Obituary Check In From Brazil

OBITUARY have posted South American road report on their official website:

"Things are going pretty good down here in South America. We are three shows in and the fans and the shows have been awesome! Thanks to all of you for the support. Tonight we are in Porto Alegre. This is the show that we missed last year with SADUS when we got fogged in at the airport so it is nice to be back and make it up tonight! We have a day off tomorrow and will make our way to the next show in Santiago, Chile. Hope to see you all there in a couple of days!!!!"

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Obituary To Record New EP

Vocalist John Tardy of the long-running Florida death metallers OBITUARY has issued the following update:

"We leave today for South America for a couple of weeks. This is always a great time with insane fans!!! This trip will take us to places we have been and places we have not been too yet, so we are really getting excited! We have four shows in Brazil and 1 in Chile, Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador!"

"We have so much going on when we get back it is just crazy."

"We started to write new music for an EP that we plan on releasing in a few months and we need to get that recorded, so Redneck Studios will be getting fired back up for that!"

"We have to get our new setlist ready for a really busy Europen summer festival tour and we finally have a show set up in Tampa!!!! We will be playing at The Crowbar in Tampa, FL (Ybor City) on Friday, May 23." More...

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Obituary and Dying Fetus To Tour South America

OBITUARY and DYING FETUS will team up for the following South American tour dates:

April 18 - Hangar 110 - Sao Paulo, Brazil
April 19 - Bar Brazil - Belo Horizonte, Brazil
April 20 - Lions Clube - Brasillia, Brazil
April 21 - Bar Opiniao - Porto Alegre, Brazil
April 23 - Teatro Novedades - Santiago, Chile
April 25 - Plaza De Toros La Maestranza - Maracay, Venezuela
April 26 – Downtown - Bogota, Colombia
April 27 - Coliseo Universidad Central - Quito, Ecuador

A rare OBITUARY track, entitled "Executioner Returns", has been posted on the group's MySpace page. The song originally appeared on the limited-edition digipack version of the Florida-based death metal band's latest CD, "Xecutioner's Return", which came out last year.

"Xecutioner's Return" was mixed at Redroom Recorders and was mastered in June at Morrisound Studios in Tampa. The band once again worked with artist Andreas Marschall, who has previously created the art for "The End Complete" and the group's last record, "Frozen in Time".

Roadrunner Records recently released a "best-of" collection from OBITUARY, entitled, appropriately enough, "The Best of Obituary".

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Obituary Cancel U.S. Tour

Legendary Florida death metallers OBITUARY have issued the following update:

"We regret to inform you for reasons beyond our control we must cancel this May tour. We wanna thank everyone for their hard work and dedication for this tour and we WILL reschedule this for September 2008... Look for updates."

OBITUARY's May tour was scheduled to include DYING FETUS, ORIGIN and THY WILL BE DONE.

A rare OBITUARY track, entitled "Executioner Returns", has been posted on the group's MySpace page. The song originally appeared on the limited-edition digipack version of the Florida-based death metal band's latest CD, "Xecutioner's Return", which came out last year.

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Monstrosity Announce New Bassist, Ben Kuzay

Long-running Florida-based death metallers MONSTROSITY have tapped bassist Ben Kuzay for their upcoming tours. MONSTROSITY will also have former bassist Kelly Conlon make a special guest appearance during the band's show in Boston on Thursday, March 27. Kelly will sit in on a couple of tracks off 1999's "In Dark Purity".

VITAL REMAINS and MONSTROSITY "Icons Of The Apocalypse" tour dates are as follows:

Mar. 26 - New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
Mar. 27 - Boston, MA @ The Middle East
Mar. 28 - Buffalo, NY @ Michalina's
Mar. 29 - Kenosha, WI @ UW Parkside (MONSTROSITY only w/ MACABRE)
Mar. 30 - Superior, WI @ Tyomies (MONSTROSITY only)
Mar. 31 - Cleveland, OH @ Jigsaw
Apr. 01 - Bowling Green, OH @ Howards Club H
Apr. 02 - Lansing, MI @ Macs
Apr. 03 - Milwaukee, WI @ Vnuks
Apr. 04 - Mokena, IL @ Pearl Room
Apr. 05 - South Bend, IN @ Elvas
Apr. 06 - Indianapolis, IN @ Zanies Too
Apr. 07 - Nashville,TN @ The Muse
Apr. 08 - Iowa City, IA @ The Picador
Apr. 09 - Tulsa, OK @ Otherside
Apr. 10 - Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room
Apr. 11 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
Apr. 12 - Ogden, UT @ Kamikazes
Apr. 13 - Portland, OR @ Rock n Roll Pizza
Apr. 14 - Seattle, WA @ Studio 7
Apr. 15 - Petaluma,CA @ Phoenix Theater
Apr. 16 - Reno, NV @ Island Oasis
Apr. 17 - Modesto, CA @ Fat Cats
Apr. 18 - Fresno, CA @ Exit
Apr. 19 - Los Angeles, CA @ Knitting Factory (LA Murderfest)
Apr. 20 - Farmington, NM @ Gators
Apr. 21 - Albuquerque,NM @ The Compound
Apr. 22 - El Paso, TX @ Chics
Apr. 23 - Austin,TX @ Red 7
Apr. 24 - Versailles, Kentucky @Skyborne Studios
Apr. 25 - Rochester, NY @ Montage Music Hall
Apr. 26 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium (New England Metal and HC Fest)
Apr. 27 - Yonkers, NY @ The Haunt

MONSTROSITY with GRAVE, ABYSMAL DAWN, STRONG INTENTION:

May 08 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
May 09 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero (with OBITUARY, DYING FETUS)
May 10 - Tampa, FL @ Brass Mug
May 11 - Orlando, FL @ The Haven
May 12 - New Orleans, LA @ The Bar
May 13 - Nashville, TN @ The Muse
May 14 - Kansas City, MO @ Riot Room
May 15 - Milwuakee, WI @ TBA
May 16 - South Bend, IN @ Elvas
May 17 - Lansing, MI @ Macs
May 18 - Minneapolis, MN @ TBA
May 19 - Iowa City, IA @ Picador
May 20 - Chicago, IL @ Reggies
May 22 - Cleveland, OH @ Jigsaw
May 23 - Allentown, PA @ Sterling
May 24 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar (Maryland Deathfest)
May 25 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Steppin Out
May 26 - Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
May 28 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
May 30 - Providence, RI @ Club Hell
May 31 - Albany, NY @ Upper Deck

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Grave Plan US Tour with Monstrosity

Legendary Swedish death metallers GRAVE will embark on a 20th-anniversary U.S. tour in May. Support on the trek will come from MONSTROSITY, ABYSMAL DAWN and STRONG INTENTION.

So far the following dates have been announced:

May 08 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
May 09 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero (w/ OBITUARY, DYING FETUS, ORIGIN)
May 26 - Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11 Tavern
May 28 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx

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Obituary Announce Opening Acts For US Tour

OBITUARY, DYING FETUS, ORIGIN and THY WILL BE DONE will team up for a U.S. tour in May. Confirmed dates are as follows:

May 09 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
May 10 - Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
May 11 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Steppin Out
May 12 - New York, NY @ BB Kings
May 13 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
May 14 - Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room
May 16 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
May 17 - Rochester, NY @ Penny Arcade
May 18 - Stroudsburg, PA @ Penn Monster Factory
May 19 - Huntington, WV @ Monkey Bar
May 20 - Nashville, TN @ The Muse
May 21 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
May 22 - Orlando, FL @ The Haven
May 23 - Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum

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Obituary Schedule US Tour Dates

Legendary Florida death metallers OBITUARY have scheduled the following U.S. dates:

May 09 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
May 10 - Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
May 11 - Virginia Beach, VA @ Steppin Out
May 12 - New York, NY @ BB Kings
May 13 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
May 14 - Mokena, IL @ The Pearl Room
May 16 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
May 17 - Rochester, NY @ Penny Arcade
May 18 - Stroudsburg, PA @ Penn Monster Factory
May 19 - Huntington, WV
May 20 - Nashville, TN @ The Muse
May 21 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
May 22 - Orlando, FL @ The Haven
May 23 - Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum More...

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More Bands Added To Graspop Metal Meeting 2008

ARCH ENEMY, SYMPHONY X, BRING ME THE HORIZON, BLACK STONE CHERRY, THROWDOWN and BLEEDING THROUGH have just been confirmed for the Graspop Metal Meeting which is set to take place June 27th - 29th at De Boeretand in Dessel, Belgium.

Confirmed acts now include: ALCHEMIST, APOCALYPTICA, ARCH ENEMY, AT THE GATES, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, BEHEMOTH, BLACK STONE CHERRY, BLEEDING THROUGH, BRING ME THE HORIZON, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, COMEBACK KID, DEATHSTARS, DEF LEPPARD, DYING FETUS, FORBIDDEN, HELMET, HOLLENTHON, ICED EARTH, IMMORTAL, IN FLAMES, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, KORPIKLAANI, MADBALL, MINISTRY, MORBID ANGEL, MY DYING BRIDE, NILE, NOVEMBERS DOOM, OBITUARY, OPETH, PRIMORDIAL, ROSE TATTOO, ROTTING CHRIST, SABATON, SAXON, SOILWORK, SONATA ARCTICA, SYMPHONY X, TESTAMENT, 36 CRAZYFISTS, THROWDOWN, VOLBEAT, WHITESNAKE and YNGWIE MALMSTEEN.

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Moonsorrow Confirmed For Summer Nights Fest

Finnish folk/pagan metallers MOONSORROW have been confirmed for the Summer Nights Open Air festival, set to take place June 20-21 at Castle Frauenstein in Mining am Inn, Austria. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

BEFORE THE FALL
BELPHEGOR
BLACK MESSIAH
BLOODFEAST
DARK FORTRESS
DARKSIDE
EQUILIBRIUM
FALL OF SERENITY
FEAR MY THOUGHTS
GODDAMNED X
IN SLUMBER
INZEST
MAROON
MASTIC SCUM
MAYHEM
MOONSORROW
NEAERA
NECROPHAGIST
OBITUARY
OUTRAGE
PERISHING MANKIND
RIGER
SERENITY
THIRDMOON
ULTRAWURSCHT
VARG
VOLBEAT
WOLFCHANT

The festival will feature two stages with more than 40 international metal bands. For more information, visit www.summer-nights.at.

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Obituary Guitarist Checks In

OBITUARY guitarist Ralph Santolla has issued the following update:

"I recently played a few guest spots for some friends and I thought I'd let y'all know what they are, and when/where you can get them.

First off, I played a solo on my friend Todd Grubbs' new instrumental CD, Time, Space And The Electric. Todd is a guitarist based here in Tampa. He writes creative, quirky music, and I was happy to be a part of his record. He's also one of the coolest guys in music. I played a Strat with single coil pickups and a scalloped fretboard straight into a Peavey 5150II head. I have to say that the solo I played on his record is among my favorte things I've ever done. That album is available now through CDBaby, Guitar Nine, etc. It's also available through www.toddgrubbs.com or myspace/toddgrubbs. 20th Century Guitar called it 'a rare work of sonic art.' Way to go, Todd!

Next up is HOLY MOSES. We just did five weeks in Europe with Holy Moses and AVATAR. Holy Moses asked me if I would add a bit of guitar to their new album, and again, I was happy to help out. We recorded my parts in a freezing cold dressing room in Switzerland, but it came out really good. I played several leads sort of in the guitar style I play in DEICIDE, although a bit more melodic. That record will be out later this year, and also features the recording debut of Frank Watkins on lead guitar!!! WOO!!

Lastly, but cetainly not leastly, I was honored to be asked to contribute a few leads to the new JON OLIVA'S PAIN CD, Global Warning. Jon is a legend around here, a longtime hero of mine, and a major influence on me musically. I've wanted to do something with him since I was about 17 years old, and I finally got my chance. I did 3-4 solos on, I think, 2 songs, and the guys seemed to be happy with my work. That also comes out soon, and I'm hoping to get onstage a few times with JOP this year in Europe and the U.S. Thanks to Jon, Matt, and Chris for having me on your record!

Obituary has a little down time before South America and the summer festivals, so I'm finally working on my new guitar album, and my band STARE with Johnny Laennarts. More on that soon..."

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Obituary Frontman Posts Tour Wrap Up

John Tardy, singer for Tampa-based death metal legends OBITUARY, has issued the following update:

"Another successful European Tour complete and we all made it home safely. Five weeks on the road and that bus could not have felt any smaller, but we really had a good time! We made it home on Wednesday and it has taken me a couple of days to get into my office and get the website updated. I still have a bunch of photos to go through and I will work on those and get them up as soon as I can. To back up several days, I have to say that the show in Belgium was one of the best shows of the tour. Belgium, all I can say is thank you! You guys always take care of us and we really appreciate it very much. We finished up the tour in London, and thank all of you as well, then took the 'redeye' ferry and made it back to Amsterdam before on flights left on Tuesday. It made for a couple of busy last days, but it all worked out.

I would like to say thanks to HOLY MOSES and AVATAR - five weeks and no cancelled shows means a lot of hard work by everyone. We wish both of you all the best and hope you keep in touch! To all of our crew guys - you make it happen every day and we could not do it without you. One last time, to all our fans...Thank you...Thank you...Thank you!!!!!!! You are the best!!!!

We hope to have some shows in South America in April. We never did play a show in Tampa on our US Tour, so hopefully we can set one of those up sometime soon. Then we will be back in Europe during the summer for a big run on the festivals!!!!! Those are always a good time." More...

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Cavalera Conspiracy Confirmed For Graspop

Graspop Metal Meeting 2008 is scheduled for June 27th - 29th, 2008 at the festival park De Boeretand in Dessel, Belgium.

The latest act confirmed CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.

Acts on board for the festival now include: IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, DEF LEPPARD, SAXON, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, OBITUARY, WHITESNAKE, MINISTRY, SONATA ARCTICA, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, VOLBEAT, MY DYING BRIDE, AT THE GATES, FORBIDDEN, HOLLENTHON, DEATHSTARS, CONVERGE, COMEBACK KID, MADBALL.

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Obituary Vocalist Checks In

OBITUARY vocalist John Tardy has posted this message on the band's official website:

"The show last night in Glauchau (Germany) was totally sick and packed! We really appreciate all the support from our German fans. I think we have played like six shows in Germany and all the shows there were awesome. We will be back for one more show on (January) 30 in Munich. Today, we are in Prague, Czech Republic and it looks like from the presales that the show at Abaton may end up sold out! I am sure it is going to be crazy in here tonight! Tomorrow is a day off, and after seven consecutive shows I think we are all ready for that. The plan is to spend the day in Budapest, Hungary, which is also the city where the next show will be! A38 is the club we will be at."

Guitarist Ralph Santolla also posted this message yesterday:

"Yesterday was Langenprozelten, Germany. It's a small village near the site of the Up From The Ground Festival. The venue was right next to a river and mountains, so it was a better vibe than the usual industrial scenery. Another day of sitting around with not much to do, so we started working out our set list for the summer festivals. We've got some surprises for you guys, you should be happy with what we've come up with. Thanks to all the people who came out last night. Tonight we're in Eastern Germany, a town called Glauchau. It's cold as hell, but it looks like a sold out show."

Here are the remaining dates on the band's current European tour w/ HOLY MOSES and AVATAR:

Jan. 27 - Prague, Chech Republic - Abaton
Jan. 29 - Budapest, Hungary - A 38
Jan. 30 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
Jan. 31 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
Feb. 1 - Stasbourg, France - La Laiterie
Feb. 2 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Hof Ter Lo
Feb. 3 - London, UK - ULU

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More Bands Confirmed For Graspop 2008

According to Ashladan.be, legendary Florida death metallers OBITUARY have been confirmed for this year's Graspop Metal Meeting, set to take place June 27-29, 2008 at De Boeretand in Dessel, Belgium. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

AT THE GATES
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
COMEBACK KID
DEATHSTARS
DEF LEPPARD
FORBIDDEN
HOLLENTHON
IRON MAIDEN
JUDAS PRIEST
MADBALL
MINISTRY
MY DYING BRIDE
OBITUARY
SAXON
SONATA ARCTICA
VOLBEAT
WHITESNAKE

OBITUARY recently shot a video for the song "Evil Ways" with comic book stalwart and director Hart D. Fisher.

"Evil Ways" is the lead single from OBITUARY's new album, "Xecutioner's Return", which was released in North America on August 28 via Candlelight Records. The CD was mixed at Redroom Recorders and was mastered in June at Morrisound Studios in Tampa. The band once again worked with artist Andreas Marschall, who has previously created the art for "The End Complete" and the group's last record, "Frozen in Time".

Roadrunner Records has set a January 29, 2008 release date for a "best-of" collection from legendary Florida death metallers OBITUARY. Entitled, appropriately enough, "The Best of Obituary", the CD will feature the following track listing:

01. Internal Bleeding
02. 'Til Death
03. Slowly We Rot
04. Cause Of Death
05. Chopped In Half
06. Turned Inside Out
07. The End Complete
08. I'm In Pain
09. Don't Care
10. Final Thoughts
11. Kill For Me
12. Threatening Skies
13. On The Floor

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Ex-Obituary Guitarist Released From Prison

It has been confirmed that former OBITUARY guitarist Allen West was released from the Gainesville Correctional Institution in Gainesville, Florida on January 19, 2008 after serving eight months for driving under the influence (DUI).

According to Headbanger's Blog, West has had problems with alcohol abuse over the years and even quit OBITUARY for a time in August 2005 because he was unable to remain sober enough to play shows. OBITUARY originally hoped West would sober up enough to work on the band's latest CD, "Xecutioner's Return", but the guitarist couldn't pull it off, and on May 16, 2007 he was arrested and imprisoned after his fifth DUI offense.

"If you've followed OBITUARY's history, it really shouldn't be any surprise about West's absence," John Tardy said in a 2007 interview with The Metal Forge. "If you look all the way back to 'Cause Of Death', you could see he had certain issues at the time. If I had to sum up the two years since we released 'Frozen In Time', I would say that they've been a little challenging. His drinking was getting way out of hand. It was affecting us all personally, and affecting our shows with his poor performance onstage. It wasn't fun to be around him at times. It was bad. We would sit down and talk with him, and even beg with him to get his act together, and the very next day you would have a whole day where you simply couldn't get anything done because he was unavailable. There was something going on. His drinking got the best of him. In the end, he finally got himself one DUI (Driving Under The Influence) too many, and in front of a judge, who by all means probably did the right thing by him, put him behind bars for a little while. That's given him plenty of the time to think about the next time he gets behind the wheel of a car when he's been drinking. He could kill somebody next time. As much as I certainly didn't want to see that happen, I think it was all just coming to a head. I think this was the best thing to happen to him. He'll sober up to a point where he can finally think straight. I haven't really talked to him since they sent him to prison. It's not so easy getting contact with him, but I'm sure we'll talk when he gets out early next year. He has a lot of decisions to make, but I can't even begin to speculate what going to happen in the future with West. I don't know where his mind's going to be when he gets out. I don't know if being on the road is the best thing for him right now either. Whether you want to participate or not, every night on the road is like Friday night. You can't avoid being around that kind of atmosphere. It's one of those things. It's easy to get caught up in it too, but at the same we just have to keep focused on what we do. The most important thing right now is putting good shows on for the fans. It's an unfortunate situation West's in, and only in time will we know what's going to happen with that."

OBITUARY is currently utilizing the services of guitarist Ralph Santolla, who has previously played with DEICIDE, DEATH and ICED EARTH, among others. "We're just so excited to have Ralph and we get along great," Tardy said. "He lives a few miles from here and he comes over nearly every day and we're just messing around and writing all kinds of stuff."

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Obituary Drummer To Return To The Fold Tomorrow

Tampa-based death metal legends OBITUARY have issued the following update:

"Last night's show in Bergara (Spain)went well and we thank you all for the support! Hopefully, that should be the last show we have to do without Frank (Watkins/drums). We wish him safe travels.

I do have to appologize to anyone that may have emailed us through our fans email...the mail box got full and I just had delete a bunch of old shit to make room. If you emailed us in the last couple of days and got it back you can try to resend it and I will get back with you...my bad!

Today we have a day off, which is pretty much going to be consumed by driving, so it kind of sucks but...we are looking forward to getting to France. Our first show, the 21st, is in Rennes and the night after will be Paris."

Watkins is due to hit the stage with Obituary in Rennes. He had to fly home a few days ago to attend his grandmother's funeral back in Florida.

Upcoming Obituary, HOLY MOSES, AVATAR European live dates include: More...

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Obituary Check In From The Road

Tampa-based death metal legends OBITUARY have issued the following update:

"It was a great night in Milano yesterday. Alcatraz was a really nice venue and made for a great show! Thank you to all that came out! Tonight we are in Lyon, France at CCO and it should be another great night! We hope to see you all out there."

More...

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Obituary Prepare For 2008 Tour

Tampa-based death metal legends OBITUARY have issued the following update:

"Happy New Year to everyone! We hope all of you have a safe and great new year! Our 2008 European Tour starts in a couple of days and we are ready to go. We fly out today headed to Amsterdam. This is going to be an awesome tour and we can't wait to play a lot of the new material off Xecutioner's Return! You guys have had a several months to learn the new stuff and I hope you are ready! We have a lot of shows set up, so I hope we make it somewhere close to where you are! SEE YOU OUT ON THE ROAD!!!!!!!!!"

Obituary, HOLY MOSES, AVATAR European live dates include:

January
3 - Zwolle, Holland - Hedon
4 - Tilburg, Holland - 0 13
5 - Osnabrueck, Germany - Hyde Park
6 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
8 - Warsaw. Poland - Proxima
9 - Krakow, Poland - Studio
10 - Graz, Austria - Orpheum
11 - Vienna, Austria - Planet Music
12 - Zagreb, Croatia - Boogaloo
14 - Florence, Italy - The Viper Room
15 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
16 - Lyon, France - CCO
17 - Barcelcona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
18 - Madrid, Spain - Heineken
19 - Bergara, Spain - Sala Jam
21 - Rennes, France - Antipode
22 - Paris, France - La Locomotive
23 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche
24 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
25 - Schweinfurt, Germany - Stattbahnhof
26 - Glauchau, Germany - Alte Spinnerei
27 - Prague, Chech Rep. - Abaton
29 - Budapest, Hungary - A 38
30 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
31 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7

February
1 - Stasbourg, France - La Laiterie
2 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Hof Ter Loo
3 - London, England - ULU

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Obituary Book UK Show

Florida death metal pioneers OBITUARY have announced their only UK gig, February 3rd at ULU (Malet Street, London). Support will come from German's HOLY MOSES and Sweden's AVATAR.

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