Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Update 5/26/05

[Deathstroke]

Candlelight Records/Regain Records will reissue two early In Flames (http://www.inflames.com) albums. The CDs are: 1994's Lunar Strain and Subterraean from 1995. Details here! (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=37188)

Here's a look at the artwork for the new Obituary (http://www.obituary.cc) CD Frozen In Time.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/artists/obituary/mini.jpg

Here's an interview with GZR/Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. (http://www.knac.com/article.asp?ArticleID=3670)

Here's the details on the new Nightwish (http://www.nightwish.com) single "The Siren." Details here. (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=37215)

Former Stryper (http://www.stryper.com) bassist Tim Gaines is interviewed here. (http://sami.stryper.biz/irocmusic/index.php?ref=interview-timgaines.htm)

You can here samples of all 12 songs from the new Life Of Agony CD Broken Valley by visiting the frontpage of the band's website. (http://www.lifeofagony.com)

According to a Nicko McBrain interview in a French drum magazine, the next Iron Maiden (http://www.ironmaiden.com) album will be a concept album.

Here's reviews of the new Presto Ballet CD Peace Among The Ruins (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=309) and Audioslave (http://www.audioslave.com) CD Out of Exile. (http://www.roadrun.com/blabbermouth.net/showreview.aspx?reviewID=311)

[Will]

I must say, I am dissapointed that a live version of NW's cover of "High Hope" by Pink Floyd from the 05 europe tour isnt included on the single.

[Hiromi]

Hooray for Iron Maiden concept albums!

[Deathstroke]

Hooray for Iron Maiden concept albums!


I agree. I loved Seventh Son of a Seventh Son.

[DonC]

Yeah. I think Seventh Son was the last truely great Maiden record.

[Core]

Taken from the inteview with Tim Gaines:

Well, it is true that I am trying to get away from that style of music [metal]. Not so much because I hate the music, but because as a talented bass player I have to say that it can be a very limiting style of music to play. It
does'nt take much talent to be a heavy metal bass player. Most of the time
for me I feel very limited as to what I can play in heavy metal and where my
level of talent is.

I'm interested in hearing others' thoughts on this quotation. It seems to me that there have been some incredibly talented bass players who spent their careers solely in metal bands without being limited by their genre. Steve Harris, Les Claypool, and John Paul Jones come immediately to mind: those bassists play(ed) an incredibly diverse array of music while still performing in bands many classify as metal.

Perhaps the deciding factor is the ammount of imput a bassist has in the songs the band plays. Since Claypool, Harris and Jones all contribute signigicantly to their bands' repertorie, perhaps they are given more leeway in the area of expanding their musical horizons.

I respect Gaines' decision to play any genre of music that he likes, and I'm not trying to put him down in any way. But it seems to me that truly talented metal bassists aren't limited by their genre; on the contrary, because of their talent they often wind up being innovators.

[Deathstroke]

It read to me like a tad bit of sour grapes. He didn't get to do as much as he wanted to do so he felt limited. All those years with the band broken up, I don't recall him doing anything on his own.

[cactusmaac]

Harris is the band leader and major songwriter of Maiden, so it's no wonder he gets plenty of leeway.

[Hiromi]

Well that and he's just a really good bassist in general, Metal or not a good band is still often defined by how good the bassist is, and a good bassist isn't just going to stay in the same little area they often get generalized in.

[Deathstroke]

Well that and he's just a really good bassist in general, Metal or not a good band is still often defined by how good the bassist is, and a good bassist isn't just going to stay in the same little area they often get generalized in.

Someone should explain that to the whining Mr. Gaines.

[Core]

It read to me like a tad bit of sour grapes.

Kind of seemed that way to me as well.

Harris is the band leader and major songwriter of Maiden, so it's no wonder he gets plenty of leeway.

Exactly. And part of the reason he leads the band and writes a considerable number of their tunes is that he is such a gifted musician. If Gaines is as talented a bassist as he seems to think he is, one would think that he would be given a substantial bit of leeway in the musical direction of his band as well.

Of course, I suppose it ultimately depends upon the group of musicians he's playing with. Maybe his previous band mates really did squash many of his creative avenues.

Well that and he's just a really good bassist in general, Metal or not a good band is still often defined by how good the bassist is, and a good bassist isn't just going to stay in the same little area they often get generalized in.

Right on. His fellow musicians, it would seem, would take notice of the creative input of an extraordinary talented bassist and would adjust their musical milieu accordingly.

I guess my main problem with that quote from the Gaines' interview is that he dismisses bassists in the genre of metal as being limited while expounding his talent, almost in the same breath. In defense of Gaines, he does qualify his statement by saying that metal "can be" limiting, thus implying that it isn't always that way, but what still gets me is that, if his level of talent were where he seems to think it is, I would think he'd have the ability to innovate in the genre, rather than brush it aside as limiting.

Again, let me say I'm not tying to dis Gaines or his musicianship; I'm just questioning his statement.