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Rock Star, the movie starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-heavy metal superstar, will open in theaters on April 13. A soundtrack dominated by Wahlberg's fictional band Steel Dragon will hit stores on April 3.
Sources
close to the production, which was shot with the working title of Metal God, say musicians in cameos include Colleen Fitzpatrick, aka Vitamin C, who will play a metal fan. Alice in Chains' Sean Kinney and Mike Inez are set to appear as members of a fictional Seattle band - not much of a stretch.
Sharp-eyed fans will also spot Myles Kennedy of the Mayfield Four and Chris Hower of post-grungers Radford in the Stephen Herek-directed film.
Wahlberg's character is styled after Tim "Ripper" Owens, who fronted a Judas Priest cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group. Wahlberg himself used to perform under the handle Marky Mark with his group the Funky Bunch, while his brother Donnie was a member of New Kids on the Block.
There are more musicians behind the instruments. Steel Dragon features Dokken's Jeff Pilson on bass, Jason Bonham on drums, and Zakk Wylde on guitar. The tribute band that gives Wahlberg's character his start, Blood Pollution, includes the Verve Pipe's Brian Vander Ark, Slaughter's Blas Elias, and Zakk Wylde cohort Nick Catanese.
Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind also has a small role in the film as the lead singer of a rival cover group. Jennifer Aniston plays Wahlberg's girlfriend.
The title Metal God was axed in favor of Rock Star to take the film out of the restrictive heavy metal niche and into a wider, more accessible rock genre, a Warner Bros. spokesperson said. Contrary to published reports, the spokesperson said, the switch was not spurred by a complaint from ex-Priest singer Rob Halford, who has used the "Metal God" nickname since recording a song of the same name with Priest on 1980's British Steel. Halford left the band after the 1990 album Painkiller.
The soundtrack will feature Steel Dragon performing a half-dozen songs written for the movie by such artists as Jay and Jeremy Popoff (Lit), Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson), Peter Beckett (Survivor, Little River Band), Steve Plunkett (Autograph), Sammy Hagar, Desmond Child, and Ritchie Blackmore. Additional tracks for the disc are pending.
The album and film will also feature a new song from the Verve Pipe, as well as popular '80s songs by the likes of Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, and Kiss.
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