Old News / Tours - October 2003


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October 29th, 2003	A Message from NEXX: To coincide with the official Spanish release of the Nexx highly acclaimed debut CD, "Colours", we are pleased to give people the opportunity to download the complete version of the atmospheric ballad "Indifference" which showcases all the elements that make Nexx so special. "Colours", recorded at Mastertone studios (UK), produced by Pete PeeWee Coleman (AC/DC, OMD, Paradise Lost, etc.), and released by Now and Then, has received a great response by the media and fans with great reviews in Metal Hammer, Powerplay, Fireworks, Breakout, melodicrock.com, etc.. Nexx presented "Colours" last May at the Gods of AOR festival in England and, of course, in their country, Spain, for more than 400 people at the Caracol venue. Recently Nexx has been touring Spain supporting Jeff Scott Soto and next weekend Patricia Tapia, Nexx singer, will perform an acoustic show in Santander (Spain) opening for Bob Catley. You can download "Indifference" in www.webnexx.com or www.nowandthen.co.uk GUITAR WIZARD STEVE VAI TO RELEASE 2-DVD SET 'LIVE AT THE ASTORIA LONDON' ON FAVORED NATIONS ON NOVEMBER 18, 2003 BONUS FEATURES INCLUDE BACKSTAGE FOOTAGE, INTERVIEWS, DISCOGRAPHY AND COMMENTARY TRACK Steve Vai is on the short list of the greatest guitarists ever, and his musical vision is captured on this two-DVD set 'Live at the Astoria London' scheduled for release on November 18, 2003, on Favored Nations. 'Live at the Astoria London' is Vai's first-ever live performance DVD, and it clocks in at more than 2 1/2 hours. It was filmed at the Astoria in London, England, on December 6 and 7, 2001, while on tour promoting Vai's 'Alive in an Ultra World' album. Vai's all-star band includes bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Virgil Donati, guitarist/keyboardist Tony MacAlpine and guitarist Dave Weiner. The 21 tracks on 'Live at the Astoria London,' many of which were performed live for the very first time at this concert, include: "Shyboy," "Giant Balls of Gold," "Erotic Nightmares," "Blood & Glory," "Dave's Party Piece," "Blue Powder," "Crying Machine," "The Animal," "Bangkok," "Tony's Solo," "Bad Horsie," "Chameleon," "Down Deep Into the Pain," "Fire," "Little Wing," "Whispering a Prayer," "Incantation," "Jibboom," "For the Love of God," "Liberty" and "The Attitude Song." "When I go to a show, I'm hoping to see it all. Great musicianship, nice songs, some kind of theatrical entertainment value etc. Since these are the things I like to see when I go to a concert, these are the things that I like to have in my set," Vai says. "To me it's important to perform familiar things and some new things too. There are several songs on this DVD that are first-time performances such as 'Blue Powder.' I added the Jimi Hendrix songs because of my deep respect for him and the familiarity level of his stuff with the fans." Vai loved the challenge of preparing this different set with the band, especially the guitar interplay with Tony MacAlpine and Dave Weiner. "Most of my songs have some deep intricacies in them. Two- to four-guitar part harmony, written keyboard melodies and such, so it takes quite a lot of focus and attention to the construction of the performance of many of my tracks. The idea is to make it sound accessible and entertaining," he says. "Good thing the guys in the band are both tremendously talented and patient. "Much of my music has rhythm guitars and many harmonies so it's advantageous to have musicians that can play the stuff so we can reproduce it live. If I want things to thin out I just request it. It's always an advantage to have another great guitarist in the band and in this case it's especially nice because they are such cool guys too." A great deal of work went into the preparation of 'Live at the Astoria London,' and it all started with the two concerts themselves and the attention to detail. The excitement and energy generated by a live performance provide that special spark. Special DVD features include a 5.1 Surround Sound audio mix, backstage footage, interviews, a commentary track by Vai and band members, band member biographies and Vai's discography. "The audio commentary is interesting because I have basically the whole band with me and we are discussing the show, the songs and each guy gets to talk a bit about their solos, what they were thinking etc.," says Vai. "The backstage footage is just hilarious. We worked out a few skits and there are interviews with some of the crew." Vai, a native of Long Island, NY, is known for his astonishing diversity and his fluid, seemingly effortless, guitar lines that often accelerate like a rocket blasting off at light-speed. His usual axe of choice is his own signature model Ibanez Jem. At the tender age of 19 Steve Vai joined Frank Zappa's band. Vai played on many albums by the eccentric, incredibly prolific genius during his main 1979-1984 stint including 'Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar' and 'You Are What You Is.' Vai released his first solo album, 'Flex-Able,' in 1984 and it was a sensation in the guitar world. After five years with Zappa, Vai joined the heavy metal group Alcatrazz, which featured former Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet, for 1985's 'Disturbing the Peace.' 1986 was the year Vai broke through into mainstream consciousness. He made a very memorable cameo appearance in the film 'Crossroads' which starred Ralph Macchio. Its plot was partly based on the Robert Johnson myth and Vai played Jack Butler, the devil's guitarist, in a six-string showdown with Macchio's character. Macchio's guitar parts were also played by Vai (except for the slide guitar licks played by Ry Cooder). This scene's music was later released on Vai's 2002 best-of album 'The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1' as "Head-Cuttin' Duel." His god-like stature in guitar circles was further cemented in 1986 when he earned a high-profile mainstream spot in former Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth's first solo band, which also included Billy Sheehan. Vai was integral to Roth's first two solo albums: 1986's 'Eat 'Em and Smile' and 1988's 'Skyscraper.' The most notable songs from these albums include "Yankee Rose," "Goin' Crazy!" "Just Like Paradise" "Stand Up" and "Damn Good." Vai joined Whitesnake for 1989's 'Slip of the Tongue' and played all the guitar parts on the album himself due to an injury suffered by Adrian Vandenberg. It was time for Vai to step out on his own as a solo artist and between 1990 and 2001 he released a string of acclaimed albums: 'Passion and Warfare,' 'Sex & Religion' (technically a band project called Vai featuring vocalist Devin Townsend), 'Alien Love Secrets,' 'Fire Garden,' 'Flex-Able Leftovers,' 'The Ultra Zone,' 'The 7th Song: Enchanting Guitar Melodies Archive' and 'Alive in an Ultra World.' He also contributed to various soundtracks and made several album guest appearances during this period. Vai toured with Satriani and Eric Johnson on the first-ever G3 tour in 1996 and will promote 'Live at the Astoria London' this October and November with the latest G3 North American tour with Satriani and Yngwie Malmsteen on board. Billy Sheehan, Tony MacAlpine, Dave Weiner and new drummer Jeremy Colson will be playing with Vai on this fall's run of G3 shows. The G3 '03 tour dates include: Thursday, October 9th - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre Friday, October 10th - Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues Saturday, October 11th - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's By the Bay Sunday, October 12th - Reno, NV - Reno Hilton Theatre Tuesday, October 14th - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theatre Wednesday, October 15th - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre Thursday, October 16th - Portland, OR - Portland Art Museum Friday, October 17th - Concord, CA - Chronicle Pavilion Saturday, October 18th - Los Angeles, CA - Greek Theatre Monday, October 20th - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium Tuesday, October 21st - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre Wednesday, October 22nd - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre Thursday, October 23rd - Detroit, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills Friday, October 24th - Chicago, IL - Riviera Theater Saturday, October 25th - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre Monday, October 27th - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium Tuesday, October 28th - Winston-Salem, NC - Millennium Center Wednesday, October 29th - Atlanta, GA - The Tabernacle Thursday, October 30th - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall Friday, October 31st - West Palm Beach, FL - Kravis Center for the Arts Saturday, November 1st - Orlando, FL - House of Blues Sunday, November 2nd - Pensacola, FL - Saenger Theatre Tuesday, November 4th - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre Wednesday, November 5th - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre Thursday, November 6th - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall Friday, November 7th - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre Saturday, November 8th - Pittsburgh, PA - A.J. Palumbo Center Monday, November 10th - New York, NY - Beacon Theater Tuesday, November 11th - New York, NY - Beacon Theater Wednesday, November 12th - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre www.vai.com GF93 joins Mechanism roster ! Mechanism is really honoured to announce the signing of extreme nu-metallers GF93 !!! We left them back in 1997 opening for Swamp Terrorists during our legendary BIOTECH INDUSTRIAL SUMMER FESTIVAL, we remember their show as one of the most deadly ones, totally blasting the huge Biotech's audience in a terrific mosh pit. GF93 was a quite young band but already spitting a furious extreme metal , full of darkness and sonic violence, today they are one of the most appreciated international italian metal bands, with 3 albums at their active and lots more comin' up !!! The band played as open act to WASP, NOEFX, Ultraviolence and the already named Swamp Terrorists, touring all over Italy and UK with bands like Misery Loves Co. , Earthtone9, Snub and Area 54. Their most successful album "Convulse All Star" received the positive and enthusiastic consensus from all prestigious rock magazines like RockSound, Psycho, Rock Hard, Rumore, Metal Shock, Flash, Metal Hammer, and featured the special appearance of Patrik Wiren, unforgettable and most appreciated singer from swedish grammy awards winners, Misery loves Co., who co-wrote and sung on GF93's hit song "Eight Years". The first GF93 release on Mechanism will see the light in the early months of 2004 with a remixed album of their best tracks. http://www.GF93.com FIVE FOOT THICK set street date for debut national release... Five Foot Thick's new CD entitled Blood Puddle is in stores everywhere on 11-4-2003. The enhanced CD will contain 9 songs, a music video for the lead track "Unfounded", and links to exclusive online content. The track listing is as follows... 1. Unfounded 2. Bored 3. Ducked Out 4. Betrayed 5. Listen 6. Blood Puddle 7. Nothing 8. Clarity 9. Envy You Five Foot Thick will be touring throughout the fall as well as supporting Slayer and Hatebreed on select dates of the Jagermeister Music Tour. Scheduled tourdates are as follows: 11/25/2003 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre - Jagermeister Music Tour with Slayer & Hatebreed 11/3/2003 - Portland, OR - Ash Street Saloon 11/2/2003 - Tacoma, WA - Hell's Kitchen 11/1/2003 - Seattle, WA - Studio 7 10/31/2003 - Spokane, WA - Club Real Soda For more information on Five Foot Thick... Five Foot Thick official website at http://www.fivefootthick.com CONSPIRACY A.D. have just announced the title, final tracklist and release date for their forthcoming album. "Humanity = Destruction ...The end is near" is set to be worldwide released by CrashMusicInc on January 13th 2004. TRACKLIST: 1. Prelude to the apocalypse 2- Bloody revenge 3- Killers of Justice 4- Enslavement 5- The endless darkness 6- Tales from a dark soul (bleed you white) 7- Death and blood 8- The sadness of mankind 9- Warfare part I 10- Warfare part II 11- Distorted visions of a dying world Click here to see the album cover. CONSPIRACY A.D. official website: www.conspiracyad.com MAGELLAN last effort "Impossible Figures" will be finally released on 11-03-2003 by InsideOut. Tracklist: 1. Gorilla With A Pitchfork 2. Killer Of Hope 3. Bach 16 4. Late For Church 5. Confessor’s Overture 6. Hymn For A Heathen 7. A World Groove 8. Counterpoints 9. Feel The Cross Produced By Magellan Engineered by Trent Gardner SEVENDUST ACHIEVES THEIR BIGGEST DEBUT TO DATE WITH SEASONS Band Also Nails #1 Spots on Hard Music & Independent Album charts in First Week New York, NY, October 16 Å] This week heavy rock giants Sevendust will enter the Billboard Top 200 at #14 on sales of 67,049 units of their fourth album Seasons. This marks the band’s biggest debut week in units scanned as well as chart position. Seasons will also enter the Hard Music Albums chart at #1 and the Independent Albums chart at #1. Sevendust’s last disc Animosity, released on November 11, 2001 debuted at #28 with 61,394 units. All of the band’s previous three albums have been certified Gold by the R.I.A.A. "This is a great artist development story," said Paul Burgess, Senior Vice President of Marketing at TVT Records. "Even with major trend shifts in rock music over the past two years, Sevendust returns bigger than ever." Seasons is being fueled by the hit rock single "Enemy" which the band will perform on NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly on November 7. Hard rock bible Metal Edge Magazine in early praise of the album said: "Seasons is a mandatory record of 2003. The perfect junction of mosh pit madness and radio friendly opuses." Sevendust will be featured on the cover of the next issue of the Metal Edge, hitting newsstands in early November. Sevendust is currently on a national tour with Staind that will run though November and will begin headlining in December and all through 2004. www.sevendust.com The debut CD for SUMMONER, after the very well acclaimed demo-CD "Summoner Sign" last year, "Winter Solstice" tracks are a perfect, powerful mix of Swedish Death Metal in the vein of Dark Tranquillity and In Flames, and Gothic atmospheres, which include beautiful female vocals, in Anneke (The Gathering) style. Also Dhilorz from ANCIENT, and Daniel Botti from NODE appears as special guest on vocals. Bombastic production and killer artwork!!! "Winter Solstice" has been recorded at Alfa & Omega studios. Mixed at Alfa & Omega studios and Mirage studios. Artwork by Jarno Lahti. LUXT GEARS UP FOR TOUR OF WESTERN STATES SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Edgy hard rockers Luxt will hit the road for a tour of the western United States, where they will debut new material and a new bass player. Singly-named bassist Reed is a transplant from Connecticut who befriended Luxt after seeing the band numerous times. When former bassist Crash left the band to attend film school, Reed was the obvious choice to replace him. “We recognized his talents and are ecstatic to have him on board,” said vocalist Anna Christine. The multi-instrumentalist will also contribute vocals to during Luxt’s live shows. After a handful of national tours in support of this year’s “American Beast” release, Luxt have begun working on new music which is taking a very strong melodic and much more musical sense than the past. The band will play some of these new track live during the upcoming tour. “We’re all very excited to start playing these new songs soon,” said Anna Christine. Dates are as follow: 10/17/03 Fri. Speakeasy Casino, Reno, NV 10/18/03 Sat. Albee Square City, Salt Lake City, UT 10/19/03 Sun. Club Mill, Pocatello, ID 10/22/03 Wed. Starlight Theatre, Fort Collins, CO 10/23/03 Thu. Lion’s Lair, Denver, CO 10/24/03 Fri. TBA, Colorado Springs, CO 10/25/03 Sat. TBA, Colorado Springs, CO 10/26/03 Sun. The Filling Station, Billings, MT 10/27/03 Mon. The B-side, Spokane, WA 10/28/03 Tue. Hell’s Kitchen, Tacoma, WA 10/29/03 Wed. The Fenix, Seattle, WA 10/30/03 Thu. Conan’s, Portland, OR 11/05/03 Wed. Liquid Den, Huntington Beach, CA 11/07/03 Fri. The Daily Grind, Turlock, CA 11/08/03 Sat. The Mainzer Theatre, Modesto, CA 11/14/03 Fri. The Blank, San Jose, CA www.luxt.com NEAL MORSE TOUR TO PROMOTE RADIANT/METAL BLADE RECORDS RELEASE 'TESTIMONY' WILL INCLUDE MATERIAL FROM THE ALBUM AND SPOCK'S BEARD AND TRANSATLANTIC FAVORITES SELECT SHOWS WILL INCLUDE SPECIAL GUEST MIKE PORTNOY Neal Morse's solo career has gotten off to a highly successful start, and it's also been emotionally rewarding for the singer/songwriter/guitarist/keyboardist too. His deeply personal, two-CD studio album 'Testimony' on Radiant/Metal Blade Records has been earning the former Spock's Beard member rave reviews. And he recently completed two very different live performances on the same day in his home base of Nashville, TN, and they served as a basic warm-up for his upcoming tour. On October 4, 2003, Morse and his band played at Woodland Hills Youth Development Center, a juvenile detention center. It was the first time he'd played live as a solo artist since departing Spock's Beard one year ago. The event was arranged to resemble a church picnic, and Morse was playing for some volunteers inside a tent. At first, none of the troubled youngsters came inside, but then many began to filter in and listen to such songs as "God Won't Give Up," "Wasted Life," "Sing It High" and several of Morse's unreleased gospel numbers. "It was very emotional. I felt God's hand at work and at one point I started to cry," Morse says. "I'd like for people to know where our hearts are at." Later that same day, he played an acoustic-oriented, in-store concert at Tower Records' Opry Mills location in Nashville. It was a huge success, with a much larger crowd attending than was expected, and the song selection was a little different from the set played at the youth detention center. "The turnout was incredible. There were fans there who had either flown in or drove in from places like New York, North Carolina, Kentucky and Georgia," says Morse. "We played songs that lent themselves well to that kind of environment like 'Sleeping Jesus,' 'Wasted Life' and 'Sing It High.' " Morse's upcoming tour dates with a full band in the United States and Europe are going to be broken down into two variations. The concerts with his "combo" will feature select songs from 'Testimony' (enough to tell the complete autobiographical narrative) and shorter songs from his work with Spock's Beard and Transatlantic. The concerts featuring drummer Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Morse's longtime friend and Transatlantic collaborator, will be the 'Testimony' "extravaganza." The album will be performed in its entirety and encores will alternate between either a Spock's Beard or a Transatlantic epic. "Combo" concerts include: Friday, October 24 - Metuchen, NJ - NJ Proghouse/Franklin School House (sold out) Saturday, October 25 - Rochester, NY - Max Of Eastman Place Sunday, October 26 - Lowell, MA - The Play Loft "Portnoy extravaganza" concerts include: Thursday, November 13 - United Kingdom - Manchester MDH Friday, November 14 - United Kingdom - London Astoria Sunday, November 16 - Holland - Rijssen Lucky Monday, November 17 - Holland - Tilburg 013 Tuesday, November 18 - Germany - Aschaffenburg Colos-Saal Wednesday, November 19 - Germany - Bochum Zeche Friday, November 21 - Metuchen, NJ - Metuchen Forum Theater Sunday, November 23 - Whittier, CA - Center Theater Stage/Whittier Community College The November 23 show in Whittier, CA (the Los Angeles area) will be filmed for possible DVD release in the future. At this time, Morse and his band are engaged in intense rehearsals to bring the heartfelt music of 'Testimony' and Spock's Beard and Transatlantic favorites to vibrant life on the concert stage. www.nealmorse.com CRISIS has established a self-operated record label called Children Of Rage – the first venture will be a re-mastered version of Crisis’ debut ‘8 Convulsions’ released in cooperation with Martyr Music – the album originally came out in 1994 and has been out of print. Metal Update GORGOROTH member, Gaahl, is going to to court on October 20 to face charges of “unordinary vile use of violence” – the vocalist faces a jail sentence of up to six years if he is convicted. Metal Update LORD BELIAL original drummer Micke Backelin has replaced Daniel Moilanen. Metal Update THE YEAR OF OUR LORD has broken up due to differences of opinion regarding musical direction - guitarist Nick Kyte is concentrating on Kayo Dot and drummer Colin Conway is involved with Frozen. Metal Update VYNDYKATOR drummer Chris Scorsese has left the band to concentrate solely on Alchemy X. Metal Update THE DREAM IS DEAD bassist Jason McCash has left the band in order focus more on his family – his replacement is former Ice Nine guitarist Dave Lawson. Metal Update EARTHBOUND SMOKE GHOST has ceased to be, but will be reborn as Namanista. Metal Update ISIS: Robotic Empire will be releasing a series of limited 12"s containing tracks from the band’s ‘Oceanic’ record remixed by the following: J. K. Broadrick, 27, Dalek, Christian Fennesz, Thomas Koner, kid606, Buzz Osborne, DJ Speedranch, Mike Patton, James Plotkin, Venetian Snares, Tim Hecker and perhaps one or two more. Metal Update A recent settlement of the case that pitted Byford’s SAXON against Oliver/Dawson’s Saxon enables Biff Byford's band and that band alone to use the Saxon name by itself, together with the traditional Saxon logo and Saxon eagle. Metal Update CANNIBAL CORPSE recently reached the one million mark for combined sales of all their gore soaked albums. Metal Update OZZY OSBOURNE has postponed his planned European tour because of the effects of medication he's taking to treat tremors – one of the side effects of the medication is dry mouth, which greatly impairs the voice - Ozzy stated: “I feel like I keep letting you all down which breaks my heart, but you have my word that I will be over in the New Year to complete my European tour”. Metal Update KISS former guitarist Bruce Kulick (current guitarist for Grand Funk Railroad) was shot at random after leaving the Key Club in Hollywood on Wednesday night – according to Kulick: “I’m fine and very thankful to be alive, and I’m back on the road with Grand Funk”. Metal Update MOONSPELL, the Portuguese outfit has just confirmed more dates for their extensive tour which does not only include their forthcoming US-tour with Cradle Of Filth and Type O Negative in November and December, as well as European tour with label-mates LACUNA COIL, PASSENGER and POISONBLACK in December and January, but also headlining shows in their home-territory Portugal, Turkey, Greece and Spain during the next few months. http://www.moonspell.com Scott Sergeant rejoins SKINLAB Frontman Steev Esquivel has posted the following message to the band's web site: "Hey hey everyone, some more updates from the LAB!! First off, we would like to announce that our bro Scott Sergeant is back in the band. Yup, that's right after 3yrs away from the music industry, Scott has decided to rejoin SKINLAB to take part in the rest of the touring cycle for 'reVolting Room' and begin writing for the next album. We're stoked to have Scott back, and look forward to writing some brutal shit." In other news, SKINLAB will also be featured in the upcoming movie 'Pit Fight'. The movie will be one of the first Extreme Fighting movies of its kind. The band is expected to be playing during an intense fighting scene in the movie, as well as Steev playing of a small role in the film. Alongside of this, we will be shooting a video for 'Beneath the Surface' in Hollywood with director/producer Bobby Razak. Filming will begin late Oct during the first few stops of our headlining dates, then it's all about..... SLAYER!!!! "See ya in the pit!" Tourdates on http://www.centurymedia.de http://www.skinlab1.com DARKANE guitarist Klas Ideberg underwent surgery for a slipped disc in his back on October 2nd. "He has had an evil back pain [for the past] 3 months and had to sit down on the stage during DARKANE's show in Tel-Aviv last week," the band revealed on their website. "When he came back from Israel, he was immediately hospitalized. Klas is having a lot of pain right now but is looking forward to geting home in a few days and the fact that all this will come to an end." http://www.darkane.com/ We are very proud to announce that the legendary Bay Area Thrashers, DEATH ANGEL, have signed a long-term deal with Nuclear Blast! After their highly acclaimed reunion show at the ‘THRASH OF THE TITANS’ and the legendary show at the Effenaar and No Mercy Festival Tour earlier this year, the band have finally found a safe home! DEATH ANGEL are now working on new material for their fourth studio album, which is scheduled to be released in 2004. http://www.deathangel.com/ Peter from HYPOCRISY has informed the label that the latest album has been recorded and is currently getting mastered, and is slated for an early 2004 release. This release promises to have all the characteristics of a HYPOCRISY record including memorable songs, catchy hooks and tons of crunchiness. Titled The Arrival, this release is easily comparable in sound to Abducted and the self-titled Hypocrisy album. www.hypocrisy.tv Sweden's IN FLAMES have posted the following update to their official web site: "Hello all, some news regarding the current recording of the follow up to ['Reroute To Remain']. On Saturday the 27th of September we traveled to Denmark with 2 buses filled with studio equipment, and our personal instruments, etc to start what will be next year's IN FLAMES release, featuring Daniel Bergstrand [MESHUGGAH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD] and Örjan Örnklo [ex-MISERY LOVES CO.] as producers. "Everything looks great here: the equipment is hooked up and working well, five songs are done on rhythm guitar, and on Monday [October 6] we'll start laying down bass guitar, and then move on to vocals. "We have two studios set up, one for guitar and electronics and one for bass and vocals, so the recording process is very smooth. "For relaxation we have a fully equipped spa area with a sauna, a jacuzzi, a pool and a tanning bed, so whenever there is time for getting our acts together, we just go there… "And to make things even better, we have our personal assistant Magnus with us and our chef — also named Magnus — so we get excellent food each day and some great assistance... "Right now we have our magnificent webmaster Fredrik visiting, and some pictures will be uploaded soon to give you a small view on what we're doing, and we'll try to keep you updated more throughout this month, with pictures and info… "We were also supposed to have some web cam pictures for you, but Fredrik got a little too much under his belt yesterday and couldn't understand the procedure, so maybe next time… "Have fun and we'll talk soon, Jesper Daniel Anders Björn & Peter" http://www.inflames.com/

October 20th, 2003	KITTIE TO DEBUT NEW MATERIAL ON UPCOMING TOUR LONDON, Ontario – Canadian metal band Kittie will use The Kiss of Infamy Tour with Motograter and 40 Below Summer to debut its first new material since the release of its 2001 sophomore release “Oracle.” “This tour is going to be special because we will be giving our fans the chance to preview new songs before they have even been recorded,” said drummer Mercedes Lander. “We are so excited to see the reactions of our fans when they hear the new material.” Added guitarist/frontwoman Morgan Lander: “We have been working hard to prepare for this tour and in doing so have written some amazing new material. These are the first new songs we have written in over two years, and musically it all came together so quickly that most were written in a week. The maturation of the band is really obvious, and we are totally pleased with the outcome.” After the release of “Oracle,” Kittie wore their road warrior gear steadily until a recent half-year break, during which the band has been involved in a lawsuit against its record company. “After seven months of hiatus, with a few Mexico shows in between, we are ready to get back on the road and do what we do best!” said Lander. “We are truly ecstatic to be back out on the road. But most importantly, we are anxious to hear fan feedback and just plain rock.” The tour, which will encompass the entire United States, will run from October 18 to December 1. Kittie has launched a brand new website, www.kittierocks.com, which has become the official source for fans to obtain news and updates on the band. Dates are as follow: 10/18/03 Sat. Harpo’s, Detroit, MI 10/19/03 Sun. The Machine Shop, Flint, MI 10/21/03 Tue. Downtown, Farmingdale, NY 10/22/03 Wed. Jarrod’s Place, Attleboro, MA 10/23/03 Thu. Northern Lights, Clifton Park, NY 10/24/03 Fri. Birch Hill Nite Club, Old Bridge, NJ 10/25/03 Sat. Jaxx, West Springfield, NJ 10/26/03 Sun. Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA 10/28/03 Tue. Crocodile Rock, Allentown, PA 10/29/03 Wed. The Blue Cat, Bellefontaine, OH 10/31/03 Fri. Oasis One Sixty, Chicago Heights, IL www.kittierocks.com SIX FEET UNDER Causing Major Ruckus on Album Sales & Radio Charts, Dominating Music Television Networks Unnatural Born Killers Tour Commences on October 16th A mere week after releasing their crushing new album Bringer Of Blood, Tampa's SIX FEET UNDER has emerged with a tidal wave of impact on the charts & television. The album debuted at #22 on Billboard's Heatseeker Chart, #43 on their Top Hard Music Albums chart (the highest debuting independent release), and #22 on the Hard Music Core Stores chart. On the radio front, Bringer Of Blood debuted as #1 Most Added at CMJ Loud Rock & CMJ Crucial Spins, #2 Most Added at FMQB's Metal Detector, and #3 at R&R Specialty, with good reason. The follow-up to 2001's ultra-brutal True Carnage, Bringer Of Blood sees the band honing their skills as songwriters, while lyrically pushing the boundaries of subject matter aligned with the genre. Extreme Metal pioneer vocalist Chris Barnes expresses social commentary regarding Freedom of Speech & Choice, while weaving his trademark brand of macabre storytelling, making Bringer Of Blood as profound lyrically as it is musically. Add a visual element, and you have a recipe for mass destruction. The band's current video for "Amerika The Brutal" is receiving massive recurrent airplay on MTV's Headbangers Ball program, and has been nominated in the 'Best Video' category in FUSE TV's Viewer's Choice polls. Fans can vote for the video here: http://fuse.tv/content/uranium_poll/f_poll.php?p=131&s=0 SIX FEET UNDER is now is primed to bludgeon North America as headliner of The Unnatural Born Killers Tour 2003, which launches in Tampa on October 16th. The tour is being sponsored by Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles Magazine and XM Satellite Radio's Liquid Metal program (which is giving away two pairs of tickets for each show). Tour Dates include: Thursday, October 16th - Tampa, FL - Brass Mug Friday, October 17th - Orlando, FL - Back Booth Saturday, October 18th - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Factory Sunday, October 19th - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade Monday, October 20th - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero Wednesday, October 22nd - Pittsburgh, PA - Rosebud Thursday, October 23rd - West Springfield, VA - Jaxx Friday, October 24th - Providence, RI - Living Room Saturday, October 25th - Buffalo, NY - Infinity Sunday, October 26th - New Haven, CT - Toads Place Monday, October 27th - Farmingdale, NY - Downtown Tuesday, October 28th - Randolph, NJ - Obsessions Thursday, October 30th - Montreal, QC, Can. - Foufounes Electriques Friday, October 31st - Toronto, ON, Can. - Opera House Saturday, November 1st - Latham, NY - Saratoga Winners Sunday, November 2nd - Brooklyn, NY - L’amour Monday, November 3rd - Chicago, IL - Metro Tuesday, November 4th - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave Wednesday, November 5th - Cedar Falls, IA - Reverb Thursday, November 6th - St. Louis, MO - Creepy Crawl Friday, November 7th - Kansas City, MO - El Terreon Saturday, November 8th - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater Sunday, November 9th - Salt Lake City, UT - DV8 Tuesday, November 11th - Palo Alto, CA - The Edge Wednesday, November 12th - Hollywood, CA - Keyclub Thursday, November 13th - Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theater Saturday, November 15th - Phoenix, AZ - Bash On Ash Sunday, November 16th - Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad Monday, November 18th - Dallas, TX - Deep EllumLive Tuesday, November 19th - San Antonio, TX - Sin 13 Wednesday, November 20th - Corpus Christi, TX - Sharkey's www.sfu420.com ROB ROCK and his band RAGE OF CREATION have confirmed their appearance on the upcoming 2004 Primal Fear "Devil's Ground" European tour as special guests alongside Brainstorm. Rob Rock will tour in support of his recently released 2nd solo cd "Eyes of Eternity" which was produced by Roy Z, (Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Helloween, Tribe of Gypsies). The following are the confirmed European tour dates: Primal Fear / Brainstorm / Rob Rock's Rage of Creation March 3 - Germany (Hamburg) - Markthalle March 4 - Holland - (Hardenberg) - Podium March 5 - England - (London) - Scala March 6 - England (Wolverhampton) - Wulfrun Hall March 7 - OFF March 8 - Germany (Bochum) - Zeche March 9 - France (Paris) - La Locomotive March 10 - OFF March 11 - Spain (Madrid) - Aqualung March 12 - Spain (Murcia) - Gamma March 13 - Spain (Barcelona) - Razzmatazz II March 14 - Spain (Bergara) - Sala Jam March 15 - OFF March 16 - Switzerland (Pratteln) - Z 7 March 17 - Italy (Milan) - Transilvania March 18 - OFF March 19 - Hungary (Budapest) - Petöfi Hall March 20 - Slovakia (Ljublijana) - Prinskov March 21 - Germany (Nürnberg) - Hirsch March 22 - OFF March 23 - Germany (Frankfurt) - Batschkapp March 24 - Germany (Stuttgart) - LKA March 25 - France (Strasborg) - La Laiterie March 26 - Belgium (Antwerpen) - Hof Ter Lo March 27 - Germany (Kaufbeuren) - Zeppelinhalle ASPERITY Featuring Stefan Westerberg (Carnal Forge, ex In Thy Dreams) and Petri Kuusisto (Carnal Forge, ex In Thy Dreams) has recently been signed to Arise Records.This is one of the best newcomer Heavy Metal bands in years. Their debut album will be recorded in Nov/Dec. 03 at Studio Black Lounge to be released in Febrary 2004. DREAMAKER has started the recording of their debut album at Sonic Pump Studios in Finland. The album will be mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox. WIZ is just mixing their debut album with Fredrik Nordström at Fredman Studios, the album will be mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox. CELESTY will start the recording of their second album in October at Fantom Studios in Finland. DEATH ANGEL Sign With NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS - Oct. 8, 2003 Reunited San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL have signed a multi-album record deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band are expected to enter the studio in early 2004 to begin recording their first CD since 1990's "Act III", tentatively due later in the year. Speaking to Chile's Grinder magazine in late 2002, DEATH ANGEL bassist Dennis Pepa explained the group's decision to reform as a full-fledged band following an appearance at the 2001 Thrash Of The Titans benefit concert for TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. "For years after we broke up people would ask us to get back together," Pepa stated. "We even had offers to go on tour and record even while we were broken up. We said 'No' to every single offer or thought to put the band back together. Not until we heard about Chuck and the benefit that was for him. We were invited to play the Thrash of The Titans. We thought that we needed to play this show not for us but, for Chuck Billy and his cause. So we pushed our bullshit aside and finally came to an agreement that we would do this show. So, we actually have Chuck to thank. He was the first reason we got back together in the fist place. That show made us realize that we were meant to be DEATH ANGEL." SEBASTIAN BACH IS BACK ON TOUR WITH HIS NEW BAND BACH TIGHT 5 Sebastian Bach is back. The former lead singer of multi-platinum band Skidrow is embarking on a short tour run with new band Bach Tight 5. Sebastian has spent the last few years performing on Broadway headlining such musicals as Jesus Christ Superstar, Jekyll & Hyde and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Missing the high-energy rock n’ roll shows, that only Sebastian can perform, he is following his hart back to music tours. Look for Sebastian’s new CD and DVD to be released in early 2004. Tour dates for Bach Tight 5: Oct. 16th – Albany, NY – Northern Lights Oct. 17th – Baltimore, MD – Recher Theatre Oct. 18th – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony* Oct. 19th – Asbury Park, NJ – The Stone Pony* Oct. 21st – Allentown, PA – Crocodile Rock Oct. 23rd – Poughkeepsie, NY – The Chance Oct. 24th – Hampton Beach, NH – Hampton Beach Casino Oct. 25th – Wantaugh, NY – Mulcaheys Oct. 26th – Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre Oct. 27th – New York City, NY - Beacon Theatre* Oct. 30th – Chicago, IL - House of Blues Nov. 1st – Detroit, MI - Royal Oak Theatre** 2 Shows consecutively With Twisted Sister With Twisted Sister & Alice Cooper OMEN former vocalist J.D. Kimball passed away on October 3rd after a three year battle with cancer. Metal Update THE HAUNTED original vocalist Peter Dolving has returned to the fold replacing Marco Aro. Metal Update About two weeks ago RONNIE JAMES DIO had an accident while gardening, severing his thumb - the good news is that doctors were able to re-attach it and Ronnie is on the road to recovery. Metal Update ANNIHILATOR drummer Randy Black (Primal Fear) is no longer working with the band - Mike Mangini, who previously played on Annihilator’s ‘Set The World On Fire’, has been recruited to play drums on the new CD. Metal Update The lineup for the recording of SOULFLY’s fourth album includes drummer Joe Nunez, guitarist Mark Rizzo and former Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson. Metal Update VOMITORY bassplayer / growler Erik Rundqvist has abandoned vocal duties to concentrate solely on bass guitar – the search for a new vocalist is underway. Metal Update SECRET SPHERE has parted ways with drummer Luca Cartasegna due to musical differences. Metal Update ICED EARTH Welcomes New Vocalist TIM OWENS On The Glorious Burden History-honoring Opus Slated For January 13th Release Through SPV Records Gettysburg DVD and World Tour To Follow Indiana-based melodic metal specialists ICED EARTH have recently completed what can be deemed as nothing short of a masterwork; a ten song musical enterprise honoring the valor and sacrifices that made the world what it is today. Entitled The Glorious Burden, the band’s 9th full-length album will be released through SPV Records on January 13th. Having only hinted at their infatuation with history in the past with “Ghost Of Freedom” (from 2001’s Horror Show) and “1776” (from 1998’s Something Wicked This Way Comes), ICED EARTH felt it was time, in the wake of the last few years of international events, to remind the world where we originated. Guitarist and mastermind behind the ICED EARTH legacy, Jon Schaffer comments on the importance of this album, “In today’s politically correct world, things aren’t taught the way they should be, and the importance is not emphasized in the manner it should. So now you’ve got a bunch of people running around today who don’t give a s*, and are spoiled brats who take for granted everything they have. It’s quite disgusting sometimes when I see college students interviewed by Jay Leno who have no clue. It’s very frightening. I’m hoping that somewhere we can inspire some of these kids and get them interested – if your history teacher sucks and makes history boring, go and read some books on your own because it’s far from boring. The sacrifices these hundreds of thousands of men made over the past 200 years is the reason these little brats can sit around playing video games all day and live pretty safe lives. I hope we can do some good with this record.” The title The Glorious Burden is a metaphor for band’s endurance as well as statement towards America as a world power. As to what brought on this idea for a concept album, Schaffer admits that it has been a long time coming. “I’ve been a military history buff all my life. The bicentennial was a great time for me as both a history buff and a young kid, because I was literally obsessed with reading about the founding fathers and the American Revolution. I’ve always read history books far more than any fiction, but I never really put it into music before, with these kinds of emotions.” Schaffer’s adoration with history has impacted him not only as a musician, but as a merchant as well. He recently opened a historical collectibles shop in Columbus, Indiana, called Spirit of '76 Collectibles, where he hopes to educate and enthuse budding history buffs with a wide selection of art, miniatures, models, battlefield relics, etc. An official website for the store is located at: www.spirit-of-76.com. The tracklisting for The Glorious Burden consists of the following: The Star-Spangled Banner Hollow Man Declaration Day Red Baron Blue Max When The Eagle Cries Gettysburg (1863) The Reckoning (Don’t Tread On Me) Part I. The Devil To Pay Greenface Part II. Hold At All Costs Valley Forge Part III. High Water Mark Attila The album closer, “Gettysburg (1863)”, is a 32-minute epic comprised of three sections that represent specific events that happened on each of the 3 days of the Battle of Gettysburg (from the struggle of General Buford, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s defending of Little Round Top, to Pickett’s charge). Schaffer hired the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to enhance the theatrical atmosphere of the project and give it a true epic sensation. Joining Schaffer on this historic journey are former Death drummer Richard Christy, longtime bassist James MacDonough, guitarist Ralph Santolla, and the latest addition to the ICED EARTH family, former Judas Priest vocalist Tim Owens. Schaffer is especially excited about this acquisition, as he has been a fan of Tim’s for some time. “When I first heard Tim on Jugulator, I said to myself, ‘damn, THAT is the voice I hear when I write songs!’ He brings an excellent sense of pitch, power and emotion. People are going to hear sides of Tim on this record that they didn’t even know existed.” To whet the fans’ appetites until the full album is released, ICED EARTH is releasing a special 4-song single for “The Reckoning (Don’t Tread On Me)” on October 21st (nearly 3 months prior to The Glorious Burden’s street date). The single will contain the aforementioned song, as well as “Valley Forge”, “Hollow Man”, and “When The Eagle Cries (Unplugged)”. Adding to the ‘special’ nature of this release, this version of “When The Eagle Cries” is exclusive to the single! Shortly following the release of The Glorious Burden, ICED EARTH plans to supplement the album with the band’s first-ever DVD, simply titled Gettysburg. The DVD is planned to contain footage of the recording sessions with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, a full documentary on the Gettysburg battlefield hosted by Jon Schaffer (who discusses important locations/details about the battle, as well as matches the song’s themes to their actual locations in the historic battle), a fully animated video for “Gettysburg”, and 2 special DVD-Audio mixes of the song (a ‘theatrical mix’ and a ‘metal mix’). In true ICED EARTH fashion, a full world tour is also planned to ensue thereafter, thus perpetuating its own ‘glorious burden’. www.icedearth.com W.A.S.P. Planning Major 2-Part Conceptual Album for 2004 Enigmatic rock act W.A.S.P. has resurfaced after a near-year of silence to announce the first details of its highly-anticipated dual album releases, slated for 2004 through Metal-Is/Sanctuary Records. Although early reports suggested that the new albums were to be released this October, the complexity of the as-yet-untitled project did not adhere to the original plan. Once again recorded at frontman/composer Blackie Lawless’s Fort Apache Studios in Malibu, CA, and co-helmed by renowned producer Bill Metoyer, the album will be released in two parts. The first is scheduled for mid-February 2004, and the second, which continues the story of the first, is anticipated for an early May release. Although the concept of the story is extremely complex & detailed, the poignant plotline expresses notions of lost innocence and the black undercurrent of mass media. Blackie states that the title of this work is not confirmed to be The Neon God, although the perplexing theme is integral to the plot. The band’s lineup for the new albums remains Blackie Lawless on vocals & guitar, Frankie Banali on drums, Mike Duda on bass, and Darrell Roberts on lead guitar. This outing will also feature major orchestration as enhancement & depth to the subject matter. In addition to a massive multi-legged world tour in the coming year, W.A.S.P. is anticipating releasing an in-depth ‘making of’ DVD later in 2004. The upcoming new albums are also planned to have massive multimedia tie-ins. For more information, stay tuned to www.waspnation.com MOONSPELL TOUR ANNOUNCED The Portuguese-based gothic metal pioneers MOONSPELL will embark on a national U.S. tour alongside fellow genre leaders Cradle of Filth and Type O Negative this fall. The trek, set to begin on November 13th and run through the end of December, will also include a stop at the New Jersey Metal and Hardcore Festival. This tour announcement comes on the eve of the group's seventh album, The Antidote, set for an October 21st release. After enlisting the talents of Waldemar Sorychta (Lacuna Coil, Sentenced), who worked with the band on their acclaimed releases Wolfheart, Irreligious and Sin/Pecado, to handle the album's pre-production, the band emerged with 10 epic tracks that encompass many aspects of horror, melody and heaviness. The addition of Niclas Etelvuori (Amorphis) on bass further allowed them to conquer new ground, while retaining the sound they developed almost a decade ago. Fernando Ribeiro (vocals) further describes the band's excitement over their much-anticipated return to the U.S. after a two-year absence: "If someone told the pessimist in me that we would go on this wonderful tour together with Cradle of Filth and Type O Negative, I would laugh sardonically at him and especially at myself. But now that everything is being put together, I just feel like tapping that lost energy into impressing every single one for what we are, which is what is contained in our music, purely and solely. The first sold-out show we ever played in our lives was supporting COF in a distant 1994 here in Lisbon, and we all agree that the best and most successful tour we ever had was supporting Type O around Europe, back in 1996, the year of all radiances for us. So nothing can fail, and we are working hard to come back in style, with our new album and our old classics, to underline a spark we like to think we left in our dear U.S. audience, which is like we are now: small but powerful. So we would love to meet you all, to have you tasting the antidote and to have you all basking at the moonlight, this agitated moonlight, whose spirits we want to cast upon you, by our words, by our sounds and by our furious love for communicating our (he)Art unto those who can better understand it: you. We do hope to see you all there." MOONSPELL w/Cradle of Filth and Type O Negative 11/13 Saratoga Winners - Albany, NY (No Type O Negative) 11/14 Palladium - Worsester, MA 11/15 Convention Center - Asbury Park, NJ 11/16 Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH 11/18 Orbit Room - Grand Rapids, MI 11/20 The Rave - Milwaukee, WI 11/21 Agora - Cleveland, OH 11/22 Riviera Theater - Chicago, IL 11/24 Quest - Minneapolis, MN 11/25 Pop's - St Louis, MO 11/26 Bricktown Express - Oklahoma City, OK 11/28 Ridglea Theater - Ft Worth, TX 11/29 Sunset Station - San Antonio, TX 12/01 Marquee Theater - Phoenix, AZ 12/2 Palladium 3000 - Los Angeles, CA 12/3 The Joint - Las Vegas, NV OR Soma - San Diego, CA 12/5 Warfield - San Francisco, CA 12/6 Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR 12/7 Showbox - Seattle, WA 12/9 City Auditorium - Colorado Springs, CO 12/11 7 Flags - Des Moines, IA 12/12 State Theater - Detroit, MI 12/13 Metropol - Pittsburgh, PA 12/15 930 Club - Washington D.C. 12/16 Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA 12/17 Webster Theater - Hartford, CT (No Type O Negative) 12/18 Medley - Montreal, ONT ( No Type O Negative) www.centurymedia.com VYNDYKATOR are in search of a new drummer. Chris Scorsese, due to personal commitments away from the business of music, has decided to offer himself solely to Alchemy X so it was then mutually agreed that the band beging their search for a new skin basher. The requierments are simple: 1. Experience (Recording, Live Performance, Road Savy) 2. Good Professional Attitude 3. Be able to rehearse with Vyn twice per week. Contact Vyndykator to set up an audition at vynmetal@yahoo.com

October 13th, 2003	Minneapolis based "Dark Metal" act EPICUREAN has officially signed a one album deal and managment contract with JCM Records. Epicurean's debut full length "V.II R.VI" will be officially released worldwide on Tuesday, October 14th, with a"pre-release" date set for their gig at the Main Event in Fridley, MN on Saturday, October 4th. Advance CD's and brand new T-Shirts will be on hand for sale only at this show before the worldwide release date. Epicurean first formed back in January of 2001 and went through various lineups trying to solidify their style. Along the way, 2 demos were recorded to positive responses - April of 2001 saw the release of "De Natura Deorum", and in July of 2002 the "Metalfest Promo" was released. Along the way, Epicurean has opened for such Metal luminaries as Dimmu Borgir, The Haunted, Cannibal Corpse, Mayhem, Avernus, Grey Skies Fallen, Serberus, The Chasm, and Somnus, among others. The band was put on ice over the winter of 2002-03 while personnel issues were sorted out. Meanwhile, the finishing touches were put on the album by the remaining members and the then session guitarist, Rob Nesco. In the spring of 2003, 3 new members were hired and Epicurean was resurrected: Rob Nesco (L. Gtr.), Angelia (B. Gtr.), and John Laramy (V.); each bringing their own personal and fresh elements to the band. JCM Records is a new upstart indie, and recently released a record by a San Diego based Thrash Metal band, Enraged. Enraged recently completed a 2 week trek throught the US which proved to be very successful for the band. JCM records has also released an album entitled "Insomnia" by the Sweden based melodic Death Metal band Pandemonium in 2002, in addition to 2 compilation CD's released in 2001: "Power From The Underground Vol. 1" and "Tortured Souls Vol. 1", featuring Power Metal and Death Metal bands, respectively. The JCM Records website also houses an e-store, where an assortment of CD's can be purchased. JCM Records' worldwide distribution reaches such countries as: Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, and of course, the US. Visit the JCM Records website for more at http://www.jcmrecords.com DRUMMER OF GREAT WHITE SURVIVES CAR ACCIDENT Saturday September 29, 2003 Derek Pontier, drummer for the band Great White, was hit head-on in a collision when a woman lost control of her car and crossed the center into oncoming traffic. Derek was on his way to meet with the band when he was struck, after which he was rear-ended from a car in his lane. The jaws-of-life had to be dispersed to cut Pontier out from his vehicle. He was rushed to the hospital and held in critical care unit for testing. Pontier was released with cuts and bruises. The show in Allentown, PA went on as scheduled. THE STATION FAMILY FUND TOUR FEATURING GREAT WHITE HAS LANDMARK SHOW IN ALLENTOWN, PA HOSTING SURVIVORS AND RAISING OVER 50 THOUSAND IN CHARITY FUNDS FOR THE RHODE ISLAND SURVIVORS Music Group, Great White, performed a Station Family Fund benefit show at the Sterling Hotel, Saturday, September 27th. The show proved to be the landmark show to date. The band hosted approximately twenty-five Survivors and family members for a night of rock n’ roll as well as finding that the total funds raised to-date exceeded $50,000. Two vans, from Rhode Island, pulled up to the Sterling Hotel just in time for a private meeting and sound check performance of the band. For many it was their first trip away from home. “It was a very emotional time for everyone,” states Lead singer Jack Russell. “We saw a lot of our friends. It was very therapeutic for all concerned. This is a time for healing.” Linda Fisher, a burn victim of the fire, had a chance to meet with Russell prior to the show. Fisher even managed to join Russell on stage to perform a duet with the band. The Station Family Fund is a Non-Profit Organization formed by survivors and the family members of victims and survivors, to address the need for immediate assistance and relief to the people directly affected by the fire at the Station Nightclub in West Warwick, RI. Great White and The Station Family Fund encourage significant participation by survivors and family members. Survivors, family members and interested members of the public are encouraged to contact The Station Family Fund through its web site at www.stationfamilyfund.org. Contributions may be sent to The Station Family Fund, 300 Quaker Lane, P.O. Box 214, Warwick, RI 02886 or go to www.stationfamilyfund.org. Swedish Heavy Metal act ASPERITY has signed to Arise Records. Featuring Stefan Westerberg (Carnal Forge, ex. In Thy Dreams) and Petri Kuusisto (Carnal Forge, ex. In Thy Dreams). Their debut album will be recorded in Nov/Dec. 03 at Studio Black Lounge to be released in Febrary 2004. Here are the confirmed tour dates for SACRED SIN. This tour will support new album : "Hekatón - the return to primordial chaos". Please ad these dates to your agenda: 11.10.03 SP - Alava, Club 12.10.03 SP - Zaragoza, Utopia 18.10.03 PT - Lisbon, FNAC Chiado 24.10.03 BE- Arlon, Entrepot De Arlon 25.10.03 D - Villingen-Schwenningen, Rockhaus Amber 26.10.03 D - Volkach, Backstage Rockclub 27.10.03 D - Celle, CD-Kaserne 28.10.03 D - Merseburg, Gasometer 29.10.03 D - Neukirch, Jugendhaus 30.10.03 D - Dessau, Beat Club 31.10.03 D - Weimar, Stoye Hall 01.11.03 D - Gießen, Jokus 08.11.03 SP - PonteVedra, Camawey 06.12.03 PT - Portimao, ADR 07.12.03 PT - Leiria, Pav. Barosa More information at : www.sacredsin.org The masochistic devil worship soldiers, THUNDERBOLT, will enter a studio to record their3rd full length album for Agonia Records next week. In the meanwhile check out dates of the upcoming tour of Witchmaster with Axis of Advance and Unpure: 03.01. Nuremberg /D 04.01. TBA 05.01. Austria /TBA 06.01. Prague/CZ /TBA 07.01. Gent /B 08.01. Germany/TBA 09.01. Bladel/NL 10.01. Bitterfeld/D Polish Extreme Satanic Death Squadron: INFERNAL WAR signs to Agonia Records upon release of their debut album. More information will follow soon. IN AETERNUM have just returned from their tour in Norway which finished successfully. In December the band will enter Abyss studio again to record new mini album. Crush, Kill and fucking Destroy!! Agonia Records have just engaged release of unreleased live album of POSSESSED from 1987 on CD and LP. The CD will be released by the end of the year. Expect over 60 minutes of high quality sound, recorded on live mixing board in Parma, Ohio on January 26th where Possessed played as opening for Dark Angel. They are going to make the release very special with tight booklet, introduction by Sean Perry and Jeff Becerra with old pictures of the band, flyers, posters, tickets and other things. It's a tribute to the disbanded legend by theirself. And of course, it is not a bootleg but OFFICIAL release of the band. Track listing of this release is as follows: March to Die Pentagram Beast of the Apocalypse Holy Hell Swing of the Axe Burning in Hell Heretic Phantasm Excorcist Fallen Angel Seance Twisted Minds Death Metal Also, the once announced gatefold version of the mini lp of POSSESSED / SIDE EFFECT will be released with a little delay since the band is currently entering the studio to record a bonus track for this exclusive release. ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM WELCOMES ZAKK WYLDE FOR CD SIGNING Black Label Society singer presents his first guitar to Museum curator CLEVELAND (October 2, 2003) - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum welcomes Black Label Society singer/guitarist Zakk Wylde on Saturday, October 11 at 1:00 p.m. Wylde will present a guitar, his first guitar, to Jim Henke, Vice President of Exhibitions and Curatorial Affairs at 1:00 p.m. in the Museum’s FYE store. Zakk will be presenting his most prized guitar to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The guitar is a 1985 Les Paul Custom he received for graduation from his Mother. Zakk had been saving all his money from mowing lawns for this guitar. He would visit the guitar everyday at the music store. “I would visit this guitar, like you would a dog that you wanted so badly, but could not get,” explains Zakk. “This is the real deal guitar. It has the most sentimental meaning to me that I cannot place into words. My Mother bought it for me.” Zakk was $350.00 shy of paying off the guitar, so his mother got the guitar paid off and presented it to Zakk for his graduation gift. After the presentation, Wylde will sign copies of the new Black Label Society CD, The Blessed Hellride, or DVD, Boozed, Broozed and Broken Boned, which is available in stores now. In order to participate in the signing, you must buy the new CD or DVD at any area FYE store and present the receipt at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 11. Zakk Wylde has played a significant role for Ozzy Osbourne as his lead guitarist. Wylde joined Osbourne at the early age of 18, handpicked for his wicked-ass riffs and bone-crunching six-stringed mastery. Wyldes band, Black Label Society broke nationally at #50 on Billboard’s prestigious Top 200 charts with their latest album The Blessed Hellride on Spitfire Records, while the DVD – Boozed, Broozed and Broken Boned entered Billboard’s Top Music Video charts at # 2. And after 21 weeks out, their first single “Stillborn” is still charting top 10 at rock radio, while their new single and title-cut, “The Blessed Hellride” is beginning to impact at radio. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum exists to educate its visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and significance of rock and roll music. The Museum carries out this mission through its efforts to collect, preserve, exhibit and interpret this art form. The Museum is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. On Wednesdays the Museum is open until 9:00 p.m. Special summer hours are currently is effect with the Museum open until 9:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Museum admission is $18.00 for adults, $14.00 for seniors (60+), $11 for children (9-12) and children under 8 and Museum members are free. NASUM's brand new bassplayer Jon "Elle" Lindqvist (Sayyadena, Victims) and former live-only guitarist Urban Skytt have been added to the lineup. Metal Update AGE OF SILENCE is a new Norwegian supergroup that features: Lazare (Solefald, Borknagar), Eikind (Khold, Tulus), Hellhammer (Arcturus, Winds, Mayhem), and two other newcomers to the scene who go under the names Extant and Kobbergaard - Andy Winter (Winds) is also involved – the act has been signed by The End Records. Metal Update ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY has filled their recently vacated vocalist position with Columbus, OH native Johnny Weils (Barbed Wire Dolls). Metal Update SCAR CULTURE: Roman Garbacik (8 Trak Mind, Mourn Makes Movement) has been drafted to fill the vacant vocalist position. Metal Update HARAKIRI drummer Brian "Bob" Fouts (Burn it Down, Amongst the Swarm) has been added to the lineup. Metal Update THROCULT has parted ways with bassist Cassie Begay - Rudy Hernandez (Cazic, Divine Intervention) will fill the void for upcoming shows. Metal Update MADDER MORTEM guitarist Odd Eivind Ebbesen and bassist Tormod Langøien Moseng have been added to the lineup - both are old friends of band. Metal Update LORD BELIAL guitarist Hjalmar Nielsen has replaced Niclas "Pepa" Andersson - drummer Daniel Moilanen is no longer in the band. Metal Update CALLENISH CIRCLE: Ralph Roelvink (Genetic Wisdom) will replace bass player Rocco on the upcoming European "Bonded By Metal Over Europe" Tour. Metal Update SHADOWCAST has enlisted vocalist Stefan (Graveworm) and bassist Manuel (Olemus) as session musicians for upcoming tour dates. Metal Update MARK CROSS, the former Helloween and Metalium drummer has announced that he has beat the Epstein-Barr virus. Metal Update EXCITER is re-recording their “greatest hits” in order to release an album’s worth of updated classics. Metal Update HELIX will license tracks from their upcoming release ‘Rockin’ In My Outer Space’ for new season episodes of Canadian comedy TV series ‘Trailer Park Boys’. Metal Update GWAR from November 1 - December 13 New York City’s Fuse Gallery Presents “The Art Of Gwar” - a retrospective of the band’s props, costumes and graphics. Metal Update SEBASTIAN BACH, the former Skid Row screamer has secured a recurring role on the WB TV show ‘The Gilmour Girls’ – according to Bach: “I'm kind of like the Fonz of the ‘Gilmour Girls,’ it is pretty funny!” Metal Update OZZY OSBOURNE, the prince of darkness is penning a Broadway musical based on the eccentric Russian monk Rasputin - the project will be recorded by Osbourne and released independently – meanwhile, Ozzy and daughter Kelly Osbourne, will be performing their version of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” on an upcoming ‘Sharon Osbourne Show’. Metal Update KATAKLYSM NEWS Kataklysm are sorry to annouce that they have cancelled the remainder of their North American tour in Philadelphia, New York, Providence, Springfield and Quebec City. The band has decided to return home a little earlier so they can use the extra time to work on their pre-production for their new album Serenity in Fire and meet all deadlines required by the band's label Nuclear Blast. Kataklysm has performed their longest concert run in their career during the last year, with over 180 shows worldwide since August 2002 in support of their highly acclaimed album Shadows & Dust. The track listing for the forthcoming album Serenity in Fire is as follows (in no particular order): 01. The Ambassador of Pain 02. As I Slither 03. The Resurrected 04. 10 Seconde from the End 05. The Tragedy I Preach 06. For All Our Sins 07. The Night They Returned 08. Blood on the Swans 09. Serenity in Fire 10. Under the Bleeding Sun Kataklysm www.kataklysm.net ICED EARTH Welcomes New Vocalist TIM OWENS On The Glorious Burden History-honoring Opus Slated For January 13th Release Through SPV Records Gettysburg DVD and World Tour To Follow Indiana-based melodic metal specialists ICED EARTH have recently completed what can be deemed as nothing short of a masterwork; a ten song musical enterprise honoring the valor and sacrifices that made the world what it is today. Entitled The Glorious Burden, the band's 9th full-length album will be released through SPV Records on January 13th. Having only hinted at their infatuation with history in the past with Ghost Of Freedom (from 2001's Horror Show) and 1776 (from 1998's Something Wicked This Way Comes), ICED EARTH felt it was time, in the wake of the last few years of international events, to remind the world where we originated. Guitarist and mastermind behind the ICED EARTH legacy, Jon Schaffer comments on the importance of this album, In today's politically correct world, things aren't taught the way they should be, and the importance is not emphasized in the manner it should. So now you've got a bunch of people running around today who don't give a s***, and are spoiled brats who take for granted everything they have. It's quite disgusting sometimes when I see college students interviewed by Jay Leno who have no clue. It's very frightening. I'm hoping that somewhere we can inspire some of these kids and get them interested“ if your history teacher sucks and makes history boring, go and read some books on your own because it's far from boring. The sacrifices these hundreds of thousands of men made over the past 200 years is the reason these little brats can sit around playing video games all day and live pretty safe lives. I hope we can do some good with this record. The title The Glorious Burden is a metaphor for band's endurance as well as statement towards America as a world power. As to what brought on this idea for a concept album, Schaffer admits that it has been a long time coming. I've been a military history buff all my life. The bicentennial was a great time for me as both a history buff and a young kid, because I was literally obsessed with reading about the founding fathers and the American Revolution. I've always read history books far more than any fiction, but I never really put it into music before, with these kinds of emotions. Schaffer's adoration with history has impacted him not only as a musician, but as a merchant as well. He recently opened a historical collectibles shop in Columbus, Indiana, called Spirit of '76 Collectibles, where he hopes to educate and enthuse budding history buffs with a wide selection of art, miniatures, models, battlefield relics, etc. An official website for the store is located at: www.spirit-of-76.com The album closer, Gettysburg (1863), is a 32-minute epic comprised of three sections that represent specific events that happened on each of the 3 days of the Battle of Gettysburg (from the struggle of General Buford, Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's defending of Little Round Top, to Pickett's charge). Schaffer hired the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to enhance the theatrical atmosphere of the project and give it a true epic sensation. Joining Schaffer on this historic journey are former Death drummer Richard Christy, longtime bassist James MacDonough, guitarist Ralph Santolla, and the latest addition to the ICED EARTH family, former Judas Priest vocalist Tim Owens. Schaffer is especially excited about this acquisition, as he has been a fan of Tim's for some time. When I first heard Tim on Jugulator, I said to myself, damn, THAT is the voice I hear when I write songs! He brings an excellent sense of pitch, power and emotion. People are going to hear sides of Tim on this record that they didn't even know existed. To whet the fans appetites until the full album is released, ICED EARTH is releasing a special 4-song single for The Reckoning (Don't Tread On Me)on October 21st (nearly 3 months prior to The Glorious Burden's street date). The single will contain the aforementioned song, as well as Valley Forge, Hollow Man, and When The Eagle Cries (Unplugged). Adding to the special nature of this release, this version of When The Eagle Cries is exclusive to the single! Shortly following the release of The Glorious Burden, ICED EARTH plans to supplement the album with the band's first-ever DVD, simply titled Gettysburg. The DVD is planned to contain footage of the recording sessions with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, a full documentary on the Gettysburg battlefield hosted by Jon Schaffer (who discusses important locations/details about the battle, as well as matches the song's themes to their actual locations in the historic battle), a fully animated video for Gettysburg, and 2 special DVD-Audio mixes of the song (theatrical mix and a metal mix). In true ICED EARTH fashion, a full world tour is also planned to ensue thereafter, thus perpetuating its own glorious burden. www.icedearth.com