The Assailant Breaks Up

Seattle's The Assailant has called it quits. Here's a statement from singer Ryan Claudon:

"I am deeply saddened to have to tell everyone this but we have decided that we are going to be throwing in the towel. We have 2 shows this weekend another show on September 21st with Heiress, Helms Alee and Blues and then we will more than likely be having a final farewell show in late October where we will be playing almost all our songs, including 18, 22, and 20. That being said, I hope all of you can come out and see us one last time before we call it quits. We really appreciate everyone who has helped us out in any capacity through out the years (there is a lot of you) and to all of you who have come to one of our shows in the past, it has really meant a lot to us. This band has meant the world to me and has been my life for these past couple of years. I have so many great memories and I am very heart broken over this whole thing."

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Just For Fun

The 10 Weakest Songs by Badass Bands

"When Badasses Go Soft: The 10 Weakest Songs by Badass Bands" is a recent feature on Cracked.com detailing their list of some of the biggest cases of hard andheavy bands wussing out. Metal is of course well-represented on the list with the following spots:

#10. "Until It Sleeps" - Metallica
#8. "All of My Love" - Led Zeppelin
#6. "Mama, I'm Coming Home" - Ozzy Osborne
#4. "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" - Aerosmith

You have to read the original article to get the complete details.

Read the full article at Cracked.com.

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Death Before Dishonor, Damnation AD, Unholy Tour

Death Before Dishonor will hit the road late next month with support from Damnation AD and Unholy. If you can help book any of the "TBA" dates, send an email to ramonadetroit@gmail.com. The latest schedule is as follows:

9/20 Buffalo, NY @ Buffalo Icon
9/21 Cleveland, OH @ TBA
9/22 Detroit, MI @ Hayloft w/ Fight It Out, All Hype
9/23 Chicago, IL @ Galaxie
9/24 Joplin, MO @ TBA
9/25 Oklahoma, OK @ TBA
9/26 San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
9/27 McAllen, TX @ Nikki Rowe VFW
9/28 El Paso, TX @ TBA
9/29 Albuquerque, NM @ TBA
9/30 Mesa, AZ @ Papillons Too
10/1 Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
10/3 Bakersfield, CA @ Jerry's Pizza
10/4 Fresno, CA @ The Exit
10/5 Sacramento, CA @ TBA
10/6 Portland, OR @ Satyricon
10/7 Tacoma, WA @ Viaduct w/ Furious Styles, Open Fire!
10/9 Boise, ID @ The Venue
10/10 Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vortex w/ Aftermath of a Trainwreck
10/11 Denver, CO @ TBA
10/12 Kansas, KS @ TBA
10/13 Omaha, NE @ American Legion Hall Post 1
10/14 Memphis, TN @ TBA
10/15 Covington, KY @ Mad Hatter Club
10/16 Pittsburgh, PA @ TBA
10/17 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
10/18 New Haven, CT @ TBA

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Motley Crue Suffer Legal Setback

According to the ABC Radio Networks, MÖTLEY CRÜE suffered a legal setback Wednesday (August 22) in its case against drummer Tommy Lee's manager Carl Stubner. You may recall that the suit alleges the defendant cost the band millions of dollars and hurt their reputation by advising Lee to appear in his reality flop "Tommy Lee Goes to College" rather than tour with the group. But a judge has ruled that the legal papers don't support a cause of action. He did allow them 20 days to re-file the papers with additional facts.

In CRÜE's lawsuit, which was filed on June 18 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, three of the group's founding members (Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil and Mick Mars) through Motley Crue Inc., claim Stubner forced Tommy Lee to "to become engaged in 'reality' projects that were bad career moves for Lee, harming [Sixx, Mars, Neil and Lee], the MÖTLEY CRÜE brand and Lee's own image." According to TMZ.com, the suit calls the low-rated NBC show "Tommy Lee Goes to College" a "critical disappointment and a ratings disaster," adding it painted Lee as "incoherent, lazy and incompetent" and made him "look like a laughing stock who could not carry a drum beat." The suit also claims Lee's participation on "Rock Star: Supernova" "diminished the public's interest in Lee and their overall perception of his musical talents."

Because Lee was so busy doing reality TV, the band says he was unavailable to tour with the CRÜE, thus causing the cancellation of several key concert dates. The band claims that they lost $8 million in ticket and merchandise revenue because of Lee's scheduling conflicts. The band claims these conflicts were "both real and concocted" by Stubner to "leverage his control over Lee to his financial advantage and to MÖTLEY CRÜE and Lee's detriment."

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Threshold Prepare For European Tour

Threshold are currently making final preparations for their forthcoming European tour starting at the end of August. It features a strong three band support package: COMMUNIC, MACHINE MEN and SERENITY. The tour takes in Germany, Holland, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Switzerland and Belgium, with Threshold going on to play further dates in England, Denmark and the US later in the year with the likes of IT BITES, KAMELOT and AFTER FOREVER.

Threshold recently experienced the unexpected departure of their singer Mac just days before their first festivals of the year, but fortunately the band's original vocalist Damian Wilson was able to step in for all this year's tour dates. Wilson sang on the band's first and third albums, but apart from a few live UK shows before the release of Wounded Land, he has only toured once with the band back in 1997. "Having Damian Wilson back on vocals adds an edge to the shows this time around", says guitarist and founding member Karl Groom. "Fans who have never had a chance to see him perform with Threshold now have a great opportunity we never thought would happen."

Damian Wilson is also currently lead singer of HEADSPACE, a British progressive rock band featuring keyboard player Adam Wakeman, son of the legendary YES keyboard player Rick Wakeman. Fortunately the Threshold tour dates didn't clash with any Headspace commitments, and after playing two festivals with Threshold in July, Wilson was able to commit to the rest of Threshold's tour schedule. "Playing the festivals was a lot of fun, even without preparation and it was compelling to be greeted with such a positive response. I guess it's the same with most singers; give me a stage and I'm happy, give me an audience and I'm thrilled."

Also new to the band's touring line-up this year is guitarist Pete Morten, filling in for Nick Midson who decided to take some time off from the band last year. "This is a moment in my life that I am very much looking forward to and I don't plan on taking it for granted", says Morten. He also fronts his own band who are currently being produced by Karl Groom. "I see this tour with Threshold as an amazing opportunity to not only play with an amazing band and further my craft as a musician, but see this as a great promotional vehicle for my own band SOLILOQUY."

This year's set list will include a blend of new songs from the Dead Reckoning album alongside older classics including songs from when Damian Wilson was in the band. "We're doing a few tracks from Wounded Land and Extinct Instinct, but the main focus is to promote the new album," says keyboard player Richard West. "We ended the last two festivals with 'This Is Your Life' (from Dead Reckoning) and Damian really owned it, he gave it a new flavour and it sounded amazing."

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Arsonists Get All The Girls Unveil New Video

The most notorious pack of degenerates from Santa Cruz ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS have started to create a buzz within the underground metal scene as of late due primarily to the strength of their live show and frenetic actions on stage. The press reactions to the group’s vicious, much-anticipated Century Media debut, "The Game of Life", have been equally impressive causing people to start paying some attention to these self-proclaimed pack of miscreants.

The group recently shot a hilarious concept video for the track "Shoe Shine For Neptune" which can be viewed here. This debut offering was produced by Zach Ohren of Castle Ultimate (ANIMOSITY, LIGHT THIS CITY) and offers 12 uniquely dense, hard-hitting songs that breathe some new life into the genre.

ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS recently completed a week-long West Coast stint with DEAR LIFE after wrapping up the month-long "Captain America Is Dead Tour" with ELYSIA and KNIGHTS OF THE ABYSS. Expect a major U.S. tour announcement to be made in the coming weeks. More...

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Nevermore Cancel Helmond Concert

NEVERMORE has cancelled tonight's concert in Helmond, Netherlands. An official statement on the matter is expected shortly.

NEVERMORE members Warrel Dane (vocals) and Jeff Loomis (guitar) were the featured guests on "Metal Shop" on Seattle's KISW 99.9 FM on July 28, 2007. The program is available for streaming: Hour 1, Hour 2, Hour 3. (Note: Warrel and Jeff appear during the last two hours.)

NEVERMORE bassist Jim Sheppard was forced to miss the band's July 7 appearance at the Evolution Festival in Firenze, Italy due to scheduling conflicts. Standing in for him at the gig was ARMORED SAINT/FATES WARNING bassist Joey Vera. More...

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Primal Fear Slam Illegal Downloading

German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have issued the following update:

"A newly released study by the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) from Texas estimates that global music piracy is costing the U.S. economic output 12.5 billion dollars and 71,060 jobs every year! It came as a shock to us to realize what extreme level illegal downloading has reached for PRIMAL FEAR and the metal scene.

"We've put months of hard work into our forthcoming CD, 'New Religion', which has cost a huge investment on our part to deliver the fans the best possible product we can. Now we've found out that according to objective statistics, four weeks before the official release our new CD it has already been downloaded illegally in numbers reaching into five digits! Those numbers are very disappointing! Still we're very proud of our new album." More...

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Heaven Shall Burn Begin Recording New Album

Germany's groundbreaking death metal and hardcore fusionists HEAVEN SHALL BURN have issued the following update:

"We're just getting ready to take off to Japan in a few hours and look forward to be on the road again. Some of the upcoming shows are already sold out, so we're even more glad to start moshpit action over there! The Japan trip is also a welcomed break as we are working hard on the successor to 'Deaf to Our Prayers'. Drums and almost half of the guitars have already been recorded, everything is running smooth and we really love the new songs! Mixing will be done with Tue Madsen in Denmark this autumn and we're really happy to work with him again. A release date has not been finalized yet, but we are looking for a date in January 2008. More...

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Eyehategod Cancel Shows

New Orleans sludge-meisters EYEHATEGOD have cancelled their previously announced shows in Lafayette, LA; Austin, TX; Ft. Worth, TX; and Houston, TX. According to guitarist Jimmy Bower (who also plays drums in DOWN), the dates were called off due to the upcoming release of the new DOWN album, "III – Over the Under". EYEHATEGOD's September 14 concert at The Bar in Metairie, LA will go ahead as scheduled.

EYEHATEGOD recently decided to make its long-out-of-print seven-inch single, "99 Miles of Bad Road", available as a free download. Originally released in 2004, this seven-inch EP features rare demo recordings of the songs "99 Miles of Bad Road", "Story of the Eye" and "Jackass in the Will of God". Cover artwork and liner notes were done by vocalist Mike Williams and the record is accompanied by a sticker, patch and a full-colored poster.

To download the "99 Miles of Bad Road" single, go to this location.

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Shaman Signs With Scarlet Records

SHAMAN (formerly SHAAMAN) — the revamped Brazilian band featuring drummer Ricardo Confessori alongside guitarist Leo Mancini, vocalist Thiago Bianchi and bassist Fernando Quesada — has inked a deal with Italy's Scarlet Records. The group's new album, "Immortal", is scheduled for release in November later. The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Renovatti
02. Inside Chains
03. Tribal by Blood
04. Immortal
05. One Life
06. In the Dark
07. Strenght
08. Freedom
09. Never Yield
10. The Yellow Brick Road

The song "One Life" can be streamed at this location.

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Soulslide Announce New Vocalist

German gothic metallers, Soulslide, post the following update on their myspace page:

"Hey folks,"

"Here's the newest news from Soulslidetown."

"We are really happy cause we've got a new face in Souslide."

"Her name is Cynthia (picture)and she will fill the vocal job from now on."

"Cynthia cames from Luxemborg. She has got a huge background due her vocal studies and live activities in the range of pop, rock, opera and musical." More...

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Rob Zombie To Support Ozzy Osbourne On Tour

ROB ZOMBIE confirmed in an interview with the Los Angeles TV station KTLA this morning (Thursday, August 23) that he will hit the road in October as the support act for OZZY OSBOURNE. According to Zombie, the trek is expected to run through December. Exact cities and dates will be announced soon.

The singer was originally in the running to open some fall dates for BLACK SABBATH offshoot band HEAVEN AND HELL, but couldn't commit to that because it was too close to the opening of his remake of the horror classic "Halloween".

ROB ZOMBIE's first-ever live album, entitled simply "Zombie - Live", is scheduled for release on October 23. The CD was recorded over several nights during the band's "Educated Horses" tour and will include a 36-page super-deluxe book of never-before-seen live pictures and a DVD of live footage and animated videos. It was mixed by Zombie and producer Scott Humphrey. The track listing is as follows:

01. Sawdust in the Blood
02. American Witch
03. Demon Speeding
04. Living Dead Girl
05. More Human than Human
06. Dead Girl Superstar
07. House of 1000 Corpses
08. Let It All Bleed Out
09. Creature of the Wheel
10. Demoniod Phenomenon
11. Supercharger Heaven
12. Never Gonna Stop
13. Black Sunshine
14. Superbeast
15. The Devil's Rejects
16. Lords of Salem
17. Thunder Kiss
18. Dragula

As previously reported, Zombie is putting together a WHITE ZOMBIE box set containing "everything we ever recorded," according to the singer. "I am currently transferring all the early shit from the original tapes," he previously said. "No remixing going on here — everything will be as it was originally recorded. Don't know when this box set will be available, but it is slowly moving forward. This will be the final word on WHITE ZOMBIE."

ROB ZOMBIE's first-ever career retrospective, "Past, Present & Future", has sold more than a million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The two-disc set, which was released in September 2003 through Geffen Records, contains a CD of 19 digitally remastered selections and a DVD of 10 music videos, including three that were previously unreleased.

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Sludge Announce New Album Title

SLUDGE, the Swiss extreme metal act featuring SAMAEL guitarist Makro, will complete work on its long-awaited new album, "Lava", in late September. The CD will be mixed by Makro in Geneva, Switzerland for an early 2008 release via Mighty Music.

With regards to the musical direction of the upcoming CD Makro previously said, "All we can say is that this is gonna be a bit different, keeping the heavy and dirty feel from our sound, we've been experimenting more things and paths.. there's gonna be blood, teeth and the doomest atmospheres we've ever recorded…"

The band recently headlined the Swiss VNV Festival, where they forces with other bands like KNUT and ASPHALT JUNKIE.

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Max Cavalera Contemplating Calling Sepultura

SOULFLY/ex-SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera spoke to Björn Gieseler of the German radio station Radio T on Sunday, August 19 about his current project with his younger brother (and former SEPULTURA bandmate) Igor (tentatively dubbed THE CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) and the possibility of a reunion of the classic SEPULTURA lineup in the not-too-distant future.

When asked if he would be willing to reconnect with the SEPULTURA members Andreas Kisser (guitar) and Paul Xisto Pinto Jr. (bass) if they tried to reach out to him after all these years of not talking to each other, Max said, "I've been thinking about this a lot and I think that maybe I should do that with them like Igor did with me — just call them [out of the blue one day] and surprise them. Maybe that's the real way to fix the things between SEPULTURA and maybe there'll be some kind of cool reunion… put all the bullshit aside. Let's see [what happens]… because, you know, I regard Andreas and Paulo and Igor as more than just friends. Igor is my brother, but Andreas and Paulo are very close and they share very big, strong moments with me that many people have not shared."

On whether a reunion of the classic SEPULTURA lineup is possible, Max said, "I think it's possible — nothing is impossible — but I say that it's something that's not gonna [happen] so quick[ly]. In terms of music, [the rest of] this year is gonna be [taken up by] finishing the [SOULFLY] tours, finishing [the project with Igor] so fans can hear this kick-ass record, next year make a new SOULFLY [album], and then hopefully sometime after that a reunion, sure. Of course everybody knows I like the idea."

When asked if he would ever consider moving back to Brazil after living in Phoenix, Arizona for the past 16 years, Max said, "I like where I live, but I miss Brazil as well. I'm not a very selfish guy, so where I live is not really for me, it's more for my family, especially my sons. I live there so they can have a better shot in life, get better things in life than the choices I had. After they're [all grown up], yeah. I like the PINK FLOYD [way of doing things] — put an album out every couple of years and live in a faraway part of the world — yeah, that sounds cool. Maybe Brazil — north of Brazil would be nice. But always keep making music — never stop making music."

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Despised Icon Join Aggessive Tendencies Tour

The following press release has been announced:

DESPISED ICON continues their non-stop fall North American touring onslaught by taking part in the Aggressive Tendencies 2007 tour alongside THE LOCUST, which runs exclusively throughout Canada from November 3rd through November 16th. This trek marks the group fifth tour in support of their highly acclaimed new album, The Ills Of Modern Man. The tour’s routing is listed below.

Alex Erian (vocals) further comments: "We’re finally doing a full Canadian tour in November. We haven’t been to western Canada in almost two years and can't wait to see all our friends out there. It should be awesome!"

Despised Icon is currently on tour alongside DARKEST HOUR, JOB FOR A COWBOY, A LIFE ONCE LOST and THE FACELESS. This devastating package is a one of the most brutal, fan-friendly, affordably-priced tours this summer and is sure to be the perfect alternative to the oversaturated festival events. This trek leads them directly into another crushing U.S. tour with labelmates SUICIDE SILENCE and WINDS OF PLAGUE, which kicks off on September 2nd and runs through September 26th.

Despised Icon with The Locust – Aggressive Tendencies 2007 Tour

November
3 - Vancouver, BC - UBC Ballroom
5 - Edmonton, AB - Velvet Underground
6 - Calgary, AB - The Underground
8 - Regina, SK - The Exchange
9 - Winnipeg, MB - West End Cultural Centre
10 - Thunder Bay, ON - TBA
12 - London, ON - Call the Office
13 - Hamilton, ON - The Casbah
14 - Toronto, ON - The Reverb
15 - Montreal, QC - Le Studio
16 - Ottawa, ON - Babylon

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Firewind To Headline Spanish Festival

After playing four successful shows this past March supporting ANGRA, FIREWIND will return to Spain as headliners at Zaragoza's Senderos del Rock Festival on November 3rd.

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Therion Change Dublin Venue

Swedish symphonic metallers THERION have issued the following update regarding their scheduled show in Dublin, Ireland on September 14th:

"The original venue in Dublin was supposed to have finished renovating in time for our show, but now they say it will not be finished in time. The promoter has therefore have moved the show to another (actually better) venue at Tripod on Old Harcourt St. Train Station. Tickets remain valid for the new venue."

Upcoming Therion live dates include:

August
30 - Exhibition Grounds - Tel Aviv, Israel

September
4 - Tavastia - Helsinki, Finland
6 - Debaser Medis - Stockholm, Sweden
9 - Raismes Festival - Raismes, France
14 - Tripod - Dublin, Ireland

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Van Halen Announce More Tour Dates

As previously reported, tickets for the first VAN HALEN tour in more than 22 years with David Lee Roth as lead vocalist went on sale recently and resulted in immediate sell outs in multiple markets across North America. More dates have been announced and the band's itinerary is as follows:

September
27 - Charlotte, NC - Charlotte Bobcats Arena
29 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum

October
1 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
3 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
7 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
10 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
12 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
14 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Field House
16 - Chicago, IL - Allstate Arena
18 - Chicago, IL - United Center
20 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
22 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace of Auburn Hills
24 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
26 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
28 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
30 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden

November
1 - Washington DC - VerizonCenter
3 - E. Rutherford, NJ - Continental Airlines Arena
7 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum,
13 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
20 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
23 - Glendale, AZ - Jobing.Com Arena
25 - San Diego, CA - Cox Arena
27 - Sacramento, CA - Arco Arena
29 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion at San Jose

December
1 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
3 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena
5 - Vancouver, BC - General Motors Place
9 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
11 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome

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