Metal News for August 8, 2007
Last updated on October 4, 2025 at 3:07 AM ET
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35 news articles posted on this day.
Awake Announce Live Gigs
Awake have been confirmed for the Cambridge Rock Festival Sunday 19th August, headlining the third stage. This is on the same night as Thunder and The Night Of Rock festival in Austria on October 6 main support to Bonfire. In addition the band will be playing 2 UK gigs with Sun Caged and Seventh Wonder at The Attic, Rushden on Friday September 14th and The Underworld, London on Saturday 15th September.
Ruiner and Sinking Ships European Tour Dates
Ruiner and Sinking Ships will be heading to Europe for a month of shows. Here are the current tour dates:
9/14 Stuttgart, GER @ Juha West
9/15 Firenze, ITA @ C.S. Cienfuegos
9/16 Milano, ITA @ SGA
9/17 Berchtesgarden, GER @ Kuckucksnest
9/18 Paris, FR @ Le Klub
9/19 Caen, FR @ L'excuse
9/20 Arnhem, HOL @ Goudvishal
9/21 Woilfsburg, GER @ Hallenbad
9/22 Lichtenstein, GER @ JZ Riot
9/23 Bremen, GER @ Schlachthof (Magazinkeller)
9/24 Lund, SWE @ Hemgarden
9/25 Stockholm, SWE @ Cafe 44
9/26 Fredericia, DEN @ Ungdomshuset
9/27 Berlin, GER @ Cassiopeia
9/28 Heist, BEL @ Ravelingenin
9/29 Lowestoft, UK @ SeaBreeze
9/30 Sheffield, UK @ Broomhall Centre
10/1 Ashofrd, UK @ Downtown Diner
10/2 Liverpool, UK @ Roadkill
10/3 Leeds, UK @ The Packhorse
10/4 TBA UK
10/5 London, UK @ Underworld
10/6 TBA BEL
10/7 Nürnberg, GER @ Z-Bau
10/8 München, GER @ Sunny Red
10/9 Budapest, HUN @ Kultiplex
10/10 AUS @ Arena
10/11 POL @ Warszaw
10/12 Leipzig, GER @ Conne Island
10/13 Essen, GER @ Maximum Destruction
10/14 Bielefeld, GER @ AJZ
Engine of Pain Announce New Vocalist
Engine of Pain is very proud to announce their new vocalist: Rogier Stockbroeks a.k.a. Stocky. Former vocalist Nick Hameury left the band July this year due to his immigration to Spain. Stocky reinforced Engine of Pain as of 1st of August 2007.
Stocky (32) has the ability to sing amazingly powerful clean as well as heavy as hell. Just like Bastiaan, Stocky currently also plays in Stormrider: Europe's number one metal cover band. Stocky's most recent band was Powervice whose demo "Behold the hand of Glory" was Demo of the Month in Germany's Rock Hard magazine. Stocky stepped out of this band last January.
The new addition will definitely mean a new vocal sound for Engine of Pain. But the band is convinced that Stocky's influences will be a great step forward again and it will take the band to the next level. Engine of Pain will still play most of the old songs live as well.
The band is in the midst of writing new songs for the upcoming second album. The style will remain heavy and Engine of Pain-worthy with the intention of the debut album "I Am Your Enemy" (Lion Music – January 2007) but will contain more melodic vocals, more twin riffs, more high tech soloing and a splash of Heavy Metal.
Engine of Pain's first gig with Stocky will be on the 6th of October as a support of USA band Pro-Pain (Venue: Plato - Hellmond, the Netherlands).
Avenged Sevenfold Set Release Date For New Album
Having recenlty released their DVD "All Excess," Avenged Sevenfold have now set the release date for their next album as October 16th, 2007. More info is expected soon.
Watch God Forbid Perform "Broken Promise" Online
Another live clip of GOD FORBID taken during their recent run with HATEBREED & "The Monsters Of Mayhem" tour (which also featured EVERGREEN TERRACE & THE ACACIA STRAIN) is available online for viewing. This live video is for God Forbid's track "Broken Promise" and can be seen at the Underground Video Television (UVTV) website.
Most Brutal Metal Band On Earth Announces Album
On September 25, Adult Swim will unleash the brand-new CD from legendary metal band Dethklok on an unsuspecting public. "Dethalbum" features several full-length songs from Adult Swim's most metal animated series "Metalocalypse" plus all-new tracks.
To coincide with the premiere of the second season of "Metalocalypse" on Adult Swim and release of "Metalocalypse Season 1" on DVD, a regular and a deluxe CD edition of "Dethalbum" will be released. The deluxe edition will include a second disc featuring seven even more brutal tracks, the animated video for the utterly brutal single "Bloodrocuted", and the premiere episode from Season 2 of "Metalocalypse".
"Dethalbum" track listing:
Disc 1 (Regular and Deluxe Editions):
01. Murmaider
02. Go Into the Water
03. Awaken
04. Bloodrocuted
05. Go Forth and Die
06. Fansong
07. Better Metal Snake
08. The Lost Vikings
09. Thunderhorse
10. Briefcase Full of Guts
11. Birthday Dethday
12. Hatredcopter
13. Castratikron
14. Face Fisted
15. Dethharmonic
16. Deththeme
Disc 2 (Deluxe Edition ONLY):
01. Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle
02. Blood Ocean
03. Murdertrain A Comin'
04. Pickles Intro
05. Kill You
06. Hatredy
07. Dethklok Gets in Tune
* Video for "Bloodrocuted"
* Episode from Season 2
Created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, "Metalocalypse" follows the on- and off-stage adventures of Dethklok, an incredibly talented and insanely popular Norwegian heavy metal band. Dethklok boasts the lineup of vocalist Nathan Explosion (lyrical visionary), Skwisgaar Skwigelf and Toki Wartooth (two of the fastest guitarists alive), bassist William Murderface and drummer Pickles — the soul of the band. Not really.
"Dethalbum" features a guest appearance by legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH, DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT). He previously stated about the CD, "What a killer metal record! I can't wait for everyone else to hear it, and since it has now been slated for a September 25th release, that is now gonna be sooner than later, especially with leakage. And yes, it appears that we are going on tour with it as well! The logistics are being worked on as we speak, but it looks like it's gonna be a real killer, multi-media show. I'm looking real forward to that, I've even suspended the booking of a ton of clinics to clear my schedule to be available."
Dave Mustaine To Do Online Chat
MEGADETH fan club (MegaFanClub) members can chat live with mainman Dave Mustaine this Sunday, August 12 at 3:00 p.m. PDT/ 6:00 p.m. EDT (22:00 GMT) at the fan club chat room. This chat with Dave is a fan club exclusive and you must be a member of the MegaFanClub to participate. As an added bonus, MegaFanClub is giving away three "That One Night: In Buenos Aires" CDs as door prizes. Winners will be chosen randomly from those participating and will be notified at the end of the chat.
Sonata Arctica Confirmed For W.O.A. 2008
Finnish melodic metallers SONATA ARCTICA have been confirmed for next year's installment of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place July 31 - August 2, 2008 in Wacken, Germany. Also scheduled to appear are IRON MAIDEN (headliners), CHILDREN OF BODOM, AVANTASIA and KREATOR.
SONATA ARCTICA recently parted ways with guitarist Jani Liimatainen and replaced him with Elias Viljanen.
Resurrection Film Tampa Show For Future Release
Floridian death metallers RESURRECTION have posted this message on their official website:
"The Tampa show at the Crowbar in Ybor city was killer!! This was the first show with drummer Gabriel Lewandowski. We recorded the show for a future live release or possible DVD. Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us. We head out to LA next week for the Gathering Of The Bestial Legions festival which will for sure be kick-ass!! See you there."
Here are the band's upcoming live dates:
Aug. 8 - Tampa, FL - Brass Mug
Aug. 19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Knitting Factory (Gathering Of The Bestial Legions Festival)
Aug. 20 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
Lordi Check In From Ozzfest
The End Records has issued this press release:
Finland's monster Rock N' Roll band LORDI, currently on tour as part of OZZFEST 2007 (w/ headliners Ozzy Osbourne, LAMB OF GOD and STATIC-X), have issued another update about their time on the road in North America.
Says LORDI frontman, Mr. Lordi: "Ozzfest has been absolutely amazing for us, even though the shows have been a 'little' sweaty. We’ve gotten so much encouragement from Ozzy's band and the LAMB OF GOD guys, not to mention from the fans that we’ve been able to meet at the signing sessions, that we ALMOST forget the fact that we’re literally melting during each set. At first we were a bit worried about the fact that we are musically the lightest band on the bill, and that we are basically a pretty unknown band here in the United States, but the fan's reactions have been so overwhelming and so gratifying. There have been quite a lot of people who told us that they came a looooong way to see us at Ozzfest and we couldn’t be more honored."
In other LORDI news, the band have scheduled an in-store autograph appearance at New Jersey's legendary independent record store Vintage Vinyl on Wednesday August 15, 2007 at 7PM.
Vintage Vinyl
51 Lafayette Rd.
Fords, NJ 08863
There will be no live performance at this event.
LORDI plays the following day, Thursday August 16, 2007, at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey as part of Ozzfest 2007. Ozzfest 2007 continues till the end of August.
Iron Maiden To Tour South America In February?
According to a posting on the IRON MAIDEN fan site MaidenFans.com, South American concert promoters Evenpro have sent out a press release to IronMaidenColombia.com regarding an IRON MAIDEN tour in Latin America that is expected to take place in February 2008. The trek, which has not yet been officially announced, would allegedly include concerts in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Colombia. A show at the Parque Simon Bolivar in Bogota, Colombia has apparently already been booked, and rumors are running rampant about possible dates at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
IRON MAIDEN vocalist Bruce Dickinson announced from the stage at this year's Download festival, which took place June 8-10 at Donington Park, Leicestershire, England, that the group's performance was being filmed for an upcoming DVD.
As a grand finale to their festival/stadium summer tour, IRON MAIDEN performed a special one-off show at London's Brixton Academy on June 24 in aid of The Clive Burr MS Trust fund. This was IRON MAIDEN's final U.K. appearance for at least a year, and was the last time they performed this year's special setlist of songs from their latest album "A Matter of Life and Death" and the LP "The Number of the Beast".
Silverstein Announce Tour Dates
SILVERSTEIN, FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES, and STRIKE ANYWHERE will team up for the following upcoming tour dates:
with A DAY TO REMEMBER:
October 2 - Loves Park, IL @ Forest Hill Lodge
October 3 - Madison, WI @ The Loft
October 4 - Fargo, ND @ Playmaker’s Entertainment Complex
October 5 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Ramkota
October 6 - Colorado Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
October 8 - Reno, NV @ Stoney’s Indoor Skate Park
October 9 - Chico, CA @ Senator Theater
October 10 - Fresno, CA @ The Belmont
October 11 - Petaluma, CA @ Phoenix Theater
October 12 - Bakersfield, CA @ The Dome
with DANCE GAVIN DANCE:
October 16 - El Paso, TX @ Club 101
October 18 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
October 19 - Pharr, TX @ Pharr Convention Center
October 20 - Corpus Christi, TX @ House of Rock
October 21 - Bridge City, TX @ Bridge City Skatepark
October 23 - Tallahassee, FL @ The Beta Bar
October 24 - Jacksonville, FL @ Fuel
October 25 - Columbia, SC @ Headliners Mainstage
October 26 - Winston-Salem, NC @ Ziggy’s
October 27 - Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
October 28 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
October 30 - Lancaster, PA @ The Chameleon
November 1 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
November 2 - Portland, ME @ The Station
November 3 - New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
Helmet Post New Song Online
You can check out a new song from HELMET entitled “Revenge Destroys Everything” online over at the band’s official MySpace page. The song will be featured in the upcoming new film “Tatua.”
Crime In Stereo Announce Tour Dates
CRIME IN STEREO will release their upcoming new album, Crime In Stereo Is Dead, on October 23rd through Bridge Nine Records. In the meantime, the band has lined up the following upcoming tour dates with COLIN OF ARABIA and AMBITIONS:
August 17 - Brockton, MA @ Roman’s
August 19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom (This Is Hardcore)
August 20 - Richmond, VA @ Mingles
August 21 - Huntington, WV @ The YWCA
August 22 - Birmingham, AL @ Hotel Birmingham
August 23 - Lawrenceville, GA @ The Treehouse
August 24 - Jacksonville, FL @ Thee Imperial
August 25 - Orlando, FL @ Island Oasis (End of Summer Jam)
August 28 - Baltimore, MD @ Sidebar
Splatterhouse Release Tour Dates
SPLATTERHOUSE have announced more upcoming tour dates:
August 12 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon w/ Skarp, Book of Black Earth
September 11 - Portland, OR @ Satyricon w/ Merciless Death, Avenger of Blood
September 25 - Portland, OR @ Ground Kontrol w/ Unholy Grave, Insect Warfare
Octtober 31 - San Fransisco, CA @ Elbo Room w/ Ludicra, Gravehill
November 1 - Sacramento, CA @ T.B.A. w/ Gravehill
November 2 - Portland, OR @ T.B.A. w/ Gravehill
November 3 - Seattle, WA @ T.B.A. w/ Gravehill
Dead Hearts Announces New European Release
Dead Hearts will combine two EPs and bonus material on one CD slated for a fall European release via Burning Season Records. Here's a statement from Dead Hearts guitarist Jeremy Smith:
"Dead Hearts are excited to announce that Burning Season Records out of Austria will be releasing in Europe all our recordings done by Mike Hatalak (It Dies Today) on one CD containing our 'self titled' and "Words You Betray" EPs, three bonus tracks and new artwork. The 11-song CD entitled, 'The Words You Betray' will be released to coincide with our November/December Euro tour with Shai Hulud and Winds Of Plague."
Suspyre Announces New Drummer
Suspyre, a progressive metal band from New Jersey, would like to announce their new drummer, Jeff Willet.
Jeff Willet has been playing drums since middle school. He stayed in the school band all throughout high school, and gained a lot from playing in the Rolling Thunder Drum Line while there. Besides the drum line, Jeff draws his influences from such drummers as Danny Carey, Sean Reinert, Jason Rullo, Thomas Haake, Mike Portnoy, Marco Minneman, Gavin Harrison, and Virgil Donati. Jeff played in a band right from the start of his drumming career, but during high school was when it really started picking up. His prog/rock band at the time, Ellipse, was playing at a local coffee house called The Common Grounds. From this came many more opportunities and he then joined another prog band, Awakenings. From there, he joined up with the technical death metal/"grindcore" band Aborted Existence, and recorded 2 CDs and played many shows.
Jeff has also played with guitar shred-master Chris Gordon and keyboardist Joe Trainor for a few shows varying in styles from prog rock to instrumental guitar shred metal to funk/fusion/jazz. He recently attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA, and is teaching at French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts during the summer of 2007. The following semesters will be spent at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA, where he will study Music Recording Technology.
Jeff says, “This is the type of band I've been looking to be in for awhile now, and it’s an honor to play with such talented and knowledgeable musicians. At the same time, as hard and demanding as the music is, it’s still very fun and exciting to play.”
Jeff exclusively uses TAMA Starclassic Performer EFX Drums, SABIAN Cymbals, DW Pedals, and is endorsed by GRINDSTIX. He is featured on SickDrummer.com as well as Grindstix.com.
Gregg Rossetti, co-founder of Suspyre, says, “We are all very excited to have Jeff as our drummer. He's an incredible musician and his talents will show through Suspyre's music.”
Suspyre is currently working on their 3rd album, and will be touring the U.S. East Coast starting in December. You can check out some of their material on their MySpace page.
Sanctity Announce First-Ever U.K. Headlining Tour
North Carolina thrashers SANCTITY will embark on their first U.K. headline tour in October. Joining them on the road will be EVILE and ROMEO MUST DIE. Tickets for all shows are on sale now for £7, excluding the London date which is £8. Witness the bloodshed at the following cities/venues:
Oct. 21 - Southampton Joiners
Oct. 22 - Cardiff Barfly
Oct. 23 - London Barfly
Oct. 24 - Wolverhampton Little Civic
Oct. 25 - Glasgow Barfly
Oct. 26 - Leeds Joseph Wells
Oct. 27 - Stoke Sugar Mill
Oct. 28 - Sheffield Corporation
Oct. 29 - Oxford Zodiac
Oct. 30 - Northampton Soundhaus
Oct. 31 - Colchester Arts Centre
Oct. 01 - Manchester Roadhouse More...
Saviours Sign To Kemado Records
Oakland, CA outfit SAVIOURS has inked a deal with New York City's Kemado Records. The self-described "piss-angry metal band," known for its ferocious live performances and original stamp on the classic power and thrash metal of decades past, will enter Los Angeles' A&M/Henson Studios in late August with producer Joe Barresi (MELVINS, KYUSS, TOOL) to record its sophomore album.
Merging howling lyrical venom with an endless arsenal of corrosive guitar orchestrations, harmonized leads and runaway locomotive rhythms, SAVIOURS have been rapidly garnering international attention as one of the best heavy bands active today. Fresh off a red-hot tour of the United Kingdom as hand-picked direct support to progressive metal giants MASTODON, SAVIOURS have launched a fourteen city road jaunt that will see the band's "not-to-be-missed" live sets including many of the new songs that will comprise the new full-length. The as-yet-untitled album is expected to see an early 2008 release. More...
Bunkur Announce New Vocalist
Dutch extreme doom metal band BUNKUR has tapped legendary vocalist Martin van Drunen (ASPHYX, PESTILENCE, BOLT THROWER, DEATH BY DAWN, HAIL OF BULLETS) for its upcoming album, "Nullify", and future gigs. The band has also recruited Wannes Gubbels (PENTACLE, ASPHYX) as a session bassist.
"Nullify" will be released in early 2008 and will contain one 80-minute mammoth song aptly titled "Nullify".
Here is BUNKUR's current lineup:
Twan van Geel - battery
Manuel Tinnemans - bass/vocals
Martin van Drunen – vocals
Wannes Gubbels – bass
Warbringer Ink Worldwide Deal With Century Media
In an era when vintage metal t-shirts are in vogue and bands worshiping at the altar of every crossover band that released a demo or EP in the ’80s are crawling out of the woodwork, LA thrashers WARBRINGER are cauterizing the competition with a sound that recalls all the classics without being derivative. Never before has the evil, no-holds barred sound of Baloff-era Exodus, Slayer’s Hell Awaits, and Kreator’s Pleasure to Kill been revived and revitalized for the 21st century in such a strikingly inspired and pure fashion. After recording their self-released EP to unanimous rave reviews, appearing on the Speed Kills…Again! compilation, playing to thrash-starved crowds across the west coast and attracting serious label interest, they’re ready to take the next step with their full-length debut courtesy of their new home worldwide, Century Media Records.
Vocalist John Kevill states: “Before we even had this band we all had bought a bunch of metal albums released on CM, so for us to be on this label that has had all these bands we like on it is just awesome!”
When pressed about the band’s sound, Kevill had the following to say: “We try to keep our songs very compact and tend not have a ton of repetition. Thrash-wise, our primary influence is stuff like mid-era Sacrifice, early Slayer, Demolition Hammer, and Kreator. Heavy and fast! We often have an old-school death metal undertone to our music as well.” Check out the band’s MySpace page. More...
Mayhem Announce European Dates
MAYHEM’s European tour, in support of their latest Ordo Ad Chao album, is confirmed.
It will take place in the frame of the X-Mas Festival 2007, and will come with a killer bill. Opening acts are SAMAEL, PRO-PAIN, MALEVOLENT CREATION, ONSLAUGHT, WYKKED WYTCH, and BLOOD RED THRONE.
Dates include:
August
20 - Malmø, Sweden - Malmøfestivalen
21 - Copenhagen, Denmark - The Rock
24 - Bergen, Norway - Hole In The Sky Festival
25 - Stavanger, Norway - Folken
30 - Tel Aviv, Israel - Distortion Festival
October
5 - Notodden, Norway - Motstoy Festival
December (with Samael, Pro-Pain, Malevolent Creation, Onslaught, Wykked Wytch, Blood Red Throne)
7 - London, England - Venue TBA
8 - Paris, France - Venue TBA
9 - Strasbourg, France - Venue TBA
10 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Venue TBA
11 - Milan, Italy - Venue TBA
12 - Munich, Germany - Venue TBA
13 - Prague, Czech Republic - Venue TBA
14 - Vienna, Austria - Venue TBA
15 - Engelsdorf, Germany - Venue TBA
16 - Frankfurt, Germany - Venue TBA
17 - Berlin, Germany - Venue TBA
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Venue TBA
19 - Stuttgart, Germany - Venue TBA
20 - Essen, Germany - Venue TBAA
21 - Tilburg, Nettherlands - Venue TBA
22 - Waregem, Belgium - Venue TBA
New Overkill Album To Come With Bonus DVD
A limited-edition version of OVERKILL's new album, "Immortalis", will include a bonus DVD containing footage from the band's August 2, 2007 performance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. More information will be made available soon.
As previously reported, Bodog Music has set an October 9 release date for "Immortalis". The group's collaboration with Bodog reunites OVERKILL with Jonny and Marsha Zazula, previous owners of Megaforce Records, the label responsible for putting metal on the map and bringing OVERKILL's New Jersey thrash metal to the world. The Zazulas are now a part of the Bodog Music team in the United States.
Since forming in 1980, OVERKILL has put out over 20 albums. Despite various lineup changes, the band has never gone on hiatus and has continued to stay true to the metal genre it helped create. With Megaforce Records and their management company, CraZed Management, the Zazulas were responsible for the early careers of such bands as METALLICA, ANTHRAX and MINISTRY, among many others.
The upcoming album and corresponding East Coast tour will feature OVERKILL's latest lineup, which along with Ellsworth, includes original bassist D.D. Verni, guitarists Derek "The Skull" Tailer and Dave Linsk, as well as the newest member to join the band, drummer Ron Lipnicki.
OVERKILL released three albums on Megaforce Records before making the jump to Atlantic Records where a string of critically lauded albums, including 1991's quintessential "Horroscope", solidified OVERKILL as one of the best metal bands of all time. In the past few years, the band has released such gems as "Killbox 13" (2003) and "ReliXIV" (2005).
Exodus Guitarist Discusses Band History
Gary Singh of MetroActive.com recently conducted an interview with EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt. Some excerpts from the chat follow:
On whether EXODUS' first album, "Bonded by Blood", will be in a car commercial someday:
"Hell, 'Deathamphetamine' from our last album was used in a K&N air filters commercial, so we're halfway there. But the next [album] is as sick and dark as anything done before, and we'll continue doing just that as long as I'm enjoying myself."
On EXODUS going through a new rebirth:
"Look at our last two records. They are amazing slabs of metal, and when you hear the new one, you'll realize that very few bands are able to put out back-to-back to back releases with the fire and intensity of ours. The new album is a genre-defining moment for us and thrash in general, and we as a band feel more inspired and motivated than any time before."
On EXODUS' early live shows:
"Everyone had a good time, even if they were bleeding.
"It's really hard to explain what it was like to people who weren't there. There was a sense of community going on, everybody supported each other and went to each other's shows, when we weren't playing together, that is. It was pretty nuts though. You had [Paul] Baloff and myself tormenting the poseurs; general mayhem was the norm, especially at EXODUS shows. It was pretty much a well-known fact that our shows were the most violent you could find anywhere."
"ANTHRAX played after us at the Kabuki theater and they were heckled — something awful. And this is ANTHRAX, not some glam band. But it felt pretty damn great to know you were creating something new."
On touring Europe and plaing small clubs in the U.S.:
"Let's be real. In the States we have to play smaller clubs out of necessity. Bigger markets mean bigger venues, but as long as we have a sweaty packed house, all's well in the world. Turkey was insane, and we've been to a lot of places over the last year or so that we've never been to, like Bangkok, and those shows were amazing. But we haven't played San Jose in a long time, since the old Cactus Club, I think, so this [upcoming show on August 10] should be nuts."
Schenker Brothers Fist Fight Dismissed As False
UFO fan site www.strangers-in-the-night.com recently conducted an interview with Alan Walsh — a longtime Michael Schenker (ex-UFO guitarist) fan and close friend of Michael — regarding the cancellation of Schenker's recent U.K. dates and Michael's current state of mind. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:
Strangers in the Night: Alan, you've been speaking to Michael today. First of all, and starting with the hardest question first... how is he at the moment?
Alan Walsh: Under the circumstances, he's OK. I've spent much of the day with him at a hotel in the Midlands and he was relatively philosophical about recent events, but I sensed he felt that he'd let people down. For myself, through what I've come to know over the past few days, it's clear that this whole fiasco was not purely down to Michael, far from it. But he was fine today, if a little emotional at times.
Strangers in the Night: At Peterborough, when Michael was the only member of MSG to have arrived in England, that night's show obviously had to be postponed. But Michael took time instead to play an informal solo acoustic set and by all accounts he seemed content throughout the whole thing, happily staying to sign autographs etc. That evening, he seemed on top of his game — and not only that, he was a terrific ambassador for the band, earning maximum PR points for the tour ahead. So.... what went wrong between there and Pentrich, less than forty-eight hours afterwards?
Alan Walsh: It does seem strange doesn't it? You have to understand that over the years, Michael has been involved in major tours where various managements and promoters have ensured that itineraries were set in place and practical matters such as travel, hotels, merchandise, etc, were taken care of. When this current tour began in the USA, that was supposedly the case. MSG were "ready to rock" and I know it seemed, to the band at least, that things had been organised. Unfortunately, twelve shows into the U.S. dates, my understanding of the situation is that the management went "absent without leave." In fact, the band were literally forced to get off the tour bus, onto the sidewalk, with their belongings and gear, as the hire charge had not been paid by said management. I know the band were totally shocked and deflated by this turn of events and it was Mr. Wayne Findlay and his lovely wife Deana who hired a truck to move the band's gear into storage at some considerable cost. Moreover, the merchandise also went missing, along with a large amount of money that had been accrued from the sales at the first few shows. Absolutely crazy! Anyway, as I'm sure your readers are aware, the rest of the U.S. dates were scrapped through no fault of Michael or the band. It's well documented that in the U.S., Michael turned up at a venue alone, willing to play, so as not to disappoint his fans. Michael just wanted to play and even though he knew the U.S. dates were gone, he desperately wanted to make the U.K. dates happen. Thus, he flew (alone) to the U.K. to have meetings with people who said they could help make it happen. I can't go into personal details, but I can assure you Michael was under extreme pressure. After arriving in the U.K., with only four hours sleep in two days, Michael travelled to Peterborough. I know that what he did at Peterborough had a positive impact on those who were there, but from that night to Pentrich, Michael was in a situation that was already becoming untenable. His guitars were in Germany, the band hadn't yet arrived in the U.K. (due to aforementioned fiasco in the U.S.), there was no money, no gear, no band and no merchandise. In fact, there was nothing. Actually, I was impressed that Michael had got that far on his own resources, but I do feel the lack of sleep, lack of food, minimal finances, the fiasco in the U.S., along with other factors had impacted on him emotionally and psychologically.
Strangers in the Night: OK, now on to the day and night of Pentrich itself. You were there, backstage and onstage. What happened?
Alan Walsh: When I arrived at the Rock & Blues during Saturday afternoon, Michael was in a portacabin that was otherwise empty. No food, nothing. I couldn't believe that this man, who'd given so much to so many for over three decades, wasn't even worth a sandwich — and that's no joke. Michael was absolutely exhausted, to the point that he just wanted to sleep. He'd had little sleep in three days, had been travelling constantly, was under-nourished and didn't even have a change of clothes. Also, there was an incident that occurred in London which had left him penniless. It was a disgraceful situation, so I set about trying to sort something out for him. I asked the organisers if an inflatable mattress, blankets, food and soft drinks could be brought to Michael's cabin. A special mention should go to Dale Langham who was absolutely brilliant and couldn't do enough to help. Even so, all Michael wanted to do was sleep, but people kept entering the cabin, so I decided to stand outside and prevent people from going in. I re-entered the cabin around 7pm when the rest of MSG showed up and Michael seemed OK and relaxed. Unfortunately, even though Michael had got some sleep, the damage was done due to the events of the previous 48 hours. I know there's talk on the Internet of Michael's alcohol intake, but it's just not that simple. If only it was. There's no doubting he was drinking to excess at times, or that he desperately under-performed that day and people felt badly let down — but fatigue, emotional, psychological and physical tiredness, along with other aforementioned issues, were the main factors behind that. I suppose one could argue that Michael could have just said "Sod it!" and gone home. But what would people have said then? As usual, Schenker would have got the blame for another cancelled tour. He was in a no-win situation really.
Strangers in the Night: Regarding the recent U.S. tour dates which came to an abrupt end after twelve shows, reviews from those shows were generally very positive. And although the details hadn't been made public, other members of MSG have written that the tour was badly managed, and they've absolved Michael of blame for the cancellation. Obviously with a string of cancelled dates already behind him, Michael got a lot of flak on the message boards which followed — undeservedly on that occasion, but understandably as people were never given the facts. The message board opinions — and there are plenty! — are divided between well-wishers who believe (or want to believe) that he can get help and then bounce back again — and people who are mocking him, calling him "a drunk," "a washed-up junkie," "a tramp," etc. etc. etc., and that his career is over.
Alan Walsh: Regarding opinions on message boards (and I've read plenty this week), many of them are irrelevant. They are born out of ignorance, judgementalism and a desire to kick someone when they're down. Absolutely ridiculous and sick behaviour! Indeed, there has been a story put out by (of all people) Dave Ling of Classic Rock, that Michael and Rudolf [Schenker, SCORPIONS guitarist and Michael's brother] came to blows backstage. I can vehemently attest that this is a total fabrication. It never happened and is just plain "tabloid journalism." I've since heard that Ling heard it on "good authority" that this incident had occurred, but no one in the Schenker camp was approached or asked about any such incident, thus, he didn't have it on "good authority" at all. The same old sensationalism from those with no real stories to tell. Garbage really. The truth is, Michael never saw Rudolf at the Rock & Blues.
Reunitied Toxik Seek Bassist
Recently reunited progressive thrashers TOXIK are looking for a new bassist.
Due to private circumstances, Brain Bonini was forced to leave the band, which has scheduled a two-week European tour in November, including a co-headlining slot at the Keep It True festival and a headlining appearance at the Ragers Elite festival.
The remaining TOXIK members — original vocalist Mike Sanders and guitarist Josh Christian alongside new drummer Lou Caldarola — are looking for a skilled bass player to complete the reunited group. New York-area applicants are preferred.
To contact the band, write to toxik@toxikmusic.com.
The band's original drummer Tad Leger is not taking part in the reunion because he's very busy with other projects — as a guitarist.
Poland's Metal Mind Productions in January released the reissues of the classic TOXIK albums "World Circus" (1988) and "Think This" (1989). Both CDs came in a new digipack edition on golden discs, digitally remastered using 24-bit technology, and are limited to a hand-numbered 2,000 copies. Each title includes two bonus tracks. The details of the bonus cuts are as follows:
TOXIK "World Circus" (1988) bonus tracks:
01. Machine Dream (demo version with original singer Mike)
02. Radio Interview (from 1989)
TOXIK "Think This" (1989) bonus tracks:
01. Shotgun Logic ***
02. Black & White ***
*** rhythm tracks with no vocals or guitar solos
Shai Hulud, Dead Hearts European Tour Planned
Shai Hulud, Dead Hearts, and Winds Of Plague will team up for an extensive European tour late this year. Here are the latest tour dates:
23/11 Belgium Hasselt @ Muziek-o-droom
24/11 Germany Trier @ Exhaus
25/11 Germany Bochum @ Matrix
26/11 TBA
27/11 UK London @ Underworld
28/11 UK Southend On Sea @ Chinnerys
29/11 UK Nottingham @ Rock City
30/11 UK Leeds @ Rios
01/12 UK Milton Keynes @ The Pitz Club
02/12 UK Hull @ The Welly Club
03/12 UK Glasgow @ Cathouse
04/12 UK Aberdeen @ Moshulu
05/12 UK Manchester @ Music Box
06/12 UK Cardiff @ Clwb Ifor Bach
07/12 TBA
08/12 Holland Hengelo @ Innocent
09/12 Germany Giessen @ Muk
10/12 Germany Hamburg @ Logo
11/12 Germany Berlin @ Magnet
12/12 Germany München @ Feierwerk
13/12 Switzerland Aarau @ Kiff
14/12 Switzerland Lausanne @ Le Romandie
15/12 Italy Cesena @ Vidia Club
16/12 Italy Pordenone @ Deposito Giordani
17/12 Slovenia Ljubljana @ Metelkova
18/12 Serbia Belgrade @ SKC
19/12 TBA
20/12 Austria Wien @ Arena
21/12 Germany Rosswein @ Juha
22/12 TBA
W.O.A. Organizers Issue Thanks To Fans
The organizers of Wacken Open Air, which took place August 3-5 in Wacken, Germany, have posted this statement:
"Dear metalheadz!
The 18th W:O:A is now part of our history and this year again three positive factors about our cult festival will stay in our minds:
- the best audience worldwide
- brilliant bands with great performances
- the sun is from Northern Germany!
We'd like to thank you for your support because without YOU we would not be what we are: One of the biggest Heavy Metal Festival worldwide!
Of course there have been problems this year because of the disastrous weather conditions whilst the assembling period, at the park and camping grounds as well as at the arrival which we will try to change next year. But altogether we all celebrated a brilliant Metal party.
Furthermore we'd like to take away your fear - W:O:A will not get any bigger...we're at the limit! We will advance the logistic (ie: entrance and exit to the Party Stage, accessibility of the festival area, etc. Furthermore there'll still be the possibility to camp at your cars of course (that's part of the W:O:A feeling) though we have to reserve our rights - in case of catchy conditions like this year - to change it.
Of course if you have had any stress and problems because of the short termed changes concerning the weather conditions we'd like to apologize. We hope that you understand this situation because without these arrangements W:O:A 2007 could not have taken place.
Watch out for 2008: Wacken Open Air, faster, harder, louder! See you in Wacken - rain or shine!
Now enjoy reading and see you next time!
The 18th W:O:A is over and we have celebrated the most peaceful Metal Party worldwide. 60,000 festival visitors from all over the world made W:O:A Sold Out before the festival started.
With all helpers, artists, guests, press people, inhabitants, etc. there have been 72,000 participants altogether.
We'd like to say 'Thank You' to all the metalheads who made this festival to what it is today. The biggest and most important Heavy Metal Party of the year.
Also we'd like to say 'Thank You' to all the media people for their support. 3,200 journalists and photographers from 41 nations reflect the unifying force of Heavy Metal. Thank you for your support and the good cooperation over the last 18 years.
To make W:O:A 2007 a safe and secure festival many hands were needed.
The disastrous weather conditions whilst the assembly process have demanded countless additional measures. To make the festival area accessible the basement had to be ablated. 5,000 sqm fleece were laid out. 1,500 tons of wooden chips have been spread on top of the fleece and the whole area was covered with 600 bales of straw. For the secure stand of our visitors on the festival area the basement has also been millinged and indued with heavy weight basement plates which are also used for tanks. To dry the camping grounds a helicopter flew over the camping grounds only in a height of 60 centimetres and blew the excess water away so that the areas were dry.
The precipitation of 350 litres per sqm again brought us some superlatives. The biggest motor tractor in Europe, a 500 horse power tractor as well as four dredgers have been in continuous work. 21 artics with the material for the main stages had to be hauled through the sodded area. 350 tons of steel have been used for the assembling of the stages. 48 trucks with sound and light material have been delivered and one truck of pyrotechnics have been fired during the shows. For the coordination of the assembly process 20 jeeps have been in continuous work. 80 power sets produced the power requirement of a small town.
It took 350 people who worked all around the clock to enable the impossible. Out of a mud cavern a festival area raised! Under catchiest conditions 25 kilometres fence have been set and draped with 8000 tarpaulins. 450 water-flushed toilets in five shower camps and 1000 mobile toilets have been set up - more than at any other event in this dimension.
We'd like to say 'Thank You' to all of those who with their tireless assignment helped in the realization of an outstanding festival. Also the cooperation with the local administrations, the police and fire brigade went very well without any complications. And of course we are very happy that there haven't been serious incidents regarding the reports of the police and the the fire brigade. Wacken is, was and will be the most peaceful festival with fans from all over the world.
We'd also like to say a very big 'Thank You' to all the fans and guests for their understanding with the weather conditional problems at the arrival.
Last but not least we'd like to say 'Thank You' to all the visitors of Wacken and the surrounding communities who kindly put us and all the metalheads up. And of course for their patience regarding the noise that they had to put up with during the difficult arrival.
The festival is the headliner and the bands play their 'Best of Program...'
We're looking forward to next year when it's for the 19th time:
Faster - Harder - Louder
See you in Wacken 2008 - rain or shine.
Thank you all metalheads for your support.
Yours,
W:O:A Team"
New Porcupine Tree EP Due In September
PORCUPINE TREE have posted this message on their official website:
"PORCUPINE TREE release a new EP in September called 'Nil Recurring'. It will feature 4 tracks (just under 30 minutes of music) that were written during the Fear of a Blank Planet sessions, including the title track featuring Robert Fripp on guitar, and 'Cheating The Polygraph', which was premiered on the 2006 tour, but subsequently left off the 'Fear Of A Blank Plane' album. More news on availability of the EP soon.
The vinyl edition of 'Fear Of A Blank Planet' is in preparation, to be issued by Dutch vinyl specialists label ToneFloat as a 180 gram double vinyl edition. It will also include the tracks from the forthcoming 'Nil Recurring' EP, and come in a state of the art heavy gatefold picture sleeve with inner bags. In addition a special limited edition of only 1,000 copies will be pressed on blue/black marbled 180 gram double vinyl, housed in a numbered picture slipcase, containing a glossy full-colour 16-page 12x12inch booklet. The limited edition will only be available directly through ToneFloat and the PORCUPINE TREE store. Both editions will be released on October 3 to coincide with PORCUPINE TREE's autumn tour, and is available to pre-order now from ToneFloat. Copies will also be available to pre-order from the PORCUPINE TREE Store soon."
Destruction Frontman Revives Headhunter
AFM Records has posted this press release:
DESTRUCTION frontman Schmier brought his old band HEADHUNTER back to life. He originally founded this band after his short split from DESTRUCTION at the end of the eighties.
With HEADHUNTER, Schmier released the three outstanding records - "Parody Of Life" (1990), "A Bizarre Gardening Accident" (1992) and "Rebirth" (1994), together with Jörg Michael (ex-SAXON/STRATOVARIUS) on drums and Schmuddel on guitar. This three records were out of print for a long time and it was only possible to buy them at high price on eBay or from private collectors. Now, the albums will be re-released through AFM Records with a remastered sound and a new booklet with old pictures, liner notes and all lyrics. The release date will be September 7, 2007.
Schmier comments: "Since years, we talked about bringing HEADHUNTER back to life and now we finally did it!. The old HEADHUNTER records which were out of stock since a long time will be re-released as 'Nice Price' CDs with a remastered sound. A lot of fans asked me to reactivate this band during our shows with DESTRUCTION or via Internet, but by now it was impossible for me to make this happen because of the full schedule of DESTRUCTION. To avoid the horrible word 'selling off', I took my time to prepare the HEADHUNTER re-releases carefully. Now, even the younger fans have the possibility to listen to the HEADHUNTER songs, which are thrashy indeed, but a little bit more melodic comparing to the stuff we do with DESTRUCTION. Something like: NWOBHM meets Thrash!"
And now, Schmier is ready to go one better - HEADHUNTER will release a brand new album in the original line up!
Schmier adds: "As we prepared the re-master process, I rediscovered my relation to more melodica songs and at a single blow, I had lots of new ideas, that do not match with DESTRUCTION. I never lost the contact to Jörg and Schmuddel, so I asked them if they are interested in doing new stuff. Their reaction was quite positive, so we are ready to resurrect the magic of the early nineties! Who will think of just another dispensable reunion will be completely wrong. The main focus of everyone goes to our main bands, but with HEADHUNTER, we have the possibility to have fun with the music we grew up with and play without any stress and pressure. In the nineties, the name HEADHUNTER, stood for independent minded Metal and everyone who asks about the sense of this reunion will find the answer on our new record which will be packed with tons of hymns and neck-breakers! We promise!"
The new HEADHUNTER album will be released in Spring 2008 through AFM Records. To shorten the time to the new release, everyone can check out the re-releases and headbang to classics like "Parody Of Life". Schmier reports: "I feel like I am 20 Years old...hehe - don't worry... I didn't take any drugs!"
Schmier's comments to the first three HEADHUNTER releases:
"We did the first HEADHUNTER record 'Parody Of Life', right after my split with DESTRUCTION. I originally wrote some of the ideas for the DESTRUCTION album 'Cracked Brain', but after the split I used some of them for the HEADHUNTER album. Maybe, that's the reason why 'Parody Of Life' is the hardest sounding HEADHUNTER album so far!
'A Bizzarre Gardening Accident' comes with a pretty non-typical metal cover. It's very diversified and includes hard sounding elements as well as melodical ideas. The different ideas from Schmuddel and myself compared with Jörg Michael's drum style formed the typical HEADHUNTER style - something between Thrash, Power and NWOBHM - Metal!
For me, 'Rebirth' is the most mellow HEADHUNTER album in terms of the sound and the songwriting. It's my favourite HEADHUNTER album. After all the years, the remastered version sounds really fresh. It kicks fucking ass!"
Threat Signal Seeks New Guitarist
Ontario's Threat Signal (Nuclear Blast Records) continue to search for a new guitarist. Here's the official word from the band:
"A solid 6 string guitar god who will drop whatever life he currently has to tour, write, and record with us. Being in Threat Signal must be the single most important thing in your life or please don't apply. Must have professional gear, down pick like a maniac, clean criminal record, between 18 and 30 years of age, and willing to relocate if not local.
First download this package. It contains MP3s, and Guitar Pro files (tabs) of 2 songs. If you do not have Guitar Pro, you can get it here. Submit a video of yourself playing the 2 songs. Submit a short video of yourself playing your own written material. Links to the videos can be sent here. If the video needs to be mailed, contact us for info Also, submit a written short history of yourself as a guitarist."
As previously reported, Marco parted amicably with Threat Signal earlier in the year to focus on his own music and various studio work. Former Threat Signal guitarist Rich Howard filled in on some dates in the meantime.
Manngard Listening Session At Hole in the Sky Fest
In cooperation with the Hole In The Sky festival, you can get an exclusive preview of the new MANNGARD album, "European Cowards" on Friday, August 24 at 1400hrs. The new album will be blasted out in its entirety in the bar at Garage, Bergen. So be early, cure your hangover from Friday the only way possible; with cold beer and progressively evil, thrash-tinged Metal.
MANNGARD's "European Cowards" will be out through Candlelight Records/ Nocturnal Art on 3rd September.
Bhelliom Post New Single Online
Asia's fastest rising MelodicDeath/Stoner metaller BHELLIOM has release a brand new single "All The King's Pawn," taken from the upcoming album "Colossal Tragedy." The album was recorded at BlackIsle studio, mastered by Alan Douches (Mastodon, Hatebreed, Sepultura). You can check it out on the band's MySpace
The band will be touring Asia in September and November in support of the upcoming release.
New Atreyu Webisodes #3 and 4 Online
Episodes three and four in Atreyu's series of videos documenting the recording of their new album "Lead Sails Paper Anchor" are now online. Episode three looks at bassist Mark McKnight's approach to his bass tracking while episode four focuses on guitarist Dan Jacob melting his fret board. Check them out at the links below:
Episode Three:
Episode Four
Despised Icon, Suicide Silence, SYNT Tour Dates
Despised Icon, Suicide Silence, See You Next Tuesday, and Winds Of Plague will tour the US together in September. Here are the tour dates:
9/2 San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit
9/3 El Paso, TX @ Chic's Bar
9/4 Phoenix, AZ @ Cell Block
9/5 San Diego, CA @ SOMA
9/6 Hollywood, CA @ The Whiskey A Go Go
9/7 Reno, NV @ Open Ground Skatepark
9/8 Boise, ID @ The Venue
9/9 Logan, UT @ Club NVO
9/10 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
9/11 Lawrence, KA @ The Bottleneck
9/12 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
9/13 Little Rock, AR @ Vino's
9/14 Memphis, TN @ Skatepark of Memphis
9/15 Sheffield, AL @ The Rave
9/16 Augusta, GA @ Sector 7G
9/17 Nashville, TN @ The Muse
9/18 St. Louis, MO @ Creepy Crawl
9/19 Arlington Heights, IL @ Knights of Columus
9/20 Menomonee Falls, WI @ Old Ochard Inn
9/21 Detroit, MI @ Myspace Internet Cafe
9/22 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
9/23 Fredericksburg, VA @ KC's
9/24 Pompton, NJ @ The Mainstage
9/26 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
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