Tony Iommi Writes Song for Eurovision Song Contest + More News
Tony Iommi has written a song called "Lonely Planet" that will serve as Armenia's entry into the Eurovision Song Contest, an annual international competition. It's reportedly a rock ballad that Armenian band Dorians will perform.
The Black Sabbath guitar god has a rich history with the country, as he helped to raise funds for the 1988 earthquake recovery effort after 500,000 were left hopeless. Also, he and Deep Purple's Ian Gillan formed WhoCares last year to raise funds for a music school in the region.
The semifinals begin on May 14. [Rolling Stone]
King Diamond makes an appearance on Volbeat's upcoming album, Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. The despot of darkness appears on the song called "Room 24," the lyrics of which he co-wrote.
"I'm a huge fan of Mercyful Fate and King Diamond," guitarist Michael Poulsen said. "Having King on the record is a huge privilege. Normally, it's not something he does. He wrote his own lines, and it is half my lyrics and half his. It's a weird, scary story, and he's the perfect person for it."
The record is out April 9.
Soulfly leader Max Cavalera is scoring a film about the life of '80s porn star Vanessa Del Rio. Max talks about his involvement in the film in the video below. The director is Thomas Mignone, who has directed Soulfly and Sepultura videos and is a friend of Cavalera's, so therein lies the connection.
It is the first time that the singer/guitarist/frontman has worked on a film like this, and he says he is looking forward to it and wants to factor percussive, Brazilian, tribal elements into the soundtrack and score.
Kvelertak's new song "Spring fra Livet" is streaming online so take a listen to it here. It appears on the band's Roadrunner debut, Meir, out March 26. Crank the volume on this one. It's good!
Dave Grohl will offer the keynote speech at SXSW on Thursday, March 14 at 11AM CT. It will be broadcast live at NPR's website and mobile apps, and at SXSW's official site. NPR music critic Ann Powers will host a live blog during the speech, taking comments and fielding questions from online viewers. So even if you're not there in person, you can still be there and participate in the action, thanks to technology. Eureka!