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Ian on Sept. 8 Seymour Duncan® User Group Live Forum

Posted: September 2nd, 2010

Anthrax guitarist and Jackson signature artist Scott Ian will participate in a one-hour online Q&A session on the Seymour Duncan® User Group Forum from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Pacific time) on Wednesday, Sept. 8.

Ian is a longtime Seymour Duncan user with his own Custom Shop signature bridge pickup, the Scott Ian El Diablo.

Seymour Duncan website administrators expect the session to be widely attended and are hence asking chat participants to join the session early in order to have their questions submitted successfully. Duncan is also requesting that participants refrain from asking multi-part questions so that Ian can post as many responses as possible.

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“Big Four” Concert DVD Release Date Announced

Posted: August 31st, 2010

The Metallica website recently announced a firm date for the DVD release of the historic June 22, 2010, “Big Four” Sonisphere Festival performance in Sofia, Bulgaria. At that show, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax and Megadeth—the “Big Four” of U.S. thrash metal—shared a stage for the first time ever, including a show-stopping performance of Diamondhead metal classic “Am I Evil?” that saw all four bands onstage together.

The North American DVD and Blu-ray release date of The Big 4 Live From Sofia, Bulgaria is scheduled for Oct. 19, 2010. Metallica’s website also noted that the disc will be released Oct. 15 in northern Europe and Oct. 18 in “most of the rest of the world.”

The double-disc DVD will include the performances by all four bands, with interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. A limited edition “super deluxe” box set will include both DVD discs, five CDs of the live sets, a poster, 24-page booklet, photos and a Big Four guitar pick.

Pre-orders for the DVD are now being taken on the Metallica website.

The historic Sofia, Bulgaria, Sonisphere show was beamed by satellite to more than 800 cinemas worldwide. Billboard estimated that these “cinecasts” were seen by more than 100,000 fans.

The DVD track list is:

ANTHRAX: “Caught in a Mosh,” “Got the Time,” “Madhouse,” “Be All, End All,” “Antisocial,” “Indians”/”Heaven & Hell,” “Medusa,” “Only,” “Metal Thrashing Mad,” “I Am the Law”

MEGADETH: “Holy Wars … the Punishment Due,” “Hangar 18,” “Wake Up Dead,” “Head Crusher,” “In My Darkest Hour,” “Skin o’ My Teeth,” “À Tout le Monde,” “Hook in Mouth,” “Trust,” “Sweating Bullets,” “Symphony of Destruction,” “Peace Sells”/”Holy Wars” (Reprise)

SLAYER: “World Painted Blood,” “Jihad,” “War Ensemble,” “Hate Worldwide,” “Seasons in the Abyss,” “Angel of Death,” “Beauty Through Order,” “Disciple,” “Mandatory Suicide,” “Chemical Warfare,” “South of Heaven,” “Raining Blood”

METALLICA: “Creeping Death,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Fuel,” “Harvester of Sorrow,” “Fade to Black,” “That Was Just Your Life,” “Cyanide,” “Sad but True,” “Welcome Home (Sanitarium),” “All Nightmare Long,” “One,” “Master of Puppets,” “Blackened,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Enter Sandman,” “Am I Evil?,” “Hit the Lights,” “Search and Destroy”

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Metal Thrashing Mad!

Posted: August 24th, 2010

Anthrax’s Scott Ian talks about his welcome “return home” to Jackson at the 2010 Sonisphere Festival in England.

Last year’s Sonisphere Festival at the historical Knebworth site in England was the U.K. debut of this hard-rock/metal marathon, which featured myriad bands over an intense weekend of good ol’ fashioned musical debauchery. Jackson was there in force with its own stage and a Riff ‘n’ Destroy competition that went down the proverbial storm. As soon as we heard the festival would be back in 2010, we immediately signed up—but this time we set up camp in the massive backstage area. How was it? It didn’t suck!

Go ahead and jump: Ian onstage at Sonisphere.

A couple of other entities who were there the first year also returned—the always magnificent Alice in Chains and metal-thrashing New York maniacs Anthrax. What made Anthrax’s appearance even more special was the fact that they were fronted by the one and only Joey Belladonna. Simply put, their short-but-sweet set kicked major ass and left the crowd begging for more, as the below photo proves:

Always leave them wanting more ...

After conquering the 80,000-plus crowd, Scott managed to find time to give us an exclusive interview in our backstage den. A humble porta-cabin, made infinitely more comfortable by a bunch of cool amps and axes … plus 240 (yes 240!) 16-ounce cans of Red Stripe lager! As the Boy Scouts like to say, “Be prepared.” Obviously we did. Here’s Scott’s interview, and enjoy …

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Dawn Patrol

Posted: August 20th, 2010

In ultimate road-dog fashion, the almighty Megadeth continue to tour as if their lives depend on it—and countless metal fans worldwide are most grateful they choose to do so. Said legion of fans are also rejoicing over the fact that original longtime bassist David Ellefson is back in the fold, and we at Jackson are ecstatic over the fact that he’s back using his trusty 4- and 5-string Jackson basses. Here’s a great shot of David in action:

Ellefson onstage during the Carnage Tour.

Where’s the shot from? We’ll let David explain: “36 countries and counting as we wrapped up the Canadian portion of the Carnage Tour with Slayer and Testament a few weeks back. We rolled out some new stage and lighting production for these new shows. Seen here proudly wailing away on my silver Jackson Concert 5-string bass during the song ‘Dawn Patrol’.”

The American Carnage portion of the tour kicked off earlier in August in Glen Falls, N.Y. Here are the remaining tour dates at which, in addition to some new and old Megadeth favorites, the band will be pounding out the classic 1990 Rust in Peace album in its entirety:

8.20   Chicago, UIC Pavilion
8.21   St. Paul. Minn., Roy Wilkins Auditorium
8.23   Bonner Springs, Kan., Sandstone
8.25   Denver, Magness Arena
8.26   Albuquerque, N.M., Tingley Coliseum
8.27   Phoenix, Dodge Theatre
8.29   Chula Vista, Calif., Cricket Wireless
8.30   Long Beach, Calif., Long Beach Arena
8.31   San Francisco, Cow Palace
9.1     Sacramento, Calif., Arco Arena
9.3     Seattle, WaMu Theatre

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Ozzfest 2010—The Metal Madness has Begun!

Posted: August 16th, 2010

Our own intrepid Jackson journalist, Nick Bowcott, files this metallic missive from the first U.S. date of Ozzfest 2010 …

Metal Mike onstage at Ozzfest (photo by Mitch Lafon).

Late summer has always been a great season for metal, and 2010 is no exception; the almighty Lamb of God, Hatebreed and Rob Zombie already having crushed skulls all over the United States on the Mayhem Festival tour. Plus, Megadeth and Slayer are killing together as I type this. Then, to add further to the mayhem, they will be joined shortly by Anthrax to revisit the classic “Clash of the Titans” tour of the ’90s. Nice!

The metal mother of all such summer tours, however, is of course Ozzfest. And after a short hiatus, it’s back, it’s bad and it’s nationwide—sorta!

Yep, as you read this, Ozzfest 2010 is one gig into its short but savagely sweet six-show U.S. trek. The first date in California last Saturday was incredible, and it’s hardly surprising when you look at the brilliant bill Mr. and Mrs. Osbourne have put together—Drowning Pool, Nonpoint, Devil Driver, the irrepressible Zakk Wylde and Black Label Society, Mötley Crüe and two of the genre’s living vocal legends, both of whom hail from Birmingham, England—the Prince of Darkness and master of ceremonies himself, Ozzy Osbourne, and the Metal God himself, Rob Halford! Damn …

In keeping with his deserved Metal God status, Mr. Halford features another man with a (literally) metal name—shred-monster lead guitarist and defender of the faith “Metal Mike” Chlasciak, who had this to say about appearing on this monumental bill:

“Obviously, I’m excited—it’s Ozzfest for God’s sake! Plus, the talent is right up there. You’ve got incredible bands with incredible guitar players and singers. I mean, you get to hear Rob Halford and Ozzy Osbourne with their solo bands. Plus, you get to hear Zakk Wylde and you also get to hear one of the greatest heavy metal bands ever—Mötley Crüe. And that’s just the last few hours of the festival. I’m ready!”

As many of you know, Metal Mike is a loyal and longstanding Jackson user, to which the impressive arsenal of axes he currently plays on the road bears full-on horns-up testament:

Metal Mike's arsenal.

“Of course, I’ve got my Jacksons with me,” Mike roars with a grin. “My RRs have been with me on the road non-stop for the past 11 years. I’m sorry to say that back in 1999-2000, not many metal heads were playing flying V guitars in arenas across the United States, but I was! I had my Jackson Vs with me back then, throwing the horns at Madison Square Garden in 2000. And look how far metal has come in the past 10 years—it’s strong, man. Metal is king now. You can not kill it.”

“I’m proud to do Ozzfest and play my Jackson RRs with the Metal God,” Mike evangelizes. “It’s important to carry the tradition, and I trust my Jacksons. Out the case—boom, ready! Each one might sound a hair different, but they all play pretty much the same, giving me the best of both worlds—tone and playability. Let’s rock!”

Only five U.S. dates remain, and if you’re serious about metal, it’s not too late to grab a ticket and rock out with Metal Mike, the Metal God, Ozzy, Mötley Crüe (if you’ve never seen ’em live, do so, because Mick Mars has one of the biggest guitar sounds on the planet—it’s freaking huge) and Zakk. Dates, cities and venues are:

8.17 Tinley Park, Ill., First Midwest Bank Amphitheater
8.19 Burgettstown, Pa., First Niagara Pavilion
8.21 Hartford, Conn., Comcast Theater
8.22 Camden, N.J., Susquehanna Bank Center
8.24 Mansfield, Mass., Comcast Center

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