www.thegatemusicmagazine.com www.myspace.com/thegatemusicmagazine
Interviews 4. 6. 10.
Ronny Munroe Al Atkins of Holy Rage Chris Johnson of Holy Rage
Concert Reviews 13. 14. 15. 16. 17.
Lacuna Coil Crue Fest Mayhem Festival Coheed & Cambria Heaven and Hell
CD Reviews Lacuna Coil The Round
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EDITORIAL Welcome to The Gate Music Magazine!It's time to open the gate to the music that needs to be heard. The Gate Music Magazine based in Flint, Michigan, USA is proud to be the newest online magazine on the block. The Gate aspires to obtain a global audience of readers and will focus on local/unsigned artists, up & coming artists and also well known national, international bands and artists in the genres of rock to heavy metal on an equal level.The Gate Music Magazine will have its very first issue launched online, September 1, 2009. The mag will also be available in pdf format for easy downloading and will also have more attributes and graphics than the site so be sure to check it out. We will cover concerts, interviews with the bands and artists, album reviews, and more on a monthly schedule. So stick around and take a look at we have to offer you.Our first issue will feature Ronny Munroe of Metal Church, Al Atkins, the original singer & one of the founding members of Judas Priest and guitar genius Chris Johnson. Both Al and Chris have a new band called Holy Rage. Keep it Loud! The Gate Music Mag Crew
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Interview with Ronny Munroe By Chris Dumas Ronny Munroe is one powerhouse heavy metal vocalist. I had a chance to interview Ronny but first, let me give you a little history on Ronny; he was the lead singer for Metal Church from 2004 until they broke up this year. He started as a drummer in Madhouse. The band Moxi was where Ronny first became a vocalist. He studied voice under David Kyle, who has taught Geoff Tate of Queensryche, Layne Staley of Alice in Chains and many others. Ronny is well known for his powerful vocal range that stands alone by itself. When not on tour he gives singing lessons to young children and is very involved with charity work. All in all, Ronny is a stand up guy with a big heart, who loves what he does and rocks the house 100%. He has a 3 song solo EP called Internal Quest (2007), but The Fire Within is his first full length solo album which was released April of this year with Rat Pak Records.
Chris: Hello Ronny, I just wanna thank you so much for taking time out of your day to answer a few questions for me!! Can I get a brief history on what it was like before Metal Church? Ronny: A lot of different bands, originals, covers, and tributes bands. I have spent years singing and waiting for my opportunity and then it happened.
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Chris: What was your drive and inspiration for The Fire Within? Ronny: A lot of starving, lol But seriously, I have wanted to do this for a while I just had to find the right time and seeing how MC was going through a ruff time and I could see the writing on the wall, I thought now was the that time. Chris: What inspired you to cover Man on a silver mountain by Ronny James Dio? And just so ya know, best damn cover song I've heard by far!! Ronny: Thanks Chris, I love that song. The reason why I chose Man was it was the song that really made me want to sing, hearing Dio’s voice for the first time hit me like a ton of bricks, no pun intended, and that was it. I always told myself that if I ever was to be able to put out a record on my own that I would pay homage to one of the greats. Chris: Are you still doing vocal lessons for children? Ronny: No, I have not been doing that as of late because of my schedule bit, it is something I will do again in the future. Chris: I see you give and help out with charities. Any certain ones? Ronny: Clive-aid and MS, Cancer benefits for individuals. What ever I can do to help when I have the time, I think is the right thing to do! Chris: Any word or talk about a tour here soon? Ronny: I have people working on that as we speak and as soon as we have shows that are set in stone; I’ll inform every one on my myspace and ronnymunroe.com Chris: What is the craziest thing you have ever done on stage? Ronny: Ripped my pants open, crowd surfed at the Continental in New York and jumping off a P.A column. That hurt ! Chris: Thank you very much again for taking time to answer these questions. And by the way, The Fire Within is a very well put together just brutal metal CD…I love it!! Ronny: Thanks for having me Chris and I hope everyone out there picks up “The Fire Within” Cheers Stop by and check out Ronny Munroe, his music and what is happening at www.myspace.com/ronnymunroe www.ronnymunroe.com
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By Chris Dumas Some of you may know or may not. Al Atkins is the founder and original member of Judas Priest, which was formed in 1967. He’s Metal icon and God in many eyes. After handing the mic over to Rob Halford, for personal reasons. He started another band called LION. Then went solo and had 5 successful albums. Al also wrote classic songs such as Victims of Change, Winter, Caviar, Meths, Never Satisfied and Dreamer Deceiver which were all featured on Priest’s first two albums Rocka Rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny. Both albums went gold. He has also written a book titled Dawn of the Metal Gods that came out spring of 2009.
Chris: How did Judas Priest come about? Al: Well Chris the band actually started in 1969 with members, Bruno Stapenhill(bass), John Partridge (drums), John Perry (guitar) and myself on vocals. We got off to a tragic start because John Perry committed suicide but we decided to carry on and dedicate the band to him and started to audition for another guitarist. KK Downing came along but he didn't get the job being a bit inexperienced at the time, the job went to Ernie Chataway who was only 17 years old but he was a natural wizzard on guitar. Ernie came from Birmingham and was always talking about a Birmingham band name 'Black Sabbath' who had formed a year earlier and we decided to try and come up with a similar double barrel name and Bruno came up with 'Judas Priest' taken from one of his Bob Dylan albums called 'John Wesley Harding' the song being 'The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest'. This line up lasted about a year and split up mainly because our record company went bust. I decided to carry on with the name and form another band so...The next line up with KK Downing (guitar), John Ellis (drums), Ian Hill (bass) and myself on vocals started at the end of 1970 and i left this line up in May 1973 to be replaced by Rob Halford.
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Chris: It's 2009, how do you keep that old school metal sound? Al: I'm too old to change now, I think it's down to the studio's we use which belongs to 'Magnum' which retains that old school metal sound, I don't think we sound like that so much when we play live has the 'Holy Rage, we have much more of a cutting edge to us thanks to Chris Johnson’s shredding guitar sound. Chris: I see you have a book out. For sure gonna get me a copy. What inspired you to write a book? Al: I was doing a radio chat show in Liverpool about four years ago talking about the old days of Priest etc and the DJ said you should write it all down in a book and seeing no one else in the band had ever done so I thought why not. It took me a lot longer than I thought and in the end I brought in author Neil Daniels to help out with the project. It's called 'Dawn of the Metal Gods' and is all about growing up in the Black Country and the influences this had on the start of Rock/Metal music. The foreward notes are done by my old mate Ian Hill from Judas Priest. Chris: Any U.S. tour dates confirmed yet? Al: We did have dates for October but they got cancelled, we have a lot of promoters saying they will bring us over but don't keep to their contracts or promises so if any promoters out there can keep to their word and want us to play USA, WE ARE WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU!!! Chris: I think I have worn out the music player on Myspace. How can I and everyone else get a copy of your CD? Al: Angel Air records at WWW.ANGELAIR.CO.UK have just re released my Demon Deceiver album and I decided to put two added bonus tracks on there by the 'Holy Rage 'and they are 'Give Them Hell' and 'A Void to Avoid' which features the brilliant Bernie Torme ex Gillan/Ozzy on guitar. I thought by adding these two songs, more people are going to hear of the Holy Rage much quicker with this worldwide distribution deal.
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Chris: What does the future hold for Holy Rage? Al: Well hopefully we get to finish the album and get to tour the world over eventually. Chris: Gotta ask this. But what is the craziest and wildest thing you have ever done on stage? Al: I’ve had a few crazy things happen like when I sang for UK band Lion, we had this mad sound engineer who would set off hidden bombs on stage, luckily he left and joined Metallica, he's actually still with them. Another funny moment was when I played on the same bill as 'Robert Plant's Band of Joy' in 67 and the place had this revolving stage which broke down so my band and Roberts had to pedal it round, it was so funny watching Robert and John Bonham pushing this huge stage around, who would have thought that over the next couple of years they would be in Zepp and I would form JP. My bass guitarist decided to wheel this grand piano off to ease the weight but one of the legs broke off and it fell into the laughing audience, it was a wonder no one got killed. www.myspace.com/alatkinsholyrage www.alatkins.com
Photos courtesy of Caroline Johnson
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By Colleen Radford Holy Rage has recently starting making waves in the music world with the release of front man’s, Al Atkins autobiography and the release of the album Demon Deceiver. The interest in the band has steadily been growing in momentum and collecting many fans along the way. If you love straight up metal then Holy Rage is a band that you should definitely check out. I was recently, given the opportunity to interview Chris Johnson the Guitarist of Holy Rage and here is what we talked about.
Colleen: Chris, first off, I want to say thanks for taking the time out of your hectic schedule for this interview. Chris: Hi Colleen, absolutely no problem. As it is not live radio I believe I shall have a beer or two. Colleen: I would also like to thank my dear friend Willy Forrest for introducing me to you. Willy is doing a fantastic job with your media. How did you meet Mr. Willy? Chris: We met Willy through a festival we are doing in November called Rock Of Ages in London in November. Like many people throughout the world Willy did not realize there was an “original” lead singer of priest. When he found out he was like a rat up a drainpipe and before we knew it we were inundated with radio and magazine interviews. Me and Willy are becoming friends really quick. He is a great guy and works damn hard! Colleen: For the people who are not yet familiar with Holy Rage, can you fill us in on a little history of how the band came about and how you met Al Atkins (original singer for Judas Priest)? Chris: Well, before I do that let me tell you a little history, it is very relevant. You see I literally grew up with the priest guys. My uncle (Nick Bowbanks) was actually the lighting guy for priest around 1973, indeed it turns out he was also Rob’s (Halford) partner. I still remember to this day Glen picking me up, dropping me on my grandma’s fridge, putting an old Echo six string in my hand and showing me my first E chord.
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Many years passed of course, my uncle sadly passed away in 1992 in a car accident (Rob dedicated the first Fight album to him) and I meet my wife. It turned out that Al and my wife were cousins, we get talking one day and Al asked me to record Victim of Changes on the new CD “Demon Deceiver Plus”. I, of course, was like, errrrr HELL YEAH I’ll do it. After 3 years and many lineup changes “The Al Atkins Band” turned into “Holy Rage” and where we are now. It’s a VERY weird full circle thing. Al is like a brother to me!
Colleen: Congratulations on the sponsorships with Moser Custom Guitars and Kustom Amps. So tell me, what is the difference between the Moser guitars and the Ibanez that you used to play? Chris: The shapes, the sheer power, the playability and most importantly the trems. They absolutely BLOW ANYTHING else away I have played before. Seriously you can wammy like NEVER before and those things just will NOT go out of tune! The shapes get interest from everyone who sees them also, which is great! All interest in the band is a good thing. Colleen: I know that you stated earlier this year that you had not read Al’s biography yet. So have you since it has been released? Chris: Hahahaha yeah, although I have not finished reading it yet I helped Al out with most of the artwork for the book. It seriously is a great read though!! Colleen: Tell me the release a Chris: Again CD and book. them Hell and
about the album and how has the response been so far since couple of weeks ago? with a lot of help from Willy, the media is going CRAZY over the I am really pleased that the two tracks I played with Holy Rage (Give Void to Avoid) are getting so much awesome feedback.
Colleen: When will Holy Rage be coming to the states? Chris: In my opinion, as soon as possible. Canada too! We recently cut all ties with a promoter who just did not give the band what they needed which is gigs! We are currently looking for another promo company to help us out. We have actually played Hollywood a year ago, brilliant time and some awesome rockers! We played with Graham Bonnet, Imagika and the superb Jugulur. 1000 tickets were sold, JFK lost all our gear so we had to borrow EVERYTHING. It was the worst rainfall in LA for 30 years and 300 folks still came out to see us! Colleen: Where and how can someone buy the CD? Chris: The CD is available from Amazon, our websites and all good local stores from August 10th, obviously shipping and media is still to be sorted for local outlets but it will be around that date. Colleen: Again, thanks so much for your time and we wish you success in the future. Chris: My pleasure Colleen, hope to see you metal heads in the states real soon! To check out Holy Rage music go to: www.alatkins.com www.myspace.com/alatkinsholyrage www.myspace.com/chris_lee_johnson 11 11
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Lacuna Coil at The Machine Shop, Flint, Michigan By Colleen Radford
I had the wonderful privilege of going to see Lacuna Coil at the world famous Machine Shop concert venue in Flint, Michigan on Friday, August 7. It has been a long 2 years since I had the opportunity to see Coil so close to home. Opening acts included two Flint local bands, newcomers, Ghost of the Muse and a powerhouse set by Machine Shop favorites, Givensix. Then it was time for Coil. I hurried over to claim my spot on the walkway rail so I could take pictures. As usual, Lacuna Coil did not disappoint me or the other fans. The Machine Shop was packed from wall to wall. Lacuna Coil was so full of energy that the vibes spilled over to the audience. Everyone was getting into the music and having a great time. Coil graced the stage with some freakin' fantastic sound and awesome lighting. They played songs off the new album Shallow Life and also did a Depeche Mode cover and some older material including one of my favorites, Our Truth off the Karmacode album. If you ever get a chance to see Lacuna Coil do it, you will not be disappointed! www.lacunacoil.it www.myspace.com/lacunacoil
Photos courtesy of Reckless Photos
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Crue Fest 2 at DTE, Clarkston, Michigan By Chris Dumas Cruefest. What an experience! I have never seen Motley Crue live. Granted I never was a huge Crue fan until now. However, let me start by telling who was there. It was a badass line up. You had Drowning Pool, Theory of a Deadman, Godsmack and of course Motley Crue. Of course, where were my tickets? The hill, in their own has right good seats. Never a bad seat in that place. Oh, I forgot to mention, for those of you that do not know I was at DTE in Clarkston, Michigan. As soon as I get there and stake my claim of dirt to watch the show, Theory of a Deadman comes on. Never have seen them live and I was impressed. They really gained a new fan here. I really got excited when they broke into Sweet Home Alabama, but then stopped. I was bummed, but they redeemed themselves and just really tore the whole place up. It is so awesome when one band can get the whole hill a jumpin'. Then it was Godsmack's turn. I cannot lie, I was so glad he didn’t come out on stage like Hannibal Lecter again. Just came right and tore it up. The pyro that they always have is excellent. Then oh my, is there way to describe this? They did dueling drums. Between Sully and Shannon, it blew mind away to see Sully play drums. By all means, can that man play ‘em too. That was a real cool thing to do. But all in all, it is Godsmack, shall I say more? Then it’s Crue time. So I snake my way through the sea of people to get to the bottom and in the center for a better view. So I’m standing there in anticipation when I started to here a big rumble. The curtain drops and they were playing Dr. Feelgood. All you can see is a small square in the middle of the stage. Damn, they were playing in a padded room! Spectacular!! Then the walls start to lift in the air and more curtains drop. Fire, lights, almost naked women! They play the whole Dr. Feelgood album. Motley Crue totally exploded DTE into dust. It was one of the best stage shows and concerts that I’ve been to in ages. Sorry, don’t get to talk about Drowning Pool, but I got there late, plus for some weird reason they played first and at 5pm, and that’s when the doors opened! I’m sure they tore the stage up too. Seems like they always do. Nevertheless, buck for buck, pound for pound. Cruefest gets a thumbs up from me and I will be back next year for it! Well worth sittin' and standin' on the hill.
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Mayhem Fest at DTE, Clarkston, Michigan By Colleen Radford I was running late and we finally got to DTE in Clarkston, Michigan around
4pm for the Mayhem festival. While walking up through the parking lot I did get to hear All That Remains and it sound great. I tried to get over to the Jagermeister stage to see them but by the time we made it through the crowd they were just finishing up. So we headed over to the main stage and encountered a barrage of different things happening and all sorts of unique vendors along the way, and of course, there is always the guy was puking his guts out on the sidewalk, had to do some quick side step action there! It was the usual festival montage. We ran into quite a few people that we knew from our hometown and the Detroit area while we were waiting in anticipation for the pavilion to open so we could take our seats for the show. It seemed like forever but finally the main show started. First up was Mushroom Head. I have always missed them when they were in town and this was the first time that I got to see them live. Man, I was blown away! They do such an incredible stage show. I was thoroughly impressed with these guys. I love the drummers. It is so awesome to see 3 drummers playing in unison. Next up was Kill Switch Engage. These guys really got the crowd going. A few songs in, the guitarist, Adam D got everyone to be quiet for a minute and he asked that people on the hill split down the middle and move to the sides. The crowd compiled. Then he yelled a countdown and the hill came alive with the both sides rushing each other. It was the largest mosh pit I have ever seen. It looked like something off of the movie Braveheart. Amazing, people going nuts, sod flying everywhere, it was definitely crazy. KSE closed out their set with their awesome rendition of Ronny James Dio’s, Holy Diver. Loved it! Then it was Slayer’s turn, with everyone still on their KSE adrenaline rush, they started chanting “Slayer” until they started their set. I have to say, that I have seen these guys perform many times over the years and it never gets old. Slayer did some of their classic songs such as South of Heaven, Mandatory Suicide, Dead Skin Mask and Angel of Death. They still have the original lineup and are still kicking ass and taking names along the way. Last but certainly not least was the man, Marilyn Manson. He really didn’t have much of a stage show this time but I think it was because it is the Mayhem Fest and they didn’t have time to do the elaborate set ups. He came out and did some of the favorites such as Beautiful People, and some songs off his new album, High End of Low. All in all, it was a great show to see. I will most definitely go to the next Mayhem Fest and next time get there early to see all the bands! Mayhem Fest…What a Ride!!
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Coheed & Cambria @ Meadowbrook Music Festival, Rochester Hills, Michigan By Jennifer Lee I was privileged enough to have the opportunity to see Coheed and Cambria play with Heaven and Hell. This was my third time seeing Coheed and I was totally excited like it was the first time. This was my first visit to this venue, at Meadowbrook Music Festival in Rochester Hills, Michigan. I had to walk through a field and up a hill to get to the pavilion. When I got to the top of the hill I could see right down to the pavilion, the stage and the whole crowd. The stage looked awesome, they had three long banners across the stage with their symbol on them, which I absolutely love. I didn't have time to look long they were starting to play and I had to find my seat. The show was awesome from the start. The band had great stage presence and the crown was totally into it, and so was I. They play songs from all the albums including one of my favorites from the newest album "No World for Tomorrow". It was a fantastic show. I didn't want it to end. I can't wait until they come back next time. If you do not know Coheed and Cambria you should definitely work on that. They are an all around very talented band, and get better and better every time I see them. I definitely give this show two thumbs up.
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Heaven and Hell @ Meadowbrook Music Festival, Rochester Hills, Michigan By Colleen Radford Heaven and Hell! What a beautiful summer night to see them and great seats, I might add. It was a little bit of a drive but definitely well worth it. I was thrilled to be able to see this band. Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice, what a combination! The show was opened by Coheed and Cambria and they did an awesome set. Then it was time for Heaven and Hell. Everyone was waiting in anticipation for them to begin. The stage was set with the usual dark mystical gothic theme containing lit chains, gargoyles and the like with blue and red lighting. After a nice intro, the band took the stage and got the crowd going. They did a powerhouse set of songs that included Children of the Sea, Fear, Mob Rules and more. When they started playing Mob Rules, the crowd got extremely loud. Of course there was the 10 minute extended version of Heaven and Hell. Tommi really ripped up the guitar on that one! Vinny did an extraordinary drum solo on a massive kit that circled up, around and behind him. It was one of those shows that you hoped would last all night.
The Mob Rules!!!
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Lacuna Coil Shallow Life Century Media Records By Jennifer Lee I was thrilled at the chance to sit and listen to the new Lacuna Coil album "Shallow Life". Listening to this album was invigorating from start to finish. This was definitely an album full of energy and power. Every song flowed so nicely together that once I started listening I couldn't stop until I got to the end. This is a band that gets better with every album. I would highly recommend that you get a copy and start listening. You will not be disappointed. www.lacunacoil.it www.myspace.com/lacunacoil
The Round Walk Off the Bomb Unsigned Distribution through Revolution Music Records By Jennifer Lee Well, what can I say about The Rounds newest album "Walk off the Bomb"? It was eccentric, energetic and entertaining all in one shot. The vocalist has a very unique sound that reminds me of Frank Black from the pixies. That was definitely a plus for me. Another thing I liked about the album was that every song was very different from each other but still worked well together. Pay attention to the lyrics on this album, there is some seriously hilarious stuff on there. Definitely check this one out. You'll enjoy!
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Holy Rage Angel Air Records By Chris Dumas The 3 songs that are off his new project Holy Rage. Give them to hell, Cradle to the grave and Victim of changes are 3 of the most brutal tracks I’ve heard in a long time. The screaming riffs to the thundering bass and the drum work is just insane. Real hard hitting solos as well. Al’s voice hasn’t changed a bit. He keeps the old school metal sound for sure! This CD is gonna be every metal heads dream. A must have for your library. www.myspace.com/alatkinsholyrage www.alatkins.com
The Fire Within Ronny Munroe Rat Pak Records By Chris Dumas The Fire Within is a scorching album. Never a dull moment when listening to this one. Outstanding solo work and of course Ronny’s voice is so brutal it’ll make you ears bleed. I love the bass in the songs, just phenomenal in its own right. The crazy beats and symbols work is one the best I’ve heard in a long time !! If you don’t own this album go out and get it. You wont be disappointed. www.ronnymunroe.com www.myspace.com/ronnymunroe
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