| Avenged Win Over Crowd, System Snore, Ozzy Returns To Form At Ozzfest Launch
AUBURN, Washington - Some of the sun-crisped metalheads packed into the White River Amphitheatre for the first stop on this year's 11th annual Ozzfest were skeptical of "TRL" favorites Avenged Sevenfold being on the festival's main stage. But there they were on Thursday, and the naysayers weren't about to distract the band from the mission at hand: Trying to win the crowd over. So, Avenged, led by the diamond-grilled, Axl-Rose-imitating M. Shadows, pulled the proverbial rabbit out of the hat by covering -- and handily at that -- a tried-and-true metal classic: Pantera's "Walk." Shadows dedicated the tune to the memory of slain Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, and about three riffs in, the audience -- even the cynics -- were sold, pumping their fists and barking the song's stilted refrain: "Re! Spect! Walk!" And for the rest of the band's set, which ended with "Bat Country," Avenged owned them all.
Monitor Audio GS10 loudspeaker
Monitor Audio has a well established reputation in the loudspeaker business and if its profile is not as high as it once was that's not for want of delivering consistently classy looking products to the market. The GS10 is the stereo standmount in the new Gold Signature flagship range, a selection of very smart looking two and multichannel-oriented designs that includes two floorstanders (GS20 and GS60) and all the elements you need to build a home cinema system. Gold Signature actually takes over from the Gold Reference and leaves one wondering what they'll opt for when the next range comes along - iGold anyone? Significant features on the GS10 start with a cabinet that is described as being of 'traditional tongue and groove' construction, and while it's a well established furniture-making technique this is not actually traditional for loudspeakers, though it sounds like a good idea when combined with extensive bracing inside the box.
Disposable Nation
In my teenage years, I was pretty handy with cars. Being decidedly working-class, we Jowerses favored used cars, somewhere between two and 10 years old. I did my own tune-ups, replaced my own rusted-out exhaust systems, stripped wrecked cars for parts and put those parts on my own cars. On any given day, I could fix just about any given car problem and get to where I wanted to go. But I felt the winds of change one day when my daddy, Jabo Jowers, pulled into the driveway with a lightly used 1962 Oldsmobile Jetfire. Jabo opened the hood like men did in those days when they wanted to show off a car. “Look here, boy," he said. “They tell me this thing's got a turbocharger." I looked into the cramped little engine compartment, which had tubes and wires crammed together so tight that there was no room for human hands or Craftsman wrenches.
New Black Label Society Album Details
NEW YORK (RoadRunner Records) - New endorsement deals, scoring for ESPN, and an up-coming headlining tour prepare Zakk for world domination! Legendary Grammy winning guitarist Zakk Wylde and his band Black Label Society (BLS) are preparing to release their new studio album Shot To Hell on September 12th. Produced by Zakk and executive produced by Michael Beinhorn (Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers) this latest offering is his 8th album since becoming Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist and co-songwriter 20 years ago. Shot to Hell is the first BLS release for Roadrunner and follows the band's success of selling nearly 2 million albums in the U.S. to date. Currently headlining the second stage at Ozzfest, BLS will announce a US headlining tour shortly. The buzz is already starting to build dramatically as the September 12th release date approaches.
|
