Severe Torture Enter The Studio

Dutch death metal brutalizers SEVERE TORTURE entered Hertz studios in Poland last week on July 4th to start the mix of their forthcoming album "Sworn Vengeance."

The follow up to 2005's Fall Of The Despised is due for release by Earache on September 10th and is set to be mixed by Hertz in-house producers, Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawski.

The Wieslawski brothers have earned their reputation for high quality death metal productions with releases by DECAPITATED and VADER to their credit, increasing anticipation for Sworn Vengeance, which includes such soon-to-be death metal classics as 'Dismal Perception' and 'Buried Hatchet'.

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Five Finger Death Punch Release Digital EP

Los Angeles metal outfit FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will be releasing a three song EP which will be made available for purchase on I-TUNES beginning today, Tuesday, July 10th. This comes 2 weeks prior to the band's Firm Music debut, THE WAY OF THE FIST, due out nationwide on July 31st. The EP will feature both studio and acoustic versions of the lead single - "The Bleeding" - as well as a live version of the track "The Devil's Own."

The band just shot a video in Los Angeles for "The Bleeding" with Director Bradley Scott, known for his work with The Comas, Midnight Movies and Ringside. The clip deals with a familiar subject for many of us- unhealthy relationships. Zoltan Bathory (guitarist) says of the impetus for the clip "We're getting a lot of fan mail about how this song is helping people through these relationships, where there's nothing left but the thorns, not the roses. A huge number of people living their lives in these emotional prisons… I should say emotional crack houses… hitting that 'pipe of pain'. ’We actually shot a “mini movie.” Also appearing in the video is prolific actress Danielle Harris-- star in the upcoming and updated version of Halloween directed by Rob Zombie. Her gritty performance brings the drama to new heights in the clip.

To top off this week of work, the band will have a Friday The 13th 2007 WRECKERD RELEASE party at Los Angeles' famous ROXY. To celebrate, all fans in attendance will be eligible to win a guitar signed by the FFDP boys themselves. Five Finger Death Punch will meet fans and VIPs alike after the show.

Catch FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on the road on the upcoming FAMILY VALUES TOUR, and check them out online at www.myspace.com/ffdp or www.fivefingerdeathpunch.com.

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New Malevolent Creation, Candlemass Streaming

New releases from MALEVOLENT CREATION and CANDLEMASS can now be streamed in their entirety on MP3.com. Both will be available until July 17th at which point they will be released in North America via Nuclear Blast Records . Each album can be heard at the following locations:

• MALEVOLENT CREATION’s “Doomsday X”


• CANDLEMASS “King of the Grey Islands”

"Doomsday X" was recorded and engineered at Mercury Recording Studios in Pompano Beach, Florida by longtime friend and producer (and sometimes session member) Gus Rios , and is said to be the most diverse MALEVOLENT CREATION album recorded to date and "without a doubt their fastest!!" Mick Thomson , guitarist for SLIPKNOT , also contributed a "ripping" guitar solo for the song "Deliver My Enemy" .

"King of the Grey Islands" is the first CANDLEMASS album to feature singer Robert Lowe ( SOLITUDE AETURNUS ), who replaced Messiah Marcolin earlier in the year. The album was recorded at the famed Polar Studios ( LED ZEPPLIN / ABBA ) in Sweden and mixed by Peter Tagtren ( HYPOCRISY, PAIN ).

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Incantation Plan European, Russian Tour w/ Krisiun

Promoting their latest release "Primordial Domination," INCANTATION will hit the pavement and recharge the European fiends.

"We are proud to once again share the stage with Krisiun & Rotting Christ. This tour will hit numerous countries that we have never preformed at before. We are looking forward to some killer shows. I'm sure with this strong line up it will kick ass." said mainman John McEntee.

INCANTATION tour dates with Krisiun, Rotting Christ and Crionics:
31.08.07 LIT Vilnus @ Mulen Ruzas
01.09.07 LAT Riga @ Melna Piektdiena
02.09.07 EST Tallin @ Nomme Cult
03.09.07 FIN Tampere @ Hella
04.09.07 FIN Turku @ Klubi
05.09.07 FIN Helsinki @ Nosturi
06.09.07 FIN Kuopio @ Henry's Pub
07.09.07 FIN Oulu @ tba
08.09.07 SWE Umea @ Midnight
09.09.07 NOR Trondheim @ Zone/Blaest
10.09.07 NOR Oslo @ Maiden
11.09.07 SWE Goteborg @ Belsepub
12.09.07 GER Kiel @ Pumpe
13.09.07 GER Hannover @ Headbanger Ballroom
14.09.07 GER Berlin @ K17

Much overdue, INCANTATION will play for the fans in Russia for their very first time. Additionally, Vader will be added to the roster or brutality.

INCANTATION tour dates with Vader, Rotting Christ and Krisiun:
16.09 (RUS) St-Petersburg @ Orlandina
18.09 (RUS) Ufa @ Ogni Ufy
19.09 (RUS) Ekaterinburg tba
20.09 (RUS) Magnitogorsk @ DK Ordzhonikidze
21.09 (RUS) Samara @ Strokovski Park
22.09 (RUS)Moscow @ Tochka
23.09 (BY) tba

Finally INCANTATION will round out the touring schedule pleasing their loyal Mexican fans with dates in Monterrey and Mexico City.

"It's great to return to Mexico again, you guys are always great. We look forward to a kick ass few nights of killer Death Metal. We will be playing along side long time friends in Grave, Dismember and Sinister and Mexico City will also have Denial (great old school death metal with Oscar of the legendary Cenotaph)" John said.

INCANTATION Mexican Tour Dates :
August 17th.- Monterrey, Mexico @ "Ibex Rock Bar"
August 18th.- Mexico City, Mexico @ "Circo Volador" ( at the "Heavy Metal Circus Expo")

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Ratt Frontman Comments On Poison Tour

Deb Rao of Glam-Metal.com recently conducted an interview with RATT frontman Stephen Pearcy. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Glam-Metal.com: How do you feel the tour [with POISON] is going so far?

Pearcy: It is going fine. We just had to get our life back, which we did. We are keeping the set list interesting. We are changing songs here and there. We are having a good time. POISON and us go way back. It is way cool.

Glam-Metal.com: How does it feel back to be touring with POISON again? I know your first full-blown tour with POISON was in 1986. Then you did the 1999 POISON tour.

Pearcy: Well, good, you know. I have always been on the road. To me, playing to 1,000 people, 10,000 people are all the same. We went on the road with POISON in 1999, I believe. It wasn't executed properly. This is a better timing. We got the new CD and DVD coming out, "Tell the World: The Very Best of Ratt", at the end of the month on Rhino Records. It should be very cool. The CD is a "best-of," and songs that we actually wanted to put on there. The DVD features videos at the time that we weren't able to present back then and they went platinum and gold. So we are excited about just getting them out and letting people seeing all of them at all at once.

Glam-Metal.com: One of the things I noticed at your concert the other night is that the RATT songs are really timeless. It felt so good to hear them being played live again. Everybody was on there feet from "Lay it Down" to your last song, "Round and Round". Why do you think RATT music has remained so popular and garnering a whole generation of RATT fans?

Pearcy: Well, we never claimed or wanted to be press darlings. From day one, we always just wanted to do our own kind of music which we called "ratt and roll." Nothing has changed. You learn a lot more. We are survivors. We have as many original members involved. There is a certain element. To have this style of music or whatever they label it hair bands, it was just that era that was timeless. That will never happen again. It will never go down again. To be part of it and have the success that we did and continue. It is new again. It is all good. Whatever defends the faith, you know?!

Glam-Metal.com: Who initiated the RATT reunion? I know we talked prior to the debut of the RATT VH1 "Behind the Music" and possible a RATT reunion in 2005. It is so great that it is finally happening.

Pearcy: Well, we wish that Juan [Croucier, bass] had been a part of it. But it didn't happen. It is a way of life. It is a full commitment. We are already working on some new music. Again, we will see what that gets us at the end of this tour.

Glam-Metal.com: Well, I know you have the mobile recording studio out. How is the songwriting going?

Pearcy: Yes, we have a studio out here digital. It is real cool. We are already working on stuff. We will continue to work on music, until the end of the tour. Hopefully, we will have a big bag of RATT songs.

Glam-Metal.com: Will RATT remain on the road after the POISON tour wraps up in September?

Pearcy: Yes, we have a lot of ground to cover. We have some international stuff, and finish up some stuff in the States. As I say, we are trying to get a record going. That is the plan and we will see where it will take us. We got a lot of things to do. It is a whole new breed of RATT. This time, we are having a real patience with things.

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Helloween And Gamma Ray Announce More Dates

More dates have been added to HELLOWEEN's upcoming "Hellish Rock 2007/2008", with GAMMA RAY and AXXIS (supporting on select dates). Here are the confirmed dates:

* w/ AXXIS

Nov. 16 - Budapest, Hungary - Petofi Hall
Nov. 17 - Belgrade, Serbia - Hala Sportova
Nov. 18 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Festivalna Hall
Nov. 19 - Bucharest, Romania - Agronomia Sport Hall
Nov. 21 - Istanbul, Turkey - TBA
Nov. 23 - Thesaloniki, Greece - Principal
Nov. 24 - Athens, Greece - Olympic Properties Arena
Nov. 27 - Rome, Italy - Tendastrisce *
Nov. 28 - Milano, Italy - Alcatraz *
Nov. 29 - Dietikon, Switzerland - Stadthalle *
Dec. 1 - Lichtenfels, Germany - Stadthalle *
Dec. 2 - Bremen, Germany - Aladin *
Dec. 4 - Goteborg, Sweden - Liseberghallen *
Dec. 5 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller *
Dec. 7 - Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet *
Dec. 8 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan *
Dec. 10 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone *
Dec. 11 - Helsinki, Finland - Kaapelitehdas *
Dec. 14 - Plzen, Czech Republic - Hala Lokovotiva
Dec. 15 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Hala Novesta
Dec. 16 - Pardubice, Czech Republic - CEZ Arena
Dec. 18 - Kosice, Slovakia - Cassosport Sport Hall
Dec. 19 - Bratislava, Slovakia - PKO
Dec. 21 - Langen, Germany - Stadthalle *
Dec. 22 - Kaufbeuren, Germany - All Karthalle *
Jan. 6 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmatre *
Jan. 7 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013 *
Jan. 8 - London, England - The Forum *
Jan. 10 - Antwerp, Belgium - Hof Ter Lo *
Jan. 11 - Tuttlingen, Germany - Alte Festhalle *
Jan. 12 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Europahalle (Knock Out Festival)
Jan. 13 - Oberhausen - Germany - Turbinenhalle *

A press release previously stated that "apart from very few festival appearances, this will be the first time ever both bands touring together and bears the possibility of Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY leader and ex- HELLOWEEN member) entering the stage to jam one or the other classic HELLOWEEN song with his former band mates!"

"This is going to be a historical event for all HELLOWEEN fans, we are looking forward to have Kai and his band on our tour with us," stated HELLOWEEN guitarist Michael Weikath.

It is also planned, but not confirmed, to expand this promising package to the territories of South East Asia, North and South America.

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Cannibal Corpse Reflect On Mini Euro Tour

CANNIBAL CORPSE Reflect On European Mini-Tour
Posted: July 09, 2007 at 22:19 (PST)

CANNIBAL CORPSE have posted this message on their official website:

"Hello everybody. We've just returned from a seven-show mini-tour of Europe that was comprised of three festival dates and four headlining shows.

We began with a performance at France's Hellfest on June 22, the show went very well despite some inclement weather. Ask anyone who was there and they'll tell you there was definitely a lot of mud to deal with, as well as strong winds and rain. Regardless, the fans gave us and the other bands a great response.

The next show was at Belgium's Graspop festival. We had a great time at the festival, not only due to the great fan response during our performance, but also as fans ourselves. Getting to watch the other bands at these festivals is definitely part of the fun for us. For all of us, the band of the day was probably HEAVEN AND HELL, who played on the main stage minutes after our performance at one of the tent stages. It rained pretty hard during HEAVEN AND HELL's set, but we didn't mind getting soaked to watch masters like them perform. It was a truly killer show.

Following Graspop, we had a day off in Frankfurt and then we traveled on to St. Petersburg Russia. We had a great time performing there, and we were happy to have a little time to talk with some fans after the show. One fan told us we were playing during the 'White Nights' of St. Petersburg, and sure enough, even after the show had ended there was still daylight outside.

After an overnight train ride we arrived in Moscow. This was our third show in Moscow, and we are very happy we returned. Of all of the shows, the Moscow gig probably had the most stage diving, the crowd had extremely intense energy. Again, we were happy to be able to hang out with some fans at the club after the show, as we had not had much opportunity to do so during our first two trips to Moscow.

After Moscow, we returned to Germany and spent the night in Berlin. The next day we went to Leipzig for the With Full Force festival. It was another excellent festival with a great crowd, and of the three fests it was probably the one that had the best weather. There were a lot of great bands playing the festival throughout the night, but unfortunately didn't see many as we had to leave soon after our performance to get to the airport for our flight to Iceland.

It was our first time in Iceland, and we were all very excited to play there. We played two shows at the Nasa club in Reykjavik, and we had a great time at both. The fans were really intense both nights (the first show was drinking age, the second all ages). Everybody we met in Iceland gave us an incredible warm welcome and we hope to return to play again there in the future. A few of us also stayed in Iceland for an extra day for some sightseeing and the term 'awesome' is certainly not an overstatement to describe the things we saw (waterfalls, geysers, lava fields, hot springs, etc.). We should also note that during the 3 days went spent there it was daylight the entire time, much like the aforementioned 'White Nights' in St. Petersburg. That made an already interesting experience that much more unique. This was our first trip to Iceland, but we certainly hope it's not the last because it was an incredible trip.

In all, this short trip to Europe was really excellent and also very interesting. We'd like to thank the following people for their help during the tour (apologies to anybody we forget): Our road crew (Paul and Brian), Henk from Vain Productions, Vadim from Flaming Arts Productions, Hellfest, Graspop, With Full Force, Metal Blade Records Europe, Access Metal pub in Berlin, the drivers who took us to WFF and the airport, Thorsteinn, Smari, and everybody involved with the shows in Iceland (including the people who loaned us gear and the guys who helped out with the apartment, thanks so much), all of the great bands we shared the stage with during the tour, all of our friends we saw at the festivals, and of course, most importantly we need to thank the fans who came to the shows and kicked so much ass. You guys are the best, thank you!"

As reported earlier on METALEATER, CANNIBAL CORPSE will headline the Metal Blade Records 25th Anniversary Tour, also including THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, THE RED CHORD, GOATWHORE, and AEON. Here are the confirmed dates:

Sept. 6 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues
Sept. 7 - Houston, TX - The Meridian
Sept. 8 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
Sept. 9 - Ft. Worth, TX - The Rockyard
Sept. 11 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
Sept. 12 - Tempe, AZ - Tte Marque
Sept. 13 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues
Sept. 14 - Hollywood, CA - House Of Blues
Sept. 15 - San Diego, CA - House Of Blues
Sept. 16 – San Francisco, CA - Slim's
Sept. 17 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's
Sept. 18 – Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
Sept. 19 – Seattle, WA - El Corazon
Sept. 20 - Vancouver, BC - Croatian Cultural Centre (w/ THE RED CHORD, GOATWHORE)
Sept. 26 - Saint Paul, MN - Station 4
Sept. 28 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
Sept. 29 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
Sept. 30 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues
Oct. 2 - Rochester, NY - Water Street Music Hall
Oct. 3 - Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
Oct. 4 - Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
Oct. 5 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
Oct. 6 - Providence, RI - Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Oct. 7 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
Oct. 9 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall
Oct. 10 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
Oct. 11 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House Of Blues

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Decapitated And Amon Amarth To Tour

Before taking the stage this past Sunday (July 8) at New York City's B.B. King Blues Club & Grill stop of the Summer Slughter tour, vocalist Covan of Polish extreme metallers DECAPITATED reportedly told fans that his band will hit the road as direct support to AMON AMARTH on the Swedish group's first U.S. headlining tour this November.

DECAPITATED's latest effort, "Organic Halucinosis", is a pummeling wall of concise sound that has turned the heads and ears of many within the metal community. The "Day 69" music video, a featured track from "Organic Halucinosis", is available for viewing at Earache.com.

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Exodus Confirmed For Burning Star Metal Fest

EXODUS, HELSTAR and VICIOUS RUMORS are among the confirmed bands for the Burning Star Metal Fest 2007, set to take place August 4-5 at The Jumping Turtle in San Marcos, California. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

Saturday, August 4 (show starts at 2:00 p.m.)

EXODUS
HELSTAR
PATHS OF POSSESSION
DARK FAITH
MUDFACE
WARBRINGER
DAMCYAN
ANIMAL CORPSE
VIVISECT
ABOMINATION
AXXYS

Sunday, August 5 (show starts at 1:00 p.m.)

CAGE
VICIOUS RUMORS
NIHILIST
FUELED BY FIRE
RISE TO MOURN
MEDIUS
AWAITING SAMSARA
ABYSMAL DAWN
AGHORI
KEAPER
LIGHT OF DOOM

These shows are open to all ages through 10:00 p.m., which includes all bands but PATHS OF POSSESSION, DARK FAITH, and RISE TO MOURN.

Tickets are available pre-sale at www.thejumpingturtle.com for $20 ($25 day of show). A ticket to one of the days gets you in the other day for only $15.

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Former Korn Guitarist Talks About Meth Addiction

Launch Radio Networks reports: Former KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has come clean about his past drug abuse in his new memoir, "Save Me from Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story". Welch told Launch that he was in especially bad shape the last two years before he left KORN in early 2005. "2003 is when I started using speed every day," he said. "Meth. I got hooked on meth and in order to get up and function, even play the show, I had to snort lines, you know. And I told myself, 'I'll do this tour, I'll do this Ozzfest, and I'll do meth the whole time and I'll go home and check into a rehab.'And it scared me, you know, 'cause I was like coming — every month I would tell myself, 'I'm gonna stop this tour,'and I wouldn't be able to do it. Like a fear would come over me. I was just trapped."

Welch's book chronicles his life, his career with KORN and his recent embrace of Christianity.

The guitarist told the Bakersfield Californian last week that his biggest regret about his time with the band was "punching my wife."

Welch intends to release his first solo album later this year.

KORN will issue its untitled eighth studio effort at the end of this month.

Welch's current replacement in KORN, touring guitarist Clint Lowery, was arrested on Thursday (July 5) at the Hodokvas Festival in Piestany, Slovakia after a "wild, drunken night" at the event, which ended with the guitarist trashing his room. Lowery was released the following afternoon from police custody after apologizing and paying for the damages.

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New Nile Album Available To Stream Online

MP3.com is streaming NILE's fifth studio album, "Ithyphallic", in its entirety for seven days prior to the album's North American street date of July 17 at http://www.mp3.com/artist/nile1/summary/

Engineered by Bob Moore and produced by Neil Kernon (CANNIBAL CORPSE, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE), the CD was recorded at Sound Lab Studios in Columbia, South Carolina.

In a Decibel magazine article penned by journalist Rod Smith, guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders provided the background story for the song "Papyrus Containing The Spell To Protect The Possessor From Attacks From He Who Is In The Water", which debuted on the official Ozzfest web site on June 6. "It's from 'The Book Of Overthrowing Apep'," he said. "There's a spell in there, a chant that's supposed to stop crocodiles from attacking your boat. I tried to picture it and thought, 'Your boat's being attacked by crocodiles. Are you really supposed to dig out your scroll, fumble through it, find the right chapter, repeat the words, and the crocodiles are gonna leave you alone? When the croc is about to bite you in half, are you gonna be able to find that chapter fast enough?' It's a ridiculous concept. I found myself thinking, 'This song needs to have the words said as fast as possible.' We decided this song would be frantic, fast as anything we'd ever done, with the words super-frantic fast, for that 'trying to escape from the jaws of the crocodile' feeling."

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All That Remains Live DVD shoot 7/12 Baltimore, MD

The following info was just posted by All That Remains:

ALL THAT REMAINS will be filming the Thursday, July 12 gig at The Recher Theatre in Maryland for their upcoming live DVD. This concert will also stand as the makeup appearance for the missed Baltimore date on the Bullet For My Valentine tour.

Click here to purchase tickets from Ticketmaster and be part of the crowd for this very special ALL AGES show!

The band recently wrapped up shooting in L.A. for their NOT ALONE video. Check out the pics here.

Read the full article at The Current Online.

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Rob Dukes Gives Exodus Update

The following message has been posted on the official Exodus website by singer Rob Dukes:

"what's up motherfuckers!!!
just got home (New York)after being in Cali for 2 months...
everyone Gary, Jack and Lee killed, I'm so glad Tom is back and playing in my opinion better than ever,he defintely schooled motherfuckers in the thrash drumming dept. he just killed,working with Andy Sneap was rad, I don't want to say too much and sound like everybody else about how heavy the new record is, I'll let it speak for itself when it comes out and kicks your fucking face in...I'm so stoked to be a part of it, it's the coolest thing i have ever done in this life..."

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King Diamond Enters Danish Charts

KING DIAMOND's latest album, "Give Me Your Soul ... Please" has landed at position No. 58 on the Danish chart. It is the second highest new entry on the chart (behind VELVET REVOLVER).

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" draws from themes from the occult and both King Diamond's personal life, after-life experiences, as well as King Diamond's signature dark imagination. The result is a montage of murder-mysteries-meets-nightmare-dream-sequences wrapped in a proto-power-metal soundtrack. King says, "It's a horror murder mystery story mixed with reality from beginning to end."

KING DIAMOND will team up with KREATOR, LEAVES' EYES and CELLADOR for a North American tour, to be held in the spring of 2008.

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Megadeth Planning New Projects

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the band's official web site:

"I just finished signing and sending off the 'Deth Certificates' that are being shipped with my new Dean VMNT guitars. They are limited, so I guess only certain stores will be getting them due to availability. I guess this would be some thing to talk about with the good folks of Dean or your local music store to see if they have the balls to carry Dean Guitars and the new Dave Mustaine VMNT Signature Dean Electric Guitar.

"I wanted to play guitar today, but my new axes are all in lockers being freighted back from Europe and Israel, and I just didn't want to play the other guitars that were here.

"Spoiled, I guess.

"Lots of great things are happening for all-things-mega and we should have a lot of dates to confirm soon, as well as some information of upcoming material and footage from the making of 'United Abominations', as well as several other exciting projects.

"We are planning out the rest of the year and the beginning of 2008 and that will allow us to visit all of your countries and thrash out to the new album and all of the classics that we have been bringing out of the vaults.

"I hope that my bandmates are enjoying their time off and I send my prayers to James' daughter and her speedy recovery, and to all of you . . . from Fallbrook and The House of Mustaine, have a great flipping night!"

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Metallica Rep Says Hetfield Wasn't Detained

Contrary to published reports, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield was not detained by U.K. airport security last week on his way to performing in London for Live Earth.

Britain's The Times claims that Hetfield was held and questioned due to what friends call his "Taliban-like beard." According to the paper, the METALLICA singer was briefly questioned before "red-faced" officials realized he was a rock star.

On Monday (July 9), a rep for Hetfield told Usmagazine.com that none of it ever happened. "It's false. It's not true."

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Morbid Angel Comment On New Material

Legendary extreme metal band MORBID ANGEL is currently working on material for the group's first studio album since 2003's "Heretic". The upcoming CD will mark the group's first release to feature vocalist/bassist David Vincent since 1995's "Domination".

Commented guitarist Trey Azagthoth: "We are currently heavy with band rehearsals. Things are going really awesome, lots of exciting and inspired material. I'm damn ready to get this new release cranking!!"

MORBID ANGEL is presently unsigned, having parted ways with Earache Records following "Heretic"'s release.

Although MORBID ANGEL's upcoming album does not currently have a name, its title will likely begin with the letter "I", in keeping with the band's tradition of titling their albums in alphabetical order beginning with 1989's "Altars of Madness", and continuing through "Heretic".

MORBID ANGEL's current lineup includes Vincent, Azagthoth and drummer Pete Sandoval.

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Agnostic Front, Death Before Dishonor Tour Dates

Agnostic Front and Death Before Dishonor have announced a handful of fall shows. Here are the confirmed tour dates:

10/25 Farmingdale, NY @ Crazy Donkey
10/26 Baltimore, MD @ Otto Bar
10/27 Dayton, OH @ 180 Skatepark
10/28 St. Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl
10/29 Nashville, TN @ The Muse
11/1 Wilmington, NC @ Soapbox Laundro-Lounge
11/2 Wilmington, DE @ Mojo 13
11/3 Stroudsburg, PA @ Sherman Theatre
11/4 Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance

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36 Crazyfists Signs To Ferret Music

Ferret Music has officially signed a worldwide record deal with 36 Crazyfists. This is the second ex-Roadrunner Records band Ferret has recently signed (Chimaira being the other). According to the band, "We are extremly excited to start working along with them. We are currently writing the new record and hope to be in the studio by the fall."

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Kult Ov Azazel Writing New Album, Preparing DVD

Floridian black metallers KULT OV AZAZEL have issued the following update:

"Writing for the new album has been going well. Since beginning pre-production back in December, we have the majority of the material written. We will convene again this week to finish the writing and demo process. The album's title will be Destroying The Sacred and will include 10 new songs. Two songs have yet to be written, those being written this week, yet song titles/track listing will be (in no particular order): 'Prelude To Holocaust', 'The Plagues Of Mankind', 'Slaughter The Prophet', 'I Am The Devil', 'Sacrilege: Destroying The Sacred', 'Gutting Religious Heritage', 'Conquer & Annihilate' and 'The Lucifer Principal' plus a POSSESSED cover as a bonus track. This album will complete our four-album contract with Arctic Music with a release date planned for early 2008.

"Also in the works are preparations for the first official Kult Ov Azazel DVD. Over the next few months we'll be gathering material from The Swarm of Eternal Blackness 2004 and Hellstorm of Unholy Legions 2005 tours as well as other one off shows spanning 2003-2006.

"Lastly, we are in the process of confirming one live show for Mexico for this year and a 35 date tour beginning in 2008. Dates will be posted within time.

"Our website, www.kultovazazel.com has also been updated including interviews with Metalikos and Mortem Zines along with promo videos for 'Trampling The Cross', 'An Eternity With Satan' and 'Invoking The Infernal Majesty' under the media section."

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Hour Of Penance Finish Writing Songs For New Album

Italy's HOUR OF PENANCE recently finished the songwriting for their forthcoming album, The Vile Conception, due out this fall through Unique Leader Records. The band are expected to enter 16th Cellar Studios in Rome today, July 10th, with producer Stefano Saul Morabito to record ten new songs of "insanely fast and twisted death metal."

Hour Of Penance guitarist and main composer Giulio Moschini commented, "We worked very hard together during these months to bring you the best material we could achieve. What you will hear on the new album is the material of a renewed band, this time each member of Hour Of Penance has contributed to give his best to the songs. The ten songs you will hear on the new album are simply the fastest, most brutal and technical songs ever written by the band. We're more than excited to enter the studio and record this heavy stuff!"

Artwork will be handled by Par Olofsson.

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New Panic Cell Album Pushed Back

Panic Cell have posted the following message on their official myspace:

Due to contracts obligations and time running out on us, the new album release date has had to be moved to August 20th 2007. Apologies to all on this but this is something that had to be done and couldn't be avoided.
The good news is that the album will be much more widely available than the first album was, Virgin Megastores will be stocking the new cd in store- something we've not had before.

For now, check out 'Calm' on our myspace, taken from the new album and let us know what you think

Stronger Utd

Thanks

Bobby
PC

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Queensryche Frontman Discusses Record Labels

Classic Rock Revisited recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Classic Rock Revisited: The new project, "Mindcrime at the Moore", comprises all the material from "Operation: Mindcrime" as well as "Operation: Mindcrime II", which were recorded quite a few years apart. What were the challenges of writing material for the second record so many years after the first, then presenting all of it live together as one continuous piece of work?

Geoff: That really took a bit of work. We didn't want to get too far away from the structure of the first album, but then again, we didn't want to stay in the same place, because time had passed, and we wanted to create sort of a present feel of where the story was at. It's in the here, it's in the now. So we tried to straddle time a little bit, and create a little bit more modern music, on vintage instruments. It was a very fun project to put your head into. The DVD is the culmination of all of that work that's really been going on for seventeen-some-odd years. We've been working on it for a little bit of time, then putting it away, working on it again and putting it away. So it's nice to see that it's finally finished.

Classic Rock Revisited: The "Mindcrime" show is a long and vocally demanding show, with a lot of ranges and moods. How do you stay in shape vocally for that while on the road?

Geoff: It's a bit of a challenge in that respect. I'm pretty strong as a person, physically, so it's not something that's out of my realm. But definitely exhausting, especially after six or seven weeks. It becomes quite a bit of a chore sometimes; not so much the singing aspect, but just putting yourself into that head space of that character, which is such a pitiful character. (Laughs) It's hard to be into him for that length of time, because he's so pathetic and so miserable, and God, you know, you just want to have a sunny day. (Laughs) I love performing the record, and I love performing on the stage for this show, but I am glad to be done with it now and on to the next thing.

Classic Rock Revisited: Those kinds of larger productions are famous for their technical mishaps. Did you have any kind of "Spinal Tap" moments on stage with this?

Geoff: There's so much going on with a show; so many pieces of gear, so many timing issues, personnel . . . there's so many things that can go wrong, it's amazing that there are nights when nothing goes wrong. (Laughs) It's an exception when things go right. Every night there's something; either a guitar string breaks or something minor like that, or somebody gets lost in the arrangement for a few bars and all of a sudden wakes up and turns it around. It's also inclusive of entire systems going down. Probably the worst thing that we had was, our entire film system crashed. It happened at such a weird place; it was at a spot where the music pauses and the band just holds out a chord, and then it's supposed to start again after eight beats. But the eight beats turned into sixteen (Laughs), and it just kept going and going and going. Luckily that night we had a curtain that closed in front of the band, and finally our manager came out and actually closed the curtain. (Laughs) We're all standing there, and I don't know why our lighting man didn't turn off the lights, but we're just all lit up and waiting for the system to boot up again, and it just wouldn't. It took about twenty minutes for the thing to boot back up, so we kinda had to take a short intermission there. (Laughs) At the same time, at the pause, Pamela — our Sister Mary character — at that point she comes rising up on this elevated lift that lifts her up twenty feet in the air. That's where the crash happened, so she's standing up there all by herself, lit up; every light in the place is on her, and there's nothing happening. It's just her standing there. (Laughs) The crowd applauds, and then they stop, and there's that uncomfortable feeling of, "I don't think this is supposed to be happening." (Laughs). Those kinds of things. That was the worst one, though.

Classic Rock Revisited: In your career with QUEENSRŸCHE you have gone from EMI to Atlantic to Sanctuary to Rhino. Do you prefer the commercial marketplace power of a major label, or the care and attention you get from a smaller label?

Geoff: Well, I've never really gotten the care and attention of a smaller label, so I guess I'm pretty happy with the majors. (Laughs). I don't subscribe to record companies . . . there seems to be so much emphasis on record companies, and I think record companies are very quickly becoming a thing of the past. In five years you won't have a record company, or the only record company there will be is iTunes. The whole industry is on its ear. It's changed so dramatically in the twenty-seven years we've been doing this, it doesn't even resemble the same thing anymore. The whole selling of records has become sort of a non-issue, really. So much music is being pirated now that record sales are down so much that record company executives are getting excited about selling sixty thousand records. (Laughs). When we started out, sixty thousand records was a failure. (Laughs). So that's how much it's changed, and we're seeing sixty or seventy percent drops in record sales because of pirating and that sort of thing. The industry has changed so much that we have to all re-think how we do things. Right now the only way most bands make a living is by touring and doing live shows, because even though people try to bootleg it, you still can go out and perform live and it's going to be different every night.

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Korn Frontman Talks About New Artwork

A two-minute video clip of KORN frontman Jonathan Davis discussing the artwork for the group's new album and artist Richard A. Kirk has been posted at YouTube.

MusigReview.com has posted a video interview with KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, conducted backstage at the band's July 2, 2007 concert Hohenems, Austria. Watch it at this location. Also available are photos from the show.

Professionally filmed video footage of KORN's June 23, 2007 performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium has been posted at YouTube.

KORN's eighth studio album, which has been left untitled, comes out on July 31. The first single is called "Evolution".

KORN will kick off the 2007 Family Values tour on July 20 in St. Louis, with EVANESCENCE and a number of other acts on the bill. More...

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Sepultura Guitarist Speaks Of Polish Adventure

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser has issued the following update:

"We just had a Polish adventure; it was amazing. We played at the Hunterfest festival in Szczytno by the side of a big castle that was a Nazi camp during the WW II, including a balcony where Hitler made a speech, beatiful place. It was a great festival and a great show. Too bad it was the only date in Poland.

"We stayed in a hotel in a region called Galindia. We were escorted by the locals, all dressed in animal skins, with torches in their hands to light the way. They took us to a boat and we crossed the river rowing till we arrived in Galindia's world. Spectacular! It's a people that are keeping their tradition that started some time B.C. and today they keep a hotel that is visited by many people, specially in summer.

"Thanks very much for everybody at Galindia, the hospitality and friendship. Hope to see you all soon.

"Brazil lost to the USA at the world cup [soccer] under 20 in Canada! Oh well, Brazil lost to Poland also but it manages to qualify. Poor display!"

IPC TV, which produces and broadcasts a variety of community programs in Portuguese to an increasing Brazilian community in Japan, has posted a lengthy video report on SEPULTURA, featuring interviews with the band and footage of the group performing in Brazil and France. Watch the "Agenda" report at this location (in Portuguese).

This past winter SEPULTURA finished filming the second video from their "Dante XXI" album, for the song "Ostia". The clip was shot on March 3 at a studio in São Paulo prior to the band's departure for their European tour. During the following week, the video crew and the main actor shot the outdoor scenes in downtown São Paulo. The script, which adapts the story from the book "The Divine Comedy" to the modern days, was directed by Geraldo Moraes.

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Ex-Korn Guitarist Discusses Faith

Jeremiah Gregier of Christian Post recently conducted an interview with former KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Christian Post: I read somewhere that you grew up in a Christian household. Do you think that was a big part in helping you find your faith?

Welch: [Actually,] I didn't grow up in a Christian household. Yeah, I went to church, an Episcopalian church, probably like 10 times, and I got baptized on my forehead. And I went to Sunday school for like a summer, but that was it. My parents didn't talk about God. There was no God. We just had a family that worked hard. You know, they tried to be good parents, and that was it.

What happened was, when I was in junior high, I was into watching all these horror movies and metal music. I was hanging out with these kids that weren't really nice to me. They were like bullies. And I met this one Christian family at the end of my eighth grade year, and they just told me about Jesus the whole summer.

Toward the end, I went home one night, and I was watching horror movies, I felt led, turned off the TV, and went and prayed. I said, "Lord, let Jesus please come into my heart," because that's what she taught me to pray. And I said, "Amen," and I got up and turned the flick back on. I felt something going on, but I didn't know what it was. And I didn't go and tell her because I just didn't know to.

When high school started, I started drifting back to the old friends and away from the family. I got out of high school, moved to L.A., within a few years I was in KORN. I was living that life without even thinking about that experience. That was until I sunk, you know. So it's all a purpose. God rules.

Christian Post: What do you inevitably want people to take away from your book after they've read it? Do you have a goal for it?

Welch: The goal for my book is like a prayer that I have. It's like, God, I don't want people to read my book and say "Oh, wow. That's cool. Religion worked for him, and if he thinks Christ saved him, that's good." I don't want someone to read it and think "Oh, I'm strong enough to get it on my own. I'll start exercising or something." My prayer is that people would realize how real God is and want to hunger after Him more than anything in this world. I just pray that eyes will be opened.

He's lovable, man. He's so awesome. It's like I'm so content with everything. I could be on a boring plane ride and just think about the Lord. You're in love with God, and He loves you. That's just so awesome.

And I want the whole world to be saved. I know that's kind of an immature Christian, but "Why me, you know? Why do I get this goodness, Lord?" I'm saved by grace only. I didn't do anything except just ask Him. He led me into that church. I just said, "Lord, show me You're real." I even prayed the "doubting Thomas prayer." I was like, "Show me You're real."

So I just want people to know God. I just pray that it imparts a hunger, even Christians, to know God more. You know, deeper. There's always more going to God. Never settle. There are so many Christians that grew up, and they level off somewhere. I've been talking to people, and they're like, "Meh." They even grew up with Him.

We've got to dive into Him. There's so much more. He's a big God. I pray that it imparts a hunger to Christians and others. That's what I want. And if tons of drug addicts get set free from their drugs by the book, that's awesome.

Read the entire interview at www.christianpost.com.

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Downlord Vocalist Joins Strangler

Dave Ingram, current vocalist for DOWNLORD, and former growler for BENEDICTION and BOLT THROWER, has joined Danish zombie-shaggers STRANGLER, which was created by Mads Haarløv after the funeral of Haarløv's prior underground icons, INIQUITY.

Dave Ingram: "I have both the energy and the creativity to be in two bands, and - equally as important - the backing of the Downlord dudes, so why the fuck not?!! I once worked with Mads in a band called DESERT MOUTH (in '98) prior to my tenure in Bolt Thrower, and have always wanted to work with that sick fucker again. I got given the chance, so I took it. So now I guess I'm damned... but, then again.... I was from birth!!"

Strangler currently only have a MySpace page available, where their 4-track demo - featuring Haarløv on vocals - is available to download for a limited time only.

Ingram: "The plan is for me to re-record the vocals on that demo, and then we'll release it online - again for free - and see where it takes us. So for now... go grab that sick fucking recording before we abort it!!!!"

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Chaos Divine Plan Australian Tour

Perth's Chaos Divine are planning a tour of their native Australia in July and August. Drawing influences from a vast array of metal bands such as Meshuggah, Opeth, Arch Enemy, Dream Theater, Tool, Killswitch Engage, Strapping Young Lad and Soilwork to name only a few, the sound of Chaos Divine seems difficult to categorize.

The first half of 2006 saw the band complete six months worth of work on their debut, self-released five-track EP entitled "Ratio." The EP has since been enjoying healthy reviews across Australia, as well as airplay on many national radio stations. In December of 2006, "Ratio" was voted the #2 best Australian metal release of 2006 by the listeners of Triple J’s, Full Metal Racket program from which the shows presenter, Andrew Haug, also voted Ratio as his #1 Australian metal release of 2006.

In the short span of the band's journey so far, Chaos Divine has supported and played with the likes of Slayer (USA), Fear Factory (USA), Devil Driver (USA), Dark Tranquillity (SWE), Trivium (USA), Dreadnaught (VIC), Contrive (VIC), Five Star Prison Cell (VIC), A Secret Death (QLD) and now the time has come to share the journey with the rest of Australia on their debut tour scheduled for July/August 2007. Here are the tour dates: More...

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Watch Abortcast's Interview w/ 3 Inches Of Blood

3 Inches Of Blood have been interviewed by Abort Magazine for their Abortcast feature. They talk about Brit Metal, Ozzfest and more. You can listen online at this location.

‘The Goatrider’s Horde’ is taken from their new album ‘Fire Up The Blades’ and you can watch the video online:

• High Quality


• YouTube

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