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Led Zeppelin II Dead at 64: Man Had Changed His Name to Reflect Favorite Album

Posted on May 23rd 2012 5:45PM by Kenneth Partridge Comments

YouTube.com

Led Zeppelin II, the 1969 album, will live forever. Led Zeppelin II, the man, on the other hand, has died, the Chicago Tribune reports. The 64-year-old resident of Bethalto, Mo., was born George Blackburn, and that's the name he went by until last fall, when he officially changed his name to reflect his favorite Zep disc.

Blackburn filed for the fancy new name after finalizing his third divorce, his daughter Mindy Baker told the newspaper.

"He and Mom got divorced and he wanted to start his life over, like a new chapter," she said. "He had always liked Led Zeppelin since they came out, and it was just time to do it."

The Chicago native and longtime TSA employee saw the British hard rockers some 20 times over the course of his life, and it was the group's sophomore effort -- which features the songs "Whole Lotta Love" and "Ramble On" -- that really spoke to him.

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Filed under: News

Nikki Sixx to Throw Dodgers First Pitch, New Sevendust Album + More

Posted on May 23rd 2012 5:25PM by Amy Sciarretto Comments

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx will throw out the first pitch of the May 27 Dodger game in Los Angeles. He said, "Being from Los Angeles this is a huge honor for me. I don't know if any of you remember but I was part of the Dodgers billboard campaign a few years ago. The whole Sixx Sense gang, my kids and Courtney are all going... Bad ass!" Let's hope that Sixx has better aim than, say, Gary Dell'Abate aka Baba Booey of 'The Howard Stern Show,' who still can't live down his AWFUL first pitch at a Mets game a few years ago. [Brave Words]

Clint Lowery of Sevendust offered an update on the band's plans, tweeting a reply to a fan inquiry on the ETA of the new album. "Record it early fall- release it 2013- after the world blows up of course," the guitarist posted. Something to look forward to, provided that 2012 is not the end of the world as Mr. Lowery so adeptly pointed out. But we're psyched for more hard rock from his Atlanta crew. [Twitter]

Whitechapel dropped the third and final video in the recording process series. This particular vid focuses on the vocal tracking. Watch it and go deep inside the process. The band's self-titled release drops on June 19 and this makes you feel like you were there as it all came together. That's what we call a keyhole view. [Metal Blade]

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Filed under: News, Daily News Brief

Crystal Viper's Marta Gabriel Lives and Breathes Old School Heavy Metal

Posted on May 23rd 2012 4:30PM by Carlos Ramirez Comments

Earsplit PR

One of Poland's top contemporary traditional metal acts, Crystal Viper, recently released Crimen Excepta, their fourth full-length album to date. Featuring classic-flavored guitar melodies, thrashy tempos and the commanding voice of singer Marta Gabriel, the album is a must-own for fans of groups like Mercyful Fate and Metal Church.

For Crimen Excepta, Crystal Viper brought in guest stars such as Hell vocalist David Bower who appears on the album's title track, as well as Vader's Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek to record a cover of the Vader classic "Tyrants of Hell" for a bonus track to the album. Additionally, Crystal Viper recorded "Ghosts of Sherwood" -- a theme song for the forthcoming 3D cinema horror movie Robin Hood: Ghosts of Sherwood -- which also appears as a bonus track to the album.

Noisecreep recently caught up with Crystal Viper vocalist Marta Gabriel to get some more background on the band.

First off, we don't get to check out that much new metal from Poland. How is the scene there at the moment?

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Filed under: News, Interview

Michael Anthony, Van Halen Tour Postponements: Former Bassist Suspicious of Official Explanation

Posted on May 23rd 2012 3:30PM by Kenneth Partridge Comments

LeAnn Mueller

Michael Anthony isn't saying David Lee Roth lied in his recent video explaining Van Halen's slew of cancelled tour dates. It could very well be that, as Diamond Dave said, the legendary rockers are burned out but otherwise "getting along famously." What the band's former bassist is saying is that he has some doubts.

"I've got my own theories on it," Anthony said in an interview with American Rock Scene (audio below), Blabbermouth.net reports. "To me, it just sounds kind of interesting that if you're saying you're tired, or whatever, you wanna recharge your batteries, you don't go and put 30 shows on sale."

"If I were a fan, I'd be saying, 'Well, then why do you go and put 30 shows on sale?'" he added.

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Filed under: News

Maryland Deathfest: 10 Dark Horse Bands to Check Out This Weekend

Posted on May 23rd 2012 2:30PM by Ian Christe Comments

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By now, anyone headed to Baltimore for the tenth anniversary weekend of Maryland Deathfest (May 24-27) has already sewn fresh patches on their denim vest, salted their livers, and said goodbye to their loved ones.

Star attractions such as Napalm Death, Saint Vitus, Suffocation, Brujeria, and Morbid Angel promise a solid assault on the senses from three stages for three days. But intrepid metalheads and lurkers enjoying the blizzard of forthcoming YouTube uploads from home, would be wise to seek out some of the historic fare appearing in fine print of the extreme marquee.

Despite the name, the secret of MDF's success is its diversity, bringing together fist bangers like Anvil, sludge lords Eyehategod, and the infernal 1970s sounds of The Devil's Blood-plus exclusive performances by legends such as the following. So guard your timetable well, pace yourself, and keep an eye out for one of these dark horses to steal the entire show.

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Filed under: News, Exclusive, Top Ten Lists

Great White, '(I've Got) Something for You': Exclusive Video Premiere

Posted on May 23rd 2012 1:30PM by Carlos Ramirez Comments

Frontiers Records

Tracing their band roots back to the Los Angeles music scene of the late '70s, Great White are rock 'n' roll lifers. Throughout their career together, the quintet has sold close to 10 million albums and a slew of MTV and radio hits including "Rock Me," "Save Your Love," and their show-stealing version of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."

This week, Great White is returning to record store shelves with Elation, their 12th studio album. Featuring co-founder Mark Kendall (guitar), and 28-year-veterans Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards) and Audie Desbrow (drums), along with former XYZ lead singer Terry Ilous and bassist Scott Snyder, the record features more of the bluesy hard rock the band has is famous for.

Noisecreep has partnered with Great White to bring you the online premiere of their video, "(I've Got) Something for You," the opening track off the Elation album.

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Filed under: News, Exclusive, Video

Kill the Complex: LA Rockers 'Shine' Through in New Video (EXCLUSIVE)

Posted on May 23rd 2012 1:00PM by Chris Epting Comments

Kill the Complex

When three former members of the Los Angeles-based pop punk band Butane decided to continue as a new form called Kill the Complex, they wanted to hold on to a piece of their past - hence the name of their moniker, which was also the name of the last Butane CD.

But Kill the Complex also have their eyes on the future with a more evolved sound that resulted in last year's debut album, not-ironically titled Evolution. As the single "Shine" has begun generating some serious airplay in Southern California, the band decided to produce a video for it.

For singer Saxton, the choice seemed easy. "'Shine' is a song that really represents who we are as a band today. And the concept that our director, Sebastian Davis, brought to the table, it really was perfect in illustrating the mood of the song. It's very abstract, but also very beautiful."

Check out the Noisecreep premiere of the "Shine" video below, along with a behind-the-scenes look at its making!

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Filed under: News, Exclusive, Video