Tuesday, February 9, 2010

[HeavyMetalHeaven] Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Guns N Roses, Slash, Megadeth, Black Label Society, Chickenfoot, Rock on the Range festival, Earthday festival and tons more hard rock and heavy metal news

Ozzy Osbourne will sign copies of his long-awaited memoir, "I Am Ozzy", at the
following locations:
February 18
Borders
6521 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

February 19
Warwick's
7812 Girard Avenue
La Jolla, CA
6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

February 20
Changing Hands
6428 S. McClintock Drive
Tempe, AZ
3 p.m.

February 21
Book Passage
1 Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

February 26
Barnes & Noble
12405 N. Kendall Drive
Miami, FL
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

February 27
Barnes & Noble
7700 West Northwest Hwy
Dallas, TX
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

"I Am Ozzy", debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times' hardcover non-fiction
best-seller list this past weekend. The book was published on January 25 in the
U.S., nearly two years after it was first expected to arrive. "I Am Ozzy"
chronicles the legendary metal icon's life from his working-class beginnings in
Birmingham, England to his initial fame with BLACK SABBATH to his massive solo
career and forays into television.

Although the book delves into Ozzy's battles with drugs and tragedies such as
the death of his guitarist Randy Rhoads, he told The Pulse of Radio what makes
his memoir different from those of other rock stars. "Whenever you read a rock
'n' roll celebrity's book, it's always about the sex, the drugs, the rock 'n'
roll and all the rest of it," he said. "My story is that the humor has kept my
head above water from time to time. There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek stuff about
it. Even with counting the tragedies that happened along the way, I tried to be
a little bit light-hearted about it, you know?"

Ozzy is currently finishing up his new studio album, which was first called
"Soul Sucka" but will now go out under a different title.

Ozzy also says that his long-running Ozzfest tour will be back this summer after
a one-year hiatus.

Jarrod Dicker of Stay Thirsty recently conducted an interview with legendary BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Stay Thirsty: What are you currently involved in musically? Does the Bill Ward band still participate in the modern music scene?

Bill Ward: Oh, yeah! This year [2009] I've worked non-stop. I'm in the process of finishing up three albums, which are ALL my albums. When I write songs, I usually write everything (tracks), so I compose in guitar, bass, keyboards, melody arrangements, the vocals…just everything really. So I'm really active inside my own music…

Stay Thirsty: And I'm assuming drums as well?

Bill Ward: And drums of course [laughs], forgot all about the drums. But that's what I've been doing throughout the year and I'm hoping to bring out three fresh albums in 2010. The first one hopefully in the spring, then one in the summer and then trying to get one towards the end of October, right before Halloween . So that's what I'm doing right now. Well I go back into the studio on Tuesday, making sure the tracks are ready for 2010. I'm always busy.

Stay Thirsty: On these upcoming albums, are you the sole musician or do you have a group accompanying you on the tracks?

Bill Ward: When I say I write, I write the parts and so forth, but I have other players that play the music. On the newest work, that's coming out in the spring, Keith Lynch (Bill Ward band veteran) is playing guitar. Paul Ill is playing some bass and then I have a couple of other guys that will play bass as well. Paul's also from early years of the Bill Ward band. And then I have my own drummer, Ronnie Ciago, who's playing on several tracks. I'm playing drums on several tracks too, so it's pretty much a band album if you'd like. There are some guests coming onto the following two albums after the spring one, but it's all under wraps right now [laughs]. They're rock and rollers, man… so they agreed to do it but now let's get them all together in a room and nail it!

Stay Thirsty: Currently, how is your relationship with BLACK SABBATH alumni Ozzy Osbourne , Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi?

Bill Ward: My relationship with Ozzy is brilliant. I am picking Ozzy first because I speak with him the most often. I talked to Oz a couple days ago. We speak once or twice a week, so we're always in contact with each other. My relationship with Tony is very good at the moment. I spoke with him last week as well. And Geezer never talks on the telephone so I e-mailed Geez, I don't know, just a few weeks ago. I'm in constant contact with all of them, pretty much.

Stay Thirsty: Do you still hold a relationship with Ronnie James Dio? Recent news revealed that he is battling cancer…

Bill Ward: Oh shit yea. For quite a while we did the whole "Heaven and Hell" album together, so I felt like I spent a lot of time with him. We wrote together and played together and did some of the business things together. I also spent a lot of social time with him and his family as well.

Stay Thirsty: In 1979, SABBATH made the decision to fire Ozzy claiming pressure from the record label and various other complications and frustrations. It was you who was chosen to break the news to Ozzy. Why so?

Bill Ward: I just thought that it would be easier if I just did it. I've been in that position before with other musicians; I just felt that I ought to do it. It just felt like the right thing to do at the time. It was a very difficult and depressing time for all of us. I felt it was the right thing to do, for me to talk to Oz. We were close. I volunteered myself.

Stay Thirsty: You left (fired) BLACK SABBATH one year after Ozzy's dismissal. How difficult of a time was this for you; 1) the separation from Ozzy and 2) your constant battle with addiction?

Bill Ward: Yes, it was a very difficult time. I was indeed feeling the loss of not having Ozzy in the band. I also had something happen to me, which had nothing to do with Ronnie or BLACK SABBATH or anything. I'm an alcoholic and a drug addict and my addiction was running rampant with me. I was losing all "control." I thought I had control of it and I did not. I was completely hit so hard with everything that I was unable to function properly. So I reached a point where I put the alcohol and the narcotics before the band and that had never happened before in my life (1980). This is something that I am not proud of, but it is something that happened to me. It actually became more important for me to drink and get high than to perform on stage. That's changed a lot since; my priorities are the right way round again. But back in 1980 it was very bad…very, very bad.

Stay Thirsty: As previously mentioned by other music critics and historians, the drumming style you use doubles the bass and guitar riffs played by accompanying band members. How did you step into this method? Who inspired you to play this particular way?

Bill Ward: As far as drummers are concerned, when I was a child growing up I was really attracted to artists like Gene Kupra and Louis Bellson and Buddy Rich; a lot of the drummers that played in the popular big bands of the '40s. I would listen to their records. My mother and father listened to them because the GIs in World War II had brought that music over with them. So my mother and father became real quick fans of American music. When I was growing up in the early '50s, four or five years old, I listened to these bands and thought it was great. It was pretty much all we had, except for the early rock and roll like THE PLATTERS and a few other bands that were still doing the "crooner"-type ballads.

Stay Thirsty: This is a question I like to ask older, more established musicians: Now that we are in the digital age of mp3's and music piracy, it seems that the concept and idea around a record has vanished. Fans prefer to buy singles rather than listen to the entire piece of work. What are your particular feelings on this matter?

Bill Ward: I have some feelings about it. If I say anything, I must preface it by saying that we [SABBATH] were all brought up in the age of the '60s at a time when how you made a record was that you would release it out and people actually bought it. [laughs] So it's very different today. It can be a little bit frustrating. I think it's a shame that we get bootlegged so much, we were always bootlegged anyway, but now people are just grabbing a copy downloading it and not thinking twice about it. It's just difficult for me to be supportive of that. I mean, it's always been music first and money somewhere down the line. But now, it's really tough to actually make a living in this business.

Stay Thirsty: As I said before, we are in a more digital age. Do you think that music piracy and "ripping off" musicians is a product of the times?

Bill Ward: Now it's this ruthless dog-bite-dog world, but it was definitely like that before the whole "age" you speak of. The '60s and the '70s had their assholes as well. What really pisses me off isn't what necessarily is happening with me, but what is happening with younger bands. They're some great musicians who need to be cut a break, man, and someone needs to invest some time in them. The only ones that invest time in them, what once was enormous record companies , are falling like broken giants now. I see a lot of the casualties coming out of it. It's a shame, there's a lot of people in the industry who I wish weren't in the industry because they don't know anything about the industry or music or anything. You asked me a question there, and a little long and drawn out answer but there it is…


AC/DC's Angus Young and Brian Johnson were asked by Triple M about the reports
that they have ordered three oxygen tanks with masks for their dressing rooms at
this week's concerts at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

"We usually carry that just in case," Johnson said.

"Some of the gigs we've been doing have been 100 degrees on the stage and there
is no air in the place, so you gotta usually get back and take a couple of
gulps."

When LED ZEPPELIN was considering touring without Robert Plant, they auditioned
Steven Tyler for the vocalist position, but AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry has
revealed that the tryout didn't go so well. According to Classic Rock magazine,
Jimmy Page told Joe that the rehearsals were "shambolic" since Steven didn't
really know ZEP's catalog. However, last year, when Steven told VH1 Radio
Networks' Dave Basner about his audition, he made it seem like he was very
familiar with the band's songs.

"The kid in me was dying," Tyler told VH1 Radio Networks. "I got to sing every
song from 'Black Dog' up and down and I'll never forget it as long as I live."

Nonetheless, Page felt "awkward" about the situation and said the guys in ZEP
decided to pass on Steven. Tyler told VH1 Radio Networks about that decision, "I
don't think a band like theirs needs a singer like me. They already had the
best, they were the best, in fact, there is no genre for what LED ZEPPELIN is
other than LED ZEPPELIN. I've already got AEROSMITH, I'm doing what I'm doing,
Robert Plant's doing what he wants to do so I don't think there was really room
for that.”

In the latest twist in the AEROSMITH/Steven Tyler saga, Perry says that Tyler
has neither quit the band or been fired by AEROSMITH. Perry told Classic Rock
magazine, "Steven hasn't quit the band, nor have we sacked him. We're taking the
attitude that he's going on a vacation from AEROSMITH. While he's away working
on other projects, the rest of us want to carry on playing live. So we will be
bring another singer to make this happen."

He went on to say that any replacement would be hired for live dates until Tyler
returns: "We're not daft enough to think we can replace Steven, and that's not
our plan. But after 40 years of working together we just don't wanna stop. How
long with Steven be away? He says it'll be two years, but I believe he'll be
back a lot sooner. It may end up that we only do 10 shows with the new person!"

Perry says that he and the band realize that age is a tremendous factor in the
professional decisions they make: "You realize you're not an immortal, and you
don't have this 22-year-old feeling of 'this thing can go on forever,' and you
know, 'I can do whatever I want, I can go for three nights without sleep and
everything will be fine.' You start to realize that it's a very delicate thing,
life is a delicate thing, and being able to perform at the top of your game is a
delicate thing. And it's one of those changes, you know, that comes over. I'm
still amazed that we can put on the kind of show that we put on. Every night
could be our last."

GUNS N' ROSES has scheduled the following South American tour dates:

Mar. 07 - Brasília, Brazil - Ginásio Nilson Nelson
Mar. 10 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Ginásio Jornalista Felipe Drumond
(Mineirinho)
Mar. 13 - São Paulo, Brazil - Palestra Itália Stadium
Mar. 14 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Praça da Apoteose
Mar. 16 - Porto Alegre, Brazil - Ginásio Gigantinho
Mar. 18 - Montevideo, Uruguay - Estadio Centenario
Mar. 20 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio River Plate
Mar. 22 - Santiago, Chile - Club Hipico de Santiago
Mar. 25 - Lima, Peru - La Explanada Sur del Estadio Monumental
Mar. 30 - Bogotá, Colombia - Simón Bolívar Park
Apr. 01 - Quito, Ecuador - Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa

GUNS N' ROSES completed a four-date tour of Asia in December and a Canadian tour
earlier this month.

The band has not booked any U.S. dates yet.

GUNS N' ROSES' last world tour, in 2006 and 2007, took in 60 shows in 26
countries and was the band's first full tour since 1993.

In addition to sole original member Rose, the current lineup of the band
includes guitarists DJ Ashba, Ron Thal and Richard Fortus, bassist Tommy
Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

GUNS N' ROSES' latest album, "Chinese Democracy", was released in November 2008
as a Best Buy exclusive, 17 years after the last all-original GUNS sets, "Use
Your Illusion I" and "II". The album was a commercial disappointment, selling
less than one million copies in the U.S. (according to Nielsen SoundScan)
despite the long wait.


VELVET REVOLVER /ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has contributed a guitar solo to the forthcoming solo album from ALTER BRIDGE frontman Myles Kennedy. "As always, he knocked it out of the park!" Myles states. "They don't call him one of the best guitarists of all time for nothing."

Slash recently announced via his MySpace page that he has tapped Kennedy as the lead singer for his upcoming solo tour, which will take place this spring following the release of Slash's self-titled solo debut. Slash wrote, "Myles sang a killer track on the record and I think he is by far one of the best rock and roll singers out there today. I'm really honored and proud to be working with him. I will announce the other band members shortly."

Slash's solo album is due out on April 6 and features a guest vocalist on every track, including Ozzy Osbourne , M. Shadows, Kid Rock , Chris Cornell , Dave Grohl , Fergie and others in addition to Kennedy.

Kennedy was the frontrunner to sing with a possible LED ZEPPELIN offshoot band in 2008, although that project ultimately never got off the ground. ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti told The Pulse of Radio that he's not surprised that other artists are interested in working with Kennedy. "There's been a few people on his tail, you know, which makes me think that we made the, definitely the right decision on Myles in the first place," he said. "I think he's one of the most talented guys I've ever known."

Slash, meanwhile, added that the routing of his solo tour is underway, adding, "I want all my fans to follow me on Twitter and tell me what city/country they're from and to tell all their friends and family in that city/country, who are fans, to do the same. I want to get a really good idea on where my fans are, even the obvious major cities and focus the tour around that."

The former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist played a benefit to raise money for victims of the Haitian earthquake on Thursday night (February 4) in Los Angeles.

David Ellefson has exclusively told Classic Rock about the motivations behind
his return to Megadeth, after an eight-year absence.

“It literally happened over the weekend,” says the delighted bassist. “And
I can hardly believe it myself. There was clearly gonna be a change in the
line-up, because James Lomenzo was leaving. Dave (Mustaine) and I talked on the
phone, and all the feuds, all the arguments we’ve been having over the years
just melted away. It just goes to show what direct contact can achieve!”

According to Ellefson, it was drummer Shawn Drover who instigated the whole
thing.

“If you ever need a guy in a band to watch your back, then this is the man.
Obviously, I have no clue what happened within the band. But I got a text from
Shawn and it just said: ‘If ever there was a time for you and Dave to talk,
now is it.’ It’s one of those messages you act on immediately. Typically of
Megadeth, things then happened big and fast.

“In all honesty, talking to Dave again was wonderful. It was the right thing
at the right time, done in the right spirit.”

Ellefson rejoins the band in time for their March tour of America, where they
will play the whole of the 1990 album Rust In Peace.

“I have one big advantage â€" I think I know those songs already! Seriously
though, I was in New York with one of my other bands, Hail!, when I found out
that Megadeth were doing this, and I did feel a little upset that I wasn’t at
that point gonna be part of it. But, hey, now it’s all changed.

“So far, the reaction I’ve had from everyone has been overwhelmingly
positive. I cannot wait to get back out there with Megadeth.”

Mustaine is reported as saying: “David Ellefson belongs in Megadeth. Next we
are going to show you the power of getting your asses kicked… HARD!”

For further info, go to www.megadeth.com

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde has released the following statement
regarding the departure of drummer Craig Nunenmacher:

"Craig Nunenmacher has resigned as BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's drummer. We are sorry
to see him leave. We wish Craig well in his new endeavors and have the utmost
love and respect for him."

Roadrunner Records recently re-signed BLACK LABEL SOCIETY exclusively for the
European territory. The band's as-yet-untitled studio album is due for release
this summer.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is preparing to enter Zakk's newly completed mountain-top
recording studio to record its latest slab of uncompromising, unfiltered, and
unrestrained rock and roll. Recording is slated to start later this month and
with the new flexibility of having a studio literally outside his home, Wylde
expects to deliver his best material yet. "With the home studio I have this
flexibility when inspiration hits to lay down new ideas at anytime â€" day or
night â€" for re-recording later," he says. "This freshness should prove
inspiring â€" and some of these first takes might even make it on the album," he
enthuses.

Zakk continues, "I'm ready to work with our BLACK LABEL brothers and sisters at
Roadrunner in Europe! They share the same Strength, Determination, Merciless,
Forever attitude as BLACK LABEL SOCIETY does so it only seems natural to
continue working together!"

Zakk's new studio was built by Zack Fagan of Under The Wire, a Studio City,
California-based company which specializes in the installation of commercial and
private recording studios and post-production complexes.

E1 Music recently announced the addition of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY to its rock and
metal roster. The two-album deal covers North America exclusively.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's last studio album, "Shot to Hell" (2006), sold just under
32,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release â€" less
than the 45,000 copies shifted by BLS's "Mafia" (Artemis) back in March 2005 â€"
to land at position No. 21 on The Billboard 200 chart.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Skullage" DVD package sold 5,100 copies in the United
States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on the Top Music
Videos chart. Released April 21, 2009 in three different configurations â€" CD,
DVD and CD/DVD â€" this collection features the best of Zakk Wylde & Co. This
massive greatest hits package is chock-full of live material, music videos,
interviews, and a vivid cross-section of brutal and introspective tracks, from
amped-up blazers like "Fire It Up" and "Suicide Messiah" to raw power ballads
like "In This River" and "Spoke In The Wheel".

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is managed by Bob Ringe at Survival Management.

Gibson Guitar, the world's premiere musical instrument manufacturer and leader
in music technology, has announced the availability of the much anticipated
Sammy Hagar Red Rocker Les Paul.

Through a career that spans stints with Ronnie Montrose, VAN HALEN, and his own
prominent solo work, Sammy Hagar has been the force behind a total of 60 million
record sales and countless righteous riffs, and when the Red Rocker rocks, he
chooses to rock Gibson. Now, in celebration of Hagar's mammoth new band
CHICKENFOOT, and its self-titled debut album, Gibson USA introduces the Sammy
Hagar Red Rocker Les Paul, a guitar with legendary appointments and a hot new
look designed by the artist himself, all primed to stoke a new era in rock.

In classic Les Paul style, the Sammy Hagar Red Rocker Les Paul carries a pair of
Gibson's most popular PAF-style "zebra coil" humbucking pickups â€" a '57
Classic in the neck and a hotter BurstBucker 3 in the bridge â€" along with the
legendary pairing of Tune-o-matic bridge and stop-bar tailpiece, and the
traditional Les Paul neck and body configurations that have made this instrument
unparalleled in tone and playability for more than 50 years. To kick the look up
into overdrive, the Sammy Hagar Red Rocker Les Paul wears a highly figured,
bookmatched two-piece Grade AA maple top with luscious Cabernet finish on a
weight-relieved mahogany body, and a white Hagar-certified "Red Rocker" logo on
the headstock face, with Red Rocker "R" on the truss-rod cover. Add it all up,
and it's one of the sultriest blends of classic tonal appointments and radical
new styling that Gibson has ever produced â€" in short, a guitar that will
definitely get you noticed. Each
Sammy Hagar Red Rocker Les Paul comes with a plush-lined Gibson hardshell case.

Body and Finish:

Crafted from a highly figured bookmatched Grade AA maple top and two-piece,
weight-relieved mahogany back, the Sammy Hagar Red Rocker Les Paul is finished
in stunning Cabernet in a low-build nitrocellulose lacquer with a translucent
cherry back, sides, and neck, and polished to a high gloss.

Pickups and Electronics:

The Red Rocker Les Paul carries a pair of pickups selected by Hagar himself to
suit his tonal requirements, both with a coverless black-and-cream "zebra coil"
look that adds an extra dash of style to this model.

A BurstBucker 3 in the bridge position yields extra sizzle and midrange oomph
for solos and crunchy power-chord rhythm work, while a '57 Classic in the neck
provides a rich, throaty voice for singing blues leads and mellow clean playing.
These pickups are routed through Gibson's traditional control layout of a
three-way Switchcraft toggle-style selector and an independent Volume and Tone
potentiometer for each unit.

Neck and Headstock:

The guitar's neck and headstock are made in the classic tradition of the
original Les Paul. Carved from a single piece of quarter-sawn Grade A mahogany,
and topped with a rosewood fingerboard, the design incorporates Gibson's lauded
17-degree back-angled headstock, and period-correct acrylic trapezoid inlays.

Hardware:

Like generations of legendary Les Pauls before it, the Sammy Hagar Red Rocker
Les Paul is equipped with Gibson's classic pairing of Tune-o-matic bridge and
stop-bar tailpiece, which provide extreme advantages both of tone and
adjustability, along with vintage Kluson-style green-tulip-button tuners made by
the highly respected Tone Pros company, and Gibson's traditional aluminum strap
buttons.
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/hagarles1.jpg

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/hagarles2.jpg

The Pulse of Radio reports: CHICKENFOOT is already writing its second album,
according to an interview with guitarist Joe Satriani at BestOfWNY.com. The rock
supergroup, which also features RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith and
former VAN HALEN members Sammy Hagar on vocals and Michael Anthony on bass,
released its debut disc last June and ended up with a gold album. Although Smith
is now back at work with the CHILI PEPPERS, Satriani said, "The four of us are
all on the same page as far as this project goes, we're all committed to doing a
CHICKENFOOT number two. As a matter of fact, Sammy and I have already begun the
writing process together."

Satriani added, "The beauty of this band is the respect we have for one
another's time and career aspirations. I'm getting set for the Experience
Hendrix tour next month and writing for a new record, Sammy's busy doing a
million things at once, Chad's back working with the CHILI PEPPERS and Mike's
busy being Mike."

Meanwhile, taking over as lead singer of AEROSMITH is not one of the "million
things" that Hagar is doing. Unnamed sources told Classic Rock magazine on "good
authority" that Hagar was a candidate to temporarily replace Steven Tyler, but
Hagar's manager John Carter told the magazine, "Good authority must mean The
Enquirer because his LED ZEP gig conflicts with the AEROSMITH job . . .
Seriously, Sam is very happy to be going into the studio with CHICKENFOOT to
start the second album in April."

Recent reports in Classic Rock indicated that Billy Idol, Chris Cornell and Paul
Rodgers had all been approached to fill in for Tyler, who is currently in rehab
and mulling a contentious two-year break to pursue a solo project. The rest of
AEROSMITH have said they'll hire a singer for touring until Tyler returns.

More than 38 bands will once again come together to celebrate rock at the fourth
annual Rock On The Range, set for May 22 and 23 at Columbus Crew Stadium in
Columbus, Ohio. The lineup includes first-timer "Rangers" ROB ZOMBIE, GODSMACK
(in their first announced show of 2010), the return of LIMP BIZKIT and the
festival solo debut of VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash. The
two-day lineup for America's premiere destination rock festival includes some of
the most rocking artists in music today. In addition, marking another first for
Rock On The Range, Mistress Juliya of Fuse TV has signed on as the hostess and
Mistress of Ceremonies for the event.

Sully Erna from GODSMACK says: "Fasten your seatbelts baby, here comes GODSMACK!
I can't WAIT to get to Columbus for what will be the best Rock On The Range yet!
GODSMACK is gonna kick some major *@%*!"

Del Williams, co-executive producer of the event for Right Arm Entertainment,
explains: "We designed ROTR 2010 to be the biggest weekend of ROCK at an
incredibly low ticket price for the fans affectionately referred to as the
'Rangers.' This year's line-up represents the most compelling mix of bands that
we have ever had. GODSMACK is one of the most prolific active rock bands of all
time, and the intrepid ROB ZOMBIE is an unrivaled performer. We are particularly
excited about the return of LIMP BIZKIT, who have been tearing it up at European
festivals. It is time for them to come back to America and remind people why
they were at one time one of the biggest bands in the world."

"In four short years, this festival has become like no other in the United
States," added Joe Litvag, co-executive producer of the festival for AEG Live.
"We've been fortunate enough to create something that caters to a very specific
music lover, and the fans have become truly rabid for it. Rock On The Range has
become the summer destination for an entire nation of rock fans… It's amazing,
really."

Two-day weekend festival passes start at just $99.50. A special pre-sale for
Rock On The Range fans will start February 16 and for the first time, fans can
buy their tickets this year via a layaway plan.

"The vision of Rock On The Range has always been to provide a premiere rock
festival for a very affordable price," said Mark McCullers, President and
General Manager of the Columbus Crew. "Each year we look for new ways to enhance
the fans' experience. Two specific improvements for 2010 are an increased
viewing area for our fans at the Jägermeister stage and a layaway plan as an
additional payment option for our Rock On The Range fans."

Details of the layaway plan as well as VIP packages that include festival
tickets, hotel accommodations and festival merchandise can be found at
RockOnTheRange.com. All tickets go on sale February 20 at 10:00 a.m. (ET) via
RockOnTheRange.com and Ticketmaster.com, all local Ticketmaster outlets and at
the Crew Stadium box office.

The 2010 Rock On The Range lineup is as follows:

GODSMACK
ROB ZOMBIE
LIMP BIZKIT
THREE DAYS GRACE
SLASH
SEETHER
RISE AGAINST
DEFTONES
PAPA ROACH
THEORY OF A DEADMAN
MASTODON
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE
COHEED & CAMBRIA
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
PUDDLE OF MUDD
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
APOCALYPTICA
DROWNING POOL
HALESTORM
SEVENDUST
SKILLET
MUSHROOMHEAD
HELMET
AIRBOURNE
ANBERLIN
COLD
NONPOINT
2CENTS
ADELITAS WAY
SHAMAN'S HARVEST
YEAR LONG DISASTER
LIKE A STORM
TADDY PORTER
JANUS
NOISE AUCTION


KORN, PAPA ROACH and HELLYEAH are among the confirmed bands for WJRR's Earthday
Birthday 17: Almost Legal, set to take place Saturday, May 1, 2010 at Tinker
Field in Orlando, Florida.

The festival billing is as follows:

KORN
PAPA ROACH
CHEVELLE
HELLYEAH
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH
HALESTORM
TRIVIUM

You can grab discounted tickets right now on pre-sale at WJRR.com until February
11 at 12 a.m. using the special password "WJRR."

Tickets go on general sale on February 12.

Scott Alisoglu of Teeth Of The Divine (and BLABBERMOUTH.NET) recently conducted
an interview with guitarist Gary Holt of veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrash
metallers EXODUS. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Teeth Of The Divine: Let's talk about this DVD a little bit. Quite honestly, I
think "Shovel Headed Tour Machine" is just plain fantastic.

Gary Holt: Yeah, it came out really good! It wasn't even an intentional DVD. We
played Wacken and the show was so sick. I mean they film everything anyway and
they give you the little watermarked sample and it was like, man, we really need
to put this thing out, it's really killer! What a show! Then Rob [Dukes, vocals]
had been chasing us around with a video camera for years. He's the sober guy in
the band [laughs], so he's the one that's not going to leave it lying around and
lose it [laughs]. He did all the editing for both discs with a guy named Craig
Cefola. It just came out really good. I'm not one to like watching any of my own
shit, I don't even listen to my own records when they're done, but I did watch
this and I was laughing, crackin' up, and it was engaging and funny. I thought
it was a little different than the typical heavy metal documentary and Rob did a
great job.

Teeth Of The Divine: On "Let There be Blood", I was one of the reviewers that
thought it was one of the few cases where a band actually bettered and did
justice to the original work. At the end of the day, how split were fans and
critics about the re-recording of "Bonded by Blood"?

Gary Holt: Well, you have three camps. You have one camp where they loved it,
you have another camp where either they won't admit that they liked it because
there is nothing not to like, but they're defensive about the debut and I
understand that. That's OK. How can you get mad at someone who loves your first
album so much that they consider it untouchable? It's like the Bible to them.
Then you have the other camp of people who just hate us anyway [laughs]. That's
the camp that I say fuck off to and I couldn't really care less. I even did an
interview with this guy in Poland who is a good friend of mine and he didn't
like it, so I kind of flipped the interview around and started interviewing him
and asking him why. He said that Rob's vocal performance is too one-dimensional.
I asked how many dimensions did Paul Baloff have on it? That's not a knock on
Paul because it wasn't meant to have a second dimension; it was all out violent
thrash. Then he says
well that's true. Then I asked what would he think if Rob added a second or
third dimension. And he said that he would have thought he was fuckin' with the
original too much [laughs]. Exactly! Then he absolutely agreed that he just
loved "Bonded by Blood" and didn't like the idea, but it had nothing to do with
how we did it. I think we did it with all the energy and fire that it deserved.
We didn't sterilize it, we didn't change the arrangements… The only thing
different from the original is a couple of solos and the tuning. We have been
tuning down since before Paul died. You get purists that say it's not EXODUS and
Paul Baloff is rolling is rolling his grave and it's down-tuned. So is the live
album, suckers! We all liked it. There is only one "Bonded by Blood" and it was
never meant to replace it and I tell people that it's like a companion piece.
There is a modern updating, the production, and I think as a result the songs
still sound completely
relevant. They sound current and strong and they don't sound dated one bit.
It's not anything but a better production really. A couple of the faces have
changed, but we didn't stick a power metal singer in there on "Strike of the
Beast". We were just trying to show the world how we do these songs today, which
is the best example of why we did it. It's a bit of homage to the original and
this is how we play them now, this is how we send live, and if you don't like it
that's fine. It wasn't meant to reinvent the wheel.

Teeth Of The Divine: As for the next album…

Gary Holt: "Exhibit B: The Human Condition". It's really, really sick. It's
really different from the last one and it's really different from the two
before. But it's 100 percent EXODUS. Out of the last three, this one is faster,
but it's also a little more melodic, and it's also a little bit more old school.
Some of Rob's vocal patterns are just so old school; it's killer. The production
is a little more, let's say, less sterile. Not less sterile, but less digital
perfection, more organic. It's really, really lively. There is by far more
melody on it as well. Thematically, it's a little different. Musically, the
intro to this album links to the outro of the last album and this one ends on a
take from the intro to the last album. The two tie together really well. The
last one centered a lot on religion and this one is, as the title says, about
the human condition; cruelty, ignorance, and inhumanity and brutality. Just the
things that man has shown to be
so adept at doing. Nuclear Blast is chomping at the bit to get the album
released. We're shooting for May 18th.


Former ACCEPT-vocalist Udo Dirkschneider and his band U.D.O. are the confirmed
headliners at Sweden Rock on Wednesday, June 9th. This year's edition of the
Sweden Rock Festival will take place from June 9th - 12th in Sölvesborg.

Acts on the Sweden Rock 2010 bill include: ALDO NOVA, ALESTORM, ANVIL, BACHMAN &
TURNER, BEHEMOTH, BIGELF, D-A-D, DANZIG, FATES WARNING, JORN, MAGNUM, MASTODON,
MOTHER'S FINEST, NAZARETH, OPETH, RATT, RAVEN, RICK SPRINGFIELD, SABATON, SAGA,
SLAYER, STEEL PANTHER, STRATOVARIUS, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, U.D.O., UNISONIC,
W.A.S.P., WATAIN, Y&T.

Further festival details at www.swedenrock.com.

2009 saw Udo Dirkschneider enjoyed the most successful year of his career
fronting U.D.O.

The band's Dominator recorded became the most successful album of his solo
career, reaching # 27 on the German charts, their highest entry ever. National
television WDR featured a career restrospective of the diminutive frontman and
more than 35,000 people attended concerts on the initial leg of the Dominator
tour, playing to fans in Norway, France, Spain and just a handful of homegrown
dates.

U.D.O.'s complete live schedule can be viewed here.


Oakland, California-based power trio HIGH ON FIRE has premiered the eight-minute title track from its forthcoming album, "Snakes for the Divine", via SPIN.com. The song sees the band at the peak of its powers, injecting a progressive mien into its steamroller sound while guitarist/vocalist Matt Pike conjures symbols describing "venomous reptiles, night goats, ancient crimes and endless time."

When asked for comment on "Snakes for the Divine", Pike described the song as "A tale of the atmospheric union of alien crossbreeding with man's DNA and the creation of all Earth's religion by the reptilian agenda." He continued, "It will also kick your ass!"

HIGH ON FIRE has announced a spring U.S. headlining tour. The three-week trek will launch on March 31 in Minneapolis, Minnesota and will include support from PRIESTESS, BLACK COBRA and BISON B.C.

The dates are as follows:

Mar. 31 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock Social Club
Apr. 01 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon
Apr. 02 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
Apr. 03 - Columbus, OH - Skully's Music Diner
Apr. 05 - Morgantown, WV - 123 Pleasant St
Apr. 06 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
Apr. 07 - Cambridge, MA - Middle East
Apr. 08 - Milford, CT - Daniel St
Apr. 09 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
Apr. 11 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
Apr. 13 - Charlotte, NC - Tremont Music Hall
Apr. 14 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Apr. 15 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jack's
Apr. 16 - Houston, TX - Walter's on Washington
Apr. 17 - Austin, TX - Emo's
Apr. 18 - Dallas, TX - The Loft
Apr. 20 - Boulder, CO - Fox Theater
Apr. 22 - Tempe, AZ - Club House
Apr. 23 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre
Apr. 24 - Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit Bar
Apr. 25 - San Diego, CA - Casbah

"Snakes for the Divine" will be released on February 23 via E1 Music. The follow-up to 2007's "Death is This Communion" was recorded at The Pass Studios in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman and is described in a press release as "HIGH ON FIRE's magnum opus, capturing every nuance of the legendary band's ongoing musical progression and evolution into one of heavy music's all-time greats. Sharper, faster and darker than anything the group has ever recorded, 'Snakes for the Divine' is an unrelenting tour de force, showcasing cult guitar hero Matt Pike's utterly unique and inventive musicianship and the band's epic, thundering sound. Premium production by Fidelman — the man who produced SLAYER's 'World Painted Blood' and is mixing the upcoming METALLICA live album — boosts HIGH ON FIRE's strength and power while blackened lyrical tales of ancient wars, frozen planets and doomed societies emerge from Pike's bellowing barks and throaty war cries.
From the moment the leviathan-like title track explodes to kick off the album, it is immediately evident that HIGH ON FIRE is determined to push modern heavy metal into new and uncharted realms."

"Snakes for the Divine" can be pre-ordered at iTunes now. The pre-order version will include two bonus tracks; a live version of "Blood from Zion" (a song from the band's 2000 release, "The Art of Self Defense") recorded at the 2009 Bonnaroo music festival as well as a demo version of the new track "Fire, Flood & Plague". The new album will also be a part of Best Buy's "Find 'Em First" program and will be a specially priced at $7.99 for a limited time. The version will exclusively feature three extra bonus tracks, including the new song "Mystery of Helm" plus live versions of the HIGH ON FIRE favorites "Eyes and Teeth" and "Cometh Down Hessian".

"Snakes for the Divine" track listing:

01. Snakes for the Divine
02. Frost Hammer
03. Bastard Samurai
04. Ghost Neck
05. Fire, Flood & Plague
06. How Dark We Pray
07. Holy Flames of the Fire Spitter
08. Mystery of Helm

The "Snakes for the Divine" album artwork, which can be viewed below, was brought to life by longtime HIGH ON FIRE cover artist Arik Moonhawk Roper.

The Tracii Guns version of L.A. GUNS, fronted by vocalist Jizzy Pearl, has
updated their tour schedule. It's now as follows:

February
21 - Arena Pier 10 - San Juan

March
13 - The Deadhorse - San Angelo, Texas
17 - Texas Rockfest - Austin, Texas
20 - Momos - Austin, Texas

May
15 - Virada Cultural - São Paulo

December
4 - Hard Rock Hell 4 Fest - Prestatyn, Wales

As previously reported, L.A. Guns recently signed to the STEVE VAI-owned label
Favored Nations/Jibboom, which is Favored Nations Entertainment’s Rock/Metal
division. The 1999 album, Shrinking Violet, will be reissued in late May with
new artwork and five brand new, never-before-heard, live bonus tracks.

JOHN CORABI (MÖTLEY CRÜE, UNION, THE SCREAM) will play Rock & Roll Heaven in
Toronto, ON on Thursday, April 1st. Tickets are priced at $15 each. For further
details, call the club at (416) 750-7335.
ARTISTdirect.com editor Rick Florino recently conducted an interview with
vocalist Ville Valo of Finnish "love" metallers HIM. A couple of excerpts from
the chat follow below.

ARTISTdirect.com: "Screamworks: Love in Theory and in Practice" is definitely
your best record.

Valo: Oh, wow! [Laughs] That's a compliment, thank you very much. I put a lot of
energy into this one and really worked hard on it. It's kind of scary. I'm
feeling all giddy and nervous about it. I'm getting butterflies, waiting to see
how people will respond to the album. We've done the best we can. We're proud of
it obviously, but it'll affect the next couple years of how the band's going to
live and how we're going to tour. Obviously, it's important for the album to do
well, if possible.

ARTISTdirect.com: The record feels like one complete vision. Did you go into
recording knowing what you wanted from start to finish?

Valo: To set things down, you've got to go with the flow. I think you've got to
follow your gut instinct. To a certain extent, it's good to have certain
guidelines and a certain framework when you're working on an album. It usually
happens organically when you start working on the first couple tracks and they
start getting closer to being ready. All of a sudden, you see the little parts
of music forming a bigger piece, and that leads to what will happen next. It's
the same thing with production; when you get a few songs done, you know what you
need. We had the great opportunity of working with Matt Squire, who was just the
guy we needed for this one. I can't complain at all. The process of the album
happened under lucky stars, so far. Everything has been going really well. It's
been tons of work, but it's been really enjoyable work.

ARTISTdirect.com: You take such dark subject matter and a dark perspective on
love and make it poppy and palatable.

Valo: I guess it could be genetics, I don't know [Laughs]. I think that love is
catchy, yet it's very dark. At least when it comes to writing music, I've never
been huge fan of aggressive music. To me, melody is key. It's a huge factor of
each song. I grew up in the '80s, so I grew up listening to DURAN DURAN, DEPECHE
MODE and a lot of hair metal bands â€" most of them from L.A. It's a combination
of that. I naturally write songs that are very melodic, yet very melancholy.
I've always hated the idea of happy songs. When you're extremely happy and
content with what you have, that's when you don't work on music. Usually, you
pick up a guitar when something's bugging you and you don't know what it is.
When it's hard to express an emotion in conversation, that's when I always pick
up a guitar, and it's easy for me to convey the emotion through a song. That's
how it happens for me. I think what we have happening on this album is a nice
balance. When we were
working with Matt, we more or less made a conscious decision. The names we kept
on dropping were DEPECHE MODE, THE CULT and GUNS N' ROSES. I wanted the album to
have European melancholy happening at the same time that there would be this
really straightforward, direct and accessible rock sound. "Screamworks" is kind
of like a David Lynch movie in a way. If you don't know anything about "Blue
Velvet", you go into a cinema and see the beginning and say, "It starts pretty
ordinary." All of a sudden, this weird stuff starts to happen, and you're so
mesmerized by the film that at the end you're just blown away. That's the kind
of music I like â€" it takes you on a trip somewhere a bit left of center, but
it uses traditional methods to get you there so it's not just, "Art for art's
sake."

ARTISTdirect.com: "Venus Doom" had an L.A. vibe because you'd written a lot of
there. Is "Screamworks" tied more to feelings instead of a particular location?

Valo: To be honest with you, I don't know. Since I wrote the songs, I don't
necessarily think a certain place affects them. I work on a song for such a long
time usually that I work on it in a couple places. It's never like one single
city or country in the world would inspire me to write a track. It's always a
combination of a lot of stuff going on â€" the music I'm listening to, the
influences I have at the moment â€" everything affects. I like the fact that
most of the album was worked on in freezing Helsinki in the middle of the winter
where it was all dark and cold. During summer, we flew over to L.A. and it was
just such a different mindset and different climate. It was cool to find, let's
say, the lighter shades of black.

Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick will be the special guest at the 2010
Cleveland KISS Expo, set to take place Sunday, March 28 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
(12 p.m. for VIP holders) at the Holiday Inn Cleveland South Independence in
Independence, Ohio. Bruce will take part in a question-and-answer session and be
available for photos and autographs throughout the day.

Holiday Inn Cleveland South Independence
6001 Rockside Road
Independence, OH 44131

For hotel rooms, call 216-524-8050 and ask for the special KISS Expo rate.
Cutoff for the special rate is February 26.

Commented Bruce: "I am very excited to announce my appearance at the Cleveland
KISS Expo on March 28. I hope to share with you all exciting details of my 'BK3'
release, which is available February 2 at all major chains (Best Buy, Walmart,
FYE) and online at Amazon.com and iTunes and more. The new CD features Gene
Simmons and his son Nick, Eric Singer and John Corabi and many other featured
guests. I hope you enjoy the new CD and please come say hello in Cleveland. We
will have a great time at the expo!"


Spinefarm Records in the US and Canada have confirmed a February 23rd release
date for the reissue of DRAGONFORCE's first two studio albums: Valley Of The
Damned and Sonic Firestorm. The UK release date is a day earlier - February
22nd.

Both titles will now be available with updated packaging and bonus audio/DVD
content, some of it exclusive to these releases.

Formerd in 1999, Dragonforce issued their Valley Of The Damned debut in 2003 â€"
an impressive nine-track showcase for their accomplished power metal forays.
Containing a host of songs that still rank amongst the most popular of their
output, the likes of ‘Black Fire’, ‘Evening Star’ and the title track
itself, VOTD has now been remixed and remastered to allow every aspect of the
recordings to make maximum impact.

“Fans who have heard the original mixes many times might find that the songs
sound a bit different now,” observes guitarist Herman Li, “but that’s how
we always wanted the original songs to sound. We just didn’t have the time
back then to make everything the way we wanted.”

The studio track, ‘Where Dragons Rule’, has now been added to the audio
side, and there is a bonus DVD featuring never-before-seen live footage ('Valley
Of The Damned’, filmed in Japan), behind-the-scenes material (also from
Japan), video commentaries, plus in-studio interviews and clips (shot in Denmark
and the UK), all of it lovingly assembled by Li himself.

2004 saw the release of follow-up album, Sonic Firestorm, which gave the band
the chance to hone their skills and push their fast-lane tales of fantasy to a
whole new level. They were happy with Sonic at the time and remain so to this
day, which is why the mixing and the mastering have been left just as they are;
however, the packaging has been upgraded, an extra track added (‘Cry Of The
Brave’ â€" a song the group felt uncomfortable taking off first time around),
and â€" as with Valley - a bonus DVD added, this one featuring live footage from
Japan (‘Fury Of The Storm’), video commentaries plus freshly recorded
interviews with the band members themselves.

As a way of celebrating the recordings that effectively launched Dragonforce’s
international career, both reissued albums will be included in a limited edition
boxset along with exclusive band merchandise and various collectible items.

U.K. thrashers ONSLAUGHT will take a break from the writing process for their
new full-length album to play a few Swedish shows along with Mike Wead's
BIBLEBLACK and SCAAR. The dates are as follows:

March 17 - Henriksberg - Gothenburg, Sweden
March 18 - The Cave - Stockholm, Sweden
March 19 - Deströyer - Sundsvall, Sweden
March 20 - Maxim - Gavle, Sweden

ONSLAUGHT recorded its performance at the Damnation Festival on November 22,
2008 in Leeds, U.K. for a live CD, "Live Damnation", which was released on July
20, 2009 through Candlelight Records.

An e-card for the album can be accessed at this location.

ONSLAUGHT is currently writing material for the follow-up to 2007's "Killing
Peace", tentatively due later this year.

"Killing Peace" was released in March 2007 via Candlelight Records. The CD was
recorded at Backstage studio in Derbyshire, England with producer Andy Sneap
(MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE).

Due to "scheduling conflicts," former WARRANT singer Jani Lane has cancelled his appearance at the inaugural edition of the Stockholm Rock Out festival, set to take place April 30 - May 1, 2010 at Gamla Tryckeriet in Alvik, Sweden. Replacing Lane on the bill are GREAT WHITE and KIX, both of whom will be making their exclusive European appearances.

"Fans will not be disappointed," Stockholm Rock Out's Chris LeMon said. "This will be the first time ever KIX has played Scandinavia. GREAT WHITE is celebrating 25 years of making blues rock together. Both bands will play their hits. This is the only place to see them in Europe."

The festival billing is now shaping up as follows:

SLAUGHTER (US)
GREAT WHITE (US)
STEELHEART (US)
KIX (US)
KEEL (US)
DIZZY REED (US)
PRETTY BOY FLOYD (US)
BULLETBOYS (US)
XYZ (US)
VAINS OF JENNA (SE)
NASTY IDOLS (SE)
M.ILL.ION (SE)
TUFF (US)
SHAMELESS (US/DE)
CHRIS LANEY (SE)
BADMOUTH (SE)
DYNAZTY (SE)
KILLER CLAN OF F.U.N. (SE)

For more information, visit www.sthlmrockout.com.

According to DIRTY LOOKS' official European web site, the band's bassist, Gregory Pianka, was killed in a bar stabbing on February 5.

Pianka joined DIRTY LOOKS in 2009 and was working on the group's upcoming CD, "I.C.U."

Millcreek police charged Joseph Lumsden Jr., 64, with criminal homicide and a number of other offenses, according to GoErie.com. Lumsden was arraigned before District Judge Paul Manzi, of Millcreek Township, and taken to the Erie County Prison, where he is being held without bail.

Police said Lumsden stabbed Gregory Pianka, 35, at the Hi & Dri Pub, 3077 West Ridge Road, at about 11:40 p.m. Friday. Pianka was taken to Hamot Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

For more information, visit GoErie.com.

Toronto's WARMACHINE will support W.A.S.P. on the following dates:

March 04 - Lincolnshire, IL - The Cubby Bear
March 05 - Columbus, OH - Alrosa Villa
March 06 - Detroit, MI - Harpos
March 07 - Middleton, WI - Scatz Nightclub
March 09 - Foxboro, MA - Showcase Live
March 10 - Wantagh, NY - Mulcahys
March 11 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
March 12 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
March 14 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
March 15 - Allentown, PA - Crocodile Rock

WARMACHINE recently completed work on its new album, "Left For Dead", for a 2010 release. The CD was once again produced by Murray Daigle and was recorded in Canada.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Moving On
02. We're The Chemical
03. Chalk Lines and Bones
04. Alive
05. Fallacy
06. Too Late
07. Inevitable Crash
08. Loved and Lost
09. Forgive and Forget You
10. Left for Dead
11. A New Beginning

Several of the songs are now available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

WARMACHINE's "Raw in the Hammer" DVD contains footage from the band's January 20, 2007 concert at The Underground in Hamilton, a documentary on the band's history, behind-the-scenes footage and more.

WARMACHINE's debut album, "The Beginning of the End", was released in 2006 in North America via Nightmare Records.

"The Beginning of the End" features a guest appearance on three tracks ("Betrayed", "Empty" and "Taunted Souls") by MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

For more information, visit www.warmachineonline.com.

American/German producer Dennis Ward (ANGRA, PINK CREAM 69, PRIMAL FEAR) will
helm the new album from Italian metallers ELVENKING. The recordings will start
on March 20 at Piranha studios in Karsdolf, Germany. Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR,
SINNER) will executive-produce the CD, which is tentatively due in September.

On the live front, ELVENKING will play at the Italian Headbangers Fest with 10
other Italian bands like DGM, SECRET SPHERE and TRICK OR TREAT. The dates are as
follows:

April 24 - Stazione Birra - Rome, ITA
April 25 - Matrioska â€" Modena, ITA

ELVENKING last fall announced the addition of session violin player Lethien to
the group's ranks.

Back in September, 2007, ELVENKING explained that Elyghen had temporarily moved
to Ireland for working reasons. They emphasized that he wasn't leaving the band
and that Eleonora (the girl who had played the violin in the quartet that
performed on ELVENKING albums) would help the band out on live dates that
Elyghen couldn't be present for.

ELVENKING released an acoustic album, "Two Tragedy Poets (...And A Caravan Of
Weird Figures)", in Europe on November 14, 2008 via AFM Records. The CD was
issued in digipack and jewel case formats.

ELVENKING's last "electric" album, "The Scythe", was released in Europe in
September 2007 via AFM Records.

The band's video for the song "The Divided Heart" can be viewed below. The clip
was shot with director Mirco Andreis (ELDRITCH, MACBETH, DISARMONIA MUNDI).

"The Scythe" was mixed at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland. The mastering
took place at Finnvox Studios with Mika Jussila and Nino Laurenne.


Greek metallers NIGHTFALL have reformed and have commenced work on a brand new studio album, "Astron Black and the Thirty Tyrants", tentatively due later in the year via an as-yet-undisclosed record label. Joining frontman and lyricist Efthimis Karadimas in the band's new lineup are Evan Hensley on guitar, Stathis Kassios on keyboards and Jörg Uken on drums. According to a press release, "these four tyrants are currently in the process of inking a record deal to spread their message through the universe."

NIGHTFALL's seventh full-length album, "Lyssa: Rural Gods and Astonishing Punishments" was released in 2005 through Black Lotus Records.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/nightfallgr.


Swedish hard rockers VIOLENT DIVINE will release their third album "Release The
Hounds", on March 11 via Swedmetal Records. The label states, "This will be one
of 2010 best albums in this genre. Fantastic raw hard-driving melodic rock 'n'
roll â€" just the way it's meant to be!"

"Release The Hounds" track listing:

01. Nitro
02. Welcome To The Divine
03. Burn
04. Retribution
05. Sweet Blood
06. Until Death
07. For The First Time
08. Asleep
09. One By One
10. Eternity
11. Get It All Out
12. Bleed Like Me
13. Release The Hounds
14. This Heart Is About To Be Broken

Commented VIOLENT DIVINE's Gus Divine: "'Release The Hounds' is the perfect
hybrid of the glam vibe from the debut album and the dark, gothic/metal vibe
from the second album 'In Harm's Way'. 'Release The Hounds' is definitely the
first choice to get the party started!"

VIOLENT DIVINE's "Blackheart" video can be viewed below. The song comes off the
band's sophomore album, "In Harm's Way", which was released on January 31, 2009
via Misty Recordings. The CD was mixed and produced by Pontus Norgren, guitarist
of Swedish metal act HAMMERFALL.

Formed in late 2005, VIOLENT DIVINE received critical praise for its 2006 debut
album which spawned three singles: "Rush You", "Let's Go" and "Levitate".

Swedish death metal supergroup BLOODBATH has confirmed its first-ever U.K.
appearance at the 10th-anniversary edition of the Bloodstock festival, set to
take place August 13-15, 2010 at Catton Hall, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. The
band has chosen Bloodstock as its debut U.K. performance, and its only show in
Britain in 2010.

Says guitarist Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström: "A bloodbath over Bloodstock! What
could be a better way to celebrate this mighty festival's 10th year anniversary!
It will be our first time on U.K. soil and it will be happening on Friday the
13th, so it seems we get to kill two birds with one stone!"

BLOODBATH is:

* Mikael Ã…kerfeldt (OPETH) - Vocals
* Martin "Axe" Axenrot (OPETH) - Drums
* Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (KATATONIA) - Guitar
* Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA) - Bass
* Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson (ex-21 LUCIFERS, GENOCRUSH FEROX) â€" Guitar

Other new acts confirmed for Bloodstock are GORGOROTH and BLACK SPIDERS.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

AMORPHIS
ANDROMEDA
BEHEMOTH
BLACK SPIDERS
BLOODBATH
CANNIBAL CORPSE
CHILDREN OF BODOM
DEVIN TOWNSEND
DORO
DREAM EVIL
FEAR FACTORY
GOJIRA
GORGOROTH
GWAR
HEAVEN & HELL
KORPIKLAANI
LEAVES' EYES
OBITUARY
RAGE
ROSS THE BOSS
SONATA ARCTICA
SUFFOCATION

For more information, visit www.bloodstock.uk.com.


------------------------------------

For MetalHeads Who Want To Have there say!
Long Live The Power Of METAL!!!
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HeavyMetalHeaven/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HeavyMetalHeaven/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
HeavyMetalHeaven-digest@yahoogroups.com
HeavyMetalHeaven-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
HeavyMetalHeaven-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

No comments:

Post a Comment