Old News - March 2007


Old News - March 2007 - Old News - More March 2007 News
March 16th, 2007	W:O:A 2007 - Update: confirmed Bands Since last newsletter there are some new bands confirmed for the W:O:A 2007: 1349 CHTHONIC exclusive gig at the W:O:A 2007 DESTRUCTION exclusive BEST OF SHOW! DIR EN GREY FALCONER ICED EARTH finally the metal gods are back playing in Wacken! LORDI one and only in germany MENDEED NARZISS SODOM "25 years anniversary" - show THE SORROW SWALLOW THE SUN The most luminous death/doom-metal act of Finland UNHEILIG The complete billing (new bands are signed with an ): 1349 AMORPHIS BELPHEGOR BENEDICTUM THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER BLACK MAJESTY BLIND GUARDIAN BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE CANNIBAL CORPSE CHTHONIC - exclusivshow beim W:O:A 2007 * COMMUNIC DESTRUCTION - exclusive BEST OF SHOW * DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER DIMMU BORGIR - one and only Open Air Show in Germany 2007 DIR EN GREY - einziges Metalfestival 2007 * DISILLUSION ENSLAVED FALCONER * GRAVE DIGGER HAGGARD HEAVEN SHALL BURN ICED EARTH - exclusivshow in Wacken * IMMORTAL - Reunion, one and only Open Air Show in Germany 2007 IN FLAMES J.B.O. KAMPFAR LACUNA COIL LETZTE INSTANZ LORDI - one and only show in Germany * MENDEED * MOONSORROW MOONSPELL MUNICIPAL WASTE * NAPALM DEATH NARZISS * NEAERA NORTHER RAGE & Lingua Mortis Orchester SACRED REICH 20th anniversary * SAMAEL SAXON - A Night To Remember SCHANDMAUL SODOM - "25 years anniversary" Show * SONIC SYNDICATE THE SORROW * STORMWARRIOR feat. Kai Hansen STRATOVARIUS - Only Open Air Show in Germany SWALLOW THE SUN * THERION TYR UNHEILIG * VADER THE VISION BLEAK * VOLBEAT and many more! More infos about the bands: Billing / Bands 2007 MORE DATES CONFIRMED ON UPCOMING 1349 TOUR Philadelphia: More dates have been confirmed for 1349's upcoming headline tour of the United States. The tour also featuring Goatwhore, Nachtymystium and Averse Sefira will kick off March 23 and visit 24 cities before its conclusion on April 16. Confirmed dates are noted below. DATE - VENUE - CITY, STATE 03/23/07 - CROWBAR - TAMPA, FL 03/24/07 - THEE IMPERIAL - JACKSONVILLE, FL 03/25/07 - CULTURE ROOM - FT. LAUDERDALE, FL 03/26/07 - THE HAVEN - WINTER PARK, FL 03/27/07 - MASQUERADE - ATLANTA, GA 03/28/07 - THE MUSE - NASHVILLE, TN 03/29/07 - JAXX - SPRINGFIELD, VA 03/30/07 - THE LOFT - POUGHKEEPSIE, NY 03/31/07 - MARK'S SHOWPLACE - BEDFORD, NH 04/01/07 - BB KING BLUES CLUB - NEW YORK, NY 04/02/07 - L'ANTI - QUEBEC CITY, QC 04/03/07 - FOUFOUNES - MONTREAL, QC 04/04/07 - PETIT THEATER DU VIEUX NORANDA - ROYUN NORANDA, QC 04/05/07 - JUBILEE CENTRE - SUDBURY, ON 04/06/07 - OPERA HOUSE - TORONTO, ON 04/07/07 - JIGSAW - PARMA, OH 04/08/07 - COLOSSEUM - MOKENA, IL 04/09/07 - STATION 4 - ST. PAUL, MN 04/10/07 - STATIC BAR - TOPEKA, KS 04/11/07 - BLUEBIRD THEATER - DENVER, CO 04/13/07 - KNITTING FACTORY - HOLLYWOOD, CA 04/14/07 - SHOWCASE THEATRE - CORONA, CA 04/15/07 - CLUBHOUSE - TEMPE, AZ 04/16/07 - LAUNCHPAD - ALBUQUERQUE, NM www.candlelightrecordsusa.com GOJIRA 2007 U.S. TOUR! Combining intense incendiary live shows that will leave you open-mouthed in awe, with richly textured and brutally powerful compositions that transcend the normal death metal style, there’s no doubting that GOJIRA are an exceptional band. And one that, in the 10 years of being together has seen them rise up from the extreme metal underground like (their namesake) Godzilla from the sea, breaking through the confines of the scene that spawned them, hungry to spread their message of environmentalism and spirituality across the globe, hungry to make the world a better place and hungry for success. And like Godzilla before them, GOJIRA are flattening all competition in their wake – thanks to the growing critical acclaim that their phenomenally brilliant third album ‘From Mars To Sirius’ have gained across Europe and more recently America. AMERICAN TOUR WITH MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM, and LAMB OF GOD Mar-01 SPOKANE, WA - BIG EASY Mar-03 EDMONTON, AB - ED'S - THE VENUE Mar-04 CALGARY, AB - MACEWAN HALL Mar-06 WINNIPEG, MB - BURTON CUMMINGS THEATRE Mar-07 FARGO, ND - PLAYMAKERS PAVILION Mar-08 OMAHA, NE - SOKOL AUDITORIUM Mar-09 TULSA, OK - CAINS BALLROOM Mar-10 KANSAS CITY, KS - BEAUMONT CLUB Mar-11 SIOUX FALLS, SD - EMPIRE EXPO HALL Mar-13 CEDAR RAPIDS, IA - HAWKEYE DOWNS Mar-14 MILWAUKEE, WI - THE RAVE Mar-15 FT. WAYNE, IN - PIERRES Mar-16 TOLEDO, OH - HEADLINERS Mar-17 GRAND RAPIDS, MI - ORBIT ROOM Mar-18 GUELPH, ON - COWBOYS BAR Mar-20 MONTREAL, QC - MEDLEY Mar-21 PROVIDENCE, RI - LUPOS AT THE STRAND Mar-22 NEW YORK, NY - ROSELAND Mar-23 ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - HOUSE OF BLUES Mar-24 ALBANY, NY - NORTHERN LIGHTS Mar-25 ROCHESTER NY - HARRO EAST Mar-26 WASHINGTON DC - 9:30 CLUB Mar-28 NORFOLK VA - NORVA THEATRE Mar-29 MYRTLE BEACH, SC - HOUSE OF BLUES Mar-30 JACKSONVILLE, FL - PLUSH Mar-31 ST. PETERSBURG, FL - JANNUS LANDING Apr-01 FT. LAUDERDALE, FL - REVOLUTION Apr-03 NASHVILLE, TN - CITY HALL Apr-04 MEMPHIS, TN - NEW DAISY THEATRE Apr-05 CINCINATTI, OH - BOGARTS GOJIRA 'The Link' 2nd album remastered - US release : March 17 GOJIRA 'The Link Alive' DVD - US release : April 10th For more information please visit: www.listenable.net SCARVE post new track online! French masters of modern dissonant thrash SCARVE have posted a new song, entitled "Endangered", on their MySpace page. The track comes off of the band's upcoming album, "The Undercurrent", which will be released this April through Listenable Records. The follow-up to the group's critically acclaimed "Irradiant" album (2004), "The Undercurrent" was recorded in part at the Dug-Out facility in Uppsala, Sweden with renowned Swedish producer Daniel Bergstrand, whose previous credits include MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and SOILWORK. This album marks a grandiose return of the band marking them as pioneers and way ahead of their time. Beyond any doubt the most sophisticated, intricate, unconventional SCARVE recording to date. SCARVE will impress and annihilate both friend and foe! "Our darkest and most brutal release yet. Developing the sound of "Irradiant" to a more devastating level" -Dirk Verbeuren, drummer of SCARVE Tracklisting for "The Undercurrent" 1. Endangered 2. Imperceptible Armageddon 3. Senseless 4. The Plundered 5. Assuming Self 6. Fathomless Descent 7. A Few Scraps of Memories 8. Rebirth http://www.myspace.com/scarve1 http://www.scarve.net For more information please visit: www.listenable.net MARTY FRIEDMAN RELEASES NEW ALBUM IN THE U.S. “LOUDSPEAKER” SHRAPNEL RECORDS RELEASE ON MARCH 13TH, 2007 HOLLYWOOD - LOUDSPEAKER is an album that will change all preconceptions about instrumental albums. It is an emotionally fueled work of genius, mixed with brilliant guitar solo mastery that has become Marty Friedman’s signature. LOUDSPEAKER features guest appearances by Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Mick Karn and Billy Sheehan. “For me it was a big experiment,” Friedman explains. “I knew they were amazing, butI wanted to get these guys to play the most aggressive way they could because as a fan I really wanted to hear them like I never heard them before-in a full metal context.” LOUDSPEAKER is an aggressive, passionate and absorbing collection of that exposes the beauty and the beast in Friedman’s personality. Friedman reveals his true diversity with the hypnotic opening strains of ‘Stigmata Addiction’ to a poignant rendering of ‘Coloreas Mi Vida.’ The album continually travels between moments of claustrophobic density ‘Black Orchid’ to the razor-sharp shred of 'Elixir.’ Marty Friedman began his career as a Shrapnel solo recording artist and later joined forces with Jason Becker to form the unrivaled dual guitar unit, “Cacophony”, who have a strong influence on today’s top guitarists. Amassing worldwide acclaim as a guitar superstar, he came to the attention of Megadeth and the rest is history. Racking up sales of over 10 million records with Megadeth, Friedman continued to record solo records, often embarking on adventurous musical forays far removed from his work with Megadeth, including an album with Golden Globe winner Kitaro. In a bold move, he left the legendary Megadeth to pursue new musical goals and has succeeded tremendously. Friedman’s many accomplishments make him currently the only musician to be a fixture in the top class of the Japanese domestic as well as international music scene. His music performance (songs from “LOUDSPEAKER”) on national TV with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, to charting high with his own music and with Japan’s top artists, has spurred Friedman into new celebrity territory. Now residing in Tokyo, Friedman has become a television celebrity appearing as a regular on 5 major networks, he can be seen on mainstream hit TV programs almost every day in Japan. “It’s all these insane experiences the last couple years in Japan that couldn’t be musically farther from my roots that make it so rewarding to make an all-out aggressive album now,” recalls Friedman. “LOUDSPEAKER” is exactly the kind of record that Friedman fans have been waiting for. It is heavy, melodic and digs down deep to his roots, and in spots reminiscent in style of his best selling Shrapnel solo record “Dragon's Kiss.” LOUDSPEAKER will be released on March 13th, 2007 in the U.S. For more information click to www.martyfriedman.com or www.shrapnelrecords.com ICED EARTH, TIAMAT, AMON AMARTH, VOMITORY Confirmed For SWEDEN ROCK FESTIVAL ICED EARTH, TIAMAT, AMON AMARTH, VOMITORY, NOCTURNAL RITES, TRAIL OF TEARS, NOVEMBER and ALL ENDS have been confirmed for the 2007 edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, set to take place June 6-9 in Sölvesborg, Sweden. The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): ALL ENDS AMON AMARTH ANNIHILATOR AXEL RUDI PELL BLACK OAK ARKANSAS BLIND GUARDIAN CIRCUS MAXIMUS DIMMU BORGIR ELDRITCH FALCONER GOV'T MULE HARDCORE SUPERSTAR HEAVEN AND HELL ICED EARTH KREATOR LION'S SHARE MEAT LOAF MEMFIS MOTÖRHEAD NOCTURNAL RITES NOVEMBER POINT BLANK PRETTY MAIDS RANDY PIPER'S ANIMAL REO SPEEDWAGON SUZI QUATRO THE ANSWER THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW THUNDER TIAMAT TOKYO DRAGONS TRAIL OF TEARS TROUBLE U.D.O. VOMITORY Metal Church drummer Plate suffers spinal disk injury Heavy Metal priests Metal Church has issued the following press release on their official website: >>IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! << Last night [31 January] in Nashville, drummer Jeff Plate suffered a spinal disk injury. Jeff is currently seeking medical treatment... prognosis soon to follow. Unfortunately, the band has to cancel at least 3-6 shows, pending Jeff's prognosis. We apologize to our fans for the inconvenience... we were especially looking forward to the Texas shows and makeup dates should be forthcoming soon. Contact your venues for refund/honoring information. The following shows are definitely cancelled: February 1 - Columbus, MS - The Princess Theater 2 - Fort Worth, TX - Ridglea Theater 3 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit Stay tuned for further updates. KAMELOT, LEAVES' EYES, FAIRYLAND Confirmed For Germany's NOISEGATE Festival KAMELOT, LEAVES' EYES, FAIRYLAND and CHASED CRIME have been confirmed for the Noisegate festival, set to take April 8 at Stadthalle in Langen, Germany. Headlining the event will be W.A.S.P. Also scheduled to appear is SISTER SIN. As previously reported, a video clip of KAMELOT performing the song "When the Lights are Down" on February 11, 2006 at the historic Rockefeller venue in Oslo, Norway has been posted online at YouTube.com. The footage comes off the group's first-ever DVD, "One Cold Winter's Night", which entered the Swedish Music Video chart at position No. 8. KAMELOT enlisted renowned film and video director Patric Ullaeus (DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES) to chronicle the night's events. Bringing with him from Gothenberg, Sweden, Patric had a large crew of professionals and equipment, including 18 cameras, that would be used in and around the concert grounds. KAMELOT is currently working on a new studio album for a spring 2007 release. IN FLAMES honored with grammy award! IN FLAMES have been honoured with the Swedish "Grammis" award in the category "Best Hard Rock" during a ceremony that was held Tuesday night (January 30th) at Hovet in Stockholm. A total of five bands were nominated for their most recent 2006 releases. BACKYARD BABIES – "People Like People Like People Like Us“ (RCA) EUROPE – "Secret Society" (T&T/Sanctuary) HAMMERFALL – "Threshold" (Nuclear Blast) IN FLAMES – "Come Clarity" (Nuclear Blast) THE HAUNTED – "The Dead Eye" (Century Media) In accepting the award, IN FLAMES frontman Anders Fridén asked the audience to get up on their feet. "This is the third time IN FLAMES have won a [Swedish] Grammy and it feels extremely good," he said and joked: "Thanks a lot to the Swedish people, [distributor] Sound Pollution and all you people sitting down!" DEATHSTARS hit the road again! Beware! Europe's glammiest Death Rock band of all, DEATHSTARS, is hitting the road again in March and April! After two very successful tours last year – first headlining their way throughout the continent, afterwards supporting mighty CRADLE OF FILTH – Sweden's dark yet sparkling sons will be back for more in spring. Be sure to experience the full 48 Carat Of Darkness at the following occasions! RIDE THE SKY line up completed Ex-HELLOWEEN drummer and MASTERPLAN founder Uli Kusch has finally completed the line up of his new band RIDE THE SKY: Bjørn Jansson - vocals (TEARS OF ANGER, BEYOND TWILIGHT) Uli Kusch - drums (Ex-HELLOWEEN, MASTERPLAN) Benny Jansson - guitar (TEARS OF ANGER) Mathias Garnås - bass (XSAVIOR) Kaspar Dahlqvist - keyboard (DIONYSSUS, STORMWIND) The guys are currently working on their yet untitled debut album, due to be released in the middle of August. SCAR SYMMETRY working update! Melodic Deathers SCAR SYMMETRY have posted the following update on their official homepage www.scarsymmetry.com: "Greetings people! At the moment we're in the midst of writing material for our 3rd album, set to be recorded at the end of the summer. So far we have like 10 songs in the works and there are more set to be written in the near future. Hopefully we'll have around 15-20 songs to choose from, in time for the recording. As goes for coming live-appearances, we're very much looking forward in participating in this year's edition of Progpower UK, set to take place outside of London, at the end of March. Also, like we've told you before in an earlier post, there is a new tour in the works, which we hope will be 100% confirmed shortly, so that we can share some further info with you guys. In the meantime, lets keep our fingers crossed and be sure to check this website at regular intervals!" KATAKLYSM message for their fans! Northern Hyperblasters KATAKLYSM have just returned from their European tour and have some important things to tell their fans! "KATAKLYSM has just returned to US soil after completing the band’s most successful headliner tour in Europe!!! Drawing more people and selling venues accross Europe than never before. The band wishes to thank QUO VADIS, FEAR MY THOUGHTS and NEAERA for being cool dudes and all for all the good times, cheers!!!" Sadly, the band had to postpone their scheduled Australian tour and their "Road to Devastation II" tour which also included a few dates with UNLEASHED and was scheduled for April/ Mai. Maurizio Lacono explains: "I know that a lot of our fans were looking forward to seeing us in Australia, in the UK, Scandinavia and all the places we haven’t hit for this record yet, but believe me that none are more disappointed than us!.....But they WILL be rescheduled and we are thinking of September or during the fall. The reason behind the postponed dates: The devil himself called and made us an offer we couldn’t refuse!.." David Neil Cline 20TH Year Anniversary Release!!! David Neil Cline/ A Fit of Rage (Final Mix) Re-mixed and Re-mastered! Sounds better then ever!!! Two more bonus songs! Looks like a mini version of the original vinyl album! Even the disc looks like a mini vinyl album! Available at Cdbaby.com For more info go to: http://davidneilcline.com SKYFORGER BAND NEWS Band has started work on new album recording process and recently entered home studio to record half of the upcoming album. So far it is unknown when job will be completed. More news next time. With pagan greetings, SKYFORGER www.skyforger.lv www.myspace.com/skyforgerofficial News from the Plutonium platoon The debut album “One Size Fits All” from Plutonium was released on the 12th of February 2007. If you would like to hear the title track of this album you can do that now from their Myspace-site. You can download it from there as well! http://www.plutoniumsite.com/ http://www.khaozstarrecords.se/ http://www.myspace.com/thetrueplutonium http://blog.myspace.com/thetrueplutonium MARILYN MANSON To Co-Headline Romania's B'ESTIVAL MARILYN MANSON has been confirmed as one of the headliners of the B'Estival, a new event that will took place in Romania from June 30 until July 1 at Romexpo Bucharest. The festival will likely feature three stages, each for a different genre of music. More headliners will be announced soon. Manson announced on his web site that the name of his new album is "Eat Me, Drink Me". The disc is tentatively due for release this spring and will follow up 2003's "The Golden Age of Grotesque". Manson told MTV.com in the fall of 2005 that he expected his next record to be "something above and beyond and different — sonically, emotionally — than anything I've done." Manson recently asked the court to block any future claim for spousal support by his estranged wife, burlesque dancer Dita Von Teese. According to TMZ.com, which obtained court documents, Manson has also requested that Teese pay for her own lawyers in the couple's divorce proceedings. Also in the documents, Manson claims that he and Von Teese split up on Halloween, while Von Teese maintains that they separated on Christmas Eve. Both have cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the breakup of the marriage. The custody of the couple's pets has yet to be determined. They have two dogs and several cats. Manson and Von Teese were married in December of 2005 after a seven-year relationship. Manson has reportedly been dating actress Evan Rachel Wood, with sources telling People magazine that the 38-year-old rocker's relationship with the 19-year-old star of the movie "Thirteen" was a factor in the end of his marriage. METAL CHURCH Drummer Explains Concert Cancellations METAL CHURCH has issued the following update: "Yesterday we put up an announcement stating that drummer Jeff Plate had incurred an injury at the Nashville show and due to that some shows would be cancelled. The announcement was put together very quickly because we wanted to get the word out to the ticketholders in order to avoid as much inconvenience for them as possible; however, we did not have all the facts at that time." The following is a statement from Jeff himself explaining the circumstances behind the cancellations: "As much as we did not like making the decision to cancel shows, I personally am also upset at the vague explanation that was posted about my situation. I did not injure my back the other night. I have had a herniated disc in my upper back since 1994, which I did to myself hitting golf balls one day in Buffalo on my first SAVATAGE tour. This flares up once every couple of years, and unfortunately it decided to rear its ugly head now. The disc swells and pinches the sciatic nerve in my left arm, which causes more pain when I'm not moving than it does when I'm playing, and unfortunately not playing is the only way it heals. My doctor has always recommended against surgery, and a traction unit to relief the pressure and time off is the only way to help this. And, not to make excuses, but I've been drumming now solid for four months straight: TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA rehearsals, the tour and now the METAL CHURCH tour. This tour has beaten us all up. The schedule has been crazy to say the least, the weather has been terrible, problems with the bus, no heat, arriving late to the venue and helping unload and setting up my drums, no days off... it all caught up to me, and everyone else for that matter. Let's face it, I'm not a kid anymore. This sucks, trust me. "I cannot honestly say when I'll be able to play at this intensity again, but it is generally several weeks. I have some work with Mark Wood at the end of February, but it is not nearly as demanding. There are many people involved in putting this tour on and it obviously affects everyone. Once again, sincere apologies to everyone." As previously reported, the five current members of METAL CHURCH will host "The Classic Metal Show" on Saturday, February 3. Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar), Ronny Munroe (vocals), Jay Reynolds (guitar), Steve Unger (bass) and Jeff Plate (drums) will discuss their current album, "A Light in the Dark", as well as the history of the band, the passing of David Wayne, and their involvement in other bands, including MALICE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, CHRIS CAFFERY, SAVATAGE and PRESTO BALLET. "The Classic Metal Show" is heard live every Saturday from 9:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. EST, and in rebroadcast throughout the week. To view the weekly schedule or to tune in, go to www.theclassicmetalshow.com. Escapi Music has set a February 23 German release date for a live METAL CHURCH DVD featuring the band's now 1991 performance at the Dynamo Open Air festival in Eindhoven, Holland. The footage features the band touring in support of its "The Human Factor" album with the following lineup: Mike Howe (vocals) Craig Marshall (guitars) Craig Wells (guitars) Duke Erickson (bass) Kirk Arrington (drums) AMORPHIS, WOLF, ARCHER Confirmed For Germany's BANG YOUR HEAD!!! AMORPHIS, WOLF and ARCHER have been confirmed for this year's installment of the Bang Your Head!!! festival, set to take place June 22-23, 2007 in Balingen, Germany. The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): AMON AMARTH AMOPRHIS ARCHER BRAINSTORM EDGUY EVERGREY FINNTROLL GIRLSCHOOL HEAVEN AND HELL MERCENARY MYSTIC PROPHECY NAZARETH POWERMAD PRAYING MANTIS STEELHEART THUNDER WOLF BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, MOTORHEAD, LIFE OF AGONY Confirmed For Fields of Rock BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, MOTORHEAD and LIFE OF AGONY have been confirmed for the Fields of Rock festival, set to take place June 16-17 at the Evenemententerrein Walibi World in Biddinghuizen, Holland. Also scheduled to appear are IRON MAIDEN and OZZY OSBOURNE. IRON MAIDEN is looking forward to returning to Holland to play at Fields of Rock festival for the first time and will close the festival on the first day on the main stage. Last year in November on their phenomenally successful "A Matter Of Life And Death World Tour" they gave a stunning performance to 14,000 fans at Brabanthallen in Den Bosch which sold out in record time. After the great success of the first two editions of Fields of Rock in the Goffertpark, the organisers have announced earlier the festival is moving to the Evenemententerrein Walibi World in Biddinghuizen. The third edition of Fields of Rock is more than one day and has a camp site. There will be three stages with a minimal of 15 bands. Beside to the main stage and the tent stage there also will be a smaller third outdoor stage. News about the line-up for the three stages will be announced on fieldsofrock.nl. UNLEASHED To Headline Germany's WALPURGIS METAL DAYS Festival Veteran Swedish death metallers UNLEASHED will headline the seventh edition of the Walpurgis Metal Days festival, set to take place Saturday, April 28 in Hauzenberg, Germany. The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): COCK AND BALL TORTURE COLD TRAGEDY DISBELIEF ENSIFERUM EPICEDIUM EXOTOXIN GJENFERDSEL GRIND INC. LEGION OF THE DAMNED LOST LEGACY MIDWINTER NORDAFROST NAILDOWN ONE MAN ARMY AND THE UNDEAD QUARTET OUTRAGE RESURRECTED SCARED TO DEATH SUIDAKRA SYCRONOMICA ULTRAWURSCHT UNLEASHED For more information, visit www.walpurgismetal.de. UNLEASHED's eighth full-length album, "Midvinterblot", was released in the U.S. on October 10 via SPV Records. The band will embark on a North American headlining tour in February/March, with KRISIUN and BELPHEGOR supporting. AGHORA, DGM, DAY SIX Confirmed For PROGPOWER EUROPE 2007 Festival AGHORA from the USA, DAY SIX from the Netherlands and DGM from Italy have been confirmed for the ProgPower Europe 2007 festival, set to take place October 5-7 in Baarlo, Netherlands. DGM wil headline the pre-party, AGHORA will play on Saturday and DAY SIX will open on Sunday. The festival billing is now shaping up as follows: Friday, October 5 (pre-party): DGM (Italy) + one more band Saturday, October 6: HEAVEN'S CRY (Canada) MECHANICAL POET (Russia) AGHORA (USA) + three bands Sunday, October 7: JON OLIVA'S PAIN (USA) SIEGES EVEN (Germany) DREAMSCAPE (Germany) CIRCUS MAXIMUS (Norway) MEYVN (USA) DAY SIX (Netherlands) For more information, visit www.progpower.com.

March 15th, 2007	CANDLEMASS Taps SOLITUDE AETURNUS Singer To Replace MESSIAH MARCOLIN Legendary Swedish doomsters CANDLEMASS have issued the following update: "After months of auditions it is now official who replaces Messiah Marcolin in CANDLEMASS. Robert Lowe, well known for his work with SOLITUDE AETURNUS, is the man who killed all the competition and showed that he beyond doubt is the most capable man for the job. A worthy successor!! "Robert will still be fronting SOLITUDE AETURNUS, but since there's a whole ocean between the bands, we/CANDLEMASS feel that this is a great solution that is very beneficial for everybody. The mighty voice from Dallas, Texas is thrown into the fire immediately and is starting the vocal work on the new CANDLEMASS album in a matter of days. CANDLEMASS are sure that the words 'amazing' and 'incredible' will be used to describe the result! CANDLEMASS would also like to thank all the gifted singers who applied for the job. Many talents from all over the world have been heard. We are sure that they will continue to be heard for a long time, but not in CANDLEMASS. The band have finally found the ideal replacement for Messiah Marcolin — Robert Lowe! The new album will KILL!!" CANDLEMASS announced on Oct. 23, 2006 that vocalist Messiah Marcolin was out of the band "for good." As previously reported, Messiah Marcolin contacted BLABBERMOUTH.NET on April 28, 2006 to announce that he was leaving the band with no possibility of him rejoining. "We could not agree on how to do the new album," Messiah stated at the time while refusing to elaborate on his sudden exit. CANDLEMASS' upcoming CD — a concept album about the road to ruin in the modern society — is being self-produced and will feature nine or ten tracks. CANDLEMASS recorded four new songs with the help of producer Andy Sneap (NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD) in February 2006 at the Polar studios. At the time, Leif Edling said of the material, "The songs are pretty much in the same vein as the stuff on the [self-titled 2005] reunion album, maybe a bit darker." PIG DESTROYER Hard At Work Recording New Full-Length PIG DESTROYER have begun recording their new full-length album, titled Phantom Limb. PIG DESTROYER are currently recording Phantom Limb at Omega Studios (BAD BRAINS) in Rockville, MD. Phantom Limb, the follow-up to 2004's wildly successful and influential album Terrifyer, will feature 14 all-new songs from the heralded grindcore troupe and artwork by John Baizley (BARONESS, TORCHE). Advance song titles include: "Cemetery Road", "Rotten Yellow", "Jupiter's Eye" "Heathen Temple" and "The Machete Twins." PIG DESTROYER vocalist JR Hayes comments on the recording: "We're recording to 2" analog tape, which is really exciting. The drums sound HUGE, and the guitar tones are really nasty and aggressive. Brian's been on top of his game all year, busting out easily the fastest blast beats I've ever seen him play. As usual, Scott's written a whole arsenal of scalding riffs, but I feel like he really outdid himself with the arrangements on this record. The songs feel great and we've been having a load of fun playing them for the last five months. It's the 14 most deranged metal songs we could make up, so get ready to sink your fcking teeth in." Guitarist Scott Hull adds; "We're excited about Phantom Limb because it all seems to be coming together in a much different way than our past discs. We set the date for the studio, THEN we fired up the muse to write the material. The process has became much faster, more focused, and with all the energy intact and sharpened. It has also been a hugely positive experience to be able to just be the guitarist, rather than the guy behind the button as well. Just wait until you hear it." Additionally, PIG DESTROYER have recently made their long- standing trio a quartet with the addition of Blake Harrison (TRIAC) to the fold. PIG DESTROYER have also been confirmed to co-headline at this year's Los Angeles Murderfest on Sunday, March 25 along with BRUTAL TRUTH, CRETIN, and many more. For more information on this fest, please visit the official L.A. Murderfest website. Additional PIG DESTROYER live appearances will be announced shortly. For more information on PIG DESTROYER, please contact Betsey Cichoracki, Relapse Records Media Relations, at (610)734-1000 x106 or Betsey@Relapse.com. Updated PIG DESTROYER news / tour information will be made available via the Relapse Records website: www.RELAPSE.com, the PIG DESTROYER website: www.PIGDESTROYER.net and MySpace: www.myspace.com/TheRealPigSestroyer. PIG DESTROYER Live Appearance: March 25 Los Angeles, CA Knitting Factory (as part of the Los Angeles Murderfest. For complete line-up, ticket info please visit: www.losangelesmurderfest.com) ASGUARD RECORD DREAMSLAVE FOLLOW UP Our dark lords from Belarus, Asguard have written and recorded their follow-up to last years Dreamslave. The new work is actually an extension to the album with the working title; Dreamslave... Awakening. The new album will also come with a 10 Year Anniversary DVD featuring live footage from the bands extensive Eastern European tour of 2006. There are twelve original tracks, plus two bonus cover songs, "Golden Age" from Kreator and "Run Through the Night" by Accept and will be released early this year. www.asguard.metal4.com NEW FLESHGORE TRACK POSTED Following the worldwide re-release of the bands' previous death metal extravaganzas Killing Absorbtion and the latest May God Strike Me Dead, the band is currently working on new material for their follow-up full-length due out later this year. The new track "Wake Up" is posted on the bands' official website and MySpace site. www.fleshgore.com \| www.myspace.com/fleshgore A SECOND FROM THE SURFACE SIGN WITH TDR We are very proud to welcome noise-metal trio A Second From The Surface to the TDR dysfunctional family. Hailing from Minneapolis, ASFTS will be releasing their debut album with us in early 2007. Watch for the band to be on an extensive and intensive national tour following their debut release. More on the band soon. Stay tuned! www.myspace.com/asecondfromthesurface RECOURSE UPDATES Recourse would like to officially welcome Ace Walter into the band as the group’s new drummer. The band has known Ace for a few years from his stints as drummer for such MD based bands; Bloodbourne, Anti-Audio, Eyes Turn Grey and Sick Mind’s Eye. Ace hails from Cumberland MD and is currently writing new material with the band for their follow up to 2004’s critically acclaimed debut album Weakening The Structure. The album, tentatively entitled, The Burden of Man, will be released sometime in 2007 and will be followed up by extensive touring, with sporadic shows during the writing process appearing. 03/24 CC22 - Seaford DE w/Sprawl, Belligerent www.recoursemetal.com \| www.myspace.com/recourse JAG PANZER, Ex-40 GRIT Members Join Forces In BODY OF SCARS BODY OF SCARS, the new Phoenix, Arizona-based band featuring JAG PANZER drummer Rikard Stjernquist and former 40 GRIT vocalist/guitarist James Santiago, is currently in the studio laying 15 tracks for its self-titled debut release, tentatively due later in the year. A demo version of the group's "theme song," "Body of Scars", has been posted online on their MySpace page. Formed in August 2006, BODY OF SCARS' current lineup is completed by lead guitarist Randy Davis (MOTIVE) and bassist Clint Barker. NIGHTRAGE video shoot and new track Swedish/ greek metal outfit NIGHTRAGE is heading out to Greece the coming weekend shooting a video clip for the track "Scathing" taken from their upcoming 3rd album and Lifeforce Records debut "A New Disease Is Born". You can also find this track from now on at the Lifeforce Records Myspace profile. The weekend after NIGHTRAGE will go to Poland to record a live DVD at Stodola Club in Warsaw with VADER, ONSLAUGHT and SOLITUDE AETERNUS. The DVD will be released later this year via Metal Mind Productions. "A New Disease Is Born" was recorded in December 2006 with Jacob Hansen and will be released on APRIL 17TH, 2007 via Lifeforce Records America. An E-card and special pre-order deal will be available soon. NIGHTRAGE "A New Disease Is Born" - IN STORES APRIL 17TH (US/CA) - www.nightrage.com www.myspace.com/nightrage OATH TO VANQUISH: Brand-new "Executive Onslaught" Video Posted Online Lebanese death metallers OATH TO VANQUISH have unveiled their first ever video clip with the track Executive Onslaught from their debut album. It has been posted online at YouTube.com. direct link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyxoCu_esog The clip was directed and produced by US filmmaker Vince Brusio (http://www.makeyourdisc.com) and features footage taken from their European tour in September 2006, sketches by US artist Robert S. Connett, as well as an amalgam of imagery depicting political events surrounding their native Middle East. Commented Elias van Quish: "This video epitomises our views about the futility of the politics of today, and whilst some political figures can be loved and adored by many, a more cautionary account is depicted here. Amazingly, Vince has managed to create a visual for the lyrical concepts behind the song. It shows where we're from, the reality of the war and conflicts that we've reluctantly lived through last summer, and alas continue to rage throughout much of our region today. Most importantly, it captures the resentment we have for the political climate of this region with its inability to rise above ideological and religious differences, and self-serving agendas." "Executive Onslaught" is taken off OATH TO VANQUISH's debut album Applied Schizophrenic Science which was released by Grindethic Records in 2006. More of the band's music can be accessed or downloaded at: http://www.oath-to-vanquish.com OATH TO VANQUISH have been described as "regurgitating a vicious, bone-crushing and twisted concoction of brutaldeath garnished with gore/grind, whilst somehow managing to blend in an evil melodic tinge, all added for good measure." For more info visit http://www.grindethic.co.uk SODAMNED - Locked in the Garret posted online The brazilian death metallers of SODAMNED posted online their new song, "Locked in the Garret", which will be part of the band's next release, besides of being released in the 12nd edition of the Rock Soldiers compilation. Meanwhile the band is still looking for a bassist and a guitarist to replace the musicians Gerson and Nagata which left the band in the end of 2006. To check the band's new track visit their MySpace page at www.myspace.com/sodamned www.sodamned.com Akashic posts cover of Journey for download It's available on the AKASHIC website a cover version for the Journey' song "Open Arms". Recently the band finished the recordings of a video clip and are going to an European tour. Akashic is a brazilian progressive metal band formed by Rafael Gubert (vocals - Barros Project, The Supremacy), Marcos de Ros (guitars), Fábio Alves (bass), Maurício Meinert (drums) and Éder Bergozza (keyboards) and released their second and latest album, A Brand New Day, through Hellion Records. The Journey's cover can be downloaded through the following link: Click Here Samples of the album A Brand New Day are available on the band's MySpace page - www.myspace.com/akashicrock www.akashic.com.br CANDLELIGHT RECORDS SIGNS CARNAL FORGE London, England: Candlelight Records today confirms the worldwide signing of Carnal Forge. Testify For My Victims, current working title for the band's anticipated sixth album, is to be mixed at Black Lounge Studios in early February with an expected May release date. Two videos have already been filmed for the album tracks "Numb" and "Burning Eden." Both directed by Owe Lingvall (Village Road Film). Bassist Lars Linden says, "Carnal Forge are very happy to have signed to Candlelight Records. We have an utterly brillant peace of work soon to be released. We are all very satisfied how the songs have turned out and are very confident in the new more varied material. It will mean some change for you who have heard the previous albums, but hopefully you find it for the better. We for sure do and we are all very eager to get the new material out to the audience and to get out on tour again." Formed in 1997, Carnal Forge released their debut Who's Gonna Burn (War Music) in 1998. Signing with Century Media in early 2001 the band released Please... Die later in the year. The band would tour Europe supporting The Haunted and Nile and make the first of several prestigious festival appearances (Linden making his debut with the band at the year's 2000 Decibel Festival and Wacken Open Air). The More You Suffer (2003) and Aren't You Dead Yet (2004) would continue to see the band expand fan and worldwide sales base. Vocalist Jens C. Mortensen would join the band's ranks in late 2004 impressing fans with his strong live performances. In early 2006 the band began work on new material and expect an extensive world tour after the springtime album release. Carnal Forge currently features vocalist Jens C. Mortensen, guitarists Jari Kuusisto and Petri Kuusisto, drummer Stefan Westerberg with bassist Lars Linden. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com SWALLOW THE SUN & MASTERPLAN MY SPACE PREMIERE Philadelphia: Candlelight Records USA has made available the first tracks from upcoming new albums from Finland's Swallow the Sun and Germany's Masterplan. To listen bring your browser to the label's official page located at www.myspace.com/candlelightrecordsusa. "These Hours of Despair" is from Swallow the Sun's new album titled Hope. Set to hit US stores on March 20, the anticipated album features guest appearances from Jonas Renske (Katatonia) and Tomi Joutsen (Amorphis). A video has already filmed for album track “Don’t Fall Asleep;” premiere detals will follow shortly. Kerrang! says, “not since My Dying Bride's classic Turn Loose The Swans has there been such a flawless example of how sorrow can be harnessed to the heaviest of guitar tones, capped with virtuoso guttural growls and graced with an immaculate production patina, to such devastating effect. Every one of these eight tracks is an absolute fucking monster.” "Lost And Gone" is from Masterplan's third album titled MKII. Also set for US release March 20, it is the first album to feature new vocalist Mike DiMeo (Riot) and drummer Mike Terrana (Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, Rage). Mixed and mastered at Helsinki's renowned Finnvox Studios (Nightwish, Lordi, Sonata Arctica), MKII was produced by guitarist/band leader Roland Grapow (Helloween) and again showcases the band’s exceptional musicianship and the stellar dynamic charm that has made them popular since their launch in 2002. Blabbermouth said of Aeronautics, the band's previous album, “Masterplan along with such forward-thinking power metal acts as Kamelot and Nocturnal Rites prove that there is indeed plenty of life left in the genre. A must-have album for anyone that has an appreciation for all things heavy and melodic.” www.candlelightrecordsusa.com MALEVOLENT CREATION EUROPEAN TOUR DATES AND STUDIO UPDATE !!!! Malevolent Creation are currently finishing up the recording's for there next and 10th studio album "DOOMSDAY X". Just bass and vocals remain to be finished and then mixed while we are on tour.Hopefully the new album will be released early this summer on Nuclear Blast Records. Rotting Christ + Malevolent Creation + Rotten Sound + Incantation + Sardonic + Enthrallment * 06.03.07 UK Bradford @ Rio* 07.03.07 UK Glasgow @ Soundhaus* 08.03.07 IRE Dublin @ Voodoo Lounge* 09.03.07 UK Bolton @ Soundhause* 10.03.07 UK London @ Camden Underworld* 11.03.07 HOL Zaandam @ deKade* 13.03.07 DEN Kopenhagen @ The Rock 14.03.07 DEN Aalborg @ Studenterhuset 15.03.07 GER Flensburg @ Roxy 16.03.07 GER Neumark n/Zwickau @ Vereinshaus 17.03.07 HOL Nijmegen @ JC Staddijk 18.03.07 HOL Katwijk aan Zee @ Scum 19.03.07 BEL Charleroi @ Le Coliseum 21.03.07 GER Trier @ ExHaus 22.03.07 FR Lyon @ Le Marche Gare 23.03.07 ITA Genova @ Logo Loco 24.03.07 ITA Prato @ Anomalia 25.03.07 FR Luynes @ Le Korigan* 26.03.07 FR Perpignan @ Crockmore* 27.03.07 SP Barcelona @ Mephisto * 28.03.07 SP Madrid @ Ritmo & Compas * 29.03.07 SP Almeria Sala Genesis* 30.03.07 POR Corroios n/Lisbon @ Cine Teatro* 31.03.07 POR Mangualde @ CC St.Andre* 01.04.07 SP Irun @ Tunk*** www.malevolent-creation.com www.myspace.com/malevolentcreation THE WILDHEARTS FINISHING UP NEW ALBUM; TO RETURN TO AMERICA AT SXSW IN 2007 English rockers The Wildhearts will be returning to the US this spring with a new album under their belts, a new line up, and an appearance at SXSW in Austin, Texas among others. The band will begin mixing the new album, which will be self-titled, on February 1st and will release The Wildhearts later this year on the band’s own label, Round Records in the United Kingdom and Universal Records in Japan. Round Records is currently seeking distribution in the United States. The Wildhearts was recorded partially at London’s Strongroom Studios, partially at a country house in Ipswich, and at a haunted castle in the Midlands. “This album is going to surprise a lot of people who considered the last Wildhearts album too poppy,” says Ginger of the new record. “There will not be any similar accusations this time around, that’s for sure.” The Wildhearts’ new lineup sees the return of original drummer Ritch Battersby and the addition of Scott Sorry (Amen, Brides of Destruction) on bass. Front man Ginger regards Sorry as “the most energetic performer I’ve ever shared a stage with. His youth certainly keeps us older bastards on our toes.” Ginger and guitarist CJ round out the lineup, which judging by reactions from a recent holiday show is the most solid ever. 2007 will see The Wildhearts return to SXSW for the first time since 2004. Prior to making a stop in Austin the band will be making several other stops along the way including one in New York City on March 10 at Rebel. Considering the last time The Wildhearts played in New York they sold out the Tribecca Rock Club, they are certainly looking forward to this one as well. Details for the band’s SXSW appearance and other shows have not been released yet. The Wildhearts are looking forward to seeing the fruits of their labor in 2007 and the band’s attitude says it all. “The vibe within the group is so positive right now it’s sickening!,” says Ginger, “We are back and hungrier than ever.” For more information please visit www.thewildhearts.com or www.myspace.com/thewildheartsrock. TRANSLATION LOSS RECORDS SIGNS TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION! Translation Loss Records is proud to announce the signing of Philadelphia’s TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION! TFD’s Translation Loss Records debut entitled, ZEN AND THE ART OF TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION, will be released sometime this spring. The band was founded by BRUTAL TRUTH’s very own drummer/vocalist/performance artist, Richard Hoak, and is rounded out by Herzog- total fucking guitar, Joe- total fucking bass and Pingdum- total fucking fuck you guitar. With grind on the mind and destruction boiling in their veins, TFD has taken grind to a whole new level with an extremely unique album that consists of three parts: Part 1 is a proper grinding, metallic and perversely catchy batch of songs. Recorded at Super 8 Studios [Slacks, Quips, Zodiak] and mixed by Dan O’Hare. Part 2 is an acoustic monster all in itself, beautifully recorded by the band in their total fucking house. Completely different from anything heard in grind today. Part 3 is enhanced CD content that contains Live from Hazel’s, a legendary live performance recorded in the bowels of Philadelphia. Click here to check out the songs “Corpse Position” and “NENN” from ZEN AND THE ART OF TOTAL FUCKING DESTRUCTION. www.myspace.com/totalfuckingdestruction www.translationloss.com \| www.myspace.com/translationlossrecords KEKAL ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF “THE HABIT OF FIRE” August 2005, after 10 years of existence as a band, KEKAL decided to move forward and to come deep into musical territories yet unexplored by the band. Throughout the year 2006, KEKAL was busy recording and shaping their 6th album entitled "The Habit of Fire", an ambitious project which marks a new statement for the band. "The Habit of Fire" is an experimental (but yet accessible) 70-minute epic concept album of 'urban avantgarde metal', with a liberal use of electronic elements and mix of countless musical sub-genres to accompany their trademark guitar-driven soundscapes. "The Habit of Fire" is coming this fall on Open Grave Records (NORTH AMERICA/AUSTRALIA/JAPAN) and Whirlwind Records (EUROPE). KEKAL started out in 1995 as a more straightforward extreme metal band. Throughout the first 5 years, they developed their own style by incorporating many diverse elements from outside metal, but not until they released "The Painful Experience" (2001), their 3rd album which marked as a starting point for the band to step more and more into the progressive territory and started to make further experiments with their music. In 2003, they released "1000 Thoughts of Violence", an album that has gained a lot of attention even beyond the Asian region due to the uniqueness of their music, combining elements of jazz-fusion, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, trip-hop, experimental electronic and ambient music, and blend them together into their own distinct style. Critics then started to cite Kekal among the finest independent avant-garde metal bands, and they toured Europe for the first time in 2004. In 2005 they released their 5th album "Acidity". March 15th will see the European release on Whirlwind Records, with a May 15th release date set for the North America, Australia & Japan release of Kekal's 6th album, "The Habit of Fire" on Open Grave Records. Official Website: www.kekalonline.com Myspace Page: www.myspace.com/kekal Open Grave Records: www.opengraverecords.com Whirlwind Records: www.whirlwind-records.com AMON AMARTH shoots video for “Cry of the Blackbirds”! Swedish metallers Amon Amarth have uploaded photos from their "Cry of the Black Birds" video shoot at this location. The clip was directed last week by William C. Schacht. According to the band, "It took 20 hours of blood, sweat and pain, in minus 14 degrees Celsius, to get the video done. All that remains now is the editing of the filmed material." "We would like to thank the production team, for a job well done. But especially we would like to thank the generous people of Baldur's Hird. Without their dedication and professionalism this video would not have been possible." As previously reported, Amon Amarth’s video for the song "Runes to My Memory" has been posted online at this location. http://www.amonamarth.com THE OCEAN in search of guitarist! The Ocean is looking for a new guitar player! They do not like to part ways with members of the collective, but due to members' inability to cope with heavy touring schedules, they need a new axeman on the second guitar. Here's what they are looking for: - SKILLS - LIVE EXPERIENCE - DEDICATION not just to being on stage but to being in a band, with all that entails! - TIME for extensive touring and for frequent rehearsals in BERLIN. - Someone who LEARNS FAST and ON HIS OWN - A LIVE WIRE who KICKS ASS with us! - Must have broad a musical background as our own, willing to transcend the borders between metal, hardcore, rock, soundtrack-music and jazz with us. Think you're our man? Drop us a line. info@theoceancollective.com http://www.theoceancollective.com EMPEROR GENERAL TICKETS ON SALE Philadelphia: General tickets for the recently announced Emperor concerts go on sale via ticketmaster, venue box offices and other popular regional ticket agencies. Confirmed dates are noted below. May 30 - The Metro, Chicago IL June 1 - BB King Blues Club, New York NY June 3 - Key Club, Los Angeles, CA Emperor's guitar tabulature book, Scattered Ashes: A Decade of Emperial Wrath is now available at special retailers. The limited edition 132-page oversized book (with bonus cd) featuring foreword and transcriptions by vocalist/guitarist Ihsahn contains original tabs for thirteen Emperor classics featured on the band's 2003 2-cd compilation of the same name; a collection of previously unavailable recordings, live and studio/demo outtakes. The book is available now via Candlelight's official US webstore; bring your browser to www.candlelightrecordsusa.com. www.candlelightrecordsusa.com OZZY OSBOURNE 'Thinking About' Moving Back To The U.K. World Entertainment News Network reports that Ozzy Osbourne is "seriously" considering leaving his adopted Los Angeles home to return to live in his native England full-time — because he misses his daughter Kelly so much. Osbourne desperately wants to see singer-turned-TV presenter Kelly, 22, more often. She says, "Dad phoned me recently asking me to come over (to Los Angeles). I said, 'I can't, I live here now. You come here.' "He is seriously thinking about coming back, he hates it there." IRON MAIDEN To Perform 'More Classic Favorites' At U.K.'s DOWNLOAD Following the official announcement this evening on BBC Radio 1's Zane Lowe show, IRON MAIDEN has confirmed it will be once again headlining this year's Download festival on Sunday, June 10, making this a record-breaking fourth headline appearance at the world-famous Donington Park (Leicestershire, England) venue. The first time MAIDEN ever played at Donington was when they topped the bill in 1988, with KISS and GUNS N' ROSES among the supports, playing to over 100,000 people — the biggest Donington crowd by far and still the biggest metal show ever in the U.K. — returning again in 1992 and 2003. Commented MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson: "Our fans know that Donington is a special place for MAIDEN and we are all looking forward to getting back there for a fourth time. The 'A Matter of Life and Death U.K. Tour' last December was very special for us and we very much appreciated the fans giving us such great support in us playing the whole album which, let's face it, was not necessarily the easiest thing to do for us or them! It was definitely the right challenge for us at that time but outdoors in the summer is different and as a 'thank-you' to our fans we will be including quite a few more 'classic' favorites balanced with some of the tracks from the new album. We will naturally bring Eddie and his toys along, so all in all it should be a great day for everybody!!" Tickets will be going on sale Wednesday, January 31 at 9:00 a.m. and are available from the official web site for the festival or the credit card hotline 0870 400 0822. Headline acts for the other two days are MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE on Friday, June 8 and LINKIN PARK on Saturday, June 9. HELLYEAH's VINNIE PAUL Is Looking Forward To Possible OZZFEST Former PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott recently spoke to Chris Harris of MTV.com about the formation of his new band, HELLYEAH, also featuring NOTHINGFACE members Jerry Montano (bass) and Tom Maxwell (guitar) alongside MUDVAYNE's Chad Gray (vocals) and Gregg Tribbett (guitar). "Since May of last year, I started getting phone calls from Jerry, who I've known for a long time, just saying that they planned on putting something together and they needed a heavy hitter — they needed me," the drummer explained. "And I was like, 'Man, I'm so busy with my record company, and I don't know if I'm really ready to do this again' and all that. And after about seven or eight calls, he finally caught me one night when I was in the right frame of mind. I had been drinkin' and listening to some music, and I said, 'You know what? Let's give this thing a shot.' The next day, I talked to everybody in the band, and everyone was so super cool and had the same mindset." According to Vinnie, HELLYEAH's self-titled debut, which drops April 10, is "the best record I've been a part of since [PANTERA's 1992 classic] 'Vulgar Display of Power'," he said. "The thing that makes me feel that way about it is, when we made 'Vulgar', it was just magic. It happened. Everybody's mindset was in the right place. After that record, we never had that same vibe. We still made amazing records, but there were all these forces pulling us in different directions. So when we made [the HELLYEAH] record, I had that same kind of feeling. It was just too easy. Everybody was into it. And I feel these songs are that strong, and I think everybody brought something special to the table. "It's just a special record," he added, "and I really believe we're gonna be f---ing kick-ass live. We haven't done any live shows yet, but I know that everybody comes from a band that's been known as a kick-ass live band. So I know the five of us together are going to make some hellacious noise." Abbott said HELLYEAH will tour extensively this year but that they're still mapping things out. Playing this summer's Ozzfest would make perfect sense for HELLYEAH, considering all the bandmembers have taken the festival's stage before. And if Sharon Osbourne extended an offer, the band would gladly take her up on it, Abbott said. "We will definitely be on tour all summer, and we're definitely looking forward to it," he said. "Ozzfest would be awesome. That's all I can say about that. I'm a veteran of Ozzfest. Everybody knows it's the premier summer tour, so if we were offered to be a part of that, that would just be super, man." FU MANCHU: European Tour Dates Announced Southern California rock quartet FU MANCHU has lined up the following European tour dates: Apr. 26 - Lisbon (PT) @ Paradise Garage Apr. 27 - Vigo (E) @ Sala A Apr. 28 - Madrid (E) @ Copernico Apr. 29 - Bilboa (E) @ Kafe Antzoki Apr. 30 - Barcelona (E) @ Apollo 2 May 02 - Geneva (CH) @ Usine-PTR May 03 - Karlsruhe (D) @ Substage May 04 - Duisburg (D) @ Pulp May 05 - Bielefeld (D) @ Forum May 06 - Hamburg (D) @ Gruenspan May 08 - Aarhus (DK) @ Voxhall May 09 - Oslo (NO) @ John Dee May 10 - Stockholm (S) @ Debaser May 11 - Copenhagen (DK) @ Loppen May 12 - Malmoe (S) @ KB May 13 - Berlin (D) @ Kato May 15 - Vienna (AT) @ Flex May 16 - Kufstein (AT) @ Kulturfabrik May 17 - Graz (AT) @ Orpheum May 18 - Zurich (CH) @ Rote Fabrik May 19 - Pinarella di Cervia (I) @ Rock Planet May 20 - Solothurn (CH) @ Kofmehl May 22 - Wiesbaden (D) @ Schlachthof May 23 - Eindhoven (NL) @ Effenaar May 24 - Deventer (NL) @ Burgerweeshuis May 25 - Brussels (B) @ VK May 26 - Nottingham (UK) @ Rock City May 27 - Glasgow (UK) @ Cathouse May 28 - Belfast (UK) @ Limelight May 30 - Wolverhampton (UK) @ Little Civic Jun. 02 - London (UK) @ Underworld Jun. 03 - Southhampton (UK) @ Nexus FU MANCHU recently posted the cover art for its new album, "We Must Obey", on the band's MySpace page. The artwork was designed by John McGill, who first collaborated with FU MANCHU on their 2004 release, "Start The Machine". More recently, McGill designed the cover art for the band's new limited-edition EP, "Hung Out To Dry", which features both a 7" single and a four-track compact disc. "The cover artwork for 'We Must Obey' is very representative of the lyrics and the overall theme of the record," says FU MANCHU vocalist, guitarist and founding member Scott Hill. "It's about not listening to others, and instead doing what you want to do and what you think is best for whatever situation you are in. I'm not talking about anarchy — just going with what you think is right for you, and trying not to be brainwashed. "We've dealt with some lame bullshit over the last few years, and now we only listen to ourselves," Hill continues. "We are very happy with our record label, management and booking agent right now, so maybe the next record will go back to observations on UFO's, muscle cars, and Bigfoot — or maybe not." Due on February 20, FU MANCHU's tenth album and Century Media/Liquor and Poker debut, "We Must Obey", was recorded at Hollywood's Grandmaster Recorders studio (TOOL, NINE INCH NAILS, BLACK CROWES). Finishing touches were added by Gene Grimaldi at Oasis Mastering (VELVET REVOLVER, PENNYWISE, REV. HORTON HEAT). In addition to the songs "Hung Out To Dry" and "Between The Lines" — both currently available on the "Hung Out To Dry" EP — the album includes a cover of THE CARS classic "Moving In Stereo". FU MANCHU will embark on a six-week headlining tour with VALIENT THORR beginning on February 28 in San Francisco. REGURGITATE / FUCK THE FACTS TOUR: We're happy to announce that we will be supporting Swedish goregrinders REGURGITATE on their first ever North American tour. The tour will run from May 24th - June 10th and will also include an appearance at the Maryland Deathfest. May 24 Saratoga Springs, NY @ Backstreet Billiards * May 25 Brooklyn, NY @ Europa Night Club w/ Mortician May 27 Baltimore, MD @ Sonar (as part of the Maryland Deathfest) * May 28 West Seneca, NY @ Chugger's May 29 Columbus, OH @ High Five May 30 Wheeling, WV @ Yesterday's Draughthouse May 31 Cincinnati, OH @ Tope Cats June 1 Arlington Heights, IL @ Knights of Columbus Hall June 2 Detroit, MI @ Modern Exchange June 3 Toronto, ON @ The Metal Bar June 4 Montreal, QC @ Petit Campus June 5 Providence, RI @ Living Room June 6 Bedford, NH @ Mark's Place June 7 Boston, MA @ Middle East Upstairs June 8 Kingston, PA @ Backstage Enterprises June 9 Philadelphia, PA @ Khyber Pass June 10 Oswego, NY @ Red Planet Skatepark * *Fuck The Facts only CINCINNATI DEATH/THRASHERS ESTUARY COMPLETE “THE CRAFT OF CONTRADICTION” TRENTON, N.J. – Cincinnati death/thrashers Estuary have completed work on their second album, “The Craft of Contradiction,” which is set for release April 17 on Ibex Moon Records. “It is by far the sickest and most thrashing brutal stuff I’ve done to date,” said front gutturalist Zdenka Prado. “It kicked my ass, and I’m positive it will definitely do the same to everyone who is waiting.” Added guitarist/mainman Ash Thomas: “We are very proud and pleased with the finished product. It’s definitely a step up in all areas, including production, song writing, and playing. We are confident ‘The Craft of Contradiction’ will not disappoint our fans or any fans of dark thrash tinged death metal.” Lyrically, “The Craft of Contradiction” takes on a thematic approach, theorized from a “timeline” perspective of humankind’s manipulated origins to its material plight and ultimate return to truth. The full track listing is as follows: 1. Enduring the Illusion 2. Creation Damnation 3. Lies of Promise 4. Trans-Dimensional Scourge 5. A Disease Called Dogma 6. Heirs to the Throne of Fear 7. Cleansed of All Wisdom 8. Belief Addictions 9. Frailty in Numbers 10. Cardinal Points to Die Upon To get a glimpse of what will soon be unleashed from these metal maniacs, visit Estuary’s official website (www.estuarymetal.com) or their official Myspace page (www.myspace.com/estuary), where two new songs have been uploaded and the cover art by Tony Koehl is available for viewing. The band is currently lining up shows in support of the release, with extensive touring planned for the rest of the year. Formed just five years ago, Estuary recorded one demo before being offered a contract with Ibex Moon Records. The band’s debut, “To Exist and Endure,” was released in 2004. In 2006 Ibex Moon Records signed a distribution deal with MRI/Megaforce for nationwide distribution through RED with the goal of signing the finest metal bands the underground has to offer and keeping the true sprit of the underground alive with killer bands that transcend all trends. www.estuarymetal.com www.myspace.com/estuary www.ibexmoonrecords.com www.myspace.com/ibexmoonrecords

March 13th, 2007	SLAYER, LORDI, STONE SOUR, HELMET Confirmed For Austria's NOVA ROCK SLAYER, LORDI, STONE SOUR and HELMET are among the confirmed bands for the Nova Rock Festival 2007, set to take place June 15-17 on the Pannonia Fields in Burgenland, the easternmost federal state of Austria (near Nickelsdorf and the Hungarian and Slovak borders). The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): ACROSS THE DELTA AIDEN BOSSHOSS CHILDREN OF BODOM DROWNING POOL FLOGGING MOLLY FOTOS HELMET I AM X IN EXTREMO INCUBUS ISIS LORDI MASTODON ME FIRST & THE GIMME GIMMES PAPA ROACH PEARL JAM SLAYER STONE SOUR THE STAGGERS TESTAMENT Drummer NICK BARKER: 'To Say I'm Stoked Would Be An Understatement!!!" New TESTAMENT drummer Nick Barker (formerly of DIMMU BORGIR and CRADLE OF FILTH) has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Well, first of all, let me inform the non-believers that have posted comments of doubt and negativity here on Blabbermouth that — YES, we are working on the new record, AND YES, die-hard TESTAMENT [fans] will not be disappointed!!!! Eric (Peterson, guitar), Alex (Skolnick, guitar) and myself have been locked away in a Sacremento rehearsal space known as the dungeon of hell, jamming day and night for the new record over the course of the past three weeks, as well as rehearsing with the whole band in Oakland for our upcoming tour of Australia in February. It's still early days yet on the songwriting front, but I will say that what we have so far is quite honestly mindblowing stuff in the vein of 'The Legacy'-, 'New Order'-meets-'The Gathering', only with yours truly behind the kit pounding like I've never pounded before. "It's a truly magical feeling for me when I play the older TESTAMENT songs with the guys as well as writing the new record. I have an overwhelming deep sense of pride, honor and achievement knowing that the four horsemen from apocalyptic city (Chuck [Billy, vocals], Eric, Alex and Greg [Christian, bass]) could choose any one of a million awesome drummers out there in the metal field today to do this, but instead they selected me, some high-school dropout kid from a bullshit mining town in the north of England. "It's still sinking in that I'm the new drummer for the Bay Area GODZ TESTAMENT. It's a great feeling to be jamming with a group of outstanding musicians that I have admired, respected and followed for 20 years of my life. Playing in TESTAMENT is like a teen thrash wet dream come true. To say I'm stoked would be an understatement!!! Upcoming TESTAMENT shows: Mar. 23 - Almassy MK Hall - Budapest, HUN Mar. 24 - Hala Spodek - Katowice, POL Jul. 26 - Hellwood Fest - Subotica, SER Aug. 25 - Up from the Ground Open Air Fest - Gemunden, GER Spitfire will release a TESTAMENT compilation, "The Spitfire Collection", on February 13. Consisting of tracks from such Spitfire/Testament titles as "The Gathering", "Demonic", "Live at the Fillmore", "First Strike Still Deadly" and "Live in London", the 14-track set chronicles an era that ultimately saw the original TESTAMENT reunite for a successful 2005 tour. As a result, "The Spitfire Collection" features both live versions of such TESTAMENT classics as "Practice What You Preach", "Over the Wall", and "Souls of Black", as well as such oft-overlooked studio tracks as "Careful What You Wish For" and "The Burning Times". "The Spitfire Collection" track listing: 01. The New Order 02. Souls of Black 03. Practice What You Preach 04. Hatred's Rise 05. The Burning Times 06. John Doe 07. Careful What You Wish For 08. Down for Life 09. Riding the Snake 10. Over the Wall 11. The Preacher 12. Into the Pit 13. Trial by Fire 14. Disciples of the Watch PAUL DI'ANNO: More Tour Dates Announced Former IRON MAIDEN vocalist Paul Di'Anno has lined up the following dates during the coming months: Mar. 13 - The Zoo - Winnipeg, MAN Mar. 14 - Killroy's - Thunder Bay, ON Mar. 16 - O Nightclub - Windsor, ON Mar. 17 - The Kathedral - Toronto, ON Apr. 19 - Nordwind - Bari, ITA Apr. 20 - Tana Delle Tigri - Montegranaro (AP), ITA Apr. 21 - Boulevard - Misano Adriatico (RN) ITA Apr. 28 - Kolingsborg Club - Stockholm, SWE Apr. 29 - Siljarock Boat Cruise - Stockholm to Helsinki May 27 - Rock Hard Festival 2007 - Gelsenkirchen, GER Di'Anno last re-released his 2000 effort, "Nomad", with a few tracklist alterations, under the title "The Living Dead" (Cleopatra Records). The package comes with a bonus DVD that contains the music video for "The Living Dead" and an exclusive in-depth, tell-all interview in which Di'Anno discusses his days with IRON MAIDEN. ARMORED SAINT Confirmed For Germany's ROCK HARD FESTIVAL ARMORED SAINT has been confirmed for this year's edition of the Rock Hard Festival, set to take place May 25-27 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): AMON AMARTH ARMORED SAINT AXEL RUDI PELL BULLET CATARACT DARK FUNERAL GRAVE DIGGER HARDCORE SUPERSTAR HEAVEN SHALL BURN KATAKLYSM KORPIKLAANI MAROON METAL INQUISITOR PAUL DI'ANNO (playing IRON MAIDEN set) ROSS THE BOSS (playing MANOWAR set) SABATON SPOCK'S BEARD TANKARD TURISAS ARMORED SAINT played a number a European and U.S. dates last summer, some of which were taped for the band's upcoming live DVD. It is not presently clear if plans exist for the group to begin work on a new studio album. ARMORED SAINT's last CD, "Revelation", came out in 2000 on the Metal Blade label. ARMORED SAINT/ex-ANTHRAX singer John Bush recently did some voicover work for Burger King, including a TV commercial for a Burger King credit card stocking stuffer, as well as a second spot in conjunction with Xbox. SLOUGH FEG, NOVEMBERS DOOM Confirmed For ALEHORN OF POWER FESTIVAL I SLOUGH FEG, NOVEMBERS DOOM, BIBLE OF THE DEVIL, CRESCENT SHIELD, WIDOW and VALKYRIE have been confirmed for the Alehorn Of Power Festival II, set to take place Saturday, June 16 at the Double Door in Chicago, IL. According to a press release, the festival "reunites some of the best emerging forces of American heavy metal, and it is intended as a tribute to all the overseas metal fans who have been incredibly supportive to [Italian label] Cruz Del Sur Music activities through these years." Tickets will be $13 in advance through the Double Door box office or Ticketmaster.com and $15 at the door the night of the event. ICED EARTH Confirmed For Germany's WACKEN OPEN AIR Festival ICED EARTH has been confirmed for this year's installment of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2007 in Wacken, Germany. The billing is now shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): 1349 AMORPHIS BELPHEGOR BENEDICTUM BLACK MAJESTY BLIND GUARDIAN BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE CANNIBAL CORPSE CHTHONIC COMMUNIC DESTRUCTION DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER DIMMU BORGIR DIR EN GREY DISILLUSION ENSLAVED FALCONER GRAVE DIGGER HAGGARD HEAVEN SHALL BURN ICED EARTH IMMORTAL IN FLAMES J.B.O. KAMPFAR LACUNA COIL LETZTE INSTANZ LORDI MENDEED MOONSORROW MOONSPELL MUNICIPAL WASTE NAPALM DEATH NARZISS NEAERA NORTHER RAGE & LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTER SACRED REICH SAMAEL SAXON SCHANDMAUL SODOM SONIC SYNDICATE STORMWARRIOR (feat. GAMMA RAY's Kai Hansen) STRATOVARIUS SWALLOW THE SUN THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER THE SORROW THE VISION BLEAK THERION TYR UNHEILIG VADER VOLBEAT ICED EARTH/BEYOND FEAR frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens is currently working with ICED EARTH guitarist/mainman Jon Schaffer on a two-part concept album based on the "Something Wicked This Way Comes" story that first appeared on ICED EARTH's 1998 album of the same name. "Something Wicked (Part 1)" will be released in September/October 2007, to be followed by "Part 2" in January/February 2008. Commented Owens: "I'm right in the middle of working on the ICED EARTH songs, and wow, they sound kick-ass! Jon is working his ass off and this CD will blow people away!" HEAVEN AND HELL, MEGADETH, DOWN: Canadian Tickets To Go On Sale According to the House Of Blues web site, tickets for the following HEAVEN AND HELL / MEGADETH / DOWN concerts in Canada will go on sale this Friday, January 26: Mar. 20 - Sault St. Marie, ON @ Steelback Centre Mar. 22 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre Mar. 24 - London, ON @ John Labatt Centre Mar. 28 - Ottawa, ON @ Civic Centre MEGADETH and DOWN are expected to provide support for most of the Canadian dates on the HEAVEN AND HELL tour, which kicks off March 11 in Vancouver. The complete Canadian itinerary is as follows: Mar. 11 - Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum Mar. 13 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place Mar. 14 - Calgary, AB @ Saddledome Mar. 16 - Regina, SK @ Brandt Centre Mar. 18 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre Mar. 20 - Sault St. Marie, ON @ Steelback Centre Mar. 22 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre Mar. 24 - London, ON @ John Labatt Centre Mar. 26 - Montreal, PQ @ Bell Centre Mar. 27 - Quebec City, PQ @ Colisee Pepsi Arena Mar. 28 - Ottawa, ON @ Civic Centre As previously reported, the first U.S. gig of the HEAVEN AND HELL tour will be March 30 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. There will be no opening act for this show; it's just HEAVEN AND HELL. The band is expected to play an extra-long set at this concert. Tickets are priced between $54.00 and $74.00 and go on sale Friday, January 26 at 10:00 a.m. There will be other U.S. dates, but not before August. No further information is currently available on which cities they might hit. After the Canadian tour and the New York City date, HEAVEN AND HELL will play South America before heading over to Europe for the summer festival run. A full U.S. tour will take place in August, to be followed by U.K., Japan and Australia. Metalcamp News WANNA TRY SOMETHING NEW? EXPERIENCE 1 WEEK OF METAL HEAVEN WITH SOME OF THE BEST BANDS EVER UNIQUE CHANCE TO GET ALL IN ONE Dear Metalcampers, We are proud to announce that one of the most influential bands of the past decade, the hard core institution HATEBREED confirmed their appearance at Metalcamp festival. If you yearn for intense Slayer riffing, pure power and true New York hard core, make sure you are not the defeatist- be there. The Hatebreed main man, Jamey Jasta is not only the Hatebreed front man, but also represents today’s extreme music itself, the Headbanger's Ball presenter at Mtv2 truly presents the supremacy of today's aggressive music scene. Slovenia’s finest NOCTIFERIA and PROSPECT are the new forces to join the first metal holiday. Noctiferia is known for its unique style and constant musical progress. They started to discover where nobody else dared to try. Noctiferia’s modern death metal today sounds like a fresh breeze, different, without any unnecessary parts, with loud and clear message - the metal for new generations. Are you in love with American heavy / thrash metal bands? Love singers like James Riviera or Warrel Dane? Prospect is the perfect band for the high pitch vocalist lovers, its unique melodies and great guitar work will convince you there is a great future for heavy metal. IMMORTAL, BLIND GUARDIAN, HATEBREED, SODOM, ENSIFERUM, AMON AMARTH, DORO, KORPIKLAANI, DISMEMBER, THRESHOLD, DEW-SCENTED, NOCTIFERIA, PROSPECT, GRAVEWORM, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER, ARS MORIENDI, THE VISION BLEAK, SARDONIC, FULL BLOWN CHAOS DONT MISS THE FIRST METAL HOLIDAY EVER PREPARE YOURSELF FOR 1 WEEK OF METAL MADNESS 16.- 22. JULY TOLMIN SLOVENIA www.metalcamp.com DEW-SCENTED album ready, but no drummer! DEW-SCENTED just finished the recordings for their upcoming album "Incinerate". A statement from the band: "It’s done! “Incinerate” is finally mixed and mastered. Andy Sneap has exceed all our expectations and this new album came out being the best sounding release so far. We can’t wait for you to hear it! It will be released on March 30th in Europe via Nuclear Blast records and we should have some advance sound samples available for you here on the site in the coming weeks. In the meantime, here is the album’s final tracklist: 1. Exordium [Intro] 2. Vanish Away 3. Final Warning 4. That’s Why I Despise You 5. The Fraud 6. Into The Arms Of Misery 7. Perdition For All 8. Now Or Never 9. Aftermath 10. Everything Undone 11. Contraddictions 12. Retain The Scars 13. Exitus [Outro] We have additionally recorded some cool bonus tracks and are playing around with several sweet ideas for a limited edition release with a special packaging and plenty of extra material. More details on this soon!" In other news, DEW-SCENTED are looking for a new Drummer: "After six albums and so many good years and experiences together, our drummer Uwe is no longer with Dew-Scented. We thank him for the great time and wish him all the best for the future! This leaves Dew-Scented looking for a new steady drummer. We are searching for someone to take over the drum spot in a solid way and as his main priority. Please note that you must be a) a skilled player b) available for rehearsals / recording / touring c) located in a logistically suitable area of the world and d) devoted to the cause of thrash metal ;-) Please feel free to contact us in case you think that you could be a good match: flo@dew-scented.net or info@dew-scented.net On occasion of the release of the new DEW SCENTED album, DEW-SCENTED will play an exclusive Releaseshow on Friday, the 30th of March in the Tower Club in Bremen! More infos: www.tower-bremen.de The day after, the No Mercy-Festival Tour 2007 will kick off. Apart from DEW-SCENTED, MOONSPELL, NAPALM DEATH, BEHEMOTH and ROOT are on the billing. Check out our Tourdate-Section for the exact Dates! ARSIS part ways with drummer West Virginia's ARSIS have parted ways with drummer Mike Van Dyne. "While we never wanted him to go, we wish him the best on all his future endeavours," the band writes in a statement. The new line up consists of the following: Ryan Knight - Guitar Noah Martin - Bass Darren Cesca - Drums, Vocals James Malone - Guitar, vocals Out on Equilibrium Music Puissance (Sweden) "Grace of God" [ EQM017 ] Digipak CD 2007, Equilibrium Music EAN: 5 600323 960170 Three years after "State Collapse", the cogwheels on the Puissance-warmachine have been fine-tuned and put to work again, in a crushing motion that seems to be as defiant and innovative as ever. Forerunners in blending post-Industrial soundscapes with seemingly Wagnerian inspired classical scores, the Swedish duo's controversial portrayal of human life often tends to raise a mix of conflicting feelings towards them. In keeping with such tradition, this return by Puissance serves as a lucid statement on current world affairs. In Soderlund's own words, ""Grace of God" is partially meant as a commentary on contemporary events both social and political. Our goal is to inform yet retain a poetic undertone to frame our analysis of world politics and objectives. This album focus heavily on the foreign policy of western civilizations particularly inspired by neoconservatives and other proponents of economically based genocides in third world countries. Rather than subscribing to any political agenda, Puissance stands out as artists against the political and financial motives that have led up to numerous unresolvable conflicts that are on the verge of plunging us into the third world war." Musically, "Grace of God" could well be referred to as a re-definition of the currently over-abused Martial-Pop term, yet Puissance's own superior combination of sumptuous Neo-Classical and Industrial elements raises any potential Pop anthem to an entirely distinct level. More melodic and vocal-oriented than before, this latest opus also comes to expose a more rhythmic approach that had been hinted at in previous releases, but which has now morphed into a powerful and relentless driving force in Söderlund and Möller's compositions. Compellingly militant as well as beautifully apocalyptic, "Grace of God" finds Puissance in top form, presenting a fine compendium of all bits and pieces that the band have been flirting with throughout their career and incorporating them in a unique style which will again set new standards, as they have been known to do in previous outputs. "Grace of God" is available in deluxe Digipak edition, containing a data track whose contents can be unlocked only via a custom made player made available at www.puissance.info. Equilibrium Music will also be releasing a re-mastered and re-designed edition of the band's 1998 album "Back In Control" at the same time. Official sites: www.puissance.info for info/mp3: www.equilibriummusic.com SHADOWS FALL: New Album Release Date Announced Massachusetts-based metallers SHADOWS FALL will release their new album, "Threads of Life", on April 2 in Europe via Roadrunner Records and April 3 in North America via Atlantic Records. The CD will include the songs "Redemption", "Burning the Lives", "Another Hero Lost" and "Venomous". The band irecently wrapped up the mixing process with Zeuss (HATEBREED, UNEARTH). Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, VELVET REVOLVER) produced the disc in Los Angeles at Dave Grohl's Studio 606. "Nick helped us to push our performances to new heights and experiment a lot more with vocal harmonies and guitar layers that have really added new dimensions to these songs," frontman Brian Fair said in a statement. "This record has a real ebb and flow throughout, covering a wide variety of emotions and levels of intensity. There are the full-on thrash tunes, just balls-out and metal, some technical shred tunes and some acoustic melodic moments that offer a nice contrast to the more brutal moments." SHADOWS FALL will team up with STONE SOUR and LACUNA COIL for the latest installment of the Jägermeister Music Tour, which is set to kick off March 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota. HATEBREED, UNLEASHED, FULL BLOWN CHAOS Confirmed For Slovenia's HATEBREED, UNLEASHED, and FULL BLOWN CHAOS have been confirmed for the Metalcamp 2007 festival, set to take place July 16-21, 2007 in Tolmin, Slovenia. More than 80 bands will perform on two stages over the course of five days of live music. The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order): AMON AMARTH ANIMOSITY ARS MORIENDI BLIND GUARDIAN CONVERGE DEW-SCENTED DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER DISILLUSION DISMEMBER DORO ELUVEITIE ENSIFERUM EVENTIDE FULL BLOWN CHAOS GRAVEWORM HATEBREED IMMORTAL SARDONIC SODOM THE EXPLOITED THE VISION BLEAK THRESHOLD UNLEASHED VREID CELESTIA CD OUT NOW!!! PARAGON RECORDS PROUDLY PRESENTS CELESTIA Apparitia-Sumptuous Spectre CD OUT NOW!!! The acclaimed debut album by the masters of Ethereal Black Metal, Re-mixed and re-mastered. Featuring brand new artwork, packaged in a luxurious digi-pack!!! Available for $12(us) Europeans can purchase the album through Aeternitas Tenebrarum Foundation (http://www.atmf.net/) http://www.paragonrecords.net/