Metal News for July 28, 2006
Last updated on October 6, 2025 at 2:37 AM ET
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26 news articles posted on this day.
Underoath Cancel Upcoming Warped Tour Appearances
UNDEROATH have canceled their upcoming appearances on the Vans Warped Tour due to unforeseen circumstances. “We’re deeply frustrated and sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We felt it necessary to take some immediate time to focus on our friendship, as that’s more important than risking it for the sake of touring at this time,” the band stated.
Stay tuned for information about new dates.
Scars of Tomorrow To Release New Album Soon
Scars Of Tomorrow will release their new album "The Failure In Drowning" through Victory on Halloween, October 31st. The band are scheduled to begin recording the outing next month with producer Eric Rachel (God Forbid, Atreyu).
More Dragonforce, All That Remains Dates
More dates have been released for DRAGONFORCE's headlining tour with ALL THAT REMAINS and HORSE THE BAND:
September 8 - Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
September 9 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
September 11 - Portalnd, OR @ Roseland Theatre
September 13 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox
September 23 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
September 24 - Toronto, ON @ Docks Nightclub
October 6 - San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
All That Remains Comment On Ozzfest
The following article was originally posted over at MTV.com:
New England metalcore champs ALL THAT REMAINS have become one of the standout acts on this summer's Ozzfest, decimating one sun-soaked crowd after another and delivering ferocious sets that obviously leave a lasting impression with the audiences at each stop on the tour.
The proof's in the pudding, as they say. ALL THAT REMAINS' latest, crushing LP, The Fall of Ideals, opened at #75 on Billboard's album sales chart two weeks ago, selling close to 13,000 copies its first week in stores. The following week, the disc took a bit of a slide, falling to #139 with around 6,000 units sold. The Fall of Ideals is on pace to outsell the band's previous offering, This Darkened Heart, which racked up first-week sales of 1,050 copies when it was released two years ago. The album failed to chart but has gone on to sell about 62,000 copies.
For frontman Phil Labonte, the album's got the potential to sell a lot more — and that's where the band's second-stage turn on this year's Ozzfest comes in.
"We did Sounds of the Underground last year, but still, there's a huge crowd of people out here who ... this is going to be the only show they go to all year," he said. "It's such a huge deal, and there's a huge percentage of people here who have never even heard of us, so it's a huge opportunity and we're coming in with a really solid foundation and really good groundwork from last year. Our last album sold 60,000-something copies without Ozzfest. So we're hoping this record does the same or more. With the help of tours like Ozzfest, maybe we'll do that."
Some of the material on The Fall of Ideals spotlights the band at its most brutal — with tons of double-bass and pummeling blast beats. But at the same time, the LP's also ALL THAT REMAINS' most accessible outing to date, thanks to Labonte's vocals, which, in keeping with the current trend, come across as much cleaner.
"There are more clean vocals on the record, but there's more vocal variety overall," he argued. "I do way more of the really guttural death-metal stuff than I've ever done. The song 'The Weak Willed' is the heaviest thing we've ever done — it's a death-metal song. But there's more clean singing on this one because I've gotten better at that. We're not that band that's like, 'Oh, here's a formula — let's go ahead and do it and write all our songs this way.' We've always been an extreme band, and certainly not something you could consider anything less than a metal band."
Of course, being on the Ozzfest — which wraps up August 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida — can obviously lead to bigger and better things for a band. And it seems the tour's already started paying off for ALL THAT REMAINS. In September, they'll head out with DRAGONFORCE and HORSE THE BAND for a tour that's expected to kick off September 8 in Los Angeles. Just four dates for the trek have been announced, including September 9 in San Francisco, September 23 in Detroit and September 24 in Toronto. More dates will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Labonte said the band also plans on setting out on a headlining run this winter.
"We want to stay on the road as long as we can, because that's how you make fans and that's how you become successful as a band," he explained. "Being on Ozzfest is pretty humbling, because you have so many huge bands that are gigantic now that got their start on the second stage — KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED. It's a huge thing to be a part of it, and it's a huge thing to be able to say, 'Hey, we were on Ozzfest.' I couldn't be any happier."
Atheist Set To Appear At Auditory Assault
Technical metal pioneers ATHEIST have announced their first American reunion show will take place at the inaugural Auditory Assault Festival, which will take place November 25th at Sonar in Baltimore, MD.
ATHEIST guitarist/vocalist Kelly Shaefer comments, "We are so pleased to be able to play as ATHEIST for the first time in America since 1991 and excited that it is part of a great new festival. As with our recent European festival shows, we will be performing songs from all 3 records, and we aim to make it a technical death metal extravaganza ATHEIST style!"
Other bands expected to perform include MONSTROSITY, CRETIN, PHOBIA, and MISERY INDEX among others. A full lineup is expected to be announced shortly.
Decapitated's Day 69 Posted Online
You can check out a new video from Polish death metallers DECAPITATED for the track "Day 69" here. The song comes off their recently released new album, Organic Hallucinosis.
Ozzy To Headline Second Stage of NYC Ozzfest
Due to the "overwhelming response" of OZZY OSBOURNE's second stage preformances, Ozzy has decided to close the second stage at the Randall's Island (New York City) stop of Ozzfest on Saturday, July 29th.
Sinescent Lose Guitarist, Seek Replacement
California metal band, Sinescent, post a message to their fans on myspace regarding the loss of their guitarist:
"Hey Guys,
We have some very new and surprising news for all of you.
Due to things that just happen in life, Rythm Guitarist John Hughes has decided to leave Sinescent to persue priorities in his life that could not be avoided. As you can imagine we all have times in our lives where we need to focus 100% on ourselves and our own lives. In this case Jon has no choice but to persue some more pressing issues involving his own Life.
Thank you for riding the beggining of our journey with us Jon you are a talented guitarist and we will miss you in Sinescent. More...
Just For Fun
Durst, Stapp Make "Worst Onstage Meltdowns" List
Two hard rockers - who happen to be the butt of many jokes in the metal community - have made Blender's "Worst Onstage Meltdowns" list (in the August edition).
Fred Durst:
When Metallica's 2003 Summer Sanitarium tour arrived in Chicago, few of the 40,000 headbangers gathered at Hawthorne Racecourse were keen to see openers limpbizkit. Possibly incited by a feud between bizkit frontman Fred Durst and local shock-jock Erich “Mancow” Muller, the crowd held up signs reading “Fred Sucks” and pelted him with garbage and coins. Dodging the barrage of detritus, Durst suggested that the audience's lousy aim explained why the local baseball teams were so bad — ironically, he was then struck squarely in the balls by a lemon. Calling the set to an early end, Durst berated the crowd from the wings, boasting that limpbizkit was the greatest band in the world, until his microphone was taken from him.
Shame Scale (7 out of 10)
Scott Stapp:
Messianic Creed singer Scott Stapp seemed over-refreshed before playing Chicago's Allstate Arena on December 29, 2002, possibly due to a cocktail of Jack Daniel's, Xanax and an anti-inflammatory steroid he'd been taking for his throat. After performing five songs, Stapp wandered off stage, and guitarist Mark Tremonti went backstage to look for him. He found the singer resting on a couch, apparently convinced he'd played a full set. Persuaded to return to the stage, Stapp removed his shirt and shoes before falling backwards over a monitor. He then got up and sang the wrong words to crowd favorites “Higher” and “Arms Wide Open.” Four fans later sued the band, demanding the entire audience be refunded.
Shame Scale (8 out of 10)
Read the full article at Blender.
Anthrax Celebrates 25 Years, Plan To Tour Japan
Anthrax's Scott Ian has posted a message about the band's 25th anniversary online:
25 years since Danny Lilker & I started this band. 25 years. Who does anything for 25 years? And in band years, that's like a thousand years. In all seriousness, its my proudest accomplishment. To still be doing this 25 years down the line at this level is a testament to the strength of the people that love this band. From everyone that's ever been in the band to anyone that's ever taken the time to listen, thank you. Someday I'll write the book and properly give everyone their due, until then raise a glass with me and recite my favorite toast:"Here's to us and those like us and all the rest are cunts."
Cheers,
Scott
In other updates, Anthrax is playing Japan in October and have got some new merch in the works (some Hot Topic exclusives) and all the new merch from the summer tour will be available online this fall.
The latest listing of tour dates follows:
FRI 7-28 BILLINGS, MT @ SHRINE AUDITORIUM
SUN 7-30 Saskatoon, SK, Canada @ Prairieland Park
MON 7-31 Edmonton, AB, Canada @ Shaw Conference Center
TUES 8-1 Calgary, AB, Canada @ Stampede Corral
THURS 8-3 Vancouver, BC, Canada @ Pacific Coliseum
FRI 8-4 Salem, OR Salem @ Armory Auditorium
SAT 8-5 San Fransisco, CA @ The Pound
SAT 8-6 LOS ANGELES, CA @ The AVALON
10-14 JAPAN LOUDPARK, FESTIVAL
Tool Announce More US Tour Dates, European Tour
Tool have added the following North American and European dates to their tour schedule, taking them almost to the end of 2006. Isis is to support Tool for most (if not all) of their US run, but it's unclear who will support them for the newly announced dates. The tour dates are as follows:
September 9th in Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Pavilion
September 26th in Pittsburgh, PA @ Petersen Events Center
September 29th in Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center
September 30th in Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
October 2nd in Wilkes-Barre, PA @ Wachovia Arena
October 3rd in Manchester, CT @ TBA
October 5th in Hartford, CT @ Hartford Civic Center
October 6th in East Rutherford, NJ @ Continental Airlines Arena
October 7th in Wantagh, NY @ Nikon @ Jones Beach Theatre
November 3rd in Barcelona, SPA @ Badalona
November 4th in Madrid, SPA @ Palacio Vista Alegre
November 5th in Lisbon, POR @ Atlantic Pavilion
November 9th in Rotterdam, NET @ Ahoy
November 10th in Brussels, BEL @ Forest National
November 12th in Turin, ITA @ Palaisozaki
November 13th in Florence, ITA @ Nelson Mandela Forum
November 15th in Rimini, ITA @ Palasport
November 16th in Venice, ITA @ Palasport
November 18th in Munich, GER @ Zenith
November 19th in Vienna, AUT @ Stadthalle
November 24th in Manchester, UK @ Manchester Evening News Arena
November 25th in Glasgow, UK @ S.E.C.C.
November 27th in London, UK @ Wembley Arena
November 30th in Cardiff, UK @ Cardiff International Arena
December 1st in Nottingham, UK @ Nottingham Arena
December 3rd in Oberhausen, GER @ Konig-Pilsener Arena
December 4th in Leipzig, GER @ Leipzig Arena
December 5th in Stuttgart, GER @ Porsche Arena
December 7th in Lyon, FRA @ Halle Tony Garnier
December 8th in Nantes, FRA @ Zenith
December 10th in Paris, FRA @ Le Zenith
December 12th in Mannheim, GER @ Maimarkthalle
December 13th in Zurich, SWI @ Hallenstadion Zurich
Atreyu and 36 Crazyfists To Tour Australia
Atreyu will tour Australia with 36 Crazyfists in September. The tour dates are:
September 3rd in Sydney, AUS @ The Roundhouse @ Univ. Of NSW
September 4th in Fortitude Valley, AUS @ Arena Entertainment Center
September 5th in Adelaide, AUS @ HQ
September 6th in Melbourne, AUS @ The Hi-Fi
September 7th in Melbourne, AUS @ The Hi-Fi
September 8th in Perth, AUS @ Capitol
The Australian tour precedes their previously announced UK tour dates:
September 12th - Endhoven Effenaar, Holland
September 13th - Munster Skaters Palace, Germany
September 14th - Koln Live Music Hall, Germany
September 15th - LONDON BRIXTON ACADEMY, UK
September 16th - Glasgow Barrowlands, UK
September 17th - Nottingham Rock City, UK
September 18th - Manchester Academy, UK
Atreyu is touring in support of their current album "A Death-Grip On Yesterday."
Hydrogyn Announce More Tour Dates
Hydrogyn kicked off their 'Strip Em' Blind Tour' in Baltimore, MD on May 15th and have been criss crossing the US ever since supporting their highly successful debut release 'Bombshell'. Part of the tour has been taken out of the conventional club or venue and injected into premiere strip clubs across the US where the dancers and Julie mix company with the band creating a spectacular show.
The band will continue their US trek and have announced additional dates:
Aug 4, Pure Gold, Lexington, KY
Aug 6, Columbia Gold
Aug 11, Dayton, OH
Aug 12, Pullman Square, Huntington, WV
Aug 18, Lady Godiva's, Huntington, WV
Aug 19, Rally On The River
Aug 25, Gibson Showcase, Nashvile, TN
Sept 1, w/ Quiet Riot & Warrant
Sept 2, Back To School Show
Sept 16, Pikeville, KY
Sept 22-23, Monterrey Metal Fest, Monterrey Mexico
Additional dates to be announced.
Thee Plague of Gentlemen Dropped By Former Label
Sweden's I Hate Records, which issued THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN's debut album, "Primula Pestis", in early 2005, has released a statement disassociating itself from the alleged crimes committed by the group's frontman Steve McMillan (real name: Steven Wackenier).
McMillan was arrested by the Belgian police earlier in July in connection with what the rest of the Belgian doom metal band has categorized as "criminal acts that none of the members could ever imagine to happen and which are totally unacceptable."
According to reports in the Belgian media, Steve was arrested Tuesday, July 11 on charges of multiple child rape. So far he has confessed to the rapes of four children between the ages of 5 and 7, but it is believed that more victims were involved. In addition to sexually attacking the children, Wackenier allegedly took pictures of them, according to a press release issued by the police.
I Hate Records's statement reads as follows:
"We are shocked, disturbed and saddened to learn about the accusations of multiple child rape (and due arrest and imprisonment) directed at THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN front man Steve McMillan (real name: Steven Wackenier). This all feels like a bad dream that one just wants to wake up from, we feel sick to hear of these disgusting crimes. We hereby completely disassociate ourselves from all Steve's acts, deeds and comments in this case and express our sympathy for his victims and all other innocent people (band members, family etc.) that has become directly or indirectly affected. Our memories of Steve, in connection to the 'Doom Over Sweden' tour in 2005 and when enthusiastically discussing the details of the release of 'Primula Pestis' etc. is now soiled, dirty. To conclude: I HATE DOES IN NO WAY SUPPORT THESE KINDS OF CRIMES AGAINST INNOCENT VICTIMS AND WANT NO CONNECTION TO THIS KIND OF FILTH WHATSOEVER! ROT IN JAIL!
"As a consequence of Steve McMillan's criminal acts, that he has confessed, we have decided to delete the THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN 'Primula Pestis' album. Thus the album will no longer be available through I Hate. We feel truly sorry for the other members of TPOG that has to suffer for Steve's deeds but we must do what we feel is right."
At the time of Steve's arrest, THEE PLAGUE OF GENTLEMEN had just begun tracking their sophomore album - and their first for France's Listenable Records - which was to be titled "SerpentCult".
Unleashed Sign With SPV Records
SPV has announced the signing of Swedish death metal masters UNLEASHED to a worldwide deal.
Known for their skillfully penned, Viking-themed songs and explosive live performances, UNLEASHED are poised to make a major impact this fall with the release of thier eighth full-length album, titled "Midvinterblot".
"We have more qualified songs to choose from than ever before, and I am very confident that this will be the best UNLEASHED album ever," frontman Johnny Hedlund had previously stated about the CD. "Our mission is to create one of the most memorable records in the history of death metal!!! This one will be slightly faster than 'Sworn Allegiance'. The songs will be anthems in the true traditional UNLEASHED way and will have you screaming along with the choruses. The guitar sound will be taking a step towards brutality and grind. The drums are the closest we have ever come to recording a 'live' kind of intensity. The vocals? Well, not far away from 'Sworn Allegiance'... just add a little harshness and a slightly deep aggression to that sound and you'll get the picture right there. Expect nothing but one of the most memorable records in the history of death metal."
UNLEASHED utilized the services of stand-in drummer Jonas Tyskhagen (INCARDINE, PELLE & THE POORBOYS) for their appearance at the Metalmania festival in Katowice, Poland in early March after the group's regular skinsman, Anders Schultz was hospitalized following a lung-collapse.
UNLEASHED's seventh studio album, "Sworn Allegiance", was released in 2004 through Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2002's "Hell's Unleashed" was recorded and mixed by Fredrik Folkare at Chrome Studios and mastered by Peter In de Betou of Tailor Maid Productions (DIMMU BORGIR, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA).
Upcoming Unleashed dates are as follows:
August 19 - Dinkelsbuehl, Germany at Summer Breeze Open Air
September 2 - Osnabrück, Germany at Hellflame Festival
Zakk Wylde Discusses Playing Dimebag's Parts
Blender.com has uploaded several Ozzfest-related features/interviews, including a two-part video interview with Zakk Wylde in which he discusses how he auditioned for Ozzy, Sharon Osbourne's hate for his beard, havoc with golf carts and Rob Zombie at Ozzfest, unreleased material that he has of Dimebag Darrell, the possibilty of filling in for Dime if PANTERA ever reunited and more. Check out the inteview: Part#1, Part#2.
J. Jasta Says His Band And Music Is A Institution
HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta recently spoke to Ray Hogan of NorwalkAdvocate.com about the group's participation in the 11th annual Ozzfest, which rolls into Hartford, CT Sunday. This year marks HATEBREED's fourth year on the Ozzfest but first on its main stage.
"We had doubts not knowing what there was going to be for a pit area. Playing to seats is a new element to us," Jasta said of appearing on the main stage. "We're playing to double or triple the amount of people on the other three Ozzfests we've done. It's more people that want to rock out and not be annihilated in the pit. Everybody is having a good time out there. We are really the only extreme band on the main stage."
Regarding "Supremacy", HATEBREED's fifth disc, which is due August 29 via Roadrunner Records, Jasta said, "This band and the message is an institution. It's like a restaurant you like. You don't want to show up and have the menu completely different. We've built this for 10 years, and while there are some new stylings and tempos, when you put it in you know right away that it's HATEBREED."
On running his own Stillborn Records out of West Haven and being a figurehead to the do-it-yourself underground hardcore and metal scenes:
"We just wanted to meld the scenes and have unity. Ten years later, it's a lot different. Ozzfest is a very eclectic crowd. Connecticut has really inspired us to tour out of the Northeast and look for bigger things, each time we come back it keeps us humble."
On being a band about unity and self-empowerment, despite its name:
"Some people have drawn the wrong conclusion. We try to tell people there's a deep message in a lot of our songs, an underlying message of hope or overcoming adversity. We're a band that represents life in general."
Trivium Interviews Metallica's Hammett
TRIVIUM's Matt Heafy and Corey Beaulieu "had the honor" to spend some time with guitar legend Kirk Hammett of METALLICA and ask a few questions and get a few answers. The results appear in the current issue of Guitar World magazine (web site), available on the newsstands now.
Commented TRIVIUM: "We want to thank Kirk for his kindness and genorsity for taking the time to do this with us and thank Guitar World for letting us be a part of this feature we really enjoyed it!"
Check out a photo of Heafy and Beaulieu with Hammett at this location.
TRIVIUM's third album, "The Crusade", was mixed by Colin Richardson for a tentative October 10 release via Roadrunner Records (one day earlier internationally). A European tour with IRON MAIDEN will follow in November/December, with plans for a European headlining trek in the spring.
Illnath To Record Three New Songs
Danish symphonic black metallers ILLNATH will head back to Borsing Studios in late August to record three brand new tracks.
The band had previously stated about their current label situation, "We have started writing material for a new album, as we don't want to sit around waiting for [Japan's] Worldchaos Production [the group's previous record company] to get the finger out of their ass [and release the band's long-completed second full-length offering, 'Second Skin of Harlequin']. The new material will reflect the new situation we're in - new drummer and new bass player + almost three years since the last album was recorded.
"Regarding 'Second Skin...'. The latest rumours are that Worldchaos Production is working on the graphics for the backside of the booklet, and that the album should be released within 1? months from now [early June]!! We haven't received this information personally - yet, but it comes from a reliable source. We will know the truth about the rumour, when the album is finally released. Until then we do not believe anything."
In Flames Would Love To Tour With Metallica
Jeff Maki and Greg Maki of Live-Metal.net caught up with IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte at the Sounds of the Undeground tour's recent stop at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., to discuss the band's evolution, touring and early plans for the follow-up to their latest release, "Come Clarity". A few excerpts from the chat follow:
Live-Metal.net: You've shared stages with METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, BLACK SABBATH, MOTÖRHEAD. Obviously, these have to be highlights of the band's career, but what else is there to do? Who else would you like to tour with?
Gelotte: "I'd love to tour with a band like METALLICA, for instance, because that's on a level which it doesn't get bigger than that. It just can't get bigger."
Live-Metal.net: You did a couple shows last year? Two years ago?
Gelotte: "Two years ago, I think, we did a couple of shows. And it was great. They're really cool guys, very down to earth considering how big they are. The second time we played with them, they came into the dressing room, 'Hey, guys. Good to have you guys back.' They remembered, and I was like, 'Whoa. That's very sweet.' Lars is a funny guy because he immediately started talking Danish to us because we understand. And he invited us up on stage, stand right behind his drum kit when they played in front of I don't know how many thousand people. It was very cool. So they're very cool guys and I can imagine a whole tour with these guys would be awesome. We'll do a tour with SLAYER, which is one of my favorite bands, because I don't think they ever put out anything bad. We're gonna tour with them again and I'm very excited about that tour. We're gonna do that in Europe. It's the European leg of the Unholy Alliance, which is running here right now. So one of my wishes is coming true."
Live-Metal.net: So what's it been like so far on the Sounds of the Underground tour?
Gelotte: "It's been great. It's actually been really good. It takes a couple of days for us to get our sound together up on stage because it's like everybody's using the same mixing desk, monitor desk, and storage. We had a pre-production day which got kind of fucked up, so everything got lost. So it took a couple of days for us. But now everything is coming together pretty good. It doesn't really affect the show, but it feels better if everything works good, if everything is where it should be. So, yeah, it's coming together. We're having a lot of fun with the rest of the bands, good friends most of them and if they're not already good friends, they will be good friends. A tour like this is a very social thing. I don't think I've ever played so much poker as on this tour. It's a school trip, basically. Everybody knows they have a job to do, but at the same time, you want to have some fun around it and you want to make sure you enjoy other people's company."
Live-Metal.net: What is a typical day like?
Gelotte: "Um … Getting up kind of late since we don't have to play until, like, eight or something. We do a little bit of interviews and stuff. We do some signings and start drinking beer around that time. Try to get some lunch if it's any good food. Today kinda sucked, I heard. I haven't been there yet. And then maybe there's a poker game going or just hang out, watch a couple of the bands. I mean, it's not like you won't ever see them, because it's a lot of shows. We have a lot of time. But I try to get up on stage and see a couple, depending on what the venue's like. Keep drinking beer, play a show, drink more beer and then get fucking cunted after a show. I mean, we're just hanging out. Depending on who's in the vicinity, that's the guy you want to party with."
Live-Metal.net: You said you started writing for the next album already. What are the plans for the next IN FLAMES album? What can we expect?
Gelotte: "I don't even know yet myself. I don't know. It probably will be very guitar-based again. We found a good way of recording and a good way of writing the songs together. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be guitar-based, very heavily guitar-based again. We're looking at different options on who could actually produce or record or do a proper mix of it and some of our favorite producers. We'll see if they have time, and if schedules work out, then it will be real fun, try something like that out. I'm not really good at working with someone that tells me what to do. So it's gonna be interesting. But I think most of these really good producers, they work in a way that you don't need to argue about stuff. So it's gonna be interesting. But very guitar-based. That's the only promise that I can give you."
Dawn Of Azael Comments On U.S. Tour
New Zealand-based death/grind outfit DAWN OF AZAZEL, who recently completed the Decades of Death 2006 U.S. tour alongside VITAL REMAINS, INCANTATION, and SIN OF ANGELS, has issued the following update:
"Our first shows in the U.S. were defintely amoungst the best we have ever played. We were defintely humbled by the response from the crowds on this tour. Despite what we had been told to expect, the crowds in the U.S. have been killer and very apprecative! A special thanks goes out to everyone who came out and supported us and and to everyone who put us up at their place or let us sleep on their floor on this tour - much appreciated! Brutal hails to VITAL REMAINS, INCANTATION, and SIN OF ANGELS for being such killer tour partners and John Mcentee and Taylor Touring for the opportunity! We can't wait to get back as soon as we are able!
"We are currently taking a short break but we have a one-off headline show on the 22nd of July at Hysteria in Auckland and are currently working out the details for our second Australian tour for 'Sedition' later this year. The second pressing of 'Sedition' will be released in September and will feature a bonus video for the track 'The Road to Babalon' and with recieve full distribution in the U.S. and Canada through RED."
DAWN OF AZAZEL's second studio effort, "Sedition", was released in March via Ibex Moon Records. The CD contains nine tracks of the band's "most brutal and vicious material to date," according to a press release.
DAWN OF AZAZEL created a stir late last year after a New Zealand newspaper published an expose on frontman Rigel Walshe's occupation as a police officer and the band's lyrical content.
Cauldron Puts New Music Online
CAULDRON, the new band featuring former GOAT HORN members Jason Decay (bass/vocals) and Al Biddle (drums), has uploaded a demo version of the song "The Striker Strikes" from its upcoming EP "Jump in the Cauldron". Check it out at this location. "Fans of GOAT HORN are sure not to be dissapointed!!!" the band promises in a press release. A fall release is expected.
CAULDRON's current lineup is completed by guitarist Ian Kilpatrick.
Upcoming CAULDRON shows:
Aug. 19 - Toronto, ON - Kathedral (w/ ANVIL)
Aug. 21 - London, ON - Call The Office (w/ ATOMIC BITCHWAX)
New Seemless Track Named MP3 Of The Week
The rollout single, "Cast No Shadow", from heralded Massachusetts hard rock quartet SEEMLESS' forthcoming album, "What Have We Become", has been named as the Boston Phoenix's "MP3 of the Week". Accompanying the MP3 is a short profile on the fast-rising band as well as a new group photo shot by photographer Bruce Bettis. The Phoenix is a weekly newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts that emphasizes arts and entertainment coverage. View it online at this location.
SEEMLESS' "What Have We Become" will hit stores on September 5 via Equal Vision Records. The band has announced a pre-release U.S. tour set to launch on August 4 at The Machine Shop in Flint, MI. Additional dates are pending.
Sinister Announce DVD Title
Dutch death metallers SINISTER have set "Prophecies Denied" as the title of their upcoming live DVD, which they plan on filming at their August 24, 2006 performance in Warsaw, Poland. The DVD will be released at a later date via Metal Mind Production. Also appearing on the bill will be OBITUARY, GRAVE, and CATAMENIA, all of whom will be filming separate DVD releases of their own at the concert.
SINISTER's latest CD, "Afterburner", was released earlier this year through Nuclear Blast Records.
SINISTER's current lineup consists of Aad Kloosterwaard, drummer and founder of the band, on vocals, Alex Paul on guitar, Paul Beltman (ex-JUDGEMENT DAY) on drums, and Bas van den Bogaard on bass.
The band, who re-signed with Nuclear Blast back in 2002 after a one-album stint with the now-defunct Hammerheart Records, have already announced the working title of their next album: "No Mercyful God".
Mastodon Posts Second Making Of Album Session
Atlanta's MASTODON has posted the second exclusive video clip featuring commentary and footage revealing the making of its upcoming album, "Blood Mountain". Check out the second "episode" at this location.
As previously reported, a brand new MASTODON track, entitled "Crystal Skull", has been posted online on the band's official MySpace page. The song, which features guest vocals by Scott Kelly of NEUROSIS, will be included on the band's upcoming third album, "Blood Mountain", due on September 12 via the band's new label, Warner Bros. A limited edition seven-inch single containing "Crystal Skull" will be released through Relapse Records on August 8. More information can be found at this location.
Angela Gossow Reports On Festivals
ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Angela Gossow has posted the following message on her MySpace page:
"We had two rather bizarre and chaotic festival weekends. The Arvika festival is a weird mélange between disco, pop, gothic, rock and a pinch of metal. The audience there is mostly dressed in stockings with no panties, big pink or red hair, huge boots (and some huge boobs hanging out too) and silly wedding dresses. I was surprised that so many people were squeezing into the tent when we played I had the gut feeling there wouldnt be any metal fans at all. Definitely the most colorful crossover audience we ever had. I got the impression a lot of people didnt know what to expect. When we kicked into 'Nemesis', I saw plenty of jaws dropping down and eyes popping out. They were obviously anticipation the more operatic vocals and were getting quite the opposite. Very amusing.
"Some cool pictures from Arvika — check it out [here].
"Earthshaker Fest we got what the name promised. A violent thunderstorm turned the scenery into a Hitchcock movie later that evening. Previously we had experienced our own little horror flick on stage. Our gear obviously got severely beaten up on the flight into Munich and wasnt working half the time. The poor kid who was teching for us that day was running back and forth to fix one end whilst the other one was breaking down again. We played 'Burning Angel' with one guitar only (Fredrik). In the meanwhile, Michael was going thru his shattered pedals and throwing them all out in the end. When we were about to tear into 'Ravenous', the stage manager screamed '5 minutes max' at us and we stumbled into 'We Will Rise' instead. This is the first ever show since 2001 where we did not play 'Ravenous'. A dark moment in ARCH ENEMY's history indeed. A good moment was the signing session where we got to meet so many dedicated fans. We were sitting there for over an hour until all the posters were out."
ARCH ENEMY will be making their triumphant return to the U.S. this September as part of the Gigantour, which features the legendary MEGADETH, genre titans such as LAMB OF GOD, OPETH and Century Media labelmates INTO ETERNITY, among others. The month-long trek will be the group's fourth and final U.S. run in support of their highly acclaimed album "Doomsday Machine", which debuted at No. 87 on The Billboard 200 chart. Additionally, on August 8, ARCH ENEMY will release their first DVD, "Live Apocalypse", a stunning double-disc set full of phenomenal live footage, in-depth interviews and promotional video clips.
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