Headbalisser

Yesterday, a story surfaced about As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis getting arrested in alleged murder-for-hire plot. While we wait for his arraignment tomorrow. The band members have broken their silence on the issue:

To our fans,

As we post this, the legal process is taking its course and we have no more information than you do. There are many unanswered questions, and the situation will become clearer in the coming days and weeks. We’ll keep you informed as best we can.

Our thoughts right now are with Tim, his family, and with everyone else affected by this terrible situation – and with our fans, whom we love and draw strength from.

Thank you for understanding, and as always, for your support of As I Lay Dying.

- Jordan, Nick, Phil, and Josh

On the other hand Meggan Lambesis, the wife of Tim Lambesis, said in the court papers obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday that she worried about his ability to care for their three adopted children, but she gave no indication she felt in danger. In addition Meggan blurted out that Tim had become “obsessed with bodybuilding” and was distracted while with the children, often texting or talking on the phone. She noted he had fallen asleep while watching them at the beach or near the pool and said they need a “stable parent” to help them adjust to their new life and country.

The couple adopted 3 children — ages 4, 8 and 10 — from Ethiopia. Tim Lambesis continued to visit them for about 10 hours a week when he was not on tour, according to court documents.

As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis was apparently arrested in Oceanside, California, May 7, accused of hiring a hitman to have his estranged wife killed, police said.

Lambesis was taken into custody after caught soliciting help from the detective who supposed to carry out the murder, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. Police had previously learned Lambesis was seeking someone who could commit the slaying, the department said.

There is no official comment from the band in reference to the arrest.

Follow: Tim Lambesis (timlambesis) on Twitter

Update 05/09/13 at 12:59 AM – Manila Time

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Jan Caldwell has issued a statement to Artisan News Service regarding Lambesis’ arrest, stating that authorities have been investigating Lambesis since May 2.

“Information came to us late last week — last Thursday, to be specific — that Lambesis was soliciting another individual to kill his estranged wife, who also resides in the area. Our detectives, our fugitive task force and the sheriff’s special investigations division immediately initiated an investigation into this allegation. We worked around the clock through the weekend and that culminated this afternoon when Lambesis solicited an undercover detective to kill his wife.”

“The next step will be Lambesis’ initial appearance in court, and that is where the charges are read, and if there’s a bail to be set. And they will go from there and start setting different court dates. The investigation at our end is still ongoing, and I can’t go into detail on that. And, thankfully, no one was hurt. But I believe that the captain who commented earlier said that we averted a tragedy today.”

Tim is being held at the Vista Detention Center in Vista, CA see screenshot here. If he is found guilty, the punishment for first degree murder in the state of California is three to nine years imprisonment.

PULP  is once again pulling off the country’s wildest music festival, the Pulp Summer Slam. This year’s line up is the most diverse and odious ever beckoned to us.

Deathfest killers Cannibal Corpse and Metalcore veterans As I Lay Dying are among the headliners that will surely make the moshpit bakers and the slammers revel in the glory of brutality!

Pulp Summer Slam 13 ‘Till Death Do Us Part‘ will be held at Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City on Saturday April 27, 2013. Gates will open at 12 noon. Tickets are now available for ₱400 inclusive of freebies such as beer, soda, pizza and more!

Count the days and I will see you at the Slam!

1 L’Enfant Sauvage – Gojira

(Drum rolls… the ‘Best Record of the Year’ goes to… the French metallers!) Although Gojira already possessed mountains of fans and a solid discography, the band is widely considered to be the breakout metal act of 2012. The band unveiled ‘L’Enfant Sauvage’ to universal acclaim, successfully balancing the band’s key components of brutality, beauty and progression with flawless production attached. For songs like ‘The Axe,’ ‘Explosia,’ the title track and much more, we say ‘merci beaucoup’ to Gojira.

2 The Anomalies of Artificial Origin – Abominable Putridity

This album is hands-down the top slam death album of the year. The record takes off with an eerie intro, paving the way for a conceptually charged mindless assault of every orifice of the human body. Crushing bass lines lend their support to the ultimately over-the-top chugging riffs, giving the album a very immense feel, as if the music itself is a weapon of mass destruction. Topped off with some more technical riffs that appear in shorter spurts, injecting a quick dose of creativity into the songs.

3 Sorrow and Extinction – Pallbearer

Upon its release in February, the Little Rock, Ark., quartet’s debut Sorrow and Extinction immediately felt like a classic. Uplifting vintage doom fleshed out with psychedelia, prog melodies, and subtle ambient keys– are as fresh as they were on that first spin. Piloted by Brett Campbell, a singing vocalist/guitarist who straddles a sweet spot between young Ozzy and Geddy Lee, Pallbearer have a rare ability to write emotionally resonant guitar parts and epic dynamic arcs that don’t lose their ability to give goosebumps.

4 The Parallax II: Future Sequence – Between the Buried and Me

‘The Parallax II: Future Sequence is metal music’s greatest conceptual accomplishment of the year. Set in outer space, BTBAM have created the most complex music you’ll ever zone out to, performed by the strongest group of pure musicians within the realm of metal. Much like the band’s 2007 album, ‘Colors,’ the record takes unexpected twists and turns while sonic plates spin without the slightest wobble.

5 Resolution – Lamb of god

Lamb of God continued their streak of creating addictive “pure American metal” with ‘Resolution.’ The band stays the course with their latest album, with powerful consistency and flawless execution. While there is no mistaking the album’s tracks as anyone but Lamb of God, the band experiments with some doom with ‘Straight for the Sun’ and spoken word parts with ‘King Me.’ Add pummeling tracks such as ‘Desolation’ and Ghost Walking,’ and you’ve got a killer album.

Fans of death slam, get excited, new Devourment is almost here. The album, Conceived In Sewage, comes out on February 19th in North America, February 22nd in Benelux, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Finland, and February 25 in the UK and rest of the world.

Proving that they are not fucking around, the band enlisted the services of death metal mastermind, Erik Rutan (he of Hate Eternal) to produce the record. The band have also released a little teaser of new material, and it will make your ears bleed…

The pioneer of American thrash metal movement MEGADETH will have a one night of total destruction in Manila. This entitles us the right to go insane besides we are all addicted to chaos right?! So there it is the big announcement Pulp has brought to our attention after a few days of mind combustion they finally let go the smoke. Mark the date and start the countdown to extinction!

Guitarist Mark Holcomb confirmed to Guitar World that Dream Theater’s John Petrucci, The Faceless’ Wes Hauch and The Aristocrats’ Guthrie Govan are the ones who will be making guest appearances on the album nor the ambit of Periphery.

“We also managed to get not one, but three of our favorite guitarists to do guest solos on the record. Wes Hauch (The Faceless), Guthrie Govan (The Aristocrats) and John Petrucci (Dream Theater) all laid down guest solos on the album and they turned out incredible… Can’t wait for you guys to hear it!”

Holcomb’s comment on the new album:

“The album is finally done and ready to go — July 3 is the date! After all the countless hours of work we’ve put in over the past seven months, we can honestly say the vision we had in mind for this record has been fulfilled — and then some! Every single member of this band stepped it up and, as a result, this album truly feels like a collaborative effort.”

Mark Holcomb and Jake Bowen at Pulp Summer Slam in Manila. Photo by Headbalisser.

French metallers Gojira have released the following updates for their upcoming album called “L’Enfant Sauvage” which by the way I thought was Elephant Sausage the first time I read it. Anyway the title translates to The Wild Child. The album contains 11 tracks, and is scheduled to set ashore at retail on June 26, July 31 in the US.

“When you become a musician, you don’t have a boss telling you what to do so you have to be very responsible,” singer/guitarist/songwriter Joe Duplantier said, shedding a little light on the title and its meaning. “With freedom comes responsibility so I’m asking myself, ‘What is freedom? What does it mean to me?’ L’Enfant Sauvage reflects on that. There’s no answer though. There’s just life and questions.”

Trailer for the live album Flesh Alive

L’Enfant Sauvage cover