Although he is introverted, quiet and a shy person, he is the bassist of the amazing band "Alter Bridge". Ahhhh and he is also a real estate agent !! So let's get to know Brian a little bit... (Photo: Alter Bridge/Austin Hargrave) 1. His full name is Brian Aubrey Marshall, he was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up in Florida. 2. He started his career as a child when he played on his father's drum set. After several times he scratched the set so dear to his father's heart, his father decided to buy him a bass guitar to fit the drums. 3. In several interviews he said the bassists who influenced him the most were: Steve Harris , John Entwistle, Geddy Lee , John Paul Jones , and Doug Pinnick. 4. But he began his real musical career in 1990 when he was a student at the University of Florida, when he played in the band "Mattox Creed". 5. He then played in a cover band called "Baby Fish Mouth". 6. In 1994 he was auditioned for a band formed by two of his fellow students at the university, Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti . The two loved what they heard and Brian joined the band, together with the drummer Scott Phillips they created "Creed". 7. The name of the band was brought by Brian from his previous band "Mattox Creed", Stapp loved the word "Creed" and so its name was determined. By the way, the band's first name was "Naked Toddler". (Photo: Last.fm) 8. The band's debut album "My Own Prison" was released in 1997 and was a huge success with sales of over 6 million copies. Four singles were released from the album: "My Own Prison", "Torn", "What's This Life For", and "One" and four of them took first place on the Billboard Rock chart. Which made the band the first to achieve this with a debut album. 9. The band's second album "Human Clay" was released in 1999, the first single from the album "Higher" topped the charts and spent 17 weeks in the first place. With the release of the album it immediately took first place on the Billboard 200 and became an insane success as it sold about 10 million copies in the first two years which gave the band its first and only Grammy win. 10. With the success of the album, the band established its status as a hard rock leader in the post-Grunge era. 11. After the tour to promote the album, Brian's addiction to alcohol began to deteriorate, Stapp and Tremonti begged him to enter a rehab facility but Brian denied his condition and refused. The situation apparently escalated between Stapp and Brian and the former decided to fire him from the band. To this day Brian himself has not shared his version of the case and the circumstances. 12. Another story that clouded the relationship between Stapp and Brian was Brian's reference to the band "Pearl Jam" and their singer Eddie Vedder . In an interview with KNDD Radio in 2000, Brian said that Stapp is a much more talented writer than Eddie and that "Pearl Jam's" album lacks compelling and catchy music. In every interview the band got questions about Brian's remarks, the matter greatly angered Stapp who opposed Brian's arrogant comments. Brett Hestla replaced Brian as a bass player during the tour. 13. A year after leaving, taking time for himself, Brian puts together a new band with members of his former band. Dan Bartley on guitar, Hardy Mattox on drums, and Matt Knabe on vocals, and give it the name "Grand Luxx". 14. The band recorded several songs and performed several times but the album that was planned did not materialize. At that time Brian played in another band called "Head Heavy" which recorded an entire album in Brian's home studio but this time too the album was not released. 15. The band's third album "Weathered" was released in 2001 and was also a huge success, reaching first place on the Billboard and staying there for 8 weeks in a row. But this time it was recorded without Brian when Tremonti took the bass role in the entire album. 16. Two years after his departure, "Creed" falls apart following a deterioration in the condition of Stapp drug and alcohol. The two remaining friends, Tremonti and Scott turn to Brian to form a new band. 17. The three get excited about an anonymous singer named Myles Kennedy who was a singer in the band "The Mayfield Four" and decide to invite him to join the band. Without hesitation, the guy approves, and the four form the band "Alter Bridge". (Photo: NME.com) 18. They released their debut album "One Day Remains" in August 2004, the album was a success and reached number five on Billboard while staying there for 14 weeks. The album was written mostly by Tremonti, both in terms of music and lyrics, with Myles contributing only a few parts. 19. In 2007 the band released their second album (and a masterpiece to be noted) "Blackbird" . Although the album only reached number 13 on Billboard, it received very positive reviews from critics and later became one of the band's biggest albums. After the release of the album, the band went on a tour to promote it and there is even a DVD named "Live from Amsterdam" that was recorded during the tour. Look for it... Highly recommended! 20. Although all the band members ruled out the possibility that "Creed" would come back to life, in 2009 the quartet returned and released their fourth album "Full Circle" . The album was not a great success, but one of the shows from the tour broke records. The band performed in September 2009 in Houston Texas in front of 239 cameras and millions of viewers, with the show broadcast live via the Internet. There were a number of other Guinness records broken in that show. 21. In 2011 "Alter Bridge" released their third album "AB III" (which is also needless to say a masterpiece album). The album's lead single "Isolation" topped the US rock charts. Here too you can find a live performance from the album tour, called "Live at Wembley". 22. In the same year Tremonti formed the band "Tremonti" and a year later released their debut album "All I Was" . Immediately after the album's release, Brian joins the band on tour to promote the album. He leaves after the tour end. 23. In 2012 the members of the "Creed" return to work together on the next album, but it does not materialize and the band officially disbands forever. 24. In 2013, "Alter" released its fourth album "Fortress" . It's one of the band's most powerful and gruesome albums. 25. In 2016 "Alter Bridge" released their fifth album called "The Last Hero" , Tremonti claimed that the album was a combination of "Blackbird" and "Fortress" together. 26. In October 2019 the band released their sixth album "Walk the Sky" (we did not say this about the previous two but this is a masterful album double time). Tremonti said that in order to get inspired for the album he decided to go back in time and dig into the riffs he recorded many years ago. He not only took inspiration from the riffs but part of the vibes of the songs were also heard from the past of the 80s. 27. We mentioned in the first paragraph that Brian is a real estate agent, together with his wife they have a real estate agency, and besides his activities with the band he sells houses with his wife in the area where he lives, "Fort Walton Beach" and "Destin Florida". Now you know who to contact if you want to buy a house www.stagerightgroup.com 28. While the band is not active (while Myles is with Slash or solo career and Tremonti with his band) Brian loves playing with local bands at clubs in Florida and is also the bass player of the neighborhood church. 29. Brian said that as a bass player he does not like to stick to the line of the drums or the guitar, he likes to play mainly in the line of the singer melody and switch between the drums and the guitar in sections that require a power rhythm with significant volume. 30. In October 2022, "Alter Bridge" releases its seventh album "Pawns & Kings". Unfortunately, and we really say this with heavy mixed feelings, this feels like the beginning of the end. The album sounds flat, without depth or charisma, something that feels like autopilot. And with the rumors of a "Creed" reunion, the feelings are only getting stronger. 31. In July 2023, "Creed" announced a reunion!!!! The band announced not only a reunion but also a full North American tour called "The Summer of '99 Tour". The tour is scheduled to start in April 2024, this is the first time the band has taken the stage together since 2012 and there are already rumors of a new album... (Photo: Chuck Brueckmann) You can listen to Alter's last album "Pawns & Kings" on Spotify , Apple Music   "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Remember and Never Forget ! It's Holocaust Remembrance Day and we want to help you get through this difficult time with an alternative playlist of 18 Rock and Metal songs, all inspired by the events of the Holocaust and World War II. The songs in the playlist together complete a weave of the story of World War II and the Holocaust. We tried to arrange the list, in a chronological order of events, from the rise Nazism, the final solution, the ghettos and extermination camps, through major battles of world war II: the Battle of Britain, the Battle of Stalingrad, the bombing of Normandy and the atomic bomb, and finally "Never Again!" So if you are interested in listening to the story of the act from a slightly different angle, feel free to read about the content of each and every song and listen to the playlist from beginning to end in chronological order. The Rise of Nazism 1. " Sabaton" - "Rise of Evil" - a description of the rise of Nazism in Germany. 2. " Anthrax" - "The Enemy" - about Adolf Hitler: "He is but a solitary man Whose prejudice will spread like a flame Throughout the land." The Battle of Britain June 10th 1940 to October 31st 1940 3. " Iron Maiden" - "Aces High" - the lyrics are written from the point of view of the British Royal Air Force pilot who fought during the Battle of Britain against the German Air Force (1940). 4. " Motörhead" - Bomber - a song based on a book of the same name and related to the last flight of the Royal Air Force bomber on Germany. 5. " Iron Maiden" - Tailgunner - the sequel to the song "Aces High". It describes the battle from a different perspective. The Final Solution - 1941-1945 6. " Sabaton" - The Final Solution - on the "final solution" to the extermination of the Jewish people. 7. " Slayer" - "Angel of Death" - about Joseph Mengele, the Nazi doctor who performed experiments on humans in the Auschwitz concentration camp and was called the "Angel of Death from Auschwitz". 8. " Anarchy Club" - "Get Clean" - about a Jew who works in a concentration camp during the Holocaust and is suddenly called by the Nazis to the "gas showers" to "clean up". 9. " Civil War" - "Schindler's Ark" - is based on the novel of the same name that was later adapted into the movie "Schindler's List". 10. " Slayer" - "SS-3" - about Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich, known as "The Butcher from Prague", "The Executioner" - the Nazi war criminal who was among those responsible for the final solution. 11. " Sabaton" - "Uprising" - about the Polish uprising that took place in Warsaw in 1944. 12. " Rush" - "Red Sector A" - A song influenced by the life story of Geddy Lee 's parents, who lived in the Bergen - Belsen and Dachau concentration camps and were Holocaust survivors. The words were written about the courage and strength of the survivors and it focuses on their moments of release. Turning Point and Last Battles 13. "Accept" - "Stalingrad" - tells of the Battle of Stalingrad (July 1942 to February 1943), in which the efforts of the German army to complete the conquest of the city by the Soviet army failed. The battle ended in the victory of the Red Army and brought a turning point in World War II. 14. " Iron Maiden" - "The Longest Day" - about the invasion of Normandy (June 6, 1944 to August 30, 1944) and its impact on the young soldiers who fought that day. 15. "Megadeth" - "Take No Prisoners" - also about the invasion of Normandy (D-Day) which is defined by Megadeth in the lyrics as "the beginning of the end". 16. "Sabaton" - "Primo Victoria" - on the events that took place on June 6, 1944, the day the invasion of Normandy began. 17. "Rush" - "Manhattan Project" - on "Manhattan Project" - the code name for the first nuclear weapon development project, at the end of which the nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945), thus ending World War II. "Anola Gay" mentioned at the end of the song is the American plane that carried the bombs "Never again" - Resurrection 18. "Disturbed" - "Never Again" - The promise of the establishment of the State of Israel that the story of the Holocaust will not be repeated. A song written by David Draiman about the Holocaust, inspired by the story of his maternal grandparents, both Holocaust survivors . "Salem" - " Ha'ayara Bo'eret" "Salem" - " Kaddish" Link to Playlist: Click Here . "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

"The same lady in a different cloak".... On April 7, 1987, "Whitesnake" released their seventh album "Whitesnake" also known as "1987". This album marked a very significant change for the band, which underwent a metamorphosis process, in a way that is somewhat reminiscent of the transitions between the various lineups of the mother band from which David Coverdale came from - "Deep Purple". The fundamental change of "Whitesnake" was expressed in three main things: first, the replacement of all the band members, except David Coverdale - the undisputed leader of the band. Second, a change in outside appearance that has become compatible with Hair and Glam Metal bands. The third, was a change in the sound and style of the band that went from Blues-Rock and Hard Rock to Heavy Metal and Glam Metal. It seems that it is not for nothing that the album was simply called "Whitesnake", although this is the band's seventh album, as this is simply a rebirth of the band. The buds of this fundamental change began with the previous album " Slide It In ", which was released three years earlier, in 1984. Guitarist Micky Moody - Coverdale's partner from the beginning of his solo career in 1976, felt a growing change in Coverdale's behavior, which became more And more domineering. In later interviews, he noted that it was no longer the same Coverdale he had known in 1976 and that he could no longer bear his arrogant behavior. Moody also noted that while working on " Slide It In " he felt it was not the same band. Drummer Cozy Powell replaced Ian Paice and brought with him a more powerful playing style that dragged the band from Blues-Rock deeper toward Heavy Metal. Cozy also brought bassist Colin Hodgkinson, who worked with Cozy on his solo album "Octopuss" from 1981. Colin replaced Neil Murray who was in the band from the beginning, but to Mickey Moody's taste, he did not fit into "Whitesnake's" style. But this whole chain of events didn't come close to what happened during the tour that accompanied the album. During the band's show at a mini-festival in Germany, "Whitesnake" members returned to the hotel and spent time with members of "Thin Lizzy", including guitarist John Sykes . After a night of drinking, David Coverdale insulted Micky Moody and humiliated him in front of John Sykes . It was the last straw for Moody who immediately after just left the band. Moody's departure did not bother David Coverdale at all. In fact, for a long time, he wanted Sykes in the band. Not only that John Sykes was an excellent guitarist, but he also looked really good, which was very much in line with the image Coverdale sought for the band. Very shortly after Moody's departure, Coverdale announced to the media that John Sykes is joining the band. It was the first step in the great change that the band would go through. Next to that, Coverdale fired bassist Colin Hodgkinson, after realizing that indeed his style did not suit the band. Second guitarist Mel Galley also found himself out of the band, having suffered a car accident that impaired his playing ability, during the tour. Another member who left during the tour was keyboardist Jon Lord . In 1984 he was "called to the flag", and left in favor of the unification of MKII's lineup "Deep Purple". The last to leave was Cozy Powell . Relations between him and Coverdale became increasingly tense during the tour and after the band's last performance in Rio Brazil, he left the band. At this point, Coverdale considered breaking up "Whitesnake and returning" to a solo career, but a persuasion campaign at "Geffen Records" led him to work with guitarist John Sykes on new songs. The two flew to the south of France and began writing material for the album. In the first session, two songs were written: The first, " Still of the Night " whose riff was based on an old demo of Ritchie Blackmore from the days of "Deep Purple". The second song " Is This Love? " was originally intended by Coverdale for singer Tina Turner, but he eventually relented and left the song in his hands. Coverdale's girlfriend at the time - actress Tawny Kitaen appears in a clip shot to promote the song. Tawny will also appear in the clip for another song from the album " Here I Go Again ". Interestingly, these two songs will become the most successful from the album, as the other two "hits" from it - " Here I Go Again " and " Crying in the Rain " are remakes of songs that appeared on the band's 1982 album " Saints & Sinners ". At one point Coverdale asked bassist Neil Murray to return to the band, and the three moved to Los Angeles to continue writing, rehearsing, and auditioning for a new drummer for the band. In the end drummer Aynsley Dunbar who played with many good artists like Frank Zappa , David Bowie , Lou Reed , "Journey", Sammy Hagar , and more, was chosen. After the band finished working on all the material for the album, they moved to Canada to record. Legendary producer Bob Rock was recruited directly after he finished his work on the mixing of " Slippery When Wet ", to help guitarist John Sykes achieve the specific sound of the guitar he sought to achieve. But just then, after most of the instruments' roles were recorded for the album, Coverdale developed a severe sinus infection that forced him to undergo surgery. Coverdale's long recovery period delayed the completion of the recordings for an entire year. All the material for the album, except for the two remakes of old songs, was written by Coverdale and Sykes. John Sykes began to lose his patience and at one point considered bringing another singer to record the vocals. This of course ended his career in the band and he was immediately fired from it by Coverdale who recruited guitarist Adrian Vandenberg to replace him. It turned out that despite his tremendous contribution to the album, Sykes did not enjoy the success. The photos that accompanied the album and the video clips released for MTV included guitarists Adrian Vandenberg and Vivian Campbell (ex "Dio") mimicking the guitar pieces that Sykes wrote. What's more, bassist Neil Murray and drummer Aynsley Dunbar have also been replaced by younger and more beautiful musicians. Bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Tommy Aldridge . Their hair was puffed (well except for drummer Tommy Aldridge who came with a natural "Afro"), their clothes were changed, and so was the visual makeover of "Whitesnake". (Photo: Whitesnake 1987 Band Poster) But this turnaround could not have been complete without the band's tremendous change in sound which is largely based on the more metallic and aggressive guitar sound of John Sykes and the hoarseness of " Robert Plant " in David Coverdale 's voice. Sykes did an excellent job and turns out to be a great guitarist with powerful and exciting playing. It's not that we did not know he was a great guitarist even before, but in this case, he also turned out to be an amazing writer who co-wrote all the songs on the album, except for the two remakes as mentioned. Adrian Vandenberg's only guitar work on the album is in the solo of " Here I Go Again ", which was re-recorded after the dismissal of Sykes.+ This album gave "Whitesnake" and Coverdale tremendous commercial success and brought them to the masses and the mainstream charts. The album stayed in the top ten at Billboard 200 for a full six months. The five singles released from it burned the various charts and the accompanying clips were constantly screened on MTV. The album sold around 10 million copies and earned platinum status 8 times in the US alone. The album came out in two different versions, with the European version including a different order of songs as well as two more tracks - " Looking for Love " and " You're Gonna Break My Heart Again ". For Listening to the European version: Spotify , Apple Music . "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On March 27, 1985, "Bon Jovi's" second studio album, "7800 ° Fahrenheit" was released Here are 10 facts about the album that for a while was denied even by the band itself: 1. The name of the album was influenced by the book "Fahrenheit 451", which is a dystopian science fiction story by the writer Ray Bradbury. 2. Another version says that the album title refers to the melting point of a rock - 7800° Fahrenheit or 4313° Celsius, when the band intended to say - "American Hot Rock". 3. This is the first time that the "Bon Jovi" logo has been used. It will later be used on the following albums: " Slippery When Wet " and " New Jersey ". 4. This is the band's first album to win "Gold" status. 5. It remained on the American Billboard 200 for 104 weeks and was granted platinum status on February 19, 1987. 6. Four singles were released from the album in the following order: " Only Lonely ", " In and Out of Love ", " The Hardest Part Is the Night " and " Silent Night ". 7. The album was recorded in 6 weeks between January and March 1985. 8. This is the band's only album in which there is writing credit for four of the band members. 9. The song " Secret Dreams " is the only one of all the "Bon Jovi" songs in which drummer Tico Torres received credit for writing. 10. Although quite a few songs from the album are loved by the band's devout fans, this is the album that received the lowest representation ever in the band's setlist during the years. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music . "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

A Sneak Peek... On March 26, 2021, "Evanescence" released their fifth album "The Bitter Truth". After 10 years of silence, the band "Evanescence" led by Amy Lee as the only member remaining from what the band was but strengthened by new and creative talents, releases the fifth album. It seems as if Amy needed these 10 years, she went through a process of growing up, although we feel that this is an understatement. She went from a girl, a rock star who is controlled by her success, to a leader, to a teenager, maybe you can even say a parent, who now has the reins in her hands and leads her own life. In this album, she shares her feelings and experiences on topics such as self-search, death, a crisis of trust, and loss. The song "Far From Heaven", a piano ballad with Amy's powerful voice, explores Amy's feelings and beliefs and indirectly refers to the death of her brother Robbie which occurred three years earlier. The theme song "Better Without You" is strong and powerful, very reminiscent of Adele's James Bond song "Skyfall" and also very similar to "Feeding The Dark". Of course, there are songs here that are very reminiscent of the early albums such as "Wasted on You" and "The Game Is Over" that received a new power with electronics and keyboards. This is definitely a strong and powerful album, feels like in video games when you press the magic combination, your warrior draws his power to the end and then explodes on the opponent. This is exactly how Evanescence explodes in our ears and soul! In the album 12 songs, all of which were written by Amy, but most of them were arranged and composed together with the other members of the band, this is completely not a solo show, but a cohesive ensemble that has a powerful personality. 1. "Artifact/The Turn" 2. "Broken Pieces Shine" 3. "The Game Is Over" 4. "Yeah Right" 5. "Feeding the Dark" 6. "Wasted on You" 7. "Better Without You" 8. "Use My Voice" 9. "Take Cover" 10. "Far from Heaven" 11. "Part of Me" 12. "Blind Belief" Listen to the album on Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

This is Steven Tyler , the man, and the scarves, the man of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, so here are some things you may not have known about the young man: (Photo: Nils Meilvang) 1. His full name is Steven Victor Tallarico and he was born on March 26, 1948 2. He was declared by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the greatest singers of all time. 3. He was a partner in the first-ever rock-hip combination when "Aerosmith" collaborated with rappers " Run DMC " in 1987 with the song "Walk This Way". 4. It's one of the few songs that has twice made Rolling Stone magazine's 500 greatest songs, once performed by "Aerosmith" and once performed by "Run DMC". 5. Steven co-won with Erosmith 4 Grammy Awards, 6 American Music Awards, and 4 Billboard Awards, and one Emmy Award. 6. "Aerosmith" was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. (Photo: Allmusic.com) 7. Steven himself was inducted into the Poets Hall of Fame in 2013. 8. In 2010 he participated as a judge in the reality show "American Idol" . 9. In May 2011, Steven released "Memoir", an autobiographical book about his exploits as a rock star called: "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?" The book became the No. 2 bestseller in the New York Times. 10. Concurrent with the release of the book, Steven released his first single as a solo artist called: "(It) Feels So Good" the song featuring pop star Nicole Scherzinger. 11. In July 2016, Steven released his only solo album "We're All Somebody from Somewhere". 12. Since 2006 Steven has been a member of the Advisory Board of the Voice Health along with: Julie Andrews, Joe Buck, Roger Daltrey, Christina Perri, Lionel Richie, Paul Stanley and Keith Urban. 13. He is a very large philanthropist and, among other things, donated part of his capital to non-profit organizations: Elton John AIDS Foundation, Adopt the Arts, MusiCares, Robin Hood, Race to Erase MS, Red Cross, and many others. 14. Thanks to his sense of design and clothing style, he is the consultant and also the inspiration for the clothing brand Tommy Hilfiger who in 2012 created a rock and roll style clothing line. 15. In addition to clothing, he is also a member of the "Modo Eyewear" eyewear brand for a line of eyeglass products named after him. 16. In addition to reading glasses he also has (how not) a collection of scarves by the designer Andrew Charles called "Rock Scarf". 17. In the 1970s and 1980s Steven was a heavy user of drugs and alcohol and along with his bandmate guitarist Joe Perry who was a full partner in the celebration, they stuck with the nickname: "Toxic Twins". By the way, he is considered one of the people who has experienced the most drugs and also understands a thing or two about them (actually research). By the way, Steven and Joe are very, very good friends. 18. Another nickname that Steven has in the music industry is "Demon of Screamin" because of his vocal abilities. 19. The two quit alcohol and drugs with the band's "comeback" in 1986 with the single we mentioned earlier with "Run-DMC". 20. He founded the motorcycle brand "Dirico Motorcycles" which is based on Harley Davidson motorcycles together with two other partners: Mark Dirico and Stephen Talarico. (Photo: cycletrader.com) 21. Believe it or not but Steven was an athlete when he was in high school and was a member of the Olympic team for trampoline jumping !! 22. He has a ramified, complex and infamous history with women that included a marriage to Groppy who was 16 years old (with parental approval), three different marriages, a number of children (even he does not know how many), and even more so an anonymous number of grandchildren. 23. He is the father of actress Liv Tyler who also starred in the music video for the band's song "Crazy" from the album "Get A Grip". Liv also starred in the film "Armageddon" which included Aerosmith's hit "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", but contrary to popular belief Taylor did not write the song about Liv, in fact, he did not write it at all. 24. Steven has collaborated with many artists like Alice Cooper, Mötley Crüe, Bob Marley, Eminem, Santana, and many others. (With Bob Marley on a tribute album of course). 25. With his band Aerosmith he released 15 albums from 1973 to 2012. Listen to Stephen's only solo album on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Do you know "Breaking Benjamin" ?? So the founder of the band whose name is part of the band's name is Benjamin Burnley and he was born on March 10, 1978. Let's know some interesting facts about the man: (Photo: Maro Hagopian) = He taught himself to play the guitar by listening to Nirvana's "Nevermind" album, he said it was the most influential album of his life. = He formed his band "Breaking Benjamin" in 1999 and he is the only permanent member/founder of the band. The band's first name was "Plan 9". = He released four albums with his first band members, "Saturate" in 2002, "We Are Not Alone" in 2004, "Phobia" in 2006 and "Dear Agony" in 2009. = In the band's early years Benjamin was heavily addicted to alcohol until in 2007, he experienced three sleepless days of non-stop drinking. That same year he decided he was quitting alcohol and the album "Dear Agony" which talks about this subject, was the first he wrote when he was sober. = Although he is weaned off alcohol his body has developed a syndrome called "Wernicke – Korsakoff" in which the body behaves as after drinking a lot of alcohol only without the "high"... headaches, dizziness, and lack of orientation in the environment. In 2010 he took a break from the band to take care of his health. = That same year a big explosion in the band took place. During the time Burnley was in rehab, guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark Klepaski decided to release a compilation album called "Shallow Bay: The Best of Breaking Benjamin" at the record company's offer and get $ 100,000 for the album. The album came out without the knowledge or consent of Benjamin, who as soon as he knew, sued the two members and the record company. After three years of court struggles, the two members were fired from the band and Benjamin was given all the rights to the band. = After the end of the legal battle, Benjamin formed a completely new band with which he released three more albums: "Dark Before Dawn" in 2015, "Ember" in 2018, and "Aurora" in 2020. = After 7 years the band released thier new first single called "Awaken". = Benjamin suffers from various fears and anxiety attacks, one of his biggest fears is fear of flying. The band held its first tour outside the US only in 2016. In shows that the band has to fly, he travels in a car or sails on a ship. = Benjamin is such a die-hard gamer that for the song the band wrote for the famous "Halo 2" game called "Blow Me Away", they did not receive royalties because Benjamin was just happy to have his song in a video game. = Finally... two facts together... the band got its name because at one of the shows Benjamin broke the microphone and someone in the audience shouted "Breaking Benjamin". Benjamin is left-handed but plays the right-handed guitar. Listen to the first album with the new band on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

He's THE owner of the band, he did everything with his bare hands and he also maintains a solo career at the same time... Let's get some facts about rock n' roll legend Jon Bon Jovi . (Photo: Clay Patrick McBride) 1. He was born on March 2, 1962, in the city of Perth Amboy in New Jersey as John Francis Bongiovi Jr. 2. His father was of Sicilian-Slovak descent and was a barber in the Marines. His mother who is of German-Russian descent was a Playboy bunny. 3. His first band - "Raze" formed when he was 13. He played piano and guitar there. 4. The first rock show he saw in his life was by the Canadian band RUSH. 5. He first met keyboardist David Bryan when he was 16, and they formed the band "Atlantic City Expressway". (Photo: Atlantic City Expressway Band Facebook) 6. Other groups in which John was a partner in his youth were "John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones" and "Rest" which he founded in 1980. 7. That same year he started working at the Power Station Studios recording studio in Manhattan New York. The studio was partly owned by his cousin Tony Bongiovi. 8. The first song he ever recorded was related to "Star Wars". It's called "R2-D2 We Wish You A Merry Christmas", and was included on the compilation album "Christmas in the Stars: The Star Wars Christmas Album" under the name John Bongiovi. 9. John took the time in his cousin's studio to record demos for the songs he wrote. He sent the demos to all the local record companies and radio stations, but without success. 10. In 1981 he recorded in the studio the song "Runaway" together with a studio band called "The All-Star Review" and among them was the keyboardist Roy Bittan, known from the "E Street Band" who accompanies Bruce Springsteen . 11. In 1982 John came from New Jersey to the WAPP FM103.5 NYC radio station with the demo of the song. He approached the broadcaster - DJ Chip Hobart and convinced him to play the song. The broadcaster was convinced and even included it on the station's album "Homegrown" which included songs by local artists at the beginning of their careers. 12. The song was played on the same station until it was rolled out to another radio station in New Jersey - WDHA which also included the song on its own compilation album of young bands that do not yet have a recording contract. 13. The recording rolled into the ears of Derek Shulman who worked for the record company Mercury Records. Schulman was himself a very talented musician, one of the leaders of the prog-rock band "Gentle Giant" and he immediately recognized the potential and signed John to a recording contract. 14. John did not have a band then and he immediately began a race to form it and choose a name for the band. One of the names the band came up with was "Johnny Electric". 15. The record company offered the name "Bon Jovi", similar to "Van Helen". John loved the idea and even adopted the stage name and so John Bon Jovi was actually born. (Photo: Ross Halfin) 16. The well-known guitarist Dave Sabo from the band "Skid Row" was the band's first guitarist. He was soon replaced by Richie Sambora . 17. Dave Sabo was a childhood friend of Bon Jovi and there was an agreement between them that whoever of them would succeed in the music industry, would pull the other one up with him. Bon Jovi kept his promise to Sabo and made sure his manager arranged a recording contract for "Skid Row". Bon Jovi was not content with that and even made sure that "Skid Raw" will be the opening act for "Bon Jovi" during the 1989 tour. 18. John is actually the owner of the band and the "Bon Jovi" brand while the rest of the musicians are employed by him. 19. In an interview with Spin Magazine in 1998 he stated that he was a relative of Frank Sinatra . 20. John mentioned Frank Sinatra in the song "It's My Life" with the words "Like Frankie said, I did it my way". 21. Their first big hit was "You Give Love a Bad Name", which John and Richie almost gave to the band "Loverboy", before they regretted it and decided to leave it in the band. This is an incarnation of a song that Desmond Child originally wrote for singer Bonnie Tyler . 22. Bon Jovi's favorite movie is "The Godfather" . 23. Bon Jovi is the founder and owner of the Philadelphia Soul Halls Football Team. 24. In the 1990s he started an acting career. He played among others in the movies: "Moonlight and Valentino", "Pay It Forward" and "U-571" as well as in the series "Sex and the City", "Ally McBeal" and "The West Wing". 25. He was the last to play with his band at Wembley Stadium before being demolished and re-established. (Photo: Bon Jovi) 26. He was also the first to release with his band a rock album by an American band in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union. It was with "New Jersey" released there by a local record company called Melodiya. 27. In 1987 he produced singer Cher 's 18th album. 28. In 1990, John Bon Jovi released the album " Blaze of Glory " - the soundtrack to the movie "Young Guns II". The soundtrack featured artists such as: Elton John , Little Richard and Jeff Beck . 29. In 1996 he entered the list of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by People magazine. 30. In 2000 the same magazine chose him as the sexiest rock star. 31. In 2006 he founded the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation. 32. He was inducted into the Music Writers Hall of Fame in 2009. 33. In 2010 President Barack Obama awarded him the title of White House Adviser on Community Solutions. 34. In 2012 he was ranked 50th on the list of the 100 most influential and powerful people in the music industry. 35. In 2018 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Photo: Suzie Fellows) 36. During his career in the Bon Jovi band he has released 15 studio albums, five EPs, five compilation albums, and three live albums. 37. Although he released a significant number of big hits to the British charts, he never reached number one. 38. Bon Jovi is one of the best-selling bands in the world with sales of over 130 million copies worldwide. 39. As part of his solo career he has released two more studio albums. 40. Bon Jovi has performed in over 2700 shows in over 50 countries and in front of more than 34 million people. You are invited to listen to the playlist we prepared for his last appearance in Israel. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Today we will tell you about Geoff Nicholls who was best known as the keyboardist of "Black Sabbath" from 1979 to 2004: (Photo: Black Sabbath Online) He was born in Birmingham, England - on February 29, 1948, as Geoffrey James Nicholls. Starting in his teens he played in several local bands. He started out as a guitarist in his early teens, and his idols included Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly. The first band he ever joined was an early 60's cover band called "Colin Storm & the Whirlwinds". He also specialized in playing piano and organ, but never completely abandoned the guitar, when starting in 1966 became a serious fan of Jimi Hendrix 's playing. In 1968, Nicholls was recruited into the psychedelic pop band "World of Oz", replacing David Kubinec on keyboards, but he also added second guitar on some of the band's songs. After the disbandment of "World of Oz" in the spring of 1969, Nicholls joined "Johnny Neal & the Starliners", a cabaret-style group that had success live, and even released a single called "Put Your Hand in the Hand". Along with "Johnny Neal & the Starliners", Nicholls made numerous television appearances, and even won a contest on the show "Opportunity Knocks", but the band's style was not what Nicholls wanted to play. He left the band and joined "Bandy Legs", which was made up of some of Birmingham's leading musicians who had not yet received a recording contract, including Mick Hopkins and Malcolm Cope. This was already a heavy metal band who signed a recording contract in 1976. (Photo: Geoff Nicholls YouTube Channel) In 1977, the band changed its name to "Quartz" and released its debut album. The album was produced by Tony Iommi and the band even got to warm up "Black Sabbath" that year. It is interesting to note that guitarist Brian May suggested editing the song "Circles" that the band recorded during the sessions of the debut album, but after several attempts, he admitted that he thought the original version was still better. Another interesting fact about the song is that it originally featured Ozzy Osbourne on backing vocals, but his contribution was cut from the final mix by Tony Iommi . The song was ultimately not included on the album but was released as a B-side to the single "Stoking the Fires of Hell". In 1979, Geoff Nicholls joined "Black Sabbath", initially as an additional guitarist in their live shows, but he quickly switched to playing keyboards. Nicholls briefly moved to bass when founder Geezer Butler left the band, but returned to keyboards after Butler's return. Interestingly, in the absence of Geezer Butler Nicholls contributed quite a bit to the sessions of the " Heaven And Hell " album and even wrote the bass line for the theme song. These facts were published after Nicholls' death and even a rare recording of him from those sessions playing the famous bass line was released. Starting with the album " Heaven And Hell " and during the next 25 years until the album "13", Nicholas served as a keyboardist on all the albums of the band "Black Sabbath", but also as a second guitarist as needed. He was not an official member of the band until the album " Seventh Star " from 1986, which was released exactly 31 years before his death. He returned to being a guest member of the band beginning in 1991, and then returned to full official member status from 1993 to 1996. During his membership in the band, he was a partner in albums such as " Mob Rules ", " Born Again ", " Tyr ", " 13 ", " Seventh Star ", " Dehumanizer " and more. Nicholls' membership in "Black Sabbath" ended when Adam Wakeman (son of... and a member of Ozzy Osbourne 's solo band) was chosen to play keyboards during the band's tours in 2004 and 2005. Over the years, Nicholls has guested on other musicians' albums, including Tony Martin and Cozy Powell 's albums. Nicholls passed away from lung cancer on January 28, 2017, and is 68 years old. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On Febuary 25, 2022 the "Foo Fighters" released their first Hollywood movie. This is not a documentary or a live show recorded in the famous Studio 606, this is a Hollywood comedy-horror movie !! It all started in 2019 when Dave Grohl was looking for a place where he could create and record demos for the band's next album "Medicine at Midnight". By a frightening coincidence, a guy Dave rented a house from 10 years earlier suddenly contacted him and offered him his house located close to Dave's home in Encino, California. Dave got excited about the idea and decided to rent the house. He started writing and recording demos for the album and felt that the sound he got in the recordings is amazing and special. He sent the recordings to his good friend and album producer Greg Kurstin, who was also immediately enthusiastic about the sound coming out of the recordings and offered Dave to bring all the band members and record the album in the same house. Even before they started recording together and were inspired by the place, Dave thought it might be a cool idea for the band to shoot a movie about a band looking for its inspiration in a mystical place. The band members built an entire studio and began recording the album "Medicine at Midnight". According to the band members, during the recordings, all sorts of strange things started to happen. They would record pieces on Pro Tools and the next morning they would find that everything was erased and in its place, there are weird pieces of white noise. They would end a recording day and the next morning all the instruments came out of tune as if they had not been played for years, the band members really felt haunted and not alone in this house. It gave them the inspiration to turn the movie into a horror movie !! But what started as an amateur horror film of a few friends, very quickly became a Hollywood film with a budget of millions of dollars and some famous guest actors. The film is based on a story by Dave himself, written by Jeff Buhler and Rebecca Hughes and directed by B. J. McDonnell. Alongside the band members Dave Grohl , Taylor Hawkins , Nate Mendel , Pat Smear , Chris Shiflett , and Rami Jaffee star actors like: Whitney Cummings, Will Forte, Jeff Garlin, Lionel Richie and more. The film tells the story of a band (The Foo Fighters), that tries to record an album in a house haunted by the spirits of another band members, " Dream Widow ". A band whose singer decided to murder the rest of his band members in light of musical disagreements that arose during the recording of the album. Needless to say, the band members of course recorded this imaginary Metal album, simply called " Dream Widow ". The band members, of course, don't care what you think of them, and don't mind if you call them "musicians who try to be actors", they do what they want and don't give a F$%@, because they just want to create music, everything beyond is for fun only !! "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On February 24, 1975, "Led Zeppelin" released her double album "Physical Graffiti". If you'll ask Dave Grohl , this is Led Zeppelin's album that he would recommend you to start with, getting to know the band's repertoire. He also noted that this album served as a role model when he recorded the 2005 album " In Your Honor ", with the "Foo Fighters". If you'll ask Bruce Dickinson , he will tell you that at the time of writing the material for "Iron "Maiden's" " Somewhere in Time " album, he thought the band needed to evolve like "Zeppelin" did with "Physical Graffiti". If you'll ask us, they are both right and actually say the same thing. This is "Led Zeppelin's" "demonstration" album. It showcases its diverse capabilities in the best way. It has such a wide dynamic and it illustrates the range of styles that this band dominates, Hard Rock, Blues, Progressive, Psychedelia, Folk, Rock 'n' Roll, Punk, Boogie, and more. "Physical Graffiti" is the band's sixth album and the first to be released on its private label - "Swan Song Records". The recordings began in November 1973 at the same location where the album " Led Zeppelin IV " was recorded - the "Headley Grange" mansion - the Victorian-era building in Hampshire. During that session Jimmy Page and John Bonham worked on an instrumental piece that would later become the masterpiece " Kashmir ". However, this session was cut short after bassist John Paul Jones fell ill, apparently from the heavy stress he was under. Jones informed his bandmates that he was tired of the grueling shows and road trips and that he was interested in retiring from the band. Band manager Peter Grant asked Jones to reconsider the matter and suggested he take a break to spend some time with his family. Meanwhile, "Zeppelin" has handed over the estate to the loyal hands of the emerging " Bad Company " supergroup, which has just signed to "Led Zeppelin's" new label and used the break taken by "Led Zeppelin" to record their debut album, which was released in June 1974. The free time with the family did Jones well and after a few months, he returned to the band with renewed strength and with a lot of energy to continue the recordings, which were renewed in January 1974. Within a short time, the band managed to write and record eight songs that filled three sides of a vinyl album. This led the band to consider a double album, instead of choosing which tracks to cut off in order to fit an album. And so it was, the band completed another side of vinyl with Outtakes - old songs that did not fit into the band's previous albums, which were taken from the sessions for the albums " Led Zeppelin III ", " Led Zeppelin IV " and "Houses of the Holy". This delayed the release date of the album as mixes and reprocessing of the old songs were needed, so that they would match the sound and vibe of the new songs. The name of the album was chosen by Jimmy Page and it was meant to describe the recording process as Page saw it. He wanted to illustrate the whole physical and written energy during the creation process. As we already mentioned in the opening, this album features a wide variety of musical styles, which somehow manage to blend into one uniform and wonderful piece. The album opens with the Bluesy Hard Rock of " Custard Pie " - a song whose lyrics are based on blues classics such as: "Drop Down Mama" by Sleepy John Estes, "Shake 'Em On Down" by Bukka White and "I Want Some Of Your Pie "By Blind Boy Fuller. What a beauty of a riff and what a groovy sound produced by the electric keyboards of John Paul Jones , in addition to bass guitar. Plant and Page exchange harmonica and guitar solos that Page transmits via ARP synthesizer, in order to get the unique sound that is heard in the song. It is interesting that such a sweeping and bouncy song was never performed in its entirety during the band's performances. " The Rover " which means "wanderer" in English slang, continues with the Blues-Hard Rock line. Page and Plant began writing this song as early as 1970 in the "Bron-yr-Aur" cottage in Wales, while writing the material for the " Led Zeppelin III ". The song was originally written as an acoustic song and was recorded during the sessions for the album "Houses of the Holy", but did not fit in. This song wasn't played by the band live, except for the opening riff that connected to the song "Sick Again". Interestingly, the opening and part of the melody in this song is reminiscent of the song "Wicked Annabella" by "the Kinks", and again it is another "loan" by "Zeppelin". With " In My Time of Dying ", "Zeppelin" delves into the Blues. This song was recorded live and Page later added the amazing slide guitar that accompanies the song in the little guitar sentences and solos. Here, too, Zeppelin made "loan" from an old blues song performed by Blind Willie Johnson back in the 1920s called "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed". Singer and songwriter Bob Dylan gave the song his own interpretation on his debut album from 1962 and so did American singer John Sebastian on the song "Well, Well, Well", which he recorded in 1971. The ending of the song was not written beforehand, it was a jam session, which ended it where Bonham can be heard saying, "That's gotta be the one". With a timing of 11:06 minutes, this is Zeppelin's longest song. It is interesting to note that the last song played by Chris Cornell at his last performance held on May 17, 2017 in Detroit, just before he took his life, was "Slaves And Bulldozers" and it included excerpts from the song "In My Time of Dying", and especially the lyrics: "In my time of dying, ain't gonna cry, ain't gonna mourn .. ", just creepy! The other side of the vinyl opens with the song " Houses of the Holy " which takes us back to Hard Rock. The song was recorded during the sessions for the album of the same name released in 1972. This song was supposed to be the theme song for the album, but it was left out due to its resemblance to the song "Dancing Days" from that album. This song did not require mixes or additions and it entered the album "As Is". This song was also never performed in Zeppelin's performances. It's name was influenced by the nickname given by the fans to the halls and venues in which "Led Zeppelin" performed in. The song " Trampled Under Foot " takes us to the grooves of Funk. The track evolved from John Paul Jones ' jam session on the electric keyboard, in 1972. It actually reminds us of the sound of Stevie Wonder from the early 1970s albums. And again this time - the "loan". Robert Plant based the lyrics on Robert Johnson's 1936 song "Terraplane Blues". Jimmy Page 's unique guitar sound in this song was achieved by the "wah-wah" effect combined with the "Backwards Echo" effect. The last track on the second side of the vinyl is probably the greatest on the album and one of the masterpieces of the band in general - " Kashmir ". As mentioned, this is the first piece that John Bonham and Jimmy Page worked on for the album, back in 1973, and was originally called "Driving To Kashmir". Robert Plant wrote the lyrics to the song, during a ride in the Sahara Desert from Agadir to Sidi Ifni, on his way to a folklore festival in Morocco, where he traveled with Jimmy Page in 1973. John Paul Jones plays the mellotron wonderfully and perfectly and he was the one who made the strings and brass instruments arrangements. This is one of the only tracks of "Zeppelin" that features additional musicians. What a heavy and bombastic sound Bonham's drums have as they recorded in the hall of "Headley Grange" at the same location as "When The Levee Breaks", what a rhythm and such a crazy chord progression by Jimmy Page with the unconventional guitar tuning. Just explain to us how this song manages to stun and shock despite the monotonous playing and even without one tiny solo? Song A-L-M-W-T-Y! This song was sampled in the song "Come With Me" by Puff Daddy and Jimmy Page - taken from the soundtrack of the movie Godzilla from 1998. The third side of the vinyl opens up with " In the Light ", which was originally called "In the Morning" and later got the name "Take Me Home". The band is nearing Progress Rock here. The song was composed by John Paul Jones on a synthesizer. This song is also never played in the band's performances although Jimmy Page noted that this is his favorite song from the album and for him, it is the sequel to "Stairway To Heaven". At the beginning of the song Page plays the guitar with a violin bow, something he has not done since the songs "Dazed And Confused" and "How Many More Times", somewhere on the debut album " Led Zeppelin ". The second track on the third side is the acoustic-instrumental " Bron-Yr-Aur ", which was composed and recorded in 1970, during the sessions for the album " Led Zeppelin III ". The name of the piece is influenced by the name of the building where the band members recorded the album and it really reminds of the atmosphere of that album, which is partly acoustic. The Soft Rock song " Down by the Seaside " was also written as an acoustic song on the same estate "Bron-Yr-Aur" in 1970. It was influenced by Neil Young and the title of his song "Down By The River". The song got its electric vibe while the recording of " Led Zeppelin IV ", but remained out. John Paul Jones hated the song but Robert Plant loved it, so it found its way into the album. This song, too, has never been played in "Led Zeppelin" shows. The song that seals the third side of the album is the ballad " Ten Years Gone ", which was composed in part by Robert Plant . He wrote the words about an old love which "ten years ago" was a part of his life. Robert Plant's written part was combined with Paige's instrumental section with overdubs of acoustic and electric guitars. In order to master the abundance of guitar layers in the recording, John Paul Jones had to use three-necked guitar during the live performance of the song. It included a mandolin, a 6-string guitar and a 12-string guitar. The opening track of the fourth and final side of the album " Night Flight ", was recorded in 1971 during the sessions for the band's " Led Zeppelin IV " album. John Paul Jones wrote most of the song and plays here on the Hammond organ, while Jimmy P age's guitar is played through the Leslie speaker. The lyrics were written by Robert Plant after he read a newspaper headline about a guy trying to escape the draft. Like "Kashmir", it's one of the band's only songs without a guitar solo. " The Wanton Song " was written at the band's "the song remains the same" tour in the US, during recordings of the album. The word "wanton" is not mentioned in the song. In the solo, Jimmy again uses the "backward echo" effect, in which you hear the echo first and then the guitar note. Page was asked in an interview how come the greatest band songs have no chorus, like "Cashmere", "Stairway to Heaven", "Over the Hills" and more. Page's answer was that the riff in "Wanton Song" is better than any chorus and that he can listen to it over and over again, Without getting bored, absolutely right! " Boogie with Stu " begins with a jam session featuring the "Rolling Stones" organist and tour manager Ian Stewart - with Stu representing Ian Stewart. The song is based on Ritchie Valens' song "Ooh My Head". It was recorded in 1971 in the same sessions that resulted in the song "Rock and Roll" for the fourth album (where Stewart also played the piano). In this song, Robert Plant plays guitar and Jimmy Page on mandolin. This song served as the basis for a lawsuit. In the end, Valens' mother received half of the royalties and also credit for the song along with the four band members and Stewart. The acoustic piece " Black Country Woman " was recorded in the garden of Mick Jagger 's house in 1972, during the sessions for the album "Houses of the Holy". The band just had an idea that they should occasionally record outside the studio. The song was originally called "Never Ending Doubting Woman Blues" as the lyrics Plant is singing at the end of the track. At the beginning of the recording, you can hear the voice of the recording technician Eddie Kramer saying: "Do not want to get this airplane on" while referring to the plane that just passed over the Jagger's house. Plant replies: "Nah, leave it, yeah." This masterful album ends with " Sick Again " written by Page and Plant about the 1973 tour and the encounters with the band groupies. The song is driven by Bonham's perfect drumming and Page's guitar riff. It's the closest "Zeppelin" came to Glam Rock, with a sound a bit reminiscent of "T-Rex" and David Bowie . The album was supposed to be released in late 1974, but the unique album cover delayed its release, as it took time for designer Peter Corriston to finish it. The cover included a photo of a pair of buildings at 96-98 St. Mark's Place, in New York City, with the building's windows cut and beneath them rotating images are revealed. Among the characters that can be seen on the cover (beyond the band members themselves), are W.C. Fields, Buzz Aldrin, Lee Harvey Oswald, painter Marcel Duchamp and more. This album jumped straight to number one on the UK and US sales charts. It received rave reviews and broke a record sales of one million copies in the US on the first day of release. As of today, this album has sold over 8 million copies in the US alone (equivalent to 16 million albums). For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music . "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On February 24, 2003, bassist Robert Trujillo officially joined the band "Metallica". (Photo: Mauricio Santana, Getty Images) The announcement of his acceptance was made by Lars Ulrich , noting that "Metallica" is interested in him as a full member and not just as an "employee", while adding that t show how serious the band is they are offering him a million dollars as an entry grant. As a reminder, bassist Jason Newsted left the band on January 17, 2001, due to the abuse and bad treatment of the band members towards him for many years. Newstead said in one of the interviews that he never felt part of the band and was always treated with contempt and abusive behavior by Hetfield and Lars and this affected him substantially and caused him deep mental damage that drove him out of the band. After Newsted left, the band went into turmoil that threatened its existence. James Hetfield suffered from severe alcohol addiction and some say even drugs. Lars also suffered from tremendous stress which eventually led him to hospitalization and so the problems and intrigues that existed even before among the band members only intensified. After a cooling-off period of about a year, "Metallica" entered the studio in May 2002 to work on the album " St. Anger ". To deal with all that was happening, "Metallica" took a mental therapist who accompanied them throughout the process. He pressured the band members, to be honest, to get everything out, without masks or filters. At that time they did not have a bassist and the one who played all the bass tracks on the album was producer Bob Rock. (Photo: Metallica website) At the end of the recordings, the band began auditioning for Newsted's replacement. For three months, a significant number of musicians auditioned in a series of filmed and documented auditions. In the end, Robert Trujillo, who had previously played in "Suicidal Tendencies", in Ozzy Osbourne 's band, and more was chosen. It is interesting to note that Newstead and Robert made a kind of initiation ceremony when Newstead temporarily played bass in Ozzy's lineup at the 2003 "Ozzfest" Tour. Robert's audition started with a kind of "job interview" and Trujillo was asked, among other things, what he thought he could bring as added value to the band. He later played the song "Battery" with the band. Trujillo later said that during the audition he suffered a hangover after a night of drinking with Lars - a kind of initiation ceremony designed to test Trujillo outside the music space. He was so out of place that he almost wanted to tell the band members he couldn't play. But he went into the bathroom, washed his face with water, said to himself "you can do this" and went to perform the audition. He was later asked a few questions by Hetfield and remembered answering dumb answers because he wasn’t focused. But despite this, the band found his playing convincing and he was invited to another audition, at the end of which he was offered the role. This audition is documented in the film "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster" , which tells the story of the recording of the album " St. Anger ", there you can see that Hetfield flatters Trujillo and tells him that he makes them play and sound much better, while Hammett adds "you are the chosen one", all before Ulrich offered him the $ 1 million down payment. Trujillo will become "Metallica's" third but also long lasting bassist. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website