Archive | Updates
Things got a little awkward for System Of A Down fans yesterday morning (May 20). Not only did bassist Shavo Odadjian post a series of comments on his Facebook page declaring that Serj Tankian was to blame for no new album, but even suggested that SOAD should consider replacing the singer.In fact, the posts caused such a storm that System Of A Down issued their own statement addressing the matter.
A few hours after Odadjian’s posts (which have since been removed) went live, System Of A Down issued the following statement:
“Earlier today, Shavo posted a few statements on his personal Facebook page that do not reflect the sentiments of System Of A Down as a collective band. These were misleading statements that were made during a temporary state of bad judgment on his part alone. To be clear, the full band lineup of Serj, Daron, Shavo and John will be performing all scheduled tour dates. With respect to new SOAD music, although we have not agreed on a timetable for a new album, we all believe that having the four of us do it together is the way to be true to the band and our fans.”
Essentially, this statement attempts to reassure fans that all is well in the SOAD camp. Still, we can’t help by find the band’s choice of words interesting, namely the bit where they say Odadjian’s comments were “misleading statements that were made during a temporary state of bad judgment on his part alone.” Either way, we’re basically back to where we were prior to this week in SOAD-related updates: still playing scattered tour dates, and a new album will happen when it happens.
It’s been just a little over six months since Suicide Silence vocalist Mitch Lucker perished in a motorcycle accident. Just before Christmas, the band played a star-studded memorial show to benefit Lucker’s daugher, Kenadee with various vocalists subbing for Lucker. Since then, the remaining members of the band have laid low, despite rumors of others joining the band as Lucker’s replacement. Guitarist Mark Heylum recently spoke to Loudwire at the Golden Gods Awards about what’s in the band’s future. In short, nothing yet.
Well the mindset right now is that none of us really have the energy after all of this. From going 150,000 miles per hour in the band, going to a different country every week and going at it so hard, then all of a sudden stopping. We don’t want to do anything. We don’t want to think about what we’re going to do. We want to chill out for a little bit and then if something happens, it happens, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. It’s as simple as that.
That’s as good an answer as they could have given. First of all, Lucker was the most identifiable member of Suicide Silence. If the band were to recruit someone else within six months of tragically losing their singer and act like nothing happened, there’d be a lot of disenfranchised fans. Also, the band is obviously still grieving over the loss of their singer. While it might make sense to regroup with another singer in due time, the band should consider changing their name for the new project. As for now, they deserve all the rest and contemplation they want. In the interim, fans can look forward to a DVD of the memorial show. “Everyone we asked wanted to do it and it was killer and it was one of the most special things that we’ve ever done and it was unreal,” Heylum commented.
As previously reported, Tim Lambesis was granted a new bail review hearing last Friday in regards to his arrest for attempting to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife. During the new hearing, the As I Lay Dying singer’s bail was lowered from $3 million to $2 million. However, the hearing also found Lambesis taking a different route in his defense, blaming the plot to murder his wife on steroid use.
Video reports from CBS and NBC’s San Diego affiliates can be seen below. However, while Lambesis’ former attorney Anthony Salerno was previously trying to spin the case as a “set up,” the singer’s new defense lawyer Thomas Warwick told the court that he became using steroids the more he became involved in body building and gym culture. “His thought processes were devastatingly affected by his steroid use,” Warwick reportedly told the court. The lawyer also claimed that he went from 170 to 220-pounds and the steroids caused “changes in his physiological and mental status.” “Was not the same person. He was irritable and lost God,” Warwick explained. “He was a very caring, gentle man [before taking steroids] and we need to get him back.” Lambesis is also reportedly going through steroid withdrawal and getting personal counseling from a jail chaplain, while in total isolation in jail for protection from other inmates.
However, the judge still declared Lambesis a danger to society and his estranged wife, and only lowered the bail by $1 million (Lambesis’ lawyer had hoped for it to be lowered to $250,000, and the singer will remain in jail since he still cannot afford bail). During the hearing (which was attended by many of the estranged wife Meggan’s friends, as well as Lambesis’ family), Claudia Grasso also gave additional insight behind the actual bust. She claimed in court that Lambesis had actually agreed to pay the undercover detective (not police officer as previously believed) portraying a hitman named “Red” a total of $20,000, giving him $1,000 as down payment at the meeting.
Lambesis is expected back in court on May 29, where he could serve up to nine years in prison if found guilty. While this whole ordeal is still mind-blowingly shocking, the fact that steroids altered Lambesis’ state of mind makes more sense than it being a set up. Just take one look at Lambesis, and it’s obvious that his physical appearance rapidly changed over the past two years. To see proof of this, check out a photo found by The PRP showing Lambesis dressed as Conan (in support of his Austrian Death Machine project) in 2009 and in 2013. At the same time, while steroid use might contribute to a changed thought process, there’s a big difference between acting out while on steroids and actually plotting and scheming to have someone killed. It seems a lot more premeditated than, for example, beating someone to death in a ‘roid rage.
Watch video news reports from both CBS and NBC below. Read more »
A week after his first arraignment, Tim Lambesis has reportedly been granted a new bail review hearing later today in regards to his arrest for attempting to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife. The As I Lay Dying singer’s attorney Anthony Salerno will attempt to have his client’s current bail amount of $3 million reduced at the hearing.
Lambesis’ attorney is expected to continue to argue that his client was indeed the victim of a setup. An article run by the San Diego Reader quotes Salerno as saying “Tim never had the intention to harm his wife, absolutely not… This whole thing was a set-up by a scumbag snitch, and then law enforcement ran with it.” Salerno further went on to say that “Tim will have his day in court, and when he does he will be exonerated because a jury will see that in his heart Tim is a good, decent and Christian human being.”
In the first arraignment, prosecutor Claudia Grasso (who originally asked that bail be set at $20 million) claims they have audio recording of Lambesis making a deal with the undercover cop to kill his wife. The prosecutor further claimed that the singer passed an envelope containing cash and photographs of his wife to the undercover cop, plus her address and the gate codes to gain access to her home.
More details about the case will likely be revealed during today’s new hearing, slated for 1:30 pm PST.
Late last night, As I Lay Dying announced that they would be pulling out of Killswitch Engage’s summer tour in lieu of Tim Lambesis’ current… legal woes. Shortly after, Killswitch Engage announced that not one, but two bands will be filling the void left by As I Lay Dying. Those two bands will be Darkest Hour and The Word Alive.
Killswitch Engage announced the tour’s new additions via the following statement:
“Since As I Lay Dying has announced they will not be able to join us on this tour…we would like to welcome Official Darkest Hour, and The Word Alive on the Disarm the Descent 2013 US TOUR!
Please welcome both bands with open arms, ROCK!”
Darkest Hour and The Word Alive join a lineup that also includes Miss May I and Affiance. While the events surrounding Lambesis will still be in the back of everyone’s minds, this tour package should still please many fans. The tour kicks off in Oklahoma City on May 30.
10 months after being arrested for manslaughter and accused of causing the death of a fan during a show two years prior in Prague, Randy Blythe was officially acquitted of all charges in March. Since then, the Lamb Of God frontman kept his comments about the matter on the shorter side, including one post recalling the first time he met the family of the victim, Daniel Nosek. However, a day before he embarks on a U.S. tour, Blythe posted a lengthy in-depth recount of the entire trial on his Tumblr page.
In addition to going into great detail about the trial and events that occurred, Blythe also gives further insight into his interactions with the Nosek family, thanking them for their support. The letter’s purpose is made clear, though, when Blythe recalled his last interaction with Daniel’s mother and Uncle, saying:
“As we sat on a couch crying, the first tears I had allowed myself since my arrest, Daniel’s mother asked me if one day I would play a song for him somewhere. I was astounded by the grace with which she asked me this. Her small request was an immense gift to me, a man who was trying to figure out how he would continue to do the only thing he knew how to do after so many years.
I will sing many songs for him.
Then, as Daniel’s uncle and mother began to leave my rented apartment, his uncle reiterated something he and the mother had brought up earlier.
‘Remember- you can be a spokesperson for safer shows. You have that power. Good luck, man. Go live your life.’
I promised I would.”
The remainder of Blythe’s letter encourages both fans and concert promoters to take a stronger approach towards safety and responsibility. While lengthy, Blythe’s entire letter is extremely moving and will hopefully resonate with everyone who reads it, both fans and industry folks alike. Read for yourself at Blythe’s Tumblr page.
It’s still hard to believe that guitarist Jeff Hanneman passed away last week. And even though Hanneman has been absent from the road for the past two years now, many wondered what his death would mean for Slayer’s future. However, it looks as though Slayer will continue on with business (at least in regards to touring), as Kerry King and Tom Araya have issued a joint statement saying they’ll be playing Europe this summer as planned.
Addressing fans in the U.K. and Europe, King and Araya had the following to say about their summer plans:
“We know that our fans everywhere are hurting for the loss of Jeff just as we are. We want to let you all know that when we come to Europe this summer in June, July and August, we’ll ALL be making noise together for our brother and dear friend Jeff… We’ll See you then!”
It’s somewhat safe to assume that Exodus’ Gary Holt will continue to fill in on guitar for the tour. What remains unclear, though, is who will be drumming on the road with Slayer in Europe. Will Dave Lombardo finally rejoin the group, or will Slayer still opt to use a fill-in as they squabble over finances? Furthermore, it’s also unclear as to how Hanneman’s death will affect Slayer’s long-awaited new album. At the very least, though, fans in Europe can look forward to King and Araya playing Slayer songs at full volume in honor of their fallen bandmate.
We’re still trying to wrap our heads around the fact that As I Lay Dying frontman Tim Lambesis was arrested on suspicion of hiring a hit man to kill his estranged wife. And while the singer is set to be arraigned on Thursday, May 9, Lambesis’ bandmates are just as shocked as we are.
Drummer Jordan Mancino, guitarist Nick Hipa, guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist/clean vocalist Josh Gilbert issued the following joint statement:
“To our fans,
As we post this, the legal process is taking its course and we have no more information than you do. There are many unanswered questions, and the situation will become clearer in the coming days and weeks. We’ll keep you informed as best we can.
Our thoughts right now are with Tim, his family, and with everyone else affected by this terrible situation – and with our fans, whom we love and draw strength from. Thank you for understanding, and as always, for your support of As I Lay Dying.
- Jordan, Nick, Phil, and Josh”
As mentioned before, Lambesis will be arraigned on charges of solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to commit a crime tomorrow (May 9) in Vista, CA. If he’s found guilty, he could find himself in prison for 3-9 years. Unsurprisingly, his bandmates seem to know as much as we do (which is very little). It still remains a safe bet, though, that As I Lay Dying won’t be touring with Killswitch Engage this summer. Either way, we can’t help but feel sorry for the band during this horrific ordeal.
We’re still taken aback by this, but vocalist Tim Lambesis of As I Lay Dying and Austrian Death Machine has supposedly been arrested for attempting to hire a hitman to kill his estranged wife. According to FOX 5 San Diego and Reuters, the singer was arrested at a store in Oceanside, CA around 2pm PST today (May 7) after allegedly soliciting an undercover detective to murder his spouse, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. Police reportedly started their investigation on Lambesis last Thursday, after learning he was supposedly trying to get someone to commit the act. He was booked into the Vista Jail on suspicion of solicitation of murder.
Details are still emerging, but this has certainly blindsided us. After all, Lambesis has been pretty busy as of late, touring with As I Lay Dying (with another tour slated for this summer), launching a crowdfunding campaign for Austrian Death Machine’s next album, and just released the debut EP from Pyrithion. And this is certainly a horrible thing to be accused of. As of now, Lambesis’ bands and label Metal Blade have yet to issue a statement about the matter, but hopefully more will be explained soon. As for now, we’d presume that As I Lay Dying’s tour with Killswitch Engage, which was supposed to kick off on May 30, is on hold for now.
UPDATE: A PDF of the official press release from the San Diego County has been released, a screenshot of which can be seen below. Read more »
Machine Head’s online auditions for a new bassist came to an end last month. And according to Robb Flynn himself, the final eight has been picked.
In his most recent General’s Journal diary post, Flynn confirmed that Machine Head will be auditioning eight bassists in person (while guitarist Phil Demmel is laying down bass tracks for the forthcoming album). Here’s what the frontman said specifically about the next step in finding a new bassist:
“Got 8 guys lined up so far, some ‘known’ guys, some dudes who are under the radar, all have touring / stage experience. It’s exciting in some ways, and weird in others, I never thought I’d be going through this process again, and it fucks with my head from time to time.
It’s just a fill-in slot for Mayhem, but these guys have to deliver on several levels, they got a bit of big shoe to fill, the dude who used to be onstage left was a presence, so we’re going to test these guys out musically, performance-wise, creatively, and see if there’s any kind of chemistry there.”
Flynn certainly makes it clear that Machine Head is simply looking for someone to fill in for Mayhem Fest. However, we have to believe that whoever wins the gig is going to be a leading candidate once the band looks for a permanent replacement. We also have a strong feeling that one of the “known” guys auditioning is ex-Fear Factory member Christian Wolde Olbers, who submitted his own audition video online. With Mayhem Fest kicking off at the end of June, we’ll likely know who Machine Head pick to fill in on bass pretty soon.
Things got a little awkward for System Of A Down fans yesterday morning (May 20). Not only did bassist Shavo Odadjian post a series of comments on his Facebook page declaring that Serj Tankian was to blame for no new album, but even suggested that SOAD should consider replacing the singer.In fact, the posts caused such a storm that System Of A Down issued their own statement addressing the matter.
Posted by Zach Shaw on Tue, May 21, 2013 at 9:57 am
Drama Bloody Drama, Updates