Across Five Aprils Signs To Victory Records

Across Five Aprils has announced that they've joined the Victory Records roster. Formed in 2001, the Chattanooga, Tennessee band previously released an EP and a full-length with Victory Records. You can check them out here.

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For The Fallen Dreams Signs To Rise Records

Rise Records recently signed Michigan hardcore/metal band For The Fallen Dreams. You can check out some of the band's material on their MySpace page.

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Amora Savant Footage From Last Show Online

Video of a song from Amora Savant's last show has been posted online. Volitile Recordsings will be making DVD-Rs of this entire show when it is done, so be on the look out for that. It wont be a recognized release but it will be funded by the label.

The band played their final after four years together. The show featured both the group's original line-up in addition to the newest line-up that featured Jeff Lohrber of Harlots on drums and Tim Marshall from Veil Of Maya on bass as well as performances by Veil Of Maya, Carnivale, Harlots, Everest, The Serpent Son, and By Strangulation.

Here is the video: More...

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Dawn Of Demise Signs To Deepsend Records

Deepsend Records has officially announced the signing of Danish death metal outfit Dawn of Demise. The band is currently putting the finishing touches on their debut album, "Hate Takes Its Form." The album, which was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Aborted, Mercenary), will hit streets this fall.

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Godsmack Extend Summer Tour

GODSMACK Extends Summer Tour Again - July 5, 2007

Launch Radio Networks reports: GODSMACK has again extended its summer tour, with the new dates beginning on July 28 in Alpine, California and ending, at least for now, on August 22 in Syracuse, New York. As with the rest of the band's live work throughout the past year, GODSMACK will play a mix of indoor and outdoor shows in both smaller theatres and larger venues. Drummer Shannon Larkin told Launch he likes to play both, but gives the edge to theatres. "You know, both of them have their magic," he said. "For the drummer, for me, the theatre is the ultimate venue because I can almost see every face in the room, and there is truth to this magic feeling of a power coming off the crowd, an energy. But, you know, arenas, festivals, you know, it's that just looking at a sea of people, even though you can't see all their faces, it's still a different energy."

GODSMACK next plays on July 17 in Houston.

The band will issue a box set later this year to celebrate the band's 10th anniversary. The package will collect all four of the Boston quartet's studio albums, its acoustic EP "The Other Side" and a DVD.

GODSMACK is also slated to participate in a tribute concert for late BOSTON singer Brad Delp, who committed suicide in March. The concert will take place on August 19 at Boston's Bank of America Pavilion.

Newly confirmed GODSMACK tour dates:

Jul. 28 - Alpine, CA - Viejas Casino
Jul. 29 - Paso Robles, CA - California Mid-State Fair
Jul. 31 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
Aug. 01 - Long Beach, CA - Terrace Theatre
Aug. 03 - Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Concert Theatre
Aug. 05 - Englewood, CA - Coors Amphitheatre
Aug. 10 - Nampa, ID - Idaho Center Amphitheatre
Aug. 11 - Tacoma, WA - Cheney Stadium
Aug. 12 - Vancouver, BC - PNE Forum
Aug. 14 - Edmonton, AB - Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Aug. 15 - Calgary, AB - Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Aug. 17 - Regina, SK - Conexus Center
Aug. 18 - Winnipeg, MB - Centennial Concert Hall
Aug. 21 - Hamilton, ONT - Hamilton Place Theatre
Aug. 22 - Syracuse, NY - Landmark Theatre

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Dragonforce Drummer Schedules Drum Clinic Dates

DRAGONFORCE drummer Dave Mackintosh has scheduled the following clinics:

Aug. 05 - Birmingham, UK - Drumfest
Aug. 06 - Torquay, Paignton, UK - Lime Tree
Aug. 08 - Northampton, UK - Drumfest
Aug. 12 - Essex, UK - Drumfest

Mackintosh recently signed an artist deal with Roland. Along with his Tama b/b drums, Dave will use the Roland TD-20bk to help him write and track in the forthcoming recording sessions for DRAGONFORCE.

A video interview with DRAGONFORCE members Sam Totman (guitar) and Frédéric Leclercq (bass), conducted by Capital Chaos TV backstage at The Warfield in San Francisco on the No Fear Tour 2007, has been posted online at YouTube.

Roadrunner Records in March released the "special edition" version of DRAGONFORCE's "Inhuman Rampage" album. The two-disc CD/DVD set features a bonus audio track, "Lost Souls in Endless Time", a "hysterical" behind-the-scenes look into DRAGONFORCE, and a live performance from the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2006.

"Inhuman Rampage" CD has sold 149,000 copies in the United States since its June 2006 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The follow-up to 2004's "Sonic Firestorm" was recorded at Thin Ice Studios in Virginia Water (Surrey) and guitarist Herman Li's own studio in West London between April and September 2005, while production duties were shared between Li, fellow axeman Sam Totman and keyboard player Vadim Pruzhanov.

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New Hanoi Rocks Album Title Announced

Legendary Finnish rockers HANOI ROCKS have set "Street Poetry" as the title of their new album, due on September 5 in Finland by WolfGang Records and in Europe by U.K.-based Demolition Records. The Japanese pressing via Victor Entertainment/JVC Music will contain bonus tracks. The special edition will include a bonus skull bandana and three-fold box design.

HANOI ROCKS' new CD was recorded at Helsinki's Seawolf Studios. It will be preceded by a new single in early August.

HANOI ROCKS' most recent single, "Fashion", entered the Finnish chart at No. 1 back in May. The promotional video for "Fashion" has been posted online. The clip was directed by Kusti and Jaakko Manninen.

The "Fashion" single was released on May 16 in Europe and June 21 in Japan. It also includes HANOI ROCKS' version of the BILLY BREMNER hit "Trouble Boys" (which will not be on the forthcoming album), the promo video for "Fashion" plus a live video, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams", from HANOI's gig at Nosturi in Helsinki this past March. More...

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Poison Frontman Talks Touring And New Show

Patrick Douglas of The Culture Shock recently conducted an interview with POISON frontman Bret Michaels. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

The Culture Shock: What's the biggest difference for you guys as a touring band, as POISON today, in comparison to 20 years ago, as far as taking the show on the road?

Bret: The best thing is we all got our own private tour bus (laughs). It keeps us friendly. Hey, look, last year we still had our own buses and me and Bob still got in a fight onstage. (laughs). You know what's great about? We still are the epitome of the ultimate garage band from Pennsylvania, except for C.C., who's from New York, and we are the epitome of the ultimate garage band that got to do this for 21 years. That is the best way … we still argue about songs that are going in the set. We're still fired up, but when that passion works right, that chemistry, it makes for a really great show. And we're all really good … that's the one thing, we're really good friends that just have the occasional disagreement. (laughs).

The Culture Shock: Do you guys ever sit back and laugh at each other and talk about how one minute, you're pissed off at each other and the next minute, you're friends again?

Bret: We have many a laugh about our own exciting, yet "Spinal Tap"-ish career. You can quote that (laughs). We half laugh at it. Last year, Bobby, when we got in a fight in Atlanta, he hit me in the knee and I said, you wussie. I thought we were gonna go mano-y-mano, fist-to-fist, good old style. He took his green, sharp pointy Warlock bass off, winged it around like Peter Townsend and then it hit me that he was actually gonna throw it at me and I'm like, "Man, I'm gonna die." I went into a karate kick stance, he threw it and the fuckin' bass caught my knee (laughs). This was how I had to act it out. Although I felt like crying, here we are at a sold-out show in Atlanta, or a packed show, and I hobble up to the mike, and I know I need stitches, right. I go, "This is our last song we're doing. You may never see us again." I'm a little dramatic. I go, "You may never see us again." Not a couple hours later, they stitch me up and we're at a truck stop laughing about it. I'm like, "Hey, you dick, look at my knee." We laughed it off and the next day we played Memphis and I had to play in a knee brace for the next five shows.

The Culture Shock: Right and meanwhile the media's going crazy, talking about the end of POISON.

Bret: They were going nuts. But, this was what was going through my head. Out of all the things. You're thinking about the show and whatnot. I'm thinking, he's gonna hit me with the heaviest and pointiest of all basses (laughs). I've actually felt the weight 'cause I've played his Warlock bass before. That thing's like lifting a tree and I'm like, "Man he's gonna whip that into my body. I'm gonna die." So I went into a karate kick stance (laughs). Unfortunately, I didn't get to block all of it and it took a nice chunk out of my leg (laughs). A few stitches later and after a couple laughs, we were back playing Memphis that very next day.

The Culture Shock: Tell me about this upcoming TV show, "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels". I'm assuming you filmed it already and it's all done.

Bret: Yeah, we just finished up. It's gonna be VH1's biggest show of the summer. They pushed the premiere up from an hour to an hour and a half. I promise this, I will make all rockers proud. The show is insane and bizarre and it's off the chart, that's all I'm gonna say. It's the most off-the-chart thing. It may push reality to a whole new level, but they were only gonna do six episodes and they ended up doing eleven. That's how crazy it got. We were supposed to eliminate a zillion girls and we did the first two shows and they're like, "Whoa, slow down." And they bought eleven episodes. It's off the charts. That's all I can tell you. You'll know what I mean here fairly soon. It was really bizarre for me to do but at the same time it rocked. It's pretty off the wall.

The Culture Shock: How did you get involved with that? Did they approach you?

Bret: I have two daughters and I was newly single and I told 'em straight up. They came after me and they said, "Look, Bret, you've never done a reality show," which I hadn't. I'd done "Bashful Star" where I was a judge, but I'd never done a dating reality show and they asked me year after year to do these different things and I was like, "No I'm in a relationship," or "I'm in this," or "I'm touring," or "It's just not for me," and they said, "Here's how it works. There's 25 girls, they're all rock girls. They don't know you, but they've been to your concerts. They are all very different and you're gonna be in one house." They wanted to shoot it at my house, but I said "No." I said, "It's the wrong situation." I said, "I don't know 'em." I don't want 'em to be … what if they're all insane? (laughs) You know what I mean? So, we leased a house in Beverly Hills and went in and I did everything I wanted to do. Motocross. I got to do football. We played mud football, full-on tackle and whatever team won got to go on a date. It was pretty out there. It was pretty out there. It was really fun for me to do and hopefully, I know this, it will be very entertaining and hopefully it will be a success for them. Wait 'til you see it. When I say it's off the hook, you'll know what it means (laughs).

Read the entire interview at www.thecultureshock.com.

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Skeletonwitch Ready To Hit The Road, More Dates

Cleveland-based thrashers SKELETONWITCH have finished recording the band's Prosthetic Records debut, 'Beyond The Permafrost,' and are now gearing up to hit the road with Atlanta's Withered. SKELETONWITCH has also announced two regional dates supporting GWAR as well as a West Coast tour this fall alongside Nachtmystium, dates will be available shortly.

'Beyond The Permafrost' was recorded in June with producer Corey Smoot (GWAR, Municipal Waste) at Karma Studios and is scheduled for a Sept. 18 through Prosthetic Records.

Here are the latest SKELETONWITCH tour dates: More...

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A Love Ends Suicide Changes Name

Metal Blade Records/High Impact Records recording artist A Love Ends Suicide has officially changed their name to Lets Fighting. The group has also posted a pre-production track which you can check out here. The band issued the following update:

"We have been MIA for quite a while now but as you can see we have a lot of new changes going on. We have officially changed our band name to 'Let's Fighting.' (For personal reasons) We got the name from a South Park episode. They had a song on one episode that went 'Let's Fighting Love,' but since we already had the word 'Love' in our last name, we just kept the first 2 words. It makes no sense but we like it. (Now each of us in the band can sport an A.L.E.S T-Shirt). We also added a new song to our music player entitled 'New Blood.' We shot the music video for the song about a week ago in Burbank, CA at Sound Staging Area. The video is being edited as we speak. We had Trevor, Brad, and Richie shoot our video (All Shall Perish, As Blood Runs Black, Job For A Cowboy, etc). We had such an amazing time doing it. We'll be putting a 'Making Of' the video up shortly. We're looking forward to the final product. In the mean time, we put a bunch of new pics for all of you to see from the video shoot (Taken by the one and only C-LOS). We are heading into the rehearsal studio full time next week for the next 2 to 3 months to finish the new album which still has no title. Until than, we will keep you all updated on whats going on. Stay tuned for a new myspace layout, music video, new music, and new merch. Until then, LET'S-FIGHTING-LOVE!!!"

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Demiricous Among Victims Of Indy Burglaries

A stretch of recent robberies, from the Shurgard Storage Center (now Public Storage) located at 933 North Illinois Street in downtown Indianapolis, have left numerous Indianapolis based bands in shambles. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of music equipment is missing with little, to no assistance being offered by the facility or the Indianapolis Police Department.

Around 7:00 PM on Wednesday, June 27th, members of local bands Demiricous and The Dream Is Dead arrived at Public Storage for an evening of band practice. Upon arriving, they discovered their storage unit, located on the third floor of the facility, empty and ransacked. Local based bands Demiricous, The Dream is Dead, Two-Bit Terribles, Whiskeytits, and Black Arrows of Filth & Impurity, among others, occupy rental storage units at the downtown location. Bands that have been affected by this string of robberies, have endured losses of an estimated $25,000.00 worth of musical equipment.

"No one kept track of the serial numbers of their equipment, I am just sick over this", said Jared Southwick, guitarist for The Dream is Dead. More frustration is setting in due to lack of help from authorities. Although police reports have been filed by many of the band members, local police authorities claim that there at 5,000 theft cases ahead of them. The Public Storage facility will not release surveillance videos and are not cooperating with the victims. "They honestly don’t act like they care at all", says Southwick. Most of the equipment, now in the hands of the soulless robber(s), holds sentimental value and is irreplaceable.

According to Dave Britts, member of Black Arrows of Filth & Impurity, "the storage facility had several cases of theft over the last few months and did nothing to warn the tenants, not even something as basic as a flyer. It’s mind blowing". Typically, stolen music "gear" appears at pawn shops in and around the city and online re-sale sources, such as EBay. "We want to make sure the media is aware of the bands’ situation and ask them for help, to stir things up with the storage facility and authorities. I want to help make sure that area pawn shops, music stores, and online communities are on the look out for specific equipment", said Erin Mullen with IndyMetal.com and friend of many involved.

"Unless you are part of this local music community, you can not begin to understand how detrimental this is. This potentially robs Demiricous, a nationally signed touring band, the livelihood of touring this fall with their new CD release. The remainder of the bands affected, are key players in our local community. It’s a tremendous set back, as a promoter who is relying on some of these bands to perform at scheduled events and to everyone that support our friends at their shows. It is devastating." says Mullen.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release or a complete listing of equipment stolen, contact Erin Mullen or Mark LaFay.

Erin Mullen
Director of IndyMetal.com
317.714.6632
erin@indymetal.com

Mark LaFay
Owner of Middle Coast Management
(Manager of band Demiricous)
317.710.2099
mark@middlecoastmanagement.com

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Ministry Reveal Tracklisting For Final Album

What do Ministry's Al Jourgensen and President George Dubya Bush have in common? Besides not a whole heck of a lot, both will soon be moving on from their current gigs. The last-ever Ministry studio album, "The Last Sucker," will be released on September 18 (13th Planet/Megaforce) followed by a world tour in 2008, and then, after 11 studio albums and 27 years, including four Grammy nominations ("N.W.O."/1993, "Bad Blood"/2000, "The Great Satan"/2005, the "Rio Grande Blood" track "LiesLiesLies,"/2006), Jourgensen will lay Ministry to rest and focus on expanding his borderland compound, 13th Planet Records.

"I've got a lot of side-projects and new projects I want to focus on," explained Jourgensen. "We have our our own label, 13th Planet Records, we're building, and I want to sign, produce and collaborate with other artists. Being in the studio writing, recording and collaborating is my favorite part of this snake-oil industry. I'd rather be behind the console than behind the mic. Plus, I kinda like the synchronicity of Dubya and Ministry riding off into the sunset hand in hand."

In addition to being Ministry's final studio album, the 11-track "The Last Sucker" is the third in an unrelenting and uber-critical CD trilogy aimed at exposing the plethora of foils, failures and fabrications perpetrated by the George W. Bush Administration. "The Last Sucker," which follows "Houses of the Mole" (2004) and "Rio Grande Blood" (2006), is the final nail in the Dubya coffin. To represent the Prez accurately, Jourgensen interspersed snippets of Dubya sound bites and samples throughout "The Last Sucker." "My engineer and I were hunched over a computer for nights on end listening to this fucking idiot until our minds were numb. I mean, I'm absolutely stupider for listening to his drivel for such concentrated periods of time, but I viewed including these sound bites as a necessary evil."

Another prime target in the Bush administration who takes it on the chin from Jourgensen's finger-pointing on "The Last Sucker" is our beloved VEEP. The track "The Dick Song" pretty much sums up Jourgensen's sentiment: "I've got a person that scares me to death...First name is Dick and you all know the rest...Dick Cheney Son of Satan...He is the Chosen One." The new album also features a propane-powered cover of the Doors' "Roadhouse Blues," and the album's dual closers, "The End of Days" (Parts One and Two) captures every single element of Ministry's pioneering uniqueness in the world of industrial music.

"The Last Sucker" was produced and recorded this past Spring by Jourgensen at his 13th Planet compound just outside of El Paso, TX, and sees the return of "Rio Grande Blood" musicians Thomas Victor (Prong) on guitars, Paul Raven (Killing Joke/Prong) on bass, with newcomer guitarist Sin Quirin from The Revolting Cocks 2006 touring line-up. Jourgensen and his engineer John "Bixby" Bilberry handled all the drum programming. In addition, Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory makes a vocal appearance on "Die In A Crash," as well as the album's final two songs, "End of Days" parts One and Two.

Jourgensen remembered, "I lived through Watergate." I was twelve years old and already briefed and reading the [Watergate] papers, so I was very cognizant at an early age of the corruption that can exist in the U.S. government. So I don't grab my heart and have a heart attack over the 'shock' of how corrupt things are today."

The track listing for "The Last Sucker" is as follows: More...

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Kiss Unleashing Second Volume Of "Kissology"

Billboard.com reports that Kiss will follow up its wildly successful 2006 DVD box set, "Kissology: Volume One, 1974-1977," on Aug. 14 with a second volume chronicling 1978-1991 via VH1 Classic Records.

"It's fantastic that 'Volume One' of 'Kissology' has done huge numbers, but does it surprise me? No, not at all," Kiss guitarist Tommy Thayer commented. "This is Kiss in its early raw form, four guys with the hunger and fire, aspiring to take on the world. All this great footage is finally available and it's exciting."

"Volume Two" will be comprised of three DVDs and a fourth disc that will vary by retailer. The first disc will feature a news special on the band from 1978 and an infamous 1979 interview with Tom Snyder, with other elements still pending, according to Kiss' Web site.

One of the more intriguing features in the set is "Kiss in Attack of the Phantoms" on disc one, the previously unseen European theatrical version of the 1978 cult classic film known in the U.S. as "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park."

The second disc shows Kiss in transition, as it features the last promo video to with original drummer Peter Criss ("Shandi"). His replacement, Eric Carr, is behind the kit for a complete November 1980 concert at Australia's Sydney Showground. Also included are the only live renditions of material from the strangest studio album to bear the Kiss logo, "(Music From) The Elder," taped on the late-night show "Fridays" in 1982.

Disc three chronicles Kiss' comeback via a mammoth outdoor gig in Rio de Janeiro from June 1983, one of its last in makeup. Also included is Kiss' infamous "unmasking" on MTV from later that year, a handful of performances from the Lick It Up and Crazy Nights tours and a full 1990 show from Detroit.

Asked why "Volume 2" doesn't include any complete shows from the Lick It Up or Asylum tours, Thayer explains, "We chose the best songs from those concerts. Remember, the 'Volume Two' DVD is over seven hours long and from tour to tour, many of the same songs are played, so you have to pick the choice songs and moments without being too repetitive. When you create a DVD package there are time considerations -- you can only physically put so much on a DVD disc, and each volume of 'Kissology' is designed in advance to be a three-disc set."

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The Forshadowing Announce Artist, Post New Song

THE FORESHADOWING have announced their new partnership with well-known artist Seth Siro Anton (Paradise Lost, Caliban, Rotting Christ, Vader etc.). Seth will take care of the "Days of Nothing" artwork, their forthcoming debut album out on 22nd Ooctober. In the meantime the Italian goth-doomsters have recently added the new song sample "Eschaton" on their official MySpace page.

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Sonata Arctica Album Goes Gold In Finland

Right after SONATA ARCTICA's "best of" compilation, "The Collection", going gold, the band's debut album, "Ecliptica", has followed suit by reaching certified Gold status in Finland. More than 20,000 copies were sold since the release of the album. This marks the band's sixth Gold record.

Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:

July 7 - Turku, Finland - Ruisrock
July 13 - Vaasa, Finland - Rockperry
July 14 - Joensuu - Finland - Ilosaarirock
July 19 - Nagoya, Japan - Zepp Nagoya
July 20 - Osaka, Japan - Namba Hatch
July 21 - Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya-AX
July 22 - Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya-AX
July 27 - Kuusamo, Finland - Kuusamo Ruka Open Air
July 28 - Oulu, Finland - Qstock Festival
Aug. 5 - Vantaa, Finland - Ankkarock
Sept. 7 - Mexico City, Mexico - Circo Volador
Sept. 8 - Monterrey, Mexico - Café Iguana
Sept. 9 - Guadalajara, Mexico - HRL
Sept. 12 - Ft. Worth, TX - Ridglea Theater
Sept. 14 - Albuquerque, NM - Launch Pad
Sept. 15 - Tempe, AZ - Clubhouse
Sept. 16 - Los Angeles, CA - Key Club
Sept. 17 - Santa Ana, CA - Galaxy Theater
Sept. 19 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
Sept. 21 - Chicago, IL - The Metro
Sept. 22 - Detroit, MI - Harpo's
Sept. 23 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's Down Under
Sept. 24 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
Sept. 26 - Quebec City, QC - Salle Albert Rosseau
Sept. 27 - Montreal, QC - The Medley
Sept. 28 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance Theater
Sept. 29 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
Sept. 30 - New York, NY - B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill
Oct. 2 - Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero
Oct. 3 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Oct. 5 - Atlanta, GA - ProgPower USA VIII
Oct. 6 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
Oct. 7 - Winter Park, FL - The Haven
Oct. 9 - Houston, TX - The Meridian
Oct. 31 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan

w/ EPICA and RIDE THE SKY:

Nov. 1 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
Nov. 3 - Göteborg, Sweden - Lisebergshallen
Nov. 4 - Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet
Nov. 5 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
Nov. 7 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
Nov. 8 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA-Longhorn
Nov. 9 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
Nov. 10 - Kaufbeuren, Germany - All Kart Halle
Nov. 12 - London, UK - Carling Academy
Nov. 13 - Paris, France - Elysée Montmartre
Nov. 14 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
Nov. 16 - Madrid, Spain - Heineken
Nov. 17 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz II
Nov. 19 - Milano, Italy - Alcatraz
Nov. 20 - Budapest, Hungary - Petöfi Hall
Nov. 21 - Vienna, Austria - Planet Music
Nov. 23 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
Nov. 24 - Antwerp, Belgium - Hof Ter Lo
Nov. 25 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
Nov. 26 - Amsterdam, Holland - Melkweg

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Arch Enemy Vocalist Launches Own Website

ARCH ENEMY vocalist Angela Gossow has posted this message on her MySpace page:

"Dear friends,

I am very excited to announce the launch of AngelaGossow.com today, the 4th of July! The site features all my activities with ARCH ENEMY, but also my projects outside ARCH ENEMY, vocal advice, tons of media stuff, etc. If you got cool pictures, wallpapers, magazine scans, online interviews or anything else related to me you want to contribute to this site, please get in contact with my wonderful webmistress Nina, who has also designed (the website).

See you there!

Yours,

Angela"

As reported earlier on METALEATER, ARCH ENEMY's new album, "Rise Of The Tyrant", is scheduled to be released on September 25 through Century Media. Here is the complete track listing:

01. Blood On Your Hands
02. The Last Enemy
03. I Will Live Again
04. In This Shallow Grave
05. Revolution Begins
06. Rise Of The Tyrant
07. The Day You Died
08. Intermezzo Liberté
09. Night Falls Fast
10. The Great Darkness
11. Vultures

Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:

Aug. 18 - Derby, UK - Bloodstock Festival
Aug. 24 - Gemuenden, Germany - Up From The Ground Festival

The Black Crusade Tour (Australia) w/ TRIVIUM and MACHINE HEAD:

Oct. 28 - Perth, Australia - The Metro
Oct. 30 - Adelaide, Australia - The Barton
Oct. 31 - Melbourne, Australia - Festival Hall
Nov. 1 - Sydney, Australia - Luna Park
Nov. 2 - Sydney, Australia - Luna Park
Nov. 3 - Brisbane, Australia - Riverstage

The Black Crusade Tour (Europe) w/ MACHIEN HEAD, TRIVIUM, DRAGONFORCE and SHADOWS FALL:

Nov. 20 - Glasgow, UK - SECC
Nov. 21 - Manchester, UK - MEN Arena
Nov. 23 - Birmingham, UK - NEC
Nov. 24 - London, UK - Brixton Academy
Nov. 25 - London, UK - Brixton Academy
Nov. 26 - Cardiff, UK - CIA Arena
Nov. 28 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre
Nov. 29 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre
Nov. 30 - Amsterdam, Holland - Heineken Music Hall
Dec. 1 - Cologne, Germany - The Palladium
Dec. 2 - Stuttgart, Germany - Messe Congress
Dec. 3 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
Dec. 5 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
Dec. 6 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
Dec. 7 - Winterthur, Switzerland - Eulachhalle
Dec. 9 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
Dec. 10 - Copenhagen, Denmark - KB Halle
Dec. 11 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan
Dec. 13 - Tampere, Finland - Old Ice Hall
Dec. 14 - Helsinki, Finland - Old Ice Hall

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First Part Of New Mayhem Documentary Posted Online

The first part (out of five) of the sequel to the acclaimed Norwegian/Swedish documentary "Cult of Aggression", focusing on the Norwegian black metal pioneers MAYHEM, has been posted on the band's official web site: Stream, Download (Windows Media, 25 MB). Entitled "Pure Fucking Mayhem", the new documentary was financed by the film's director, Stefan Rydehed, and "will be shown at film festivals around the globe," according to Rydehed. "If any company wants to release it, they can contact me; otherwise it will be released through the Internet."

According to the director, "Pure Fucking Mayhem" covers MAYHEM's history from the early days to the present day and it [is] a totally new documentary." Included in the film is a brand new interview with MAYHEM singer Attila Csihar, conducted on February 4, 2007 at a SHINING gig in Halmstad, Sweden. "With the documentary there will also be a soundtrack for it — black metal songs played on piano," Rydehed said.

The original film, "Cult of Aggression", was released in 2002 and received its world premiere in 2004 at the Oslo Filmfestival, where it was shown twice. It is available for viewing in its entirety at http://www.thetruemayhem.com/chaos.htm

"The first documentary about MAYHEM, 'Cult of Aggression', was about their history — mainly about their music, but, of course, if a band has such a bloody history as MAYHEM, you can't [leave] that out of the documentary," Rydehed has said

"'Cult of Aggression' was mainly with Manheim and Necro Butcher but had a few parts about Dead when I used a voice-over and some folks who lived in Kråkstad when the band had their rehersal/livingplace there," Rydehed added.

"The new version of [the film], which will be totally new except Manheim's part, will still focus about the music, events, albums, members and session members and people who have been involved in the scene. So it will be a pretty huge documentary. Still underground!"

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Manson To Tour Australia And New Zealand

According to NEWS.com.au, MARILYN MANSON will tour Australia and New Zealand this October.

Manson toured Australia in 2003 following the release of the concept album "The Golden Age of Grotesque".

Before that his group was a headline act for the 1999 Big Day Out.

Each time they were met with disdain by political and religious groups, and lauded by their often black-clad fanbase.

MARILYN MANSON tour dates:

Oct. 03 - Auckland, Town Hall
Oct. 05 - Melbourne, Festival Hall
Oct. 06 - Sydney, Hordern Pavilion
Oct. 08 - Brisbane, Entertainment Centre
Oct. 11 - Adelaide, Thebarton Theatre
Oct. 13 - Perth, Challenge Stadium

Tickets go on sale Friday, July 13.

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Megadeth Bassist Doesnt Rule Out White Lion Return

Blasting-Zone.com recently conducted an in-depth interview with MEGADETH bassist James Lomenzo. Several excerpts follow:

Blasting-Zone.com: In hindsight, how would you describe the recording process for "United Abominations"?

James: "It was definitely a labor of love and respect in retrospect looking back at the whole project. We started just before Gigantour last year, which was weird because it meant I had only played three gigs as a member of MEGADETH. We went right into the studio, and Dave already had a whole bunch of material ready to go. I guess he had been preparing for this for a while. So our job was to interpret it and make it sound as MEGADETH-y as possible. It was actually a really cool environment. I was pleasantly surprised and a little shocked by how cool it was to work with Dave Mustaine. After all the things that people had cautioned and warned me about, I found them all to be not true at all. He's actually a cool guy to make music with. So we plodded forth in the studio and to make a long story short, we had to stop recording for a while to do the Gigantour last summer. Looking back at that, it was actually a blessing in disguise because it gave us a little bit of time, all of us, to sit back and look at what we were creating and how close it was to being a classic MEGADETH album…and Dave had a lot of time to fine-tune his lyrics and decided where he wanted to do. So that worked out really well."

Blasting-Zone.com: Did you have an opportunity to contribute any songwriting ideas?

James: "Dave had already pre-conceived most of the music, so we worked off of some demos and patterns that he had. My job was basically to put as much of my personality into it that the MEGADETH sound would allow. On some things, Dave just kinda let me go and dug on a lot of it, I think. 'Washington is Next' is a pretty good example of that. In other places, he would suggest things like, 'Why don't you play along with the guitars on this part because that would reinforce it and make it sound like more of a MEGADETH record?' So it was a really cool blend and the same was true with both Shawn and Glen, especially with Glen. He really shined with his solo work on there. There was a lot of space for his to do his thing and put his mark on the band as well. When I came into this band, I was just blown away by Shawn and Glen…by their virtuosity and their real love for this band, ya know? These guys are students of music across the board, so they were a real inspiration to me because they're great world-class musicians. They're every bit as MEGADETH as any of the other players… (former guitarist) Marty (Friedman), (former guitarist) Chris (Poland), (late drummer) Gar (Samuelson)…any of those guys."

Blasting-Zone.com: In retrospect, how would you describe your time with David Lee Roth? Was he as difficult to work with as the rumors would suggest?

James: "David Lee Roth was fantastic. Again, it was one of those situations where everyone was raising their eyebrows going, 'Good luck with that one,' ya know? I got there and man he was one of the best guys that I have ever worked with. I'll say that both Daves are alike because I think their misunderstood to a degree. They speak their minds and people don't like to hear what they have to say sometimes…but there's some validity when they do open their mouths. He was a cheerleader for the band, he made us very comfortable and he was all about being Dave. The trick that I've found over the years to playing with these guys is that they have this unique identity that they understand implicitly about themselves and that's why they continue to rise, ya know? If you can get on board with that and just keep your ears and eye open and do what it is you need to do to bolster these guys, the ride is easy and they make it very nice for ya. The thing that was great about Dave was that he was a bit of an esoteric where he'd come up with these little projects for us. He'd be like, 'Lomenzo, you play upright bass?' and I say, 'Sure…' and he'd say, 'Are you sure?' and I'd say, 'Yeah…' and he'd say, 'Then go get some…' (laughs). We'd start doing some stuff and off we'd go, ya know? It was fun for me after all these years to come in and be so diverse with such a character. It was fun."

Blasting-Zone.com: If the opportunity arose, would you participate in a WHITE LION reunion?

James: "Actually, I almost have twice."

Blasting-Zone.com: Really?

James: "Yeah, I've found along the way that there's so many really cool people who dug that band. It's funny… I'll come to the MEGADETH shows and they cue right up. They'll have all the albums for me to sign and everything (laughs). I've come to find that people are really appreciative of that style of music and it's nostalgic for them, so I understand what that's about. There were a couple of things that came up just before we started this MEGADETH tour. I sat down with a couple of friends of mine from the band POISON and some other bands. On the way out of the dinner, the guys said, 'You know, we'd love to have WHITE LION out with us this summer…' and I said, 'Wow, that probably would be great. I can't do it right now because I'm in MEGADETH, but that's a great idea. Let me get (WHITE LION vocalist) Mike (Tramp) on the phone….' So I called Mike and he went to go spearhead it and I think him and (former WHITE LION guitarist) Vito (Bratta) got into some verbal fisticuffs on the radio, so it probably won't happen for them. A bunch of years ago just before I joined BLACK LABEL SOCIETY there was some speculation…about the group doing some European stuff, but again, I couldn't participate. But I would. If it would make people happy, why not?"

Read the entire interview at Blasting-Zone.com.

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Gene Simmons Not Letting Terrorism Affect Plans

Tom Campbell of Times-Dispatch reports that like other travelers at the Richmond airport yesterday, rock star Gene Simmons of KISS seemed unconcerned about security after recent scares in London and Glasgow.

Simmons was in Richmond over the weekend because the IndyCar Series was in town. His company, Simmons Abramson Marketing, promotes IndyCar racing. The SunTrust Indy Challenge ran Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway.

"I had no concern at all [about flying] because of Homeland Security," Simmons said between rounds of posing for photos with fans.

U.S. airports have been at the "orange" threat level, the second-highest on the government's five-level scale, since August 2006, when police in the United Kingdom said they foiled a plot to blow up aircraft bound for the U.S.

Simmons said he does not complain about extra security measures imposed on airport travelers — even travelers who fly in private or corporate jets. He sidestepped saying whether he was flying commercial from Richmond International Airport yesterday.

He said the war on terrorism is a war of ideas that will last decades, and that it will not end with the death or capture of Osama bin Laden.

"This is a worldwide fight for the minds of Muslim youth," he said.

"I'm a big proponent of the idea that in time of war some individual rights have to be curtailed, and this is a time of war," Simmons said. "I was born in Israel, although I consider America my home. When you come from a small country like that where you're surrounded by people who bear you ill will," you understand drastic measures sometimes must be taken.

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