Metal News for November 16, 2007
Last updated on October 7, 2025 at 2:55 AM ET
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Hot Topics
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29 news articles posted on this day.
The Cargo Cult Revival Signs To Forgotten Empire
Forgotten Empire Records has announced the signing of progressive experimental rock band The Cargo Cult Revival. Having already recorded and released one EP on TIOS Records earlier this year, the band is hard at work on their debut full length album "Snakecharmer." Featuring the "epic as fuck" 39 minute track "Snakecharmer," plus three more songs to complete the album. A release date has been set for Feb. 26th 2008. The Cargo Cult Revival consist of a guitar player, bass player, drummer and cello.You can check out some of their material from their first EP on their MySpace page.
The label will also be re-releasing The Cargo Cult Revival's debut EP on January 8th. The debut EP will be re-packaged and a limited edition release available only through Forgotten Empire directly.
In other Forgetten Empire news, the label recently signed Texas stoner metal band The Islands And The Sea (members of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy). The Islands And The Sea has finished recording their debut album, and are mastering the effort will be the legendary Bob Weston of Chicago Mastering. Expect a release sometime in December.
The long out-of-print 2005 debut EP from Texas metal giant The Grasshopper Lies Heavy is also back in stock. The EP contains six songs not found on any other Grasshopper release, is hand silkscreened and LIMITED TO STOCK.
Interview
Interview with Stevie Benton of Drowning Pool
Drowning Pool just kicked off their “This Is For The Soldiers” Tour Sept 3rd. I was able to get a phone interview with Stevie Benton, bassist for Drowning Pool. They were just getting ready for a show tonight but Stevie took time out of his busy schedule to give me a call. What can I say? These guys are fucking amazing! More...
Interview
Interview with Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter
Demon Hunter has helped to pave the way for younger Christian metal bands in the new decade. Having four albums released in the last six years, Demon Hunter continues to rock the metal scene throwing out inspirational messages to their fans. Their latest album, “Storm The Gates Of Hell”, was released in stores Nov 6th. I was able to speak with Ryan Clark, lead vocals and co-founder of Demon Hunter, on the phone. More...
Cataract Issue Studio Report
Swiss thrashcore machine CATARACT just uploaded the first three parts of their studio report about being at Tue Madsen's Antfarm Studio in Denmark recording the new album.
Check it out by clicking here.
Opeth and Arch Enemy Team Up For UK Tour
OPETH and ARCH ENEMY will team up for the following “Defenders of the Faith” UK tour dates:
April 23 - Birmingham, UK @ Academy
April 24 - Glasgow, UK @ Barrowlands
April 25 - Manchester, UK @ Academy
April 26 - London, UK @ Brixton Academy
Vengeance Celebrates 25th Anniversary
VENGEANCE is about to kick off a fantastic year in the huge career of the band. The Dutch hard rock band will celebrate their 25th Anniversary and will do this together with their fans. Their new live CD "Same/Same...But Different “ will be launched at November 23 through Metal Heaven and will be followed with the official kick-off of the “25th Anniversary Tour “ in the Rockfabrik in Ludwigsburg, Germany on December 4, 2007.
The Official Live CD Presentation will take place on December 12, 2007 in 013, Tilburg ( Holland ) with an incredible live show. The fans can expect an unique year filled with an amazing amount of live shows, special events and activities and on top of that the release of the new studio- album.
Here are the VENGEANCE 25th Anniversary tour dates: More...
Author Of Vader's Biography Seek Contributions
Polish death metal legends VADER have issued the following update:
"Author of upcoming VADER's biography needs your help! Did you face Vader and survive? Do you have any amusing anecdotes, intriguing stories, interesting memories to share with future generations of headbangers? Do you have any old flyers, posters, pictures or other kinds of Vader-related memorabilia? Author of upcoming official biography of Polish metal legends seeks any kind of contribution."
"Please contact him at luxocculta@poczta.fm"
"The Vader book will be released in the middle of 2008 to celebrate band's 25th anniversary. It's being written by Jarek Szubrycht, Polish journalist known for writing world's first Slayer biography (No Mercy - released in Polish last December; German version available now)."
Avian Reveal Recording Lineup For New Album
AVIAN, the melodic metal band featuring singer Lance King (BALANCE OF POWER, PYRAMAZE) and guitarist Yan Leviathan, is hard at work on its new album, "Ashes and Madness", tentatively due in early 2008.
Commented Yan: "Well, all of the guitars are pretty much done, Bill Hudson [CELLADOR] did a phenomenal job with the solos; can't wait for you all to hear 'em. I took all of the tracks over to Lance's today and now he can begin to do his parts. We are on schedule for a mid-December finish at which point we'll go to work on finding the best possible label home.
"Here's the recording lineup as it will appear on the CD:
Lance King - Vocals, Keys
Yan Leviathan - Guitars, Bass
Jerry B - Drums
Bill Hudson - All Guitar Solos More...
Gorgoroth Post Tour Diary Chapter 3 Online
GORGOROTH are still wrecking Germany on their tour and are keeping busy with their Tour Diary, written by King ov Hell.
Hitherto the third chapter has been added. Topics included in the episode: where the light-technician ran away from the band, afraid, and leaving the Black Metal force 30 minutes prior to their gig without a light-guy.
Rotting Christ Invite Fans To DVD Shoot
Greek metallers ROTTING CHRIST check in with the following update:
"Rotting Christ invites you to their DVD recording concert on December 8th."
"You are all welcome from all around the world to celebrate with the band the 20 years of their existence with events before and after the show, So if you want to come to Greece to attend a gathering of Rotting Christ fans from all over the world please ask for further pieces of information via dvd@rotting-christ.com" More...
Raven Play 'Blinder' At UK's Hard Rock Hell
RAVEN bassist/vocalist John Gallagher has issued the following update:
"Recovering from the lunacy of the last week — no sleep 'til bedtime!!! And bedtime never freekin shows up!"
"The Hard Rock Hell gig [in the UK] was excellent — a great set-up at a holiday camp at Minehead in South West England — right on the beach and surprisingly not that cold considering. We did see Bernie Torme and John McCoy's GMT band, who kicked major ass — nice guys to boot!"
"We came on like the nut jobs we are to a great audience and played a blinder. Stuck in a few new ones ('Long Day's Journey', 'Bulldozer', 'Walk Through Fire' and 'Breaking You Down') which seemed to go down very well, and had fun tearing down the banner above the stage and generally trashing the stage as is our forte. Met our old mates from AVENGER, Kim and Enid from GIRLSCHOOL, Brian from DIAMOND HEAD and an unresponsive Mr. Snider from TWISTED SISTER (oh well, he's still one of the good guys...). Then it was off to Heathrow to fight over excess baggage again and fly to Amsterdam and drive to Tilburg for Mario's Metal Meeting ...more to follow."
Vicious Rumors State They Are Not Splitting Up
San Francisco Bay Area metallers VICIOUS RUMORS have issued the following update:
"VICIOUS RUMORS would like to thank all the fans and friends who supported the band over the last year on the 'World War Tour'. We had a great time with everyone at all the shows in the USA, Europe and Japan. As the 'Warball' tour ends the band is now in pre-production for a new studio CD to be released next year."
"Even though the band has gone through many changes over the years, VR has maintained a solid force in U.S. power metal over the last 25 years. VR has already written several new songs for the new CD to follow up 'Warball'."
"Due to artistic differences, singer James Rivera is no longer in VR. James was let go after the European tour in September 2007. Recently James Rivera has issued a statement saying VR was broken up after his departure with a list of other personal problems. We understand that HELSTAR is his true love and passion and wish them all the best." More...
Centurion Post New Demo Online
Metal/Hardcore/Classic Metal killers Centurion have a amazing new track demo and it's up to here at their myspace, entitled 'Don't Sleep' check it out here.
Megadeth Announce UK Tour Dates
MEGADETH has announced several UK dates that will take palce in February 2008. The group's European itinerary is now shaping up as follows:
Feb. 17 - Norwich, UK - UEA
Feb. 18 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
Feb. 19 - Glasgow, Scotland - Academy
Feb. 20 - Newcastle, UK - Academy
Feb. 22 - Birmingham, UK - Academy
Feb. 23 - Manchester, UK - Academy
Feb. 24 - London, UK - Brixton Academy
Mar. 04 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
Mar. 05 - Pordenone, Italy - Palasport
Mar. 07 - Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic - Metalmania 2008 - Zimny Stadion
Mar. 08 - Katowice, Poland - Metalmania 2008 – Spodek
Watch Devildriver Perform in Australia Online
Fan-filmed video footage of DEVILDRIVER performing the song "Clouds Over California" on November 12, 2007 at the Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, Australia can be viewed here.
DEVILDRIVER's third album, "The Last Kind Words", sold a little more than 14,000 copies during its first week of release to debut at No. 48 on The Billboard 200 chart. This figure represented around a 40 percent increase over the opening-week number of 2005's "The Fury of Our Maker's Hand", which premiered at No. 177 with sales of 10,400. More...
Hanoi Rocks Confirm German Tour Dates
Finnish hard rock legends HANOI ROCKS have confirmed a string of German live dates in February. The band's upcoming itinerary is as follows:
December
5 - Helsinki, Finland - Ice Hall / Radio Rock Finlandia
11 - Helsinki, Finland - Ice Hall (with MOTÖRHEAD)
12 - Tampere, Finland - Ice Hall (with Motörhead)
13 - Oulu, Finland - Teatria (with Motörhead)
29 - Juva, Finland - Hotelli Juva
30 - Jämsä, Finland - HimosAreena
31 - Helsinki, Finland - Virgin Oil Co.
January
4 - Kotka, Finland - Amarillo
5 - Riihimäki, Finland - Riksun Roll 2008
February
14 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Medis
15 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Sticky Fingers
16 - Malmö, Sweden - KB
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust
19 - Munchen, Germany - 59 to 1
21 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
22 - Köln, Germany - Underground
23 - Berlin, Germany - White Trash
25 - Sheffield, UK - The Plug
26 - Glasgow, Scotland - Cathouse
27 - Aberdeen, Scotland - Moshulu
28 - Newcastle, UK - Academy 2
29 - Manchester, UK - Academy 3
March
1 - Leeds, UK - Rio's
3 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
4 - Dudley, UK - J.B.'s
5 - Bristol, UK - Academy
6 - Brighton, UK - Concorde 2
7 - London, UK - Astoria 2
Dark Funeral and Eendstille Team Up For UK Dates
Sweden's DARK FUNERAL and Germany's ENDSTILLE have confirmed the following UK live dates:
November
22 - London, UK - The Underworld
23 - Glasgow, UK - Cathouse
24 - Leeds, UK - Rio's
25 - Birmingham, UK - Barfly
Dub Trio Reveal New Album Cover
Brooklyn’s DUB TRIO are set to release their forthcoming new album, Another Sound Is Dying, in January through Ipecac Recordings. You can find out more about the band over at their official MySpace page, and you can check out the cover for the new album here.
The band has also lined up the following dates with MATISYAHU:
December 2 - New Haven, CT @ Toad’s Place
December 5 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
Trash Talk Post New Song Online
Sacramento, CA’s TRASH TALK have posted a new song entitled “Lepers To Feed The Lepers,” off their upcoming Plagues EP for Malfunction Records, online over at their official MySpace page for your listening pleasure.
Psycroptic Hope To Record New Album In February
Australian technical death metallers PSYCROPTIC have issued the following update on the band:
“PSYCROPTIC have launched a new webstore. Lots of shirts, hoods, zippers, hats and of course CDs. Check it out."
"Thus far the writing for the new album is progressing very well. 6 songs have been completed, with several more in the works. It is hoped the recording will take place in Feb/March 2008. The band are very happy with the results thus far, and it will be the best album to date, without doubt!"
"Both Dave and Joe are now teaching. Dave is teaching drums in the melbourne region, and Joe guitar in the Hobart region. Email psycroptic@hotmail.com or send us a MySpace message for more info.”
Ghost Machine Have 33 Songs Ready For Next Album
Ghost Machine guitarist John Stevens (ex-Clay People) has revealed more details about the creation of the group's debut album and the group's follow-up album, which is slated for release sometime in 2008.
"The entire process of the Hypersensitive album took place either in my studio at my house, except for the drums, which we needed a facility that would properly capture the drum tones. We recorded them at Assembly Line studios in Vienna, VA, and Orange Whip in Santa Barbara, Ca" says Ghost Machine guitarist John Stevens. "In comparison to the last release, this one was carrying the weight of a lot of baggage from our lives. The music for Edification was about my ex, my kid, my life. This whole album was very personal for all of us. It was the perfect chance for Ivan and I to disclose and say goodbye to some personal demons we both carry. Strange how 95% of our material starts out as an insightful instrumental that I write to listen to by myself, but the most tracks that are most impacting were "Sheltered" and "Vegas", which were generated from Wingnut and Crispy respectively. But it's really about honesty. We can't hide the who we are." More...
Producer Tries Out For Daath Vocalist Job
Producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DEVILDRIVER, BURY YOUR DEAD) of Sanford, Florida's Audio Hammer studios has posted a two-minute DAATH "vocalist audition" video clip on YouTube. Watch the video below.
DAATH is curently seeking a new vocalist following the recent exit of Sean Farber. The band is looking for a distinctive voice to augment its brutally unique sound and mirror its complex conceptual background.
DAATH recently completed a tour with DARK FUNERAL and NAGLFAR, with longtime friend Sean Z filling in on vocal duties. The group is looking for a vocalist with versatility, a touring heart and a fervent love for all DAATH has to offer. "We don't want a one-dimensional singer, we want someone diverse with range and power," says guitarist Eyal Levi. "We like vocalists with signature diversity such as Mikael Åkerfeldt, Vortex, Phil Anselmo and David Vincent."
Candidates looking to apply should download vocal-free music from the links below, record their vocals and email tracks back along with full contact information and picture to the e-mail address provided at the bottom of this article. Applicants are also encouraged to complete the tracks via video and upload them to their personal YouTube pages or can submit materials from their own bands or work. DAATH will be considering entries throughout the fall and hope to announce a new vocalist by the end of the year.
Submissions should be sent to: daathaudition@roadrunnerrecords.com.
More...
Meldrum Announce More Tour Dates
MELDRUM, the Swedish/American band led by former PHANTOM BLUE guitarist Michelle Meldrum (wife of EUROPE axeman John Norum), has scheduled the following dates:
Nov. 16 - Pub Anchor - Stockholm, Sweden
Nov. 17 - Pub Anchor - Stockholm, Sweden
Nov. 23 - Prismasalen - Västeras, Sweden
Nov. 28 - Le Piccole - Iene Novarra, Italy
Nov. 29 - Jailbreak - Rome, Italy
Nov. 30 - Lucille - Verona, Italy
Dec. 01 - Rock Planet - Ravenna, Italy
Dec. 02 - Not For Sale - Piacenza, Italy
Dec. 07 - Club Wasteland - Gävle, Sweden
Dec. 08 - Sticky Fingers - Gothenberg, Sweden
Jan. 17 – Whisky A Go Go - Los Angeles, CA (NAMM)
Gene Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, DEATH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TESTAMENT) has finished laying down drums for MELDRUM's third CD, due sometime next year.
MELDRUM's sophomore album, "Blowin' Up The Machine" was released in Europe in May on Frontiers Records (it came out in the U.S. last month). MOTÖRHEAD mainman Lemmy Kilmister makes a guest appearance on the track "Miss Me When I'm Gone", for which he wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the music. In addition, Gene Hoglan can be heard on four songs, while Meldrum's former PHANTOM BLUE bandmate Linda McDonald was responsible for laying down the drum tracks on the rest of the CD.
Hoglan previously played with Meldrum in the '80s thrash outfit WARGOD.
Demolition Records In Talks With Whitesnake
The following report is courtesy of Andrew Mernin from Nebusiness.co.uk:
A company behind some of the biggest rock stars from past and present is set to double its annual sales by landing lucrative deals with legendary bands ZZ TOP and WHITESNAKE.
Tyneside record label Demolition Records, which has offices in Frankfurt, Manhattan, Tokyo and … Jarrow, is in negotiations to land contracts with the two bands which would help double its annual CD sales to 500,000 by 2008.
The rapidly-growing business has found success by reviving the careers of classic rock acts as well as tapping into new talent and has seen its sales grow by 1,000% since 2005.
Meanwhile the firm hopes to further boost revenue by organising various festivals having just played a major role in hosting last week’s Hard Rock Hell festival in Minehead, Somerset. The festival attracted media interest from MTV and BBC Radio One and saw Twisted Sister, represented by Demolition, take to the stage as the headline act.
The Jarrow-headquartered record label also had three other bands playing at the festival and was involved in the organisation of the event.
Ged Cooke, who runs the firm with his brother Eric, said: “We are in negotiations with ZZ Top and Whitesnake to sign them up.We are probably in the top four independent labels in the country and we have grown rapidly in the last seven years.
“People are knocking on our door all the time and we are attracting major global stars to the North-East and it’s not uncommon to see big rock stars walking around Jarrow.”
He also said the business, whose clients include former VAN HALEN frontman Dave Lee Roth, has found a niche market by signing up classic rock acts whose stock may have fallen with major record labels but still have a large fan-base.
He said: “There are bands that are no longer selling millions that may have been dropped by the main record labels but we will take them on and we are a leader in that niche market.
“But we are not a classic rock label and we are also attracting young talent. So the profits we make from our big selling classic artists are reinvested into our smaller bands.”
Serj Tankian Answers Fans Questions
SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman and solo artist Serj Tankian recently answered several "frequently asked questions", posting the answers on his MySpace page:
Q: "Elect The Dead" [is] your first album released since SYSTEM OF A DOWN went on a hiatus in 2006. What was it like to make an album on your own?
Tankian: I've wanted to make a solo album for quite some time. When I was in the thick of it, I felt possessed. It was like swimming in the depths in that ocean of creativity. My mind was always tuned into the project, even during sleep. It's a nice form of exorcism, getting all of that stuff out emotionally and also channeling sounds from the universe. With making this album on my own versus with a full band, there are certain vulnerabilities and intimacies you can only express by yourself, when you're representing only yourself. And lyrically I consider this record a lot more vulnerable and intimate than anything I've done with SYSTEM. There are love songs, pain songs…very personal songs. And of course there are political songs.
Q: How would you describe "Elect the Dead" to someone who is not familiar with the album yet?
Tankian: "Elect the Dead" is a rock record that takes you on a journey with different types of genres integrated, different lyrical themes digested, and many fun and colorful moments to enjoy. It's more intimate, orchestral, and exploratory all at the same time, yet a very quality album. In fact, it's the best work I've ever done in my life to date.
Q: What is the status and future of SYSTEM OF A DOWN? Do you have plans to record another album with SOAD in the future?
Tankian: SOAD is currently on an indefinite hiatus after 10+ years of being a touring and recording band. SOAD is not a corporation that needs to put out a product every year to sustain. We're a group of artists and we create music together when we want to. We are enjoying prioritizing other artistic and personal efforts. We're all friends and supportive of each others' art. If and when we need to speak as one to the world, the world will be aware.
Q: Do you write and record other genres of music?
Tankian: I've had my own studio and have been writing music for many years. I have over 400 or 500 pieces total of all sorts of musical genres. Some are used for films, video games, collaborations, remixes, SYSTEM, and some for my solo stuff. Some of these songs I've had for a number of years in demo form, others were written last year.
Q: The end of civilization is a theme that seems to run through most of the album. Can you talk a bit about what that means to you?
Tankian: We're addicted to this concept of civilization- we can't imagine living outside of it because we've had it for 10,000 years, all of what we call history. But according to archaeologists, humanity has been on this planet for millions of years in indigenous form. Based on the current progression of overpopulation coupled with the accelerated rate of destruction of national resources, civilization is scientifically unsustainable. We know this thing is ending, and what are we doing about it? We're just making plans to slow down its death.
Q: How did the material on "Elect The Dead" come together? Did you play all of the instruments in addition to producing the record?
Tankian: Much of it is culled from recordings I've amassed over a long period of time, up through this past year. I have such a backlog of material and when I was going through everything, the songs on the album are the ones that stood out. When I wrote everything, I wrote it on piano and acoustic guitar, and I didn't know I was going to arrange it as a rock record. Producing this was something — in the beginning when I first started, I was a little skeptical about it, because what if I succeeded as an artist and not as a producer? So I had that in the back of mind, but I really knew what kinds of sound I wanted from the tones, what kind of guitars I wanted to use, how I wanted my pianos, strings and vocals to sound. I was very involved, and knew what I was going for, so as I went along, layer by layer developing the songs, it was getting there, so I didn't want to bring someone else in and change things at that point. But I had to do that, to step out into the control room, take my artist/songwriter hat off, put on the producer's hat and say "How could this be better, is this the best it could be" at every point in the game. I did have the help of some close friends/artists to collaborate with. Dan Monti, my engineer and guitarist played on the record, as did my friend and opera singer Ani Maldjian. John Dolmayan (SOAD's drummer) and Brian "Brain" Mantia (PRIMUS, GUNS N' ROSES) helped by playing drums.
Q: What is the concept behind creating a video for each track on the album?
Tankian: There's a two-fold idea behind it. One is to multiply the artistic factor of the record, and the second reason is in today's music industry, with file sharing and downloading we have to offer something a lot more than just 12 songs on a record. We need to offer multiple ways of connecting with our fans, with the people that listen to our music. I always like involving really artsy friends, whether we're going to do artwork for the record, website stuff or videos. So I gave 12 different video director friends songs, one for each, and a small budget, and said "He, go crazy. Do whatever art idea you've wanted to experiment with in the past. I don't want a treatment, I don't want to see it until it's done." It turned out to be some of the more amazing videos I've ever seen coupled with music.
Q: What does the album title mean?
Tankian: I am more interested in how people interpret the phrase "Elect The Dead" than what I may or may not have intended. I named the album after the track, which is a spiritual song about love, life and death and is the heaviest song on the album without having any heavy instruments.
I have gotten some great responses from friends/colleagues as to what the meaning could be.
1) The current leaders are not qualified enough to lead us through these trying times, so we need to look for guidance from past leaders (Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, JFK, etc). The living ideas of the dead are more powerful and effective than the dead ideas of the living.
2) The victims of the epitome of civilization should elect our next leaders so we can live in a more just society.
3) We need to gain the wisdom from beyond history, from beyond the material and physical worlds, to be able to deal with not just electing our political leaders today, but learning how to elect ourselves as leaders.
Q: What is the Axis Of Justice organization that you co-founded about?
Tankian: Axis Of Justice is a non-profit organization started by Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and myself in 2001. You can download or copy our mission off of the website (www.axisofjustice.org). It's both a fund to donate to other just causes and a political platform for things that we decide to intervene in. We have taken up diverse causes such as labor issues, co-op farming, feeding the homeless, recognition of the Armenian genocide, Article 301 in Turkey (freedom of speech) with Amnesty International, the war, etc. Any fight for justice is worth it.
Q: The Armenian Genocide issue is on the news these days. Do you feel pleased with the (still unofficial) recognition of the genocide from the American side? And how do you feel now that this issue is directly linked with the prospect of a Turkish invasion of North Iraq?
Tankian: I think that both parties in Congress have ultimately been made tools of U.S. strategic interests (some people call it Empire) whether willfully or against their will. The administration, the defense industry, the oil industry, and K Street Lobbying firms hired by Turkey at a rate of $300,000 per month have all lobbied congressman effectively for the removal of the Genocide Bill from the house for this year. Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the House) has been very supportive but "National Security" is the ugly trump card used by all to remove inconvenient truths that are essential for us looking into the mirror as a democracy. I am still hopeful that the truth will prevail no matter how much the U.S. feels dependent on Turkey. The truth is the other way around, but of course what does truth have to do with politics?
Download Named Festival Of The Year
The United Kingdom's Download festival in Castle Donington, England, produced by Live Nation U.K., was named top festival at the fourth annual Billboard Touring Awards, held tonight (November 15) at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York. Live Nation received the top promoter nod.
The Download festival is a three-day rock/metal/punk festival held annually at the spiritual home of rock music in England — Donington Park, which hosted the Monsters of Rock festivals between 1980 and 1996, and 2002's Ozzfest. It takes place in early summer, and is owned and managed by Live Nation.
This year's Download festival — which was headlined by IRON MAIDEN, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE and LINKIN PARK — was reportedly attended by 80,000 people.
Finnish Metal Expo- Lineup Announced
The fourth edition of Finnish Metal Expo will take place in Helsinki, February 15th-16th, with a meeting of international metal professionals (journalists, labels, promotions, etc.) being held a day earlier. On the 15th, the organizers will recognize fan-voted awards to Finnish artists/bands. The band schedule is as follows:
Friday, February 15th: TURISAS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, MUSTASCH, SOTAJUMALA, DISCARD, Finnish Metal Awards
Saturday, February 16th: SOILWORK, STAM1NA, KORPIKLAANI, NORTHER, THE SCOURGER, THE SORROW, KIUAS, AMBERIAN DAWN, tba
Velvet Revolver Issue Statement On Japanese Shows
The following press statement has been released:
VELVET REVOLVER were looking forward to their upcoming tour of Japan: a series of four concerts--to promote their current album Libertad - between November 26 and November 30, encompassing the cities of Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya and Yokohama.
For the band, the upcoming trek was the opportunity to reconnect with their fans in Japan, where the band tour has toured before--without incident - back in 2005.
But now it’s a different story as the band’s request for visas has just been denied. The increasingly tough Japanese immigration officials are taking exception with the backgrounds of various band members, which have included arrests. The band is appealing the decision of the officials--which is ironic given that Libertad is Spanish for “liberty” and “freedom”--but this process will unfortunately take months to sort out.
“We want to apologize to our fans in Japan that we won’t be able to perform our scheduled concerts,” Velvet Revolver said in a group statement. “We don’t understand why the authorities won’t give us visas when they granted them for us in 2005 for what was a successful tour and a great experience. We love Japan and look forward to our return there.”
Velvet Revolver will proceed with their Australian tour that begins on December 4 in Brisbane. Upon its return to the U.S., the band- lead vocalist Scott Weiland, guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan, drummer Matt Sorum and guitarist Dave Kushner - will headline Wednesday, December 12 at the Gibson Amphitheatre. This show - with ALICE IN CHAINS - was originally set for Friday, October 26 at the outdoor Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA but was postponed due to the devastating Southern California wildfires. See dates below and check out www.velvetrevolver.com
Dates on Velvet Revolver's Australian tour are as follows:
December
4 - Brisbane, Australia - Convention Centre
5 - Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
6 - Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
8 - Melbourne, Australia - Festival Hall
12 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre
Steel Attack Reveal Album Release Date
According to the band, STEEL ATTACK will release their as-yet-untitled new album on February 22nd through Massacre Records.
As previously reported, earlier this year bassist Anden Andersson decided to leave the band to conentrate on his family and was replaced by Johan Löfgren (LACK OF FAITH). Drummer Tony Elfving and guitarist Johan Jalonen Penn also decided to move on and were replaced by Peter Morén (TAD MOROSE) and Simon Johansson (MEMORY GARDEN, ABSTRAKT ALGEBRA) respectively.
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