Tribuzy Guitarist Posts Instructional Clip Online

Edu Fernandez, the guitar player of TRIBUZY (the band led by Brazilian singer Renato Tribuzy), has posted an an instructional video on YouTube featuring tapping exercises, the "Aggressive" solo from TRIBUZY's "Execution" album, and much more. Watch it at this location. The tablature of the exercises can be found here.

TRIBUZY's live album, "Execution - Live Reunion", will be released on July 27 via MTM Music. The cover artwork for the CD has been posted online at this location. The art was once again done by Gustavo Sazes, who was responsible for the art of the first TRIBUZY album "Execution".

"Execution - Live Reunion", recorded at the Credicard Hall in São Paulo, Brazil in November 2005 and featuring special guest appearances by Bruce Dickinson, Mat Sinner, Ralf Scheepers, Roy Z., Roland Grapow and Kiko Loureiro, was produced by Roy Z. and Renato Tribuzy, and was mixed by Roy Z. at Mountain View studio, in Los Angeles, California. More...

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Blood of Cain to Support Finntroll In Hollywood

Northern California's BLOOD OF CAIN will support FINNTROLL on October 5, 2007 at the Key Club in Hollywood, California.

In other news, BLOOD OF CAIN has posted a clip from its new single, "Sirena", on the band's MySpace page. Several other songs are available from the group's first independent release.

According to a press release, BLOOD OF CAIN "forge an alloy of melodic thrash, death metal, power metal, and other genres into a massive sound that must be heard to be experienced. Fire pulled down from the gods meets blood, sweat and pain dredged up from the depths of the earth in a brutally passionate transformation."

Upcoming BLOOD OF CAIN shows:

Jul. 20 - The Kennel Club - Sacramento, CA (w/ SENTINEL BEAST)
Jul. 25 - LaSalles - Chico, CA (w/ THE SAMMUS THEORY)
Aug. 16 - NorCal Metal and Aggressive Music Festival - The Women's Center - Chico, CA
Sep. 01 - Rebecca's Lodge - Lower Lake, CA (w/ BLED, PSYCHOSOMATIC)

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Blitzkrieg Post "Theatre Of The Damned" Samples

NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal) legends BLITZKRIEG have posted audio samples of two new songs — "Theatre of the Damned" and "The Phantom" — on their MySpace page. Both tracks come off the group's new album, "Theatre of the Damned" (view cover), due on August 10 via Germany's Armageddon Music. The CD was recorded at Absurd Studio in Hamburg with producer Schrödey and co-producer Biff Byford (SAXON). According to a posting on the Armageddon web site, "Theatre of the Damned" "offers the same authentic heavy metal of the '80s along with a super freshness and total attitude."

Here is the "Theatre of the Damned" track listing: More...

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Bullygoat Announces Hi-Tech Battle of the Bands

Bullygoat Records announced today a partnership with Mozes, Inc., a mobile marketing company that lets anyone create and mange their own interable mobile campaign, promotion or event, to host the first ever online heavy metal battle of the bands. Bands enter the competition by creating a keyword (mobile alias) and recruiting fans to join their mob (mobile fan list) by texting their Mozes keyword to 66937. Bands move up the leaderboard by having the largest mob. The 10 finalists submit a performance video, which is judged by label owner Chad Gray, ThrashTalk VJ and x-Fuse TV VJ Mistress Juliya and Myspace celebrity Metal Sanaz. The winning band receives a record deal with Bullygoat Records and free online marketing services from Buddylube.

"I started this label to develop and maintain the integrity of our music," said Chad Gray of Bullygoat Records. "We are only looking to develop new, different and interesting music. So the decision is yours. For those of you who feel like your ready to take the Bullygoat challenge, I look forward to hearing your art."

To be eligible to win a recording contract with Bullygoat Records, a band must have a minimum of 500 mob members. A special leaderboard has been set up on Mozes.com to track each band's growth in membership. The contest will run for three (3) months, giving bands a chance to build their mobile fan list.

"This is a great opportunity for unsigned bands to get their foot in the door of the music industry. "There are a lot of kick ass bands out there that now have the chance to be heard," said. Mistress Juliya.

"Some bands have the sound, but lack in the marketing department," adds Sanaz. "Mozes and Bullygoat Records are giving them the chance to work with BuddyLube -- a company that has marketed some of the best heavy metal bands in the world."

Mozes provides the necessary tools for bands to easily and innovatively connect with their fans. "We are pleased to be working with Buddylube on this first-of-its-kind contest," said Dorrian Porter, CEO of Mozes. "Being able to interact with your favorite artist in real-time on the mobile phone is a powerful and personal connection. Our role is to support the most effective way for artists to reach, grow and connect with their audience."

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Ari Koivunen Spends 7 Weeks Atop Finnish Charts

"Fuel for the Fire", the debut solo album from the winner of the Finnish national TV talent competition "Idols", 22-year-old heavy metal singer Ari Koivunen, has topped the chart in Finland for the seventh week in a row. You can view the chart at this location.

As previously reported, "Fuel for the Fire" has been certified platinum in Finland for sales in excess of 30,000 copies. Ari was presented with his gold and platinum plaques by Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH, TAROT) and Tommi "Tuple" Salmela during Koivunen's performance at Pielavesirock on June 30.

Koivunen recently released the video for his first solo single, "Hear My Call". The song was written by Nino Laurenne (THUNDERSTONE) and Pasi Heikkilä (45 DEGREE WOMAN), who also produced "Fuel for the Fire" (Sony BMG). You can watch the clip at YouTube.

Among the other metal luminaries who have contributed material to "Fuel for the Fire" are Timo Tolkki (STRATOVARIUS), Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH, TAROT), Janne Joutsenniemi (SUBURBAN TRIBE), Tony Kakko (SONATA ARCTICA) and Jarkko Ahola (TERÄSBETONI).

The following musicians appear on the CD: More...

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Mastodon's "Sleeping Giant" Video Premeire Online

Mastodon's new video for 'Sleeping Giant' is now up and live over at Headbanger's Blog. Click here to check out this exclusive premeire! The TV broadcast debuts tomorrow night, Saturday the 21st, on MTV2's Headbanger's Ball at 10:00pm.

As told by Director , Roboshobo,“The concept for the video was kind of my take on the mythology that seems to be encapsulated in the album,” he begins. “I thought the reference to ‘Father Snake in the song sounded like an actual priest of some sort and thats where the robot came in…I also liked to think that the point of the ritual was to cultivate a crystal skull from the man’s bones after being in the earth for so long — sort of like the way coal turns to a diamond under pressure.”

Although Roboshobo has mostly worked on animation-filled projects for indie bands, including Kiss Kiss, The Burning Tree Projekt and Blood Brothers, he says he’s also into metal. “I’m a fan of Mastodon,” he says. “So trying to create their heads as stone monoliths in space felt a bit like being commissioned to do a portrait for a royal family.”

Follow the story link under the video premeire to view more of this article with the director, and also Mastodon's "Colony of Birchmen" also off of the successful 2006 release, "Blood Mountain".

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Alabama Thunderpussy Announce European Tour

ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY have announced a Fall tour with OBITUARY in support of their brand new full-length Open Fire. ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY will join OBITUARY along with FULL BLOWN CHAOS and HEMLOCK on September 11th in Springfield, VA for this four week tour of the U.S.

Immediately following, ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY will embark on a month-long headlining European tour. This tour will kick-off on October 25th in Southampton, U.K before working its way through Portugal, Belgium, Hungary, Germany and many more central E.U. countries. Joining ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY on the tour will be the U.K.’s own FIREBIRD. A complete listing of ATP tour dates can be found online here with more to be announced soon. More...

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The Warriors Post Another New Song Online

You can check out a new song from THE WARRIORS entitled “The Stone Grinds” online over at their official MySpace page. The track comes off their upcoming new album, Genuine Sense of Outrage, which will be released on August 7th through Victory Records.

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From A Second Story Window Reveal New Album Title

FROM A SECOND STORY WINDOW have posted the following update:

“Our new record will be called ‘Conversations.’ It is to be a reflection of worldly topics depicted through interactions between fictional characters having what would appear to be daily communications in their own lives and worlds they inhabit. The idea being that the characters are in the midst of their own lives and can not stop the fact that they will continue being effected by the same topics that govern the real lives of the listeners. Conversations will be a collection of ‘portions’ of stories that show how each person in the world, old or young, poor or wealthy, are in fact touched by the worldly events that continue to happen around us, whether we take notice or not. The ideas of the world at war with itself, the continual destruction of our environment through our selfish human wants and needs, communication itself, and several other worldly and personal topics shall be addressed within the record. Musically our intent is to create music that touches on all the feelings these issues bring up when confronted at a human level. The darkness when dealing with waring nations and the destructions felt therefore, the light and soaring melodies that transpire while dealing with a worthwhile message such as helping the poverty stricken lands in Africa, or simply creating a soup kitchen in ones neighborhood. This record is, at its deepest idea, an attempt to create fictional characters interacting with one another based on their feelings in and about the world around them. A conversation between strangers, loved ones, children or anyone can allow us into the realm of human thought, leading to an understanding of how and why we, as human beings, act the way we do on certain topics of life. As PINK FLOYD once said, ‘All we have to do is keep talking.’”

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Esoteric Prepare To Record New Album

British doomsters ESOTERIC have completed writing and arranging material for their fifth album and are preparing to enter the studio to record the CD. The album will contain seven songs, spanning over 100 minutes, and will be released on double-CD format through Season of Mist.

In other news, plans are in motion to release a 10xLP box set through Aesthetic Death Records in the coming months. This will include all of the songs from the first four albums and will be the first vinyl release from the band.

ESOTERIC's most recent album, "Subconscious Dissolution into the Continuum", was released in June 2004 via Season of Mist.

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Imperanon Call It Quits

Helsinki, Finland-based metallers IMPERANON have called it a day. A statement at their MySpace reads as follows:
"Sadly, the guys from Imperanon have decided to call it a day and lay the band to rest. I think I speak for many people when I wish them all the best for whatever path they may choose to follow in the future. R.I.P. - The Great Imperanon (1999 - 2007)."

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Shadows Fall Added To Locobazooka, More Tour Dates

Shadows Fall have been added to this year's Locobazooka, taking place at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, MA on September 9th. Also playing will be Heaven and Hell, featuring Ronnie James Dio and members of Black Sabbath Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice, along with Alice Cooper, Queensryche, Black Label Society, and others. More info and links to purchase tickets are available at locobazooka.com

In addition, Shadows Fall have added some new shows with All That Remains, Protest the Hero and The Showdown. The new tour dates are as follows:

9/13 Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
9/14 Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
9/16 West Springfield, VA - Jaxx

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Budgie Guitarist Leaves

Veteran British rockers Budgie have recently announced the departure of guitarist Simon Lees. As of yet no reasons have been given but they are currently choosing a new guitarist. The band also have plans to tour Australia next February, after the October dates were forced to be rescheduled. The current Australian dates are as follows:

14 Feb 2008 20:00 Enmore Theatre Sydney
16 Feb 2008 20:00 The Tivoli Brisbane
21 Feb 2008 20:00 The Forum Melbourne

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Ozzy Osbourne To Sing On New Mountain Album

Ozzy Osbourne is featured on the title track of MOUNTAIN's new album, "Masters of War", due on July 24 via Big Rack Records. The CD features rearrangements of classic BOB DYLAN songs by MOUNTAIN singer-guitarist Leslie West and drummer Corky Laing along with all-star help, including ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND and GOV'T MULE singer-guitarist Warren Haynes.

Ozzy has known West and Laing for over 35 years — BLACK SABBATH's first U.S. tour was as the opening act for MOUNTAIN.

The friendship was renewed in 2005 when Osbourne recorded MOUNTAIN's "Mississippi Queen" for his "Prince of Darkness" box set, and he got West to play guitar on the track.

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Tom Morello Comments On Audioslave Split

Chris Riemenschneider of the Star Tribune recently conducted an interview with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE/ex-AUDIOSLAVE guitarist Tom Morello. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Star Tribune: Did AUDIOSLAVE end because you wanted to focus on activist music, or are you doing this because AUDIOSLAVE ended?

Morello: As far as the actual making of the record, I did that because it was clear we were not going to be proceeding with AUDIOSLAVE. So it helped me to analyze my priorities. I decided I'm just going to be involved in music that expresses my world views, and that left me open to making a NIGHTWATCHMAN record and to the idea of doing RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE shows.

Star Tribune: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE shaped a lot of young fans' beliefs. How did these reunion shows fit your scheme of things?

Morello: Well, so far we've only played the one show at Coachella, and it was a great time for both band and audience, from what I could tell. I think there's about six more this summer. We're at this historical juncture. It's important for people who don't like the direction that the country is going in to speak up, and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has a catalog of songs that sound like they were written for 2007.

Star Tribune: Why not more shows?

Morello: Um, why do more? [Laughs] We're just happy to be doing the ones that we are. So far, we enjoyed the one show, so we're gonna play a few more. And that's all we have plans for right now.

Star Tribune: Chris Cornell is in Minneapolis a few nights after you. Any opinion on his new record?

Morello: I've heard it, and that's part of what's great about where we are in our career is we can make the music we want. These NIGHTWATCHMAN songs would not have been appropriate for AUDIOSLAVE, and that's why I made the solo record. Same with him. I think that he's probably much more comfortable with a band of hired hands than a band of equals, and that's fine. He has earned that right.

Star Tribune: Where do things stand between you and Chris?

Morello: I haven't heard from him in many months, almost bordering on a year now. We didn't hear from him when he quit the band, and we haven't heard anything since. But it's OK. I think our time together was great. We made records that we're all proud of and had fun making, and we toured and had a great time doing that. In a way, we very much helped revive one another both personally and musically. And when he decided to quit the band, that opened the door for me to make this NIGHTWATCHMAN record, and for RAGE to reunite. So it's all good.

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Pro-Pain To Do European Tour

PRO-PAIN have announced new European tour dates beginning in mid-September. Support bands will be France's ZUUL FX and Holland's DEMIA. This is the third part of PRO-PAIN's 15-year anniversary tour. Here are the confirmed dates:

* PRO-PAIN only

Sept. 14 - Moscow, Russia - Point Club (Tochka) *
Sept. 15 - Kiev, Ukraine - Extreme Power Open Air *
Sept. 16 - Dresden, Germany - Thrillbeats Club
Sept. 17 - Warsawa, Poland - Progresia
Sept. 18 - Wroclaw, Poland - WZ
Sept. 20 - Prague, Czech Republic - Rock Cafe
Sept. 21 - Litomerice, Czech Republic - Dk
Sept. 22 - Nitra, Slovakia - Stara PekarenSep
Sept. 23 - Graz, Austria - PPC
Sept. 24 - Traun, Austria - Alte Spinnerei
Sept. 25 - Sursee, Switzerland - Kulturwerk 118
Sept. 26 - Biel, Switzerland - Gaskessel
Sept. 27 - Colmar, France - Le Grillen
Sept. 28 - Lyon, France - Le CCO
Sept. 29 - Limoges, France - La fourmie
Sept. 30 - Barcelona, Spain - Mephisto Club
Oct. 2 - Paris, France - La Loco
Oct. 5 - Dordrecht, Netherlands - Bibelot
Oct. 6 - Helmond, Netherlands - Plato

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Serj Tankian Readies Solo Album For October

Billboard.com reports: System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian steps center stage this fall with a new solo album, "Elect the Dead," due Oct. 23 via Serjical Strike/Warner Bros. The 12-track set features contributions from SOAD drummer John Dolmayan and former Primus stickman Bryan "Brain" Mantia, along with guitarist/bassist Dan Monti, opera singer Ani Maldjian and some string players.

The album is ripe with outrage both political and personal, including references to "bodies burning" on the shred-fest "Empty Walls" and how "antidepressants make life more tolerable" on "The Unthinking Majority." Tankian later declares, "We are the cause of a world that's gone wrong" on the eerie "Honking Antelope."

Other tracks blend the stop-on-a-dime rhythmic changes of System Of A Down with acoustic guitar strumming and Eastern European-tinged melodies, often in the course of one song.

"Saving Us" begins softly before exploding into a heavy, impassioned chorus and later, a double-time beat and a detuned guitar riff, while "Lie Lie Lie" matches its lyrical themes of incest and murder with appropriately ominous music.

"There's romantic songs, love songs, pain songs... a gamut of what I was feeling in the last year-and-a-half," Tankian told Billboard.com in April. "The whole album is this deep, human pain that kind of is looking for redemption."

Here is the track list for "Elect the Dead":

"Empty Walls"
"The Unthinking Majority"
"Money"
"Feed Us"
"Saving Us"
"Sky Is Over"
"Baby"
"Honking Antelope"
"Lie Lie Lie"
"Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition"
"Beethoven's C*nt"
"Elect the Dead"

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Judas Priest To Take Short Break Before New Album

The following message has been posted on JUDAS PRIEST's official web site:

"All is going really well with the new album. Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing are working on their guitar parts. All of the guys are going to take a short summer break then will re-group to get back to working on the album!"

JUDAS PRIEST is working on a concept album about the legendary 16th century prophet Nostradamus. Regarding the direction of the material and how whole concept for the record came about, frontman Rob Halford recently told PureGrainAudio.com, "We've got a bulk of the work done. It sounds absolutely fucking amazing and that's not me inflating it, it is genuinely spectacular. So we're still carrying on with that and it should be out sometime in 2008. The idea (for the record) came from our manager Bill Curbishley, because we were ready to go in and do another studio record, but Bill came to see us towards the end of the 'Angel of Retribution' tour, he came to Russia, we were playing Russia and we had lunch with him and he said, 'Look, I have this idea.' Bill manages THE WHO, you know, Pete and Roger, and Bill was behind the enormous success of 'Tommy' and he said, 'I just think that you know, maybe you should think about this possibility of doing a concept album and I've been thinking about this guy Nostradamus.' And as soon as he brought the name up, I'm like, I'm there, let's go, you don't have to say anything else. I knew something of him already like everybody does about the books that you read about him, or on the Internet or on TV, documentaries and I thought wow, this is absolutely brilliant so that's where it all came about from."

On the rumors that "Nostradamus" will be a double album, Halford said, "It is a rumor still. I mean, there is an enormous amount of material and you can only put so much on a single CD so you know, we're trying to tell the story of his life and we're trying to cover every significant moment of his life and I think you know, when we got it all recorded, that's when you're faced with the reality of how much time you got and how much a CD will afford you and the timing of it all. So we just ask everyone to bear with us and as we actually get into the mixing mode, we'll be able to be more definitive and tell everybody exactly what we've got, but we just want to make sure we tell his life story so we'll do whatever it takes to do that."

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Dethklok Album Due In September

According to MTV.com, the greatest metal-parody album since "This Is Spinal Tap" is coming our way. No, CROTCHDUSTER hasn't signed to Roadrunner Records — DETHKLOK are getting ready to infect the world with their debut. The stars of the animated Cartoon Network "Adult Swim" program "Metalocalypse" will release two editions of "Dethalbum" on September 25. The regular format will feature 16 tracks, including "Murmaider", "Briefcase Full of Guts", "Birthday Dethday", "Bloodrocuted" and "Deththeme". The double-disc deluxe edition will feature a second CD of six additional tracks, such as "Duncan Hills Coffee Jingle", "Blood Ocean" and "Pickles' Intro - Kill You". The package will also feature the video for "Bloodrocuted" and the first episode from the show's second season, which debuts the last week of September. A DVD of the entire first season will be released October 2.

"Dethalbum" features a guest appearance by legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH, DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT). He previously stated about the CD, "What a killer metal record! I can't wait for everyone else to hear it, and since it has now been slated for a September 25th release, that is now gonna be sooner than later, especially with leakage. And yes, it appears that we are going on tour with it as well! The logistics are being worked on as we speak, but it looks like it's gonna be a real killer, multi-media show. I'm looking real forward to that, I've even suspended the booking of a ton of clinics to clear my schedule to be available."

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Korn Planning New Album Of Covers

Korn are working on an album of cover versions that will include tracks by the Psychedelic Furs and Faith No More. The band, who are currently gearing up for their latest studio album on July 30, say they’ve already got several tracks recorded and are planning more.

Speaking to Billboard Jonathan Davis revealed: "We've already done, like, 'Love My Way' from Psychedelic Furs. We've done 'We Care a Lot' from Faith No More [and Nine Inch Nails'] 'Head Like a Hole.' Those are already recorded. We just gotta get in and do some more."

He added that guitarist James ‘Munky’ Shaffer and bassist Reggie ‘Fieldy’ Avizu are continually adding to the wish list of covers for the album.

Songs on the list include Prince’s ‘Erotic City’, ‘Lookout Weekend’ by Debbie Deb and Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Diary Of A Madman’.

Korn have previously covered Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ for a MTV Unplugged album which came out in March.

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Sacred Rite Prepare For Ressurrection

Long overdue, Sacred Rite: Resurrection should prove to be, not only, a perfect reunion disc, but also, a fitting tribute to Sacred Rite drummer, Kevin Lum.

Following the 2002 release of the Sacred Rite compilation discs, Rites Of Passage volumes 1 & 2 from Sentinel Steel Records, Kevin Lum lost his lifelong battle with diabetes. In 2004, surviving members, Mark Kaleiwahea, Jimmy Caterine, and Peter Crane began a labor of love by extracting samples of Lum's drum tracks from previous works and, painstakingly, arranging them around new material written by the group.

Sacred Rite: Resurrection is a journey back to classic progressive metal with a modern twist. The CD is not intended as a comeback album, but rather, a celebration and tribute to, not only, Kevin Lum, but to classic metal fans around the world.

Resurrection will be on sale by September 1, 2007 at www.SacredRite.com, www.Caterine-Music.com, and www.SentinelSteel.com followed by a release at all the obvious places that carry independent music, including CD Baby, Amazon, and iTunes.

You can hear a track from Sacred Rite: Resurrection and view the CD cover painted by fantasy artist, Michael Whelan now at the band's MySpace page.

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Heavy Metal Festivals Proliferate Across Europe

Bryan Reesman of Grammy.com reports: It's summertime, so plenty of heavy metal and hard rock festivals and tours are rolling across America, shaking the rafters with loud guitars and screaming fans. But for all the hoopla surrounding Ozzfest, Warped Tour, Sounds Of The Underground and other traveling rock and roll circuses, not to mention the steady growth of annual events like the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival, there are even greater numbers of heavy music festivals in England and across Europe that are attracting tens of thousands of fans per weekend and making an even greater cultural impact. Volume-driven events like Wacken Open Air, Download and Graspop have become the major destinations for headbangers of all persuasions.

"The festivals are getting more and more important because the people come together from everywhere, and the open-airs are becoming a real happening for the fans from different places and countries," declares ATROCITY frontman Alex Krull. "Actually the audience is becoming the 'star' and not just the band playing on stage. Some festivals last for several days, and the people are celebrating together, joining the metal markets, or making new friends."

Singer Doro Pesch, who is based both in New York and Düsseldorf, Germany, believes there are more festivals overseas because the demand is greater. "I think that people are really into metal and rock again, almost like it used to be in the '80s," she observes. "The festivals are sometimes sold out in a couple of days. The time is good for our kind of music again. It's really, really great."

Read the full article at Grammy.com.

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Sahg Reveal New Song Titles

Bergen, Norway-based black metallers SAHG check in with the following update:

"The recording sessions for the upcoming second Sahg album are finally coming to an end, and new pics from the final session will be posted in the Gallery shortly.

Among the songs on the album, are 'Ascent To Decadence', 'Pyromancer', 'Echoes Ring Forever' and 'From Conscious Sleep'.

More titles, exact release date and more news on the new album coming up shortly!"

The yet untitled sophomore Sahg album is due for release in October 2007.

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The Gates of Slumber Announce Tour Dates

THE GATES OF SLUMBER and CENTURIONS GHOST will team up for the following tour dates next month:

August 16 - Chicago, IL @ The Note
August 17 - Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
August 18 - Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
August 19 - Boston, MA @ O’Brien’s Pub
August 20 – New York, NY @ Club Midway
August 21 - Baltimore, MD @ The Side Bar Taveran
August 22 - Raleigh NC @ The Brewery
August 23 - West Chester, PA @ Rex’s Bar
August 24 - Pittsburgh, PA @ 31st Street Pub
August 25 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Emerson Theater

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Stigma Sign With Pivotal Rockordings

Italian horror-themed deathcore act STIGMA has inked a deal with Florida's Pivotal Rockordings. The band's debut album, When Midnight Strikes, is currently being recorded at Db Studios with producer Ettore Rigotti (DISARMONIA MUNDI).

Commented vocalist Vlad: "This is an important day for STIGMA. We're so damn proud to announce that we've just joined US based Pivotal Rockordings to release our first metal monster in late winter. This is day one of STIGMA's new era and we couldn't be more excited, cause we have just joined one of the most loyal, hard working and killer labels in the metal community! After having been ripped off by a label 2 weeks before entering the studio, we were shocked, but the guys in Pivotal Rockordings let us feel like a part of their family from the first day and this is sadly not so common these days! We're just about to finish recording our debut, and we really can't wait to let you hear the result of 14 months of writing and recording! So thanks to Leevan, Alexi, Steven, Ian, Hans and all the other guys over there at Pivotal Rockordings for trusting in us as well all of our fans who supported us from the beginning; this means the world to us! See you all very soon, touring is coming next!"

When Midnight Strikes will feature guest appearances from Tim Zlinsky (THE CLASSIC STRUGGLE), Jacob Bredahl (HATESPHERE), Alberto Zannier (SLOWMOTION APOCALYPSE), Ivan Odorico (SLOWMOTION APOCALYPSE), and Mike Lunacy (DARK LUNACY).

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Tyrant To Tour With Gorgoroth and Enthroned

Sweden's black metal band Tyrant has issued the following update about their band, by way of introduction before going on tour with Gorgoroth and Enthroned later this year:

"On the edge of the precipice, there is only one way back, and that is by taking a step forward.

"The band that was to become TYRANT was something we had been wanting to create for a long time. But it was nothing we planned, it just happened. But now afterwards we realize that it was inevitable. And when something comes naturally, it's a result of honesty. We were simply pissed off about the development in music today, it needed to be reminded of how it´s supposed to be.

"January 2007.
We were in studio Beast drinking beer like we often do. Peter had been drunk the day before and had recorded an idea, which he shared with the rest of us, and to us it was obvious how we needed to develop it further. Once you start working, the inspiration sets in. We made the songs, recorded them live, most of them in just one take, and barely mixed them. The album was completed in 26 hours! We realized we had created something unique. TYRANT was born. When others talk about perfectionism, we talk about simplicity. When others talk about beautifying, we talk about uglifying. Sometimes it's right to be wrong.

-D.F.Bragman July 2007"

TYRANT release their debut album "Reclaim The Flame' in October and will tour Europe with GORGOROTH and ENTHRONED on the tour dates listed below. In the meantime, you can check out some of their material on their MySpace page.

TYRANT tour dates with Gorgoroth and Enthroned
Presented by Terrorizer an Metal Hammer: More...

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Sybreed Post New Track Online

Switzerland's futuristic metal band SYBREED has posted a new song, entitled "Permafrost", on their MySpace page. The track comes off the group's new album, "Antares", due in early October on Listenable Records.

The CD, which is described by the band as "the red pulsing noise celebrating the fall from grace, the loss of hope and innocence, and our own human nature confronted to eternity," features DIRK VERBEUREN (SOILWORK, SCARVE) on drums.

The "Antares" track listing is (in no particular order):

Emma 0
Permafrost
Neurodrive
Technocracy
Ego Bypass Generator
Orbital 07. Dynamic
Ex-Inferis
12 Megatons Gravity
Plasmaterial
Revive My Wounds
Isolate
Ethernity

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Devildriver And God Forbid To Tour

DEVILDRIVER have announced headlining tour dates with GOD FORBID, KATAKLYSM and SUICIDE SILENCE in August. The tour will be in support of their brand-new album, "The Last Kind Words", scheduled to be released on July 31 through Roadrunner Records. The band will be hitting venues in the southwest US through the end of August.

In addition to the tour, DEVILDRIVER and Indie 103.1 FM will be hosting a listening party at On The Rox on top of the legendary Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, CA. The party rages from 7PM-10PM. Doors open to the general public at 8:30PM, and the first 200 fans get to hang with the band and check out "The Last Kind Words" before its US release. At the party, DEVILDRIVER will be screening the brand new video for "Not All Who Wander Are Lost," directed by Nathan Cox (TRIVIUM, MARILYN MANSON), and ESP will be giving away a guitar signed by the band.

Here are the aforementioned tour dates:

Aug. 14 - Corona, CA - Showcase Theatre
Aug. 15 - San Diego, CA - SOMA
Aug. 16 - Orangevale, CA - The Boardwalk
Aug. 17 - Hollywood, CA - Whiskey A Go-Go
Aug. 19 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
Aug. 21 - Pharr, TX - Graham Central Station
Aug. 23 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
Aug. 24 - Corpus Christi, TX - Pavilion
Aug. 25 - Ft. Worth, TX - Ridglea Theatre

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Tesla Announce More Tour Dates

TESLA have added four more U.S. shows (Boston, Sayreville, New York City and Baltimore) to their upcoming tour itinerary. Here are the confirmed dates:

July 20 - Fond du Lac, WI - Fond du Lac County Fair
July 27 - Salt Lake City, UT - Great Saltair
July 28 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
Aug. 17 - Sacramento, CA - Cal Expo
Aug. 28 - Providence, RI - Lupos
Aug. 30 - Hampton, NH - Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
Aug. 31 - Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights
Sept. 2 - Syracuse, NY - Chevrolet Court
Sept. 4 - Boston, MA - The Avalon
Sept. 6 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
Sept. 8 - Cherokee, NC - Cherokee Amphitheater
Sept. 13 - New York City, NY - Nokia Theater
Sept. 14 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
Sept. 15 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Sept. 19 - New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues
Sept. 20 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa

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Megadeth In Talks About Making Of New Album Film

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted this message on the band's official forum:

"Droogies!

Just a quick update:

MEGADETH's manager and I are having a fun day of business meetings here in sunny Fallbrook, and someone from the label is coming down today to talk about what we are going to do with the film from 'The Making Of United Abominations'.

We also are going over last details with the Pacific Rim Tour from approximately October 19 until November 19, and will soon be focusing on the time remaining in the year and the possibilities to slip a UK, European, or South American trip in before the Holidays.

I am still blown away with the job that Dave McRobb and his crew did here with the new Megadeth.com site and the new look for the other sites relating to Megs.

I am glad to see everyone here is in good spirits and we can't wait to get back at it. We will start rehearsals in LA around the end of next month, and we will keep you updated.

Until then, have a great day, I know I will."

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Mastodon Bassist Talks Of Playing With Metallica

Dave Maher of Pitchfork magazine conducted an interview with MASTODON bassist Troy Sanders on July 14, 2007 at the Pitchfork Music Festival 2007 in Chicago, Illinois. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Pitchfork: Just from seeing pictures of you guys, I thought [guitarist] Brent [Hinds] would be the most savage member of the band, mostly because of his face tattoo. But after seeing your show, I think it might be you. Do you practice making faces or moves in the mirror?

Troy Sanders: No, not at all. Our music and our live show and everything that we embody is basically just every emotion under the sun that we bottle up and channel out through our music. Off the stage, we're four quite normal goofballs. Our music and our stage show is very intense; it's very demanding. But it's basically because we choose to write this type of music that embodies everything dark and deep and brutal about life that we encounter, which are the same things everyone else encounters. We just take all this, and we channel it through what we call MASTODON. That's why it's like, "Why do you guys scream all the time and play this brutal music that you want to kill yourself to?" It's like, "Well, we don't intend to do that. This is our art form. This is our outlet." If we didn't have this outlet, we would probably be even more disturbed. But Brent is a savage beast. It depends on what kind of show [it is]. This art form of touring conjures different emotions every single day. I was up there having a great time, glad to be here in front of 10,000 people under the sun. I've had a great weekend, a great year. And it sounded okay to me on stage. It felt good. I was just going for it, getting it all out, sweating out all the bad stuff.

Pitchfork: You guys met METALLICA recently, right?

Troy Sanders: Yeah, we just met them on Sunday [July 8 at the Wembley stadium in London, England].

Pitchfork: And you've played with SLAYER?

Troy Sanders: Oh we've played over 150 shows with SLAYER.

Pitchfork: What's it like meeting those dudes?

Troy Sanders: We're friends, like, "Hey Tom [Araya], what's up?" "Hey Troy."

Pitchfork: Is that weird?

Troy Sanders: It was at first, man, because those are the people [whose music] I grew up with, but now we're on a first-name basis with them. We've done six tours, over 150 shows.

Pitchfork: What about the guys in METALLICA?

Troy Sanders: They're cool as hell. They told us to keep flying the flag.

Pitchfork: So the torch was passed.

Troy Sanders: It's not necessarily that the torch was passed, but a piece of the torch was passed. And those guys had heard of our band before. They get to pick their opening bands. They were on stage watching us for the three shows we did last week, and I'll tell ya, that's a little nervous, man. I would not be here today if METALLICA didn't exist, and now they're on stage watching our band and then we're hanging out drinking with Lars [Ulrich] until four in the morning.

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Hetfield: "St. Anger Was A Statement That Failed"

Britain's Kerrang! magazine recently conducted an interview with METALLICA frontman James Hetfield. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Kerrang!: You're working [on the new METALLICA album] with Rick Rubin who has a reputation as an "absentee" producer...

James: Oh, I met him once, I bumped into him in a corridor! [Laughs] No, we were well aware of his reputation when we signed up. On "St. Anger", [longtime METALLICA collaborator] Bob Rock did everything — he was producer, engineer, bass player, babysitter, father figure. And Rick is pretty much the opposite; he's not there to babysit. When we first came in, his opening statement was, "I want you guys to impress me; I want you to feel like you're starting out again'. He really wants us to get in the mind-set of "Master of Puppets". It's impossible to recreate what we were 20 years ago, that's silly, but we had to get that hunger back.

Kerrang!: And he's impressed so far?

James: Rubin is really good at feeling songs, and he'll tell you straight-up if he doesn't like something. We started with 20 songs and we've whittled it down to 14 since he came in. He won't say "This fucking sucks," but he'll make suggestions and I'm definitely open to that. With "St. Anger", it became so open-minded that it became unfocused. This time around, there's a lot of "Sorry, it's not good enough." We're aiming for excellence.

Kerrang!: With "St Anger", did the democracy you practiced in the studio end up comprimising the album?

James: Definitely. It was very unrealistic. We went from tearing each other's throats out with sarcasm, anger and not speaking to the polar opposite where we'd embrace every stupid idea so as to not hurt anyone's feelings. And that didn't work either!

Kerrang!: It seems weird that you're taking time out to tour when you're on a roll in the studio...

James: Well, hopefully it'll inspire us to take it to another level. You'll listen back to a new song and go, "We were just out there listening to 60,000 people screaming at what they love about METALLICA and I don't think they're gonna scream at this! Also it gets claustrophobic in there — you can be trapped in there not knowing whether people are still out there.

Kerrang!: Have you started to work on the lyrics?

James: I have phrasings and something vocally to at least feel what the song is like. I forgot about "Let's please everyone in the band." Now it's, "This is where my head's at." I think people will identify with it.

Kerrang!: Is there a sense that time is running out for METALLICA and you need to make a defining album again?

James: Well, we have no shortage of ideas and what am I gonna do? I write songs, I play songs and I like doing this. I know we're getting older, there's no point in trying to hide that fact, and we might tour less than we did, but as records go, we just want to make a good record, that's all we ever want to do. I mean, we thought "St. Anger" was going to be amazing, but it turned out to be more of a statement than METALLICA music that we enjoy playing live. It was more of a purge, just getting that shit out of me, as a catalyst for the next chapter of METALLICA.

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Inflikted Launch Official Myspace

The new project of Max and Igor Cavalera, recently revealed to be named Inflikted, have launched an official Myspace account. Although there are no songs posted as of yet you can still add the band and do all the usual stuff. Check it out at this location

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