorite bands was – oh, God, I forgot their name! (pause) They did this song called, “Alternative Ulster”…

ROCKSALT: Stiff Little Fingers.

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah! Stiff Little Fingers! One of my favorite bands! You listen to those lyrics and it’s very expressive, very thoughtful about what was going on. And, in their time, if you listen to some old Public Enemy, you get the same type of knowledge. I think. So… that’s what I was into then.

ROCKSALT: And how did Thrill Kill affect your taste, if they did?

JACKY BLACQUE: Ah-ha! Thrill Kill was definitely different because Buzz and Groovie put together a bunch of people from completely different backgrounds. You know? People that I never would have been in such close quarters with for so long. So, you’re listening to the music that they like, that they’re playing in the bus, so you get opened up to different types of music. Different types of personalities, I mean… our first keyboardist was a Nazi for crying out loud! (laughs) So that made after-show quiet time interesting. He was a Nazi. His name was Thomas. Thomas Thorn or something like that.

ROCKSALT: The (Electric) Hellfire (Club) guy?

JACKY BLACQUE: Yup, that was him!

ROCKSALT: So, wait: he thought he was a Nazi?

JACKY BLACQUE: I’m telling you he was a Nazi. He was. Really! I swear to God! (pause) Asshole! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: Wow, jeez. That’s terrible… So what are you listening to now?

JACKY BLACQUE: What do I listen to now… actually, I listen to a lot of European singers. I like that crazy white chick. Whats her name? With the bouffant?

ROCKSALT: From Europe?

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah – England. What’s her name? With the beehive and the tattoos?

ROCKSALT: You mean Amy Winehouse?

JACKY BLACQUE: Yeah! I think she’s great – or, she was! Is? (laughs) I love her! That, and basically I like to listen to classical. And jazz. I’m a real fiend for jazz now.

ROCKSALT: How did you come to get into jazz?

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, it was accidental. Somebody on the bus was playing something one morning, and it sounded really cool; and I just started to get into it. The whole jazz scene. I like to listen to Chris Connelly, some of his spoken-word slash music.

ROCKSALT: What do you think about how music has changed: is it better or worse?

JACKY BLACQUE: Music was so varied back then and now it just seems like we’re hearing the same mainstream crap regardless of what genre it is. The hip-hop sounds like pop sounds like punk and there’s nothing different out there. Maybe it’s out there and I don’t have access to it, but it’s really changed. But that’s what life is, right? You get older, things change. But when Thrill Kill was first starting out, there were all these different scenes – and now it just seems kinda homogenized. You know what I mean? But the industry, they’re all just looking for the next big moneymaker. And most of the acts they sign only make that big money for a little while and they don’t get a chance to do something drastically different like Thrill Kill did with different kinds of albums. They want everybody to stay the same and you don’t want to do that as an artist because that’s limiting you. And there’s not labels like, do you know any labels now that are like WaxTrax! and Sub-Pop?

ROCKSALT: There’s Metropolis, but I don’t really know too much about how they work with artists.

JACKY BLACQUE: Okay, but take a look at hip-hop. Russell Simmons when he started up DefJam, there was more that was unique then; and then you had the East Coast/West Coast thing, that style of music…

ROCKSALT: How do you think your music holds up? “13 Above The Night” for instance?

JACKY BLACQUE: I liked that cd. It’s great; but my favorite one is “Sexplosion.”

ROCKSALT: I think it’s a lot of people’s favorite.

JACKY BLACQUE: No, wait – actually, my favorite is “Hit And Run Holiday!” I liked “13 Above The Night” but I don’t think it was very well received. Whatever. It was so different from “Sexplosion,” but that’s what we were going for, because “Sexplosion” is so different from “Confessions Of A Knife” and “I See Good Spirits.” The first four or five have nothing in common and that was the whole point.

ROCKSALT: Do you think that people got that, or do you think that just divided fans?

JACKY BLACQUE: You know… I think it made them wonder even more. But still, you’re not gonna stagnate with the same type of music over and over all the time. It was still sample-based, as I vaguely remember: there’s lots of samples in there. It was something fun. But “Hit And Run Holiday” did better.

ROCKSALT: And which you’re most proud of.

JACKY BLACQUE: It was a Bomb Gang Girlz album, yeah! It was the girls! It was a chick thing! We had a girl drummer – a stand-up drummer. Beatmistress, me and Sinderella Pussie!

ROCKSALT: So that was your favorite…

JACKY BLACQUE:  Oh! Let’s talk about “Cuz It’s Hot!”

ROCKSALT: Okay!

JACKY BLACQUE: “Cuz It’s Hot!” was something that the band put together with Lydia Lunch. Lydia Lunch does the vocals on that (mimics) “Cuz it’s hahhhht!” You know? That’s her! (laughs) When Buzz played it for me I was, “Oh, you bastard! I wanted to be on that!” It was just a great, fun dance song. And it would be played at the end of a lot of shows and I would just dance my ass off and give everything to the audience that they had been giving to us. You know? Especially because money is hard to get. You want to go out and spend your money on the show, and drinks and t-shirts, et cetera. We gotta give it back, right?

ROCKSALT: One would hope.

JACKY BLACQUE: So… that still today is my favorite song. Even more than “Kooler Than Jesus” – just a little bit more, maybe; but they’re up there together! They are fun to dance to. But, Lydia! Oh! She’s great.

ROCKSALT: Your dancing with Thrill Kill seemed to be just as important as the vocals. Maybe I’m overestimating it, but it seemed like when you danced, people in the audience danced too.

JACKY BLACQUE: Oh, yeah! But, my god – did you see some of the crap that I wore on stage? Buzz came to me once and he said, “I’m really sorry about that pink taffeta thing I made you wear last night.” And I said, “You know what? You should be! But at least I can make it work!” I looked horrible! BUT! I had that red plaid Catholic school-girl skirt – had that for fifteen years and can still fit into it, thank you very much! (laughs) Almost, anyway! The big silver and black retro go-go boots… that was fun! But some of the stuff I wore was just ridiculous! Oh my God! (laughs) But the whole point was to entertain, and I guess to make a fool of yourself. Thank God people were far away. You’re better off to catch me in a pair of Daisy Dukes or jeans and a white v-neck t-shirt, with my hair big and lots of hoop earrings, bracelets – lots of accessories, minimal clothes – and there you go! Heels, always! And eyelashes! Don’t leave the house without them.

ROCKSALT: You changed your hair sometimes as I recall.

JACKY BLACQUE: Hair is… there’s show hair, meaning wigs; there’s after-show hair, and there’s pre-show hair. Because once you do a show, afterwards you look like a mess! You’ve got the lights on you, bah-bah-bah. I’m sweating because it’s hot and I’ve been dancing for five minutes straight and hard! I’m like – Ugh! You have change, take a shower, put on a new wig, new set of clothes and – poof! Become a different person. Some days you want to be a blond, some days you want to be a redhead; some days you want a fro… but it’s kinda theater! Or it’s supposed to be! (laughs)

ROCKSALT: Okay! So… how does this end? Will you ever go back out on tour with Thrill Kill; is it… is it over, or is there something in the works, maybe something coming up next?

JACKY BLACQUE: (pause) What’s next for us? I’ll tell you what’s next! It’s gonna me, Groovie and Buzz, and BeatMistress in Vegas! And we’re gonna tone everything down and do it like Sinatra! (sings) “Kooler than Jesus, baby! ‘Cuz it’s rather warm…” (laughs) Vegas, baby! It’ll be a show and a party! (laughs)

Jacky Blacque remains at-large. 

Check out My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult online.

CD Reviews Of THE SCORPIONS, RAMMSTEIN, and LESION. 

THE SCORPIONS
“Comeblack”
Sony Legacy
2012
Place of origin: Hannover, Germany

 Track listing

“Rhythm of Love”
“No One Like You”
“The Zoo”
“Rock You Like a Hurricane”
“Blackout”
“Wind of Change”
“Still Loving You”
“Tainted Love”
“Children of the Revolution”
“Across the Universe”
“Tin Soldier”
“All Day and All of the Night”
“Ruby Tuesday”

Legendary German metal powerhouse The Scorpions are supposedly calling it quits after what seems like a hundred years of steady rocking and questionable taste in attire. In the midst of a two-year long world tour to support their last album of all-new material (the pretty cool “Sting In The Tail”), the band went back into the studio to rerecord some old hits and a few covers to maintain momentum and generate interest for the remainder of 2012.

There simply was no reason for the band to do this, other than to have something new to play at radio and maybe keep the record company busy. After 46 years it’s easy to forgive the band: after all, they recorded “Blackout,” “Love At First Sting” and “Crazy World.” Still, re-doing the hits is always risky business; and unless you’re Sting and fully intent on changing your songs irrevocably, tampering with sacred artifacts such as “No One Like You” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane” can only end badly.

Mercifully, the Scorps don’t do too much damage to their legacy and the new versions sound pretty much like the originals. They don’t detract from the songs, but they don’t add anything either: everything is just a little louder and a little heavier. “Hurricane” doesn’t fare so well; but the tighter, slick version of “The Zoo” shows the Scorps haven’t lost their touch. “Winds Of Change,” (about the end of the Cold War in East Germany and the former Soviet Union), remains haunting and powerful, but seems a bit lost in time. Had the Scorps tried some new lyrics, maybe about “the Arab Spring,” they might have really raised some eyebrows and sold a few more million singles.

The covers seem largely unnecessary and a bit of a time-waster. No one wants to go see the Scorps live on their last tour doing covers. If they sacrifice one song from “Lovedrive” to do the poopsie-metal version of “Tainted Love” included here, there’s going to be riots. Of the mostly forgettable versions of the songs they cover, T. Rex’s “Children of the Revolution” is worth downloading.

RAMMSTEIN
“Made In Germany 1995 -2011”
Universal
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Place of origin: Berlin, Germany

“Engel”
“Links 2-3-4″
“Keine Lust”
“Mein Teil”
“Du Hast”
“Du Riechst So Gut”
“Ich Will”
“Mein Herz Brennt”
“Mutter”
“Pussy”
“Rosenrot”
“Haifisch”
“Amerika”
“Sonne”
“Ohne Dich”
“Mein Land”

Crazy German industrial-metallers Rammstein recently returned to the United States for the first time in almost ten years (to play one night at Madison Square Garden) and vigorously resuscitated their somewhat flagging American career with a heavy show that was filled with mind-blowing pyrotechnic effects.

To commemorate their upcoming U.S. tour, their label has pushed out a collection of “hits” featuring one new song. “Mein Land.” The six-member band makes heavy, pounding, anthemic music featuring two guitarists and a keyboardist (along with bass, drums and vocals) in the vein of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, and KMFDM. The major difference is that Rammstein vocalist Til Lindemann sings mainly in German, giving the songs an authoritative and dystopian quality (for non-German speakers).

The bulk of Rammstein’s output has been exciting, if a bit similar; and even though this collection brings together some of their catchier tunes, any of their albums would suffice as a way to get to know this excellent band. “Mein Land,” the  terrific new song figures well into the audio iconography of the band and hopefully indicates that, even after 16 years or so, the members of Rammstein will continue to rock and awe new listeners and fans.

LESION
“Seniors Ball”
LockDown!
2012 Remaster
Place of origin: Essen, Germany

Track listing
“I Am A Giant”
“So Well, Oh Well”
“Turn It Out”
“Jump Ramp”
“Witch’s Tit”
“Hey Is For Horses”
“Back of the Shed”
“Drop the Needle”
“The Efficiency Expert”

Germany’s protean metal-punk-rockers Lesion kick off the Apocalypse with the re-release of “Seniors Ball,” a remaster of the band’s 2008 album. Just like the Scorpions, Lesion is calling it day. As the band embarks upon its’ final tour of the world, (which ends in NYC on Halloween 2012), the mysterious members of Lesion are urging fans new and old alike to return to check out their last effort in all of its’ new-fangled glory.

Engineered, co-produced and remastered in New York City by Godfrey Diamond (Lou Reed, Aerosmith, Billy Squier, Gloria Gaynor, Luther Vandross), “Seniors Ball” is a tight collection of nine songs that emphasize the speed and strength of punk and metal Lesion is known for. The album kicks off with “I Am A Giant” a slow stomping bassline that grows into a heavy, bombastic rocker, which sets the tone for the record. “So Well, Oh Well” is Lesion at its’ finest, which a blistering guitar riff (from ageless axman Piss Promise) and roaring vocals as singer Dr. Gustav Hurtz ruthlessly taunts an ex-lover (“You’ve a mouth like an unbroken record/Always spinning white noise from tired speakers”).

The remastering on the discofied rhythm section of the contagious “Turn It Out” rings true as the backline (of drummer Venison and bass-thumper American Art) grooves with a fuller sound reminiscent of the band’s live shows. “Jump Ramp,” the band’s ode to speeding and reckless driving, seems even faster than the original (if that’s possible); while “The Witch’s Tit,” “Hey Is For Horses” and “Back Of The Shed” crunch along as nicely as they did four years ago.

The enhanced sound quality of the new “Seniors Ball” truly comes out on “Drop The Needle” and “The Efficiency Expert,” which benefit from a cleaner guitar sound on the former, and enriched vocals on the latter (which brings out the singer’s Danzig-like wail).

If Lesion really is checking out with the Scorps, hopefully they’ll leave behind a few more glittering trinkets like those on the outstanding, rollicking “Seniors Ball.” Hard to believe that both bands are leaving, but the music they leave behind is unforgettable. If only all these bands would tour together before hanging it up.