High voltage magazine

October 2014

HIGH VOLTAGE

H S A L S de view An insi

E E V I V S I S U U L L C t XC E a EX b h t a e D : k t t H a c i l l a t Me ith m s o r Ae

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EDITOR’S NOTE

A NEW STAR IS BORN Greetings and a warm welcome to our first issue of High Voltage Magazine!

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e couldn’t be more excited to have made it to this point! Our very first issue has been released! Please take some time to get to know the layout of our magazine.

You will notice the three categories of articles: Interviews, Reviews and a Top Hits column were we place the 20 best songs. Within each category, there are three to five articles for you to enjoy!

You can look at one category at a time, or just persue the articles on the home page to choose which to read first. Just as with a paper magazine, you may want to sit and read the whole thing at once, or come back to this issue several times to digest the articles more slowly. You choose how you want to experiece High Voltage Magazine.

When we set out to create an on-line magazine that would promote rock music and its derivatives, one thing we agreed on right away was to steer-away from the glossy images of the too-perfect, product-driven magazines that we all sometimes read. What you will find in the pages of High Voltage Magazine is a collection of inspired and instructive articles written by real, honest, down-to-earth folks who work hard to live deliberately, but who are not afraid to admit the struggles we sometimes face. We don’t always have hours to exercise every day. Our houses aren’t perfect. We stay informed and eat as healthy as we can, but we are also realistic and flexible. We try to be great examples for our kids, but we sometimes forget to appreciate every moment.

We are honored to share the work of so many committed and thoughtful people. Please visit the Our Contributors page to see the wonderful contributors and read their bios.

Also, feel free to leave comments on the articles to share your thoughts or ask the author a question. We appreciate your support and are so happy to have you as a reader of High Voltage Magazine. Hope you enjoy our work.

With warmest thanks, Dorothy and Chris, Editors

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SUMMARY

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Cover Story Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators.

High Voltage Magazine spoke with Saul Hudson about his past and future in the music industry.

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20 Best Rock Songs Luna DomĂ­nguez, our music enthusiast, creates a top 20 regarding the BEST tunes ever heard in music history. Check it out!

Features Asking Alexandria We spoke with Danny Wornsop about his life as a rock star.

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Httk: Deathbat One of our crew members reviews one of the most anticipated mobile games.

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Apple and U2 lauch

Songs o

Download on

iTunes

of Innocence

HAIL TO THE

KING

The bad-ass members of Avenged Sevenfold have teamed up with Subscience Studios to bring to us Hail to the King: Deathbat, an action-RPG hybrid for the iOS and Android formats.

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t first glance, Hail to the King might appear to be nothing but catered fan service to the dead-icated masses who follow Zacky Vengeance, Synyster Gates, M. Shadows and the rest of the crew as most other celebrity-associated games have done in the past. Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows has dropped the mic and stepped forward as Deathbat’s lead designer, story writer and level creator. Surprisingly enou-

gh, Hail to the King makes for one hell of debut in the area of game design, acting as a proper homage to the timeless classics of yesteryear, such as Castlevania, The Legend of Zelda, Diablo, Wizards & Warriors and Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. Combined with its excellent presentation, Httk: Deathbat makes for an addictive experience where you don’t have to be a fan of any of the previously mentioned games or even Avenged Sevenfold to enjoy this awesome game.

REVIEWS

Reviewed by Jon Ledford

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t’s usually tough to pull off decent storytelling on the mobile format, but Hail to the King: Deathbat provides a unique story without ever dipping into the cliche. The presentation and lore of Hail to the King: Deathbat is where Avenged Sevenfold fans will undoubtedly fall in love with Deathbat. A trio of gods arguing among one another created the world of Haides and threw in all sorts of life onto the planet in order to see if those with the ability to think for themselves would follow a path of evil or benevolence (with two of the gods believing in good, and the third, Kerberos, believing in darkness). They dropped a powerful talisman into the world and watched as the world fought over it. You play as Andronikos, the great warrior king who united humanity and intended to stop the evil. Most mobile and tablet games would start the game right there and have you go out into the world and set things right. In Hail to the King, Kerberos intervened in the war, killing Andronikos and replacing him with an evil version of his body which led humanity into chaos. The other two gods resurrected Andronikos as the Deathbat, and it’s up to you to stop your evil self, find the broken parts of the Talisman and bring peace back to Haides.

From the second I heard the Witch/item vendor’s ‘Tales from the Crypt’-inspired shriek, I knew I was in for something special. HttK’s presentation is pure fan service, but not just for A7X fans. Upon starting up the first stage, I was introduced to what is easily the greatest soundtrack to ever hit iOS gaming. Sure, most people would think that the Hail to the King’s soundtrack would just be filled with songs from A7X’s 2012 album of the same name, but that is certainly not the case. Every single stage has background music that seems 8-bit in origin with modern instruments put on top of it. They call to mind the various, dark tunes of Castlevania, Simon’s Quest and Dracula’s Curse on the NES as well as the dungeon themes from the two original Legend of Zelda games. It isn’t until you reach the bosses and mini-bosses where the soundtrack changes into the expected songs of the band, but even then the songs are usually presented in instrumental form, which never detracted or distracted from the task at hand — it is done as an effective way of shifting gears.

Like its soundtrack, Deathbat’s graphics are dark, dreary and welcoming. The top-down perspective of the camera mixed with the action-RPG combat scream Diablo and each level is filled with the band’s longtime themes and motifs. The graphics are solid, pushing the iOS format as far as it can go without taking away from its overall performance. While this results in graphics reminiscent of the original PlayStation (especially seen with the basic enemy models), it’s all forgiven because of the number of enemies you face at a time and the overall length of each level. Every stage is huge — expect to spend at least an hour on each one, and there are many. While the graphics of Deathbat could have been dialed up a bit more, I’m glad that it didn’t because the game never dipped in frame rate during my hours of playing it, which is a rarity for most action-RPGs on smartphones and tablets.

“We’re trying to do something that hasn’t really been done before. We’re trying to compact, basically, a mini-console game and stick it into mobile.”

M. Shadows on HttK: Deathbat

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he gameplay of Hail to the King: Deathbat is relentless and can easily discourage those who are not dedicated to see things through. If you get frustrated at dying, or are the type to throw controllers in rage or give up after a few deaths, Hail to the King is not for you. The game’s controls are simple: there’s a directional pad that appears on the left side of the screen (wherever you put your fingers on the touchscreen) and a melee attack and magic button in the bottom-right corner.

Holding down the melee attack button results in Diablo-like, repeating melee attacks that Andronikos can do in place and while running. Tapping the magic button results in shooting a magical projectile in whatever direction Deathbat is facing and holding it down casts a powered up spell that is dependent on the current weapon equipped.

Despite my critiques on the controls, health regens and continue system of Hail to the King: Deathbat, it still provides an unrivaled experience on the iOS format. The price tag might scare off a few people who are on the fence about purchasing it, but let’s get one thing clear — you do not have to be an A7X fan to enjoy the hell out of HttK: Deathbat. If you are a fan, you’ll find yourself catching all sorts of references to the band, whether it be song lyrics in the lore or the appearance of all the band members as paid-DLC characters. If you’re easily frustrated or are looking for an easy ride, look elsewhere.

HttK’s levels are massive, varied and keep you thoroughly entertained from start to finish, just as long as you don’t mind punishment and grinding things out.

Hail to the King: Deathbat provides an unrivaled experience on the iOS format. Make no mistake, you will die a lot in this game, but it’s meant to encourage you to adjust to its ever-changing learning curve in terms of combat tactics and trying to get past all of the game’s elaborate traps. Combined with the iffy controls, I can see why certain players may be discouraged, but those who have experience with games like Dark Souls, Diablo, Monster Hunter and the various NES classics that had you frequently experimenting and dying will find solace and addiction within HttK: Deathbat.

Hail to the King: Deathbat for iPhone and iPad | By Avenged Sevenfold and Subscience Studios I Price: $4.99 | Version: 1.04 | 631 MB | Rating 12+ High Voltage

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INTERVIEW

DANNY WORSNOP INTERVIEW

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ince 2009, the band has released three full-lengths, a remix album, and an EP, and Worsnop will drop the debut album from his hard-rock side project WeAreHarlot later this year, while guitarist Ben Bruce is both currently working on a solo record. In addition, Asking Alexandria have penned five new songs, which should be released as part of a reissue of 2013’s From Death to Destiny; the package will also include a DVD of their last London show. And they’ve started writing for their next studio album.

“I hate myself right now because I’m catastrophically hungover, I just did poop No. 8 of the morning, and I’ve only been awake for an hour.”

What’s your most memorable onstage injury?

In 2010, we were at the Whisky-a-Go-Go in L.A. I stomped on the stage and twisted my ankle and tore all the ligaments around my ankle. I continued to play for an hour and a half and then got rushed straight to the hospital. They gave me a bunch of pain meds and put a cast on it. Then I went straight to a party and got way hammered, which helped the pain a little.

Have any venues sought retribution for your acts of destruction?

What was the worst stage mishap you’ve experienced?

What’s the most destruction you’ve seen from a crowd?

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INTERVIEW Photography by Travis Shinn

WORLD ON FIRE Grammy winner Slash discusses New Solo Album, Gibson Les Pauls and Guns N’ Roses

by James Wood

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ver the course of his illustrious career—one that includes time in Guns N’ Roses, Slash’s Snakepit and Velvet Revolver—Slash has amassed album sales of more than 100 million, garnered a Grammy (to go with his seven nominations) and was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Slash also has seen plenty of success with his solo albums. Both his Slash and Apocalyptic Love offerings landed in the top five of the Billboard albums chart.

World On Fire, which will be released September 16, is Slash’s second album with his official band, the Conspirators, which features Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass). From the infectious up-tempo aggressiveness of the album’s title track to the sexual politics of songs like “Battleground,” “Dirty Girl” and the coming-of-age “Bent To Fly,” the 17-song opus delves into a wide range of topics. World On Fire also features a rocking instrumental, “Safari Inn.” Produced by Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Alter Bridge, Falling In Reverse, Incubus), World On Fire is a diverse record that covers a multitude of musical feels with a rawness and energy that’s reminiscent of Slash’s early work with Guns N’ Roses.

Make no mistake about it: World On Fire is not a solo project. It was recorded by a band with all four members contributing their strengths as a whole. Slash is touring with Aerosmith on the “Let Rock Rule” tour. I recently spoke with him about World On Fire, touring, his love of Les Pauls and, of course, some of the most memorable moments from his marvellous musical career.

Q: One of the first Guns N’ Roses tours was with Aerosmith in 1988. What are some of the differences touring with them now as opposed to then?

That was the tour GNR really broke through on. Obviously I’m in a different band now, but the road trips and venues are pretty much the same. It was a blast then and it’s a blast now. I do know I’m not as fucked up as I was! [laughs]. We were at the height of our debauchery back then.

Q: World On Fire feels similar to Appetite For Destruction in terms of its rawness. Was that your intention?

There was never any real etched-out intention. It was really just to go in and do the songs. I think a lot of the rawness comes from Mike Baskette [producer] really knowing what the album should sound like and what we were trying to achieve as a rock band.

The sonic landscape has completely changed in the recording world. Mike really cut his teeth working as an engineer in the studio trying to record rock and roll the way that it should be. I think it was a relief for him be able to work with a band that was actually going to play through the songs and then be able to use his own chops to achieve what the band sounds like. It was a really good pairing.

Q: What are some of the differences recording live to tape as opposed to digital?

The main thing is the warmth of the drums and the amplifiers. Capturing that is the main reason for using tape. I know they’ve tried to make plugins that are supposed to sound like tape, but it’s not something they’ve been able to pull off. Two inches is way better sounding.

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Q: What’s your writing process like with Myles?

While we’re on the road, I’ll record acoustic/electric ideas into the voice memo recorder on my phone. It’s very laid back, with no pressure to make a hit song or even to try to make a record. It’s just me putting ideas down. I’ll do that through the course of the tour, and at the same time Myles will sing melody ideas into his phone. After the tour is over, we’ll collect the ideas and then I’ll go through all the different musical concepts we’ve created and pick out the ones that sound really good. It’s our way of getting things done.

While Myles is out with Alter Bridge, I’ll go into a rehearsal room with Bret and Todd and start getting the grooves together and send the loose arrangements to Myles. Once Myles is off the road with Alter Bridge, he’ll come in with us and we’ll work out the arrangements and put it all together.

Q: What’s your live setup like these days?

I’m using just a few new Marshall JCM800’s along with a couple of cabinets. I’ve learned a lot about Marshalls over the years and have modified the heads so that they have a bit more gain, but nothing that’s over the top. I want it to retain a lot of the punch. That’s kind of my thing.

Q: Why a Les Paul?

Growing up, the guys whose sound I liked typically played Les Pauls, and I think that’s what first drew me to them.

I remember the first guitar I ever owned was a Les Paul copy made by a company called Memphis. I had that guitar until it fell apart and then got a late-Seventies BC Rich Mockingbird that became my main guitar. After that, I went through this whole trial-and-error with Strats, Teles and Jacksons and eventually ended up back with a Les Paul. I actually had Steve Hunter’s Les Paul for a while. That was when the honey, flame-top became my thing.

Q: You’ve mentioned in previous interviews that Aerosmith’s Rocks album played a huge role in your early years playing. Can you explain how influential that album was to you and the rest of the band?

I remember first hearing Rocks at a party I was at, and it immediately caught my attention. Then shortly after I started picking up guitar, I was exposed to it again and started listening to it over and over. It had this manic, punk rock attitude and a rhythm and blues sleaziness to it. There was something about that particular album that really hit a nerve with me. It was everything—the vocals, the bass and drums, Brad [Whitford] and Joe [Perry]. Their sound really set me off in the direction I wanted to go.

Q: Can you tell me the origin of “Sweet Child O’ Mine”?

After Guns N’ Roses got signed, we had a period where the record company didn’t want us performing live. They just wanted to get us in the studio. A lot of people were scared of the band at the time and didn’t want to work with us. So there was a lot of sitting around.

A management company that was courting us thought they would impress us by putting us up in this really big house in LA—which of course, we totaled! [laughs]. One day Izzy, Duff and I were all sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace in the living room. I had been working on that riff for a while and Izzy and Duff started to play along to it. What we didn’t know at the time was that Axl was upstairs and had apparently overheard us and started writing lyrics.

The next day, we went in to a pre-production session and

Axl said, “Hey, play that thing you guys were playing yesterday. It sounded pretty amazing.” So I started the riff and Izzy had the chord changes and started to play along with Duff and Steven and it all just suddenly materialized. It came together pretty quickly after that. It was quite amazing.

Q: Duff McKagan has performed a few gigs with Axl’s current lineup of Guns N’ Roses, which leads me to ask: Do you ever foresee a time when you might write and record with Axl again?

People have been speculating about it for years, but I really have a hard time picturing it. There hasn’t been any communication along those lines between he and I. Honestly, things between us are not ok. I have a hard time picturing it because I’m always focused on the next show. I’m one of those people who lives in the moment. I don’t look too far into the future and I don’t dwell too much on the past.

Q: What would you say has been the highlight of your career thus far?

There have been a lot of moments dotted all along my career that I would consider memorable. The beginnings of Guns N’ Roses, the gig that that got us the record deal, the first tours with the Cult and Aerosmith, the first Snakepit tour and the beginnings of Velvet Revolver. Those are all moments filled with moments.

Then there’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For as much as everybody tried to dismiss it at the time, when it finally happened and we actually got up there and did it, it turned out to be a very poignant, memorable and significant experience. I appreciate all of them and really take the time to ingest what’s happening while it’s happening. Especially now that I’m not flying drunk all the time! [laughs].

The front cover for the 2014 studio album ‘World on Fire’

SLASH FEATURING

MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS

From left to right, Brent Fitz, Todd Kerns, Myles Kennedy & Slash High Voltage 19

LED ZEPPELIN - STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

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here could only be one, right? Being “banned in guitar shops” and subsequently covered

by Rolf Harris doesn’t alter the fact that this epic from Zep’s fourth album is undeniably better than ANY other song because it somehow manages to cram pretty much every single rock genre into one sprawling eight minute slice of brilliance.

Oh, and don’t forget THAT guitar solo.. It’s worth noting that Stairway picked up 15% of all the votes cast - more than twice that of its nearest rival.

QUEEN - BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

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asily the most subversively ingenious song to ever reach number 1 in the UK charts.

The fact that it did it TWICE nearly 20 years apart was just showing off. This song, above all others, summed up exactly what Queen were whilst changing rock music forever.

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erhaps the greatest compliment you can pay Free Bird is that when that fade starts to happen about 30 seconds before the end you simply don’t want it to end. It’s like five minutes of foreplay followed by an almighty explosion of duelling guitar solos and Southern rock brilliance.

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ho would have thought that the story of a burning casino would have become the most recognisable rock song in history? Undeniably iconic, and a brilliant song to boot. That opening riff will be inspiring wannabe guitarists for the rest of time.

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nother epic, and another song which boasts a solo that still makes grown men weep every time they hear it. This is the defining moment in a catalogue that is almost without equal.

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o track more perfectly represents the sum of Zep’s parts than Kashmir - every member working in absolute harmony, with no solos, no vocal histrionics, no showboating from any member. It’s dramatic, beautiful and just as startling every time you hear it.

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bsolutely bursting with attitude and power, Stargazer was born to be played VERY loud. It turned Dio into a legend, and reminded everyone that with a guitar in his hand, Ritchie Blackmore was unbeatable.

staple of rock radio since the moment it was released in 1970, All Right Now is an unceremoniously joyous record that simply screams sunshine and happier times. Not to mention that pretty much every human on the planet can probably sing the chorus, even if they have never heard of Free.

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hen you consider that this song is made up of a simple riff repeated many times over, a pretty non-existent chorus and a drum solo which lasts for half the song, it really is spectacularly brilliant.

he greatest song ever written about an overweight Tasmanian lady who’s good in the sack? You bet. It’s also the most concise example of what AC/ DC do best: fun, loud, hard rock and roll.

nother example of a song which was born in a moment of magic. Written in minutes solely to make up the numbers on the band’s second album this has become their most enduring and recognisable song. Another example of a song which was born in a moment of magic. Written in minutes solely to make up the numbers on the band’s second album this has become their most enduring and recognisable song.

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uriously fast and frenetic rock n roll which, when played loud enough, has the tendency to make your brain dance around inside your skull like bouncy ball... but in a good way.

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he Who’s defining moment closed their greatest album. Eight and a bit minutes of incendiary guitars, synthesisers, drums and vocals combining to provide one of the most euphoric rock songs of all time.

ritten in minutes and with a riff born out of a guitar warm up exercise, this song most definitely had inauspicious beginnings. It remains the greatest example of why rock ballads don’t have to suck.

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merging from an event so catastrophic that it would have destroyed lesser bands, AC/DC’s highest placing song in this poll is the greatest tribute they could have paid to their former singer,Bon Scott - celebratory, wild and a killer riff that never gets old.

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he closest thing to a pop song that Zeppelin ever did - three and a half minutes of raw rock fire-power which does exactly what it says on the tin. It also has the greatest drum intro to any song EVER.

he sound of a band who have nothing left to prove. Apparently written in minutes on a tour bus,this remains one of the all time great driving songs. It is also pretty notable for containing not only an enormous keyboard solo but also an outrageous guitar solo from Ritchie Blackmore.

he song which put Rush into the UK singles might have been a loveletter to great radio but it was also a prophetic warning about the commercialism creeping into the medium. While the song is the band’s biggest single, it’s no less complex or arresting than the rest of their work - musically prodigious and melodically profound, it’s everything that rock should be.

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f anyone ever asks you to “explain rock music” then - without saying anything - dig out your copy of Highway To Hell, turn the volume up loud and press play. That moment when the drums first kick in remains one of the most thrilling in the history of music.

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he only cover to make the top 30, Hendrix took ownership of Dylan’s hit single and essentially created the blueprint for hard rock.

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