Up until now, the storyline behind Metallica’s upcoming 3D movie ‘Metallica Through the Never’ hadn’t taken shape in video form, but in a newly released trailer for the film, all of the pieces start to fall into place.
Combining both a narrative and live-performance footage of Metallica, ‘Metallica Through the Never’ tells the story of a fictional character named Trip, a roadie that was sent out on an important mission during a sold out Metallica gig. Throughout his adventure Trip, portrayed by actor Dane DeHaan, has to battle protesters, riots and even a masked horseman along the way as the story plays out song by crushing song, all set to the soundtrack of Metallica.
The performance footage throughout the mega-movie was created and filmed exclusively for the movie and the trailer gives a glimpse of what’s in store. From explosive pyrotechnics, piercing lasers and a monstrous-sized stage fit for the big screen, the overall movie-going experience will definitely be an assault on the senses.
‘Metallica Through the Never’ is set to make its IMAX debut on September 27 and will be available in additional theaters the following week, Oct. 4
The teaser poster for the movie was also recently unveiled and can be seen below.
These ladies can sure belt out a tune, and they’re not bad on the eyes either. The Iron Maidens are a Los Angeles-based all-female tribute to the mightyIron Maiden, and they bring a miniature version of the legendary metal band’s stage show along with them.
Comprised of singer Bruce Chickinson, drummer Nikki McBurrain, bassist Steph Harris and guitarists Adriana Smith and Mega Murray, the Iron Maidens aren’t just a novelty act with cleavage, they’re seasoned musicians who can put on a solid show. Although arguably no band on the planet can compete with Iron Maiden’s live show, this all-girl tribute does the band justice with a heavy twist of estrogen.
The music world is no doubt reflecting today, as May 16, 2013, marks the third anniversary of the death of one of metal’s giants, Ronnie James Dio. In late 2009, it was announced that Dio had been diagnosed with stomach cancer, and while the rocker fought the good fight, he eventually succumbed on May 16, 2010. On this third anniversary of his passing, Dio’s manager, business partner, wife and love of his life, Wendy Dio, has offered a tribute to the late vocalist.
Dio’s life in metal is well chronicled. Though he began playing in the late ’50s, his first band of note was the Electric Elves, who eventually shortened their name to Elf. The group lasted from 1967-1975, at which point Dio left to join Ritchie Blackmore in Rainbow. His four-year stint there gained him plenty of attention and eventually he was selected to take over for the departing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath from 1979-1982. In 1982, Dio finally took the reins on his own self-titled band, which lasted from 1982-2010 with a variety of lineups. In 2006, Dio would reunite with his Black Sabbath cohorts, using the name Heaven & Hell for their newly recorded music.
Today is a difficult day for all of us. It has been three years since Ronnie’s passing. Sometimes it feels like only yesterday and sometimes it feels like an eternity ago. Please take a moment of silence sometime in the day to remember him on this Anniversary of his death. I know you all loved him, and I thank you for keeping his music and his memory alive.
I take comfort in this old prayer I would like to share with you.
I cannot speak, but I can listen, I cannot be seen, but I can be heard, I am in the song you hear, I am in the breeze you feel… I am in the stars you see I am still with you.
Peace be with all of us.
Loudwire joins with the rest of the music community in taking the time today to reflect on the life and legacy of Ronnie James Dio. \m/
While bands may have a few bumps while making new records, it’s nothing like what Black Sabbath dealt with while putting together the ’13′ album. Just as the metal legends were getting back together to work on new music, it was revealed that guitarist Tony Iommi was diagnosed with cancerous lymphoma and needed to undergo treatment.
Iommi told Guitar World, “Once I heard my doctor say that, my whole world changed. I thought, ‘Bloody cancerous lymphoma? Well that’s it. I’ve had it.’” The guitarist says once he was diagnosed, treatment began immediately. “It knocked me about. I’d go through stages thinking, ‘Can I do this?’ And then, ‘Of course I can do this, I don’t want to die. I want to carry on and do what I’m supposed to do.’”
The guitarist says that the treatment initially stalled the band’s movement toward a new album, but as his body began to respond he got his creative spark back and asked his bandmates to join him. “They thought I would pack up,” says Iommi. “But I asked the doctor, ‘Is it okay if I work?’ and he said, ‘Yes, you’ve just got to be careful.’ So I’d go in the studio and play for a bit. Then I’d get tired and I’d have to go sit down. The guys would tell me not to push it.”
Ozzy Osbourne adds, “We all rallied around him. But it’s not like we’d be saying, ‘Are you okay? Are you okay?’ We just got on with it. Sure, he looked tired, but he was a soldier and marched on. He still had more riffs coming out of him than anyone. None of us would go, ‘Oh, he’s f—ing ill again.’ We’re bros, we grew up together. It’s like a family member getting sick.”
With Iommi focused on the music and his health steadily improving, Black Sabbath finished their highly anticipated effort. ’13′ is due in stores June 11. Pre-order options are available here.
The Download Festival has done it again, putting together one of the best music lineups in recent memory, especially if you’re a hard rock and metal fan. The 2013 event, which runs June 14-16 at Donington Park in the U.K., just increased the awesomeness of its already stellar lineup by adding Stone Sour and Mastodon.
For Stone Sour, this marks the second major festival of 2013 where Corey Taylor will get to pull double duty (the other is Ozzfest Japan), as his other band, Slipknot, have been confirmed as one of Download’s headliners. Stone Sour have been building extra buzz from their ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 1′ album and their European tour with Papa Roach. As an extra little gift for fans, by the time Stone Sour return to Download, ‘House of Gold & Bones, Pt. 2′ will be in stores.
The status of Mastodon by the time that Download comes around is a bit murkier. Brent Hinds recently revealed that while the band is enjoying supporting their 2011 album, ‘The Hunter,’ they actually have a good start making music for their next effort, possibly using some of early 2013 to lay down tracks. Depending on how they progress, the band will either still be promoting ‘The Hunter’ or potentially gearing up for a new release.
Trevor Bolder, who played bass for Uriah Heep and David Bowie, has died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 62.
The band posted the following on their website:
A Statement From Uriah Heep
It is with great sadness that Uriah Heep announce the passing of our friend the amazing Trevor Bolder, who has passed away after his long fight with cancer. Trevor was an all time great, one of the outstanding musicians of his generation, and one of the finest and most influential bass players that Britain ever produced.
His long time membership of Uriah Heep brought the band's music, and Trevor's virtuosity and enthusiasm, to hundreds of thousands of fans across the world. He joined the band in 1976 and, barring one short break, was a fixture until his ill health forced him to take a step back early this year. Prior to joining Heep he was a founder and ever-present member of David Bowie's legendary Spiders From Mars band, performing on all of their key albums and at countless shows. He also performed with Wishbone Ash, Cybernauts and The Rats.
Mick Box said, "Trevor was a 'World Class' bass player, singer & songwriter, and more importantly a World Class friend. He will be sadly missed by family, friends and rock fans all over the world. We are all numb to the core". Bolder started playing in bands in the mid-60's, including The Rats with Mick Ronson. In 1971, he replaced Tony Visconti in David Bowie's band the Spiders From Mars and played on four Bowie classics, Hunky Dory (1971), The Rise of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972), Aladdin Sane (1973) and Pin-Ups (1973).
In 1976, Bolder replaced John Wetton in Uriah Heep, with which he stayed until early 2013 except for a short period in 1982 when Heep was going through legal battles and he joined Wishbone Ash, once again replacing Wetton. He was with them to record only one album, Twin Barrel's Burning and returned to Uriah Heep in 1983.
On the side, Bolder also played in Cybernauts with Joe Elliott and Phil Cullen of Def Leppard. The band played David Bowie covers.
"Trevor was a wonderful musician and a major inspiration for whichever band he was working with. But he was foremostly a tremendous guy, a great man." David Bowie
After much anticipation, Black Sabbath finally premiered the new track ‘End of the Beginning’ on CBS cop drama ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.’ Sabbath got some pretty good TV time on the program, performing the new song before vocalist Ozzy Osbourne showed off his acting chops during an after-show interview.
The ‘CSI’ season finale actually kicked off with Black Sabbath onstage performing to a small club crowd. The cop characters stand in the back to watch Sabbath play as they discuss concerts they’ve seen in the past. Apparently some crime stuff happens in the show and there is some sort of storyline going on, but needless to say, we were paying attention to Sabbath.
Ozzy Osbourne was shown giving an interview after Sabbath’s performance, where the singer was able to give Black Sabbath’s next album, ’13,’ a nice plug. The interviewer goes on to tell Ozzy that the Sabbath singer was his first interview ever, but in true Ozzy fashion, the Prince of Darkness didn’t remember the 1986 interview, or anything at all from 1986.
You can check out the entire ‘CSI’ episode by clicking the red button below. The band’s appearance starts immediately. Black Sabbath’s ’13′ album drops June 11.
Sad news to report as Ray Manzarek, the legendary keyboardist of the Doors, has passed away at the age of 74. The veteran musician died today in Germany after a long battle with bile duct cancer.
Manzarek formed the Doors with John Densmore, Robby Krieger and the late Jim Morrison back in 1965, and the band went on to be one of the biggest groups of its time, delivering such classics as ‘Light My Fire,’ ‘Break on Through’ ‘People Are Strange’ and many more memorable hits.
Following Jim Morrison’s tragic death in 1971, Manzarek and Krieger had revived the Doors in various incarnations on a number of occasions, including stints with Ian Astbury of the Cult and Brett Scallions of Fuel fronting the band.
“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today,” said Krieger in statement. “I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.”
Manzarek is survived by his wife Dorothy and his son Pablo. In lieu of flowers, his family has asked that donations be made in Ray Manzarek’s name at www.standup2cancer.org.
SLASH DISCUSSES ADMIRATION FOR YOUTUBE KID, UPCOMING TOUR DATES + ‘NOTHING LEFT TO FEAR’ FILM
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com
Guitar great Slash has a bit of a respite from his work with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, but he’s never one to rest for too long. During his “downtime,” Slash has been working on demos for his next album, putting the final touches on the upcoming horror film ‘Nothing Left to Fear’ and giving props to a little girl who mastered ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ on YouTube. Slash appears on Loudwire Radio’s Top 20 Countdown this weekend, and we’ve got a preview of his interview with host Mike “Sandman” Sanders below:
The first thing I want to ask you is something we covered at Loudwire.com, it was a tweet that you responded to a video of this little girl, a 7-year-old girl, Zoe Thomson in the UK, who is on her way to becoming a guitar wiz and it looks like you were impressed with her video of playing the riff of ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’
Someone sent me the link and I was just like, wow, 7-years-old … And the thing is she really just captures the tone and the sound and the sort of nuances of somebody playing somebody else’s guitar solo. It’s something that people spend years learning how to do. I’ve got some songs I’m doing at a gig this weekend, which are cover songs and I’m learning all these tracks. Sometimes I learn a solo note-for-note if it’s really something melodically, like, you totally recognize. And when you do that you really have to sort of capture the feel and it’s something that requires a certain amount of experience. And I was just blown away that this girl was 7-years-old, and it wasn’t just because it was my song or my solo, you know, it could have been anybody’s; but just the technique and all that kind of stuff was really down pat. I was really surprised.
It’s just inspiring that somebody at that age wants to be that serious about playing. I can’t imagine how good she’s going to be in 10 or 15 years.
Oh, absolutely. It’s really inspiring. There was a drummer that someone turned me onto that was like, I don’t know, 8-years-old or something, playing all these Rush and AC/DC songs, I mean, like, really doing it as good as anybody could do it. And it just blows me away how young kids are really picking this stuff up and are sort of going to be carrying the torch for rock and roll in the next decade.
Well, you, and many like you, have inspired a new generation. Seeing her play that riff made me think you’ve assumed that role as the Riff Master. You’re kind of a Keith Richards, Joe Perry kind of guy, where it seems like the riff is what comes first and then the song is then assembled after that.
It depends. Sometimes, yeah, I probably, more often than not, have an idea for a riff and a song follows. But sometimes you can come up with some chord changes, which would make up a verse or a chorus or something, and then in jamming with a drummer and a bass player all of a sudden a riff can come out of that and sort of tie the whole thing together. So there’s no real set rule where this stuff comes from. I think I’ve always been attracted to cool riffs ever since I first started — even before I started, when I just used to listen to music, before I was even involved as a guitarist — I would always identify with a really cool hook or something like that. So it’s really a definite part of my whole style is the riff.
You definitely have been a part of technology as well … there’s this iRig amplitude Slash app and that seems like it is just something really revolutionary.
Yeah, it’s cool. It’s something I use a lot when I’m on the road and even when I’m at home. You have this app which is basically digital amp modelers, because I have some Slash Marshalls, right? [laughs] So, amplitude’s designed these amp modelers that duplicate the sounds of my Marshall and it’s great because you can put it in your iPad or iPhone, which is something that most people have, and you can practice and write and do whatever with a really great sound anywhere you want, you just need a pair of headphones. It’s really, really convenient and I was really glad to do it.
If I remember the video correctly, it’s got a wah-wah pedal and some different effects like that too.
Yeah, it’s got different effects in it that you can actually download, so you can pick or choose which ones you want to have in there. You can have, I think, up to six of them, or seven of them … of different pedals of your choosing that you can have in there. From compressors, to delays, to distortions or wah-wah pedals, there’s a bunch of different stuff in there.
Let’s talk ‘Apocalyptic Love.’ It’s been a huge success, and I understand you’re going to be going back out? Myles Kennedy apparently has a little window with his Alter Bridge stuff that’s going on, so you’re going to go back out on the road and do some dates.
Yeah, we were out there for a long time. The album came out last May, I think it was, and we started touring in March, and so we toured all the way up until March of this year. Then we took a break and now we’re going to go out and do an Asia tour in May, it’s a pretty quick tour, there’s only, like, four shows, and then in July one last run in the U.S. and then that’s it for the rest of the year. Myles is going to do Alter Bridge, I’m working on new material for the next record, and then next year we’ll convene and record another record.
I want to ask you about the movie coming out, ‘Nothing Left to Fear,’ that’s from Slasher Films, your own production company and you did the soundtrack for the movie, is my understanding.
Yeah, the movie is going to be out … we’re trying to figure out the release date now, so it’s going to be relatively soon. And then the soundtrack, which is just basically the score and there’s one original song that Myles and I did for it, and we’re just finishing mastering it and that’s going to come out prior to the release of the movie and I’m pretty excited about it. The song that Myles and I did for the movie is really cool and then the rest of the score is — in the context of the movie — it’s really a character unto itself. It really sort of gives you the emotional, sort of, peaks and valleys of what the movie’s about. It really carries the movie. But it actually works just as a stand-alone, just to listen to it. So, I’m excited about getting that out pretty soon.
Now, without giving too much away, is ‘Nothing Left to Fear’ going to be more visceral or more like a thriller, kind of horror-type mix?
Well, it’s a horror movie. I mean, Slasher Films is basically a horror production company. And ‘Nothing Left to Fear’ is … I got into this because I wanted to sort of bring back, if you will, more story-driven and character-driven psychological thrillers than, you know, right now when you think of horror movies you of a lot of chainsaws and a lot of blood and a lot of dismembering and all that stuff [laughs]. And I find that more unsettling than scary. I think some of them are really good, so, I’m not knocking them. I just wanted to bring back movies that were more haunting and creepy in a way that is things that you don’t see, what your brain suggests, that kind of thing. So that’s what this first movie is sort of rooted in, that kind of idea. It’s really about the story and it’s about developing the characters and the situation itself is scary and you don’t have to make it overly graphic. It just leaves more to the imagination.
And that’s the kind of movie I love and I’m sure I’m not the only one that’s looking forward to seeing the movie. We can find out the release date, get the tour dates and everything …SlashOnline.com is the place to go for everything.
Our thanks to Slash for taking the time to chat with Loudwire Radio. To find out where you can catch the Top 20 Countdown each week, click on the red button below.
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire / Mary Ouellette, shewillshootyou.com
Imagine getting college credit for studying Metallica and Iron Maiden and playing metal gigs. Sounds like something metalheads might dream up after a long night of partying, but a college in the U.K. is doing just that. Beginning this fall, New College Nottingham will offer a two-year degree in heavy metal, reports theNottingham Post.
Musician Liam Maloy designed the course, and says it will be academically rigorous. “In the past, heavy metal has not been taken seriously and is seen as lacking academic credibility when compared with genres such as jazz and classical music. But that’s just a cultural construction.”
The coursework will include the history of heavy metal, its relationship with religion and the role of metal music in video games. Practical skills will be taught as well, such as recording, music theory and on-stage performance. The second year will include playing gigs across the U.K.
It sounds like a very cool course of study, but there are detractors. The Campaign For Real Education says, ““It might seem an attractive, easy option to some people. But you don’t need to do a degree in heavy metal. It’s a waste of time.”
The course description says that once students complete the course, they might pursue careers as a musician, songwriter, music teacher, gig promoter or at a record company.
More than 20 students have already signed up for the heavy metal course. Hopefully the professor will encourage them to read Loudwire for extra credit, and who knows, one of them could become the next Bruce Dickinson or James Hetfield! Learn more about the Heavy Metal degree at New College Nottingham here.
MEGADETH UNVEIL NEW SONG ‘KINGMAKER’ + ‘SUPER COLLIDER’ ALBUM TRACK LISTING
Little by little, Megadeth are unveiling more pieces to their upcoming album, ‘Super Collider.’ But by no means is the latest gem from the band “little.” Megadeth come rocking out of the gates with the new song, ‘Kingmaker,’ which has surfaced online ahead of the band’s ‘Super Collider’ album release along with the disc’s full track listing.
The track opens with some ominously dark David Ellefson bass notes leading into what sounds like a hovering helicopter before Dave Mustaine and Chris Broderick’s full on guitar assault kicks in. Mustaine sings about the “need-it-now” mentality and wanting to be the ultimate “kingmaker” in the track.
‘Kingmaker’ is just the latest sneak peek fans are getting into the new record. The band recently revealed thetitle track and a snippet of the song ‘Don’t Turn Your Back‘ was recently tied to a promotion revealing the disc’s album art. The album also features a pair of tracks with Disturbed and Device frontman David Draimanlending a hand. He turns up on the songs ‘Dance in the Rain’ and ‘Forget to Remember.’
As Megadeth lead up to the June 4 release of ‘Super Collider,’ they’re also getting their promotional responsibilities in order. The group just shot a video for ‘Super Collider’ that will debut shortly and they’ve filled out the bands and itinerary for the 2013 Gigantour trek this summer. Check here for the dates.
Megadeth’s ‘Super Collider’ Track Listing: 1. ‘Kingmaker’ 2. ‘Super Collider’ 3. ‘Burn!’ 4. ‘Built for War’ 5. ‘Off the Edge’ 6. ‘Dance in the Rain’ 7. ‘Beginning of Sorrow’ 8. ‘The Blackest Crow’ 9. ‘Forget to Remember’ 10. ‘Don’t Turn Your Back … ‘ 11. ‘Cold Sweat’
BATTLE BEAST – ANNOUNCE LINE-UP CHANGE AND EUROPEAN TOUR!
2012-09-18 03:00 - Finnish heavy metallers BATTLE BEAST, whose amazing debut album “Steel” is out via Nuclear Blast since the 27th of January 2012, announce the departure of lead singer Nitte Vänskä from the band. They’ve issued the following statement:
“August 19th Nitte sent the rest of the band an e-mail stating that she was leaving the band, effect immediately. As the reason for her leaving she recited her will to focus on her family life. As this happened without any prior notice, the rest us were slightly disappointed.
But what’s done is done, and we’re thrilled to announce the new BATTLE BEAST vocalist with a voice and character to take the band to heights of glory.
Ladies and gentlemen, we give you NOORA LOUHIMO!
This young singer is already experienced in performing some of the most demanding rock songs in existence and is now ready to take her big step into the metal world. With lungs of leather and a voice to order gods with, Noora possesses all the requirements to deliver the kind of power needed for performing BATTLE BEAST’s music. Don’t believe us? Hear her ripping through ‘Iron Hand’ in the video we’ve uploaded to YouTube! See what you think after that.
Noora will also be performing all the lead vocals on BATTLE BEAST’s second album set to be released early 2013!
With Noora in the band, BATTLE BEAST is ready to take itself and its music to the next level. The whole band is now burning with newly found energy and motivation and hell bent on conquering the entire metal consuming planet.”
Check out Noora’s amazing vocal skills here:
Speaking of conquering the world, BATTLE BEAST are happy to announce their upcoming European tour as support of their fellow countrymen SONATA ARCTICA: “We feel honoured to announce that BATTLE BEAST will be supporting their fellow Finns SONATA ARCTICA on their European tour this November. The tour will span a total of 20 shows in 11 countries. Needless to say, we are absolutely psyched! To all our fans everywhere in the world, a big thank you for showing your undying support for the band! See you in a couple of months! Justice and Metal!”
BATTLE BEAST European tour with SONATA ARCTICA
03.11.12 PL Warsaw - Progresja 04.11.12 D Berlin - Columbiaclub 06.11.12 D Hamburg - Markthalle 07.11.12 D Cologne - Essigfabrik 08.11.12 B Antwerpen - Trix 09.11.12 NL Tilburg - 013 11.11.12 D Bochum - Zeche 12.11.12 D Aschaffenburg - Colos-Saal 13.11.12 F Lille - Le Splendid 14.11.12 F Paris - Bataclan 16.11.12 E Madrid - La Riviera 17.11.12 E Barcelona - Razzmatazz 19.11.12 F Lyon - Le Transpordeur 20.11.12 D Stuttgart - LKA Longhorn 21.11.12 CH Pratteln - Z7 22.11.12 I Milano - Alcatraz 24.11.12 CZ Zlin - Winter Masters of Rock 27.11.12 D Munich - Backstage Halle
Relentless Energy Drink have announced that in 2013 they will be working with three different music artists in their campaigns; Zane Lowe, Pure Love, and Professor Green have all been made ambassadors for the brand for the year ahead and will be collaborating with Relentless on a number of exciting projects!
The brand new Relentless Energy Drink advert has just been released so be sure to take a look at the 'movie-like' ad below! It's managed to encapsulate the intimate part of creating music; Professor Green told us of the experience, 'Its like having sex… You enjoy it for the most part, but you don't want anyone to watch you doing it!'
Music News' Tasha Demetriou headed down to the official unveiling of the brand new Relentless advert to have a chat with Professor Green himself…
Before we get started, I've got a few questions to get us warmed up… ready?
Yep, I'm ready!
Hot or Cold?
Cold - no wait, that's such a lie, hot - sorry I'm tired…
Here, you need some Relentless! (Plug, plug, plug)
Sweet or Sour?
Sour.
Phone calls or texts?
Phone calls.
Instagram or twitter
Twitter.
Go back in time? Be able to fly?
Be able to fly!
Read peoples minds? Or be invisible?
Be invisible, and I probably wouldn't even do anything extreme, I could just go and chill, I could just jam and no one could get in touch with me. It would be like an off-switch.
If you were a fairground ride, what would you be and why?
(Laughs) I'd be the Waltzers, just so I could watch people squirm!
Trapped in a woman's body for the day, what would you do?
Touch myself!
Does a drunk 'I love you' count?
Nah, no it doesn't you know… sometimes you're just more liable to saying things to get what you want.
What is your weakness?
I can't hold a grudge.
Would you rather go back in time and meet your ancestors, or go way into the future and meet your great great grandchildren?
I'd rather go forward and see my great grandchildren. I already know whats been, but I'd like to know what I'm not gonna get to see.
Would you rather have a built-in jukebox in your head so you can play whatever music whenever you want, or be able to watch your dreams on the television?
I'd love to watch my dreams on TV! I wake up and remember how mad they are so I'd love to see them.
Would you rather have a rewind button in your life of a pause button?
Pause button definitely… sometimes its nice to just take a step back from things and it is actually quite difficult to be able to do that. __________________
You began your partnership with Relentless last year and after a hugely successful year you've joined them again. Tell me about the partnership, what is it all about?
When you're an artist, you're able to speak to people in a way that companies and brands are not. And when you're a brand, you're able to reach people that as an artist, especially in today's climate where record labels don't have as much money, they're able to reach people in an often broader fashion than we would normally. The thing with Relentless, is that they've always been very associated with music so it wasn't an awkward thing. There are so many companies that you'd be like, erm does that really sit with my brand… like Kappa (Laughs)… but then with Relentless it's not like that at all. There's no shoe horns, it fits with what I do and it gives me the opportunity to do the gig that we're doing in October. To be able to create the advert that we did, and for them to be able to capture what they captured and then to show the message that they've shown… its pretty special. Not many people get welcomed into the creative part of what we do, let alone with cameras and for it to not just be like cold stares at the camera and 'get the camera out my face'... it worked, it was so natural.
Zane Lowe, Pure Love and yourself have been picked to partner with Relentless and you all have that 'No Half Measures' attitude that also reflects the drink… Tell me about the pressures that there are in this industry about being a 'saint' and doing everything by the book and what it is about your life and experiences that have just made you do and act as you like.
The fact that I've never been a celebrity. They can call you what they want and give you whatever tag they want… role model, celebrity, famous person, artist, musician…d***head… (Laughs). People try call you whatever they want and give you a tag but, I'm just me, that's all I'm gonna be, I'm never gonna let anybody else control who I am - not to the best of my ability anyway.
I do what I want. Come on, I've only just bought my first house and I'm having it renovated, and I've seen enough 'Grand Designs' to understand the stresses that go with it, but you never really understand until you live it… I'm getting married and that all has to be organised, I've just got a puppy and I've gotta finish my third album in less than two months, so… no half measures eh? (Laughs)
Relentless LIVE is due to be happen towards the end of this year…. tell me about that? It sounds like its going to be absolutely huge, what are you looking forward to about it?
The energy! (No pun intended), it's wicked because when you do stuff like this, there's a line-up that you wouldn't find anywhere else, the energy is gonna be wicked. When are you ever gonna get Pure Love, Zane Lowe, and Professor Green on the same line-up, except for maybe at a festival where we'd all be performing on different stages, probably all at the exact same time. When Pure Love perform, they are monsters, they're wicked, their crowd goes nuts. When I perform it's the same kinda energy and there's gonna be a crossover between their fans and mine. There's gonna be a chance to win over new fans. I think when the fans realise how much of a crossover there is in our opinions and in our outlook and actually although that at face value our music doesn't seem similar, but actually there's a lot of the same energies that go into it, they'll like it. Also it means that anyone who has actually got the tickets, really wanted them, it means they've gone out of their way to enter a competition specifically for the tickets you know?
What flavour Relentless are you?
I like the original and the apple and kiwi.
Other than Relentless LIVE, you're doing Glastonbury, and you've also got some dates performing in June in Guildford, Southend and Watford with Mikill Pane as your support act...
Yeah, we're doing some warm-up shows… well I say warm-up shows but they're actually some of the venues we enjoyed most from the last tour. They're just to shake the cobwebs off, to try out the new songs and get everything going. I cannot wait you know, seriously. Proper excited, nervousness.
Is there anything else in the world that compares to the feeling of performing on stage for you?
Not anything legal… (Laughs).
In January you mentioned that there should be another track like 'Game Over'… if you could pick any 5 artists to make the sickest track ever who would you pick? From any time...
Okay, let's stick to current MC's… I'd pick Giggs, Dream Mclean - he's wicked, Rinse - who came out a little while ago and then went back into hibernation, he's got some crazy material that nobody has heard yet… I quite like that Chance the Rapper, he's wicked and I'll be on there, it'll be fun, I'll enjoy it.
'At Your Inconvenience' and 'Alive Till I'm Dead' both did amazingly well in the charts and flew to the top… what is it like going back into the studio to create a new album? Is a new album like a fresh slate? How do you get yourself in the zone to start again…?
It's wicked, I love it, it's a new slate every time! Everyone's always like make another 'Clapton Dance', make another 'Jungle', make another 'I Need You Tonight'… and I'm always like, why? As an artist, what's even interesting about that?
Tell me about the new album, who can we expect to hear on it, what's it sounding like?
I don't know yet, I've just been working non-stop with songwriters and musicians. Where I didn't tour at the end of last year and the beginning of this year, I've now had the time to start from the music up, which is what I've always wanted to do. I don't play instruments but I'm wicked at humming out rifts and starting ideas from scratch which makes them all entirely mine. The last two albums were made while I was on the road and doing promo. It was just people sending me beats and me making songs out of them, so this is a lot more personal but not as introspective as the first two. I feel like I got all my bullshit out the way and its now time for me to make an artist album, a real career album. It's just about big songs, its given me so much more freedom. (Pauses) There's gonna be a song before Glastonbury... *smiles*.
Whats your earliest memory of the music industry from when you were growing up?
A real pivotal point for me was a strange one, but my dad actually… (laughs) one of the rare moments that I got to spend with him… We watched 'Above the Rim' together, and he had the CD single which had the Nate Dogg track 'Regulate'. It had a b-side on it too with Tupac called 'Pain' and I remember hearing that for the first time. I didn't really care about 'Regulate' too much, but 'Pain' got me. I was young, too young to be watching 'Above the Rim' but that's definitely one of the earliest memories of rap that sticks out to me, so that's probably had a lot to do with the shaping of my musical taste.
Whats been the hardest thing to overcome on your journey?
Probably… and I know it sounds mad… but probably, doing well. A lot of people make you feel guilty for that and like your undeserving. People have this preconception that everything is easy and this idea that everything just lands in your lap. I worked for how many years for absolutely nothing, actually the opposite, I paid to do my job, how many people do that in their jobs? I risked everything. If it didn't pop off for me what would I have been? Some thirty-something shotter (drug dealer) doing nothing with myself…
Has there been a lesson learnt in another area of your life which has in turn taught you a lesson musically? For example, gym discipline, relationships, parenthood.
Music has probably taught me more about life actually. Just in the experiences that it has put me through, all the travelling, all the people I've met… you know its really opened me up to different ways of life and how people live theirs. I was kind of narrow-minded when I was just in Hackney. Hackney was me.
You released your own signature beer 'Remedy', tell me about that… not many people can say they have their own beer!
I did yeah! It all came about from an April Fools joke! We did an April Fools joke which was a viral video for Remedy Beer which didn't exist at that time. We just took the label from the t-shirt, we got it printed up and put on an old bottle and then everyone was like you should do a beer! Then the Titanic brewery got in touch and said, do you wanna make a beer? So we were like yeah, why not, lets call it Remedy!
Looking at your Instagram you seem to be a lover of good food, what is Chef Manderson's specialty dish?
I cook a lot man. I'm definitely a Sunday roast guy - any kind of meat, all the trimmings and I'm happy as larry!
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