So Mike Mangini Is Dream Theater's New Drummer

I don't do a lot of current events and news here, with my feeling that I'll never have enough time to maintain anything long term, and honestly you can all that from either Shy Guy Assassin or Metal Insider (among others) if you truly want... like I do. But because I love Dream Theater and have already commented on the whole Dream Theater minus Mike Portnoy thing, I feel inclined to comment on this latest development.

After attempting to tie people in with a documentary, showing the drum-offs if you will, the fellas of Dream Theater have officially announced (finally) that their new drummer/percussionist will be Mike Mangini. Now, I didn't follow the documentary at all, and I only kept in the loop sparingly, but this bit of news grabs my attention. Mr. Mangini has worked with several acts previously; Steve Vai, Extreme, Annihilator, and James LaBrie's solo effort, among others, so you know he has the basic ability (Annihilator's Set The World On Fire is one of my favorite albums by the group). On top of that he was, at one time, the holder of five of the World's Fastest Drummer records, including Fastest Matched Grip, Fastest Barehands, Fastest Traditional Grip, and Fastest Single Stroke Foot (2 different records), so you know the man has speed.

Sweden Says Metal Addiction Is A Disability

So this one is a bit old (from back in 2007) but I just found it and I thought it was interesting. Actually I laughed out loud, so enjoy the idea and the story.

Apparently, Sweden has decided that a dependency on that of heavy metal is now an accepted disability. It seems that a Mr. Roger Tullgren (no that's not him in the picture) has won his case to make his love of the adored genre something that he should receive a government stipend to continue. He claims that because of his frequent concert attendance (over 300 shows in 2006), it has been impossible to maintain a job - part-time or full.
Tullgren was seen by three shrinks and eventually received a letter stating, "Roger feels compelled to show his heavy metal style. This puts him in a difficult situation on the labor market. Therefore he needs extra financial help," we should all be so lucky. In addition to extra 'financial help' he is allowed to miss any amount of work he chooses to attend these shows, as long as he makes it up at a later date. Also he gets to play his 'loud music' at work and dress as he feels (corpse paint anyone?) to reflect his love for music. The article goes on to say Tullgren has had this 'disability' for over 36 years, and has spent the last 10 years of his life trying to get compensation for it.

Melvins To Play Every Friday In January

According to mxdwn.com, the legendary sludge act (the) Melvins will be playing a weekly show, every Friday of January. Each week they will be playing a different set of albums, in their entirety.

The playlist as I know it:

January 7:  Colossus of Destiny, Lysol and Eggnog
January 14: Most of their 1983 line-up will be present (King Buzzo, Dale Crover and Mike Dillard–Crover will most likely be playing bass).  Houdini
January 21: Melvins “Lite” line-up featuring only Buzzo and Crover; Bullhead
January 28: Full line-up; Stoner Witch

So if you happen to be living in Los Angeles, or are near enough to travel there (or want to cough out some dough), stop by Club Spaceland and hear the legends perform!

On To 2011!!

I'm bored at work so here is a quick little list of some albums I'm looking forward to in 2011, organized by band name. Of course this is just a preliminary report, and nothing to be taken too seriously. It's just my wish list.

I know there are a ton more bands releasing new music, especially in the underground. This is just a quick list I found without too much research or effort spent. I guess you could call this my wish list for mainstream (or at least semi-mainstream) metal acts.

Mike Portnoy Leaves Dream Theater

So this might be a bit of old news (as The Pyro pointed out to me like an ass, apparently a month in real time is forever in music time) but apparently Mike Portnoy, second only to Neil Peart as the best drummer ever, is leaving the fabled Dream Theater to pursue other opportunities. He left a nice farewell post on his website forum mikeportnoy.com that better explains his means and motives behind this decision. Turns out the rest of the band is continuing on without him, so I'm interested to see who they get to fill these immense shoes.

Farewell to thee, Mike Portnoy, and the best in whatever your next stop is, whether it be Transatlantic, Avenged Sevenfold (which is where my friend Mike thinks he's headed) or some new project. Keep rockin' my friend!

Peter Steele Dead at 48

I woke up this morning to an email from a friend telling me Peter Steele, of the goth/doom metal band Type O Negative, was dead. I did not believe it until I googled it and saw the numerous news articles confirming the fact. This is a sad day for those who reside in the land of Metaldom. I love Type O Negative, both their albums and their live shows. I was really hoping to catch them live again, but now without the booming voice of Steele, there is really little point.

Tour Dates: Snot Releases New Song and Upcoming Tour Dates

So for those that don't know, Snot is a short lived metal band that folded after one album due to the death of their lead singer (not the usual music death, he was hit by a drunk driver with his parents). After his death they called it quits and released a live album and a tribute album of sorts, but it was not nearly the same.
Now, after almost a decade, the remaining members paired up with Tommy Cummings (former Divine Heresy singer) for a new tour, and are planning on releasing new material, with a new album due out sometime next summer.
They have put their first single, "The Band Plays On," on their MySpace. The song isn't bad, but it is not the Snot I know and love. It is a different sound but that is to be expected, so take a listen and see for yourself. When the new album comes out we will have to see what the final picture looks like.

Snot Headlining Shows:

Aug. 23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club Vegas
Oct. 10 - West Hollywood, CA - Key Club

Snot Supporting Devildriver:

Oct. 14 - Bakersfield, CA - The Dome
Oct. 15 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
Oct. 17 - Portland, OR - Roseland Grill
Oct. 18 - Vancouver, BC - Red Room
Oct. 19 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Oct. 20 - Spokane, WA - The Big Easy
Oct. 21 - Boise, ID - The Big Easy
Oct. 22 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club Vegas
Oct. 23 - Las Vegas, NV - Jillian’s
Oct. 24 - Pomona, CA - The Glass House
Oct. 25 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
Oct. 26 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick

Info "borrowed" from MetalMartyr.com

Currently listening to: AC/DC - Ride On