JD's Blog

Serj Tankian releases new EP, Eddie Veder doing solo dates, news on Metallica and Slipknot

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:15:00 GMT

A new five track EP titled ‘Lie Lie Live‘ from Serj Tankian is now available for purchase on Rhapsody. Track listing includes:

1. “Lie Lie Lie” (Live From MySpace’s The List)
2. “The Unthinking Majority” (Live From MySpace’s The List)
3. “Empty Walls” (Victorious Club Mix)
4. “Sky Is Over” (Fawk Yeah Remix) (EP Version)
5. “Empty Walls” (Dub Remix)

Buckcherry have titled their upcoming album ‘Black Butterfly‘. The disc is due out on September 23rd.

Pearl Jam front-man Eddie Vedder has scheduled the following solo dates for August:

August 1st, 2nd in Boston, MA @ Opera House
August 4th, 5th in New York, NY @ United Palace Theatre
August 7th in Newark, NY @ NJ Performing Arts Center
August 9th, 10th in Montreal, QC @ Salle Wilfrid Place
August 12th, 13th in Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
August 16th, 17th in Washington, DC @ Warner Theatre
August 19th in Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theatre
August 21st, 22nd in Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre

Staind have the following headlining dates scheduled:

July 4th in Muskegon, MI @ Muskegon Summer Celebration
July 8th in Bonner Springs, KS @ Capitol Federal Part
August 5th in Capser, WY @ Capser Events Center
August 10th in Lubbock, TX @ Lonestar Amphitheater
August 12th in Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheatre
August 13th in Belton, TX @ Belton County Expo Center
August 15th in New Orleans, LA @ Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena
August 16th in Tupelo, MS @ Bancorp South Center
August 17th in Nashville, TN @ Riverfront Park

The band has also streamed a new webisode, check it out here.

Slipknot nearly had to cancel a video shoot for its new single "Psychosocial" on Monday (June 30th) when band DJ Sid Wilson was hospitalized with a head injury before the shoot. According to the U.K.'s Kerrang magazine, percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan explained, "Sid's building himself a studio downtown and got attacked by a door knob. Now he's got five staples in his head." Crahan himself was almost hurt during a recent photo shoot when the floorboards of an abandoned shack collapsed underneath him.

Injuries are common for the members of Slipknot, especially during the band's intense, highly physical live shows. Crahan told us that he's compiled a long list of wounds from his job: "You know, for me it's always my face. Cuts in my eyes, cuts in my face and cuts in my hands. Broken bones, broken fingers, broken arms, clavicles, ACLs, pelvic bones, tailbones, ribs, vertebraes...injuries go on, but every band's got that. I don't like to really glorify it, as much as I like to just say, 'This is real.'"

Slipknot revealed their new masks on Tuesday (July 1st) with an exclusive set of photos at Spinner.com. Described as "creepy" and "intricate," some of the nine band members' masks have changed considerably, while others have been altered only a little.

Frontman Corey Taylor's mask has undergone the most drastic and disturbing change, now looking like it's made of "dried human flesh," as MTV.com put it. Crahan has built lots of leather and zippers into his disguise, calling to mind the "Gimp" from the movie Pulp Fiction, while drummer Joey Jordison has added a crown of black thorns to his design.

Slipknot reportedly rarely cleans their masks, despite the band's claims that they bleed, sweat and vomit into them during concerts.

The group's new album, All Hope Is Gone, will arrive on August 26th. The title track was made available earlier this month, while "Psychosocial" arrived at rock radio this past weekend.

Slipknot will co-headline the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour this summer with Disturbed. The trek kicks off on July 9th in Seattle.

Metallica is planning to issue a deluxe box set edition of its upcoming album, Death Magnetic, according to Blabbermouth.net. A Norwegian music retailer has posted at its web site that a limited edition, two-CD, single DVD version of the record will arrive in September. The set will be packaged in a coffin box and come with an exclusive T-shirt, a Metallica flag, a collection of guitar picks, a poster and a USB memory stick. The second CD will include demos of 10 songs from the album, while the DVD will chronicle the making of the record. There is no word on whether a similar deluxe version will be available in North America.

A Finnish retailer called Record Shop X recently listed September 17th as the release date for Death Magnetic. An official release date has yet to be announced by the band or its label, although band members have been saying that the album will arrive in September.

Death Magnetic was produced by Metallica and Rick Rubin, and marks the recording debut of bassist Robert Trujillo, who joined the lineup in 2003 shortly after the last Metallica album, St. Anger, was completed.

Metallica will hit some European festivals starting later this month. The band's next U.S. date is the one-day Ozzfest on August 9th in Dallas, with a full North American tour slated to begin in October.

My Chemical Romance releases live CD/DVD package... View the new Slipknot masks... News on Rage Against The Machine side projects

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:46:00 GMT

My Chemical Romance releases a live CD/DVD package, called The Black Parade is Dead!, on today. The two-hour-plus set is taken from two live shows recorded and filmed on October 7th, 2007 at an arena show in Mexico City and October 24th at the tiny club Maxwell's in Hoboken, New Jersey. The Hoboken show was the last time that the band performed as the Black Parade, their fictional alter egos based on the group's 2006 concept album of the same name.

A deluxe version of the set comes boxed in a coffin and feature three more downloadable live tracks, "death certificates" for each member of the group, plus a hand-painted "Day of the Dead" mask also representing each member. My Chemical Romance is currently off the road and presumably starting to work on its next album.

Stone Temple Pilots front-man Scott Weiland has set October 7th as the release date for his as-yet-untitled new solo effort.

Incubus front-man Brandon Boyd told Billboard.com that the band will be taking a break while its members concentrate on other activities. Boyd plans to enroll in a university art program, guitarist Mike Einziger will go to music school next year to study composition and drummer Jose Padilla will be welcoming a new baby to his family soon.

The band’s final show before their break will be The VH1 Rock Honors tribute to The Who which will be airing on July 17th.

Slipknot have unveiled their new masks to the world, check em out here.

Rage Against the Machine front-man Zack De La Rocha and the former drummer for The Mars Volta, Jon Theodore, have formed a new band, One Day as a Lion. The band will release a self-titled EP on July 22nd, track listing includes:

1. “Wild International”
2. “Ocean View”
3. “Last Letter”
4. “If You Fear Dying”
5. “One Day As A Lion”

Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello has set September 30th as the release date for his second solo album, called The Fabled City. According to a press release, the musician and political activist will be billed on the record as Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman, unlike his 2007 debut, One Man Revolution, on which he was simply billed as the Nightwatchman. The 11-song outing features an appearance by System of a Down singer Serj Tankian, who co-founded the Axis of Justice activist organization with Morello.

Slipknot teaming with Hot Topic... Weezer pens song with the fans... Oasis ready for new cd

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:19:00 GMT

Slipknot's new rock radio single, called "Psychosocial," will be played every hour on the hour this Sunday (June 29th) at Hot Topic stores all over the country, according to Blabbermouth.net. The teen-oriented music, clothing and pop culture chain of stores will play the single one day ahead of its arrival at radio stations on Monday (June 30th). "Psychosocial" is taken from the Iowa group's new album, All Hope Is Gone, which arrives in stores on August 26th.

The members of Slipknot themselves are all in their 30s and probably don't shop much at Hot Topic. But percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan told us that getting older has been a good experience for the group: "People that didn't have families have families now. People are starting to think about having families. You know, I've had a family from day one. And people are just older, wiser, more mature, and crazier. So I think we're more independent, we're more independent of how we feel, and that makes the madness really more precise." "Psychosocial" will be available online starting July 1st.

Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor said in a press release about the new CD, "Every album we have made is a statement about that space in time...I think it's the best thing I've ever made." Slipknot will co-headline the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour this summer with Disturbed. The trek, which also features Dragonforce, Mastodon, Machine Head and others, kicks off on July 9th in Seattle. I SERIOUSLY AM BEGINING TO GET A CHUBBY ABOUT THIS NEW ALBUM IT IS GONNA ROCK YOUR FACE OFF!!!

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has completed the song that he began co-writing with fans online, according to NME.com. Called "Turnin' Up The Radio," the track can be heard at the band's YouTube channel. Cuomo first went on YouTube in March to ask fans if they wanted to help him write a new song, breaking the process down to three steps and soliciting musical ideas from his followers. Cuomo posted snippets of the song as he worked on it, then adjusted it after fans posted comments and their own response videos on YouTube.

There's no word on whether the song will surface anywhere else. A full North American tour is being planned by Weezer for the fall.

And finally Oasis will release its seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul, on October 7th, according to the British band's publicist. The first single will be titled "The Shock of the Lightning." The record contains the first new Oasis music since "Lord Don't Slow Me Down," the title song from the group's tour documentary that came out last year, and will be their first full set of new songs since 2005's Don't Believe the Truth. The project was recorded at the legendary Abbey Road studios.

Dig Out Your Soul will be the first Oasis effort released worldwide through the band's own Big Brother label. The group just signed a new three-album marketing and distribution deal with Sony BMG Music.

Oasis will play a show in Seattle on August 26th and several Canadian dates after that, but full North American tour plans are yet to be confirmed.

Zombie keeping busy... Rumor about Velvet Revolver's new lead singer... Want to open for Linkin Park?

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:56:00 GMT

Rob Zombie has put a "pinhead" mask up for auction on eBay, with bidding starting at $500, according to MusicRadar.com. The mask appeared in the video for the White Zombie song "Electric Head Pt. 2 (The Ecstasy), from the band's 1995 album Astro Creep 2000. The prop comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Rob Zombie himself, with bidding closing today.

In other news, Zombie has posted new poster art from his next movie, Tyrannosaurus Rex, at the film's MySpace page. Zombie has issued very little information on the film, although it's rumored to be about an ex-wrestler who must battle a twisted gang of bikers. The film is due out on August 28th, 2009. Zombie is also working on his next solo album. His last studio effort, Educated Horses, arrived in the spring of 2006.

Velvet Revolver may be considering former MTV VJ and Panic Channel frontman Steve Isaacs as a replacement for departed vocalist Scott Weiland. According to Blabbermouth.net, rumors have surfaced online that Isaacs is the frontrunner for the position. Drummer Matt Sorum told MusicRadar.com that the band "tried out a couple of guys," adding, "We have a guy right now that we're still...sort of checking it out, feeling it out, letting him work with us. I'd rather not (say who it is) -- just because I don't want it to get out that he might be the guy. I mean, we like him, he's awesome." That "guy" is rumored to be Isaacs.

Isaacs appeared as a VJ on MTV for a little under two years, from 1991 to 1993. Following that, he starred in a touring version of the Who's Tommy and formed a band called Skycycle in 1995. He joined the Panic Channel, featuring three former members of Jane's Addiction, in 2006, but the band was dropped by its label after releasing its debut album, (ONe).

Local bands in six selected markets around the U.S. will get a chance to perform on Linkin Park's Projekt Revolution tour this summer, thanks to MTV2. A total of 18 acts, three in each city, will perform opening sets on the tour's Revolution Stage in Atlanta, Philadelphia, Denver, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Ohio. The 12 acts in each city who receive the most online votes will be eligible for the opportunity, with MTV2 reviewing and selecting the three winners. Bands in each city can register for the contest and find the official rules at the MTV2 web site. Registration ends on June 25th.

The fifth edition of Projekt Revolution gets underway on July 16th in Boston. Other acts on the bill include Chris Cornell, the Bravery, Ashes Divide, Atreyu, 10 Years, Hawthorne Heights, Busta Rhymes and Armor For Sleep. One dollar from each ticket sold on the trek will go toward Linkin Park's non-profit organization, Music For Relief, and its continuing efforts to support disaster relief and combat global warming. Projekt Revolution hits Riverbend on August 15th.

Motley Crue and Shinedown release new albums, Staind and Pop Evil announce disc dates, Korn news

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:37:00 GMT

Motley Crue's 'Saint's of Los Angeles' and Shinedown's 'Sound Of Madness' hit stores today. Both groups will be visiting us this summer with Shinedown visiting the Madison Theatre in Kentucky on July 13th with Theory of a Deadman and Black Stone Cherry. Motley Crue will headline Cruefest at Riverbend on August 19th with Papa Roach, Sixx AM, Buckcherry and Trapt.

Staind’s new album ‘The Illusion of Progress‘ will be released in the United States on August 19th via Atlantic. The first single, “Believe”, is streaming on MySpace and available for purchase on iTunes.

Pop Evil will release their new album ‘Lipstick on the Mirror‘ on August 12th. The first single, “Hero”, can be streamed on MySpace.

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis is working on his first solo album, sources close to the band have told Harddrive Radio. The project is proceeding at a relaxed pace and is just in its early stages, with no release date or title available. It is also not known yet who will produce it or who Davis will ask to play on the record. The singer embarked on a successful solo tour, his first, in late 2007, after Korn finished its own roadwork in support of that year's untitled eighth album.

Korn itself is expected to reconvene later this year to begin work on its next studio effort.

Davis has also been asked to record a new track for an updated version of the soundtrack to the Tim Burton animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas.

In other news, former Korn guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has responded to recent comments that Davis made online, in which the singer said he missed Welch badly. The guitarist told us that even though he feels the same, he isn't quite ready to rejoin his bandmates: "We went through a lot together and I love those guys so much. Right now, you know, it's just, even though I haven't done drugs in a long time, they remind me of the old me, and I don't like the old me. And I choose to stay away from those people right now just because of me. It's all me, it's nothing to do with them. And I miss them so much and I just, I know there's a day in the future where I'm gonna feel right about it and it's gonna be all good, you know."

Welch has set September 9th as the release date for his debut solo album, titled Save Me From Myself. The title of the album is the same as Welch's memoir, Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story, which was published last year.

Motley Crue Trivia and Answers

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 22:18:00 GMT

So last night we did Crue trivia for tickets to Cruefest, a Crue shirt and a copy of the new disc Saints of Los Angeles which came out today and I got a ton of calls about the questions and answers so I've posted them here in case you missed any of them!

1. Which two original Motley Crue members went to high school together?

Tommy Lee and Vince Neil both attend Royal Oak High School

2. Name Motley Crue's first three albums

Too Fast For Love (1981), Shout At The Devil (1983), Theatre Of Pain (1985)

3. Vince Neil was involved in a head on collision while driving back from a liquor store in 1984 which tragically killed his passenger and friend Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley. He was charged with DUI and vehicular manslaughter, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. How long did Vince actually spend in jail?

18 days (In poor taste the Crue then released a box sets called "Music To Crash Your Car Too)

4. In 1999 Tommy Lee left that band to pursue a solo career and the Crue replaced him with Randy Castillo who had played on several of Ozzy's albums. Unfortunatley Randy passed away due to cancer in March of 2002. So the Crue replaced him with Samantha Maloney for the tour to support the "New Tattoo" album. What band did Maloney drum for before joining Motley Crue?

She was the drummer for Courtney Love's band Hole

5. Tommy Lee has been married to a couple famous people (actress Heather Locklear and playmate/baywatch babe Pamela Anderson). But Tommy isn't the only one who was married to a Baywatch Babe. Nikki who was previously married to playmate Brandi Brandt before, also married a gal from the Baywatch waters and she was also a playmate... who is she?

Donna D'Errico

Apocalyptica add Cincy date... Hear the new Slipknot song HERE!!!... Rage Against the Machine news

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 22:33:00 GMT

Apocalyptica

have added the following North American dates:

August 5th in Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
August 6th in Tulsa, OK @ Cain’s Ballroom
August 7th in Little Rock, AR @ Village Theatre
August 8th in Beaumont, TX @ Antone’s
August 9th in Dallas, TX @ Ozzfest
September 13th in Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Center
September 15th in Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre
September 16th in Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
September 18th in Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
September 19th in Des Monies, IA @ People’s Court
September 21st in Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theatre
September 23rd in London, ON @ Music Hall
September 24th in Ottawa, ON @ Capitol Music Hall
September 25th in Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
September 26th in New York, NY @ Nokia Theatre
September 27th in Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
September 28th in Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
September 29th in Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
October 1st in Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage
October 2nd in Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
October 3rd in St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
October 4th in Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room

The title track from Slipknot’s new album ‘All Hope Is Gone‘ is available as a free download at this location .

The album hits stores on August 26th.

I'M A HUGE KNOT' FAN A FULL BLOWN MAGGOT AS THEY CALL THE FANS, AND THIS IS A BAD ASS JAM... SOUNDS LIKE COREY HAVE VOICE ISSUES CAN BE LAID TO REST

Rage Against The Machine only has one U.S. date scheduled so far in 2008, at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago's Grant Park on Saturday, August 2nd. But guitarist Tom Morello told us that the political rockers haven't ruled out giving a few more U.S. performances this year: "There is the possibility that we will be playing at the demonstrations surrounding the Presidential conventions. The Democrats are in Denver, the Republicans are in Minneapolis. But we're still looking into that."

The Democratic convention is scheduled for August 25th through the 28th in Denver, while the Republicans will descend on Minneapolis from September 1st to the 4th.

Rage Against The Machine performed outside the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles in August of 2000, one of the group's final performances before going on a seven-year hiatus. Rumors persist that a new Rage album is in the works, but the group has not announced any official plans to record new music.

DOES ANYONE REALLY THINK THEY AREN'T GOING TO EVENTUALLY MAKE A NEW ALBUM... I KNOW THEY DON'T ALWAYS DO THINGS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE BUT THIS BAND IS INCREDIBLE AND IT WOULD BE CRAZY FOR THEM NOT TO GET SOME NEW STUFF FOR US FANS AFTER THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION IS GONE... IT SEEMS TO PERFECT NOT TO HAPPEN

Former Korn member streams first singlel... Slipknot single removed... NIN details on CD release

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:59:00 GMT

Former Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch has streamed his first single “Flush” on his MySpace. The track is taken from his upcoming solo debut ‘Save Me From Myself‘ due out September 9th.

“Flush” will be sold exclusively on iTunes on July 8th.

The title track from the new Slipknot album, which is called All Hope Is Gone, was briefly available at Amazon.com over the weekend, although it was not supposed to be posted at the online store until June 24th and is now only up for pre-order until then. Although the band has not yet officially announced the name of its fourth major label release, the title is still posted at the song's page on Amazon. The track will be sent to radio stations at the end of this month, while All Hope Is Gone -- the album -- will be released on August 26th.

Slipknot will co-headline the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour this summer with Disturbed. The trek, which also features Dragonforce, Mastodon, Machine Head and others, kicks off on July 9th in Seattle.

Nine Inch Nails have revealed details for the CD release of The Slip, the band's latest album which was issued as a free download last month. The CD will arrive on July 22nd in North America as an individually numbered limited edition, packaged with a bonus DVD of live performances from the band's rehearsals for its upcoming summer tour. A vinyl edition of the record will be released two weeks later on August 5th. NIN leader Trent Reznor also confirmed that the digital edition of The Slip "will remain free for download indefinitely" at NIN.com. Nine Inch Nails will begin a North American trek on July 25th at British Columbia's Pemberton Festival.

Links to hear the new Crue and Shinedown albums... Metallica names their new album... Bonnaroo re-cap

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:36:00 GMT

Shinedown’s new album ‘The Sound of Madness’ can be streamed in its entirety at this location. The album hits stores June 24th.

Motley Crue’s new album ‘The Saints of Los Angeles‘ can be streamed now at this location. The album hits stores on June 24th.

Staind’s new album ‘The Illusion of Progress‘ is set to hit stores on August 19th. The first single “Believe” will be released to radio on June 30th.

Hinder’s new album ‘Take it to the Limit‘ is set to hit stores November 4th. The first single, “Use Me”, will make its way to radio on July 15th. The band will be on tour with 3 Doors Down and Staind this summer, check the dates here.

Slipknot’s new single “All Hope is Gone” can be sampled at Amazon.com. The track will be available for purchase on June 24th and is set to impact radio on July 7th. The bands new as-yet-untitled new album is due out on August 26th.

Metallica have titled their new album ‘Death Magnetic‘. Video of the band announcing the title and previewing a new track is available here. ‘Death Magnetic‘ is due out in September.

Kid Rock was hospitalized today with an unknown illness just minutes before he was scheduled to go on at UK’s Download Festival. A statement from his rep said that he is being treated for stomach cramps and dehydration.

The Bonnaroo festival was held this weekend in Manchester, Tennessee, near Nashville, playing host to four days of music and about 80,000 music fans.

Some highlights:

Metallica closed out Friday night, playing a crowd-pleasing set of mostly material from their oldest albums. Rumors they would premiere some new material turned out to be false, even though the band kept teasing the audience about it.

Pearl Jam's Saturday night show was a three-hour set that included a lot of political talk from singer Eddie Vedder; rare songs, including "Hard To Imagine": and a few covers, including the Who's "Love Reign O'er Me" and Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower."

Eddie Vedder on politics "There's a time and place for this kind of talk, right?... A song cannot change the world. But this many people can change the world. How do we know? It is stitched into the fabric of our flag and it is welded into our Constitution that people have not only the right, but the responsibility to make change. It can't get any worse. We're right here in the middle of America. We can change the whole world. Do you agree that this is the time and place for this kind of talk?"

Kanye West didn't begin his show until after 4 a.m. Saturday night, over two hours late, due to technical problems. Many fans were angered. and a chant started, saying of "Kanye Sucks." (It turned out the delay was partly due to Pearl Jam's set running over an hour past the scheduled end time.)

Chris Rock performed Friday night. On the high cost of gas: "Let me tell you something. If I invade IHOP, pancakes are going to be cheaper in my house."

Other acts performing over the weekend included Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, Against Me, B.B. King, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, the Raconteurs, Jack Johnson, Death Cab For Cutie, Vampire Weekend, Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, Phil Lesh & Friends, Ben Folds, Kanye West, Little Feat and many more.

STP members get sued... Blink 182 says no reunion happening... Metallica discusses controversy over reviews

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:07:00 GMT

Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland and drummer Eric Kretz have been sued by the band's label, Atlantic Records, according to Reuters. The suit, filed on Thursday (June 12th) in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, alleges that Weiland and Kretz have threatened to stop performing and would like to terminate their contract with the label unless it is changed. The label says in the suit that it wants the group to record a new album, and possibly two more after that, even though they've already delivered six albums on their current deal. Guitarist Dean DeLeo and bassist Robert DeLeo were released from their contract in 2003 after telling the label they wanted to pursue separate careers.

Atlantic says that the band's contract was written under New York laws, but that Weiland and Kretz are trying to use California laws to end it. The band performs on Saturday (June 14th) in Las Vegas. THIS OUTTA BE A DECENT TEST FOR WEILAND BEING IN SIN CITY FOR THE WEEKEND... WHAT ARE THE ODDS HE OVERDOSES?

Former Blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge says fans shouldn't hold their breath for a reunion of the punk rock trio. In a new interview with Buzznet, the singer and guitarist was adamant that the threesome won't make music together again, explaining, "I've moved on. I believe that now I've found a place in my life where I'm happier than I've ever been and I'm with the best people I've ever been with and I'm making the best music and art I've ever made. So when people ask me if I'm ever going back to Blink, there's just no possible way."

Blink-182 went on "indefinite hiatus" back in early 2005, but DeLonge says it was called that for "a bunch of diplomatic and political reasons," adding, "It was a breakup." DeLonge went on to form Angels & Airwaves, while Blink bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker regrouped in Plus 44.

Metallica has posted a message at its official web site regarding the controversy generated online earlier this week when several positive previews of the band's upcoming album, posted by U.K. rock publications, were abruptly taken down at the request of the group's management. The post read in part, "We were informed that someone at Q Prime (our managers) had made the error of asking a few publications to take down reviews of the rough mixes from the new record that were posted on their sites. Our response was 'WHY?!!! Why take down mostly positive reviews of the new material and prevent people from getting psyched about the next record...that makes no sense to us!' So after a few rounds of managerial ear spank and sentencing everyone at Q Prime to 20 push-ups each, we figured why not take matters into our own hands and just post the links here on our site."

The previews from U.K. sites for Kerrang!, Metal Hammer and The Quietus are now linked to Metallica's site. The outlets posted their thoughts on the new album following a listening session in London last week.

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone has posted its own preview of Metallica's ninth studio album, calling it "a stunning, overdue return to the shock and rush of the band's speed-metal monuments, 1984's Ride the Lightning and 1986's Master of Puppets. The 10 long tracks are all multi-riff blizzards with jolting rhythm swerves, while lead guitarist Kirk Hammett makes up for the no-solos of St. Anger with some vintage Hammett moments. The band performs tonight at the Bonnaroo Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. Pearl Jam, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, B.B. King, the Raconteurs, Jack Johnson, Death Cab For Cutie, Willie Nelson, Widespread Panic, Phil Lesh & Friends, Ben Folds, Kanye West and many others will also perform this weekend.