Warchild Ready Themselves For Festivals

Since the Venice Rock Festival the Italian metal band, Warchild, has been in the studio and rehearsing for the upcoming Bloodstock and Warm-up gig in September, and The Dominion and the Warm-ups in October. The band want to be at their absolute best for the British metalhead audience.

"We know the Brits won't take any shit and we're not going to disappoint. If that wasn't enough to keep us busy, we've got 12 new tracks to lay down, which will form the backbone to our new album. It hasn't got a title yet and we don't expect it to be completed before December. All are crossing fingers and praying that some charitable record company will sign us to make all the hard work worthwhile, although thrilling an audience does that as well."

2 Comments - Discuss

Evil Darkness Tour 2006 Taking Shape

The Evil Darkness Tour, Scheduled for late summer and fall of 2006 is taking shape. They have announced the 21 US cities that it will stop in over the duration of the tour in 2006. Some venue's are still tentative, and dates are subject to change at this time. The Evil Darkness Tour recently announced the European Rock band Leaves' Eyes as the first confirmed band, as one of three headliners. In addition, talks with Atrocity, which shares band members with Leaves' Eyes, were taking place for the Tour in 2007.

The current schedule of tour dates is as follows:

August 8th, 2006 - San Diego, California @ iPay One Center*
August 11th, 2006 - Phoenix, Arizona @ Glendale Arena*
August 14th, 2006 - Los Angeles, California @ Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena*
August 19th, 2006 - Seattle, Washington @ Seattle Center*
August 23rd, 2006 - Denver, Colorado @ The Pepsi Center*
August 26th, 2006 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma @ Ford Center*
September 9th, 2006 - Dallas, Texas @ Reuinion Arena*
September 12th, 2006 - Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center*
September 18th, 2006 - St. Louis, Missouri @ Savvis Center *
September 22nd, 2006 - Minneapolis, Minnesota @ Target Center
September 26th, 2006 - Chicago, Illinois @ United Center*
September 28th, 2006 - Detroit, Michigan @ The Palace*
October 3rd, 2006 - Columbus, Ohio @ Nationwide Arena
October 8th, 2006 - New York, New York @ Madison Square Gardens*
October 11th, 2006 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania @ Wachovia Center*
October 14th, 2006 - Reston, Virginia @ Richmond Coliseum*
October 17th, 2006 - Raleigh, North Carolina @ RBC Center*
October 20th, 2006 - Atlanta, Georgia @ Phillips Arena*
October 24th, 2006 - Miami, Florida @ Miami Arena*
October 27th, 2006 - Tampa, Florida @ St. Pete Times Forum*
October 30th, 2006 - Orlando, Florida @ TD Waterhouse Centre*

Listings marked with an asterik (*) denote that the venue has not been confirmed, but is in the pre-emptive planning stages, and is the venue of choice.

5 Comments - Discuss

Black Sabbath Cancel Ozzfest Gig In Indiana

According to the official web site of the Verizon Wireless Music Center in Noblesville, Indiana, BLACK SABBATH will **NOT** be performing at today's Ozzfest stop at the venue "due to an illness in the band." However, the remainder of the show will go on as planned and IRON MAIDEN will headline and will play a "complete" set.

If you choose to not attend the show, tickets can be refunded at your original point of purchase beginning Monday (August 1). Show attendance waives your choice for a refund.

This is the second SABBATH cancellation in five days following the band's no-show in Holmdel, New Jersey Wednesday night (July 27). That appearance was reportedly cancelled after SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne — who recently revealed to fans that he was battling a cold — became "too sick" to take to the stage.

BLACK SABBATH performed a headlining set Saturday night (July 30) at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois.

The 10th annual edition of Ozzfest runs through September 4 in West Palm Beach, Florida.

4 Comments - Discuss

Nevermore Frontman: "Ozzfest Is Predictable"

Australia's The Metal Forge recently conducted an in-depth interview with NEVERMORE frontman Warrel Dane. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On how they landed a spot on Gigantour:

"Well, Jimmy (MacDonough), the bass player in MEGADETH, we know from touring with ICED EARTH many times, and the Drover brothers [MEGADETH guitarist Glen and drummer Shawn] would come to shows when we were on tour so we knew them as well. They were all pretty instrumental in getting us on the tour. They really, really pushed hard to get us on there. And it didn't hurt that Jim [Sheppard, bass] and I knew Dave Mustaine already, so…"

On Gigantour being a breath of fresh air on the American summer touring market that has been dominated by Ozzfest for the last decade:

"It is. It's a really diverse bill. I think that that is what is special about it because you're gonna have a lot of fans from different bands that are gonna be exposed to music they've never heard before. I think that is a great thing! Ozzfest is getting awfully predictable because it's always the same thing every year. Different bands but it's always structured kinda the same. I think this is a good alternative and we'll see what happens but I think it's gonna do really well."

On re-signing with Century Media Records prior to the release of "This Godless Endeavor":

"Basically, they wanted us to re-sign and do a new contract before our old one was done and we didn't want to do that. We wanted to fulfill our original contract and then go on from there because there were a number of labels that were interested in working with us. Basically, the way the business works, it sucks. We were playing hardball back and forth with the label and that's why that record [2003's 'Enemies of Reality']… it was a difficult period for us. We were all pretty pissed off and angry and that shows in the music. Our budget got slashed for that record just because of the fact that we had not re-signed. I think it came down to 'Well, re-sign now or this is your budget because that's what is says in your contract.' You can't argue with that. We didn't re-sign. We didn't buckle under and I think it paid off in the end because we got what we wanted. We got everything that we wanted in our new record deal… everything that we've worked ten fucking years for and deserve, we got. We learned how to play the game and we played it very well."

On the band's current relationship with Century Media:

"Well, we're really happy with them right now. The thing, too, that we had to consider was, if we had switched to another label… I mean, we really have personal relationships with a lot of these people, and we've known them for ten years, that are working there. It would've been weird to start that whole cycle over again. It was an important thing and they gave us basically the best offer because they wanted to keep us. We made sure that the problems that happened during the recording of 'Enemies', the contract is structured so that is impossible to ever happen again. So everything is now rosy in world of Century Media and NEVERMORE."

Read the entire interview at TheMetalForge.com.

4 Comments - Discuss

Site Update

Introducing Cinadus

Hi, my name's Rich and I'm a 19 year-old Englishman. My permanent home has been in Belgium for the last 8 years, but I'm about to start my second year of a Computer Science degree at university in the UK. My time spent between the two countries has proven to be very useful for catching many great concerts and festivals. I listen to a wide variety of metal and have always been a big fan of the whole Bay Area thrash scene. Some of my favourite bands include Metallica, Testament, Megadeth, Kreator, Exodus and so on.

My main aim here is to give more direct coverage of the metal world in Europe and to hopefully make people more aware of some of the great bands and festivals we have to offer. I'm also very interested in finding and hearing new bands - I know there are many out there that don't get half the recognition they deserve and I think this site would be a great place to help some of those groups be heard.

4 Comments - Discuss

AM Conspiracy And Soil To Do Free Show In Florida

A.M. CONSPIRACY, the new Orlando, Florida-based rock band fronted by ex-DROWNING POOL singer Jason "Gong" Jones, will be performing a free show with SOIL on August 27 at the Tommy Lawrence Arena on the Volusia County Fairgrounds in Deland, Florida.

As previously reported, A.M. CONSPIRACY have posted a new demo track, entitled "Absence", on their MySpace.com page. Check it out at this location.

The group, whose lineup is rounded out by ex-STILL NAIVE guitarist Rob Dehaven and CANVAS members Clint Campbell (guitars and voice), Dean Andrews (drums) and Kenny Harrleson (bass), recently spent time recording demos at King Snake Studios in Sanford.

Jones had previously called Andrews "insane" on the drums. "He smokes every drummer I've ever played with. He's a little animal," the singer told the Orlando Sentinel.

0 Comments - Discuss

Static-X To Host Headbangers Ball

STATIC-X will be hosting this weekend's edition of MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball", airing Saturday night (July 30) at 10:00 p.m. EST.

STATIC-X's latest album, "Start a War" (Warner Bros. Records) has sold 81,000 copies in the United States since its June 14 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The follow-up to 2003's "Shadow Zone" was produced by Ulrich Wild and is the group's first release with new drummer Nick Oshiro. Early STATIC-X guitarist Koichi Fukuda — who recently officially rejoined the band — handled the programming and keyboard duties during the recording process.

10 Comments - Discuss

SOiL Guitarist: New Singer Is Better Fit

WhatDidIMiss recently conducted an interview with SOIL guitarist Shaun Glass. An excerpt from the chat follows:

WhatDidIMiss.com: Now you guys had to look for and choose a new singer recently, and you didn't even need a reality show to do it. How did you find AJ [Cavalier] and what made him the guy for you?

Shaun Glass: "AJ is amazing. We had a few people try out and they did OK, but Wayne Static [STATIC-X] called me and said, 'Remember DIESEL MACHINE? Well, they're done and I think AJ would fit perfect with [you] both musically and personally.' So he came out, sang a few older songs and wrote a few new songs with us and it was locked down and we knew we had the right singer. Too bad we didnt have him from day one as he really jells a lot better (with us) than the former singer."

WhatDidIMiss.com: Now losing someone like your singer has to be hard in a lot of ways. And now it looks like your former frontman has joined up with another band [DROWNING POOL]. What are your feelings about that?

Shaun Glass: "I honestly dont care what he does. I know we are doing the best SOIL can be, and to them, good luck!"

WhatDidIMiss.com: How is the band chemistry now? Are you guys anxious to hop on tour again or would you rather write more material?

Shaun Glass: We actually have just finished the bulk of the album and actually four songs have already been recorded. As for the chemistry, the five of us get along like family."

WhatDidIMiss.com: Well both your new tracks with AJ ("Jaded" and "Give It Up") rock and they also showcase the band's ability to write great riffs. When writing new material, do you find it easier to write as a band, or is there a different process?

Shaun Glass: "We usually get the music fully done, then give it to AJ, and most of the time he nails it. If we have some ideas, we all talk about it to make everyone happy and make the song the best it can be. Also, I think the two songs out there are just a taste of what we have in store for the new album in 2006."

Read the entire interview at WhatDidIMiss.com.

2 Comments - Discuss

Ethereal Collapse To Release Debut

Wilkes Barre, PA-based melodic death metallers ETHEREAL COLLAPSE have entered Songs Unlimited studios in Wyoming, PA to begin recording their debut album, "Breaching the Citadel", due this fall via Innerstrength Records. The tentative track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. A Tragedy Divine
02. Undo Creation
03. As The Mighty Fall
04. The Eyes Of Solace
05. Breaching The Citadel
06. The Nightmare Creature
07. Walls Of Eternity
08. On The Reins Of Desire

ETHEREAL COLLAPSE's demo material can currently be heard on their MySpace site.

1 Comment - Discuss

Krokus Ready US Tour

Veteran Swiss hard rockers KROKUS have lined up the following U.S. dates in September:

Sep. 11 - New York, NY - BB King's Club
Sep. 15 – Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
Sep. 16 – Farmingdale, NY - The Downtown
Sep. 17 - W. Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Sep. 19 – Baltimore, MD - House Of Rock
Sep. 21 – Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues
Sep. 23 – Allentown, PA - Sterling Music Hall
Sep. 24 – Morristown, NJ - Double D´s
Sep. 27 – Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall

More dates will be announced soon.

KROKUS are in the studio working on the follow-up to 2003's "Rock the Block", tentatively due before the end of the year. The group's current lineup includes Marc Storace (vocals), Mandy Meyer (guitar), Patrick Aeby (drums), Dominique Fave (guitar) and Tony Castell (bass).

2 Comments - Discuss

No Judas Priest Tribute Planned

Former JUDAS PRIEST and current ICED EARTH/BEYOND FEAR frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens has posted the following message in the "Forum" section of his official web site:

"PRIEST has informed me that they don't think it is a good idea to have BEYOND FEAR on any tours with them and that it would be best for me to drop the tribute/PRIEST factor. I know a lot of fans wanted this and I myself still like to please the fans. But it looks as though you will never see PRIEST and myself on the same tour. Sorry."

Owens is in the process of signing a record deal for his BEYOND FEAR project, which also features guitarists John Comprix (SPAWN, 13 FACES) and Dwane Bihary (MISSING SKIN), bassist Dennis Hayes (WINTERS BANE, SEVEN WITCHES) and drummer Eric Elkins (CRYPTKICKER, ALL YOU FEAR). Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "I Don't Need This", "And You Will Die", "It Is Me", "Telling Lies" and "The Faith".

"The contract is signed on my end, and I'm now waiting to get it back and the OK to start recording," Owens writes. "I have informed [producer] Jim Morris [ICED EARTH, DEATH, DEMONS & WIZARDS] and everybody involved that we will soon get this thing going."

1 Comment - Discuss

Nocturnal RItes To Support Gamma Ray

Swedish power metallers NOCTURNAL RITES will be supporting GAMMA RAY on their upcoming European tour. Confirmed dates are as follows:

Sep. 27 - Pilzen, CZR @ KD-Club Seoikova
Sep. 29 - Budapest, HUN @ Petöfi Hall
Sep. 30 - Zlin, CZR @ Golem
Oct. 01 - Zvolen, SLO @ City Sports Hall Website
Oct. 03 - Milano, ITA @ Rolling Stone
Oct. 04 - Pratteln, SWI @ Z7
Oct. 05 - Lyon, FRA @ Transbordeur
Oct. 07 - Bergara, SPA @ San Sebastian
Oct. 08 - Madrid, SPA @ La Riviera
Oct. 09 - Porto, POR @ Club Hard
Oct. 11 - Barcelona, SPA @ Razzmatazz 1
Oct. 12 - Zaragoza, SPA @ TBA
Oct. 14 - Lichtenfels, GER @ Stadthalle
Oct. 15 - Langen, GER @ Stadthalle
Oct. 16 - Bonn, GER @ Brückenforum
Oct. 17 - Paris, FRA @ Elysee Montmartre
Oct. 19 - Oberhausen, GER @ T-Club Turbinenhalle
Oct. 20 - Hamburg, GER @ Markthalle
Oct. 21 - Osnabrück, GER @ Hydepark
Oct. 22 - Kaufbeuren, GER @ All- Karthalle

More...

Read more...  |  0 Comments - Discuss

Candiria Ready New Album, Plan Touring Soon

Brooklyn-based CANDIRIA have posted the following message on their official web site:

"Plans for fall touring are being worked out. In the meantime, now that the set is getting tighter with the latest lineup, it is time we started doing some writing.

"Remember: CANDIRIA has never put itself in any musical position as for what to expect out of itself for a forthcoming album.

"The main thing we're excited about is that two new guitarists will absolutely bring a new perspective on our vision as a writing entity. This could prove to be an incredible experience for all of us; another stage in the growth of CANDIRIA.

"We're aiming for next year as a release. With the exception of the three-year span with 'What Doesn't Kill You…' [2004], we've always been an album-every-two-years type of band so it only makes sense that 2006 would offer a new CANDIRIA album."

Back in April, CANDIRIA won a $29 million verdict for injuries they suffered when a truck hit their tour van.

CANDIRIA were hurt as they traveled to a gig in Cleveland on Sept. 9, 2002, when a tractor trailer owned by Paige Transportation Inc. hit them near Buffalo.

The crash sent their van rolling over five to seven times, and all the members received injuries. The band still performs, but two injured members left.

The aftermath of the crash is documented on the cover of the band's latest album, "What Doesn't Kill You…", with photos of the band's demolished van.

"What Doesn't Kill You..." was released in July 2004 through Type A Records.

0 Comments - Discuss

Destruction Reveal Tracklisting For New Album

German thrashers DESTRUCTION have released the tracklisting to their forthcoming album, "Inventor of Evil", due out through Nuclear Blast Records. Tracklisting is as follows:

1. Soul Collector
2. The Defiance will remain
3. The Alliance of helloundz
4. No mans land
5. The calm before the storm
6. The chosen ones
7. Dealer of Hostility
8. Under surveillance
9. Seeds of hate
10 Twist of fate
11. Killing Machine
12. Memories if Nothingness

Bonus Tracks Digipack:
We are the Road Crew (MOTORHEAD Cover)
The Alliance of Hellhoundz (Schmier vocals only)

Japan version bonus:
Eternal Ban (re-recording)
The Alliance of Hellhoundz (Karaoke Version)

2 Comments - Discuss

Arch Enemy Plan European Tour

ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott has posted the following message on the band's official website:

"Just taking a quick break from sweating our asses off out here on the Ozzfest in the States to give you the good news that European tour dates are now falling into place for this autumn. Below is what we have confirmed so far, more details to follow (ticket info etc) in the next few days. if you don't see your city or country down here yet, don't panic, there are still some more dates which we are trying to lock in right now. I'm hoping we'll be able to announce these next week, so keep your eye on the tour dates section for updates. Quite a few places here that we haven't been to for a long, long time — can't wait to get back out there in front of you guys again — these are nearly all headline shows so we'll be able to give you the full ARCH ENEMY experience for a change!! Support bands to be confirmed soon as well."
More...

Read more...  |  0 Comments - Discuss

Killswitch Engage Post Photos From DVD Shoot

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE shot the live performance for an upcoming DVD release at the Palladium in Worcester, MA this past Monday to a sellout crowd. Photos from the show can be seen at this location. Look for the DVD to be released sometime in November.

0 Comments - Discuss

Bloodsimple Release Video For "What If I Lost It"

BLOODSIMPLE, who are currently out on a Summer tour with STATIC-X and AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE have put the finishing touches on their second video from "A Cruel World", which was released this past Spring. The video for 'What If I Lost It', which follows the release 'Straight Hate', can be found here.

0 Comments - Discuss

EMI & Century Media Ink Distribution Deal

According to Hollywood Reporter, EMI Music on Friday said it has expanded its U.S. deal with Century Media in an exclusive international licensing and distribution agreement with the U.K.- and Germany-based independent label, which has an extensive roster of hard rock and metal acts. Century's product has been distributed in the U.S. by EMI's Caroline Distribution since 1997, and the music major will now distribute it throughout the U.K. and Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The first album due under the new arrangement is Seattle band NEVERMORE's new album "This Godless Endeavor." Other Century Media acts include ARCH ENEMY, LACUNA COIL, NAPALM DEATH, and others. No financial details were disclosed.

0 Comments - Discuss

These Arms Are Snakes Lose Drummer

These Arms Are Snakes have officially announced that drummer Ben Verellen will be leaving the band and will be replaced by Chris Common. Here's a statement from the band:

"We are unfortunately losing our great friend, Ben, as our drummer. He will be sorely missed for we had many great times in the past year or so. It seems like only yesterday that he started rocking those 26" drums on our asses. John Bonham would be proud to call him a son. A bastard son maybe but still a son! So for all of you who loved seeing Ben rock the shit out of those drums, come and say goodbye to him with us this weekend at the Block Party. As mentioned before we play on Sunday on the mainstage. Ben, you are a true friend and are considered a brother.You will be missed."

Verellen will make his final appearance with the band on Sunday (7/31) at The Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, WA.

0 Comments - Discuss