Testament Sign with Nuclear Blast

Can I get a witness? How about 20,000?
That’s how many fans were on hand when thrash metal legends Testament inked a recording deal with Nuclear Blast onstage at the Earthshaker Festival in Rieden, Germany, on July 20. The contract gives Nuclear Blast worldwide distribution rights for new material from the group, which features the original lineup of Eric Peterson, Chuck Billy, Alex Skolnick and Greg Christian, with the addition of drummer Nick Barker (Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth).
"We are very happy that we are signed to one of the best metal labels in the world,” vocalist Billy says. “It's a great feeling that we are in a house that will not crumble.”
Adds guitarist Eric Peterson, "This is going to be our best record to date, and it will be the essence of what Testament is. Nuclear Blast is the perfect label for us—they eat, breathe and sleep metal. I am excited, also, because a lot of my favorite bands are on Nuclear Blast, giving us the opportunity to be label mates with them. Finally, we are coming home!"
Testament plan to enter the studio later this year to begin work on their new album.

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Guns N’ Roses: The Reunion?

Fans pining for a reunion of the classic Guns N’ Roses lineup (or, for that matter, the release of the long-awaited Chinese Democracy, from the current lineup) probably shouldn’t hold their breath for, well, either at this point. But if original Guns drummer Steven Adler is to be believed, there is a small glimmer of hope on the horizon. Guitar World caught up with Adler at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma, this past weekend, where he revealed he will be part of a special event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Guns N’ Roses’ seminal debut album, Appetite for Destruction, scheduled to take place at the Key Club, in Los Angeles, on July 28. Said Adler, “I’ll be down there with my band [Adler’s Appetite], and Slash, Izzy [Stradlin] and Duff [McKagan] will be there too. It’s gonna be great.”
But while Adler promises a reunion of four-fifths of the original Guns lineup (the Key Club web site currently lists performances by Adler’s Appetite, LA Guns and “very special guests”), what about the infamous fifth member? The drummer doesn’t expect Axl Rose to show for the gig, though he is confident that a full reunion will happen…eventually. “Axl and I spoke to each other in Las Vegas recently, and I know there’s a chance,” Adler said. “It’s just too big. Whatever the Stones make when they play, we’d triple it. It’d be ridiculous not to do it. He can’t be that goofy.”

Tickets for the July 28 show at the Key Club are on sale now, at Ticketmaster.com.

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Metallica Team Up with ‘Rock Band’ Video Game

Harmonix, the leading developer of music-based games, MTV Games and rock icons Metallica today announced a deal that will showcase the depth of the band’s music in the highly anticipated videogame Rock Band. The incomparable metal song “Enter Sandman” will ship on the game’s disc this holiday season.
“Metallica is one of the best loved bands in the world and their albums redefined hard rock and metal. Its one of the bands we had to bring to the Rock Band experience,” said Alex Rigopulos, Harmonix cofounder and CEO. “Rock Band will allow gamers to jam with the guys through their long, successful career, from young, raw talent to mega stars, playing the hard-rocking sounds that the band is known for.”
Distributed by Electronic Arts, Rock Band is a new platform that allows music fans and gamers to interact with music like never before. Containing four music games in one, Rock Band challenges rockers to master a song’s lead/bass guitar, drums, and vocals, or play the song with other gamers in a cooperative band experience. Built on unprecedented deals with the world’s biggest record labels and music publishers, the music featured in Rock Band will span all genres of rock and include many of the master recordings from the greatest songs and artists of all time.
Best known for their thrash-metal sounds, Metallica have sold more than 95 million copies of their 11 albums over a 26-year career. The range of Metallica songs that will be available to Rock Band players will allow them to play along as the history of the genre unfolds.
“Enter Sandman,” the first single from the band’s self-titled 1991 album and one of Metallica’s best known tracks, is a staple of their live concerts. VH1 ranked it as the 22nd in its “40 Greatest Metal Songs of All Time.”
“Our goal was to bring a deep musical experience to Rock Band by providing not just one song by a player’s favorite artist, but a carefully chosen career-spanning array,” stated Paul DeGooyer, MTV’s senior vice president, Audio, Home Video and Games. “Metallica has never been afraid to let their fans get closer, and now those fans will be able to inhabit this incredible music in a completely new way.”

FIRST 16 OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED ROCK BAND SONGS
1970s
The Who "Won't Get Fooled Again"
Mountain "Mississippi Queen"*
David Bowie "Suffragette City"
Black Sabbath "Paranoid"*
Blue Öyster Cult "Don't Fear the Reaper"
The Ramones "Rockaway Beach”
1980s
Rush "Tom Sawyer"*
Bon Jovi "Wanted Dead or Alive"
1990s
Nirvana "In Bloom"
Stone Temple Pilots "Vasoline"
Weezer "Say It Ain't So"
Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly”
Metallica “Enter Sandman”
2000s
The Hives "Main Offender"
The Strokes "Reptilia"
Queens of the Stone Age "Go With the Flow"

* Indicates a cover of the original song. All others songs are original master recordings.
Rock Band is slated for release on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this Holiday 2007. For more information on Rock Band and Harmonix Music Systems please visit rockband.com and harmonixmusic.com.

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Joe Satriani Embarking on Club Tour

For more than 20 years, Joe Satriani has amazed and entertained the masses with his unique mastery of the electric guitar.
Now, the shred virtuoso is set to reinvigorate the long-time faithful and energize a new crop of fans with several exclusive performance dates on which he will showcase his 1987 breakthrough album, Surfing with the Alien. Among the intimate stops are New York City’s Gramercy Theatre, the Chicago House of Blues and the Los Angeles Roxy Theatre.
But perhaps the most exclusive date will take place in San Francisco at Hyde Street Studio, where just 40 contest winners will watch as Satch performs at the very studio where Surfing was recorded.
Tickets go on sale Sunday, July 15, at 10:00 a.m. (local time) exclusively through satriani.com. For all information and to purchase tickets, fans must go to satriani.com.

The exclusive club date itinerary:
August 15 Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY
August 16 The House of Blues, Chicago, IL
August 17 The Roxy Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
August 18 Hyde Street Studio, San Francisco, CA

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Last Chance to See Jimi’s Teenage Art

The Jimi Hendrix exhibition at Experience Music ProjectScience Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame (EMPSFM) will be de-installed in August. Museum guests will be able to see the exhibition through Sunday, August 5, 2007. Since the majority of the objects have been on display since EMP opened in 2000, it is time for many of the items to be “put in the dark” to help preserve them. A new temporary exhibition space-which will total approximately 5,000-square feet-will be created, giving EMPSFM more flexibility for its exhibitions.
“Jimi's clothing and one-of-a kind drawings, paintings and lyric sheets need to be preserved; and as with any artifact, it is necessary to rest them from time to time,” said Jasen Emmons, director of curatorial affairs for EMP. “Jimi Hendrix is a great inspiration for the museum and its visitors, and we will continue to keep his presence in the museum.”
A number of artifacts from the exhibition that are not as susceptible to light will remain on display at EMPSFM. To honor the 40th anniversary of the Monterey Pop Festival, EMPSFM will create a display near the “If VI WAS IX: Roots and Branches” guitar sculpture with objects related to Hendrix's performance at the festival. The display will include the red Fender Stratocaster guitar that he smashed and burned onstage as well as posters and other objects from the historic concert. Hendrix's white Fender Stratocaster that he played during Woodstock will be placed on display in the Guitar Gallery. Three films about Hendrix will be shown in a screening room at EMPSFM, and oral histories from people who worked with Hendrix will be featured in the Sound and Vision: Artists Tell Their Stories exhibition.

A year after the objects have rested, EMPSFM will look at the future of the Jimi Hendrix exhibition. EMPSFM has received interest from other museums and cultural institutions to have the exhibition tour. From October 2002-January 2003, a smaller Jimi Hendrix exhibition from EMP was displayed at La Cité de la Musique in Paris, France. In the last six years, EMPSFM has toured its exhibitions to cities around the world, including London, Rome, Amsterdam, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

EMP's Jimi Hendrix collection contains many rare objects that illustrate both the personal and superstar aspects of the guitar hero, from his childhood growing up in Seattle to his time on the world stage.

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Slash Set to Appear in Guitar Hero III Video Game

Activision, Inc. today announced that legendary guitar hero Slash will provide an original track and appear as a boss battle character in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, delivering wannabe rock stars the chance to shred against the music icon.
Additionally, Guns N' Roses' rock anthem “Welcome to the Jungle” will be included in the game's robust soundtrack that also features master tracks by such renowned rock bands as the Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Muse and Pearl Jam.
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock, the next installment in the wildly popular Guitar Hero video game series, is slated for release this fall.

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