Did You Know? Spineshank has fled the warm air of L.A. in favor of Vancouver to finish up the recording of their upcoming release, tentatively titled Self Destructive Pattern… What else? They should be done tracking by Christmas… More? Read Tommy’s latest update from the studio: Hey everybody. This has been an extremely busy 2 weeks. To start things off, we decided to pack up and drive to Garth’s studio, just outside of Vancouver, Canada!! It was a last minute decision but it ended up being the right thing to do…the studio is right in the middle of a fucking forest, so there were NO distractions. And I’m not even kidding – we were chopping wood for heat. That should be the next reality show “Spineshank’s Little House On The God Damn Prairie.” It paid off because Jonny and Rob were both singing great – we got a month of work done in about 2 weeks. We even finished a few songs that we didn’t plan on finishing. We’ve recorded 16 or 17…I’m not exactly sure on it. The next step is to listen to the rough mixes over the holidays to make sure that all the songs are as good as they can be, and then get it mixed in January. We are really trying to get things done fast because you guys have been waiting way too long. I think you will all be happy with it – it has a lot of really cool melodic songs (that are still heavy!!) and it easily has the most brutal and fastest stuff we have ever done. I know every band says that their new record is the best ever, but I really think this is…and if you have any taste, you will agree. j/k. I want you all to know that the artwork is already being worked on and it promises to be really dark and different. We got started on this early because on our 2 previous records, the artwork is what pushed back the release date. So as of right now we have a release date in May and we’re going to do everything in our power to try and keep that date. Well that is pretty much it for now…we would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays! See you in 2003 – TOMMY

Jerry Cantrell’s Degradation Trip Vols 1 & 2 hit the streets – all of the 25 songs which Jerry brought to Roadrunner a bit over a year ago, arranged in the sequence he originally ‘envisaged.’ Kerrang! magazine, giving this release a KKKK review, has a bit to say on this ‘trip.’ An excerpt from their latest issue reads as follows: “You will wonder how the crushing ‘Owned’ and ‘Profalse Idol’ could possibly have failed to make the first cut, and you’ll be entranced by the snake-like melody that winds itself around ‘Siddartha’. Then there’s the instrumental ‘Hurts, Don’t It?’, the first 30 seconds of which is pure Hendrix. Thematically, Cantrell’s concrete-heavy tales about weakness and redemption, and misjudged, shattered lives, brings the death of AIC (Alice In Chains) singer Layne Staley into heartfelt focus. This bloody and gaping maw of an album is a masterpiece of creative vision. You no longer have any excuse – this is one trip worth taking.”

Here at Roadrunner Towers we’re having a clear out before 2003 rolls in. This is good for you because it means we’re finding tons of cool shit to giveaway… and you can find it up in the FREE SHIT section. Eight, yes EIGHT new competitions launched so far today, lots of 24-hour ones have run already, and there’s still a few days til Christmas and a few more desks to rummage through. Head on over to FREE SHIT and win yourself some free goodies.

Nickelback í¢ä‰åäóì NEC Arena, Birmingham: 28th November 2002 by Sam Procter Two words describe Nickelback at the NEC Arena in Birmingham í¢ä‰åäóì ‘Totally Awesome’. Right from the opening chords of Woke Up This Morning, through to the closing lines of the massive How You Remind Me, the guys proved all of their critics wrong (that means Ian Winwood et al at Kerrang!). Nickelback’s performance was utterly outstanding. It had absolutely everything. There wasn’t a wrong note, missed lyric or dodgy moment at any point during the set. The atmosphere was electric and the crowd loved every minute. The guys genuinely looked as if they were having a great time and there was lots of interaction with the crowd. The view from the front (and I mean right at the front) was exceptionally good. The stage was incredibly close to the barrier and what made it even better was that the platforms either side of the stage came out another 4 foot from the main stage area. Every time Chad, Ryan or Mike moved to the platforms the crowd at the front went absolutely crazy (me included). I waved my banner around to get Ryan and Chad’s attention and was totally shocked (and pleased) when Ryan looked straight at me, winked and mouthed ‘Thank You’ to my kind words (-) on my banner! Cheers Ryan. Chad was gorgeous as ever and commanded the stage like a true professional. There’s definitely something about a man with a guitar! Considering the band have been touring for over 17 months, Chad sounded and looked amazing. His voice is pure classic rock í¢ä‰åäóì mellow and soft for the ballads such as Hero, but full of grit and growl for tracks like Never Again, Too Bad and the fantastic unreleased ‘Figured’ (full of naughty lyrics and a song that proves Chad is literally the sexiest man on this planet!) As well as being a musical triumph, the show also presented pyrotechnics the size of which have never been seen at the NEC before. They literally towered above the band, reaching high into the air and at some points came scarily close to the lighting rigs and sound system. A rough estimate would put them at least 13 feet high and they were so loud they even made the security guards jump! During the performance, Nickelback didn’t disappoint die hard fans. They included all the traditional lines from the ‘Nickelback Camp’, including Chad bringing out the camcorder and filming the crowd for the next DVD. Just to remind them where the filming had been done, Chad got the whole crowd to shout ‘Birmingham F**king Rocks’! A great moment in rock for sure. Probably one of the highlights of the show was the song Too Bad. Those of you who have seen Nickelback live will know why. It literally gets the whole crowd, no matter where you are in the arena, jumping up and down like your feet are on fire. Being right down the front for that one is an awesome experience. Your feet really don’t touch the ground for the majority of the song. Unfortunately, you do tend to pay for it the next day. Being right on the barrier at the front, I ended up with incredibly sore and bruised knees. But god it was worth it. I am totally and utterly into Nickelback and each time I see them they get better and better. After the Birmingham gig, I went to Manchester and saw them there too! Again, an amazing show. Perhaps not quite so showy in terms of lights and pyros, but Chad and the guys were on top form. I took my banner with me again and got right to the front (arriving 2 hours before the doors opened helped with this). During one of the slots when Chad was talking to the crowd he looked down at the front and said ‘I see that there’s some familiar faces in the crowd!’. He then looked straight at me and said ‘Are you following us around or what?!’ WOW í¢ä‰åäóì what a moment! Even bigger smile on my face after that. The set list at Manchester was the same as Birmingham (got one of the crew to give me Chad’s set list which had been taped to the stage) and the acoustic versions of Hero and How You Remind Me were really fantastic. When Chad and Ryan were singing Hero, the whole place was just alive with 10000 voices singing and I’m sure that every single girlie in the arena was looking straight at the stage í¢ä‰åäóì utterly mesmerised. Probably the only criticism I can come up with is the fact that the concerts did not last long enough. They seemed to be over in a flash. I think the sets were only about 1hr 15mins and really on today’s standards that is pretty disappointing. Then again, you know what they say í¢ä‰åäóì its not the quantity, it’s the quality, and Nickelback certainly have plenty of that. Can’t wait for January 21st in New York for the VIP private gig and reading this week’s edition of Kerrang!, looks promising that the guys will be back here in Summer 2003 for some amazing festivals Donnington, Carling and maybe even Ozzfest too! My mission for 2003? To see Nickelback at every UK show that they do. Three words to finish? NICKELBACK FUCKING ROCKS! Set List: Woke Up One Last Hollywood Breathe Leader of Men Hangnail Never Again Where Do I Figured Too Bad Hero How You Remind Me You can check out some of Sam’s photos from the show in the Nickelback photo gallery. Thanks for writing Sam!

Just posted: the cover artwork for the forthcoming Machine Head live album ‘Hellalive’. Check it out on the Machine Head ARTIST page. ‘Hellalive’ to be released March 10 2003.

It is with great pleasure we can share with you that today NICKELBACK “Silver Side Up” has exceeded the 2 million albums shipped in Europe making the record officially Double Platinum in Europe. For the record, the order that passed the 2 million mark came from right here in the UK. Many congratulations to all in the Nickelback camp, and thanks of course to all the fans.

Just in today: the end of year charts for the TV channel, The Box. The particular chart in question is the 50 most popular videos of 2002… coming in at #33 is ‘Hero’ by Chad Kroeger & Josey Scott, and #39 ‘How You Remind Me’, the Nickelback smash hit. What’s #1? Gareth Gates and ‘Unchained Melody’.

Come January 15th, make sure you pick up the new issue of Rock Sound magazine, for it will feature a free CD on the cover! This is of particular note because one of the tracks on the CD is called ‘Inside The Cynic’ and it is an unreleased Stone Sour track.

It’s the end of the year and all of a sudden everyone is more interested than usual in hearing what you think. If you’re feeling opinionated and have lovely things to say about Roadrunner bands, read on… (if not, remember your mother said if you’ve nothing nice to say, say nothing at all) The lovely folks at NME, Kerrang!, and Metal Hammer all want to know what your favourites and least favourites of the year are. You can cast your votes at these places… just click the links: Metal Hammer Reader’s Poll Kerrang! Reader’s Poll NME Carling Awards

We are pleased to announce that Deathride, featuring Dez Fafara of Coal Chamber, have signed to Roadrunner. Hailing from California, the group is completed by Dragon on guitar, Shak on bass, Sleeper also on guitar, and Junk as the sticksman on drums. The band are likely to enter the studio in early 2003 to work on their debut record with Ross Hogarth in the producers chair. Deathride have already written more than 2 dozen songs – it’s believed the songs are of a more aggressive and technical leaning than Dez’s previous work with Coal Chamber. We hope to have some music for you to listen to soon! Potential tracks for inclusion on the album include: 1. Devil’s Son 2. Swinging The Dead 3. Revelation Machine 4. Driving Down The Darkness 5. The Misery 6. What Does It Take To Be A Man 7. Shine 8. Give It 9. Clearly 10. The Darkness Any surprises to come? We’re talking particularly of wide-spread rumours on the internet that Phil Anselmo (Pantera, Down) might make an appearance on the album… here’s what Dez had to say: “Phil’s one of my closest friends. I’d be honored if he’d sing on (a) DEATHRIDE (album), and of course I’m going to ask him. We have the perfect song for it. It’s called ‘What Does It Take To Be A Man’.” More to come…