More Metal Crusade Tour Dates Confirmed

More dates have been confirmed for the upcoming Metal Crusade Tour 2006, which features Vader, Kataklysm, Nuclear Assault, Speed\Kill/Hate, Graveworm and the Absence. Here are the list of tour dates:

May 26 Montreal, QC - Le Medley
May 27 Bedford, NH - Marks Place
May 28 Boston, MA - The Middle East
May 29 New York City,NY - The Knitting Factory
May 30 Springfield,VA - Jaxx
May 31 Vernon, NY - Nothing Fancy Cafe
Jun. 01 Cleveland, OH - The Agora Ballroom
Jun. 02 Detroit,MI - TBA
Jun. 03 Chicago,IL - Logan Square Auditorium
Jun. 04 St-Paul,MN - Station 4
Jun. 05 Madison,WS - Big E's beach house
Jun. 06 Cincinatti,OH - Bogarts (TBA)
Jun. 07 Fayetteville,NC - Jesters Pub
Jun. 08 Jacksonville,FL - Thee Imperial
Jun. 09 Orlando,Fl - TBA
Jun. 10 St-Petersburg,FL - State Theater
Jun. 11 Ft- Lauderdale,FL - Culture Room
Jun. 12 Tallahassee,FL - Beta Bar
Jun. 14 Houston, TX - The Ballroom/Wharehouse live
Jun. 15 Corpus Christi,TX - The Ballroom
Jun. 16 San Antonio,TX - The White Rabbit
Jun. 17 Arlington, TX - The Phoenix Music Complex
Jun. 18 Fayetteville, AR - The Dart Room
Jun. 19 Oklahoma city ,OK - The Concervatory (Vader & Kataklysm only)
Jun. 20 Denver, CO - Lliff Park Saloon
Jun. 22 Tempe,AZ - Clubhouse
Jun. 23 Corona,CA - Showcase Theater
Jun. 24 W. Hollywood,CA - Knitting Factory
Jun. 25 San Francisco,CA - The Pound
Jun. 26 Boise,ID - TBC
Jun. 27 Spokane,WA - Fat Tuesdays Concert Hall
Jun. 28 Portland, OR - Rock'n' Roll Pizza
Jun. 29 Seattle,WA - Studio Seven

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Two More Dates Added To Master Of Chaos Tour

Due to fan demand, two more dates have now been added to the Master Of Chaos Tour 2006 with Behemoth, Morbid Angel, Despised Icon and Krisiun. They are:

Apr. 04 Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues
May 03 Tampa, FL - The Masquerade

Here are the rest of the tour dates: More...

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Evergrey Perform In Helsinki, Reveal Album Title

Evergrey will be performing at the annual Finnish Metal Expo in Helsinki on February 17th. Evergrey will perform at 11 PM and they will do a 60 minute set. More details can be found at www.fme.fi.

Evergrey have set "Monday Morning Apocalypse" as the title of their sixth studio album, tentatively due late March/early April via InsideOut Music. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Monday Morning Apocalypse", "Unspeakable" and "At a Loss for Words."

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Children Of Bodom Frontman Breaks Toe On Tour

Children of Bodom frontman, Alexi Laiho, has posted the following message on the band's official website:

"YO muthatruckas! Just wanted to let y'all know that I broke a fuckin' toe of my right foot during a show in Barcelona by slamming it into a monitor wedge, (yea, I was sober) so if and when you see me moving around like a retard, that I apparently am, that's why. But fuck it anyway, the tour will keep on rolling as planned so see you muthas soon and a big fuckin' thank you to all the crazy crowds we've had so far.. It's been a blast!"

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Malaysian Fatwa Council Bans Black Metal

According to Jerusalem Post, Islamic officials in Malaysia ruled Monday that "black metal" music was unacceptable for Muslims, saying it can cause listeners to rebel against religion.

Some people in Malaysia - a moderate, mostly Muslim nation - have urged authorities to clarify whether Muslims should shun the music after police on New Year's Eve detained some 380 revelers at an alleged black metal concert in Kuala Lumpur for suspected drug use and other offenses.

The National Fatwa Council, comprising Islamic scholars hand-picked by Malaysia's king, said Monday that the themes of black metal music were prohibited by Islam, claiming they could lead Muslims to stray from their beliefs, consume alcohol and indulge in sexual misconduct.

Authorities plan to enact new laws allowing charges to be laid against Muslims who form black metal bands, council spokesman Shukor Husin was quoted as saying by the national news agency, Bernama.

"We are trying to prevent any increase in our society in the number of such band members," Shukor said following a meeting by the council to investigate the issue.

Penalties for taking part in black metal groups were not immediately clear, and Shukor didn't say whether it would also be an offense to attend black metal concerts or listen to such music. Phone calls to the council's office were not immediately answered.

Some 60 percent of Malaysia's 26 million people are ethnic Malay Muslims, who are subject to Islamic laws as well as the country's secular legal system. The council's rulings don't affect the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, who are mainly Buddhists, Christians and Hindus.

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Nocturnal Rites Announce North American Debut

Sweden's NOCTURNAL RITES, who today released Grand Illusion, have announced their co-headlining North American debut at Chicago's PowerFest 2006 Saturday, April 8th, complete information here. Speaking on behalf of the band, bassist Nils Erikksson said, "We are truly psyched about finally getting ourselves over to the U.S.; it has been talked about for way too long without happening. So making our debut co-headlining the Chicago PowerFest 2006 alongside our Swedish buds Morgana Lefay will be nothing but a blast and quite positively a huge party."

Blending melodic metal and powerful hard rock, with a deadly progressive thread, Sweden's NOCTURNAL RITES are driven by thundering double-bass drums, authoritative vocal lines, gracefully fluid rhythm and awe inspiring duel lead guitar grandeur.

More information on the band, MP3s, and videos can be found here. "Grand Illusion" was recorded at Toontrack Studio in the band's hometown, Umeå, Sweden. Joining the band on this extraordinary album are some of metal's most prominent artists, including guitarist Stefan Elmgren (Hammerfall), keyboardist Jens Johansson (Stratovarius), guitarist Henrick Danhage (Evergrey), and vocalist Kristoffer W. Olivius (Naglfar). Swedish world champion cross-country skier Per Elofsson (three-time World Cup gold) also appears, displaying his whammy bar action on "Never Trust." Grand Illusion's cover art was provided by Axel Hermann (Dream Evil, In Flames). The finished domestic version of Grand Illusion will contain bonus CD-ROM enhancements with the "Fools Never Die" video, directed by drummer Owe Lingvall, and footage from the video and album's making.

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One Dead Three Wounded Sign To 1x1 Music

On January 24th, 2006, Philadelphia's One Dead Three Wounded will re-release their full-length debut album Paint The Town on New Jersey-based 1x1 Music. With an initial pressing on the independent Lovelost Records, the album only reached a limited audience. “We really wanted this record to be heard,” explains vocalist Tim Zahodski. “1x1 really gave us an opportunity.” The reissue of Paint The Town comes in a remixed and remastered digi-pack format with new artwork and will feature two new songs as bonus tracks: “Cardia” and “Soldiers.”

With a musical flavor that can best be described as hardcore with a Southern metal groove, One Dead Three Wounded has created an impressive foray into the current music scene with Paint The Town. “I think that the song “Ghosts” is most representative of our mix of hardcore and metal,” says Zahodski.

A track listing for Paint The Town comprises:

1) Failed Transmission
2) Cowboys Don't Look Back
3) Burning Bridges Is So 1999…
4) Regret
5) Ghosts
6) Welcome Home Tragedy
7) Thank God For Pain Killers
8) Eight Dollar Prom Dress
9) Farewell
10) My Life As A Typo

New Bonus Tracks:
11) Cardia
12) Soldiers

New music from One Dead Three Wounded is coming in Spring 2006 with the new album Moving Units.

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Yakuza Unveils Cover Art For "Samsara"

Yakuza has unveiled the artwork for the forthcoming Prosthetic Records debut Samsara. The artwork concept, photography, and design for the album was handled by Yakuza's James Staffel, who handles percussion and keyboards in the band. The artwork can be viewed here.

Samsara, slated for a March 21 release through Prosthetic, is the follow-up to 2002's Way Of The Dead, which received critical praise from Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, The Wire, The Chicago Tribune, and countless other metal and mainstream press outlets. The new record features guest appearances by pianist Jim Baker, cellist Fred Lonberg, musician/producer Sanford Parker, and Mastodon's Troy Sanders, with veteran mixman Matt Bayles (Pearl Jam, Isis, Botch) having handled production duties.

Dates for a pre-release listening party and a CD release show will be announced shortly.

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Interview

Q&A With Tyson of Downspell, Scumchrist

I am very pleased to have had the opportunity to interview Mr. Tyson Montrucchio, lead vocalist for San Diego-based hardcore metal outfits, DOWNSPELL and SCUMCHRIST. The underground scene needs to holds its brightest talents up to the light and help expose them. My interview with the man follows. More...

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New Queensryche Song Posted Online

A brand new QUEENSRŸCHE track, entitled "The Hands", has been posted online at Metal Express Radio (Windows Media). The song comes off the group's sequel to their platinum 1988 concept album, "Operation: Mindcrime", due in North America on April 4 via Rhino Entertainment. The CD mixing and mastering was completed earlier in the month and the track listing has been reworked a bit, with two new tracks having been added. "Freiheit Ouvertüre" is the infamous "intro" all the fans have been chattering about, while "Convict" is a new song that was newly added after the original track listing was announced.

"Operation: Mindcrime II" (view cover art) final track listing:

01. Freiheit Ouvertüre
02. Convict
03. I'm American
04. One foot in Hell
05. Hostage
06. The Hands
07. Speed of Light
08. Signs Say Go
09. Re-arrange You
10. The Chase
11. Murderer?
12. Circles
13. If I Could Change it All
14. An Intentional Confrontation
15. A Junkie's Blues
16. Fear City Slide
17. All the Promises

As previously reported, QUEENSRŸCHE's new single, "I'm American", will be available to radio stations for digital download on February 21. The record will go for adds in March.

Legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio (BLACK SABBATH, DIO, RAINBOW) makes a guest appearance on the album as "Dr. X".

QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield and guitarist Michael Wilton recorded their parts for "Operation: Mindcrime II" in August at Synergy Studios in Redmond, WA. Michael Stone cut guitars in a studio in a "secret location" in the Bay Area.

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Think I Care, Like It Or Not, and Lewd Acts Dates

Think I Care, Like It Or Not, and Lewd Acts will be touring the West Coast in mid-March. Here are the tour dates:

3/11 San Diego, CA @ Che Cafe
3/12 Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction w/ Internal Affairs, More To Pride, more
3/13 Riverside, CA @ SOS Project w/ Eaten Alive, Bitter End
3/14 Ventura, CA @ Alpine w/ Knife Fight
3/15 Los Angeles, CA @ The Blvd. w/ Bitter End, more
3/16 Sacramento, CA @ West Coast Worldwide w/ Killing The Dream, Trash Talk
3/17 TBA
3/18 Las Vegas, NV @ house show
3/19 Tijuana, MEX @ Tijuana Fest w/ Ringworm, Donnybrook, more

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Amenra's 'Mass III' Preorder, Tour Dates

Hypertension Records is accepting pre-orders for the AMENRA - 'MASS III' CD. For a short time, they are making a special PREORDER PACKAGE available. You can preorder here.

Included in the preorder package is:

• The AMENRA 'Mass III' CD


• The '.in perpetuum' DVD (reflections on masses,live clips,visuals,surround mixes, more...)


• A special preorder exclusive t-shirt


• A full color AMENRA poster

Both the DVD and t-shirt are preorder-exclusive items and will not be available anywhere else.

The AMENRA 'Mass III' CD is set for release on February 23rd. However, AMENRA will be presenting their newest installment and magnum opus on February 18th at Sint-Kwintens Kapel in Ghent, with guest appearances by Officer Jones, Hitch, Galatasaray and Daisytemple.

'Mass III' was produced by their own guitar wizard The Dice (RISE & FALL, THE SETUP) and mixed by Zlaya Hadzic (SONIC YOUTH, MOTORPSYCHO) and mastered in the infamous Electric City studio in Belgium.

Check out AMENRA on the following tour dates: More...

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Darkest Hour Release Live Video Online

A live video of DARKEST HOUR performing the track "An Epitaph" on August 31, 2005 in Karlsruhe, Germanyhas been posted online at www.silentstagnation.com.

As previously reported, DARKEST HOUR will be filming a video for the song "Sound the Surrender" early next month with director Joseph Pattisall (DROWNINGMAN, J PARIS). The track comes off the group's latest CD, "Undoing Ruin", which was released in June 2005 via Victory Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation" was produced by STRAPPING YOUNG LAD mastermind Devin Townsend and features artwork by Chris Taylor of PG. 99.

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Dorian Forms From Circle II Circle, Monarch

Vocalist Jim Dorian (ex-MONARCH, ANOMALY) and guitarist Tom McDyne (ex-SHUT, CIRCLE II CIRCLE) have joined forces in a new project called DORIAN. They have started laying down pre-production tracks at Shut Up Studios in Clearwater, Florida and plan to enter the world-renowned Morrisound Recording Studio in Tampa to begin recording a "heavy-yet-melodic" EP, tentatively due before the end of the year.

Commented Tom: "I've had the luxury of performing with some of the most talented singers in the metal arena — Zak Stevens (SAVATAGE, CIRCLE II CIRCLE), Stephen Pearcy (RATT) and Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TALISMAN, SOUL SIRKUS) — just to name a few. It is an honor and a privilege to now have the opportunity of creating music with Jim Dorian."

Jim said: "Having worked with guitar god Ralph Santolla, the bar was set very, very high. Tom came to me with these amazing guitar riffs, and within seconds, melodies just started pouring out of me. Right away I knew we had something incredible happening."

A promotional photo of Jim and Tom is available in the "Photo" section of Tom's web site. Tom has also opened the "Video" portion of his web site, which includes a DORIAN pre-production guitar solo clip tentatively called "Sirens Scream".

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Video of Drowning Pool Playing "Cowboys From Hell"

High-quality videos of DROWNING POOL performing a cover of PANTERA's "Cowboys from Hell" and their hit single "Bodies" on January 14 at the Camp Stanley Gym in Uijongbu, South Korea have been posted online. Check them out:

• "Cowboys from Hell" Pt. 1 (Video)


• "Cowboys from Hell" Pt. 2 + "Bodies" (Video)

DROWNING POOL recently recruited former SOIL frontman Ryan McCombs to replace their last vocalist, Jason "Gong" Jones (now in A.M. CONSPIRACY), who left the band in June 2005. The group are expected to enter the studio this spring to begin recording their third album, tentatively due later in the year.

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