Kaliakra Rock Fest

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Manowar \| Alice Cooper \| Slayer \| In Flames

Between '50s showman Screamin' Jay Hawkins emerging from a coffin and Kiss' Gene Simmons spitting "blood" in the mid-'70s, no one defined shock rock like Alice Cooper. Cooper used violent (and vile) theatrics - simulated executions, the chopping up of baby dolls, and draping himself with a live boa constrictor - and explicit lyrics to become a controversial yet hugely popular figure in the early and mid-'70s. After a decade of fluctuating record sales, Cooper returned to platinum with the #20 1989 LP Trash. Though he is respected by a new generation of hard-rock fans, he never reached this kind of popularity again.

Vincent Furnier, son of a preacher, assembled his hard-rocking band in Phoenix. They were first known as the Earwigs, then the Spiders, and finally the Nazz (not to be confused with Todd Rundgren’s band). They moved en masse to L.A. in 1968. Billing themselves as Alice Cooper (who, according to a Ouija board, was a 17th-century witch reincarnated as Furnier), they established themselves on the Southern California bar circuit with a bizarre stage show and a reputation as the worst band in L.A. Frank Zappa’s Straight Records released their first two albums, which sold poorly and, with tour costs, left them $100,000 in debt.

The band members moved to Detroit, where they lived for several months in a single hotel room before the release of their major-label debut and breakthrough album, Love It to Death. Joining Cooper’s taboo-defying lyrics to powerful hard rock, the album became the first in a string of gold and platinum releases and included “Eighteen” (1971). Subsequent hit singles included “School’s Out” (1972), “Elected” (1972), “Hello Hooray” (973), and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (1973). Killer (1971), School’s Out (1972), and Billion Dollar Babies (1973) are all platinum.

In 1973 Surrealist master Salvador Dalí filmed the singer, wearing diamond necklaces and tiara, as he bit the head off a small replica of the Venus de Milo for a holographic work. With such widespread success, even amid the gruesome stage sets and macabre makeup, Cooper seemed less threatening.

The band broke up in 1974 and Cooper began using such musicians as ex–Lou Reed guitarists Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter. (In 1977 former band members Bruce, Dunaway, and Smith formed Billion Dollar Babies and recorded one unsuccessful album.) Alice Cooper - The Nightmare, an April 1975 prime-time TV special, seemed to indicate Cooper’s acceptance as a mainstream entertainer, as did a handful of appearances on The Hollywood Squares. His then-current hit, “Only Women Bleed” (1975), was a ballad, as were two subsequent hits: “I Never Cry” (1976) and “You and Me” (1977).

In 1978 Cooper committed himself to a psychiatric hospital for treatment of alcoholism, an experience chronicled on From the Inside, which includes some lyrics by Elton John’s songwriting partner Bernie Taupin and the hit “How You Gonna See Me Now” (1978). Neither the hard-rocking Flush the Fashion nor Special Forces was especially successful, and Cooper took a hiatus. He returned in 1986 with Constrictor, followed by Raise Your Fist and Yell, both deep in the heavy-metal vein. The Nightmare Returns Tour and MTV Halloween special brought Cooper’s violent, twisted onstage fantasies to a new generation, and he closed the ’80s with the platinum Trash and “Poison” (1989), his first Top 20 single in more than a decade.

Cooper, for whom Alice is such a character that he speaks of him in the third person

in interviews, has also appeared in several films: Prince of Darkness (1988), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and most notably Wayne’s World (1992). For The Decline of Western Civilization, Part II - The Metal Years, he rerecorded “Under My Wheels” with Guns n’ Roses’ Axl Rose, Slash, and Izzy Stradlin. Prominent among Cooper’s legion of second-generation fans are Steve Vai, Nikki Sixx, Joe Satriani, and Slash, all of whom guested on Hey Stoopid; Soundgarden’s singer, Chris Cornell, was on The Last Temptation, while Sammy Hagar and Rob Zombie appeared on the live recording A Fistful of Alice.

His career flagging in the late ’90s, Cooper moved away from the power ballads that had marked his ’80s records and reunited with producer Bob Ezrin (who had worked on Love It to Death, Killer, and School’s Out, among others) on the indie release Brutal Planet, a science-fiction concept album. But despite the return of a guillotine (a mainstay of his ’70s shows) as an accessory on the Live From the Brutal Planet Tour, Cooper seems mild compared to the likes of Slipknot or Marilyn Manson, who arguably were directly inspired by him. Not only does he now play family-friendly places such as state fairs but he also opened a restaurant, Alice Cooper’stown, in Phoenix.

From: The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll (Simon Schuster, 2001)

www.alicecooper.com

Slayer was one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics deal with everything from death and dismemberment to war and the horrors of hell. Their full-throttle velocity, wildly chaotic guitar solos, and powerful musical chops paint an effectively chilling sonic background for their obsessive chronicling of the dark side; this correspondence has helped Slayer's music hold up arguably better than the remaining Big Three '80s thrash outfits (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax).

Naturally, Slayer has stirred up quite a bit of controversy over the years, with rumors flying about Satanism and Nazism that have only added to their mystique. Over the years, Slayer put out some high-quality albums, one undisputed classic (Reign in Blood), and saw the numbers of naysayers and detractors shrinking as their impact on the growing death metal movement was gradually and respectfully acknowledged. Slayer survived into the 1990s with arguably the most vitality and the least compromise of any pre-Nirvana metal band, and their intensity still inspires similar responses from their devoted fans.

Slayer was formed in 1982 in Huntington Beach, CA, by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman; also recruited were bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo. The band started out playing covers of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden songs, but quickly discovered that they could get attention (and fans) by exploiting threatening, satanic imagery. The band was invited by Metal Blade's Brian Slagel to contribute a track to the Metal Massacre, Vol. 3 compilation (a series that also saw the vinyl debuts of Metallica and Voivod); a contract and debut album, Show No Mercy, followed shortly thereafter.

While Slayer's early approach was rather cartoonish, their breakneck speed and instrumental prowess were still highly evident. Two EPs, Haunting the Chapel and Live Undead, were released in 1984, but 1985's Hell Awaits refined their lyrical obsessions into a sort of concept album about damnation and torture and made an immediate sensation in heavy metal circles, winning Slayer a rabid cult following.

Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin took a liking to the band, signed them to his label, and contributed the first clear-sounding production heard on any Slayer album for the stripped-down Reign in Blood. Due to the graphic nature of the material, CBS refused to distribute the album, which garnered a great deal of publicity for the band; eventually, Geffen Records stepped in. Combining Slayer's trademark speed metal with the tempos and song lengths (if not structures) of hardcore, along with the band's most disturbing lyrics yet, Reign in Blood was an instant classic, breaking the band through to a wider audience, and was hailed by some as the greatest speed metal album of all time (some give the nod to Metallica's Master of Puppets).

South of Heaven disappointed some of the band's hardcore followers, as Slayer successfully broke out of the potential stylistic straitjacket of their reputation as the world's fastest, most extreme band. Drummer Lombardo took some time off and was briefly replaced by Whiplash drummer Tony Scaglione, but soon returned to the fold.

1990's Seasons in the Abyss was well received in all respects, incorporating more of the classic Slayer intensity into a more commercial -- but no less uncompromising -- sound. "War Ensemble" and the title track became favorites on MTV's Headbanger's Ball, and Slayer consolidated their position at the forefront of thrash, along with Metallica.

Following the release of the double live album Decade of Aggression, Lombardo left the band for good due to personality conflicts with the other members and formed Grip Inc. Slayer remained quiet for a few years; the only new material released after 1990 was a duet with Ice-T recorded for the Judgment Night soundtrack on a medley of songs by the Exploited.

After leaving the Forbidden, Paul Bostaph signed on as the new drummer for 1994's Divine Intervention, which was released to glowing reviews; thanks to the new death metal movement, which drew upon Slayer and particularly Reign in Blood for its inspiration, Slayer was hailed as a metal innovator. The album was a massive success, debuting at number eight on the Billboard album charts. Bostaph left the band to concentrate on a side project, the Truth About Seafood, and was replaced by ex-Testament drummer Jon Dette for Undisputed Attitude, an album consisting mostly of punk and hardcore covers. Bostaph rejoined Slayer in time to record 1998's Diabolus in Musica.

The band reunited with Def Jam for 2001's God Hates Us All. In 2004, they unleashed the four-disc anthology Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, followed by an album of all-new material, Christ Illusion, in 2006.

From: Billboard.com

www.slayer.net

It was the year 1990, Jesper decided to take leave of the band Ceremonial Oath, that he was currently in, together with Anders Fridén and Anders Iwers (Tiamat).

He wanted to make music in a different direction, and he teamed up with Johan Larsson and Glenn Ljungström to form IN FLAMES. The gang made a demo and shipped it off to Wrong Again records in order to get a record-deal, which they did. The owner of the company enjoyed the music so much that he immediately gave them a deal over the phone, as they rang him up one night. The next day, they sat down and wrote the album Lunar Strain, which was released some time later, and became a big underground success. They had some "in and out members" , and borrowed some from different bands. People that have been a part of IN FLAMES since the beginning, are Mikael Stanne and Anders Jivarp (Dark Tranquillity), Anders Iwers (Tiamat), Henke Forss (Dawn), Daniel Erlandsson (Eucharist, Arch Enemy), and a few more. The band then released a mini-CD called Subterranean, that became the "breaker" for IN FLAMES, in terms of getting out off the underground scene, that is, and led them to get a license deal with German company Nuclear Blast for the next record, and they have been there since then. After some time, the boys were getting tired of constantly borrowing people in order to make a record, or do a decent live show, and they asked Anders Fridén and Björn Gelotte to join the band, on vocals and drums, and they accepted. IN FLAMES were for the first time a band with a real line up.

They recorded and released yet another record . The Jester Race, which became a huge success, worldwide, and the band started to get some fantastic attention all over Europe, and in Japan, where they were licensed to Toy´s Factory. They went on a festival tour together with Samael, Grip inc. And Kreator - this was the first big thing that happened to them, but definitely not the last. Some gigs here and there over the next year, led to both Johan and Glenn feeling that they had to make a choice where their priorities were , and sadly, they choose not be a part of IN FLAMES any more. They both announced, unexpectedly after the recording of Whoracle, that they were leaving, and Björn, Jesper and Anders were left with a finished record and half a band.

Luckily they were good friends with Peter Iwers and Niklas Engelin, who both happened to play bass and guitar, and they filled in at the end of the recordings, to do a mini-tour with Dimmu Borgir. This worked out fine and the two gentlemen were asked to stay in the band permanently, and so they did. Together the group continued onto a successful tour in Europeand an amazing week in Japan, where they did their first two shows. Japan welcomed the Swedes with warm arms, and they had an amazing experience. As they return to Sweden, Niklas leaves the band, due to some different opinions, and the fact that he wanted to focus on Gardenian, his other band. This is the biggest turning point for IN FLAMES, as they decide to switch Björn from drums to guitar, (being a guitar player originally), and recruit Daniel Svensson ( Sacrilige) on Drums. This works out wonderful, and they record COLONY, the biggest success so far.

The Colonization takes them around the world, to Europe, USA and Japan, and this tour is an amazing experience for IN FLAMES, that finally receives the attention they´ve been waiting for. As they play full houses almost everywhere, the party goes on for a few months, and the response is excellent all over the world.

In August of 2000, after a few years of successful touring , the release of Clayman is a fact, after spending 3 months in the studio. This record spins off really well, and the sales are overwhelming and it knocks out the previous record sales in a few months.

After doing festivals with Dream Theater, Slipknot, Testament, Methods of mayhem, etc, a world tour was to expect. In Flames aimed for Japan and Europe, which was squeezed in between 2 American tours. This was the same round as last year, only this time bigger places, more people and more material. In Japan, Jesper received an award from BURRN! As the number 1 songwriter of the year. The tours were a huge success once again. Peter Iwers did not join them on all of these tours as he had a new arrival back home, that he stayed home with instead, a baby girl, but he joined in for the Scandinavian and Japan dates, and was temporarily replaced by Dick Löwgren from Armageddon for the other tours. In the year 2000, approximately 150 shows were performed by In Flames , and then a well deserved vacation was taken by the members. 2001, Peter is back and the band does a few single shows in Sweden, including a headline gig in Gothenburg, which was featured in 4 television channels, and aired live on the radio.

Charts this year were very high, including #4 in Japan, both group and record, # 3 in Canada´s greatest metal mag- Brave words and Bloody Knuckles, # 1 in Metal Maniacs, and # 17 on the official Swedish charts, to name a few.

A video is shot for Only for the Weak, and the band went on a mini tour in Europe, where they played 13 shows in front of 20 000 people, needless to say, it was a huge success.

Next: summer festivals, including Wacken Open Air, Rock Machina to name a few, then the release of a live album : The Tokyo Showdown, in August, before heading over to the US for another tour.

What next? well, another record was made, this time at a new location with a new producer: Dug-Out studios with Daniel Bergstrand. The band wanted to go elsewhere and try on a different studio and producer. Reroute To Remain was produced, and the the result was amazing. More touring, headline spins, support spins were done. Including raveling with the likes of Slipknot, Mudvayne, Soulfly and Slayer, that gave them the possibility to share their music with a different audience! Two headline spins in the US, one in Europe, festivals, including replacing Linkin park at Sweden's biggest festival: Hultsfred.

The day after that show they were offered to do a support slot for Metallica in Madrid, which was a huge success, playing in front of 30.000 people, making it the biggest show so far , that was not a festival.

The making of soundtrack to your escape started in may 2003 when they rented a small house in Denmark to do pre-production. The idea to do this came very natural as they had started working like this on the last record, but this time they wanted to go even further away from Sweden, to prevent any kinds of distractions. The result was 11 songs, and then two more followed as they went into another recording process, although this time they moved all their gear and Daniel Bergstrands studio equipment into a larger house in Denmark to do the recording ina much more relaxed atmosphere. Only the druns where recorded at Dug-Out as the previous record, but the producers were the same: Daniel Bergstrand and Örjan Örnkloo.. which brings us up to date, where a large tour is on it´s way, taking the band once again all over the world, trying to spread the In Flames word around!

Today´s line-up is: Björn Gelotte – Guitars,Daniel Svensson – Drums,Peter Iwers – Bassguitar,Jesper Strömblad – Guitars, Anders Fridén - Vocals

From: www.inflames.com