Hey everyone,

I know what you are thinking. "Damn Mark sure has been lazy lately! Has he just given up on the site? Is RockMyMonkey.com about to go away for good? Why no updates for so long?"

Well, I am preparing to move the site to a more dependable host. It is also a host that provides a better CMS (content management system). That would be the software the site runs on. I am VERY close to launching the new version.

Want a preview of the new version of RockMyMonkey.com? CLICK HERE

WRITERS: Do not submit anything new right now. This site will be nuked in the next day or so. I will have tutorial videos for the new site very soon. Please be patient.

For Immediate Release



DIMMU BORGIR: NEW ALBUM ARTWORK & TITLE REVEALED








The artwork created for the new DIMMU BORGIR album Abrahadabra by German artist / painter / graphic designer Joachim Luetke www.luetke.com/intro/luetke_com.html (Arch Enemy, Kreator, Sopor Aeternus) has been uploaded to the band's MySpace page www.myspace.com/dimmuborgir




The word "abrahadabra http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahadabra " (which roughly translates into "I will create as I speak") first publicly appeared in Chapter III of Liber AL vel Legis (commonly referred to as The Book of the Law www.sacred-texts.com/oto/engccxx.htm ) written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in 1904.




DIMMU BORGIR singer/songwriter Shagrath shares the following about the new album:



"After eleven months of total focus, dedication and professional team work, Darkness has been reborn. Some people have expressed their concern about the future of the band since the departure of some members of the clan. Let me assure you that things happen for a reason. The black flame burns brighter than ever before. With the mixture of our different musical preferences and the personalities involved, I will dare to say we have created a BEAST, the most detailed work to date out of our 17 years of existence. I know it's too much of a cliché to brag when you have a done a new album, but to put it short and simple, it's a fist in the face to all the doubters out there. Forward - Onward - March... ENTER THE SUPREME UNKNOWN."



For the second time in the band's career (i.e. 1996's Stormblåst), a one-word album title breaks the tradition of a three-word album title for a new studio release dating back to DIMMU BORGIR's 1994's debut, For All Tid.




Guitarist/songwriter Silenoz has this to say on the topic:



"We knew there would be some big changes with this album in more than one way and since we've had the three word title tradition for many years now, we thought it'd make a lot of sense for us to move on from that. It has served its purpose. We are a band that's all about change and moving forward. An album title consisting of one word goes hand-in-hand with the new material - it describes both the musical and lyrical content in a more imaginary way, not to mention the unity and the everlasting flame which is DIMMU BORGIR. Expect the unexpected!"



When asked about the central figure in the artwork and who/what he's supposed to represent, artist Joachim Luetke responds:




"I think that's obvious. Since the whole 'setting' is located in an icy, bleak, winter-y, post-industrial era, we're pretty close to H.P. Lovecraft's nameless elder gods. They're represented by the mask's tentacles. In short: the mask/face personifies dominion of powers far beyond mankind. The nameless gods witnessed the birth of our universe and they'll watch it implode. To them, the age of mankind is but a blink of an eye."



Abrahadabra will be released in Germany on September 24th, in the rest of Europe on September 27th, and in North America on October 12th.



For the latest updates, visit DIMMU BORGIR online at www.DIMMU-BORGIR.com and www.myspace.com/DIMMUBORGIR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


PIXIES ADD MORE DATES TO 2010 U.S. "DOOLITTLE TOUR"


LOS ANGELES, CA -- With sold out shows in Austin, Tulsa, Kansas City and Nashville, the Pixies announce that they are adding more concerts to their 2010 U.S. "Doolittle Tour."

A second show in Nashville on September 11, a second Austin show confirmed for September 21, as well as stops in Charlotte, NC (September 9) and Asheville, NC (September 12), are now part of the "Doollittle Tour" itinerary. Tickets for all of these added shows are now on sale (see below for details).

The 2010 U.S. "Doolittle Tour" extends the 20th anniversary celebration of the release of the band's classic 1989 album, Doolittle, as the Pixies - Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering - will perform the album, start-to-finish, as well as its related B-sides: "Weird at My School," "Dancing the Mantra Ray," and "Bailey's Walk," among them. Doolittle, the band's third album and the first to chart on Billboard's album charts, includes classics such as "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," and "Gouge Away."


An imaginative cinematic production has been created for the "Doolittle Tour." Designed by long-time Pixies lighting designer Myles Mangino and designer Paul Normandale, the set features four huge, undulating, eyeball-like spheres flown just below the lighting rig and are part of the concert's light show. Filmmakers Judy Jacobs, Tom Winkler, Brent Felix and Melinda Tupling were brought on board to create 11 films especially for the production. The films are projected onto a massive backdrop video screen to accompany 12 of the 21 songs that comprise the show.

As an example, visuals accompanying the song "Debaser" are from a compilation titled "Forbidden Images." The hauntingly beautiful black and white footage from the 1920s depicts the beginning of the women's rights movement, showing women's exuberant playfulness, femininity and sensuality. The footage, a little too progressive for its time period, was originally banned from theaters.

For "Here Comes Your Man," a four-way split screen displays close up images of the band members dancing along to the song; "I Bleed" sees blood dripping down the screen in time to the music; "Hey" features hand-drawn animation of the song's lyrics by Hollywood animator Tom Winkler; clouds, black holes, and Mankind's arrogance destroying the Earth are the focus for "Monkey Gone to Heaven," while "La La Love You" is a humorous animated piece starring hearts with legs.


The concert opens with the showing of the 1929 silent surrealist short film, "Un Chien Andalou," which was produced in France by Spanish director Luis Bunuel and artist Salvador Dali, and provided the impetus for Black Francis in writing "Debaser."

The "Doolittle Tour" launched on September 30, 2009 in Dublin, Ireland, and played sold-out shows everywhere - Scotland, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and to 20,000 fans over four nights in London. It then came to America last November, playing multiple-night sell-outs from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York, and then in March, 2010 sold-out shows were performed in five Australian cities. The tour received five-star reviews in the [London] Times, the Guardian and the Independent, and, according to one U.S. alt/weekly, "The Pixies continue to WOW."

The Boston-formed Pixies have been acclaimed as the most influential pioneering band of the late '80s alt/rock movement. Their five studio releases and six years together effectively blazed the path for groups like Nirvana, Radiohead, and Pearl Jam to rise to superstardom. They disbanded in 1993 and launched their reunion tour in April 2004 when virtually every, single date sold out within minutes and fans traveled hundreds of miles to attend a show. In post-Pixies years, Black Francis has enjoyed a successful solo career as Frank Black, Kim Deal went on to form the Platinum-selling band the Breeders, Joey Santiago started the band The Martinis and has carved a career as a music composer for film and TV, and David Lovering performs as a magician and continues to drum.


Confirmed dates for the Pixies' 2010 U.S. Doolittle Tour are as follows:

SEPTEMBER
7 Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, PA*
9 Ovens Auditorium, Charlotte, NC*
10 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN*
11 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN*
12 Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC*

13 Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA*
17 Uptown Theatre, Kansas City, MO
18 Brady Theatre, Tulsa, OK**
19 Verizon Theatre, Dallas, TX*
20 Verizon Wireless Theatre, Houston, TX
21 Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX***
22 Austin Music Hall, Austin, TX***
24 Mesa Amphitheatre, Mesa, AZ (tix sold through the venue)
25 The Joint, Las Vegas, NV*

26 RIMAC Arena, San Diego, CA*

* Tickets sold through Ticketmaster
** Tickets sold through Protix
*** Tickets sold through Frontgate

Ok, so news here is now done by the great and wonderful MsGoth84. Although she is learning fast and doing a great job, she happens to have been out o state for awhile. So there is a backlog of news.

Do I let the news just go? That would be a horrid idea. Right now I am trying to make some money on the side to save the site. The site is in debt and making money on the side is the only way to keep this beat going. This means that I can't post the news with any kind of dependability.

So then the question must be asked, how old can news be before it is too old? I see CNN pick up a news story about music days after it was posted on music sites like RMM. I have seen friends on Facebook get all excited about music news they just heard about, but it's something I heard about weeks ago. So how old is news before it is too old?

So let me know in the comments how old news can be before it is old to you? How old can it be before posting it harms the site? How old before it makes the site look way behind the 8 ball?

Please list your comments in the comments on this page. Thanks.

So we we're able to cover the great and mighty Mayhem Fest again. Sad thing is that this year funds were too tight to buy our tickets pre-hand. That always seems to make it way easier to get interviews scheduled. So this year we didn't figure out how to get approved without tickets until it was too late to schedule interviews. We did however get tons of photos.

Why No Rob Zombie?
So the photos of the band I was most wanting to shoot photos of and see at the event was the one band whose photos just did not turn out. I shot about 500 pix, but they were total blur and not worth the server space. Part of this was because I didn't follow my own rule of always switching the lens as soon as it gets the least bit dark. If I did that alone I would have been fine. The other problem is they are approving way too many people for photo passes. The phot (aka security) pit was so packed you couldn't move around at all. You had people with nothing but cell phone cameras fighting it out with people who were carrying thousands of dollars of equipment being paid to be there. If they could at least make a rule that only those with SLR (aka pro level, aka detachable lenses) are allowed it would make life way more easy. But again, if I would have switched my lens even that would not have stopped me. For the most part, I am to blame. No one is more bummed about this than I am. As I find links to my fellow photographers from the White River Mayhem date, I will give you all links to their stuff.

Since our menu system for photos is about as borked as it gets, here are all the photos linked from one place. Enjoy! Spread this around for us? We would really appreciate it. Thanks.


Korn
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...3/korn20100713

Lamb of God

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...bofgod20100713

Five Finger Death Punch
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...hpunch20100713

Shadows Fall
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...wsfall20100713

Hatebreed
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...ebreed20100713


In This Moment
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...moment20100713

3 Inches of Blood
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...fblood20100713

Atreyu
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...atreyu20100713

Chimaira

http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...imaira20100713

Drown Mary - (Local Jägermeister band)
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...wnmary20100713

Norma Jean
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...majean20100713

Winds of Plague
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...plague20100713


The Athiarchists - (Unofficial Mayhem from the parking lot!)
http://www.rockmymonkey.com/photos/s...chists20100713

Decibel Magazine today has premiered the first song from OCTOBER TIDE's new album, A Thin Shell, scheduled for release on September 28. “Blackness Devours” can now be heard by visiting: http://decibelmagazine.com/Content.aspx?ncid=378527.

A Thin Shell is the first new album from Sweden’s OCTOBER TIDE in over ten years. Mixed/mastered at Black Lounge Studios in Sweden and featuring artwork from American photographer/graphic designer Travis Smith (Opeth, Katatonia, Testament, Death etc.) the album delivers what fans have anxiously awaited from this treasured band. Guitarist/founder Fredrik Norrman recently commented, "I have wanted to get OCTOBER TIDE back together for some time. When we decided the time was right, ideas for new songs surprisingly came together nicely. Many sleepless nights were involved, with lots of coffee of course, but the songs were written in flow one after another."

Formed in 1995 by then Katatonia guitarist Norrman and Katatonia/Bloodbath vocalist Jonas Renkse, OCTOBER TIDE quickly made a mark with two albums recorded and released during the years 1997 and 1999 (Rain Without End and Grey Dawn, respectively). Much of the band's music was written during a short break up of Katatonia which later proved only temporary as the band would reform and continues today; their latest album, Night Of The New Day, features work by Norrman. OCTOBER TIDE would not perform live during this short period of activity and few interviews with the members were granted despite praise from both media and fans. The band, until reforming in late 2009, would maintain a cult status throughout the doom/metal community.


OCTOBER TIDE currently features vocalist Tobias Netzell, drummer Robin Bergh, session bassist Jonas Kjellgren (Scar Symmetry, Carnal Forge) with Norrman.


http://www.myspace.com/octobertideband

First off I want it to be made clear that I love the band Fear Factory. I have been a fan since before the band went on tour with Biohazard and Sick Of It All with their first album. But you can't call something a hit at the moment of release. That is what the band has done with their latest video.

As you can see, the band calls the video "Viral" in the press release. Viral means something that has spread like a virus. On the internet this is calling something an unstoppable sensation. This term is reserved for videos that get millions upon millions of views on YouTube. David After Dentist, Chocolate Rain, Star Wars Kid, and of course the Rick Rolling phenomenon.

To call something viral right out of the gate is this band's "Mission Accomplished" moment. They are claiming victory when the war is just beginning. Now I almost never allow commentary in Rock My Monkey news. Commentary in news has destroyed the journalistic integrity of the national news of the United States. News isn't about right or left. News is facts not out of control spin. But this had to be said, because the fact is that this is not a viral video. It is a music video like so many others.

This is not about how great the band or song is. This is not about how amazing the video is. This is about knowing what a word means before you use it in a press release. So with no further comment I give you the press release that started this mini rant.

Noisecreep Premieres Viral Video From FEAR FACTORY

Noisecreep today premieres a special Internet-only video for the song “Powershifter,” taken from FEAR FACTORY's latest album Mechanize. Filmed in England earlier this year, the video was created by noted English videographer Myles Dyer with assistance from producer Tom Bacon and cameraman David Bass. Presented in high definition, it captures the band on stage in front of an enthusiastic audience.


Check the video out here: http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/07/16...ideo-premiere/

“Powershifter” was the first song fans heard from Mechanize when album release details were announced late last fall. Within days the song was heard by over 100,000 fans as they quickly logged on to the YouTube page that premiered the first new material to include the revamped FEAR FACTORY lineup of vocalist Burton C. Bell, guitarist Dino Cazares, bassist Byron Stroud and drummer Gene Hoglan. The song would top college radio charts prior to Mechanize hitting stores on February 9. The album dominated the chart for six weeks at the number one position and maintained top ten status for another ten weeks as programmers threw their support behind the record.

Commenting about the video, Burton C. Bell says, “I am very curious to see the reaction to this video. It was filmed by a good friend of ours, Myles Dyer. He has been a great supporter of FEAR FACTORY for a long time, and now he has become a prominent videographer. He traveled with us for about a week during the UK portion of the Fear Campaign tour earlier this year. Although 'Powershifter' was leaked in the early stages of release, we wanted to produce an online only video for FEAR FACTORY fans everywhere. We hope the fans take the video and spread the FEAR FACTORY word like wildfire.”

FEAR FACTORY returns to American stages this weekend as part of their on-going Fear Campaign 2010 tour, performing tomorrow night at The Rock in Maplewood, Minnesota. All four members will take part in a meet-and-greet prior to the performance at Best Buy (located at 1643 West County Rode B2 in Roseville) beginning at 3pm. FEAR FACTORY, with 36 Crazyfists, Divine Heresy (featuring FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares), and After the Burial, will performance in Des Moines, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, New York City, and Towson (Baltimore) before concluding this current North American tour in Allentown on July 27. The band returns to Europe beginning July 31 for festivals and headline performances in England, Ireland, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria and their appearance at the massive Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany.


Mechanize has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide since release earlier this year. Media have praised the record; Decibel Magazine calls it the “greatest FEAR FACTORY full-length in more than a decade.” Revolver says, “the record marks a clear return to the classic FEAR FACTORY sound. The result rings familiar but also fresh; even in the very futuristic year of 2010.” And Blabbermouth notes “FEAR FACTORY 2010 is a fiery and evolved rebirth of the band that changed metal in the '90s…Mechanize is the album I have been waiting for.”

Remaining dates on the current North American tour are noted below.

7/17/2010 The Rock - Maplewood, MN
7/19/2010 People's Court - Des Moines, IA
7/20/2010 Metro - Chicago, IL
7/21/2010 Harpo's - Detroit, MI
7/23/2010 Opera House - Toronto, ON

7/24/2010 Parterre Parc Jean Drapeau - Montreal, QC
7/25/2010 Fillmore/Irving Plaza - New York, NY
7/26/2010 Recher Theatre - Towson, MD
7/27/2010 Crocodile Rock - Allentown, PA

http://www.fearfactorymusic.com
http://www.myspace.com/fearfactory
http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com