Metal News for December 23, 2007
Last updated on October 6, 2025 at 2:37 AM ET
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Hot Topics
- Kreator To Release New Album In January
- Enthroned To Release New Album In December
- Carcosa (AngelMaker) Premiere New Single & Video
- Agnostic Front Premiere New Single & Lyric Video
- Potato Premiere New Single & Music Video "YUGE PP"
- Omnium Gatherum Drops "Walking Ghost Phase" Video
- Messa Shares New Music Video "Reveal"
- Spite Premiere New Single & Music Video
- Stellar Circuits Premiere New Single & Music Video
- Tailgunner Signs With Napalm Records
41 news articles posted on this day.
Decrepit Birth Post Another New Song Online
You can check out a another new song from DECREPIT BIRTH entitled “The Living Doorway” online over at their official MySpace page. The track comes off their highly anticipated forthcoming new album, Diminishing Between Worlds, which will be released on January 29th through Unique Leader Records.
Across Five Aprils, Inhale Exhale Tour Dates
Across Five Aprils, Inhale Exhale, Inked In Blood, and In Fear And Faith will hit the road together in January. The following tour dates have been announced so far:
1/8 North Carolina @ TBA
1/9 Lexington, KY @ Doh Wah Diddy
1/10 Washington, MO @ The Crux
1/12 Joplin, MO @ The Foundry
1/13 Kearney, NE @ Circle B
1/14 Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theater
1/16 Abilene, TX @ Rose Park Activities Building
1/17 Mission, TX @ Border Theater
1/18 San Antonio, TX @ TBA
1/19 Plano, TX @ Theater Seven
1/20 Little Rock, AR @ TBA
1/21 Cape Girardeau, MO @ Enchanted Forest
1/22 TBA
World's Strongest Man Soundtrack Features Metal
The World's Strongest Man, the ultimate strongman competition, is an annual made-for-TV event shown in 11 episodes on ESPN, in which top athletes from around the world engage in super-human acts of strength and stamina. Broadcast of the 2008 series will begin in December 2007 and end in February 2008, with each of the episodes being repeated throughout the year. The songs on the soundtrack album will be featured in the 2008 season of The World's Strongest Man program.
Hard rock and metal artists included on the soundtrack include the likes of 12 Stones, Korn, Seether, Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Everytime I Die, Underoath, Submersed, Mastodon and Hurt.
Her Name is Calla Line Up Tour Dates
Gizeh Recording artist Her Name is Calla have lined up a number of UK tour dates in February and later next year. They are as follows:
2/2 Cambridge (Man on the Moon)
9/2 Nottingham (Junktion7)
16/2 Leeds (Packhorse)
8/3 Leeds (Brudenell)
24/4 Leeds (Trash) Gizeh night, more details tba
27/4 Bradford (Love Apple)
29/4 London (Barden's Boudoir)
Hatesphere Announce New Live Dates In Denmark
HATESPHERE have updated their tour schedule with the addition of two dates in Denmark in January.
The band's upcoming tour itinerary is as follows:
January
10 - Copenhagen, Denmark at Stengade 30
17 - Aarhus, Denmark at Musikcafeen
February (with DISMEMBER, FALL OF SERENITY)
8 - Nurnberg, Germany at K4
9 - Trier, Germany at Exhaus
10 - Vosselaar, Belgium at Biebob
11 - Hengelo, Holland at Metropool
14 - Breda, Holland at Mezz
15 - Purmerend, Holland at P3
16 - Essen, Germany at Turock
17 - Stuttgart, Germany at Ika-Longhorn
19 - Traun, Austria at Spinnerei
20 - Munich, Germany at Metropolis
21 - Zurich, Switzerland at Dynamo Werk 21
22 - Martigny, Switzerland at Les Caves Du Manoir,
23 - Ravenna, Italy at Rock Planet
24 - Nova Gorica, Slovakia at Mostovna
25 - Wien, Austria at Arena
26 - Prague, Czech Republic at Rock Cafe
27 - Darmstadt, Germany at Goldene Krone
28 - Hannover, Germany at Musikzentrum
29 - Oelsnitz, Germany at Schützenhaus
March (with Dismember, Fall Of Serenity)
1 - Bischofswerda, Germany at East Club
2 - Berlin, Germany at K17
June
28 - Grandolo, Portugal at Metal GDL Festival
August
15 - Moenichkerchen, Austria at Rocky Mountain Festival
Ekotren Post Second Track From Latest Album Online
After posting the title track to their upcoming debut CD, "Light The Fire," a little over a week ago on their MySpace page, EkoTren has already had over 23,000 plays on it. So today, fresh after their US tour with Diecast,
the band have posted another track, "Tranquilized," on their MySpace. "Tranquilized" is their first single from their upcoming "Light The Fire" album.
Here are the planned "Light The Fire" worldwide release dates:
North America Feb. 19th 2008
Japan Feb. 12th 2008
Europe Feb. 25th 2008
Here are the latest Ekotren tour dates: More...
Hear "A Not So Silent Night Sampler" Online
Solid State/Tooth & Nail Records has released a holiday-themed online sampler entitled "A Not So Silent Night Sampler." You can check out some of 2007's best songs from the labels and get a small taste what's to come in 2008 from both Solid State and Tooth & Nail Records, including new and unreleased songs from Demon Hunter, August Burns Red, mychildren mybride, Once Nothing, and more. You can listen to the "A Not So Silent Night Sampler" on PureVolume.com here.
A389 Records Anniversary Show In Baltimore
A389 Records will be celebrating its anniversary at the Ottobar in Baltimore, MD. The show will take place on January 12th and admission is $12. The following bands will perform:
Pulling Teeth
Gehenna
Starkweather
Deathcycle
Steel Nation
Apocalyptica Reveal 2008 Tour Plans
Apocalyptica have returned home from their European tour and in an email update discussed future touring plans for 2008 and beyond.
Currently, the band plans to rest from now until they embark on their "Worlds Collide" tour in Mexico in February. A US tour is tentatively planned for March/April, and the band is planning for a couple of shows in Russia in the spring as well, in addition to Paris and London dates. They also hope to tour Japan and other territories next year. The summer will see Apocalyptica play every possible festival they can fit into their schedule. By autumn, the band plans to head back to America and the UK.
While it's difficult to look ahead too far, the band hopes to tour Australia and India in 2009, which would at least point to a lack of plans to hit these areas as early as next year.
Reflections Recs To Release Annihilation Time LP
Reflections Records has announced plans to release Annihilation Time's new album in Europe. The Oakland, California punk/hardcore group is currently finishing up the recording process for the album which will be released in CD and vinyl format in Spring 2008.
Horse The Band, Taken Plan Japanese Tour Dates
Horse The Band and Taken will reportedly tour Japan together in March. Here are the planned destinations so far:
Chiba Kashiwa @ Redbomp
Tokyo Shimokitazawa @ ERA
Osaka Shinsaibashi @ Sunhall
Tokyo Shibuya @ Eggman
Video Of Sepultura Football Game Posted
SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser has issued the following update:
"Yesterday we did another SEPUL-event, a benefit soccer game we do every year to collect food for charity. More than 3,000 people showed up, each one of them brought 1kg of non-perishable goods, it was a great afternoon! The game was organized by Paulo, our bass player, with his brothers, friends and also the support of a local TV station, local soccer clubs (Atletico MG and America MG, who is the owner of the stadium the game was realized, the Idependencia Stadium BH) and Topper, who made all the uniforms for both teams.
"The Sepultura And Friends team was a mixture of musicians and professional soccer players and the other team, Uniao Solidaria, was composed by veterans players, mainly from Atletico MG. The game ended in a draw, 6 to 6, a record-scoring game for us, SEPULTURA.
"Thanks for all the people involved, especially the crowd who came to see a good game and to help people suffering from hunger. Hopefully we will continue to do this game, every year, growing with the help and support from all.
"The game closed a great year of 2007 for me, my projects, solo album, SEPULTURA and my family. We feel a more mature band, especially with our new drummer Jean and now we are ready to write a new album for next year.
"Thanks for the support of you all, in our shows, on your comments, criticism and eulogies. I wish you all a great Christmas and a great new year!"
Watch a Brazilian TV report (in Portuguese) on yesterday's charity soccer game featuring SEPULTURA: More...
Trail Of Tears To Play Wave Gotik Treffen Festival
Norway's TRAIL OF TEARS has been confirmed for the Wave Gotik Treffen festival, set to take place May 9-12, 2008 in Leipzig, Germany.
The band's fifth album, "Existentia", was issued in January via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded at Soundsuite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes and includes contributions from French female singer Emmanuelle Zoldan and Norwegian keyboard master Bernt Moen.
TRAIL OF TEARS will embark on a North American headlining tour in January/February 2008. Support on the trek will come from ECHOES OF ETERNITY and UNEXPECT.
TRAIL OF TEARS was recently rejoined by vocalist Cathrine Paulsen, who sang on the group's 2002 album, "A New Dimension of Might".
TRAIL OF TEARS members Jonathan Perez (drums), Kjell Hagen (bass), Runar Hansen (guitar) and Kjetil Nordhus (vocals) announced on November 28, 2006 that they were leaving the group. Vocalist Ronny Thorsen has since vowed to carry on with new members.
Defleshuary Post New Songs Online
Pennsylvania’s DEFLESHUARY have posted two new songs over at their official MySpace page. The tracks come off the band’s forthcoming new split with CUMBEAST, TORSOFUCK, and DECREPIT WOMB, which is due out in early 2008 on Pathologically Explicit Recordings.
Amorphis Looks Back On 2007
Guitarist Esa Holopainen and vocalist Tomi Joutsen of the Finnish metal band AMORPHIS recently took part in sounds2move.de's 2007 Christmas special. They spoke about their most memorable moments of 2007 and discussed their plans for the future. Watch the 10-minute video clip here.
AMORPHIS' new album, "Silent Waters", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 44. Released in North America on September 18, the CD is the second AMORPHIS album to feature singer Tomi Joutsen (SINISTHRA). It was recorded at Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki, Finland. Mixing duties were handled by Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, STRATOVARIUS) at Finnvox studios. More...
Morbid Remains Post New Demo Track Online
Swindon death act Morbid Remains have posted a demo of their forthcoming track "With No Remorse" online at their official myspace.
The band has not long had a change in line up and now feature former members of Kilians Red and more.
Perris Records Donates CDs To Deployed U.S. Troops
President Tom Mathers of Perris Records — whose catalog includes releases from DIRTY LOOKS, 3 LEGGED DOGG and RHINO BUCKET — recently shipped over 8,000 CDs after he heard about Give2TheTroops Inc., a foundation that is supporting our troops.
The CDs have a retail value of over $100,000.00.
Since December 2002, Give2TheTroops Inc. has supported hundreds of thousands of deployed U.S. troops with loving care packages and letters from all over the nation. This was made possible only with the help of tens of thousands of generous and patriotic friends in the U.S. and abroad. To date, more than 48,000 enormous boxes and more than 15 million letters and cards from caring citizens have been sent.
For more information, visit www.give2thetroops.com.
Dan Swano To Guest On New The Bereaved Album
Swedish multi-intrumentalist/producer Dan Swanö will lay down guest vocals on the upcoming album from the Swedish melodic death/thrash metal band THE BEREAVED, entitled "Reborn Rebuild Reconstruct". According to the group, "the vocal tracks will be recorded in January 2008. The record will also be mixed and mastered by Mr. Swano!" A spring/summer release via Vic Records is expected.
THE BEREAVED's debut album, "Darkened Silhouette", was released in 2005 via the now-defunct Greek label Black Lotus Records.
The band recently announced the addition of vocalist Denny Axelsson and guitarist Per Bergquist to the group's ranks.
For more information, visit www.thebereaved.com.
Reciprocal Announce New Bassist
Southern California technical death metallers RECIPROCAL have announced the addition of bassist Brent Glover to the group's ranks. Watch a short video clip of Brent in action below.
The band will enter the studio in August 2008 with producer Michael Keene (THE FACELESS, BORN OF OSIRIS) to begin recording its full-length debut, tentatively due in early 2009 via Unique Leader Records.
RECIPROCAL was formed in January 2007 when ex-GATEKEEPER vocalist Jacob Enfinger and former WILLOW WISP guitarist Andy McLeod joined forces with ex-CRUSHING SKULLS guitarist Alex Crescioni and former GRIMFIST drummer Dustin Perle. More...
Tyr Confirmed For Bloodstock Open Air
Faroe Islands based metallers TÝR have been announced as the latest act to perform at the Bloodstock Open Air 2008 which is scheduled for August 15th - 17th at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, England.
Other bands scheduled to play at the event will are: DIMMU BORGIR, AT THE GATES, OPETH, PRIMAL FEAR, MOONSORROW, SOILWORK, SWALLOW THE SUN, TÝR, COMMUNIC, EVILE and ELUVEITIE.
Freevil Post "Hate" Online
Swedish metallers FREEVIL - the band featuring Tomas Andersson (guitarist, ex-DENATA), Roger Blomberg (bass, ex-Denata) and Mique Flesh (drummer and vocalist, ex-WITCHERY, SEANCE) - have posted the new track called 'Hate' at their official MySpace page.
Says the band: "It's x-massacre again! Time to celebrate or hate with another song available at our myspace page!
The song 'Hate' is online now! A disease from us to you! Merry fucking Christ-mess! The Freevil horde."
Withering Soul Post "Fallen Release" Online
WITHERING SOUL post the following update on their Myspace page:
"Greetings ghouls and friends,
We have posted the song "Fallen Release" of our 2004 debut: Apparitions of the Surreal.
Enjoy!!"
Dark Balance Sign Thy Majestie and Boltdown
Dark Balance announce welcome the THY MAJESTIE and BOLTDOWN to their label with the following press release:
"Italian classic power metal act THY MAJESTIE and upcoming death/trash act BOLTDOWN of the UK signed with Dark Balance."
"The 4th full length album of THY MAJESTIE will hit the stores at the beginning of June 2008. Fans of THY MAJESTIE can expect some musical changes compared to their previous discs ‘Jeanne ‘D Arc’ and ‘Hastings 1066’, still it will be very much the sound of THY MAJESTIE, according to the words of Dario Cascio. “The band went through harsh times lately, especially with the loss of Giuseppe Bondì on the keyboards, but they say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and in fact we feel we have grown up a lot through this past year! The songs we chose to include on the forthcoming album are 8 BOMBS, we are terribly excited about them and we’re confident that the next one is gonna be the best Thy Majestie release so far!”.
If you can’t wait until the release of the album, you might get the chance during one of the live shows of THY MAJESTIE before the release to hear some of the new material. So far THY MAJESTIE is confirmed for the UK Prog Power edition in March 2008, besides this they will come to Finland, Holland, Germany and Switzerland for sure. Just keep an eye on their tour dates here and you will be informed about this soon!" More...
Exodus Update Tour Schedule
Exodus have announced that the January 20 2008 Studio 99 Bakersfield, California has been canceled.
Also the February 6 2008 The Silo Reading Pennsylvania has been changed to Allentown Crocodile Rock, Pennsylvania.
The tour schedule is now shaped up as follows:
Jan 21 2008 House of Blues West Hollywood, California
Jan 22 2008 House of Blues San Diego, California
Jan 23 2008 The Clubhouse Tempe, Arizona
Jan 24 2008 Launch Pad Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan 25 2008 Ridglea Theater Ft Worth, Texas
Jan 26 2008 White Rabbit San Antonio, Texas
Jan 27 2008 The Meridian Houston, Texas
Jan 29 2008 The Haven Winter Park, Florida
Jan 30 2008 Culture Room Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Jan 31 2008 The Masquerade Atlanta, Georgia
Feb 1 2008 Jester’s Pub Fayetteville, North Carolina
Feb 2 2008 Jaxx Nightclub West Springfield, Virginia
Feb 4 2008 B.B. King New York, New York
Feb 5 2008 Penny Arcade Rochester, New York
Feb 6 2008 Crocodile Rock Allentown, Pennsylvania
Feb 7 2008 Webster Theater Hartford, Connecticut
Feb 8 2008 Mark’s Showplace Bedford, New Hampshire
Feb 9 2008 The Chance Poughkeepsie, New York
Feb 10 2008 Peabody’s Cleveland, Ohio
Feb 11 2008 Huntington Music Hall Huntington, West Virginia
Feb 12 2008 Uncle Pleasants Louisville, Kentucky
Feb 13 2008 Vnuk’s Lounge Cudahy, Wisconsin
Feb 14 2008 Reverb Cedar Falls, Iowa
Feb 15 2008 Harpo’s Detroit, Michigan
Feb 16 2008 The Pearl Room Mokena, Illinois
Feb 17 2008 The Rock Maplewood, Minnesota
Feb 18 2008 Garrick Centre Winnipeg Canada
Feb 19 2008 Exchange Regina Canada
Feb 20 2008 The Warehouse Calgary Canada
Feb 21 2008 The Big Easy Concert House Spokane, Washington
Feb 22 2008 Studio Seven Seattle, Washington
Feb 23 2008 Hawthorne Theater Portland, Oregon
Feb 24 2008 Slim’s San Francisco, California
Metallica Guitarist Talks About Rick Rubin
The February 2008 issue of Guitar World magazine features an extensive interview with METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett about the group's forthcoming album — the band's first collaboration with producer Rick Rubin (SYSTEM OF A DOWN, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, AUDIOSLAVE, SLAYER) following a split with longtime collaborator Bob Rock. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:
Guitar World: After 16 years and six albums with Bob Rock as your producer, how did you select Rick Rubin to produce this one?
Kirk: We knew that we needed to go down a different avenue. And it seemed like whenever I mentioned to people that we'd started writing another album, they would say, "You gotta get Rick Rubin." And we'd been considering that ourselves anyway. We've known Rick since 1986 when [SLAYER's] "Reign in Blood" came out. I can remember Rick showing up backstage at a "Master of Puppets" show and he had the master tape to "Reign in Blood". We were thinking, "Oh, wow, he has the new SLAYER album. We gotta hear it." And I remember once we heard it, we were just like, "Holy crap, that's the best thing we've ever heard."
Guitar World: Was the basic songwriting process different from the past? Or is that always kind of the same?
Kirk: We used an approach that was the same as "St. Anger", in the sense that we'd all show up and jam on songs. The seeds for the songs on this new album came out of jams that we would have on the road, before we'd go onstage. We have this thing called "the tune-up room" at our shows. It's usually a really small room with a drum kit, two guitar amps, a bass amp, a P.A. that's never loud enough and ProTools set-up. One of us would come in with a riff and we'd jam on it. James [Hetfield, guitar/vocals] was always the first one in the tuning room, so often he'd be fiddling with a riff when the rest of us came in.
And we would do this every time we had a show. So at the end of the tour we had over 50 hours of music. It was insane. We went through all of it, trying to narrow it down, which was a horrible process for me, because I think everything we play is great. So I wasn't any help. I let the other guys pick the riffs. Once all the major riffs were picked, we started jamming on them and turning them into songs. After about a year's time, we had 22 songs. We just refined it from there.
Guitar World: At what point did Rick enter the process?
Kirk: Right around the point where we had 22 songs. We had a lot of meetings with him. He listened to the songs we had written up to then, and he liked what he heard. "Yeah, keep working on those songs. Keep making them better." Eventually we had a vote on the 14 strongest songs. From there, we pretty much focused on those songs and worked on them with Rick. We were constantly tweaking the songs on this album. Even when we were recording the drum tracks, we were still tweaking.
To read the entire interview, pick up the February 2008 issue of Guitar World magazine, available on newsstands now.
Usurper Reveal Reissue CD Artwork
To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the "Threshold of the Usurper" CD, Chicago's now-defunct band USURPER has teamed up with Finnish label Primitive Reaction to reissue this classic effort.
"Threshold..." was originally released in 1997 on Necropolis Records and quickly became one of the band's most legendary releases. This was the album that put USURPER on the map with the metal media and was the first CD that was promoted by both U.S. and European tours.
"Threshold of the Usurper" was originally a mini-CD, but for the reissue the band has included three bonus tracks to make this version a full-length release.
The track listing is as follows:
01. Necrocult Pt 1 (The Metal War)
02. Slavehammer
03. Black Funeral (MERCYFUL FATE cover)
04. The Dead Of Winter
05. Threshold Of The Usurper
06. Anno Satanas (demo version)
07. Stormtroopin' (TED NUGENT cover; previously unreleased)
08. The 13th Son (previously unreleased) More...
The Frail Ink Deal With Witchdoctor Records
South African metallers THE FRAIL have joined the Witchdoctor Records Family. The band are scheduled to release their debut in 2008. In the meantime, the band's EP, A Collision of Heart, has now been made available for digital download and is the first 100% digital release for the label. This can be downloaded here.
For sound samples and more info visit this location.
Primal Fear Issue Holiday Thank You
German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have issued the following holiday message:
"It’s strange to come home two days before Xmas, after nearly three months of touring. So many impressions and feelings are still new and inside us. Yes, it’s already Xmas, the second night without an vibrating and shaking bus, but a good moment to thank you all for your endless support, help when we needed you and be with us on the road, in the studio and even in the pubs. We will add here no picture of Santa, glitter balls or snow. Our No. 1 tour entertainer Jack Bauer would say 'we have a situation' – 40 shows, 15 countries and 3 continents – thanks for your help to make our album New Religion and the tour such a success and a wonderful experience! We see us again in 2008 with more music, chaos, insanity and touring!"
"Have a merry Xmas - peace, health and love may be with you in 2008!"
Atrocity Reveal New Album Details
Long-running German metallers ATROCITY will release a new two-song download single on January 11. According to vocalist Alex Krull, "'Smalltown Boy' turned out to be hymn-like, catchy and melodic wheras 'Relax' has become a real monster song!"
"Smalltown Boy" and "Relax" come off ATROCITY's long-awaited new album, "Werk 80 II", which is scheduled for release on February 29, 2008. Like the first "Werk 80" release, which came out in 1997, "Werk 80 II" features ATROCITY's interpretations of hit songs from the '80s.
"Werk 80 II" track listing:
01. People Are People (DEPECHE MODE)
02. Smalltown Boy (BRONSKI BEAT)
03. Relax (FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD)
04. Don't You (Forget About Me) (SIMPLE MINDS)
05. The Sun Always Shines on TV (A-HA)
06. Hey Little Girl (ICEHOUSE)
07. Fade To Grey (VISAGE)
08. Such A Shame (TALK TALK)
09. Keine Heimat (IDEAL)
10. Here Comes The Rain Again (EURYTHMICS)
11. Forever Young (ALPHAVILLE)
12. Feels Like Heaven (FICTION FACTORY) (bonus track for special edition) More...
Hinder Singer Arrested For Drunk Driving
The Jonesboro Sun reports that the lead singer of the rock group HINDER was arrested in Jonesboro, Arkansas on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
Austin John Winkler, 26, of Hermosa Beach, Calif., was arrested by Patrolman Anthony Zaffarano at about 11:30 p.m. Friday after a traffic stop at the intersection of West Matthews Avenue and Crescent Cove. Winkler is scheduled to appear in Craighead County District Court on Jan. 2.
The officer said in his report that he conducted a traffic stop after spotting a silver 2003 Suzuki SUV traveling south on Gee Street with no headlights on. More...
Another Animal Schedule "Rockline" Appearance
ANOTHER ANIMAL — the band featuring GODSMACK members Tony Rombola on guitar, Robbie Merrill on bass and Shannon Larkin on drums — will be the featured guests on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline", hosted by Bob Coburn, airing Monday, January 21 at 11:30 p.m. EST/8:30 p.m. PST. Fans can talk live with ANOTHER ANIMAL by calling 800-344-ROCK (7625). To find a station near you or to listen to the show live via the Internet, go to www.rocklineradio.com.
Mehida Are Hard At Work On Second Album
MEHIDA, the Finnish/Swedish melodic metal band featuring former CANDLEMASS/current THERION singer Thomas Vikström, has issued the following update:
"The recording of the second MEHIDA album is going on full steam and all the people who liked the approach of the first one can expect the follow up album to be even stronger and more powerful. We'll be working with the album during the spring 2008, and the second album should be out in next year or so — still depending on schedules and such."
In other news, MEHIDA has posted the Christmas song "O Holy Night" ("O Helga Natt"), performed in Swedish, on the band's MySpace page. More...
South American Promoter Apologizes To Maiden Fans
This apology from IRON MAIDEN's South American promoter Phil Rodriguez (of Evenpro/WBI) has been posted the band's official website:
"As IRON MAIDEN's Brazil promoters we are stumped by a new puzzle... How do you fit the IRON MAIDEN army of Brazilian fans into the venues here?
"We know you can't fit a square in a circle but we have never seen such demand and now understand what an impossible task it is to fit ALL the MAIDEN fans into the venues in Brazil for MAIDEN's 2008 Tour. At record setting speeds, after going on sale earlier this month, the dates in Sao Paolo - 42,000, Curitiba - 20,000 and Porto Alegre - 13,000 sold out already... over two months in advance of the concerts. And no-one has ever even sold out Curitiba in advance before... no-one!
"We apologize to the Brazilian fans for not being able to figure out the riddle sooner. We now know the answer... MORE DATES ...or build bigger stadiums for IRON MAIDEN concerts!
"It is now clear to us that IRON MAIDEN must return in 2009 to be able to accommodate all those fans that sadly will be left out of these concerts... because it will take too long to build bigger stadiums!!!!!
"And all this is following a protest yesterday by MAIDEN's Venezuelan battalion of fans outside our offices in Caracas demanding to know why we weren't organizing a concert there!! We did try but couldn't fit it in the band's schedule! '09 too we hope! And with MAIDEN's first visit to Bogota already near to the 40,000 sell out with Chile and Argentina following strongly, it appears very obvious that South America loves IRON MAIDEN with a vengeance. So as MAIDEN's promoters we promise fans there that we will make every effort to attempt to satisfy more of the incredible demand next time."
Here is the band's complete upcoming itinerary on the "Somewhere Back In Time" World Tour: More...
Exodus Guitarist Speaks On Latest Tour
ABORT’s Jimmy Lynch, checks in with Gary Holt, guitarist for Bay Area thrash legends EXODUS. A few excerpts from the chat follow:
ABORT: You just completed an exhausting tour, with your current line up, was it just as much fun this time around, or more of a pay the bills type thing?
Holt: "Well, that was actually last December, so we’ve been home and off the road for a while. But we would never do this shit if it wasn’t fun, and sometimes it barely pays the bills anyway. And our level of fun is pretty much off the charts."
ABORT: Do you have any remorse for all the chaotic violence you’ve created from
doing live shows? Speaking of which, any problems during your recent stop in South America ? Were they “Too Receptive”?
Holt: "Remorse? Don’t know the meaning of the word! Fuck that, it’s what I live to see. And some of the fans in a couple of cities in South America apparently like to rip each others hair out, judging from the hundreds of chunks littering the floor in Chile and Columbia."
Read the full article at this location.
Celtic Frost Frontman Posts New Blog Message
CELTIC FROST mainman Tom Gabriel Fischer has posted the following message at his official blog:
"The weeks seemingly merged into one continuous, viscous current of day and night and information increasingly difficult to bear. Emotions decreased to slow-motion speed, he began to subsist in the dark, the shutters on all the windows of his place closed at all times. A self-exiled prisoner, escaping from life and the world therein by means of sleep; a never-ending sleep, pierced only by restless dreams. His existence reduced to brief periods of slumped perception, when he would hear the rain outside. He would open the window just barely an inch and attempt to sense the moisture in the air that caressed his face through the slits in the shutters."
Eluveitie Reveal New Album Details
Swiss death/folk metallers ELUVEITIE will be releasing their new album, Slania, on February 14th via their new deal with Nuclear Blast. According to a press release, "musically it's the perfection of the first album, but still there is enough room to give some new influences a chance. Expect nothing less than a masterpiece of hellish heavy folk metal with an x-factor!"
Slania tracklisting includes: 'Samon', 'Primordial Breath', 'Inis Mona', 'Gray Sublime Archon', 'Anagantios', 'Bloodstained Ground', 'The Somber Lay', 'Slanias Song', 'Giamonios', 'Tarvos', 'Calling The Rain', 'Elembivos'.
New Video Interview With Megadeth Frontman Online
MEGADETH frontman/founder Dave Mustaine is featured in a video interview conducted by Finland's Musiikki-TV. Check it out below:
As previously reported, The complete lineup for Gigantour 2008 has been revealed. The tour is scheduled to kick off mid-April and run through the end of May and will feature the following acts:
MEGADETH
IN FLAMES
CHILDREN OF BODOM
JOB FOR A COWBOY
HIGH ON FIRE
In the meantime, Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following message at the Gigantour forum:
"As some of you may have heard on last week's Rockline with Bob Coburn, I kind of alluded to a great Japanese magazine that I love talking to called Burrrn! (not a typo) and I gave them a little taste of something about Gigantour 2008's line-up. Well, Bob asked me again about the line-up and I playfully mentioned some more 'stuff.' And although I did not actually confirm or deny it, as of yesterday, we are officially on our way! I am happy to say that yesterday I did a cover story photo-shoot with the front-men of the other bands of this year's 'helluva line-up!' at my upcoming heavy metal festival and I think we had a pretty kewl afternoon.
And as Gigantour grows, it is continuing to develop the 'roll' part of 'rock and roll.' The breaking news is we are going to have five bands this year, instead of eight. The decision to drop it down from eight bands to five was based on timing, set lengths, stage sizes, unions, and most importantly allowing 'us' — the musicians — to deliver to 'you' — the fans — the best shows we can. Besides it is easier to remember five bands' and crews' worth of names than eight.
"It is pretty much not a secret anymore who the bands are, but we are still going to 'officially' announce the line-up as soon as our business partners return from the holidays, and their celebrating putting together such a great line-up this year!
We will be announcing shortly after that when and where our Gigantour baseball game is going to happen. You may remember that for the last two years of successfully Gigantouring North America, that we had played a softball game each year and gathered food for the homeless and provided meals for the shelters for delivery to homes, as well as providing our gloves and other baseball artifacts, uniforms and equipment to charity for auction. In 2005 and 2006 the charity of choice was Mr. Holland's Opus. This charity provides musical instruments for underprivileged children. We will be providing info for our choice for the baseball games charity to support this year.
So, to the guys I met yesterday (and in some cases before) _____, _____, ___, and ______ and their management and crew from yesterdays photo shoot for Revolver, I will see you guys soon and be sure and check out what these great guitarist and bands have to say here in their chats, posts, blogs, podcasts, and video footage (if any).
I am still hopeful that we will be able to video tape this year's Gigantour, but after the last one and the way it finished, I think that my people are not as open-minded to going through that whole ordeal again. Cross your fingers though. I always keep trying, that is why it seems like I win a lot. I do win a lot, it's just I have a lot of defeats too; and I don't dwell on them or try to let you know of them.
We will be launching the new face of the site soon too, so stay tuned for that. And we will be announcing something that happened at the end of this year too, that will no doubt provide many new and exciting possibilities for us. I will be referring back to this post and the day 12.18 when we do make our announcement.
Until then, I love you guys, and have a great Christmas, and Kwanzaa, and I hope that you had a great Hanukkah!" More...
Bullet For My Valentine Drummer Talks Influences
InTheNews.co.uk's recently caught up with BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE drummer Mike "Moose" Thomas. Th efollowing is an excerpt for the einterview:
Q: So do you think the music industry's more open to MAIDEN-esque metal now?
Moose: "Well, it's nice to be putting this kind of metal back in the mainstream. Kids that buy our stuff will go back and listen to early METALLICA or early Maiden and that's pretty cool."
Q: Iron Maiden are a clearly a huge influence - was it an honour to tour with them?
Moose: "Yeah, it was great. When we got the opportunity to open up for them, it was unbelievable, really."
Q: How did you go down with their crowds?
Moose: "Unfortunately not very well. It's the same for any band that plays before Iron Maiden. You get booed, you get stuff thrown at it. It's pretty hard, but we were just glad to be supporting Iron Maiden."
Q: The Poison did pretty well across the Atlantic - are you hoping to replicate that sort of success with Scream, Aim, Fire?
Moose: "Yeah, we just want to tour it and get it out there, we're pretty sick of the last one. Obviously we want to beat the last one because we're a band that likes to progress and we don't want to make the same record twice."
Read the full article at this location.
Slash Reflects On Book Signings
Former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist SLASH has issued the following blog detailing his recent book signings:
The whole book signing experience was pretty memorable because it was a whole different medium - I was promoting something I'm not familiar with. I'd walk into a book store and meet an audience that was somewhat similar to the live audience that I perform for, but the demographic was all over the place. It went from six and seven year olds, all the way to 60 and 70 year olds, and everyone in between. When I'm standing on a stage in front of a room full of people, I don't really notice any 70 year olds, on the average. The cool thing about the signings was being in a position to actually stand toe to toe with people who are fans - or just curious. I got to look them in the eye, shake their hands, and sometimes even get names. It was a very different experience for me. It was personable and that was really cool. I was there with this piece of material, this book we just wrote and people were really into hearing what I had to say. It's different than putting out a record, which people listen to and then you see them when they show up at your gigs. At a book signing you're much more accessible, and your fans are right there, living and breathing in person. They are in front of you as individuals, not just as crowd you see from a stage.
I knew it was going to be different at the very first signing, at Barnes and Noble in New York City. I had taped Letterman just before it and was wearing a jacket and button down shirt for the show, so at the signing I took off my jacket and was there in my shirt, starting off this whole thing. This girl came up to the table and kind of looked me over and just said, "Slash, this is way too conservative for you." It dawned on me right then what a different element I was in.
All of the signings were fun but the best for me, the one where I was the most comfortable was the one at the Whiskey a Go-Go. We had a bar, and loud music was playing; it was a club environment and there was some jamming and stuff later that night. And it was in LA. I got up and played at that one, but the one that was most like an actual show was the one at the Mall of America in Minneapolis. I was actually on a stage - they built one stage in the atrium there in the biggest mall in America - hence the name. Unlike other places where people were lined up outside the store, they were lined up in front of the stage, like a crowd at a gig, as I sat up there signing books.
I felt sort of naked out there at the table at all of the signings without the backdrop of my band and crew - my gang. I was there with a bunch of people who work in the bookstore and I was in their store, trying to get away with smoking cigarettes. And sober. It was definitely a little bit different. The pressure was really on me to hold up my end of the bargain which was to be able to accept my audience. It was cool to do it; it was almost cathartic in a way. I wasn't totally sure what to expect, just being out there, meeting fans in this way. I have to say that everybody was genuinely really nice. I wasn't expecting anything bad, but I wasn't sure what they would be like. When you're just sitting there signing books at a table, it's possible that somebody can just walk right up you and go "You're a fucking asshole!" Doing a signing is like being the host of a big dinner party with a bunch of people you've never met. You just don't know what's gonna happen. But everybody was really really nice - endearing is the best word I can think of. They were full of compliments, and I don't take compliments that well, but it was really, really nice. Young and old, everyone was very cool, and we did signings for 800-1000 people per event. A lot of people brought stuff they wanted signed, like guitars, Guitar Hero controllers, pictures, all kinds of gifts. The thing was, I'd need to get into a whirlwind pace of signing just to get through that many books in the time period available - some people bought upwards of 40 books a piece that I had to sign one after the other with no break. In that type of situation, all you can do is sign it. Then I'd look someone in the eye as they'd try to hand me something that clearly meant something to them, and ask me, "Can you please just sign this? Please?" I really couldn't, because if I did one, I'd have to do every one. So what ended up happening was that I'd tell them to wait around until the end and I'd sign it later. I'd go outside and sign all of that in the parking lot for another hour or however long it took.
Who would have thought, though? I've never released a book, I've never been to a signing and outside of the library or a book store, knew nothing about books or publishing in general. I'd read them and that's it. I never thought about what goes into writing them or editing them or producing them in general. When we wrote this I thought it was only going to go out to those Guns N' Roses fans who cared - and I knew there were those - and no one else. I had no idea that we'd get a turnout like this, from the many different types of readers to the huge number of readers. I had no idea that the book we wrote would appeal to enough people to get it on top of the New York Times Bestseller list for over a month straight. I had no idea that what we were dong was working toward something that would become this big. Who knows... maybe that's why it's cool.
Slash
Scorpions Guitarist Talks Meaning Of New Album
MetalExiles.com recently caught up with SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolph Schenker. The following is an excerpt from the interview:
MetalExiles: The new record is amazing but was is the fascination with the end of the world?
Rudolph: "The end of the world it is not. When you hear the child’s voice say 'it is time', he is saying that is time for a change. We wanted to do a more mature record and give a message to lift up the collective consciousness around the world, especially the young kids who are the pillars of the new world. They care about what we do with the world so we decided to build Humanity Hour 1 around that idea and have a good message."
MetalExiles: What is the message?
Rudolph: "The message is to care more and the one from the '60s; Make Love Not War. I think it was important for us to not make this album too dark because it was in the beginning and we wanted it to be more Scorpions like, to build a bridge between the old Scorpions sound and the new Scorpions sound."
MetalExiles: You have been releasing records since 1971. How do you think you are going over with the new generation of people buying hard rock albums?
Rudolph: "We played last year at the Wacken (Open Air), it is the biggest metal fest in the world and over 60,000 people were there. We played 3.5 hours with former members playing our old material from the '70s and '80s and the young people could not believe what we were playing. A lot of the younger bands in America are saying that they were influenced by us and we see the young kids up front singing our songs. We still have a lot of attitude left and people cannot believe how strong the band still is."
Read the full article at this location.
Meldrum Issue Tour Wrap Up
MELDRUM, featuring ex-PHANTOM BLUE guitarist Michelle Meldrum, have issued the followng update:
"Hi Guys,
What an awesome time we had in Italy !!! We love all you Italian Stallions and well the Italian fans kick some major ass!!! A big thanks goes out to Gianrico and Fiorenza from our booking company there: Get Rocked
I would have to say the gig in Rome was pretty sweaty like it should be, and crazy, check out a sample someone filmed. The fans are overwhelmingly great:
Having Gene Hoglan out with us has been an honour and a joy. He's an amazing musician, a legend, and the Italian women love him!!!
Last but not least a big thanks to the support bands who helped us out, loaned some gear, and traveled far and rocked hard, and we can't forget Rock TV for filming the first show for Italian TV, and Alex Ruffini for the photo shoot.
When we returned to Sweden we played in Gavle @ Club Wasteland, and then Sticky Fingers in Gothenberg, both totally kick ass shows, and then onto the MTV FUZZ program where we played 2 songs.
Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and all your New Year's dreams come true. See ya out there soon, and as always STAY HARD !!!"
MELDRUM More...
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