Dirk Verbeuren has shared a new drum playthrough for the “The Last Howl” track from his new project Savage Lands. Savage Lands is a non-profit organization co-founded by Dirk, focused on the preservation and reforestation of threatened lands in Costa Rica. “The Last Howl” is their first single and features John Tardy (Obituary) on vocals and Andreas Kisser (Sepultura) on lead guitar. Watch Dirk’s playthrough with his new Meinl Cymbals, on their YouTube channel. Continue reading
I am not going to say that reunion tours are not shameless cash grabs. Up to this point, KISS and Bauhaus are the only bands successful at luring me out to them. However, The Misfits were an equally important part of my youth. The mere thirty-minute drive into Tampa, was too tempting, despite my lingering resentment with Danzig’s terrible Elvis tribute album. Going to an outdoor venue in Florida after May, added to the difficulty level of taking my misanthropic self into a 20,000-seat-capacity amphitheatre. Fear being on the bill provided more motivation, however thanks to misinformation regarding the start time at the venue and Tampa traffic, Fear had finished their set as I set foot into the venue.
Ghost Cult’s Omar Cordy held an EXCLUSIVE interview with Dirk Verbeuren of Megadeth! They caught up to discuss the new album “The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!” and a variety of signposts in Dirk’s journey in heavy music. He chatted about the new album, the return of touring, how the band chooses a setlist, Megadeth’s many soundtrack favorites, Dirk’s thoughts on Gar Sameulson, and Nick Menza, how he made it into the band, how he chose to leave Soilwork in a professional way, his many passions outside of music, and more!
Megadeth’s guitarist Kiko Loureiro and drummer Dirk Verbeuren recently visited the headquarters of YouTube while on tour opening for Five Finger Death Punch. The band are on tour supporting their just released their new album The Sick… The Dying… and The Dead! (read our review here). Kiko and Dirk toured the campus, and then sat for an interview where they answered questions about social media, their gear, their favorite cities to perform in, and more!
Whether you want it to or not, once a nickname is acquired, it sticks. Sometimes for life. For almost as long as the band has existed itself, Californian speed metal legends Megadeth have been known by fans as Megadave. A purely affectionate nickname for sure, but one which grew out of frontman Dave Mustaine‘s often brutal and cold-blooded approach to personnel management. The singular constant in a revolving door of band members, make no mistake. Mustaine is Megadeth. Always was, always will be.
Next week marks the 20th anniversary of the passing of iconic Death vocalist and guitarist Chuck Schuldiner on December 13th, 2001. This weekend his friends, peers and disciples will assemble at The Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida to perform a tribute concert to the man and legend of Death Metal. The concert will feature an all-star cast of musicians, including six former members of Death. The show is expected to sell out, if it is not already, but now it will be lived streamed, which you can purchase at the link below.
Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine has revealed that the band is in the studio and recording up to 18 songs for their highly-anticipated new album, As part of their “The Metal Tour Of The Year” streaming event hosted by SiriusXM’s Jose Mangin, Dave spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band’s follow-up to 2016’s “Dystopia” album. He said (see video below, transcribed by Blabbermouth.net): “Dirk [Verbeuren, drums] and David Ellefson [bass] both just finished their parts. And this was probably one of the strongest records we’ve ever had as far as duration. The other records we’ve done have all done been different lengths, and our [record] contract that we have [to deliver] for one company, it’s eight songs, for another company, it’s 11 songs, so, realistically, all we need to do is do an 11-song album and we’re done, right? That’s not the way old Uncle Dave is, though.
Tronos is a side-project born of many late-night conversations between the two of the more prolific creative forces in underground metal, Napalm Death legend Shane Embury and legendary producer Russ Russell. Joining them is the equally talented Dirk Verbeuren on drums, Billy Gould, Troy Sanders and Dan Lilker on bass and vocals by Snake from Voivod – there’s no shortage of talent on display here. Continue reading
In a post to their social networks, Megadeth has teased an announcement. Hopefully it’s the start of a tour cycle, new music, or both! Megadeth will release the follow-up to 2016’s Dystopia (Universal) this year, has planned to book several huge tours potentially, and headline the inaugural Megacruise metal cruise! The new Megadeth album will be the first to feature Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork) on drums. More info to come as we get it! Continue reading
The number seven has long been a recurring theme with Glenn Danzig. ‘777’, ‘7th House’, seven albums with numbered prefixes, and now in 2017 – seven years on from his last studio album to feature original material, and at the age of 61 (six plus one…? Okay, maybe that’s pushing things a little too far) it’s finally time for Black Laden Crown (AFM Records), the latest chapter in the Danzig story.Continue reading