GHOST UNVEILS NEW MUSIC VIDEO, ALBUM TITLE, RELEASE DATE
Ghost has officially announced a June 1st release date for its new album, titled Prequelle. In addition, the Swedish group has unveiled a music video for "Rats," the first single from the upcoming disc, which debuted on Thursday night (April 12th). The clip gives viewers the first proper look at frontman Tobias Forge's latest incarnation, Cardinal Copia, who for the moment has replaced the Papa Emeritus line.
- A number of pre-order packages for Prequelle have been launched, and among the items available are Ghost-themed masks similar to those worn by plague doctors back in the 17th century.
- Forge has hinted that the theme of the album has to do in part with the arrival of the Black Plague in Europe, among other events in history.
- Ghost will kick off a run of North American dates on May 5th in Riverside, California.
Story source: The PRP
SIDE NOTES: The track list for Prequelle is: "Ashes," "Rats," “Faith," "See The Light," "Miasma," "Dance Macabre," "Pro Memoria," "Witch Image," “Helvetesfonster” and “Life Eternal."
CHECK IT OUT: Watch the video for "Rats":
ALICE IN CHAINS GUITARIST CALLS NEW ALBUM 'F**KING STRONG'
Alice In Chains is putting the finishing touches on its sixth full-length studio album and now the band is finally starting to speak out about it. Guitarist Jerry Cantrell told Guitar World about the upcoming LP, "It's not that we were keeping it a secret -- we just didn't want to say a whole lot about it until we had something to say. And we certainly have something to say with this one. It's a f**king strong record."
Asked about its musical direction, Cantrell offered, "It's a record we haven't done yet, I can tell you that. But it's also a record that has all the elements of anything you would expect from us. It's got our fingerprint. And we're really proud of the material that we wrote and the performances we captured. There's some really heavy s**t, some really ugly stuff, some real beautiful stuff, some weirdo trippy s**t . . . it's good!"
- Addressing the five-year gap between 2013's The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here and the new release, Cantrell said, "It's a lot of work doing a record and I think it gets harder the older we get. But we just wait until we're ready and until we have enough material that's up to the Alice In Chains standard, and then we do what we do."
- The new disc was recorded in part at Henson Studios in Los Angeles, with the basic tracks laid down at Studio X in Seattle. This marked the first time the band had recorded in its hometown in more than 20 years.
- Alice In Chains will kick off a North American tour on April 28th in Boston, finishing up the first leg on May 19th in Philadelphia. After hitting Europe and Israel, the band will return for a second leg starting on August 22nd in Vancouver and coming to a close on September 15th.
Story source: Guitar World
FAST FACTS:
- The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here sold 62,000 copies in its first week of release. It followed up 2009's Black Gives Way To Blue, the band's first album since the death seven years earlier of singer Layne Staley.
- The first two singles from The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here, "Hollow" and "Stone," both hit Number One on the rock radio airplay charts.
BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG SHARES THREE-SONG EP FROM NEW BAND
Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong has lifted the curtain on a debut three-song EP from his new side project, The Longshot, after teasing the band earlier this week on social media. The songs included on the EP are called "Taxi Driver," "Love Is For Losers" and "Chasing A Ghost," with all three finding Armstrong working in familiar punk rock territory while adding a layer of pop sheen to the music.
- Armstrong hasn't revealed any other information about the Longshot yet, including who else is in the band.
- An Instagram account for the project was created in February, with a recent post saying that its first album would be called Love Is for Losers. A release date has yet to be announced.
- The Instagram page has been filled with photos and videos, with one post saying, "Love is for losers . . . Fans are encouraged to show unity by getting a broken heart tattoo if they are, of course, a loser. It's rumored that VIP access may be granted to those that attend a show as a Lone Ranger."
- Armstrong has participated in several side projects throughout his career, including Pinhead Gunpowder, the Network and Foxboro Hot Tubs, the last two of which was essentially Green Day under different names.
- In 2013, he partnered with Norah Jones for an album, Foreverly, in which they reinterpreted the Everly Brothers' Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.
- Green Day released its last album, Revolution Radio, in 2016.
Story source: Loudwire
CHECK IT OUT: Listen to the new Longshot EP: