“Let the madness begin!” This was the familiar battle cry for over a decade of Ozzfests. Today Ozzfest is back in the con-joined monst fest that is Ozzfest Meets Knotfest. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Huntress
Ozzfest Meets Knotfest To Feature Black Sabbath, Slipknot, Disturbed, Slayer
Two of the biggest heavy music brands in history have joined together as Ozzfest has returned and will team up with Slipknot’s Knotfest as a conjoined two-day festival. Ozzfest Meets Knotfest will take place Saturday, September 24 (Ozzfest) and Sunday, September 25 (Knotfest) at San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, California.Long-rumoured to be making a comeback, Ozzfest is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Knotfest which debuted in 2012 and has spawned other versions in Japan and Mexico. Tickets for the Live Nation produced fest with a multi-stage, two-day weekend camping event with more than 40 acts — go on sale Friday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m. (PST) at Ozzfest.com and Knotfest.com.
At a press conference earlier today the event was announced, followed by a performance by Zakk Wylde’s Zakk Sabbath. Present were Ozzfest founder Ozzy Osbourne and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor and M. Shawn Crahan. The event began with a movie screening, followed by a question-and-answer session with artists.
Ozzy commented on the event:
“We are here to create havoc and history. Let the madness begin…”
Slipknot’s Corey Taylor added:
“This could be the one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. Starting out as an Ozzfest band, coming into our own with Knotfest and now combining forces to make a little metal history…it was meant to be and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Shawn Crahan also commented:
“Playing with BLACK SABBATH is always an honor. Merging both festivals will be a legendary experience that will be life-changing for all fans. We are excited to bring all the families together again.”
Cory Brennan, President, 5B Artist Management also added his thoughts:
“The impact of Ozzfest on heavy music and on Slipknot, cannot be underestimated.For 20 years, Ozzfest has given fans their first glimpse at bands like Slipknot, Disturbed and countless others, but also bringing new fans and bands together every year. Ozzfest inspired Slipknot to continue this vital tradition with Knotfest, and it’s an honor to celebrate our genre alongside them in 2016.”
The Ozzfest Meets Knotfest 2016 Lineup Is As Follows, with a “Lemmy” stage included on both days for Lemmy Kilmister Of Motörhead, who passed away this past December 28th.
Ozzfest Lineup – Saturday, September 24
Main Stage
Black Sabbath
Disturbed
Megadeth
Opeth
Black Label Society
Rival Sons
Lemmy Stage
Children Of Bodom
Hatebreed
Devildriver
Goatwhore
Huntress
Dead Cross
Nuclear Blast Stage
Municipal Waste
Kataklysm
Nails
The Shrine
Still Rebel
Knotfest Lineup – Sunday, September 25
Main Stage
Slipknot
Slayer
Amon Amarth
Anthrax
Trivium
Lemmy Stage:
Sabaton
Suicide Silence
Overkill
Emmure
Butcher Babies
Man With A Mission
Nuclear Blast Stage
Whitechapel
Combichrist
Death Angel
Sim
Oni
Huntress – Static
Sometimes, no matter how much you think you should like a band, for some inexplicable reason they just don’t click for you. First impressions can only be made once, second chances happen rarely, and third chances almost never occur, so once your mind is made up it will usually remain made up. This, of course, results in most bands who don’t make it past those first couple of ill-fated encounters finding themselves forever gathering dust inside that broken filing cabinet in the back of your mind, unceremoniously shoved away under N for ‘Nope’.
Or more likely another letter if your filing system isn’t as family friendly as my own.
Every now and again though, one of those bands manage to escape their gloomy confines and earn a reprieve. It could be anything that triggers this impromptu act of clemency; a video, a song, an interview, a live performance. But whatever it is, something suddenly hits the target and with nary a warning, you suddenly find yourself wondering why on earth you never took to them in the first place.
For me, that band is Huntress. A band I should have loved from the start, everything about them, both visually and musically, has been virtually tailor-made to meet my tastes. Occult imagery, boobs, fast and thrashy riffs, boobs, Rob Zombie style music videos, a ballsy and talented female vocalist and boobs. Yet somehow, until earlier this year when I saw them in the flesh (the band, not the boobs), I just didn’t Get It.
But Get It I eventually did, and having been won over by them in the live arena, that left the ball firmly in their court.
So, with the arrival of their latest album, Static (Napalm), Huntress become the latest band to have not only finally clawed their way into my good graces, but look to remain firmly cemented there for the foreseeable future. ‘Sorrow’ opens proceedings with a frantic blast and is followed by the Megadeth style intro of ‘Flesh’, a slower song with a killer chorus. ‘Brian’ is next, a track written about an eccentric old man who became friends with singer Jill Janus. ‘I Want to Wanna Wake Up’ is about Janus’s struggle with various mental illnesses, and slow burner ‘Mania’ treads the same lyrical path, crawling along with a bitter melancholy. Things taper off a little with ‘Four Blood Moons’, but only very slightly, and are set straight back on course afterwards with the double hitter of title track ‘Static’ and clear highlight of the album, ‘Harsh Times on Planet Stoked’. ‘Noble Savage’ chugs along effectively backed by a nice vocal performance by Janus, and ‘Fire in My Heart’ is a fine closer.
Only time will tell whether my opinion of their previous two albums will change, but if you were ever undecided about Huntress then I would urge you to give them another chance with Static. It might not hit you straight away (a couple of tracks take four or five spins to really come to life) but with some time and effort, the rewards are most definitely there to be had.
8.0/10
GARY ALCOCK
Huntress Drops Off Current Tour Due To Illness
Huntress, photo by Hillarie Jason
Huntress has announced they are dropping off their current tour with Avatar, Gemini Syndrome and others due to the state of the health of front woman Jill Janus, following her recovery from a recent hysterectomy. Diagnosed with state 1 uterine cancer, Janus and the band have released a statement on the tour:
“Announcement: Huntress will not being touring in Sept due to Jill Janus‘ healing from uterine cancer surgery. She is now cancer-free. Doctors have ordered one more month to properly heal, then Huntress will join Motörhead’s MotörBoat Cruise 9/28-10/2. We apologize to all our fans, Avatar, Gemini Syndrome & First Decree and look forward to more shows in the near future!”
Huntress will release their new album, Static, from Napalm Records on September 25th. The band currently has a Pledge Music campaign for the pre-sale orders of Static you can follow at this link. It is the follow up to their last album, Starbound Beast (also Napalm).
Corrosion of Conformity, More Bands Added to Motörboat cruise
The Deliverance-era lineup of Corrosion of Conformity, along with The Shrine, Others and three more bands have been added to Motörhead‘s Motörboat cruise taking place next fall. COC confirmed in a Facebook post that Pepper Keenan, who played his first shows in nine years with COC this spring in the UK, will be part of the lineup that plays the cruise.
Let’s get it going on Motörhead’s MotörBoat
Posted by Corrosion Of Conformity on Thursday, June 4, 2015
The Motörboat cruise will set sail from the port of Miami, FL on September 28th, with stops in Nassau and the the Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. The cruise ends on October 2nd.
New additions to the line-up:
Corrosion Of Conformity
The Shrine
Others
No Words
Budderside
Sonia Harley
The Dead Deads
Comedians Brian Posehn and Big Jay Oakerson are also now on the bill.
Already confirmed bands include:
Slayer
Motörhead
Anthrax
Suicidal Tendencies
Hatebreed
Exodus
Crobot
Phil Cambell’s All Starr Band
Motor Sister
Kyng
Fireball Ministry
Huntress
Also announced, Slayer will play on September 28th during the ‘blood moon’ lunar eclipse.
Huntress Completes Recording New Album
Photo Credit: Susanne Alexandra Maathuis
Huntress have concluded the recording sessions for their third full length album with producers Jim Rota and Paul Fig.
“That’s a wrap! Studio sessions done, mixing next. Endless thanks to our superhuman producers Jim Rota & Paul Fig (producer/engineer). This Huntress album is by far the most beautiful and the heaviest. Album 3 would not exist without you guys. Write, pre-pro (harder!), record, mix, master, unleash! Hail Heavy Metal…”
That’s a wrap! Studio sessions done, mixing next. Endless thanks to our superhuman producers Jim Rota & Paul Fig…
Posted by Huntress on Friday, April 3, 2015
Stonerwitch Saturday: Finally I can focus on other important things, like my joint rolling game. Vocals on Huntress…
Posted by Huntress on Saturday, April 4, 2015
Slayer, Motorhead, Anthrax, Hatebreed, etc Confirmed For Motorhead’s Motorboat
Motörhead’s Motörboat will embark on its second voyage September 28 through October 2, 2015 on Norwegian Sky, departing Port Miami, with stops in Nassau and the private picturesque island of Great Stirrup Cay in The Bahamas. This year’s edition will include:
Slayer
Motörhead
Anthrax
Suicidal Tendencies
Hatebreed
Exodus
Crobot
Phil Campbell’s All Starr Band
Motor Sister
Kyng
Fireball Ministry
Huntress
For the debut Motörhead’s Motörboat cruise in 2014, an international, multigenerational audience from over 30 countries came together to celebrate the legacy of the cruise’s iconic namesake and escape into five days of true rock ’n’ roll living with no holds barred. Highlighted by a pair of ear-splitting performances from Motörhead themselves, Motörhead’s Motörboat 2014 featured more than 30 performances by 15 of rock and metal’s top artists, including heavy metal all-star band Metal Allegiance, Anthrax, Testament, Down, and Zakk Wylde.
2014 Motörhead meet & greet with fans.
Motorhead Cruise on Facebook
Motorhead Cruise on Twitter
Motorhead on Instagram
2014 Video Flashback
Attack Of The Crone – Jill Janus of Huntress
In between recording and hitting the road in support of Amon Amarth, Huntress frontwoman Jill Janus took time out to speak to Ghost Cult about life in Huntress and to tease a few details about their upcoming third album.
Life in a professional metal band isn’t like the glory days of old and long gone are the days when Manowar travelled in luxury with an additional bus in tow purely for their groupies. Two albums in on a respected metal label, Napalm Records, and with a flurry of press coverage for the pair, one would expect something more glamorous than a mini-bus to be Huntress’ touring companion. But this tour with Amon Amarth is about sacrifices to achieve a vision. “I wanted to tour with Amon Amarth. I wrote it down on a piece of paper and willed it to be true. And here we are. I’m a big believer in visualization” confirms focal-point, Jill Janus.
It’s easy to see why all roads lead to Jill. Not only the voice and face of the band, it is from her that the lyrical themes and imagery flow, too. But to what extent is Huntress a one person show?
“It’s Blake (Meahl – lead guitar) and I who are really the driving force behind Huntress and we’ve been fortunate enough to have several musicians come on this journey with us but sometimes touring is too hard, and that’s really the main reason we’ve had to replace a couple of band members along the way.
“We’re not making any money doing this, and some of these guys have wives or girlfriends or rent to pay, so unless you’re willing to put all your shit in a van, or in storage, it’s going to burn.
“I’ve really had to abandon all other ambitions and only live for Huntress” confirms the focused singer “and it’s not easy to do. Right now my main focus is self-control. It’s not easy to stay sane doing what I do and the pace at which I do it, and a lot of my focus now is ‘Keep your shit together, Jill, and don’t lose it’, and that’s it daily. Every day when I wake up, it’s focus, don’t lose it.”
Making it happen in a professional metal band isn’t all banging out some riffs and seeing what happens… “One side of it is to really maintain your self-control. The other is don’t believe your own hype. The minute you believe you’re a rock star, you’re an asshole. I stay very focused. I am cogniscent of the things that are going on around me, I can hear the buzz, I can hear hype, I won’t believe it because I’m very focused on my purpose.
“I don’t ever look online. It is toxic. It’s deadly. I never read anything online about Huntress. The only thing I interact with are my fans, and that’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and those are focused, limited moments. It’s come down to a science. I do not allow myself to read anything online, it’s methodical, and I do not allow any trolls to know my goals. I always say “Keep your goals away from trolls”, and that’s something I live by.
I’ve seen every part of this journey and it’s all come to fruition. Every single bit of Huntress, every moment, every plan has all been visualized and not only by myself but my band mates as well. If you dream it, you can be it. You’re looking at me here, because it was in my head at first. And that goes along with a lot of the imagery, the “occult” aspect as well. As I said, I’m a big believer in visualisation.”
One thing Jill may not have visualized was the panning and critical kicking their second album, Starbound Beast received in many quarters. Regaining credibility can be a difficult thing – it takes years to build a reputation, but only minutes to destroy it.
“We’re always going to stay true to the roots of heavy metal, and we’re always going to stay authentic to who we are, but we’re evolving and that’s a very organic process. What you’ll hear in the production is that it’s going to be a bit more modernized, which I’ve been pushing for and the boys are going to keep it true to the roots of heavy metal and keep the NWOBHM in there. Stylistically my vocals have a little hat-tip to the great Rob Halford and it’s going to be true Huntress through and through.
“The third record will have some of those doom elements, too (that were present on the second album), because it’s The Crone and it’s Death season. There’s dying, and doomy, but there’ll be some surprises on there and it’s going to be a touch catchier as well.”
Jill has mentioned previously that the first three albums are linked, thematically, in terms of following a female life from youth to maturity.
“The second record was more cosmic, the first more occult based, more witchcraft, and now we’re heading into the cycle for the third album, Album three is done, it just needs to be mixed when we get back and then we’re ready to rock. Two more things to do on it and then we’re ready. I call the first three albums our trilogy. The Maiden was Spell Eater, The Mother was Starbound Beast and here comes The Crone. The title is yet to be announced, but the record will be out sometime this summer and we’re moving into the realm of The Crone. The Crone is going to be ruling this phase of the trilogy. She’s horny and she’s an old bitch! She’s a lot of fun.”
Words by STEVE TOVEY
Amon Amarth, Huntress & Savage Messiah Booked For UK/European In January/February
Photo By Susanne A. Maathuis
Amon Amarth, Huntress and Savage Messiah have an upcoming UK and European tour confirmed. Dates are posted below.
Amon Amarth, Huntress & Savage Messiah:
Jan 15: Le Splendid – Lille (FR)
Jan 16: Concorde 2 – Brighton (UK)
Jan 17: The Hub – Plymouth (UK)
Jan 18: Thelka – Bristol (UK)
Jan 19: Rescue Rooms – Nottingham (UK)
Jan 21: Waterfront – Norwich (UK)
Jan 22: Arts Center – Colchester (UK)
Jan 23: Academy2 – Oxford (UK)
Jan 24: Sugarmill – Stoke (UK)
Jan 25: Academy2 – Manchester (UK)
Jan 27: Classic Grand – Glasgow (UK
Jan 28: Stylus – Leeds (UK)
Jan 29: Uni – Newcastle (UK)
Jan 30: Assembly – Lemmington (UK)
Jan 31: 1865 – Southampton (UK)
Feb 02: Le 106 – Rouen (FR)
Feb 03: Le Cartonnerie – Reims (FR)
Feb 04: L ́Autre Canal – Nancy (FR)
Feb 05: La Paloma – Nimes (FR)
Feb 06: Santana 27 – Bilbao (ES)
Feb 07: Razzmatazz1 – Barcelona (ES)
Feb 08: La Riviera – Madrid (ES)
Feb 10: Paradise Garage – Lisboa (PT)
Feb 11: Hard Club – Porto (PT
Feb 12: Captol – Santiago (ES)
Feb 14: Le Cooperative De Mai – Clermont-Ferrand (FR)
Feb 15: Laiterie – Strasbourg (FR)
Photo By Sawacide
Arch Enemy- Kreator – Huntress – Starkill: Live At The Worcester Palladium
Time to sojourn out to the Palladium once again for another show on a brisk Autumn Saturday night! While I am hitting seemingly less shows than in past years (still about one every 1-2 weeks) there are certain tours you have to make sure you see. Kreator is one of the most legendary thrash bands ever and always puts on a satisfying live show. Arch Enemy, with the new blood injected by Alissa White-Gluz definitely had the curiosity factor going for it, but AE too has always been nothing if not very consistently excellent as a live proposition. Surely lots of fans wanted to know if the band still had the goods without Angela Gossow, but if you listened to War Eternal (Century Media), you had plenty of evidence to go on. Getting to the venue early, I saw a ton of people in early for the VIP/soundcheck and you could here for a block around the venue, the co-headliners had brought their A-game on this day. Also, I need to send a special shout out to my bro Dan for getting out to the show early and having a blast all day with me. Good times broseph!
Due to some Ghost Cult business, I missed the second stage opening bands, many of whom I was looking forward to seeing. It’s tough parsing up my time, but think in 2015 I am going to give more time to underground acts and locals when possible. Anycase the first band I caught on this night was Starkill and I was pleasantly surprised by how well put together they were live. The early light crowd in the venue early was definitely feeling these guys and their intense performance. They were heavy and tight and seemed very comfortable in what could have been an intimidating situation. I may have to give their just release Virus of the Mind Album (Century Media) another listen as perhaps I shelved that one away a little too quickly a few months back.
I’m not entirely sure what is going on with Huntress these days. They had me in the fold early on in their career with their blend of proto-metal, occasional thrash and occult rock influences. I knew Jill Janus was occasionally cheesy on the mic, certainly her lyrics you can skip, but she could deliver vocally and the band has been very solid at times. Perhaps I caught the band on a bad night, but they had a dismal performance. Jill voice was definitely suffering from some malady, sounding hoarse, and the band overall was lackluster. The set list didn’t help their cause either since other than a few songs off of their debut, they played a chunk of their latest album, which I also didn’t enjoy much. I think ahead of their next album, this is a band that really needs to evaluate themselves hardcore, and go back to playing to their strengths. There are a lot of bands that do what they do with making it such a poor mish-mosh.
By comparison Kreator was amazeballs, but you just knew they would be. Whatever fountain of youth these guys have access to, please point me in the right direction. There tireless Teutonic Thrash warriors just deliver every single time I have ever seen them, dating back to club shows in the 90s. They played a badass set of old jams and new classics for an unrelenting set that clocked in at about one hour. Mille Petrozza continues to be one of the best front men in metal, never sacrificing his immense playing ability for his vocals. Playing a set comprised of tracks from across their history, the highlights were opener ‘Violent Revolution’, Extreme Aggression’, ‘Enemy of God, and ‘Hordes of Chaos’ among others. The pit action was non-stop basically the entire set and I wondered how Arch Enemy would do to match this. The band performed like the seasoned, veteran act that they are had the crowd eating out of their hand. I am ready for 2015 to bring a new Kreator album, how about you?
As the roadcrew took a while to change over Kreator’s set for Arch Enemy’s staging (although they used the same lighting rig, I surveyed the crowd. It was a little on the light side for these top two bands and in this venue, but in fairness there had a plethora of shows this week and the annual Rock And Shock festival was the week before. Still, there was a full crowd in front of the stage and they were ready to get their Arch Enemy on, as it has been a while since the band was in front of their American fans to put on a show.
And put on a show they did! Following the into music the crowd welcomed back this long running institution of modern melodic death metal. From the very first notes and guttural roar of White-Gluz announcing the band to the stage with opening song, ‘Enemy Within’, it was on! The pit was active early on in the set as they chopped their way through tracks like ‘War Eternal’, ‘Ravenous’, and ‘Revolution Begins’ before even addressing the audience. The band just seemed to have a fierceness I had not seen from them in a long time, and dare I say they were up there having fun.
At this point, much has been made of Alissa’s rise to front the band, the departure of Gossow, and War Eternal. Hey, change is hard when it comes to your favorite bands. However, chances are, if you were not into the Angela years, you aren’t going to run back screaming for them. On the other hand, Alissa has already proven to be a more than worthy successor, even putting her own stamp on a few classics, but always doing the music justice and sounding brutal as fuck. Let’s not analyze her to death for no reason, just listen and enjoy.
As fun as she was fronting The Agonist, Alissa excelled at pumping up the crowd and getting the audience to participate. Although the moshers were looking tired from my vantage point, she kept extolling them to wake up, scream along and generally have a good time.
As far as the rest of the band, it is always the Michael Amott and Daniel Erlandsson show. Sure the entire band is talents, but Michael and Daniel are worth the price of admission, always. Amott’s soloing and tone sound a crisp and round as ever and he had his usual army of fan-boys in the crowd.
The band impressed me with their energy the entire set long, that went for almost 20 tracks and an hour and a half. It’s great to see a veteran band really act like one, and put on a long set night after night. If you want to just be a hater, then fine. But if you have ever cared about this band and are on the fence about their new front woman or new album, I’m here to tell you to get over yourself and give them a fair chance. You might just get blown away.
WORDS: KEITH CHACHKES
PHOTOS: HILLARIE JASON PHOTOGRAPHY