Old News - June 2008


Old News - June 2008 - Old News - More June 2008 News
June 27th, 2008	PILGRIMZ ANNOUNCES DEBUT RELEASE DATE AND RECORD LABEL Be ready for the newest Danish revelation and welcome the next band on the international metal scene, Pilgrimz! On their debut album “Boar Riders”, Pilgrimz brings you an amazing combo of Scandinavian metal, dirty rock ‘n’ roll and modern hardcore. The album is produced and mixed by the magicians, Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Mercenary) and Tue Madsen (The Haunted, Sick Of It All). The band performs live at Roskilde Festival, SPOT Festival and MTV Headbanger's Ball tour this autumn. The album will be released by I Scream Records, which previously have be responsible for releasing legendary bands such as Madball, Agnostic Front and Blood for Blood. Release date: Mon 23rd June 2008 in Europe (Fri 20th June 2008 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Release Party: The release-party will take place in Copenhagen at the venue Stengade 30, 19th June but already now you can listen to a few new tracks from the album at Pilgrimz MySpace site: www.myspace.com/pilgrimz The debut album “ Boar Riders”: The album title “Boar Riders” is inspired by the classic flick, Easy Rider (1969) and refers to the wild and rebellious individuals seeking absolute freedom through alternative lifestyles. “Boar” is actually synonymous with “motorcycle” and those free souls, who dare to ride them, are given a chance to escape the conformism of today’s society. Tracklisting: Jimmy’s Castle Shake-A-Feather Boar Riders The Flick Drama King & Drama Queen King Or A Fool Prima Donnie Paramount The Caravan Was Only Bait The Artillery The album is produced by Jacob Hansen (Hatesphere, Mnemic, Illdisposed, Maroon), mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen, Antfarm (The Haunted, Sick Of It All, Heaven Shall Burn, Cataract). The artwork is done by the American artist R. Black (Misfits, Björk) More Pilgrimz 2008: Pilgrimz will be performing at SPOT Festival (5th-7th June), Roskilde Festival (3rd-6th July) and at MTV Headbangers Ball Tour in September along with Mercenary, Raunchy and Last Mile. Booking deals with 3rd Tsunami Agency, Go Down Believing and Loud Noise have recently been signed and European tour dates will be announced later along with Pilgrimz first music video. Current tourplan: 19. July – Release Party, Stengade 30, København 05-07. June – SPOT FESTIVAL 03-06. July – ROSKILDE FESTIVAL 04. September - AMAGER BIO, Copenhagen 05. September - GIMLE, Roskilde 06. September - TRAIN, Århus 11. September - POSTEN, Odense 12. September - FERMATEN, Herning 13. September - STUDENTERHUSET, Aalborg 19. September - TOBAKKEN, Esbjerg 20. September - MUSIKHUSET, Slagelse 26. September - DEN GL. SPORTSHAL, Nakskov 27. September - GODZZFEST, Kolding For bio, news, merch, tour dates, music videos please visit: www.myspace.com/pilgrimz +++ www.iscreamrecords.com BLEED THE SKY - WORKING ON NEW MUSIC VIDEO Oklahoma City's BLEED THE SKY will film a video for the song "Sullivan" this weekend in the band's hometown with acclaimed director David Brodsky (GWAR, THE RED CHORD, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER) and his crew at MyGoodEye. The track comes off BLEED THE SKY's forthcoming sophomore album, Murder the Dance, which is scheduled for release in the U.S. on June 10 via Nuclear Blast Records. A June 13 release in Europe through Massacre Records is expected. The CD was recorded last summer in Reseda, California with producer Christian Olde Wolbers (guitarist of FEAR FACTORY), but "due to delays outside of our control, mixing for the album didn't begin until November 2007," according to the group. BLEED THE SKY recently announced the addition of guitarist Justin Warrick (formerly of the southern California band REV) to the group's ranks. Bleed The Sky MySpace Page Bleed The Sky Bebo Page DIVINITY - ON CANADIAN SUMMER SLAUGHTER TOUR On August 15th, Necrophagist, Dying Fetus, Beneath The Massacre, Into Eternity, Neuraxis, Whitechapel, Veil of Maya, DIVINITY (Nuclear Blast) and Common Grave will join forces in Quebec to start SUMMER SLAUGHTER CANADA which is expected to go throughout the country from East to West ending in Vancouver tentatively on the 27th of August. Cities and Venues are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/summerslaughtercanada METAL AND MAPLE LEAVES! DIVINITY's latest album, Allegory, was releaed on March 25 (North America) via Nuclear Blast. The video to "Plasma" can be viewed on the bands MySpace Video Page. Divinity MySpace Page Summer Slaughter Canada MySpace Page EDGUY - ENTER THE STUDIO + UPCOMING TOUR German melodic metallers EDGUY are preparing to enter the studio to begin recording the follow-up to 2006's Rocket Ride. Commented frontman Tobias Sammet: "People think that we are quite fast but that's not the truth. I completed the AVANTASIA album last autumn, the AVANTASIA songwriting itself was completed even way back in 2006. All the new ideas I've had since then could be taken for EDGUY. In fact, this is a long time to refresh your creativity and gather new stuff. The material sounds very fresh, it embraces all the different trademarks of EDGUY, I think it is a logical continuation of 'Rocket Ride' and 'Hellfire Club'. Maybe it doesn't come across as goofy as 'Rocket Ride', but I am sure if we have fun in the studio we'll have enough possibilities to ruin the day for notoriously bitter people, haha. Yet it's more bombastic and heavier, not too fast 'cause I really don't like pure speed metal that much anymore. I like 'Lavatory Love Machine', 'The Piper Never Dies', 'Mandrake' and 'Sacrifice'. There's three fast tracks, but they are all good, not 'just fast!' We'll enter the studio next week and work whenever producer Sascha Paeth and me come back from the AVANTASIA weekends." EDGUY will be on tour in North America with KAMELOT in October. Tickets are now on sale. To see if they'll be dropping by a city near you, please visit www.myspace.com/edguy Edguy MySpace Page Edguy Official Website WARREL DANE "Praises To The War Machine" out now! After much anticipation, the stunning, inaugural solo effort, "Praises To The War Machine", from Nevermore vocalist WARREL DANE will be available in European shops on the following dates: GERMANY / AUSTRIA / SWITZERLAND / BENELUX / ITALY: April 25, 2008. UK / FRANCE / GREECE / DENMARK / NORWAY / REST OF EUROPE: April 28, 2008. SPAIN / PORTUGAL: April 29, 2008. SWEDEN / FINLAND / HUNGARY: April 30, 2008. USA/CANADA: May 13, 2008. With his first solo effort, Dane, who first shattered the boundaries of conventionality with the legendary Sanctuary and Nevermore, proves once again that he is one of metal's most defining and revolutionary vocalists. "Praises To The War Machine" which has been produced by Peter Wichers (Ex-Soilwork) is an absolute must for all Nevermore fans and will soon be hailed as Dane's most ambitious offering yet. Prepare yourself for the sheer beauty and elegance that awaits. Press on "Praises To The War Machine": "Warrel Dane - also without NEVERMORE a class on its own! Extremely melodic, damn heavy and modern: Killer!" ROCK HARD 9/10 "Whether it's acoustic space-rockers ('Let You Down'), modern metal tracks ('The Day The Rats Went To War') or sheer flawless hits ('Messenger'), this album should delight not only NEVERMORE-fans. Well done!" HEAVY (D) More info on WARREL DANE can be obtained at the following websites: News On CenturyMedia.com >>> Official Homepage Warrel Dane @ MySpace Matt Zane Donates His Hair To Locks Of Love Hollywood, CA -- It's true. Matt Zane has donated over 17 inches of his trademark hair to the non-profit organization Locks Of Love. Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. They meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics. Their mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. "People have identified who I am as my long hair for years. Something that I needed because it was expected of me and for awhile I have fallen into that trap. Recently I felt like I've entered a new chapter in my life and wanted to let go of certain expectations that people had. I was told about Locks Of Of Love and thought it was a great idea. I am glad some good can come of this considering all the hate mail I will get from girls on MySpace." Says Zane If you happen to be one of many woman upset by Zane's decision you can still see him and his hair in all it's glory on his latest movie Radium Volume #2 coming in May through Evolution Erotica. For those interested Matt Zane's new hair cut will be posted soon on his MySpace. MySpace.com/MattTheLordZane For more on Locks Of Love visit www.LocksOfLove.org BORIS - North American tour with Torche announced; album out now Just as the critically-acclaimed new release from Japan's Boris hits shelves (officially out 4/29), the band announces it's latest North American tour beginning in June with Torche (Wolves In The Throne Room were initially booked for the tour but have since withdrawn from the venture). Boris are currently on tour in Europe. With major features in North American mags such as Alarm, Metal Maniacs, Decibel, Exclaim, Metal Edge, Pitchfork, Outburn, Crustcake, PaperThinWalls, Thrasher, Unrestrained and more hitting, not to mention the countless amazing online reviews from all styles and genres of webzines, the massively-viewed "Statement" video and wide array of other glowing coverage, this is easily the most well-received Boris release to date, and shows the ever-morphing musical diversity of the band spreading thousands of listeners more than their doom metal beginnings. Boris w/Torche 06/24/2008 Casbah - San Diego, CA 06/25/2008 The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ 06/27/2008 Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX 06/28/2008 The Mohawk - Austin, TX 06/29/2008 White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX 07/01/2008 Spanish Moon - Baton Rouge, LA 07/02/2008 Common Grounds - Gainesville, FL 07/03/2008 The Social - Orlando, FL 07/05/2008 The Earl - Atlanta, GA 07/06/2008 Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC 07/08/2008 Black Cat - Washington, DC 07/09/2008 First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA 07/10/2008 Webster Hall - New York, NY 07/11/2008 The Middle East - Cambridge, MA 07/12/2008 La Sala Rosa - Montreal, QC 07/13/2008 Barrymore - Ottawa, ON 07/14/2008 Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON 07/15/2008 Tralf - Buffalo, NY 07/16/2008 Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH 07/17/2008 Diesel - Pittsburgh, PA 07/18/2008 St. Andrews Hall - Detroit, MI 07/19/2008 Turner Hall - Milwaukee, WI 07/20/2008 Pitchfork Music Festival / Union Park - Chicago, IL 07/22/2008 The Waiting Room - Omaha, NE 07/23/2008 Granada Theatre - Lawrence, KS 07/25/2008 Marquis Theater - Denver, CO 07/26/2008 Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT 07/29/2008 Neumo's - Seattle, WA www.inoxia-rec.com/boris \| www.myspace.com/borisdronevil www.southernlord.com \| www.myspace.com/southernlordrecordings www.flowerbooking.com \| www.myspace.com/flowerbooking Legacy Of Hate - new album on june, 6th. Free-MP3 now! Finally, its done!. After a few delays, particulate in consequence of the change of vocalist during the recording sessions, the release date of the fourth Legacy Of Hate album is set on 6th of June 2008. Almost five years after the latest release "Seeds Of A Future Bizarre" the "Unmitigated Evil" titled new album of the austrians, will hit the stores via Maintain Records in distribution of Twilight. The 8 tracks with a running time of more than 40 minutes will include a mixture of their musical roots and also the progress during the last five years. A fortaste of the upcoming album, you can get with a free MP3 download starting today on the myspace profile of the label, at last.fm and the media page on maintain records website. Don't miss it. Tracklist: 1. Wake Up 2. When Chains Are Breaking 3. A Moment Of Secrets 4. Behind The Mind Animosity 5. Memories We Made 6. Blindfold Aggression 7. Dispatch The Solution For Hope 8. Last Days Of Night web: http://maintainrecords.com http://myspace.com/maintainrec http://myspace.com/legacyofhate Guns~N~Roses Guitarist BUMBLEFOOT to Create ALL-STAR BAND In support of 2008 ROCK AGAINST DIABETES Charity Concert HOLLYWOOD, CA - Guns N Roses guitarist Ron Thal (aka Bumblefoot) has committed himself to this years Rock Against Diabetes event by orchestrating an All Star Band composed of top metal/rock artists of the last two decades. "I want to help bring attention, awareness, and hopefully get some people thinking about what they can do to prevent diabetes, or how they can lend a hand to someone living with it" explains Thal. "I have been reaching out to musicians to form a group that hasn't ever played together before, something very special just for this one night. This is an important event, and it's a privilege to be able to participate. Participants of the All Star Band, yet to be named will be announced once they commit to the project. More information on the All Star Band, as well as current and any other lineup changes can be found at www.rockagainstdiabetes.org. The band will perform live at www.deeprockdrive.com in Las Vegas. There are a very small amount of VIP tickets available only by auction. To bid on these limited edition VIP tickets, visit www.rockagainstdiabetes.org/auction .The rest of the world, will be able to take in the event from the comfort of their homes, in HD as a fully interactive web broadcast. Tickets are available at www.deeprockdrive.com/event/5462/rock_against_diabetes_2008 Tickets are only $9.99 and each ticket purchaser has the option to invite 5 friends to view FREE. For more information visit www.rockagainstdiabetes.org, www.bumblefoot.com, or www.deeprockdrive.com Dutch thrashers Nuestros Derechos release new cd Utrecht, The Netherlands-based thrashcore outfit Nuestros Derechos have issued a new release: "Struggling with the Dark". Your friendly neighborhood metal band takes you on a trip through the dark realms of existence. Seven new songs, with struggle and darkness as thematic thread, were recorded at the Bunt Studios in Utrecht, The Netherlands under the guidance of well-known producer Menno Bakker (Born From Pain, NRA, Malkovich, The Apers, etc). Mastering duties were handled by the critically acclaimed Alan Douches at West West Side Music, who previously offered his services to God Forbid, Dillinger Escape Plan, Hatebreed and Sepultura among others. The full track listing on "Struggling with the Dark" runs as follows: 1 - Devil's Repent 2 - Spam 3 - Nosferatu 4 - Deimos 5 - Nazgul 6 - Insomnia 7 - Darkest before Dawn The last track features an improvised solo by Warchitect mastermind and guitarist Michael Schoemaker. The band's current lineup is comprised of Jerry "Herrie" Derechos on guitar and lead vocals, Miss Janet Derechos on bass and lead vocals and Johnny Derechos on drums. Janet makes her debut on "Struggling with the Dark"; she replaced original bassist and co-lead vocalist Jan-Willem in 2006. Nuestros Derechos' previous release, a split cd with fellow thrashers De Waonzin (rip), was issued in 2005. More info: http://www.nuestrosderechos.nl/ http://www.myspace.com/nuestrosderechos http://nuestrosderechos.hyves.nl/ http://www.last.fm/music/Nuestros+Derechos Ihsahn discusses angL Two years after the release of 'The Adversary', his first solo album, former Emperor maestro Ihsahn is back with a new one, 'angL'. Darker, heavier and more intense than its predecessor, the album sees Ihsahn embrace the furious metallic sound that defined his earlier recorded works, while still indulging in some fascinating musical experiments and paying his respects to the traditional melodies and riffs of old school metal along the way. We spoke with Norwegian metal's premier genius-in-residence shortly before he unveiled the new material. He took us through the album track-by-track and shared a few thoughts and insights about the songs and what they mean to him on a musical and personal level. 'Misanthrope' "It has a similar feel to the opening from 'The Adversary', but lyrically it's clear cut and hard hitting from the start. I deliberately wanted a similar start, although that wasn't exactly planned, but lyrically too, I wanted a good opener that sets the standard for the album. I felt it okay to be a rather harsh and probably more typical black metal theme on the opening track. It doesn't really cover all the other elements or give any hints to the more experimental parts of the album. The whole album builds in a different way from 'The Adversary', but for me it was a natural thing." There seems to be a lot more guitars on this album. It's a lot heavier than 'The Adversary'. Was that something you set out to do? "I really wanted 'The Adversary' to be quite thin-sounding and I didn't overdub any guitars, and things like that. This time, the way the material developed, even before I started writing I realised that when you're solo, you have to have some parameters, so I wrote some guidelines. I have this book where I write musical ideas, lyrical ideas and sketch out the idea of what kind of album I want to create, with some key words and all that, and a modern and heavier sound was one of the main things. Last time I wanted to have a go at being very pure in how I picked the sounds, with just one guitar in each speaker. We recorded it in a very old school studio. This time, I wanted to have a go at a more modern, overdubbed, massive sounding album. That's the privilege of being a solo artist. You can really indulge your curiosity for doing different things." Have you ever been tempted to enlist a producer to help you in the studio? "We never really had a producer. The ego overcame that idea! Probably at some point it would be interesting to have a producer, but then again, the reason why I continued to do all this myself is that I want to learn from it. It's good to use your own stuff as the guinea pig, rather than to destroy someone else's work." 'Scarab' "I started to have these rules with 'The Adversary', trying to be more focused and use more traditional song structures. I wanted this album to be more focused and not as all over the place as 'The Adversary' was at times. I wanted the songs to have a particular feel too, but also to stand out alone. With 'Misanthrope', it's kind of straight forward. 'Scarab' is much groovier. The scale it's built around, it has this Egyptian feel, in the tonality of it, and also this theme, the symbolic idea of the scarab, it's almost a 'Powerslave' tonality to it. So I tried to be specific and more focused on the feel, and not necessarily bring in all different emotions and arrangements into all the songs." What are the lyrics about on this one? "It reflects around the symbolism of the scarab and the reinvention of itself. The scarab is a symbol of reincarnation. It dies and a new scarab is born from the shell of the old one, so that's how the lyrics go. From my experience, you build a new version of yourself, then you fall on your face when confronted with yourself and you have to start over. I've been very much inspired by Nietzsche and the re-evaluation of all things. You can't stop that process, it's always ongoing. You have to re-evaluate constantly, unless you want to stagnate and become one of the static people. That's the theme of the song." 'Unhealer' This song features vocals from Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt. Was it written with his voice in mind or did you originally intend to sing it yourself? "I originally intended to sing it myself. I wrote all the songs first and then I tried to work out which one would be most suitable for bringing in Mikael, when I first got clearance for doing that. It was written first and then chosen later. It worked pretty well, I think, with the things he did with it. It was kind of easy to pick that song for him." It's quite progressive, but in a different way from the songs on 'The Adversary'. "Yes, I think that's a general thing for this album. I don't think it's more progressive in any way than 'The Adversary'. The progressive part of 'The Adversary' is more clear cut, with odd speeds and time signatures, whereas on this album there is some progressive riffing and arrangements, but the progressive tonality and melodies are much more apparent on 'The Adversary'. On 'Emancipation', for instance, the main riff is a certain way and then you have a contrast with the long guitar lines in the middle. It's kind of progressively built, but the way it sounds is different from an 'Adversary'-style thing. That's the main objective. Even though the arrangement may be tricky, that complexity shouldn't take the leading role." Has it been liberating to write as a solo artist, and to be able to write slower songs with less blastbeats and more space between the instruments? "I think so. The overall impression or the way of doing it is very extreme, but I've always been into having beautiful elements in there, and that's where the more epic, symphonic parts of Emperor came from, I think. It's all extreme, but the underlying melodies and the feel of it aren't that extreme, and I think with this material I can put a bit more emphasis on that element without everything going at 150 beats per minute the whole time." 'Emancipation' "I'm developing as a songwriter. Me and Heidi have discussed this. On her album ('The Thread', Starofash), she wrote all the songs on the piano and they worked in that context, and so then she started to arrange it. I think I tried to take a similar approach, just using guitars and drums and getting the riffs down, so the songs themselves were just basic ideas which you colour later. You need to have a very clear motive for each song. It's a much more interesting way of working, rather than coming up with all these different pieces and trying to fit them together and make something that makes sense, which was very much the case in the early days. You can hear that in very young bands. They'll reach a certain technical level and start to have ten-minute songs with 30 or 40 different riffs in there, with no apparent link between them. Eventually, you learn to appreciate form." Obviously this song is about freedom, but freedom from what? "It's about emancipation from everything else around you trying to lead you to decisions. It's building on the same themes that I've always had. The re-evaluation of all things, but also setting your own standards for own things. When you've reached a point where you can find certainty in a certain belief and you can make your own moral decisions and moral values without having them dictated by society or religious history and all that, then you can become more immune to all these other factors. These themes are on 'The Adversary' as well. You have to try to build a wall, so as not to get too distracted and try to have some trust in seeing things through your own eyes. It's also about being liberated from caring too much about what people think, and their impression of you. Particularly since going solo, I've stopped caring. I used to worry about interviews and whether I'd said the wrong thing. But having done as many interviews as I've done, and having said all the stupid things I've said, it hasn't really mattered one way or the other. These days I probably do better interviews because I don't have a second self judging me at the side. I just try to make good conversation and enjoy it, rather than telling myself to do the right thing." 'Malediction' "It's a very aggressive song. It's probably the most black metal-sounding of the songs. Both the title, the music and the lyrics express that. I haven't really been trying to do something that sounds evil, but somewhere inside that kind of teenage rage still lives on and once in a while you need an outlet for that. 'Malediction' is probably an example of that." Do you still feel obliged to satisfy the rules and conventions of the black metal scene to any degree? "Not really. If I had any concerns or felt competitive within that scene, it would be the strange feeling of being one's own little brother, because since the split Emperor has become even bigger than we ever were, so I know that everything I do, whether it's in a similar style or a different style, will always be compared with Emperor. That's my main competition. I have to show that I'm about something real even though I do not play in Emperor. In the end, I've come to the point where I just do my best and do it honestly and people will have to either like it or not. As an artist, you always try to better yourself and I know I'm a much better musician and song writer than before, but still people rave about things I did when I was a teenager. The majority of fans of music that I've done are still mostly attached to things I did years ago. They think I'm way past my peak, I'm just a shadow of myself, fiddling around in my old age with some riffs, you know? Most people stop evolving as listeners, I guess." Would you ever contemplate doing another Emperor album? "If we did a new Emperor album, we'd get shit for it whatever it sounded like. We could do something that sounded like 'Anthems.' and we'd get shit for it. We could do something new and more appropriate, and we'd get shit for not sounding like 'Anthems.' If we did an album because people wanted one, it would be a paradox. Would people really want an album that we didn't want to make? No one would ever be satisfied, I think." 'Alchemist' "It's building a song on the Goethe Faust story. You've experienced the same thing so much, and you want to experience something else, something more. You want to experience something other than the little cave you've built around yourself. It's an interesting perspective. You'd rather take the risk, like Faust. He does the deal with Mephistopheles, rather than keeping with the same old thing. As with Icaros and Prometheus and the others, it doesn't really go that well for him but at least he has a go at it! It's about dealing with that type of thing. The riffing and all that is more experimental in a way. I've used a different tuning, so I feel it has some kind of alchemist's feel to the music as well." 'Elevator' "This one didn't start with a riff or a lyric. It just started with a title. I had this idea that I wanted to write a song called 'Elevator' and I wanted to have the feel of the elevators in 'Angel Heart', going downwards, because that image and that movement has made such a strong impression on me. I wanted the song to be like that, hence I wrote the riffs that descend, all the movement is downwards. For me, it's a new perspective. I have a particular goal and then I try to fit the music to that. I've tried to do that with all the songs, have a clear cut idea of what the song should be before I write all the parts. I've been able to stay focused, and that's been a general rule of the album, having a very strong focus. We have our own studio and huge sound libraries and many guitar effects and sounds, and you can get really lost in all that, because you can do practically anything, so you need to have a real musical focus and try to use those tools to achieve that, rather than letting the tools lead you away." 'Threnody' "I've always layered my stuff so much, so I wanted to challenge myself and just use the guitar and vocals and not necessarily use ten extra voices. I'm challenging myself and trying to make things work without all the extra bits around them. It's a very simple, pure idea, having a go at that type of ballad. It's a very different thing from 'Astera Ton Proinon'. It's much more stripped down. It was kind of scary to do, but very liberating once you get past the ego thing of 'Do I look stupid naked?', you know? I'm very pleased with the way it came out." 'Monolith' "It ends in a similar way to how the album starts. It's lyrically very harsh, with the symbol of standing alone and relating to the whole desultory, solo experience, and the fact that you end up doing this alone. It's really a statement of 'Like it or not, this is what it is'. It's a bit of an arrogant attitude, I guess, but it should be expected! You can't be too polite or too humble." Where do you think the new album will lead you? "I have absolutely no idea. I feel so subjective right now. I feel very comfortable with the album and it even sums up more of the things I've done in the past. It's more confident. I'm coming to terms with my musical work as a whole and being content that this is what I do. I can still do other things in the future and try to reach new musical ground and challenge myself, but I feel confident with what I do. I'm not trying to escape it. With Emperor, it does become limiting when people try to pinpoint what you do, especially when you want to do something different, but I've come to terms with that, so if something I do sounds like Emperor, then why shouldn't it?" angL hits stores nationwide May 27. www.ihsahn.com www.candlelightrecordsusa.com DAMNATION FESTIVAL 2008 DAMNATION FESTIVAL will return to darken Leeds' doorstep on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2008, promising to be the metal event of the year. The festival will move into the stunning three-room venue UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, as it continues to expand as the UK's finest independent metal showcase. Following three sold-out festivals, capacity will increase to allow near 2,000 fans in this year to witness at least two stages of the finest talent the UK and overseas has to offer. Organiser Gavin McInally said: "It's been a long time coming but we're delighted to finally announce the University of Leeds as the new home of the ever-expanding Damnation Festival. "It marks a massive leap for us with three rooms now available, a bigger metal market and more space for fans. "It goes without saying that we'll be working hard behind the scenes to put together the best bill of home-grown talent the country will see in 2008 with a few imported gems to cater for the demanding tastes of our dedicated fans." Since Damnation's creation in 2005, the festival has proudly hosted performances by Kreator, The Haunted, an exclusive Anaal Nathrakh outing, Kataklysm, Amen, Aborted, and Entombed. From Raging Speedhorn, Skindred, and Sikth through a farewell Stampin' Ground performance, Akercocke and Gorerotted, the best the UK has to offer on the live arena has also cemented the festival's reputation as a highlight on the metal calendar. Gavin added: "Damnation Festival is a rarity, in that it is a genuine metal event by fans for fans and with the continued support of our community we have managed to take another leap forward. "In return we will do everything we can to piece together an unrivalled day of metal for as little as we can possibly price the tickets and hopefully pack Leeds for another event to remember." For more information visit: www.damnationfestival.co.uk or www.myspace.com/damnationfestival TRACK LISTING FOR NEW BLEED THE SKY ALBUM REVEALED Murder The Dance, the sophomore album for Oklahoma City’s BLEED THE SKY, is set for release in North America on June 10th. The track listing is as follows: 01. Knife Fight In A Phone Booth 02. Sullivan 03. Murder The Dance 04. The Sleeping Beauty 05. Morose 06. Occam’s Razor 07. Bastion 08. Slavior 09. Kettle Black 10. Poseidon 11. The Demons That Could Be 12. Vertical Smile Produced and engineered by Christian Olde Wolbers, mixed by Ben Schigel at Spider Studios, and mastered by Matt Rosebery at Skin Deep Studios, BLEED THE SKY lead vocalist Noah Robinson gives a little insight into the recording process: “Our inspiration for this album was listening to all the stuff we grew up on. During every part of this recording, we had some sort of drink in our hand. We wanted to be relaxed and comfortable. We're finally putting out the record that nearly killed us. This is exactly what we wanted to do from the beginning, but we just weren't really sure how. We wanted to make the end-all, be-all record, and I think we accomplished that. Everything on this album is blood, sweat, and tears, even the hidden track. The first part of it are voicemails that somebody left us, and the second part was kind of last minute. When you hear it, you can tell. It was played on Quincy Jones’ piano at Westlake Studios in Beverly Hills. Bottom line, we can't wait to hit the road again and show everyone the new BLEED THE SKY!!! ” Justin Warrick, formerly of the Southern California band Rev, recently joined the band’s ranks as their rhythm and lead guitarist. BLEED THE SKY’s new line-up is: Noah Robinson – Vocals Ryan Clark – Bass Rob Thornton – Rhythm & Lead Guitar Justin Warrick - Rhythm & Lead Guitar Austin D’Amond - Drums The band just shot a video in their hometown for the track “Sullivan” with acclaimed video director David Brodsky (Hate Eternal, The Red Chord, Soilent Green) of MyGoodEye. Noah confesses: “David beat us into the ground. We only took half the amount of time to do it compared to our first video for ‘Minion’ in 2005. He’s an AMAZING director. He’s got a great eye and really knows how to work with minimal lighting. He was RELENTLESS in getting the best performance out of us. It was awesome, though. We brought over our barbeque and a shitload of beer and whisky at 8 a.m., which helped us recover from headbanging like maniacs first thing in the morning without even stretching.” Visit BLEED THE SKY online at www.myspace.com/BLEEDTHESKY MartoHell Festival This year, we begin a local bands aid, called Martohell Metal Rumble, where the bands can register in our official website (www.martohell.com) and the metalheads can choose their favorite band. Then, when the vote's days are closed, the first fifteen bands happen to the following round. This round consists in three differents showdays in Barcelona. After this shows we select 6 bands that happen to the final round. This final round is the Martohell Horns Up (June 14th) which, for this year, we've confirmed the dutch thrash metal band LEGION OF THE DAMNED. In this festival we will select the three winners of our aid. These bands will have the opportunity to play in our big festival, the Martohell Oktoberfest. The Martohell Oktoberfest (October 4th) is our big indoor festival. For this year, we have some legend bands. For example, from Denmark will come ARTILLERY, who will destroy our asses with their thrash metal and for this time of the Martohell's life, we will bring an US band. We will bring DÉTENTE with Ann Boleyn from HELLION, who replaces Dawn Crosby (R.I.P). Also will come the Italian band NECRODEATH and many more. Also in this festival will have other activities like a biergarten, a metal karaoke, guitar hero machines, merchandising stands, meet & greet section and some other stuff. We want that the metalheads spend a great day with good music. For new info, check our official Myspace: www.myspace.com/martohelloktoberfest or our own website: www.martohell.com (only in Spanish) NEURAXIS offers studio webisode #3 footage; unveil album artwork Canada’s NEURAXIS has issued the band’s latest webisode video clip entitled “NEURAXIS Studio Episode #3 – vocals and bass,” featuring footage and interviews from the recording of the band’s fifth studio record. Footage is available online at the band’s MySpace page. NEURAXIS tapped Jef Fortin (of fellow Canadians Anonymus) to record the band’s debut album for Prosthetic Records, ‘The Thin Line Between,’ which will also feature a guest vocal cameo from the legendary Luc Lemay (Gorguts, Negativa). Cover artwork for ‘The Thin Line Between’ is available here. "The writing and recording process for ‘The Thin Line Between’ was probably the most intense I've ever experienced,” says guitarist Rob Milley. “Sound-wise this is going to be our best so far. Song-wise, it’s our most complete album to date." “I'm very happy with how the guitar playing was captured,” added fellow guitarist Will Seghers says. “Precise, vicious and dynamic are words that come to my mind when hearing the new album." More excerpts are available in the webisode. ‘The Thin Line Between’ tracklisting: 1) Darkness Prevails 2) Wicked 3) Versus 4) Deviation Occurs 5) The Thin Line Between 6) Dreaming The End 7) Standing Despite... 8) Oracle 9) Phoenix 10) The All And The Nothing Currently wrapping up recording and mixing of ‘The Thin Line Between,’ NEURAXIS will be offering up more in-studio and behind the scenes footage between now and the album's July 22 release. Having entered the studio Feb. 19, Alan Douches (Mastodon, Converge, Shadows Fall) is now at work mastering the effort, and artist Dennis Sibejin of Damnengine Art (Job For A Cowboy, Chimaira) will showcase the record’s visuals. The cover art is available here. The new album will be the first studio album featuring new vocalist Alex Leblanc and new guitarist William Seghers, both having appeared on the recently-released 'Live Progression,’ via Galy Records. ‘Live Progression’ is the live follow-up to NEURAXIS’ last studio album, 2005's 'Trilateral Progression.’ More details, artwork for ‘The Thin Line Between,’ tour dates, and regular in-studio footage updates will be available shortly. www.prostheticrecords.com LAMB OF GOD vinyl edition of ‘New American Gospel’ now available Prosthetic Records is pleased to announce the release of the vinyl edition of LAMB OF GOD’s debut album, ‘New American Gospel,’ featuring all 10 songs remastered along with “Nippon,” a bonus track previously only available on Japanese pressings of the record, and three early demo tracks across a double LP gatefold with altered artwork and exclusive poster. The LP edition is limited to 1,000 copies worldwide and is now available here. Since the 2000 release of ‘New American Gospel,’ LAMB OF GOD has gone on to release ‘As The Palaces Burn’ and the ‘Terror And Hubris’ before signing with Epic Records for the band’s next three albums, ‘Ashes Of The Wake,’ ‘Killadelphia,’ and ‘Sacrament,’ as well as the forthcoming DVD release ‘Walk With Me In Hell,’ as well as several appearances on Ozzfest and hugely successful headlining tours both Stateside and in Europe. www.prostheticrecords.com

June 25th, 2008	BILOCATE New Album Title & Track List Revealed, New Track is Available Online "Sudden Death Syndrome" is going to be the title for the upcoming release of the Jordanian Dark Oriental metal band BILOCATE with the following track list 1. Humans And The Dark Affiliation 2. Blooded Forest 3. The Dead Sea (Click Here) 4. Ebtehal 5. Inoculate 6. Pure Wicked Sins 7. The Stone of Hate The 3rd track from Sudden Death Syndrome (The Dead Sea) is available online for streaming on the band's official MySpace Page www.myspace.com/Bilocate. BILOCATE previously released the below news: • Jens Bogren to mix and master the album in his studio "Fascination Street Studio" - Sweden • Vocals recorded at "in the mix studio" by Eng. Nash Planojevic in UAE • Bass recorded at Phexagon Studio - Jordan The album cover will be revealed soon. More info: http://www.bilocate.net http://www.myspace.com/bilocate Y.O.C. news Y.O.C. started to work on THE METAL WARRIOR PART II. This CD will include 5 cover tracks: IRON MAIDEN, METALLICA, MALMSTEEN, BLITZKRIEG and FLOTSAM&JETSAM covers will be handed.. More information will be announced soon. MORE METAL LEGENDS JUDAS PRIEST, HEAVEN & HELL, MOTORHEAD, AND TESTAMENT UNITE FOR ‘METAL MASTERS TOUR’ WORLD PREMIERE OF JUDAS PRIEST ‘NOSTRADAMUS’ COVER ART AND FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD OF TITLE TRACK AT LIVENATION.COM After weeks of speculation, Live Nation has put together a killer package that is bound to go down as the heavy metal event of 2008 - Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Motorhead and Testament will be touring together for the first time. Dubbed ‘The Metal Masters Tour,’ the fifteen-date U.S. trek kicks off August 6th at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey. Tickets go on sale to the public beginning this weekend at www.livenation.com. Judas Priest will be supporting their epic concept album, ‘Nostradamus,’ arriving June 17th via Epic Records, which tells the tale of the renowned 16th century prophet. A few tracks from ‘Nostradamus’ will make their in-concert debut on ‘The Metal Masters Tour,’ but the majority of Priest’s set list will include some of metal’s all-time classics, as well as fan favorites that span the quintet’s entire career. Without a doubt, this will be one of Priest’s most powerful sets ever. As a ‘sneak peak treat’ to fans starved for a musical taster, the first cut off the new album will make its world premiere debut as exclusive free MP3 download starting today exclusively at www.livenation.com/judaspriest. Heaven & Hell will be supporting the release of ‘The Rules Of Hell,’ a five-CD boxed set available July 22nd from Rhino Records, which features re-mastered versions of all four Dio-era Black Sabbath albums (‘Heaven and Hell,’ ‘Mob Rules,’ ‘Live Evil’ and ‘Dehumanizer’) in a deluxe package with new liner notes. Perennial road rats Motorhead will be offering a blistering barnstormer of a set spanning more than three decades of molar-rattling biker metal. A new studio album - the 20th of their storied career - is currently being recorded at their old pal Dave Grohl’s studio with an August release date targeted. Frontman Lemmy, named by the U.K.’s Guardian newspaper as “the nation’s greatest living Englishman,” blairs out, "Here it comes everybody, the test of your Metalness in 2008 and the years to come! Come one come all and be abused!" Rounding out the line-up will be legendary thrash metal titans Testament, whose new album, ‘The Formation of Damnation,’ (April 29th) displays Testament as the quintessential modern heavy metal band, whose experience and accumulated skill allows them to attack with reserves of anger, energy and finesse that make them more powerful than ever. Lead singer Chuck Billy says, “Uniting these bands is the heavy metal event of generations. We are so proud to be a part of it.” Although all four bands may represent different subgenres of heavy metal, all four have one thing in common – they have stuck to their stylistic guns through thick and thin, and have remained true to the metal form. And soon, band and fan will be united as one on ‘The Metal Masters Tour.’ “As ever, we look forward to screaming out loud with our metal maniac fans when we hit the road,” enthuses Priest singer, Rob Halford. “Thank you once again for your devotion and support. The Priest is back!” This tour will be limited to fifteen very special engagements, and Citi cardmembers will have pre-sale access to tickets through Citi's Private Pass® Program, available to all Citi cardmembers at www.privatepass.citi.com. Metal maniacs seeking the ultimate concert experience can access unique VIP ticket and fan experience packages that offer premium seats, meet & greets, pre-concert parties and more brought to you by the band's official websites, www.judaspriest.com and www.heavenandhelllive.com. VIP packages for the first events will be on sale by 10 a.m eastern time on Friday, April 25th. Also, not all VIP packages are the same, so be sure to pick the right one that suits you best. See the official web sites for continually updated tour information and on-sale dates. The dates are as follows: Wed 06-Aug-08 Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden, NJ – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 26, 10 am Thu 07-Aug-08 Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON Sat 09-Aug-08 PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 26, 10 am Sun 10-Aug-08 Nikon at Jones Beach, Wantagh, NY – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 26, 10 am Wed 13-Aug-08 Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 25, 10 am Sat 16-Aug-08 Post Gazette Pavilion, Pittsburgh, PA – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 25, 10 am Mon 18-Aug-08 DTE Energy Music Theatre, Detroit, MI – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON Tue 19-Aug-08 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Chicago, IL – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 25, 5 pm Fri 22-Aug-08 Superpages.com Amphitheatre, Dallas, TX – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON Sat 23-Aug-08 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Houston, TX – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON Sun 24-Aug-08 Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, San Antonio, TX – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON Wed 27-Aug-08 Journal Pavilion, Albuquerque, NM – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON Thu 28-Aug-08 Cricket Wireless Pavilion, Phoenix, AZ – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON Sat 30-Aug-08 Glen Helen Pavilion, San Bernardino, CA – PUBLIC ON SALE SOON Sun 31-Aug-08 Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA – PUBLIC ON SALE APRIL 27, 10 am ABOUT LIVE NATION: Live Nation is the future of the music business. With the most live concerts, music venues and festivals in the world and the most comprehensive concert search engine on the web, Live Nation is revolutionizing the music industry: onstage and online. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol "LYV." Additional information about the company can be found at www.livenation.com under the “About Us” section. Brand new video from StoneLake Hi! The new StoneLake video is done, you can check it out at the link below. The song is taken from the Uncharted Souls album and the title is "(Tonight) You´re beyond the shadow". Here´s the link Best Regards StoneLake www.ump.se www.stonelake.se www.myspace.com/stonelaketheband SONATA ARCTICA FINLANDS FINEST GRAND RETURN TO NORTH AMERICA! Finland’s SONATA ARCTICA will support Nightwish on the third U.S. leg of the Finnish/Swedish symphonic metal band’s tour for Dark Passion Play. SONATA ARCTICA will be touring in support of their latest album, Unia. The following tour dates are confirmed (...more to come soon!): 08/29/08 The Trocadero – Philadelphia, PA 08/30/08 The Palladium – Worcester, MA 09/04/08 The Agora Theater – Cleveland, OH 09/05/08 Harpo’s Concert Theater – Detroit, MI 09/09/08 Showbox So Do – Seattle, WA 09/10/08 Roseland Theater – Portland, OR 09/12/08 The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA 09/13/08 The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA 09/14/08 Marquee Theater – Tempe, AZ 09/16/08 The Palladium – Dallas, TX 09/17/08 La Zona Rosa – Austin, TX 09/19/08 Meridian – Houston, TX 09/20/08 House of Blues – New Orleans, LA 09/21/08 Jannus Landing – St. Petersburg, FL 09/23/08 Valarium – Knoxville, TN 09/24/08 Tremont Music Hall – Charlotte, NC 09/26/08 Rams Head Live – Baltimore, MD Tickets are on sale now! Many tickets are expected to go by fast so get your pair soon! Sonata Arctica MySpace page Sonata Arctica Official Website SONIC SYNDICATE - SCANDINAVIA INVADES NORTH AMERICA! Sweden's SONIC SYNDICATE will return to tour North America this May with Nightwish! To celebrate this return, a limited tour edition of their latest album, Only Inhuman, will be released on April 29, 2008 via Nuclear Blast USA. This limited edition will include a bonus DVD with a live concert from Cologne, Germany, the music videos for "Denied" and "Enclave," and band photo gallery! Fans can view the recent video studio diaries of SONIC SYNDICATE on their MySpace video channel: Click Here For upcoming tour dates, please visit www.myspace.com/sonicsyndicate Sonic Syndicate MySpace Page Sonic Syndicate Bebo Page THERION - SHOCKING NEWS UPDATE! Swedish metallers THERION have issued the following update: "Today we have an announcement that will come as a shock to all of you. The four permanent members of the band have had some discussions and it is clear that we have different goals and visions for the future. Therefore it is best for the band, ourselves as individuals and for the fans that we go separate ways now when there is still plenty of time before the next THERION album and world tour. This means that Christofer [Johnsson, THERION mainman] will continue with THERION and the others will perform their music in other projects and bands. "We're all still friends, no one is disappointed and there's still some work we have left to do together in terms of editing of materials we have recorded for future DVD's. "Best regards to all of you and thank you so much for the wonderful support you have given the band during the time we have played together." MORE INFORMATION FROM CHRISTOFER JOHNSSON REGARDING THIS NEWS CAN BE FOUND HERE. Therion - Clarification of Recent Events Therion - Shocking News Update TACERE is searching for a new singer and starts recording 2nd album Finnish melodic metal band TACERE and singer Helena Haaparanta have gone their separate ways. Helena is not a part of TACERE anymore due to personal reasons that have nothing to do with the band itself or its music. Because of this TACERE is now looking for a new female singer to fill the position left open by Helena. The application process is open for anyone, and more information about how to apply for the position can be received by sending e-mail to taceresinger@gmail.com The band has also announced that despite of the vocalist situation, the recordings of their new (2nd) album will start at the end of May this year at Astia-Studio, Lappeenranta, Finland. The recording sessions will continue until late in the autumn in several different locations and the album will be produced by the band's front man Karri Knuuttila together with producer guru Anssi Kippo who is known for his groundbreaking work with bands such as Children of Bodom. The album will feature 12 new songs with massive orchestrations. Tacere's myspace profile: http://www.myspace.com/tacere Tacere's official website: http://www.tacere.net CRAFT statement - Introducing the drummer of the new album Since the news are few and far between, we'll take the time to introduce our drummer for the upcoming album, Dirge Rep, also known for drumming in Orcustus and Gehenna. We are certain that the end results will be awesome. His style works great with CRAFT, as he has been a long time fan of our music and has a great understanding of what makes a CRAFT riff tick, as well as having a good ear for details. We'll finish this post by adding that the album is currently being recorded, even though the deadlines haven't been met (just like every other album). The working title of the album is "Void". CARNAL RECORDS P.O. Box 168 S- 792 23 Mora Sweden www.carnalrecords.se www.myspace.com/craftblackmetal LOITS PRESENTED IT’S NEW VIDEO The release of Loits’ new video "Haavad uulitsa" ("Wounds on the streets") has been followed by huge critical acclaim. The video that was first presented on the 10th of April on the large screen of Tallinn’s Cinema House has become popular in internet communities and is soon displayed in various TV-stations across the country. The director Liina Paakspuu sheds light on the video’s idea: "I was trying to capture the essence of the band. It’s not just one story on the screen, but a multilayered vision of Estonians, fate, life, death, wars and inevitability. Visually I concentrated on the clarity and simplicity of plans. For me it was important to think everything through to the last detail, so that the story and themes would provide plenty of discovering material every time one looks at the video. It’s always harder to put life into one independent plan in all it’s nakedness than to stash a lot of takes on top of oneanother, making them plausible through trickery in the cutting room. The magic of this video is that certain Estonian essence, the untraditionally slow tempo and lack of effects. The honesty of the video lies in the fact that a lot of frames that could be done digitally, are shot in pure oldschool fashion in the vein of cinematographical excellence. The term "creative energy" became very important to me while making this video. We tried to put life in every element – from historical costumes to the fact that a lot of great people from all over Estonia came together to make this heartwarming project happen." Should you be interested in displaying the video of "Haavad uulitsal" or if you need additional information about the clip (copy of the video, photographic material, comments etc.) then please contact: lembetu@loits.org Watch it at YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LR-gCT3jx80 Shots of the presentation: http://gallery.alkohol.ee/v/haavadpresek/ http://pilt.delfi.ee/en/album/65099/?page=1 Director: Liina Paakspuu Producer: Ahto-Lembit Lehtmets Cinematographer: Mihkel Soe Art director: Kerstin „Kessu" Raidma Editor: Arian Levin Camera I assistant: Heiko Sikka Camera II assistant: Veiko Kalju Camera III assistant: Erik Põllumaa Costumes: Merje Raidalu Prop Master: Markus Karmo Casting: Kaire Nurk http://www.loits.org http://www.loits.org/store http://www.myspace.com/loits http://www.estonianmetal.com/ Mouth of the Architect post new song, announce new album and tour.... The new track “Hate And Heartache” from MOUTH OF THE ARCHITECT’s new release Quietly has been posted on the Translation Loss Records Myspace profile! You can preorder the record with an exclusive t-shirt design from our website, 2xLP Preorder Packages are coming soon! Quietly, which was recorded by Chris Common (These Arms Are Snakes) at Red Room Recording will see a July 22nd release, but you can hear the track “Hate And Heartache” from the album on both the MOTA and Translation Loss Myspace pages now. MOTA will also be heading out on the road with their bro’s Intronaut and Behold The Acrtopus on their “Ultimate Brodeo” tour this August and September in support of their new record. The Ultimate Brodeo Tour - Mouth of the Architect, Intronaut, Behold The Arctopus 08/01/2008 Ravari Room - Columbus, OH 08/02/2008 Melody Inn - Indianapolis, IN 08/03/2008 Howler's Coyote Cafe - Pittsburgh, PA 08/04/2008 Xtreme Wheels - Buffalo, NY 08/05/2008 Downtown Quarterback - Endicott, NY 08/06/2008 Middle East - Cambridge, MA 08/07/2008 Living Room - Providence, RI 08/08/2008 Knitting Factory - New York, NY 08/09/2008 Siren Records - Doylestown, PA w/Fight Amp 08/10/2008 DC-9 - Washington, DC 08/11/2008 Nara Sushi - Richmond, VA 08/12/2008 The Milestone - Charlotte, NC 08/13/2008 Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, GA 08/14/2008 The Haven - Orlando, FL 08/15/2008 Brass Mug - Tampa, FL 08/16/2008 The Atlantic - Gainesville, FL 08/17/2008 High Ground - Metarie, LA 08/18/2008 Hi Tone Cafe - Memphis, TN 08/19/2008 OPO Downstairs - Fayetteville, AR 08/20/2008 Downtown Music - Little Rock, AR 08/21/2008 Red Blood Club - Dallas, TX 08/22/2008 Red 7 - Austin, TX 08/23/2008 The Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK 08/25/2008 Gator's - Farmington, NM 08/26/2008 The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ 08/27/2008 Knitting Factory - Hollywood, CA 08/28/2008 Chaser's - San Diego, CA 08/29/2008 Annie's Social Club - San Francisco, CA 08/30/2008 Rotture - Portland, OR 08/31/2008 Riversdale Grange - Roseburg, OR 09/01/2008 Studio Seven - Seattle, WA 09/03/2008 Marquis Theater - Denver, CO 09/04/2008 Replay Lounge - Lawrence, KS 09/05/2008 2 Cents Plain - St Louis, MO 09/06/2008 Vaudeville Mews - Des Moines, IA 09/07/2008 Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL www.myspace.com/mouthofthearchitect www.translationloss.com www.myspace.com/translationlossrecords www.thunderdometouring.com ROCK AGAINST DIABETES LIVE AUGUST 23RD IN LAS VEGAS ONLINE CONCERT EVENT TICKETS ON SALE MAY 1ST 2008 “EVEL” DICK DONATO from the BIG BROTHER 8 to HOST Diabetes is a real problem and we need to whoop its ass!!! Please give to this fundraiser. - John “JD” Deservio (Black Label Society/ Cycle of Pain) "This will be a lot like being in the Big Brother house because everyone is nuts. The minor ways it will differ is that this kind of nuts is mentally stable, emotionally stable, nobody will cry, I might get laid, nobody will be lying to me, backstabbing me, throwing me under the bus, making up false arrest records about me and I don't expect that I will have to pour a drink on anyone's head there.... but ya never know..." - Evel Dick Donato (Big Brother 8 winner, and R.A.D. host) “Darrin Buchanan’s a crusader with heart fighting the good fight” - Gil Moore - Triumph HOLLYWOOD – May 1st tickets for the Rock Against Diabetes go on sale. This is no ordinary event as only 180 people get to see the event in –person and the rest of the world can purchase tickets to watch it via the internet broadcast. The money raised will go to the R.A.D. beneficiaries: BC Children's Hospital & the University Of Toronto - Faculty of Medicine. Both of whom founder Darrin Buchanan found to be great support for diabetes. Buchanan recently lost his leg to Type II Diabetes and is on the path to fight the disease by educating all people for a worldwide solution. In order to reach a larger audience, and put on a memorable show, it was decided to partner with Deep Rock Drive to beam this “first of its kind” musical and charity event to a worldwide audience in HD broadband internet. Tickets will be available when you sign up for a free account at www.deeprockdrive.com. There will be a limited amount of VIP tickets to view the show live at the sound stages of Deep Rock Drive. Tickets will be $9.99 for the entire day of broadcast and each ticket buyer can invite 5 friends free to watch. Auctions are being held on www.rockagainstdiabetes.org including a date with Evel Dick Donato. The auction includes a trip to LA, with flight, hotel and limo, a date TO THE BIG BROTHER FINALE WITH DICK AND JANELLE, an AWESOME Minarik Inferno guitar and more!! Everyone knows there are no tickets for the Finale! The proceeds of the auction will go 100% to funding the wicked online concert in Vegas August 23rd, and help R.A.D. with its initiative to create a fully interactive, worldwide online diabetic nutritional resource. The concert line-up is still being dialed in. The Metal Main stage will be announced shortly - the Rock Stage has the following artists: Cliff Morrison & The Lizard Sun Band (son of Jim Morrison), Y&T, Eric Martin (Mr. Big), and LA Guns w/ Tracii Guns. More bands announced as finalized. For more information about ROCK AGAINST DIABETES and their initiatives to fight diabetes please click on www.rockagainstdiabetes.org and help support a worthy cause. Mirrorthrone "Gangrene" CD Two years after Carriers of Dust, Mirrorthrone returns with Gangrene and is more rabid and vindicative than ever. Carrying on with a more progressive evolution of the previous opus, Gangrene explores burdensome and baroque extreme Metal endlessly oscillating between two extremes: deadly heavy and envenomed, or blindingly radiant. Gangrene is composed of dense and evolving tracks switching between French and English, and benefits from an improved production. Powerful, hateful and emotional, Gangrene shall allow old listeners to join in its cause and convert the last skeptics.... Mirrorthrone's time has come!! Label: Red Stream Item Code: RSR-0196 Country: Switzerland Year: 2008 Genre: Black Metal Red Stream, Inc. P.O. Box 196242 Winter Springs, FL 32719-6242 USA www.redstream.org www.myspace.com/redstream Kärtsy Hatakka of Waltari to produce next Silentium album! Recording sessions for the next SILENTIUM album is booked and scheduled starting with choir (Jyväskylä Female Choir) and orchestral parts. The band's effort will be taped during the summer. The producer for the next album is the multitalented main man of Waltari, Kärtsy Hatakka. Sami Boman shares his thoughts: "I'm truly excited about the opportunity to work with Kärtsy. He's incredibly innovative and unbiased approach to music makes him second to none. He's able to recognize the bearing thoughts behind SILENTIUM's music, whether it's a fragile and delicate stream of sound and atmosphere, or an immense and downright brutal sound mass. We all admire and appreciate the commitment he affiliated this project with, the instant flow of ideas was a most pleasant surprise for us all. I can't wait to get to the actual studio work! I'm absolutely sure the results will be nothing short of magical." Release date for the record is set to Oct 29th 2008. www.dynamicartsrecords.com MARAZENE To Support WEDNESDAY 13 On Select Tour Dates Chicago based Machine-Metalists MARAZENE ( http://www.myspace.com/marazene ) will hit the road in July as Direct Support for WEDNESDAY 13 on select U.S. dates. The following dates are confirmed: July 22 --- Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys July 23 --- Mokena, IL @ Pearl Room July 27 --- St. Paul, MN @ Station 4 More dates are pending. MARAZENE completed three national tours in 2007 with such acts as MUSHROOMHEAD, PSYCLON NINE, DEADSTAR ASSEMBLY, and THE HUMAN ABSTRACT as well as dozens of Midwestern regional tour dates in support, all under the banner 100% DIY. MARAZENE are currently in the studio writing the follow-up to their debut album, "MachiNation", self released on 06.06.06. MARAZENE multi-instrumentalist and co-founder Dietrich Thrall recently issued a studio update for the band: "We have a couple dozen really strong song ideas and we’re writing more every day. There’s plenty of new material in all different stages of development and we're constantly bouncing riffs off of one another on whatever instrument the part calls for. We’re aiming for a Spring ’08 Sneak Peek at live shows and other audio outlets and of course we’ll keep everyone up to speed once we have things a bit more ironed out so sit tight." MANOWAR confirmed for the Kaliakra Rock Fest 2008 MANOWAR has been confirmed to perform at the Kaliakra Rock Fest 2008, set to take place on July 5th in Kavarna, Bulgaria. The Metal Mayor of Kavarna, Tsonko Tsonev and Joker Media will bring the Kings Of Metal once again for what is certain to be another historic concert on the shores of the Black Sea. Last year's performance was attended by 25,000 fans who witnessed over 2,5 hours of true metal along with an awe-inspiring rendition of Bulgaria's national anthem, Mila Rodino. MANOWAR's headlining show will be preceded by Sixth Sense and HolyHell. For more information and tickets, please visit: http://www.kaliakrarockfest.com/ and http://www.jokermedia.net/ Links: Manowar Website \| Kaliakra Rock Fest More bands confirmed for the Magic Circle Festival 2008 Michael Schenker Group (MSG), Beloved Enemy, Titanium Black, Mob Rules and Benedictum have been confirmed for the Magic Circle Festival 2008, set to take place July 9-12 in Bad Arolsen, Germany. Also, a third full day of music has been added to the Magic Circle Festival at no additional charge. "Magic Circle Music is all about value for the fans, and three nights at the original price is the best way we could think of to add to that value," says Magic Circle Music founder and MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio. For more information and tickets please visit: http://www.magiccirclefestival.com/ Links: Magic Circle Festival Website The Last Felony signs with Galy Records After introducing the brutal sound of Despised Icon and Beneath The Massacre’s devastating debut albums to metalheads worldwide, Galy Records is proud to unravel Montreal’s newest breed of Technical Death Metal: The Last Felony. The band’s craft of morbid melodies, intricate guitar work and extreme drumming will not remain unheard for long. Recorded & Mixed by rising metal producer Jef Fortin (Neuraxis, Anonymus), The Last Felony’s “Aeon Of Suffering” will soon mark a new chapter in our country’s metal history, showcasing “excellence in execution” as fellow Canadian Bret “The Hitman” Hart once did. This record will be the soundtrack to our world’s demise. Fans of Necrophagist, The Black Dahlia Murder and Job For A Cowboy will eat this up! The album will be available in August in Canada and in October worldwide. Appearing live: August 16: Trois-Rivieres, QC Rock Cafe Le Stage - Grind Your Mind Fest For more information and audio samples visit http://www.myspace.com/thelastfelony http://www.galyrecords.com http://www.myspace.com/galydistribution New True Colour Of Blood Release Hello Everyone! It's been five years since the release of the last True Colour Of Blood album (absence) TCOB is back with a new CD "All Of The True Things I'm About To Tell You Are Lies" on the Gears Of Sand label. Ten Tracks, 78 Minutes of Dark Ambient Guitar/Drone. Available for order now... www.tcobambient.com SOUL STEALER debut album premieres May 5th worldwide New wave of Lithuanian Heavy Metal rises! Long perfected self-titled debut full-length by Vilnius based five-piece SOUL STEALER will be released shortly in a compact disk format. This also marks the beginning of cooperation with a Lithuanian heavy music label Ledo Takas Records. Two album deal between the band and the label was signed earlier this spring. The album with a length of 57 minutes is comprised of ten compositions: 1. Viskas, kas turi Pradzia... 2. Padek Isnykti... 3. The Reaper 4. Brolis uz Broli 5. Vampire Woman 6. Dar Nevelu 7. Be Sparnu 8. Liudesio Miestas 9. Plastake 10. Too Heavy Together we offer for your attention the new SOUL STEALER song Dar Nevelu from the new album, which is downloadable from a link above. The debut is distributed by a major Intervid company in Lithuania, as well as by Code7 / Plastic Head and few more selected distributors worldwide. Official release date is April 21st for Lithuania, and May 5th for the rest of the world. Ledo Takas representatives, focusing on the new label strategy recently, hope that SOUL STEALER album in particular will be of service to a more active interest of foreign dealers in Lithuanian metal. >>> SOUL STEALER CD is shipping now! Please make your orders. <<< Various SOUL STEALER merchandise series with new album motives will be presented shortly: male and female t-shirts, posters, stickers, badges, etc. SOUL STEALER album presentation gig, as well as the return of the band in a live form after a vast gap, will happen on April 26th at Mulen Ruzas club in Vilnius. Soon enough a new official website of the band shall be launched at www.soulstealer.lt. www.ledotakas.net www.myspace.com/ledotakasrecords www.soulstealer.lt Zonaria to Tour With VADER and SEPTICFLESH This Fall ZONARIA have announced that they will be touring Europe with VADER and SEPTICFLESH in October. The dates will be announced shortly and support on this tour will come from GILLA BRUJA. The band's debut album "Infamy and the Breed" is currently available through our CDBaby webstore. www.PivotalAlliance.com DRÜNKEN BASTARDS / BARBATOS: "Hungarian Barbatos Legions" CD (Metal Ör Die Records) The material was recorded on 22th September 2007 in Hungary and contains 9 tracks from Drünken Bastards (2 Vorkuta covers songs and 1 cover track from Barbatos performed together with Yasuyuki) and 11 songs from japanese black/thrash squad Barbatos. Strictly limited to 300 copies. For ordering informations write to this e-mail or to the label at: www.myspace.com/metalordierecords - jstauderer@freemail.hu ‘REQUIEM’- A New JOHN 5 Instrumental Masterpiece Releases JUNE 3RD on 60 Cycle Hum "Such a nice guy; such evil notes. Blood on the strings!"….Paul Gilbert HOLLYWOOD– Once again the dark passages of John 5s mind worked over time to bring to you another outstanding macabre instrumental. REQUIEM is John 5s fourth solo album due out June 3rd on 60 Cycle Hum. By definition REQUIEM is prayer for the salvation of the soul(s) of the departed, REQUIEM is also the title of various musical compositions used in such liturgical services. In the case of John 5, REQUIEM is a mind-blowing, sinister guitar instrumental with song titles named after torture devices. “I find the macabre fascinating, it’s all over history. In researching the torture devices I heard music to describe each one,” explains John 5. John 5 performs all instruments with the exception of the time-keeping by Zombie band-mate Tommy Clufetos (drums). The album was recorded in the middle of night that lent a cool vibe and only time John 5 had studio times. Most of the songs are 12–13 minutes long so John 5 decided to put in markers to divide them up so when songs change from track to track it seems to meld in to each other. John 5 has created a worldwide following as a widely respected guitarist with such platinum artists as Marilyn Manson, David Lee Roth, Rob Halford and now an integral member of Rob Zombie. John 5’s eclectic influences combine for a truly unique guitar oriented record that once again sets new standards in the genre. www.john-5.com The new Homepage of italian prog-rockers NEVERDREAM is now online. You can find all about their new CD SOULS – 26 April 1986, news, pics, sound-samples, bio and so on. The first shows are confirmed: 28.09.2008 IT- Roma @ Traffic 03.10.2008 IT- Roma @ dissesto musicale /w BLACK ABYSS 10.10.2008 D - Berlin @ JWD Check it out at: http://www.neverdream.de/ Guitar Virtuoso RICHIE KOTZEN to Release LIVE Album: “LIVE IN SAO PAULO” RICHIE KOTZEN’S 17TH SOLO ALBUM MAY 6TH, 2008 HOLLYWOOD, CA – Live In Sao Paulo is Richie Kotzens first-ever live album released. With much prompting from fans, Kotzen chose a stellar performance from his South American tour in 2007. Live in Sao Paulo is an absorbing collective blend of Kotzens songs throughout the years. His live performance reflects the guitar style’s that has defined his career as a virtuoso. Kotzen reveals to fans live his true diversity with the rhythmic labors of ‘A Love Divine’ to the poignant ballad ‘Remember’. The performance continually travels between moments of classic-rock song ‘Shapes of Things’ to the uplifting original ‘Stand’. Kotzen is influenced from such bands as Bad Company, Free, early Van Halen and Cream. They are the inspiration for his songs, but having deep Philly roots Kotzen tends to combine rock with the Motown influences he heard as a kid. . “Much influence for my songs comes from the likes of the Spinners, O-Jays, and Curtis Mayfield,” explains Kotzen. “Growing up outside Philadelphia and listening to those old soul stations I ended up with that sound being a heavy influence in my writing even though the core of what I do is rock.” Kotzen burst onto the heavy metal scene as a teenager with a lightning-fast guitar techniques. With his talents, Kotzen has played with some of the best musicians; securing such major collaboration with the band Mr. Big and renowned jazz great Stanley Clarke as well as his own solo projects. “I have been lucky, in the sense, that I have been able to play with guys who I could learn from. The biggest musical lesson for me was playing in a band with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. Obviously these guys are jazz musicians and I am not, but I learned so much from the time we recorded and toured together. My favorite rock bassist is Billy Sheehan and we were in Mr. Big together for 3 years which was awesome.” Live in Sao Paulo will be released on May 6th, 2008 on Headroom-Inc. Live in Sao Paulo will be available on CD Baby, RichieKotzen.com and coming soon to iTunes. For more information about Richie Kotzen or Live in Sao Paulo click on www.richiekotzen.com. W:O:A 2008 - New bands confirmed Holy Moses & Mortal Sin Germanie´s thrash metal legend Holy Moses and the australian Mortal Sin reinforcing the W:O:A Line Up! Lauren Harris Steve Harris daughter with band at the W:O:A... Metakilla This cober band will perform Metallicas greatest hits at Wacken Stam1na Finlands speed metal heroes playing the first time at the W:O:A Mustasch Swedens hardrock heroes live at the W:O:A Avenged Sevenfold The US band is giving their live debut in Wacken Airbourne The W:O:A billng grows again with the australian newcomers "Airbourne". W:O:A 2008 - Actual billing confirmed till now: 3 inches of Blood, Airbourne, Alestorm, As I Lay Dying, At the Gates, Autumn, Avenged Sevenfold, Avantasia, Axel Rudi Pell, Axxis, Before the Dawn, Carcass, Children of Bodom, Corvus Corax, Crematory, Cynic, Destructor, Dream of an Opium Eater, Enemy of the Sun, Ensiferum, Evocation, Excrementory Grindfuckers, Exodus, Girugämesh, Gorerotted, Gorgoroth, Grave, Hatebreed, Headhunter, Holy Moses, Iron Maiden, Job for a Cowboy, Kamelot, Killswitch Engage, Kreator, Krypteria, Lauren Harris, Leaves´Eyes, Lord Belial, Lordi, Machine Men, Massacre, Mercenary, Metakilla, Mortal Sin, Nashville Pussy, Negura Bunget, Nifelheim, Nightwish, Obituary, Opeth, Powerwolf, Primordial, PsychoPunch, Sabaton, Saltatio Mortis, Soilwork, Sonata Arctica, Stam1na, Sturm und Drang, The Bones, The Haunted, Torture Squad, Van Canto, Unerath, Warbringer, Watain and many more! Further infos about all bands at www.wacken.com GREAT WHITE EMBARKS ON SUMMER SHOW DATES HOLLYWOOD – GREAT WHITES original members Jack Russell (vocals), Mark Kendall (lead Guitar), Audie Desbrow (drums), Michael Lardie (Guitar/keyboards) and Sean McNabb (bass) is once again ready to rock all summer long. The band will hit the road for summer shows Nation wide performing all their greatest hits the fans know and love. SHOW DATES (many more to come): June 27 Balingen, GER Bang Your Head Festival July 11 Walker, MN Moondance JAM 12 Glendale Heights, IL Summerfest 23 London, ONT Harris Park 24 Heyward, WI LCO Casino 25 Eagle River, WI High Pines Amp 26 Toledo, OH Make Wish Foundation August 16 Santa Fe, NM Sky City Casino 23 Greenwood, IL Galt Airport September 12 Boone, IA The Venue 20 Jim Thorpe, PA Penn Peak For more information go to www.mistabone.com.