Archive: Headline News
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The Communion Guitarist Passes Away
Guitarist Lee Altomare of New York's The Communion passed away yesterday, April 16th 2010, due to complications from eye surgery. The band issued the following statement about his passing:
"Yesterday morning, Lee passed away due to complications from eye surgery. We are all deeply wounded, white and shaking with shock, by this sudden loss of our great friend. He brought us all together. He brought out the best in us, enabled and encouraged us to be at our absolute best in music and life. I personally cannot imagine being where i am today without all Lee put together.
"I say all this with zero hyperbole, and those who knew him best no doubt feel the same way we do at this moment. Our hearts go out to his amazing family and all his friends, as well as anyone whose supported us in the last 6 years. Know that Lee loved, appreciated, and cared about all of you very much, as do we. We'll miss you forever."
Brooklyn metallers Unearthly Trance also issued the following statement: More...
Narnia Calls It A Day
Christian power metallers Narnia have issued the following update about deciding to call it quits:
"Some of You may have heard rumors, and some of You may be surprised by what you're about to read. We confirm today that we're facing the end of the journey of this band. We want to thank all our fans, friends and our families who stood behind us all the time. Thank You for believing.
"The decision was made around new-year 09/10. It's time to move on. Music business is tough, and it's getting tougher every day. But it's also the greatest business to be in thanks to the crowds and the people we've met along this long road. Thank you for sharing your stories and for letting our music and message be a part of You lives. Last summer, after a concert, a guy around the age of 20-25 walked up to me, thanked me for the show and said 'I listened a lot to You guys when I was a kid.' (...and I thought WE were still kids...hey, wake up)
"To celebrate this long journey we will do ONE more concert that will serve as the Grand Finale of Narnia. The event has been chosen with great care and we hope to announce this.....soon. Stay tuned, God bless...over and out."
Type O Negative's Peter Steele Passes Away
Peter Steele, the lead singer for Type O Negative and a true icon and enigma, has reportedly died of heart failure at the age of 48. As of 4:00 am, fellow bandmate Kenny Hickey has confirmed initial rumors of his passing. Despite a similar rumor in 2005, it appears the reports of his passing are true. His work with Type O Negative was groundbreaking and a large influence on other various genres of metal, especially doom metal. As the song goes, "Everything Dies" but know that the music lives on...
UPDATE: Blabbermouth.net also reports that Type O Negative keyboardist Josh Silver has confirmed Peter Steele's death.
Despised Icon Breaks Up
Despised Icon has decided to break up. The band has issued the following statement on their decision:
"The time has come for us to move on. Some of us have recently reached a new chapter in their lives, starting families, buying houses and pursuing other careers to make it all happen. Writing music, touring and leaving home for months at a time is slowly becoming impossible because of that. We all decided that it’d be best to pull the plug now and end things right."
"It’s hard to believe we started this band almost 10 years ago already. At first, Despised Icon was mostly just an excuse to hang out, write brutal slam riffs and play local shows once in a while. With your support, we got the opportunity to actually play music for a living, make friends around the world, be MVPs and travel to places we never even dreamed of visiting in our lifetime. Thank you all for some of the best times of our lives." More...
Danzig Signs To The End Records
Glenn Danzig is set to unleash his first new Danzig studio album in six years. "Deth Red Sabaoth," produced by Glenn and recorded in Los Angeles over the course of 2009, will be released on June 22, 2010 through Evilive and The End Records. The cover artwork will be done by artist Joe Chiodo.
The 11-track collection, penned by Danzig, includes tracks like "Black Candy," "The Revengeful," and the first single, "On A Wicked Night." Part 1 of the exquisite two-part "Pyre of Souls" opens with acoustic guitar, haunting piano, Glenn's plainsong vocal, and an almost dirge-like feel; Part II explodes with electric guitars and a driving, mesmerizing cadence. More...
Eternal Ruin Bassist Passes Away
Bassist Ryan Engle of Maryland based death metal act Eternal Ruin passed away on Sunday, March 14th. No cause of death has yet been announced by the band. The obituary can be found at this location. Swiss metallers Carnal Decay also issued the following statement about Ryan's death:
"Cheers to our brother eternal Ryan! He was a great musician and a good friend! We were lucky to get on a bunch of European dates and a Mexican tour together with eternal ruin. We wish all the best to his family, friends and band mates. Ryan you'll never be forgotten! We salute you!"
You can also check out sample Eternal Ruin tracks at the band's MySpace page.
Morbid Angel Drummer Undergoes Back Surgery
Tampa, Florida based death metallers Morbid Angel have issued the following update about their drummer undergoing back surgery:
"World Management and Morbid Angel would like to let the fans know that rumors about Pedro Sandoval's back surgery are in fact true. Pete has suffered for a long time with a deteriorating disc problem. He was in daily pain and needed to have this done. He has recently been treated by a Laser Back Surgery specialist in Tampa Florida. He is currently in rehabilitation and doing well. Pete is part of our family and the band¹s History and we all wish him well and a full recovery. Unfortunately this type of injury, subsequent surgery and rehab cannot be rushed and it will take ample time for him to hopefully be back behind his drums again and out on tour with Morbid Angel.
"The band is moving forward on their next recording with Tim Yeung. Currently the guys are in rehearsals in Tampa putting their finishing touches on the songs for the New album, which is slated for later this year with subsequent touring world wide."
Nergal Facing Prison Time Over Bible Tearing
Gazetaprawna.pl has reported front man Nergal (Adam Darski) of Polish death metal band Behemoth has officially been charged with insulting the Roman Catholic Church, which is a crime in Poland that carries a penalty of up to two years in prison. The charge stems from an incident in 2007 when Nergal tore a bible apart on stage and referenced the church as being a murderous cult. A video of the concert that caused the charge can be viewed below. Nergal has stated that tearing apart the Bible was part of his artistic work and was not meant to offend religious sensibilities. More details on the case will be announced as they are made available.
Theatre Of Tragedy Calling It Quits
Norwegian Gothic metal act Theatre of Tragedy has issued the following announcement about officially calling it a day:
"After nearly 17 years in existence Theatre of Tragedy has decided to call it a day and close down. This has not been an easy decision to make and we have thought about this for a long long time. We finally agreed to this during the production of our latest album 'Forever is the world.' Theatre of Tragedy will come to an end on October 2nd 2010, exactly 17 years after we started making music together. Over the years all of us have strived to combine the Theatre with everyday life but in the end it has proven more and more difficult. We have come to appreciate our family lives and jobs, which makes it very hard to continue this life of rock'n'roll on the road.
"We know that some of you will probably be very disappointed, but we also hope you will continue to listen to our music, which all of you learned to appreciate and love so much. We want to thank everyone of you for all your support over the past 17 years! Theatre of Tragedy wouldn't have been possible without you! Be sure to catch us on the last Theatre of Tragedy shows ever this year! The final gig will take place on October 2nd in Stavanger, where it all began. Our music will live on... and forever is the world."
Theatre of Tragedy's upcoming "Forever Is The World" tour dates are as follows: More...
Original Waylander Bassist Found Dead
Jason Barriskill, the original bass player of Irish folk metal outfit Waylander and later founder of the band Epoch, was found dead in his home in Co. Armagh yesterday morning (February 22nd). This happened only three days after he had a heart attack on friday the 19th. He was only 34 years of age. A message from his old bandmates reads as follows:
"Jason was a once off, a true individual in the truest sense of the word. Almost 15 years after he left Waylander we still talk about him at rehearsal. That is the mark of the man, he left a lasting impression on everyone he met.
"Our heartfelt sympathies go out to his friends and family.
"I hope you have found what you were looking for brother.
"You will never be forgotten."
Luna Mortis Calls It Quits
Wisconsin female fronted metal band Luna Mortis has announced that they have decided to disband. Lead guitarist Brian Koenig issued the following statement regarding their decision to disband:
"I regret to say that as of today the band will be dissolving and we will be going our separate ways. A huge thanks from the bottom of our hearts for the fans and support we have received over the course of the last 9 years. It has been an exciting and often turbulent ride, but everything must come to an end eventually. Unfortunately, we will be unable to go on the May tour with Primal Fear, so our apologies to the people who were looking forward to hanging with us out on the road. To our local fans, we will more than likely be playing one more Madison show sometime in the next few months, we'll keep everyone posted"
Luna Mortis was recently dropped from Century Media Records. In December vocalist Mary Zimmer commented on their uncertain future as a band after being dropped by their label, "Does this mean Luna Mortis will not be releasing another album? No. It just means that soon, we will be label-less and have a few decisions to make about what our next move will be and what we'd like to do in regard to the future of the band."
Metalunderground.com's Best of 2009 Awards
Here we are, more than one month into 2010, the Super Bowl past, as we've yet to post our staff picks for 2009. Nevertheless, I polled our staff here at Metalunderground.com at the end of last year to obtain their picks in several categories in metal for 2009 and will now present those results.
The outlook for 2009 in metal was perhaps positive, but not phenomenal before the year began, having seen a number of landmark releases and tours in the two years prior. But when the year was over, I'd have to say I was pleasantly surprised at what a good year in metal 2009 turned out to be. As the metalcore trend fades further into horizon, we had hardly a mention of metalcore bands in this year's poll. Sure, the stalwarts will still have success, but the novelty has worn off and the genre as a whole does not generate as much buzz anymore. The only noticable trend was the growth of the thrash resurgence, which is hard to fault, giving the year a very solid metal feeling.
That said, let's get down to the details and talk about those bands that made 2009 such a solid year for heavy metal by announcing the Metalunderground.com staff picks for 2009. Here are the Metalunderground.com staff picks for the following categories: Best Metal Album of 2009, Best Metal DVD of 2009, Best Metal Newcomer of 2009, Best Live Act of 2009, and Most Anticipated Release for 2010. More...
Judas Priest And AC/DC Win Grammy Awards
Two of the biggest names in hard rock and heavy metal walked away with Grammy awards last night as British metal legends Judas Priest picked up the award for Best Metal Performance, beating Lamb Of God, Megadeth, Ministry and Slayer, with their song "Dissident Aggressor," taken from their live album, "A Touch Of Evil: Live." Australian based hard rockers AC/DC also scooped the prize for Best Hard Rock Performance for their song "War Machine," which appears on their most recent studio album, "Black Ice" and the forthcoming "Iron Man 2" soundtrack. They were able to beat Metallica, Alice In Chains, Nickelback and Linkin Park in their category.
These Arms Are Snakes Breaks Up
These Arms Are Snakes recently announced that they have disbanding after nearly seven years together. The band has issued the following update regarding the matter:
"It's with a heavy heart we tell you that These Arms Are Snakes is no more. It's been a great run and we'd like to send out a very hearty 'Thank You' to everyone that we've worked with or anyone that we've toured with; anyone that lent us a floor, towed our van and/or trailer, lent a van, given us a listen, downloaded our records prior to their coming out, bought our shit, or asked us where our band name came from (Hey, writers, a simple google search prior to the interview goes pretty far. No joke. You should try it.); everyone who cooked us food, made habanero-infused tequila, had a safety meeting with us, let Steve gyrate all over you, had to live with any of us, made us pay shitloads of money to get off your punk label, got us into LOST, found Steve drunkenly wandering the streets of Tokyo alone, played Madlibs in the van (plural nouns), lost money promoting one of our shows, took Chris to the hospital, put up with our drunken sorry asses, got into a fight with us, etc. etc…
"This band could not have been possible without all of you. We sincerely thank you."
"Much love,
TAAS 2002 - 2009"
Scorpions Calls It A Day
German hard rock legends Scorpions have announced that their forthcoming new album, "Sting In The Tail" and it's subsequent world tour, will be the band's last. A statement from the band discussing their forthcoming split reads as follows:
"Important message to our fans:
"It was always our pleasure, our purpose in life, our passion and we were fortunate enough to make music for you - whether it was live on stage or in the studio, creating new songs.
"While we were working on our album these past few months, we could literally feel how powerful and creative our work was – and how much fun we were still having, in the process. But there was also something else: We want to end the Scorpions' extraordinary career on a high note. We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we’ve always had since the beginning. This is why, especially now, we agree we have reached the end of the road. We finish our career with an album we consider to be one of the best we have ever recorded and with a tour that will start in our home country Germany and take us to five different continents over the next few years. More...
Former Broken Hope Vocalist Commits Suicide
Joe Ptacek, best known for his work as the lead singer of death metal outfit Broken Hope, sadly passed away on Wednesday from what appears to be a self-inflicted gun shot wound to the head. He was only thirty seven years old. A message from his former bandmate Jeremy Wagner reads as follows:
"It's with profound sadness and shock that [I report that] my friend and former bandmate — Joe Ptacek — has died.
"Joe was my high-school friend who formed a death-metal band with me called Broken Hope. We always dreamed of putting out albums and touring the world. After graduating, we achieved a lot of those dreams and released five albums, performed worldwide, appeared in countless international magazines and did a video for MTV. We were on Metal Blade Records and met all of our heroes and performed everywhere…
"Not bad for two teenagers out of Wildwood, Illinois. More...
Former Misfits Drummer Passes Away
Brian "Damage" Keats, the former drummer for such legendary American punk bands as Verbal Abuse, Misfits and Genocide, has passed away after a battle with cancer. He was fourty six years old and is survived by his wife and child. Keats was born in Brooklyn, New York and performed in the last incantation of Misfits to feature frontman Glen Danzig. After The Misfits finished, he racked up an impressive resume of bands by joining the likes of Hellbound, The Skulls, Angels In Vain and Wink, amongst many others.
Rathbone Pulls Out of "Lords of Chaos" Film
Exclaim reports that Twilight’s Jackson Rathbone has pulled out of the controversial "Lords of Chaos" film adaptation of the book due to scheduling conflicts. Here's an excerpt:
"The worldwide black metal community, long divided by such burning issues as which bands are 'true' and what bands are 'cult,' can now finally unite: Twilight heartthrob Jackson Rathbone will not play infamous black metal trailblazer/recently released prisoner/Burzum kingpin Varg Vikernes in an upcoming movie adaptation of the Lords of Chaos book. Seriously, all the black metallers around the world must be smiling all at once.
"The book — which looks at the ‘90s Norwegian black metal scene, with its church burnings, murders, and prison sentences galore — was released in 1998 and has become a point of contention within black metal, with some claiming it’s exploitative and inaccurate and others claiming it’s a definitive tome."
Read the full article at Exclaim.ca.
Tom Araya To Undergo Back Surgery
"Tom gave various medical treatments more than a fair shot," said Slayer's manager Rick Sales, "but they just haven't handled the problem, so he's biting the bullet and is scheduled for back surgery at the end of this month."
This difficult decision made by the band's bassist/vocalist Tom Araya means the cancellation of Slayer's immediate tour plans that include the American and Canadian Carnage Tour dates that were set to kick off on January 18, as well as the band's UK/European headline tour scheduled for March and April. Booking agents for both Slayer and Megadeth are already hard at work rescheduling the tour dates; tickets already purchased for these shows will be honored at the rescheduled dates.
Araya began experiencing back problems while on the band's Australian/New Zealand/Japanese tour last October. In spite of his rapidly increasing pain and discomfort, he carried on with the tour, but immediately upon returning home saw an orthopedic specialist who diagnosed a Cervical Radiculopathy. Araya initially did not want to take the major surgery route, so the specialist recommended a series of minimally-invasive procedures. While those procedures have resulted in some improvement, Araya continues to deal with intermittent bouts of severe pain, numbness and muscle spasms. The surgical procedure that Araya will undergo, called an Anterior Cervical Discectomy with Fusion, is a relatively routine practice and the recovery rate is excellent.
Sales added, "As unfortunate as this is for so many people - the Megadeth and Testament camps, the concerts' promoters, and, of course, the fans - Tom's health is the number one priority, and this has to happen."
Zyklon Calls It A Day
Norwegian metal outfit Zyklon has announced that they have decided to call it a day, after the band had been inactive for some time. A message from guitarist Samoth (also formerly of Emperor) reads as follows:
"After taking an offical break over two years ago, it has now become the reality that Zyklon is no longer a functional band, and thus the decision is made to formaly split up the band, instead of just letting it decend into nothingness. As a final release from the band, Candlelight Records will later this year put out a boxset, entitled The Storm Manifesto, including all three full-length albums with various bonus material. Zyklon played its final show in Tokyo, Japan on September 28th, 2007.
"All members of Zyklon are still active on various fronts. Samoth is currently in the studio working on the debut album for his new project, The Wretched End. Destructhor is still touring with Morbid Angel, and is still planning to complete a new Myrkskog album with Secthdamon. Trym is mainly working in his tattoo shop, but is scheduled to appear in a new music project soon."
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