It seems, from his comments, that such appearances are going to be much less rare for him beginning in the near future. During the interview, Page declared, with resolve, that he would be debuting some new music in the new year.
Confidently, he announced, "Next year, I have every intention of playing music live and making it -- manifesting it. I've got it. I've got it there. I've got the music waiting. It just needs to be done. So that's it. That's what I'll be doing."
His emphasis in that last sentence was on "I," to which Sky News showbiz correspondent Steve Hargrave replied, "You, singularly." The question had probably been about whether the future would hold any Led Zeppelin reunion activity.
Page referenced the time that has passed since the Led Zeppelin reunion concert at the O2 arena in London on Dec. 10, 2007. The second anniversary of that concert was one week ago tomorrow.
"It's been two years!" said Page. "Two years since the O2. It's time to do that," he said, referring to sharing the new music he has ready to be heard.
And with that, Page broke into a giant smile, the kind that will surely be seen again and again in the weeks and months ahead.
LedZeppelinNews.com has been covering Page's statements on new material not only throughout the current year but also, through its sister site, as far back as in 2004, when Page was first said to be working on a Santana-style album project.
This was Page's first, and most definitive, comment on new music of his for the past several months. His last hint of it was in August, during an interview with Billboard magazine. At that time, he addressed the subject of new material with less certainty, saying that "ambitious projects ... take time to put together if you're going to do them properly."
Page did say at the time that he wanted to "be seen" next year, and he also said in June that "It Might Get Loud" contains "little tastes and shades of" his new music.
Page's photographer, Ross Halfin, wrote in a Dec. 7 entry in his online diary that he's "been working on something with him [Page] for the past couple of years which will be out in February or March next year - I think."
Australian hard rock legends AC/DC have scheduled the following European dates:
May 16 - Bucharest, Romania - Piata Constitutiei
May 19 - Udine, Italy - Stadio Friuli
May 22 - Wels, Austria - Air Field
May 25 - Hannover, Germany - Messe
Jun. 13 - Stuttgart, Germany - Cannstatter Wasen
Jun. 15 - Nice, France - Parc des Sports Charles Ehrmann
Jun. 18 - Paris, France - Stade De France
Jun. 20 - Dresden, Germany - Ostrahege
Jun. 22 - Berlin, Germany - Olympic Stadium
According to 10Musica.com, AC/DC's three sold-out shows at the River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires on December 2, 3 and 6 (65,000 capacity each) were filmed for a future DVD release. Additional footage at the stadium was shot on Saturday, December 5 without the presence of an audience.
AC/DC released a limited-edition box set called "Backtracks" on November 10. The set, which comes in two versions, was made available only through the ACDCBacktracks.com web site. As previously speculated, the "deluxe" package is housed inside a fully operational AC/DC amplifier and comes in a limited, autographed run of 50,000 copies. Included in the set are three CDs of live and studio rarities, two DVDs, a vinyl LP also containing studio rarities, a 164-page coffee table book, fine art lithographs of rare photos, a reproduction of an early AC/DC concert flyer and other memorabilia, including a button, guitar pick, and more.
A standard edition features two CDs of live and studio material, a single DVD plus bonus videos.
The first DVD is the long-awaited video compilation "Family Jewels 3", which rounds up the group's music videos, live performances, and promotional clips from 1992 to 2009. The second DVD, "Live At The Circus Krone", captures a complete club show that the band played in Munich in 2003.
Among the studio rarities included in the set are alternate versions of a number of early AC/DC tracks, as well as the never-before-released "Love Song", possibly the only ballad the band ever wrote with original singer Bon Scott.
The mighty IRON MAIDEN will play next year's edition of the legendary Wacken Open Air festival in Northern Germany!
After their triumphant show in 2008, this will mark the second show of the British metal legends at Wacken. Their gig on Thursday, August 5, 2010 will also be their only German show next year.
Comments IRON MAIDEN's Steve Harris : "We had a fantastic time playing at Wacken last year so when we decided to play a few festivals in Europe next summer it seemed a great idea to return. What could be better in Germany than to play again to the 75,000 true metalheads who go to Wacken!"
A groundbreaking metal band like IRON MAIDEN on the biggest metal festival in the world — that's match made in headbanging heaven. After the first time in 2008, even singer Bruce Dickinson said on his BBC radio show: "Wacken is enormous fun! It's just great, you wander around and see all the sideshows and bits and bobs and everything else. So it's just a fabulous weekend!"
Let's look forward to an impressive IRON MAIDEN show as part of the "Night To Remember" at the 21st edition of the Wacken Open Air, celebrating the band and their immortal set of classics old and new.
Wacken Open Air festival billing is shaping up as follows:
1349
ARCH ENEMY
CALIBAN
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CORVUS CORAX
DESPISED ICON
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
EDGUY
ENDSTILLE
GHOST BRIGADE
GRAVE DIGGER
IMMORTAL
IRON MAIDEN
ORDEN OGAN
STRATOVARIUS
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
U.D.O.
W.A.S.P.
METALLICA , SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX will perform at the Swiss edition of the Sonisphere festival on Friday, June 18 at Degenaupark in Wil/Jonschwil, Switzerland. Also scheduled to appear are HEAVEN & HELL and MOTÖRHEAD, with more bands to be announced.
METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX broke out of the underground thrash movement to dominate the metal world in the 1980s, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe. The metal giants have never before all shared the same stage, despite huge demand. But on June 16, 2010, METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX will take to the Sonisphere stage at Bemowo Airport, Poland, to make the dreams of headbangers the world over become a reality. A third "Big Four" appearance is planned for Sonisphere Czech Republic three days later, with more Sonisphere shows featuring the awesome combo to be announced in the coming days and weeks.
Tickets are available from www.sonispherefestivals.com.
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS frontman Scott Weiland tells Spinner.com that the band is "almost finished" recording its Don Was-produced new studio album. "There will probably be 11 songs on the record and we have nine completed already," he says. "Then you have to have B-sides for Japan, the U.K. and the rest of Europe, so we'll probably record 14 songs total."
Regarding the songwriting and recording process for the new CD, Weiland tells Spinner.com, "It's always been easy. We have a method that we use and it's pretty basic. For the most part, Robert and Dean [DeLeo] write the instrumental riffs and then amongst the three of us we arrange the songs and then I write all the melodies and the lyrics."
Read more from Spinner.com.
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS were reactivated in 2008 after a six-year hiatus, during which Scott Weiland recorded two albums with VELVET REVOLVER . He also issued his second solo record, "Happy In Galoshes", late last year, after STP completed its six-month comeback tour.
The DeLeos recorded one album with ARMY OF ANYONE, a project they started with FILTER frontman Richard Patrick.
The Pulse of Radio reports: Rob Zombie recently left his label home of 18 years, Geffen Records, and signed a new deal with indie label Roadrunner Records' Loud & Proud imprint. While the move delayed the release of Zombie's new album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", from this fall to next year, the singer told The Pulse of Radio that the switch was for the best. "I was really loving the album, and I was very nervous about Geffen because over the years they've sort of just, you know, morphed into a different label," he said. "They've gone from being like the premiere hard rock label, back in the day that I signed to, to something else. It just didn't feel good to me, and I thought, like, 'I've got to get off this label.' You know, we pulled the release date obviously and I was like, you know, no matter what it takes, it's worth it, let's just find a new label, 'cause this just isn't working for me anymore."
"Hellbilly Deluxe 2" will now come out on February 2, 2010. Two songs from the album are already at radio stations, "What?" and "Sick Bubblegum".
Zombie signed with Geffen in 1991 and sold more than 15 million records on the label as a solo artist and with WHITE ZOMBIE.
Zombie recently completed a fall tour to promote the record's upcoming release and will be back out on the road shortly after the holiday break
"Crazy Bitch" doesn't exactly scream "family-friendly" – but Buckcherry is trying to make it as multi-generationally palatable as possible.
"We have to make sure we're not too crass for the youngins," the band's heavily tattooed frontman, Josh Todd, said.
The five-piece is currently touring with KISS, which has forced them to modify their live show to accommodate a somewhat different demographic than they're used to.
"All the generations have got together at these KISS shows," Todd told the Sun over the phone, as the band stopped in Sacramento last week.
"We've had to modify my language a bit," he laughed.
"A bit" might be a bit of an understatement for the oft-foul-mouthed frontman.
He has been unleashing an offensive-yet-entertaining streak of blue air upon audiences for years – whenever he introduced the band's biggest mainstream hit, 2006's "Crazy Bitch," especially.
The 38-year-old father/rocker has toned things down for this tour and now saves the (and most potentially offensive) song for last.
"We just say, 'This is your last song, what do you guys want to hear?' And everybody screams 'Crazy Bitch' and we start it," he said.
This, of course, effectively lets him off the hook.
"You've got to be careful," he said. "It is a family affair so there's a bunch of little kids."
Despite the self-inflicted censorship, Todd isn't complaining: He and his bandmates knew what they were getting into before they signed on to open for KISS' 48-date North American tour.
"We toured with them on our first record (when) we were just a baby band," he said, adding, "It's been nice to be reunited with these guys."
"Those guys are legends," Todd gushed about the iconic headlining act. "They're celebrating 35 years and their show is just as good as it was 10 years ago."
The KISS/Buckcherry road show rolls through Pearl Theater at the Palms on Nov. 29.
He said touring with KISS has been "inspiring, powerful, (and) explosive."
"It's going like a freight train and it's a good rock 'n roll event," he surmised.
And he's OK with the lack of swear words in his inter-song repertoire.
"It's still great, you know, we had to trim the fat," he offered.
And the important stuff – the music – has yet to suffer any losses.
"All the usual suspects -- 'Crazy Bitch,' 'Sorry,' 'Everything,' 'Tired of You,' 'Talk to Me,' 'Rescue Me' -- they're all in there," he said.
In fact, the band has worked a few of their other tracks, including "Highway Stars'" and "Out of Line," into their set list.
Tough the tour has them performing five nights a week, Todd has been keeping busy on his off days, too.
"After this tour's over with we're going to start making a new record so I've been writing on my days off," he said.
And he has no shortage of material.
"I feel like we're going through a transition," he said. "There's a lot of stuff going on with the world: We just got a new president; the green issue; and the 2012 predictions … There's just a lot of stuff to write about."
"Right now I've been focusing on songs that kind of bring it all together," he said. "I'm wanting to write a song that sort of incorporates all of that, all of our ambition, what we're really working towards. I'm going to get a little deeper on this one so it's going to be fun."
Beyond politics, the environment, and the possible end of the world, he says books are also a source of inspiration.
And when it comes to books, his 15-year-old daughter is more than happy to help.
"She is actually the one who tuned me on to 'A Child Called It,' which I wrote two songs about on our last record," Todd said.
("A Child Called It" and "Rescue Me" were both inspired the 1995 Dave Pelzer novel.)
This time around, though, Todd has taken a somewhat darker approach.
"Right now I'm reading 'The Great Influenza Epidemic of 1819' which killed more people than HIV has," he said, noting, "I like disease and famine and all that kind of s---."
Still, fans should expect more than just doom and gloom on Buckcherry's upcoming release.
"Songs are really emotions," Todd said. "I read a lot so there's been a few songs on our records about books that I've really enjoyed; I take some of my personal life … (I) take my experiences of living around the world, basically … you know, the culture, the people that I see – and incorporate it into my lyrics."
In terms of Vegas, Todd wishes he and the boys had been in town a few weeks ago.
"When I go to Vegas I like to really see boxing events," he explained. "The one I really wanted to see was the Pacquiao-Cotto fight but I'm going to have to wait until Maywather-Pacquiao."
Though Money and the Pac Man have yet to formally, officially agree to fight, Todd thinks it's just a matter of time – and well-worth the wait.
"It'd be the biggest fight of both of their careers so they should just make it happen," he said. "People want this fight and (Floyd Mayweather) needs to step up and do it."
"I know he can do it," he continued. "I feel like if anybody can beat this guy, he can. I love Floyd Mayweather but he needs to step up and take this fight."
Todd speaks about the inner-workings of boxing with the same sense of confidence and passion that he uses when talking about songwriting or life on the road.
Perhaps it's partly because at least all three have been known to overlap.
"Boxing events are a big thing on the Buckcherry bus," he said. "Whenever there's boxing on, we're watching it. … We've seen many huge fights on this bus: De La Hoya-Mayweather, Pacquiao-Hatton, Pacquiao-Cotto, you know, the list goes on."
"We'll watch any fight," he confessed.
Yet when Pacquiao defeated Cotto in a bloody 12-round bout on Nov. 14, Todd wasn't ringside or even in front of his Pay-Per-View-enabled TV.
"We were (onstage) in Vancouver," he lamented. "We watched it as soon as we got offstage; we TiVo'd it."
Todd insists things will be different if and when Mayweather and Pacquiao lace 'em up.
"I'll definitely be there," he said, adding, "Floyd Mayweather better agree to do it or people are really going to have something to say about it."
Melissa Arseniuk writes about Las Vegas entertainment and celebrity events. She can be reached at 702-948-7823 or by e-mail at melissa.arseniuk@lasvegassun.com.
Tobias Sammet's (EDGUY, AVANTASIA) official webmaster Harmon Caldwell recently conducted an interview with the German singer/songwriter about AVANTASIA's forthcoming "The Wicked Symphony" and "Angel Of Babylon" albums that will be released on April 3, 2010. The entire question-and-answer session is reproduced below.
Q: Tobias, 2009 was quite a busy year for you. You toured with EDGUY and produced two new AVANTASIA albums — "Angel Of Babylon" and "The Wicked Symphony" — that will be released in early 2010. Did you manage to sleep at all in 2009?
Tobias: Not a lot, really. But when you love what you do, it doesn't feel like stress. I travel the world and whenever I have a few weeks off, I go to the studio to make another dream of mine come true. It's so satisfying to be creative; others go bowling or play golf or go scuba diving, I try to write the ultimate song or just record a duet with Klaus Meine [SCORPIONS] and Alice Cooper. And every now and then, I interrupt the sessions to play a festival with EDGUY. You call that a workaholic? I would rather say I am happy, a pleasure-seeker. I can afford being terribly hedonistic, if you like, only that my form of hedonism isn't really bad for my health or anyone else's.
Q: As long as you don't have to go on stage with laryngitis? Or have a bottle of white wine and a cigarillo?
Tobias: Haha, true! I might have a wine or a cigarillo at times. But it doesn't happen every week. I am not too hard on myself, but I try to take care of myself. I loathe drugs and I am no smoker or heavy drinker! That being said, earlier this year I had a bad laryngitis and high fever. We had to postpone EDGUY shows, but I didn't wanna let the fans down and so I went on stage in Sweden, although the doctors had told me I wasn't able to go on stage yet. That's what competitive performers do; we are insane. Sometimes things happen that you can't control. We just played a show where I blew my voice during the first five songs because the stage sound was bad and I couldn't hear myself. It just happens; that's part of the whole thing, but no big deal. Two days later the voice is back on track. It's got nothing to do with self-abuse or wrong behavior, it's the collateral damage of my life, rock 'n' roll!
Q: So back to the creations of 2009... what is the state of the production of your two new AVANTASIA albums?
Tobias: Well, first of all, those two albums are not a creation of 2009 only. When we recorded "The Scarecrow", we had already written the second chapter of it. That was way back in 2006, but I had so many more ideas, so I continued to compose. You know, songwriting is nothing I do to fulfill a contract. It is more of a basic instinct. I have to do it, no matter what. I don't think about how many songs I need for an album when I have an idea or a vision. I feel like a messenger of the Gods when I have one of those melodies that get me goosebumps. It's very emotional and beyond any thought of the music industry. That's why I will always be mad at people who wanna tell me what to do. What the fuck do they know?
Q: Okay, so we're going to get two full albums?
Tobias: Yes, and I swear, there is not one single song that doesn't deserve to be on there. We have 22 songs, we have classic metal stuff, epic metal stuff, but it is that combination of silent tunes and heavy tunes, the dynamics that make those albums what they are. We have MEAT LOAF-ish choirs, epic orchestral parts and great melodies. Fast stuff, slow stuff, traditional hard rock stuff. Great ballads, I am very happy. This musical is a movie for your soul, you close your eyes and listen and you will be taken on a journey. To me, I got the feeling that this is the most intense musical journey I have ever set off on. This is AVANTASIA at its best, man. I gotta quote a friend: This is not another project, it's a fucking epic.
Q: Will the two albums be released separately or as a box set?
Tobias: The plan is to do both. One deluxe edition featuring both albums in a box and the two CDs seperately as well. So fans can decide what they wanna buy and I think this is fair. The production of those albums was quite expensive; I've paid it out of my own pocket and I invested over two years of work. I really count on my fans to buy the stuff, there is no rip-off excuse, haha! If they won't, I have thrown away the provision for my old age.
Q: Are there any details or song titles that you can share with us?
Tobias: You know, we will come up with all sorts of details on the website when it's time to do so. I don't wanna ruin the excitement. There is a song called "The Wicked Symphony", it's a ten-minute track featuring a vocal battle between Jorn Lande [MASTERPLAN], Russell Allen [SYMPHONY X] and me. There are many unusually long songs, one little epic is called "Blizzard On A Broken Mirror", it's a duet of a friend of mine and me. I will not reveal the name of this guy yet, but AVANTASIA fans know him. There is another vocal legend recording right now, but I won't reveal his name until I hear the performance, I am superstitious. I guess we will confirm it on the website before the end of the year.
Q: Okay, last question... You've worked with KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick on his solo album. When is this album gonna come out and what can you tell us about it?
Tobias: Bruce contacted me in early 2008 because Eric [Singer, drummer of KISS] had played him our AVANTASIA stuff and Bruce liked my voice. He was working on a solo album and so he asked me if I could imagine singing a song. We became friends and when I was in Los Angeles last year, we completed the lyrics and I came up with some melodies and we adjusted and recorded it. The song rocks I think, it's a SKID ROW-ish gang-vocal anthem, sounds like classic KISS during their "Revenge" era. I don't know when the album is gonna come out but I will spread the word as soon as I know any details. Bruce is a super-nice guy, and he deserves all the best. Working with people like him reminds you of the reason why you are doing this, it's the very basics. Sitting together with a friend and letting two worlds collide to create some piece of music! I should do that more often!
Austin, Texas quartet THE SWORD will embark on a short U.S. headlining tour in January. The band will preview brand new songs from its as-yet-untitled third record, which is due in 2010.
The dates are as follows:
Jan. 23 - Corpus Christi, TX - House of Rock
Jan. 24 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live Studio
Jan. 25 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
Jan. 27 - Memphis, TN - Hi-Tone Café
Jan. 28 - Oklahoma City, OK - Conservatory
Jan. 29 - Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
THE SWORD has completed the writing process for the follow-up to 2008's "Gods Of The Earth" and will enter an Austin studio in February to begin recording the new CD.
THE SWORD's new songs are said to feature a more direct and diverse take on the unit's dynamic, power-driven sound in addition to "otherworldly / sci-fi" lyrical themes.
THE SWORD has taken the music world by storm since the release of its debut album, "Age of Winters" (2006), gaining widespread acclaim for its aggressive sound, mountaintop-friendly hooks and lyrical themes rife with myth and mythology.
"Gods of the Earth" was released in 2008 to fan and critical acclaim and the band supported the record by touring the globe with METALLICA on its "Death Magnetic" world tour.
THE SWORD song "The Black River" is featured on the wildly popular video game "Guitar Hero: Metallica" and the band's track "Celestial Crown" appears on the soundtrack to the movie "Jennifer's Body".
Video footage of METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich performing the song "Freya" with THE SWORD on May 17, 2009 at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany can be viewed below.
RollingStone.com last year asked Lars Ulrich to name his favorite album of 2008. "We're fortunate to have this heavy-metal band from Austin out playing with us, and we've got them playing shows on our days off so that we can go see them," he responded. "I'm a product of British metal — IRON MAIDEN, SAXON, ANGEL WITCH — and THE SWORD sound like the definitive new wave of British heavy metal, which is interesting coming from four guys from Texas. The arrangements, the intros and outros, the middle eights and that type of stuff, it reminds me of DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH or JUDAS PRIEST. They're not really a young METALLICA, but that's because they're cooler than we were."
Danish metallers IRON FIRE will record a song for the upcoming VIRGIN STEELE tribute album, "By The Gods: A Noble Tribute To Virgin Steele".
IRON FIRE recently parted ways with guitarist Marc Masters (FORCENTURY). The band stated, "In the end, Marc did not have the dedication to the band that we need, but there are no bad feelings involved in his departure and we wish him the best of luck in the future.
"Kirk [Backarach, IRON FIRE's other guitarist] will do all the guitar work on the upcoming album which we plan to start recording around spring time."
IRON FIRE's latest album, "To The Grave", was released in January 27 via Napalm Records.
IRON FIRE is:
Martin Steene: Vocals
Kirk Backarach: Guitars
Martin Lund: Bass
Fritz Wagner: Drums
IRON FIRE released its fourth album, "Blade of Triumph", in June 2007 via Napalm Records. The CD was the follow-up to "Revenge", which was released in March 2006 via Napalm.
IRON FIRE issued two full-length albums through the Sanctuary/Noise label prior to signing with Napalm: 2000's "Thunderstorm" and 2001's "On the Edge".
SPEED X — the new band featuring BLACK LABEL SOCIETY guitarist Nick Catanese, ex-QUEENSRŸCHE axeman Mike Stone on guitar and vocals, DOUBLEDRIVE drummer Mike Froedge, former DOUBLEDRIVE bassist Joshua Sattler and ULTRAPHONIC's Jason Fowler on lead vocals — will release its debut album, "Flat Black", on January 15, 2010.
The track listing for the CD is as follows:
01. Speed
02. Fly
03. Flat Black
04. Feel
05. On My Side
06. Pretending
07. River
08. Loaded Up
09. Skeletons
10. Criminal
11. Let's Go All The Way
"Louder than 11, faster than light" has been used to describe SPEED X's unique brand of high-energy rock. These five music industry veterans did not want to settle for just any sound, but set out to create something uniquely their own that would appeal to their already existing fan bases from previous projects, as well as bring in a whole new listening audience at the same time.
Combine the blazing guitars of Catanese and Stone, and the pounding rhythms of Froedge, and Sattler, and the band shows its raw power and energy. Fowler's hard-edged melodic vocal style completes the package which gives SPEED X a new sound, texture and feel for their fiery brand of modern rock and roll.
TRANSATLANTIC — the progressive rock supergroup featuring DREAM THEATER's Mike Portnoy, MARILLION's Pete Trewavas, THE FLOWER KINGS' Roine Stolt and Neal Morse (ex-SPOCK'S BEARD) — will play its first shows in almost a decade in April/May 2010.
"An Evening With Transatlantic Whirld Tour 2010" dates:
Apr. 17 - Downey, CA - The Downey Theater
Apr. 18 - San Francisco, CA - The Palace Of Fine Arts
Apr. 20 - Chicago, IL - Park West
Apr. 21 - Montreal, QUE - Metropolis
Apr. 23 - New York City - The Blender Theater at Gramercy
Apr. 24 - Philadelphia, PA - Theater Of The Living Arts
May 04 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
May 05 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
May 06 - Poznan, Poland - Hala Arena
May 07 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club
May 08 - Cologne, Germany - Live Music Hall
May 09 - Stuttgart, Germany - Longhorn
May 10 - Esch/Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
May 13 - Madrid, Spain - Macumba
May 14 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
May 17 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
May 18 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
May 19 - Paris, France - Elysee Montmartre
May 20 - Tilburg, Holland - 013
May 21 - London, England - Shepherd's Bush Empire
May 22 - Manchester, England - Academy
TRANSATLANTIC release its long-awaited third album in October.
"The Whirlwind" is described in a press release as "a 77-minute piece of music that is sure to satisfy the band's legions of fans that have patiently waited almost the entire decade for the reunion of these four musicians."
"The Whirlwind" is available in two formats:
* A regular-edition single CD of the entire 77-minute epic as well as a 2-CD special edition containing a bonus disc with eight newly recorded studio tracks (four new TRANSATLANTIC compositions and four cover songs)
The track listing for the special edition is as follows:
Disc One:
The Whirlwind
Disc Two:
01. Spinning
02. Lenny Johnson
03. For Such A Time
04. Lending A Hand
05. The Return Of The Giant Hogweed (GENESIS )
06. A Salty Dog (PROCOL HARUM)
07. I Need You (AMERICA / THE BEATLES )
08. Soul Sacrifice (SANTANA)
After a break of eleven years, the original lineup of the Colorado-based progressive metal band LEVIATHAN will reunite for a special concert on January 9, 2010 at the Buffalo Rose in Golden, Colorado. The show will be filmed for DVD release.
LEVIATHAN 2009 is:
Jeff Ward - Vocals
Ronnie Skeen - Guitar
John Lutzow - Guitars, Keyboards, Vocals
Derek "Deke" Blake - Bass, Vocals
Trevor Helfer - Drums, Percussion
More live shows are planned and a brand new record is in the works for a late summer/fall 2010 release.
LEVIATHAN issued a self-titled EP in 1991, followed by the critically acclaimed releases "Deepest Secrets Beneath" (1993), "Riddles Questions Poetry & Outrage" (1995) and "Scoring the Chapters" (1997).
The setlist for the Golden, Colorado concert will include songs from all four releases.
For more information, visit www.braversincethen.com.
SACRED REICH and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM will perform at a memorial show in honor of their late soundman Nino Notaro (who also worked with SEPULTURA for over 10 years) in January (exact date to be announced) at Club Stratus in Phoenix, Arizona.
The following acts are scheduled to appear at the event:
SACRED REICH
FLOTSAM AND JETSAM
N17
PELVIC MEATLOAF
ALTERED SILENCE
CASTLES IN SPAIN *
* Nino's sister's band from San Francisco
Nino passed away November 22, 2009, a victim of cirrhosis (scarring of the liver and poor liver function as a result of chronic liver disease). He left behind his 5-year-old daughter, Sophia.
'80s underground thrash metallers HELLHOUND have reformed and are currently recording their first new material in over 20 years.
The band will perform new and classic songs during its January 9, 2010 concert at the Venuez in Santa Clara, California.
Formed in the early '80s and based in San Francisco's South Bay area, HELLHOUND developed concurrently but independently of North and East Bay acts such as LEGACY, DEATH ANGEL, FORBIDDEN EVIL and HEATHEN. HELLHOUND eventually shared stages with all these bands during the thriving thrash scene of the mid-Eighties. Before disbanding in 1988, they had played shows with the likes of SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX.
Since its untimely demise, HELLHOUND has built a strong cult following due to CD releases of their classic demo tapes. It was after the most recent release, on Stormspell Records, that four out of the five original members decided to finally reunite and expose a new generation of metal fans to the music of HELLHOUND.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/hellhoundusa.
TURMION KÄTILÖT and DOOM UNIT have been confirmed to perform at the sixth annual Finnish Metal Expo, which will be held February 19-20, 2010 in Helsinki.
Finnish Metal Expo, the main event of Helsinki Metal Meeting, is taking over the Cable Factory for the sixth time next year. This is where more than 50 operators in the metal music industry showcase their latest offerings in the exhibition area and the hot metal acts take the stage.
The Finnish Metal Awards gives the public the chance to vote the best of Finnish metal in 2009. The voting began on November 1 at www.imperiumi.net/fma.
The Finnish Metal Awards gala will be held at the Cable Factory on Saturday, February 20.
Finnish Metal Expo, list of performers:
Friday, February 19:
AMORPHIS
SATYRICON
HYPOCRISY
KORPIKLAANI
KIANA
[AMATORY]
V FOR VIOLENCE
DOOM UNIT
Saturday, February 20:
SONATA ARCTICA
APOCALYPTICA
SWALLOW THE SUN
INSOMNIUM
SURVIVORS ZERO
TURMION KÄTILÖT
Finnish Metal Awards
In addition to the consumer aspect of the event, the Industry Day gathers the metal industry people from all over the world. The Industry Day will be held at the Nosturi club, one of the main music venues in Helsinki, on Thursday, February 18. The evening will conclude with a CD-release performance by the mighty FINNTROLL. Also scheduled to appear are BARREN EARTH and ARMOUR.
Finnish Metal Expo is an all-ages event, with bars available to those over 18 and feeling the urge for such services.
For more information, visit www.fme.fi.
FEJD, the Swedish folk rock/metal band featuring members of NOSTRADAMEUS and PATHOS, has issued the following update:
"Yesterday we finished the last song for our new album.
"The writing process started in February and now we feel that we have a strong set for the new album.
"As it seems now, the recordings will take place in February 2010 and will take place at RoastingHouse Studios in Malmö, Sweden. Apart from the new songs, we will record two additional songs from our earlier 'demos' — not as album fillers, but as we play those songs live, we want more people to have a chance to hear them in a real recording and to those of you who all ready has the demos I can say that it will be completely new recordings with some arrangement changes that we have been thinking of since we recorded them the last time quite some time ago.
"The album title is decided to 99% and as we feel it will be called 'Eifur'."
FEJD released its full-length debut, "Storm", in March via Napalm Records.
FEJD formed in 2001 through a fusion of the folk music duo RIMMERFORS (featuring brothers Patrik Rimmerfors and Niklas Rimmerfors) and a couple of members from the metal band PATHOS. Rimmerfors played folk music with medieval undertones, performing on contemporary instruments, and together with their childhood friends of PATHOS, the transformed into a refined band with the best of both worlds — the weight of heavy metal in symbiosis with the typical melodic language and sadness of the Nordic folk music.
The brothers' interest in Swedish medieval folk music started back in 1995, commenced by music studying and the feeling of wanting to explore new musical ground and try something new. The brothers' musical background, as well as their bandmates, has its roots in heavy metal music. Inspiration is also drawn from like-minded bands such as GARMARNA and HEDNINGARNA.
Dutch progressive tech metallers TEXTURES will release a best-of collection titled "Extracts 2004-2009" exclusively in India, where up until now none of the band's albums have been available.
"Extracts 2004-2009" will be released on January 4 through EMI Music. The compilation will include songs from the band's first three albums.
The track listing is as follows:
01. Storm Warning
02. Awake
03. Regenesis
04. Swandive
05. Messengers
06. Ostensibly Impregnable
07. Stream Of Consciousness
08. Laments Of An Icarus
09. Transgression
10. Millstone
11. To Erase A Lifetime
TEXTURES played its first show in India on December 5 as the co-headliner of the Deccan Rock Festival in Bangalore.
Detroit, Michigan's hardcore act WALLS OF JERICHO has been confirmed for next year's edition of the With Full Force festival, set to take place July 2-4, 2010 at Flugplatz Roitzschjora in Löbnitz, Germany (near Leipzig).
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AS I LAY DYING
BORN FROM PAIN
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR
EKTOMORF
ELSTERGLANZ
EVERGREEN TERRACE
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
LETZTE INSTANZ
NOFX
TEXAS IN JULY
THE BONES
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
THE EXPLOITED
TOXPACK
UNLEASHED
WALLS OF JERICHO
For the first time, organizers are announcing bands on the official With Full Force advent calendar; each day in December a new band is being confirmed for the festival.
For more information, visit www.withfullforce.de.
Norway's TRAILS OF TEARS has been confirmed for next year's installment of the Metalcamp festival, set to take place July 5-11, 2010 in Tolmin, Slovenia.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
ABSTINENZ
ACELDAMA
ASHES YOU LEAVE
BEHEMOTH
CANNIBAL CORPSE
DEMONICAL
DORNENREICH
ENOCHIAN THEORY
ENSIFERUM
EPICA
EQUILIBRIUM
HEIDEVOLK
IMMORTAL
INSISION
INSOMNIUM
KALMAH
KORPIKLAANI
LEAVES' EYES
LITHIUM
METSATÖLL
OMEGA LITHIUM
OVERKILL
ROTTING CHRIST
SABATON
SONATA ARCTICA
SUICIDAL ANGELS
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
THE EXPLOITED
TRAILS OF TEARS
IMMORTAL's appearance at next year's Metalcamp will mark their exclusive performance for Slovenia, Austria and Croatia.
For more information, visit www.metalcamp.com.
Chicago, Illinois-based melodic metal band TRUE WITNESS has inked a deal with Dark Star Records. The group is currently at Sonic Palace studios in Oak Park, Illinois recording its self-titled debut album with producer Matt Mercado. A summer 2010 release is expected.
According to a press release, TRUE WITNESS' music is an unpredictable marriage of lush heavy grooves and sweeping melodies, combined with catchy vocal hooks that soar to deliver an overwhelming sense of hope and inspiration.
TRUE WITNESS is:
Allen James (Vocals)
Randy Gonet (Lead Guitar)
Tom Miller (Drums)
Aaron Czajka (Rhythm Guitar)
Brian Gordon (Bass)
TRUE WITNESS will perform live on December 18 at Chicago City Limits in Schaumburg Illinois.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/truewitnesstheband.
The reunited original lineup of the New York hardcore/metal band BIOHAZARD will enter Los Angeles' Underground Sounds Studio on January 19 to begin recording its new album for a summer 2010 release. This will be the first time the four original members — Evan Seinfeld , Billy Graziadei, Danny Schuler and Bobby Hambel — have recorded together since 1996's breakthrough CD "State Of The World Address".
Commented bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld, "BIOHAZARD and our four diverse, yet equal and integral parts converge upon our L.A. Underground Sound studio and resurrect our patented 'meat grinder' writing process. Each guy brings something — riffs, lyrics, concepts, songs, melodies, chants — and we get in a room and hammer it out.
"I have personally missed this process over the last years, but having Bobby back in the band has brought back some extra fire that has helped remind all of us what the Brooklyn style is all about. The process is exhausting, humbling, magical and empowering all at the same time. One of the songs we wrote in our first 'round' of this battle, 'Vengeance Is Mine', we just played in all of Europe, London, and Moscow and went over so well live that I am sure we are on the right track."
A world tour will commence in April 2010 and will last through late 2011.
Starting with its self-titled 1990 debut, BIOHAZARD released eight acclaimed studio albums which have sold over three million copies worldwide. During that time, the band was also featured prominently on two revered, gold-certified compilations: "Nativity in Black: A Tribute to Black Sabbath " — they were represented with the album-opening cover of "After Forever" —and the groundbreaking soundtrack to the film "Judgment Night", for which they provided the title track (a collaboration with the rap group ONYX).
Known for its incendiary live show, the band has played over 3,200 concerts in their career.
BIOHAZARD just finished a 22-month reunion world tour where the band played 100-plus shows on five continents.
Legendary Florida death metallers OBITUARY have scheduled the following dates:
May 28 - Club Firestone - Orlando, FL
May 29 - Volume 11 - Raleigh, NC
Jun. 01 - Opera House - Toronto, ON
Jun. 02 - Blondie's - Detroit, MI
Jun. 03 - Rave - Milwaukee, WI
Jun. 05 - Marquee - Tulsa, OK
Jun. 06 - Emo's - Austin, TX
Jun. 07 - Meridian - Houston, TX
Tickets go on sale today exclusively through EnterTheVault.com until January 9, which point they will be made available through all normal ticketing services.
OBITUARY's new concert DVD, "Live Xecution - Party.San 2008", will receive a U.S. release in January 2010 via Regain. The footage for the disc was filmed at last year's Party.San Open Air festival, which was held August 7-9, 2008 in Bad Berka, Germany.
Commented bassist Frank Watkins: "We did over 30 festivals last [year] and the Party.San festival was the very last and best one for OBITUARY... Fortunately, the show was filmed."
The track listing is as follows:
01. Find The Arise
02. On The Floor
03. Chopped In Half
04. Turned Inside Out
05. Forces Realign
06. Insane
07. Face Your God
08. Dethroned Emperor
09. Evil Ways
10. Drop Dead
11. Contrast The Dead
12. Second Chance
13. Stand Alone
14. Slow Death
15. Slowly We Rot
Check out a trailer for the DVD below.
Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records recently released a limited-edition vinyl version of OBITUARY's "Left To Die" EP. Only 500 hand-numbered copies were made available on hand-splattered bloody vinyl, including an insert.
"Left to Die" contains four songs : two new originals ("Forces Realign" and "Left To Die"), a 2008 studio recording of "Slowly We Rot", and a cover of "Dethroned Emperor" by CELTIC FROST.
Swedish death metal band VOLTURYON entered Black Lounge Studio in Avesta, Sweden this past weekend with producer Jonas Kjellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY, CENTINEX, WORLD BELOW) to begin recording its second album for an early 2010 release. "Everything went really smooth and all drums were recorded," the group states.
Video footage of the drum-recording sessions can be viewed below.
The follow-up to 2008's "Blood Cure" will see VOLTURYON "taking [its] music to a new level and develop[ing] [its] sound and style," according to a press release.
Currently unsigned, VOLTURYON has spent the last couple of years playing shows, including at the Sweden Rock Festival in June 2008 where the band performed alongside AT THE GATES and CARCASS, among others.
VOLTURYON is:
* Olle Ekman (PERGOLOS, HARTWIG, DÖD, LETHAL ATTACK, DEALS DEATH) - Vocals
* Johan Gustafsson (EVANGELI, MAGOG) - Guitar
* Andreas Olander (EVANGELI, MAGOG) - Guitar
* Stefan Eriksson (EVANGELI, HELL PATROL, MAGOG, CRYONIC TEMPLE) - Bass
* Christian "Crille" Netzell (IN MOURNING) - Drums
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/volturyon.
Australian barbaric death metal legends CEMETERY URN, who feature in their ranks members of BESTIAL WARLUST, ABOMINATOR, SADISTIK EXECUTION, BLOOD DUSTER and GUILD OF DESTRUCTION, will launch their new album by performing at The Tote Hotel in Collingwood on February 6, 2010 alongside URGRUND, DESTRUKTOR and ORDER OF ORIAS under the "Southern Sign Ritual" banner of Blackart Productions.
CEMETERY URN came together in 2006 and performed 17 shows across the U.S. in 2008 with such bands as GOSPEL OF THE HORNS, BLOOD FEAST, OBIESANCE, MORBOSIDAD and many more extreme black metal acts.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/cemeteryurn.
Reunited Swedish death/thrash act THE CROWN and SOLSTAFIR have been confirmed for next year's installment of the Summer Breeze festival, set to take place August 19-21, 2010 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
AHAB
ANATHEMA
ASPHYX
BARREN EARTH
BEHEMOTH
CALLISTO
CUMULO NIMBUS
DARK FUNERAL
DARK TRANQUILLITY
DESPISED ICON
DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER
DYING FETUS
EISBRECHER
EISREGEN
FIDDLER'S GREEN
FREI.WILD
FEUERSCHWANZ
HAIL OF BULLETS
HYPOCRISY
ILL NINO
INSOMNIUM
KORPIKLAANI
KYLESA
LETZTE INSTANZ
LONG DISTANCE CALLING
MAROON
MONO INC.
MY DYING BRIDE
NECROPHAGIST
OBITUARY
ORIGIN
ORPHANED LAND
POISONBLACK
SEPULTURA
SOLSTAFIR
SUBWAY TO SALLY
THE CROWN
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
WE BUTTER THE BREAD WITH BUTTER
For more information, go to this location.
THE CROWN 2009 is:
* Jonas Stålhammar (GOD MACABRE, MACABRE END, ABHOTH) - Vocals
* Marko Tervonen - Rhythm Guitar
* Marcus Sunesson - Lead Guitar
* Magnus Olsfelt - Bass
* Janne Saarenpää - Drums
THE CROWN split up more than five years ago due to "too many tours gone bad due to not at all professional tour arrangements," according to a March 2004 statement released by Saarenpää. He added, "Coming home from tours with empty pockets, equipment falling apart and having a pile of bills on the doorstep is simply 'horns down'. Paying the bills with tour memories and floorscores is just not possible. We do love standing on stage but we don't know much about the business part, and that's a bad combination."
THE CROWN's video for the track "Face Of Destruction/Deep Hit Of Death" — which was filmed in Germany in August 2003 — can be viewed below. The song was the first single off the group's final CD, "Possessed 13", which was released in October 2003 through Metal Blade. The self-produced effort, which was recorded at Gothenurg's Studio Fredman during May-June 2003, was made available in a special limited-edition double-CD digipack, featuring a bonus CD that contained the band's 1993 "Forever Heaven Gone" and 1994 "Forget The Light" demos, a cover of BATHORY's "Burnin' Leather", and a demo version of "Rebel Angel" (off 2000's "Deathrace King" CD).
For more information, visit www.thecrownofficial.com.
BLACK SUN AEON — the new "dark, death, doom" project from Tuomas Saukkonen (BEFORE THE DAWN, THE FINAL HARVEST, DAWN OF SOLACE) — entered the studio on December 6 to begin recording its second CD, "Routa" (Finnish for "ground frost"). The follow-up to "Darkness Walks Beside Me" will be a double album with a Finish-winter theme and consisting of one "fast and dark" and one "slower and brighter" disc. The drum tracks for 14 songs have been recorded so far. The band is now taking a short holiday break and will continue the recordings on January 2, 2010.
Turku, Finland-based "melodeath" band BLIND STARE has parted ways with bassist Kalle Lahti. The group says in a statement, "There are no hostilities whatsoever and our ways separate in very neutral and friendly mood. We thank Kalle for everything he's done for the band — both musically and mentally, you've been one hell of an entertainer!"
BLIND STARE is currently working on material for its second full-length album.
Former CANCER bassist Adam Richardson has announced a new lineup for NO LOVE LOST. The gothic/doom metal band — which is based in Birmingham, England — recently added Kostas Kyriakidis (of Greek hard rock/heavy metal act RAW SILK), singer Laura Burton, and two new guitarists, Shaun Watts and Adam Kendrick.
NO LOVE LOST is currently preparing new material for an as-yet-unspecified release.
Formed in 2006, NO LOVE LOST recorded the four-song demo "In The Darkest Hour", released in March 2007. In October 2008, the band entered Priory Recording Studios in Sutton Coldfield, England, to record the "Submission & Seabound" demo. Joining Richardson (guitar, bass) for the recording was Sally Holliday (vocals) and Carl Stokes (drums). The session was once again engineered and mixed by ESOTERIC's Greg Chandler and mastered by Denis Blackham at Skye Mastering.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/nolovelostdoom.
Patrick Mameli (guitar, vocals) of the resurrected late '80s/early '90s death metal outfit PESTILENCE has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
"The waiting has come to an end. PESTILENCE has found a new drummer for the U.S. tour and maybe even the next PESTILENCE album!!!
"After, actually, a short period of time, after many mails and auditionings, our minds (Patrick Mameli and Patrick Uterwijk's) were already set in the same direction. Somebody caught our attention. Someone really special and driven. His blasts and double-bass drum parts are amazing and furious!! His way of thinking about Peter (Wildoer's) parts are phenomenal and give just the right vibe to the already recorded songs for the 'Resurrection Macabre' album.
"Video footage of the infamous audition will follow shortly.
"His name is Yuma Van Eekelen. Remember that name! He's gonna be VERY BIG pretty soon! He is a very worthy replacement of Peter Wildoer, who will remain a drumgod!
"Let's go back to Yuma for a second! We will follow up shortly with an update on this guy and show you parts of his audition so y'all can see this guy's skills.
"So, people, please don't send in more stuff because PESTILENCE has found a NEW DRUMMER!!!
"Stay tuned on what happens next!!!"
Fan-filmed video footage of PESTILENCE's July 25, 2009 performance on the Aardschok stage (powered by Jägermeister) at this year's Zwarte Cross (Black Cross) festival in Lichtenvoorde, Holland can be viewed below (clip uploaded by Erhan Düzey).
PESTILENCE's latest album, "Resurrection Macabre", was released on March 13 in Europe (April 14 in the U.S.) via Holland's Mascot Records. The band recorded a total of 14 songs during the session at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark — 11 new tracks and three classic PESTILENCE cuts (as chosen by the fans) that were included on the limited-edition first pressing: "Out Of The Body", "Chemo Therapy" and "Lost Souls". Patrick has previously described the material as a modern fusion of "Testimony of the Ancients" (1991) and "Spheres" (1993), but even more technical and brutal.
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