IMPELLITTERI mainman/guitarist Chris Impellitteri has issued the following update:
"First, I want to thank Guitar World magazine for including IMPELLITTERI in their 50 'Fastest Guitarist of All Time' article. That was really nice of them to include me. I am definitely guilty of playing hyper-speed all too often. However, many people tell me I am the guitarist who probably started the craze of hyper-speed shred with the IMPELLITTERI 'Black' EP. (oops — HA!) SHRED ON!!
"Now on to [IMPELLITTERI's] new record titled 'Good and Evil'. The new music is being mixed in Vancouver with Greg Reely (DEVILDRIVER, FEAR FACTORY, etc.). I can say that this is by far the most amazing recording I have been involved with. It is filled with amazing riffs, fast shredding solos, screaming vocals, and of course a brutal rhythm section.
"The goal of this record was to make a historic album that will rival 'Van Halen 1', OZZY's 'Blizzard of Oz', PANTERA's 'Cowboys from Hell', YNGWIE's 'Rising Force', METALLICA's 'Master of Puppets', and even new artists like CHILDREN OF BODOM and AVENGED SEVENFOLD.
"And so, IMPELLITTERI 'Good and Evil' is my attempt to rival the best. Hopefully, we have done our job well!! It was not easy.
"And now for all of the patient fans — Rob Rock [vocals] is officially back in the band."
Hilary Whiteman of CNN reports: It's nothing short of astounding that after thirty years on stage and millions of album sales, IRON MAIDEN's band members enjoy a level of anonymity unheard of in the modern-day music scene.
It helps that they don't court the press and that the only face that has ever appeared on their album covers belongs to "Eddie", a ghoulish figure who started life as a theatrical mask.
"He's the most outrageous and the biggest rock star there's ever been," says IRON MAIDEN's lead singer, Bruce Dickinson.
"And it's great because we don't have to be. We can just concentrate on doing what we do. The truth is we're not actually, any of us, interested in the rock star thing. We're very pleased that the paparazzi find us utterly, utterly uninteresting."
Read the entire article — and check out video footage — from CNN.
According to thinkSPAIN, organizers have been forced to suspend tonight's (May 9) concert at Alicante, Spain bullring by the SCORPIONS due to the recent heavy rains and the threat of further storms.
It is not clear whether the concert will be rescheduled, but the band has said it wishes to thank their fans for their continued support and the many messages of support received since their three-date mini tour of Spain began in Leganés last Wednesday.
After tomorrow's final Spanish performance at the Mediterranean Games Palace in Almería, which is still on at this stage, the legendary German rockers will continue a hectic world tour that will also take them to Poland, UAE, Germany, Finland, USA, Brazil and France before the end of October.
BBC News reports: To mark the release of DEF LEPPARD's new album "Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" — predicted to go Top Five [in the UK] this weekend — just 200 fans got to see them storm through their greatest hits at north London's Islington Academy.
It was a rare opportunity for the audience to eyeball singer Joe Elliott, bassist Rick "Sav" Savage, drummer Rick Allen and guitarists Phil Collen and Viv Campbell, who are more used to playing North American stadium shows.
"There's a certain safety in stadiums," Elliott says.
"With a tiny gig like the one we just did, you can hear everything the audience is saying about you, and you have to watch out where they're putting their beer glasses.
"A couple of times I wanted to lift my mic-stand but I was worried about taking off Sav's head."
Female-fronted Israeli metal stalwarts DISTORTED last month released their second full-length album, "Voices from Within", via Candlelight Records. The follow-up to 2006's "Memorial" was recorded at Underground Studios with producer Pelle Seather and it features guest appearances by Thomas Vikström (THERION, ex-CANDLEMASS), Lisa Johansson (DRACONIAN) and Sven De Caluwe (ABORTED). Sven also created the cover artwork for the record.
According to a press release, "Voices from Within" "easily holds the band's most mature, daring and powerful effort to date. Further exploring their blend of oriental metal with a more modern approach than before, DISTORTED are ready to take the world by storm and show the scene that a female fronted band can at the same time be emotive and delicate, but also intense and brutal. A perfect example of beauty and the beast? You be the judge!"
Vocalist Miri Milman previously stated about the new material: "The new album is going to be a huge leap forward for DISTORTED; everything just fits together. The material is more mature, catchy and intense at the same time whilst keeping the oriental melodies and singing that marked our style before, it just takes it to a whole new level."
A four-and-a-half-minute video clip containing behind-the-scenes footage from the recording sessions for the new album can be viewed below.
Metal Sanaz recently conducted an interview with vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway of UK's NAPALM DEATH at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California.
Watch the five-minute chat below.
NAPALM DEATH's recent six-week North American trek marked the end of the "Smear Campaign" touring cycle. Barney previously stated about the band's upcoming recording plans, " we are finally discussing and planning the nucleus of the next album. Don't have any finished songs yet and not really any lyrics that I want to mention — in case they end up not being used. If this all sounds vague, it doesn't mean that we won't have an album ready to go by August. We don't fuck around when the prospect of progress dawns. I did get a tiny sneak listen of one or two of Shane's [Embury, bass] songs he's working on — and they are crazy chaotic-fast-hardcore-mongous. I think we may also further develop the SWANS-esque/avant garde angle a little more too in places."
German thrashers TANKARD will enter Stage One Studio in Bühne, Germany in August to begin recording their 13th studio album, "Thirst", for a December 19 release via AFM Records.
In other news, TANKARD will contribute a brand new song to the third CD compilation of their beloved football (soccer) team SG Eintracht Frankfurt. This sampler should be out during the fall.
TANKARD last summer released "Best Case Scenario: 25 Years In Beers", a collection of re-recorded versions of the band's biggest "hits" — from "(Empty) Tankard" and "Chemical Invasion" to "The Morning After" and "Space Beer". A special limited first edition included the bonus CD "A Tribute to Tankard", featuring cover versions of 18 TANKARD songs performed by such artists as SACRED STEEL, MANTICORA, ABANDONED, PARADOX, COURAGEOUS and SCORNAGE.
The MetalList webzine has uploaded video footage of TANKARD's performance at the Oktobierfest in Moscow, Russia on October 13, 2007. Watch the clip below.
The second album from the Swedish melodic thrash/death metal band ENEMY IS US, titled "Venomized", will be released on June 10 in the U.S. through Tribunal Records and on June 13 in Europe through Bastardized Recordings. The CD contains 11 tracks co-engineered by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES, SOILWORK). The album was mixed and mastered by the band's bass player Lawrence Mackrory (ex-DARKANE, SCARVE).
Commented the group: "Not a surprising comment, but nonetheless true, 'Venomized' is our best offering yet. However, since it's only our second album, it wasn't really an impossible task to accomplish. We've grown so much as a band these last couple of years and also the addition of our new drummer Olle has made us a stronger, tighter unit. We're so pleased with the way this album turned out. It's very diverse and we think there's a little bit in there for every metalhead. The production is top notch and face-ripping and we simply can't wait for you to hear it."
"Venomized" track listing:
01. Through Vile Black Blood 02. My Cross To Bear 03. Show Me Them Horns 04. Venomized 05. End This Life 06. We Are The Filth 07. Tear This World Apart 08. The Red Inside 09. Carnal Betray 10. At The End Of My Rope 11. Heading Towards The Light
The album cover by Michal Loranc can be viewed at this location. Two tracks from the CD are availabe for streaming on the band's MySpace page.
ENEMY IS US' video for the song "Through Vile Black Blood" can be viewed below.
MOONSTONE PROJECT, the ambitious musical creature of Italian guitarist Matt Filippini, will release the "Hidden In Time" CD later this month on Mausoleum Records. According to a press release, "it's not a brand new studio album but a revamped reissue of the debut album, originally released as 'Time To Take A Stand' back in 2006. That new enhanced edition, with a new title, will also feature brand new artwork by Rainer Kalwitz, already known for his works for Century Media, Metal Blade, Frontiers and more. And apart [from] nine tracks featuring guests like Graham Bonnet, Carmine Appice, Steve Walsh, Eric Bloom, Tony Franklin and more, the new release features three bonus tracks featuring DEEP PURPLE men Ian Paice and Glenn Hughes!"
Filippini says: "It's useless to hide what happened with my old management and old record company. They both contributed to fuck all the things about my first album...so it didn't get the right exposure I think it would deserve! Not to speak about the huge loss of money I had for their faults! And it's a pity 'cuz every day lots of guys write me to ask where to find the album... Luckily enough, my new management did believe in the project and the chance to re-release it again with a brand new package and bonus material. And here it is… while waiting for the new studio album release!"
MOONSTONE PROJECT's as-yet-untitled new studio album will see Matt working alongside his "buddy and co-producer" Alex Del Vecchio on the final sessions before commencing the mixing process in June. A tentative winter release is expected.
Syracuse, New York hard rock band BRAND NEW SIN — which in January parted ways with lead singer Joe Altier — has issued the following update:
"BRAND NEW SIN is back! After almost five months, their hunt for a new vocalist has led them to Joe Sweet from Utica, NY. Joe is the former singer of NINE BALL, which later became NINE STORIES HIGH. Known as the front man of JOMAMA and the FUNKDADDY'S AND JOMAMA and the SOULTRANE, Mr. Sweet is also well known as the organizer of the annual Utica Music Fest, hosting over 150 up-and-coming national music acts. BRAND NEW SIN will debut their new sound at Operation Metal Siege June 14th at Peggy O'Neill's, Coney Island, NY."
BRAND NEW SIN last year parted ways with Century Media Records.
The band's acclaimed album "Tequila" was recorded at Method of Groove studios in Brooklyn with producer Joey Z (LIFE OF AGONY, STEREOMUD). The disc, mastered by the acclaimed George Marino (METALLICA, AC/DC, GUNS N' ROSES) at Sterling Sound, features a guest vocal appearance by Peter Steele (TYPE O NEGATIVE) on the track "Reaper Man". The group also recorded a new version of the entrance theme music for Big Show, the 7-foot, 500-pound ECW wrestler. The theme, "Crank It Up", was first heard on the compilation CD "WWE: Wreckless Intent", which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard chart.
Norwegian melodic black metallers SWORN have been confirmed for the Hole In The Sky festival, set to take place August 27-30 in Bergen, Norway.
The festival billing is shaping up as follows:
3 INCHES OF BLOOD ASPHYX AT THE GATES BEHEMOTH BRUTAL TRUTH CARCASS DEAD TO THIS WORLD DISMEMBER ELEXTRIC WIZARD EXODUS GEHENNA INQUISITION KEEP OF KALESSIN LOBOTOMIZED MESHUGGAH MUNICIPAL WASTE NUCLEAR ASSAULT OLD POSSESSED PRIMORDIAL SADISTIC INTENT STILLBORN SWORN TOXIC HOLOCAUST TYRANT URGEHAL
Randy of SickDrummer.com conducted an interview with Tomas Haake of MESHUGGAH on April 12, 2008 in Denver, Colorado.
Watch the two-part chat below. (Note: Part 1 was originally posted on April 20.)
MESHUGGAH's latest album, "obZen" sold 11,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 59 on The Billboard 200 chart. This is substantially more than the 7,000 first-week total achieved by its predecessor, "Catch 33", which landed at No. 170 on The Billboard 200 chart back in June 2005.
An e-card for "obZen" can be accessed at this location.
Guitar amp company Hughes & Kettner conducted an interview with KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer earlier this week while the band was in Cologne, Germany rehearsing for its current European tour.
Watch the seven-minute chat below.
As previously reported, Tommy Thayer told an Italian radio station on April 16 that the band will perform all songs from its classic "Alive!" release on the European leg of the Alive 35 World Tour.
KISS will wear the "Destroyer" costumes for the trek, which will conclude at the end of June at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium.
According to Make Some Noise, reactivated British extreme legends CARCASS have been confirmed as the headliners of the Witchfest 2008, set to take place September 26-27 in South Africa. More details will be announced on May 15.
CARCASS recently posted a trailer for "The Pathologist's Report" DVD documentary series, which forms the extra bonus material on the reissue of the "Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious" album. Watch it below.
The documentary interviews, filmed in London and Liverpool at the end of 2007, feature the members of CARCASS — Ken Owen, Bill Steer, Jeff Walker and Michael Amott — discussing in-depth the story behind the band's development from gore-soaked grind beginnings to the more refined melodic moments of their later output.
The two and half hours of interviews that comprise "The Pathologist's Report" have been edited into 30-minute mini-documentaries that will be added as bonus material to each of the band's five studio albums. The first release in the series will be "Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious", which came out on April 14 in Europe and is due on May 27 in the U.S. The CD comes housed in a deluxe digipack and the first 5,000 copies come with free band member death scene cards.
Gene Triplett of NewsOK.com recently conducted an interview with original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:
On the possibility of a KISS reunion with him on guitar:
"Uh, I don't see it happening. I never say never, but I just turned 57. I don't see myself getting up onstage with tights on and putting on the makeup and jumpin' around like, you know, a kid again. Because I don't physically think I can do it.
"On the last reunion tour, I saw a couple of videos. I think we looked a little tired, you know? I think it's maybe better to put that segment of KISS to sleep."
On his current solo tour:
"The first show I did in over five years was last year, Halloween, New York City. Played the Hard Rock Café. And I had so much fun doin' that, I booked four more shows on the East Coast at the end of December and then, you know, we put together this real tour."
On his as-yet-untitled new album:
"There's some current songs, some songs I wrote this past year, some songs I wrote as far back as 10, 12 years ago. It's great because I had a lot of different material to choose from. Probably had 20 songs. So I'm gonna pick the best dozen."
On the fact that he no longer harbors any hard feelings toward Gene Simmons or Paul Stanley, despite some harsh words exchanged in the past:
"(KISS) was a big part of my life and, uh, most of the times were good so, you know. I'm just kind of ‘that was then and this is now,' you know? ... The most important thing is, if you're just happy with what you're doin' with your life, that can make things so much better. I'm havin' more fun than I've had in years. I'm doin' it my way."
Fan-filmed video footage of Ace Frehley performing in Mt. Clemens, Michigan on March 9, 2008 can be viewed below (courtesy of "74BlackDiamond74").
Ex-STRATOVARIUS leader and current REVOLUTION RENAISSANCE mastermind Timo Tolkki has posted the following message on his MySpace page:
"Just wanted to let you know, that I will be away for a while. I need to get away from this negative and hate-filled atmosphere of the last days.
"The statement of [Tolkki's former STRATOVARIUS bandmates] Jens [Johansson, keyboards] & co hurt me deeply with its aggressiveness and hate, not to mention the lies they wrote to make it look like totally my fault. I have been very down the last days, so I need some time alone.
"I still cannot believe that it is not possible to go separate ways in a civilized way. My statement was in my opinion like this. From their statement, all I get is this enormous hate and bitterness towards me plus that they made it public, even including figures there. Being accused of being greedy narcisstic Faust by someone I talked on the phone in the last six months countless times laughing like before and making jokes comes as a very heavy blow. I thought Jens was my friend.
"Instead of staying [with] what I considered a very sick band and getting all that money, I decided to start from scratch without anything, even members. And knowing I will have to pay lot of money too from the legal costs, but that was irrelevant at that point, because I gave the management and lawyer all the time I could and 60 days before the release of my new band, I had to come to public about STRATOVARIUS. So the greediness attack comes as a total surprise to me against the facts and also their lies. Mainly about the timings. The idea for RR was born and the contract singned long after October 2007, when I broke STRATOVARIUS.
"Since it really seems that they will continue under the name STRATOVARIUS, that I own and that I have contracts with each of them, I have to of course think what should I do? As clearly as there can't be STRATO without [Timo] Kotipelto [vocals], as clearly there cannot be STRATOVARIUS without me. That was my band totally since around '86, ten years before anyone of these guys joined the band. I think there is something else behind this and I don't believe that they really will continue under that name. That would make them look like they would just want to use the band's name to make money. Why not start from the clean table like me?
"In any case, my first initial thought was to let them use the name, but now I have started to think that since all this hatred is projected to me and the obvious reasons to use the name would be just financial, why should I give it to them? STRATOVARIUS was a band that I controlled in a very similar way than Tuomas of NIGHTWISH up until I got very sick in 2004. The things started to be taken away from my control and that lead actually to the demise of the band. Do you think NIGHTWISH could exist without its soul? I suppose it could, but again what would be any other point, than capitalize the name?
"With these thoughts I leave you now for some time and come back with a bit more clear head.
"Thank you for your support and take care of yourselves."
John DeBella of the Philadelphia classic rock station 102.9 WMGK recently conducted an interview with AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson. Listen to the 10-minute chat below (courtesy of "Neinbull").
Johnson recently revealed that AC/DC has finished recording its new studio effort — which was described by the singer as "absolutely excellent" — with plans to release it in late 2008. Brian added that guitarist Angus and Malcolm Young were still at the studio in Vancouver, Canada to supervise the mix with producers Brendan O'Brien and Mike Fraser. Johnson also said in the interview that the band will tour in support of the disc.
According to Reuters, the new album will be AC/DC's first for Sony BMG's Epic Records label, which reissued the band's back catalog a few years ago.
O'Brien is also known for his work with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, PEARL JAM, AUDIOSLAVE and VELVET REVOLVER, among others.
VH1 Classic host Eddie Trunk recently revealed on his New York radio show that AC/DC was rumored to be planning a "farewell" tour for later in the year.
"Totally Baked", a "stoner comedy" on which Brian Johnson is listed as an executive producer, debuted on DVD last month. Johnson also wrote three new songs for the movie's soundtrack.
Swedish experimental extreme metallers MESHUGGAH will tour Australia in October. So far only one date has been revealed: October 15 at Palace Theatre in Melbourne. Tickets for the show go on sale on Friday, May 23.
A trailer for MESHUGGAH's video for the song "Bleed" can be viewed below. The clip was produced by Ian McFarland and was written, directed and edited by Mike Pecci and Ian McFarland.
"Bleed" comes off MESHUGGAH's latest album, "obZen", which sold 11,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 59 on The Billboard 200 chart. This is substantially more than the 7,000 first-week total achieved by its predecessor, "Catch 33", which landed at No. 170 on The Billboard 200 chart back in June 2005.
In a recent interview with Gravemusic.com, MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake stated about "Bleed", "The reason I am most proud of [that track] is that for all of us, now that we are performing it live, some nights it doesn't quite work all the way but we make it work. It's getting better by the day though. It was a big effort for me to learn, I had to find a totally new approach to playing the double bass drums to be able to do that stuff. I had never really done anything like that before like the fast bursts that go all the way through the song basically. So I actually spent as much time practicing that track alone as I did with all of the other tracks combined. It's kind of a big feat to change your approach like that and I'm glad we were able to nail it for the album. For a while threw we didn't even know if it was going to make it to the album."
An e-card for "obZen" can be accessed at this location.
Marin Independent Journal reports: The live auction at the Oak Hill School fundraiser was running late, delaying the start of a comedy set by Dana Carvey and Robin Williams, so Marin rock star Sammy Hagar decided to get it over with in a hurry.
He and his friend, the longhaired, bearded venture capitalist Larry Goldfarb, agreed to put up $50,000 each to buy out the entire auction, raising quick money for the Marin City school that serves autistic children.
"It wasn't showing off. I just got caught up in the moment," Hagar explained. "Autism gets very little attention, and I had just been made aware of the fact that it's controllable and treatable through good teachers and good programs. I thought, 'How wonderful.' I just got caught up in all that."
German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have cancelled their May 10 appearance at the Rockfest in Kurim, Czech Republic after the group's vocalist, Ralf Scheepers, was taken ill.
Scheepers' official statement on the matter reads as follows:
"To all fans in the Czech Republic who wanted to visit the festival in Kurim this Saturday: I am very sorry to tell you that I am very ill these days. PRIMAL FEAR can't do this gig.
"Everyone who knows me also knows that I am never bullshitting about this topic and you all know that I sing when ever I can even if it's hard. But this time I can't even speak anymore and the doctor said that I should shut my mouth for 10 days otherwise I will destroy my voice forever!
"As you all know, we had a short nine days in a row tour which is usually no problem for me. But this time I sung the last three shows with a bad cold and I absolutely overstrained my vocal cords with that.
"Once again, I'm very sorry for the guys in the band and of course YOU!"
PRIMAL FEAR has set "16.6" as the working title of the follow-up to last year's "New Religion" album. The CD will be recorded in November/December 2008 for a tentative early 2009 release via Frontiers Records.
"New Religion" last year landed on the Swedish chart at No. 67. It also entered the German chart at No. 60.
The CD was released in the U.S. on January 29 via Locomotive/Ryko. Guest musicians on the album include Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, ex-HELLOWEEN) and Simone Simons (EPICA).
Fan-filmed video footage of PRIMAL FEAR's May 2, 2008 concert at Biebob in Vosselaar, Belgium can be viewed below (courtesy of "Ponch06").
Southern California-based female-fronted band IN THIS MOMENT has tapped Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE's "Black Rain") to produce its sophomore album, tentatively due late 2008/early 2009 via Century Media Records. Among the tracks set to appear on the CD is "Forever", which the band recently recorded with Churko at the helm.
IN THIS MOMENT is represented by Mercenary Management, which is headed up by OZZY OSBOURNE/ex-ROB ZOMBIE bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson.
IN THIS MOMENT was featured on the March 7 episode of "Talking Metal on Fuse", performing a cover version of PANTERA's "I'm Broken" with hosts Mark Strigl and John Ostronomy.
The band played a free, Monster Energy-sponsored concert on March 15 at Red 7 (Patio Stage) in Austin, Texas (during the South by Southwest music and media conference). Photos of the show are available on the group's MySpace page (free registration required to view pictures).
IN THIS MOMENT kicked off the New Year with its first morning television performance on Fox-25 TV in Boston, Massachusetts. The appearance featured a live, acoustic rendition of the hit Active Rock single "Beautiful Tragedy" and "Legacy of Odio". Click here to check it out.
F5 — the Phoenix-based band featuring former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, ex-SICK SPEED vocalist Dale Steele, guitarists Steve Conley and John Davis, and ex-MEGADETH drummer Jimmy DeGrasso — will perform at The Sets in Tempe, Arizona on June 13.
F5's sophomore album, "The Reckoning", is due later in the year through OarFin Distribution. The follow-up to 2005's "A Drug for All Seasons" was produced by Ryan Greene at his Crush Recording facility in Scottsdale, Arizona.
F5 called in Ellefson's longtime rhythm section cohort Jimmy DeGrasso to play drums on the album following the recent departure of original F5 drummer Dave Small.
"A Drug for all Seasons" was released in North America in September 2005 via Cleopatra Records. The original version of "A Drug for all Seasons" is also available in Asia on JVC Victor Entertainment and in Europe on Mascot Records.
F5 headlined the first Rage Brigade music festival on April 19 at Club Red in Tempe, Arizona. Fan-filmed video footage from the concert can be viewed below.
Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA will take part in a special concert dubbed "Classical Conspiracy" on June 14 at the Miskolc International Opera Festival in Hungary. The band will perform classical pieces from Mozart, Dvorak, Verdi, Orff, Prokofiev, Grieg, Vivaldi as well as symphonic versions of its own songs.
Video footage of the orchestra rehearsing the songs "Cry for the Moon" and "Quietus" can be viewed below.
EPICA keyboardist Coen Janssen recently stated about the process of scoring the orchestra and the choir, "Maybe this sounds a bit disappointing, but scoring the orchestra and choir isn't that much of a creative proces. You just try to translate parts that have already been written into sheet music so that other people can play it. But I'll try to explain as much as possible. Because we make orchestral music, it is necessary to have an orchestra on our songs. However recording a real orchestra has been too expensive up untill now. Therefore we mainly use MIDI and samples. In the studio we had Miro (one of our producers) doing our orchestrations. He knows best how to do it and he has all the new and good-sounding sample libraries which makes the best result in the end. We already had those MIDI files so that's where the work starts. First of all, you have to quantize the tracks. Samples can react different which each instrument which results in unreadable scores, so you have to "straighten" the notes which is called quantizing. After that I send the quantized songs (with all tracks) to Oliver Palotai. He does the real work. He will put all the tracks to sheet music and he will add the dynamics and all other information it needs. When he is done, he sends it to Miskolc and they print it out. For the choirs this almost works the same. Because we already recorded the choirs live, we have all the scores already. However, sometimes I play some sampled choirs during the live-gigs. We wanted the choir to do those parts as well. That basically meant that I had to do all scores all over again. I wrote down the parts in MIDI, then I added the parts from the recordings and then I turn them into sheet music. This all seems not that hard, but to give you an idea: Oliver and I have been working on this for two months already."
Finnish "fantasy metal" band BATTLELORE has scheduled the following dates:
May 10 - Leipzig, Germany - Wave Gotik Treffen Jun. 12 - Jyväskylä, Finland - Sataman Yö Jun. 27 - Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi Aug. 02 - Kuusankoski, Finland - Joenrantarock Sep. 11 - Lappeenranta, Finland - Kivimetsän Druidi Dec. 5-7 - North Wales, UK - Hard Rock Hell II Festival (at Prestatyn Sands)
BATTLELORE will be utilizing the services of drummer Enrico Annus (ELDERTHRONES, KHERT-NETER) for the upcoming dates because the group's regular skinsman, Henri Vahvanen, "is going on vacation and won't be able to play all of BATTLELORE's shows this summer," according to a posting on the band's web site.
BATTLELORE recently entered Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland, with producer Janne Saksa to begin recording its fifth album, tentatively titled "The Last Alliance". The CD will be mixed and mastered by the Swedish multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, NIGHTINGALE, ex-BLOODBATH). Songtitles set to appear on the album include "The Last Alliance", "Exile The Daystar", "Daughter Of The Sun", "Third Immortal" and "Voice Of The Fallen".
BATTLELORE released its fourth CD, "Evernight", in North America on March 13, 2007 via Napalm Records.
Dutch/Slovenian brutal death metal band SUPREME PAIN has posted two songs from its debut album, "Cadaver Pleasures", on the group's MySpace page. Check out the tracks "Cadaver Pleasures" and "Drowned in Hate" at this location.
"Cadaver Pleasures" was released on April 15 via the U.S. label Comatose Music. The drums for the CD were recorded at the Negligence Sound Studio in Slovenia, guitars and vocals at the Garden Shed Of Horror in The Netherlands. Mixing took place at Excess Studio in The Netherlands by Chris van der Valk and the album was mastered by Bob Moore at the Sound Lab Studios in the U.S.
According to the group, "the result is sick, crushing and blasting death metal."
01. Blood of the Chosen 02. Drowned in Hate 03. Souleater 04. Cadaver Pleasures 05. Room of Stench 06. Flesh Collector 07. Lifeless Skin and Bones 08. Visions of Tyranny
SUPREME PAIN's lineup is as follows:
Aad Kloosterwaard (SINISTER, INFINITED HATE) - Vokills Erwin Harreman - Guitar/Bass Bas Brussaard (FONDLECORPSE) - Guitar Robert Kovacic (SCAFFOLD) – Drums
Carl Forgues, host of the Quebec, Canada metal heavy metal radio show "metal7080", conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton on May 7. Tipton talks about the band's upcoming album, "Nostradamus", his guitar playing, and the former longtime PRIEST producer Tom Allom, among other subjects.
Listen to the 10-minute chat below.
JUDAS PRIEST will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline", hosted by Bob Coburn, on Monday, July 21 at 11:30 p.m. EST/8:30 p.m. PST. Fans can talk live with JUDAS PRIEST by calling 800-344-ROCK (7625). To find a station near you or to listen to the show live via the Internet, go to www.rocklineradio.com.
D.X. Ferris of the Cleveland Scene recently spoke to Jason "J" Popson (MUSHROOMHEAD, IN COLD BLOOD, Fractured Transmitter Records) and drummer Gene Hoglan (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEATH, DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT) about their new collaborative project, PITCH BLACK FORECAST (formerly ABSENTEE).
"I always wanted a record of everything I liked about metal," Popson said. "I grew up listening to metal and even death metal. But I never dug the cartoony evil and the blood and horror of the genre. I wanted to make music that sounded like that, but had something to say — something more human. What I liked about hardcore was that it was something people could relate to."
Popson first met Hoglan when the former MUSHROOMHEAD singer was touring with MESHUGGAH as the Swedish band's "merch guy." STRAPPING YOUNG LAD was also on that tour. For weeks, Gene knew Popson as simply J the T-Shirt Dude.
"He was just a cool guy," recalled Hoglan. "He never brought up [his band] once. And one of my dudes brought it up, like, 'That guy's in MUSHROOMHEAD.' Like, no shit? Later, [Popson] said, 'I'd like to get you to do a song or two on this project.' And I always wanted to do it, because I dug J."
Austrian dark/avantgarde/black metallers DORNENREICH will hit the road in Europe for several shows with special guest Devon Graves (DEADSOUL TRIBE, ex-PSYCHOTIC WALTZ). Additional dates in September/October will include LEAFBLADE. DORNENREICH's set will include "specially arranged songs from the band's twelve-year-history of artistic expression," according to a press release. "Via guitar, violin, percussion and voice DORNENREICH will present their individual artistic vision being intense, timeless and deeply mystic."
DORNENREICH with DEVON GRAVES*:
May 21 - D - Dewangen @ Josefle * May 22 - A - Wien @ Viper Room * May 23 - D - Dettelbach @ Rockmania Festival May 24 - A - Innsbruck @ Treibhaus * May 25 - IT - Bologna @ Dark Folk Fest Festival
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