Deicide Australian Tour April 2009

After issues with promoters earlier this year, and a canceled Australian tour for 2008, Florida-based death metal veterans DEICIDE have scheduled the following dates in Australia and New Zealand for 2009!

April 04 - Transmission Room - Auckland, NZ
April 05 - QUT Guild Bar - Brisbane, AUS
April 06 - The Corner Hotel - Melbourne, AUS
April 07 - The Manning Bar - Sydney, AUS
April 08 - Capitol - Perth, AUS

Make sure you get out to one of the following shows!

Live Review - Slipknot at Sheffield Arena - 12/12/08

Children of Bodom:

With an unfortunately limited 35-minute set tonight, we’re only treated to small fraction of the Children of Bodom live experience which is a shame because their mix of thrash, power and extreme metal is pretty unparalleled in the music world at the moment. Alexi Laiho and co. are particularly unique and songs like ‘Angel’s Don’t Kill’ and ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’ are certified head-bangers and although they have their work cut out getting a crowd moving at 7pm, for the most part, they manage just fine. The only minor gripe however is Alexi’s frontman skills. Hopefully, he will eventually drop the excessive use of the f-word as it begins to lose its intended effect when used 10 times in one sentence.

Setlist:

Hellhounds On My Trail

In Your Face

Blooddrunk

Angels Don’t Kill

Hate Me

Hate Crew Deathroll

Downfall

Machine Head:

Once the houselights descend for the second time tonight, a deafening chant of ‘Machine F-In Head’ roars through the arena and the band open with ‘Clenching The Fist Of Dissent’ from last year’s much hailed ‘The Blackening’. While the album was no doubt Machine Head’s finest hour to date musically, live the songs tend to drag on a little too long for those of us who became used to Machine Head rocking us with anthems like ‘Take My Scars’, ‘Ten Ton Hammer’, ‘From This Day’ and ‘Blood, Sweat, Tears’. Sadly, songs such as these are dropped tonight in favour of the newer material that allow Rob Flynn and co. to show off their instrumental wizadry, despite the fact that since the album came out, the set has been pretty much the same. With fifteen minutes more allotted to Machine Head than Children Of Bodom, they still only manage to fit in the same amount of songs which gives you an idea of how long some of these behemoths drag on for. And in much the same vein as Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho, Robb Flynn really is too old to be using the f-word quite so excessively as, just like with Alexi, it becomes devoid of any intended effect (oh and Robb, you like circle pits, we get it). With only around 50 minutes allotted to them at last year’s Download Festival, the Black Crusade tour, this tour and no doubt the same amount of time in February when they return to support Metallica, there’s something unappealing about having to sit through the same setlist, again, for the fourth time in two years. Don’t get me wrong, Machine Head never put on a bad show and they certainly have more about them than 99% of what passes for metal these days, and I can imagine that those seeing Machine Head for the first time tonight would not have left disappointed but I hope they soon take their own advice and “bite the bullet” by playing full shows in smaller venues. Unfortunately, Machine Head’s set had to be cut short by one song tonight as guitarist Phil Demmel collapsed during ‘Halo’ and had to be carried off stage by his bandmates – thankfully, the crowd was later informed by Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor that Demmel was ok and would be fine.
Setlist:

Clenching The Fist Of Dissent

Imperium

Beautiful Morning

Aesthetics Of Hate

Old

Halo

Slipknot:

Unlike Machine Head, the headliners tonight never had to worry about treating us to a familiar setlist, or about an over-saturated presence in the UK in the last few years as the anticipation of the crowd tonight is at fever pitch. Slipknot have not played on these shores since the 2005 Download Festival and their cancelled appearances at Reading and Leeds this year only served to heighten the anticipation of tonight’s crowd. The band start as they mean to go on, opening with ‘Surfacing’ which tonight comes across a statement of intent – that Slipknot are back to claim their throne and lay all the young pretenders to waste. Frontman Corey Taylor confesses that the band are tired after such a long tour which can only mean that tonight’s furious performance is the result of a band running on adrenaline because you seriously can’t tell, with everyone in the band giving their all to a crowd that have been waiting far too long for their heroes to return.

Despite sporting a new mask that makes him look slightly like the Hitcher from the Mighty Boosh, Taylor is attired not in a boiler suit but in a Slipknot jacket, jeans and converse trainers – this is not the Slipknot of old and the band know that re-invention is the key to a successful career and the contrast in their musical extremes is evident in what can only be described as a surprising setlist. Instead of ‘Wait and Bleed’ and ‘Left Behind’, we are treated to oldies that some (the band including) may have thought were buried forever such as ‘Prosthetics’ and a ferocious run-through of ‘Get This’. But there are still plenty of anthems to get the crowd jumping and tracks like ‘Before I Forget’, ‘Duality’ and ‘The Heretic Anthem’ nearly take the roof off the place, not to mention the ever popular JTFU moment in ‘Spit It Out’ and dance-floor friendly number ‘Psychosocial’ both of which make the crowd go truly mental. And if anyone ever doubted Slipknot’s heaviness, they encore not with the songs most people expect, but with the brutal ‘People = Shit’ and ‘(sic)’, the latter complete with a revolving, almost upside-down drum solo from Joey Jordison that would make Tommy Lee wet his pants.

Slipknot will always have their naysayers that dismiss them for the masks, or their popularity, or for the fact that Corey occasionally likes to broaden the band’s musical horizons by actually singing, but tonight, naysayers be damned. Just witness Mick Thompson’s piercing solos, Joey Jordison’s blistering drumbeats or Corey Taylor’s call-to-arms style of whipping up a crowd and tell me this isn’t metal. In fact, never mind that, there are times when Slipknot are more of an extreme metal band than any of the one-dimensional Terrorizor crowd you care to name. But they’re popular, loved by kids and adults alike and are playing in an arena with pyrotechnics so of course that will never be metal to some. To the rest of us that don’t live by some self-imposed imaginary rulebook, Slipknot are one of the best live acts around and to miss them when they’re sure to come back next year would be to miss out.
Setlist:

Surfacing

The Blister Exists

Get This

Before I Forget

Liberate

Disasterpiece

Dead Memories

Psychosocial

The Heretic Anthem

Prosthetics

Spit It Out

Duality

Only One

Encore:

People=Shit

(Sic)

Live Review - The Wildhearts at Manchester Academy 2 - 7/12/08

Tragedy

There are some things you never think you’re going to see. And I bet that a glam-metal, Bee-Gees tribute band is probably on most people’s list. However, assumptions be damned because this is exactly the band that is chosen to open for The Wildhearts on this UK tour and Tragedy are the perfect example of Ginger’s quirky sense of humour. Put their awesomely titled debut ‘We Rock Sweet Balls And Can Do No Wrong’ onto your iTunes and you’ll see that the songs are categorised as ‘unclassifiable’ which is probably the best description one could give a band like this. On paper, this shouldn’t work but with a little suspension of disbelief, it’s impossible not to come away from Tragedy’s performance without a huge grin on your face. While it’s certainly doubtful that this current gimmick will lend itself to a long-term career, Tragedy are funny as hell and they put a much-needed smile on everyone’s face and that’s perfectly fine for now.

The Wildhearts

Fresh from playing their fantastic debut album ‘Earth VS…’ in its entirety at a special 15th anniversary show in London (why wasn’t the show up north?), The Wildhearts seem like a band reborn tonight. From the moment they hit the stage and burst into ‘Vanilla Radio’, the entire place is jumping to one feel-good, pop-rock anthem after another as the best British band to emerge in the last 15 years rips it up old-school style. The show has a real stripped-down feel to it – gone is the sparkly, fairy-light backdrop that accompanied their show in this very same venue almost one year ago and what we’re left with tonight is four guys playing some damn fine rock n roll that the guys can bang their heads to and that the girls can shake their asses to – what more could you want? (Apart from sequin costumes and glam-metal Bee-Gees covers of course).

Although airing just one track from their recent covers album ‘Stop Us If You’ve Heard This One Before’, it’s a special occasion as Ian McNabb comes on to provide guest vocals on ‘Understanding Jane’ and it becomes obvious why Ginger calls it ‘one his favourite songs of all time’ as it could easily have been written by the man himself – the sort of great, self-deprecating story about the mysterious wonders of the fairer sex that Ginger often does so well. After that we’re hit with several of the more short, sharp and fast Wildhearts songs such as ‘Suckerpunch’, ‘Caffeine Bomb’, the brilliant ‘My Baby Is A Headfuck’ and the rarely heard gem ‘Red Light/Green Light’ (preceded by a hilarious rendition of ‘Lonely This Xmas’ by Ginger). All of these go down a storm of course but it’s the seemingly extra amount of intensity that these songs (and indeed the whole set to be honest) are played with that really grabs your attention – there’s no hint of routine here, Ginger’s off-the-cuff humour is as entertaining as ever and the band seem to be enjoying it so much that its impossible to tell which night of the tour this actually is as they give nothing but 100% for the whole 90 minutes.

It seems like after their triumphant set at the Download Festival and their life-affirming 15th anniversary show in London that The Wildhearts have found a new lease of life and after a short break, the band return to the stage to play other seldom-heard greats such as ‘Caprice’ alongside fan-favourites like ‘Top Of The World’ and of course the rousing set-closer ‘I Wanna Go…’. But it’s after the unprompted mass sing-along that accompanies ‘Geordie In Wonderland’ that Ginger sums it up best by declaring that he wouldn’t want to be in any other band because he wouldn’t want any other audience. The crowd certainly let him know that the feeling is more than mutual and while The Wildhearts may never get the props they really deserve, it doesn’t matter because neither the band nor the fans care when the shows are this good.

Setlist:

Vanilla Radio

Someone That Won’t Let Me Go

Everlone

Understanding Jane (feat. Ian McNabb)

The Revolution Will Be Televised

Suckerpunch

Sick Of Drugs

Caffeine Bomb

My Baby Is A Headfuck

Lonely This Xmas/Red Light, Green Light

Encore1:

Geordie In Wonderland

Nothing Ever Changes

Top Of The World

Caprice

Rooting For The Bad Guy

Gettin’ It

Encore2:

I Wanna Go Where The People Go.

Satyricon Australian Tour 2009

Norway's Satyricon officially announce their triumphant return to Australia in March 2009! With one of the most infamous and beguiling shows on offer, these shows will sell fast. Don't miss your chance to see Norway's most notorious metal export.

Catch Satyricon at one of these venues in March.
Friday 20th - The Arena, Brisbane www.ticketek.com.au or 132 849 & www.oztix.com

Saturday 21st - Manning Bar, Sydney www.ticketek.com.au or ph 132 849 www.moshtix.com.au & www.custommade.com.au

Sunday 22nd - Billboard The Venue, Melbourne www.ticketek.com.au or ph 132 849 or www.moshtix.com.au and www.billboardthevenue.com.au

Monday 24th - The Capitol, Perth www.heatseeker.com.au & www.moshtix.com.au or Mills, Star Surf

Phil Demmel Collapses onstage & MH cancel next 2 dates

Phil Demmel, Guitarist with Machine Head collapsed onstage during the end of the bands set in Sheffield. This news was posted on the bands official site on the same day.

Phil Demmel did indeed collapse onstage during Machine Head's second-to-last song Friday night in Sheffield, England. Says singer Robb Flynn, "He's doing much better now and taking it easy. As Phil has mentioned before, the doctors say he suffers from episodes of Cardiogenic Syncope and has for the last 17 years or so. We're all a little worried here in our camp, but Phil genuinely wants to carry on. It is a bit unclear to us as to why these keep happening, but at Phil's request, we will finish out all these dates through to Metallica in L.A.". Machine Head wish to extend our gratitude to the good people of Sheffield for their support and for being so understanding at the end of our show. Machine Head are still set to perform with Demmel at the last 2 remaining
stops in Antwerp and Luxembourg.

This is the second onstage incident in the past year that has caused worry within the Machine Head Camp. Causing the band to cancel the next 2 shows of the tour. Adam Duce, Machine Head Bassist, has posted the following on the bands official site:

After considering the seriousness of Phil's health condition, we all feel that skipping these last two shows is the best thing to do. It's a bummer to end this tour like this after doing 9 amazing weeks and 3 continents with Slipknot, but getting Phil back to the States to get checked out is the most important thing right now. Our sincerest thanks to Slipknot and Children of Bodom for their support and understanding, we understand that it's a big disappointment to the fans, and Phil is very sorry about it, but we all feel that his health and safety is most important at this time.

For more info and updates visit: Machinehead1.com

Cradle of Filth - Godspeed on the Devil Down Under Australian tour

Just Say rock release:
Just Say Rock Productions, together with Roadrunner Records Australia, proudly presents Cradle of Filth - Godspeed on the Devil Down Under Australian tour – in May 2009.

Conspicuously missing from our shores since 2000’s Midian tour, the highly successful extreme metal innovators from Suffolk, England will deliver their full theatrical rock show to Australian audiences who have been kept waiting in the depths of murky darkness for ‘ages’.

Touring on the back of their highly successful 8th album, Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder (through Roadrunner), Cradle of Filth’s lavish musical arrangements and uncompromising persona are equally matched by a thrilling and dramatic live show.

A limited number of exclusive advance tickets are now on sale and available through www.justsayrock.com.au but dare we say, get in early because this is a tour that will unquestionably sell out!!!

Cradle of Filth - Godspeed on the Devil Down Under Australian tour. It’s one date with the devil that you don’t want to miss. You’ll be damned if you do…and if you don’t.


Australian Tour Dates 2009

PERTH
Friday 22 May – Metro City
146 Roe Street, Northbridge - 08 9228 0500

ADELAIDE
Sunday 24 May - Thebarton Theatre
112 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville - 08 8443 5255

MELBOURNE
Tuesday 26 May –Palace Theatre
20 Bourke St, Melbourne – 03 9650 0180

SYDNEY
Thursday 28 May – The Metro
624 George Street, Sydney - (02) 9287 2000

BRISBANE
Sunday 31 May – The Arena
210 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley - 07 3252 5690

Australian Summer Slaughter Tour

Necrophagist, Dying Fetus and Aborted will be touring Australia in March 2009 for a Summer Slaughter Tour thanks to Soundworks Touring. Also joining them for national support slots are Melbourne’s The Red Shore and The Faceless. Tickets are already on sale.

March 13 - The Manning Bar, Sydney
March 14 - The Red Room, Brisbane
March 15 - Fowlers Live, Adelaide
March 16 - Club Capitol, Perth (18+)
March 17 - The Corner Hotel, Melbourne (18+)

Whitechapel Australian tour

Formed in February 2006 Whitechapel seamlessly meld death metal, grind, and hardcore to create a blistering brand of modern death metal that leaves fans no other choice but to throw themselves into an uncontrollable frenzy.
Whitechapel stands out in today's overcrowded metal scene due in part to their ability to fuse memorable and even groovy riffs with crushing breakdowns, tremolo picking at neck breaking speeds, and incredibly evil and dissonant sounds. Their songs demand repeated listens and gang vocals at shows are common place. Metal Maniacs even took note of the band's unique approach to metal guitars and their incredible work ethic. "A noted characteristic is Whitechapel's three guitar assault; without a doubt an impressive apocalyptic sound. Propelled by the band's DIY ethics, Whitechapel is a driving force that will continue to grow through hard work and determination."
This is a band that is true to their music and honest in their delivery. They refuse to be ignored and will continue to bring their crushing metal to show after show until metal heads worldwide have experienced the manic intensity that is Whitechapel! The bands Metal Blade Records debut This is Exile is out now.

Whitechapel smash Australia for the first time with an amazing 13 shows covering all the major cities & many regional areas. With most shows catering for the all ages market, there is no reason for any metal fan in this country to miss out on the aurally assaulting experience that Whitechapel deliver.

Bring in the new year with a real bang & witness the new force of modern death!

January 6 - Brisbane - Guild Bar
January 7 - Gold Coast - Logan Ent. Centre
January 8 - Sydney - Manning Bar
January 9 - Wagga Wagga - The Basement
January 10 - Canberra - The Basement
January 11 - Geelong - The National Hotel
January 12 - Ballarat - The Bended Elbow
January 13 - Melbourne - The Corner Hotel (early show)
January 13 - Melbourne - The Corner Hotel
January 14 - Mt. Gambier - The Old Jail
January 15 - Adelaide - Fowlers Live
January 16 - Perth - Amplifier Bar
January 17 - Perth - YMCA HQ Skatepark

Supported by Psycroptic and Dyscord Nationally, with extra local supports at each show.

Amon Amarth confirmed for BOA 2009!

Swedish viking/death metallers Amon Amarth have been confirmed for Bloodstock Open Air, set to take place on 14-16th August 2009 at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, UK. The line-up is now shaping up as follows:

Friday 14th August:

Amon Amarth

Katatonia
Sabaton

Saturday 15th August:
Candlemass

Die Apokalyptischen Reiter

Satyricon

Turisas

Wintersun

Sunday 16th August:

Saxon

The Haunted

Live Review - Korpiklaani at Leeds Rio's 5/12/08

It takes a certain kind of band to play at the same venue three times in the space of one year and still draw a packed crowd – and Korpiklaani are one such band. They never fail to disappoint and are one of, if not the, most entertaining bands on the live circuit right now. After 3 support bands, Korpiklaani don’t actually take the stage until gone 10.30pm and the crowd have been in the venue drinking since 7pm (some clearly for longer than that) so everyone is clearly in the mood for some folk-metal jigging and from the opening notes of ‘Wooden Pints’ the floor doesn’t stop moving all the way through the set. Not many bands can get a crowd dancing and moving like Korpiklaani – their anthems to beer, forests and a pagan culture long-shared between the UK and the Scandinavians (but sadly long forgotten here in Britain) just force you to wave your limbs around and dance like a fool without a care in the world, and in such unstable times, there’s something incredibly appealing about that.
Nobody comes to a Korpiklaani show to stand still and hear songs that make you ponder all of life’s worries, if you do, then you’re at the wrong gig. No, everyone hear is in the mood for a good time and Korpiklaani deliver, as they always do, with their accordion and fiddle-tinged brand of folk-metal that is currently at an unprecedented height of popularity, particularly in the UK. The aforementioned ‘Wooden Pints’, along with good-time anthems like ‘Journey Man’, ‘Let’s Drink’ and ‘Happy Little Boozer’ bring the house down, but it’s a rousing finale of ‘Beer Beer’, complete with a stage invasion from the other bands on the bill (courtesy of the fact that it’s the last night of the tour) that really epitomises what Korpiklaani are all about – drinking, dancing and having fun. And to those who would sneer at Korpiklaani and the rest of the seemingly never ending collection of folk/battle/power metal bands emerging in the last few years as being ‘cheesy’ or ‘gimmicky’ miss the point entirely. Yes, Korpiklaani are probably the best of the bunch and many others (including tonight’s support acts) have a long way to go to catch them but what all of these bands epitomise is a simpler time, and one that, by the looks of it, was a whole lot more fun than what the 21st century has offered us so far and they’re contributions to bringing the happy element back to metal shows should be applauded and not casually overlooked. Thanks to bands like Korpiklaani, it’s now ok to have fun at metal gigs again and what can be wrong about that? After tonight, you can keep your ‘original’ or ‘technical’ bands because, for £15, many of us want to drink and dance to some actual songs and there’s no better soundtrack than Korpiklaani. Forget all the depressing ‘credit crunch’ rubbish and go see Korpiklaani and put a smile back on your face again – go on, you know you’ve wanted to for ages and remember, it’s now perfectly OK!

Live Review - Clutch at Leeds Cockpit 4/12/08

Gentleman’s Pistols
The support tonight comes from local lads Gentleman’s Pistols who live (literally) round the corner from the venue. It doesn’t take long to see why these guys are loved by record-label guru and Cathedral frontman Lee Dorrian as their mixture of stoner-rock groove and 70’s rock a la Free goes down an absolute treat tonight. Tracks like ‘Lady’ and ‘Widowmaker’ have the sort of bottom-end groove that would give the headliners tonight a run for their money. Album no. 2 is eagerly awaited, lads.

Clutch
Well, Gentleman’s Pistols would’ve given the headliners a run for their money if Clutch weren’t one of the best live bands around today (and for the last several years). Though perhaps not the best time I’ve seen them, Clutch even at 95% are still leagues ahead of many of their peers and the reason this band are not far bigger than they are becomes even more mind-boggling. This band are not capable of playing a bad gig and singer Neil Fallon is in top-form and a serious contender for the best frontman award (if such a thing existed), his performance being almost preacher-like.
Unlike many bands, Clutch constantly change their setlist so you can see them on a regular basis and never get bored (take note, Machine Head) so of course, there’s always songs you wished they’d played and tonight we don’t get the awesome ‘Careful With That Mic’ or ‘10001110101’, but we are treated to such gems as ‘Texan Book Of The Dead’ and ‘Shogun Named Marcus’ alongside Clutch classics like ‘Cypress Grove’, ‘Burning Beard’ and of course, ‘The Mob Goes Wild’ which nearly takes the roof off the place and has lost none of its resonance, despite George W. Bush’s days being numbered. Forever the underdogs, long may Clutch continue not to care, and neither will we.

Live Review - Power Quest at Wakefield Strafford Arms 2/12/08

You’ve got to feel for Power Quest really. Given that they emerged around the same time as Dragonforce and that they are certainly no strangers to each other (keyboardist Steve Williams having played in Dragonheart – an early version of the band that was to become Dragonforce – and current ‘Force guitarist Sam Totman having played on Power Quest’s debut album are just two examples), it’s a bit disappointing that while Dragonforce have gone on to achieve world-beating status, Power Quest are still plugging away on the pub circuit. This is even more disappointing when you witness just how good Power Quest are live and the realisation that they are actually more musically diverse than their dragon-loving buddies sets in. The band are all great players with Steve’s keyboard skills rivalling that of a certain Ukrainian gentleman and singer Alessio’s voice reaching notes you would doubt the existence of. Unfortunately the Power Quest experience is hampered tonight by the fact they’re playing in an uncomfortably tiny venue and that said venue have seen fit to employ one of the worst soundmen to ever sit behind a desk – if this guy isn’t out of a job by the end of the night, there’s something seriously wrong – and a collection of Wakefield kids up past their bedtime who clearly don’t know the first thing about the etiquette of mosh-pitting.
Despite these problems however, Power Quest manage to deliver a quality performance. Songs like ‘Wings of Forever’, ‘Far Away’, ‘Edge of Time’ and ‘Find My Heaven’ are anthems that should be belted out in arenas, not your local watering hole but alas, maybe this is part of the appeal of a band like Power Quest – that you can go see them with 100 or so of your metal brethren and leave pleased in the knowledge that everyone else is missing out and that you’ve just been privileged to a performance not many get to see. However, for Power Quest’s sake, hopefully this will change as I’m sure we the enlightened few would gladly trade that status for the further success of one of the UK’s best, and most unsung, bands.

Hellfest 2009 - First Announcement

MANOWAR and HEAVEN & HELL have been confirmed as 2 of the 3 headliners for Hellfest 2009, due to take place from 19-21 June 2009 in Clisson, France. Other names announced include Anthrax, Amon Amarth, Stratovarius, Sacred Reich, The Misfits, Destruction, Devil Driver, Epica, Gorgoroth, Enslaved, Napalm Death, Cathedral, Backyard Babies, Entombed, God Forbid, Electric Wizard, Grand Magus, Orange Goblin, Holyhell, Gama Bomb and Wolves In The Throne Room.

rumours also abound that Motley Crue are to make an appearance as well....

SATYRICON (and Saxon?) confirmed for BOA 2009

The Bloodstock team are pleased to announce that Norwegian Black Metal Band ‘Satyricon’ have been added to the bill for 2009.Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral (Carl-Michael Eide) and Wargod. Haavard (Ulver) soon joined them. Satyr took over lead vocals in 1991.

The band credits their first album, Dark Medieval Times, with starting a black metal subgenre that they dubbed "medieval metal". The album showed off the fascination Satyricon had with the Middle Ages, along with raw black metal blastbeats produced by Frost, mixed with acoustic guitar and flute. On their next album, The Shadowthrone, this medieval spirit was continued. Satyricon’s third album, Nemesis Divina, contains Norwegian black metal influenced by medieval metal and was released in 1996. Rebel Extravaganza, Satyricon’s fourth album, was released in 1999. It contained more industrial metal influences then the previous albums.

Regarding one of their latest albums, Volcano, frontman Satyr stated in a press release / biography on their homepage that "the music is rock based but more extreme; it is black metal pushing the boundaries that began with bands like Venom and Bathory, reinventing ourselves based on a foundation of rock oriented black metal is our philosophy." It resulted in a total of 4 Awards for Volcano being, the Norwegian Grammy for "Best Metal Album", an Alarm award for "Fuel For Hatred" in the category for "Song of the Year", as well as The Alarm Award for "Metal Album of the Year" and The Oslo awards for "Best Overall Album".

SATYRICON – Pushing the Boundaries – BLOODSTOCK OPEN AIR 2009

In related news, it would also appear that Saxon are also playing BOA 2009 after an online self-confirmation from singer Biff Byford.

The line-up is now shaping up as follows:
FRIDAY 14th:
Katatonia
Sabaton

SATURDAY 15th:
Candlemass
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter
Satyricon
Turisas
Wintersun

SUNDAY 16th:
The Haunted

DAY TBC - Saxon

Live Review - Airbourne at Leeds Met 18/11/08

Stone Gods: Rising from the ashes of The Darkness, the band (who include ex-members Dan Hawkins and Ritchie Edwards) are completed by ex-Graham Coxon bassist Toby MacFarlane and former Bush drummer Robin Goodridge, yet (perhaps thankfully, as it’s usually a kiss of death as Audioslave and Velvet Revolver will tell you) the ‘super-group’ tag has never been applied to the Stone Gods. Tonight though, all memories of The Darkness are forgotten as The Stone Gods rip through the majority of their awesome debut ‘Silver Spoons & Broken Bones’ with effortless class. Songs like ‘Burn the Witch’, ‘Knight of the Living Dead’, and new single and soon-to-be anthem ‘Don’t Drink the Water’ really get the place rocking this evening. Fans of good-time classic rock like Thin Lizzy and AC/DC will love this band and they would be strongly urged to check them out as there aren’t many newer bands (with the exception of tonight’s headliners) that can rock a live crowd like this and it’s great to see former bass-tech Ritchie Edwards come into his own as the commanding frontman he is, a particular highlight being when Edwards decides to throw caution to the wind and march through the uncomfortably packed crowd still playing the guitar – awesome.

Airbourne:On most nights and supporting most bands, the Stone Gods’ performance would have been easily enough to see them go home with the spoils but live, Airbourne really are something else. From the opening chords of ‘Stand Up For Rock N Roll’ right through until the end, the band never let up, cranking out one anthem after another and there’s actually a point during the awesome ‘Diamond In The Rough’ that you wonder if the venue can take it. The band are tight as hell tonight and it’s there’s something really enjoyable about watching a band who clearly believe in the quality of what they’re doing, what it represents and who are doing it purely because they love it – there’s no pandering to radio or record companies here, just a good old-fashioned rock n roll band doing what they do best. Frontman Joel O’Keefe seems like he’s been locked up backstage because as soon as he hits the stage, he’s like a whirlwind, drinking and headbanging the entire time, at one point climbing up to the balcony on the speaker stacks, it’s a wonder why more frontmen can’t be like this – every bit the rock star without trying to be. By the time the band are into their stride, the venue is nearly at bursting point and all this without mainstream media support and radio play – proof that good, honest rock n roll doesn’t need such avenues. What the crowd witness here tonight is nothing short of breathtaking and as one of us mused on the way out of the venue, this is what it must have been like for the previous generation seeing AC/DC in the seventies with Bon, and yes, it was that good. And so what if they sound like their countrymen, who cares when they’re this good? Give me a bunch of honest guys that sound like a great band such as AC/DC than any of the supposedly original screamo tosh that is currently bogging down the rock world in their whiny angst. Stand up for rock n roll – Airbourne do and the world is a better place for it.

Full Metal Banquet - Sydney

Make sure you get down to the Lewisham Hotel for the Full Metal Banquet event. Doors open at 2 pm. 10 bands throughout the day/night + DJ's playing metal tunes between sets and all for only $20 entry. Check out the flier for the bands:

Napalm Death/The Berzerker Edinburgh, Scotland CANCELLED

Here's a little update from Aussie Industrial band The Berzerker:

Gday all.

Im a few hrs away from getting on a plane. and Im f!!king pissed off about this one... let me tell you...

21 Nov 2008, 08:00 PM - CANCELLED! Studio 24 - Napalm Death
Edinburgh, Scotland
UK

Only reason for the show being pulled was "the venue are going to run a club night instead."

If you have tickets. Phone the venue and complain.- Luke

Nice to see venues in Scotland putting live music first
And here's a list of the rest of the tour dates:

20 Nov 2008 Ivory Blacks with - Napalm Death,Glasgow, Scotland
21 Nov 2008 CANCELLED! Studio 24 - Napalm Death Edinburgh, Scotland
22 Nov 2008 DAMNATION FESTIVAL, Leeds UK - Carcass last ever show
24 Nov 2008 Barfly - Satyricon Birmingham
25 Nov 2008 Rio - Satyricon Leeds
26 Nov 2008 ULU - Satyricon London

Metaholic Band Contest 2009!

After last years success, we have decided that we shall be holding the Metaholic Band Contest again in 2009! This year, we’re going to be a little bit more organised, and will be starting the search for bands now to take part!

So what is this contest I hear you cry? Well it is to coincide with the popular Eurovision Song Contest in May, but this contest is purely for metal bands and is open to bands across the world, not just Europe.

What do you get? A bit of extra publicity, something that money can’t buy! We will do an interview with the winners, and we will go out of our way to try to help this band out, whenever they need an extra push, we will bend over backwards to try to help them out. Unfortunately, we can’t offer any special prizes (we’re still only a small fanzine, and don’t have the funds or sponsorship to give you anything more than our time).

What do you need? You need to have your own Myspace page, and have some songs on your page for voters to check out. They won’t want to vote for a band that has nothing to show for themselves! You also need to have Metaholic Music on your Myspace friends list, http://www.myspace.com/metaholicmusic

We need your entries by the 31^st of January 2009! We need your Myspace address, and we need to know which country you are from.

Voting on the band to represent each country will follow shortly after the closing date, and the final competition will run from 10^th of May 2009 until 16^th of May 2009, the date of the Eurovision song contest.

To enter your band, please send an email, with the subject matter “Metaholic Band Contest” by 31^st January 2009 to:

metaholicmusic@rocketmail.com

Please include your:

Band Name:

Myspace Address:

Country:

So get emailing!!!

Keep it metal!

http://metaholicmusic.blogspot.com

Cult Of Luna Autralian Tour

Swedish metallers Cult Of Luna have announced that they will be heading Down Under for a tour in February.

The tour dates are as follows:

Thurs, Feb 12 Brisbane – The Tivoli
Sat, Feb 14 Sydney - Manning Bar
Sun, Feb 15 Melbourne - The Hi-Fi
Tues, Feb 17 Adelaide – HQ
Wed, Feb 18 Perth - The Capitol

Tickets go on sale on Friday, November 14.

CANDLEMASS - LUCIFER RISING - OUT NOW!

CANDLEMASS are an epic doom metal band from Sweden who have been hugely influential in the doom metal scene since their start in the early 1980's.

1986's Epicus Doomicus Metallicus birthed a new genre basically overnight and their far-reaching impact and legendary status has failed to wane ever since.

With their catalog 'scanning over 200,00 units in the U.S. alone, 2007's King Of The Grey Islands built upon this loyal fanbase and brought them Stateside for their first North American tour in over 17 years!

Now with new vocalist Rob Lowe (of Solitude Aeturnus fame), the band is once again poised to reign supreme.

TRACK LIST:
01. Lucifer Rising
02. White God
03. Demon's Gate (Re-recording from '86 classic Epicus
Doomicus Metallicus)
Live in Athens 2007:
04. At The Gallows End
05. Solitude
06. Emperor Of The Void
07. Devil Seed
08. Mirror Mirror
09. Under The Oak
10. Of Stars And Smoke
11. Black Dwarf
12. Samarithan

Alter Bridge at Manchester Apollo – 9/11/08

There’s notices around Manchester Apollo tonight informing everyone that former Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins’ new band ‘Hot Leg’ will not be performing “due to illness”. When this fact is announced from the stage by Logan (6/10) vocalist Kenny Collins, a large part of the crowd cheer in approval leaving you to wonder what sort of reception Hot Leg would’ve received tonight.
Because of Hot Leg’s no-show, both Logan and Alter Bridge (10/10) are given more time and while this is undoubtedly a good thing in the case of Alter Bridge, one is left wondering when it comes to Glaswegians Logan. While not bad, nearly all of the songs seem to merge into one another with only ‘Hallowed Ground’ standing out. This is down to both the slightly generic style of Collins’ vocals and the band’s post-grunge sound which is more Seattle than Scotland. Already veterans of the Alter Bridge support slot (and you can see why), Logan sound a little too like tonight’s headliners, albeit a not-as-good version and this puts them in a bit of a catch 22 – they can either continue playing it safe supporting bands like Alter Bridge but be doomed to be second best, or they can break out and try and make a name for themselves. However they will have to do better than they did tonight.
Alter Bridge however, are in a league of their own tonight. These are the biggest venues Alter Bridge have played in the UK so far and the band are definitely embracing this upward trajectory. Guitarist Mark Tremonti is once again outstanding, proving that he is one of the most consistently underrated players out there, a man who can out-play most others in his sleep, no question about it. Alter Bridge know how good they are tonight, with the biggest example of the band’s rise in confidence being personified in singer Myles Kennedy. No longer just a possessor of the best voice in rock right now, but Kennedy has matured into a world class frontman, swaggering around the stage with just the right amount of exuberance that never manifests into arrogance and also proving that he is no slouch on the guitar himself as many of the tracks aired tonight from latest album ‘Blackbird’ will show, particularly the title track which tonight borders on absolutely epic. The rest of the set too is nothing short of amazing with tracks like ‘Before Tomorrow Comes’, ‘Brand New Start’ and bona-fide rock anthem ‘Open Your Eyes’ moving you to places you never thought you’d go. The sheer quality of Alter Bridge’s material really does take your breath away and not only is it a mark of a truly great band that they recognise and fully embrace their own talents but they also have such (well justified) confidence in their latest material – 10 of the 17 songs aired tonight are from ‘Blackbird’ – that they can play for ninety minutes and there are still songs you wish they’d played. With any justice, those songs will soon be filling arenas in 2-hour sets.

Setlist:
Come To Life
Find The Real
Before Tomorrow Comes
Brand New Start
White Knuckles
Buried Alive
One Day Remains
Watch Over You
The Damage Done
Ties That Bind
Blackbird
In Loving Memory
Metalingus
Open Your Eyes
------------------
Broken Wings
Travelling Riverside Blues
Rise Today

In Flames Announce UK and Irish Dates

Taken from their Myspace page:

"In Flames are proud to announce a UK headline tour in April 2009.
This comes right after the amazing headline tour which was seen over 60 000 people all across Europe and 4 shows in the UK.

“We haven’t really done a proper UK headline tour but that’s something we always wanted to do so we are really looking forward to come over and play cities/venues we have never played before. The UK always treat us well and we love playing live there so see you in April UK” - In Flames

(Links to where you can buy tickets below each date)

The dates:

Date City Venue
April 2009
15 Norwich Waterfront
http://www.ueaticketbookings.co.uk
16 Colchester Arts Centre
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/39135
17 Brighton Concorde 2
http://www.livenation.co.uk/inflames
18 Oxford Academy
http://www.tctmusic.co.uk
19 Leeds Cockpit
http://www.lunatickets.co.uk
21 Newcastle Academy 2
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk
22 Dundee Fat Sams
http://www.gigsinscotland.com
23 Belfast Mandela Hall (Northern Ireland)
http://www.ticketmaster.ie
http://www.geturticket.com
24 Dublin Academy (Ireland)
http://www.ticketmaster.ie
25 Cork Pavillion (Ireland)
http://www.ticketmaster.ie
27 Exeter Lemon Grove
http://www.exeterboxoffice.com http://www.seetickets.com
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk http://www.wegottickets.com
28 Cardiff University Solus
http://www.livenation.co.uk/inflames
29 Cambridge Junction
Http://www.livenation.co.uk/inflames
30 Sheffield Corporation
http://www.seetickets.com

MAY 2009
1 Liverpool Academy 2
http://www.ticketweb.co.uk
2 Northampton Roadmender
http://www.seetickets.com"

*FESTIVAL UPDATE* Bloodstock confirm 2 more bands!

Candlemass and Die Apokalyptischen Reiter have been confirmed for Bloodstock Open Air, set to take place at Catton Hall in Derbyshire on 14th-16th August 2009.

The lineup is now shaping up as follows:
Candlemass
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter
The Haunted
Katatonia
Sabaton
Turisas

Wintersun

10 Years of Legacy - Festival from 20th to 23th May in Dessau

Taken from a bulletin by Nuclear Blast Europe

www. myspace. com/legacyfestival

Right here should be announced, that the popular Legacy Magazin in cooperation with the booking agency Rock The Nation and the well established Hellraiser Club from Leipzig will present their own festival in 2009: Legacy Fest. “Ten years of existence in the hard business of print magazines are not a reason to relax at all – but a nice excuse to celebrate with all of you !” is what the Legacy Team says. The Legacy Fest will take place between May the 21st and 23rd in Dessau, on a giant former airfield, situated close to the railway station (about two kilometres). The size of the festival- and camping-area is completely variable. Besides the big open air stage there will be a smaller newcomer stage in a hangar was well. Satyricon are confirmed as one of the headliners already and:

* Die Apokalyptischen Reiter
* Kataklysm
* Wintersun
* Eisregen
* Eluveitie
* Aborted
* Endstille
* Desaster
* Lay Down Rotten
* Demonical
* Facebreaker
* Torture Killer

will play the Legacy Fest as well – more confirmations to follow soon. Prior to the live event there will be a warm-up party with DJs to celebrate “10 Years Of LEGACY” on May, the 20th. More information can be found on www. legacyfest. de or you can go to www. nuclearblast. de and get additional information about the festival tickets. The two festival homepages – www. myspace. com/legacyfestival as well as the aforementioned www. legacyfest. de offer demo-bands the chance to qualify themselves for a slot on the newcomer stage.
Looking forward to see you next May in Dessau!

Nevermore - The Year Of The Voyager E-card

Nevermore are releasing a brand new live DVD titled The Year Of The Voyager, and you can get a nice sneak preview of it right here http://ecard.centurymedia.com/nevermore_ dvd/. Click that link to see more details about the setlist (which includes Final Product, My Acid Words, Enemies Of Reality, I, Voyager and so forth) and to see the full video of their performance of The Final Product.
Clink the pictures below to also view the E-card, and a link to an exclusive pre-order deal.

"The Year Of The Voyager"
Official E-Card




"The Year Of The Voyager" DVD

U.S.A. : 11/25/08
Europe: 10/20/08

PRE-ORDER NOW - CLICK ON THE DVD COVER:

Unleashed Hammer Battalion tour of Europe

Here is a message for the almighty Unleashed!

Warriors of Midgard !!!

Friday the 14th of November is the start of the Hammer Battalion tour of Europe !
We are looking forward to meeting you all again and forming a number of local Hammer Battalions all over Europe just like we did in North America only a month ago.
Get ready for a crushing new setlist with a few surprises from the old days as well as a good number of songs from the brand new album.
Songs like "Warriors of Midgard", "Your Childern will burn", "In victory or defeat", and "Midvinterblot" are on the list to name just a few.

Join the battalion !!!
Johnny & The Boys


Full details on all shows unleashed will be playing can be found here. Make sure you get out to see this incredible band live!

Mental Interrogation with Sanctum Incendia

Who? Ben Smith of Sanctum Incendia

Myspace: www.myspace.com/sanctumincendia

How long have you been playing together? Fraser (drums + backing keyboard) and I played in a band called WERG several years ago, but needless to say, we sucked. Majorly, majorly sucked. Sanctum Incendia have been together in its current state for about 8 months, with Rhianna (vocals) joining us about 5 months ago. We don't have a bassist, but y'know we don't REALLY need one with a good keyboardist! (Which we have!).

How did you meet? We all met through our local church (Yeah we're all Christians, but before you even think about judging us for that you should listen to the music! You might even like it!)

What kind of gear do you use? I (guitar and growl vocals) use a Vintage guitar, tuned to drop C. Not sure of the model, but it's spiky, red, awesome and has a floyd rose tremelo! Which is fun, but not useful for much in the way of rhythm. Trying to work it into the solos of our new stuff though! Matthew uses two Yamaha keyboards (plus stands) and Fraser uses one Yamaha keyboard. He also uses two drum kits, which we fused together in a rather awesome manner! One of them's a Peavey, and the other one is a Yamaha. The drum kit is pretty awesome too, we tune the Toms to a C minor arpeggio to give really interesting sounding fills. 5 TOMS!!! Plus two bass drums, a myriad of cymbals plus our own invention. A 'Clank' cymbal that we made from an old high hat. It's ridiculous!!

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band? 'Fallen' by Evanescence is what really got me into the whole heavier side of music. That was really the launching point where I found out that everything is better, louder!

What was the last album you bought? 'The Butcher's Ballroom' by Diablo Swing Orchestra. You should check them out! They're a pretty funky mix of different genres that works spectacularly.

What do you think of downloading music? It's a great way to find good bands that mainstream stores don't stock. I especially love what Google have done with Youtube, making all music accessible to anyone with a computer. It's great that you can hear of a band and find it on there!

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence? Musically? Bach and bands like Nightwish, After Forever, Kamelot are big on the influences list.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why? Avril Lavigne... To change the rubbish music she records now into something awesome! I actually liked her first album... So I'd spend my day as her in the studio, and she'd wake up and realised she'd released a metal album, and people actually liked her music again! She might take a hint, you never know!

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead? I'd be very very bored probably. Being in a band takes alot of time and investment, which is good as it gives you something to work at every day rather than mulling around being a stereotypical teenager.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment? Definately Europe, Finland, Germany and that sort of thing. The metal from there is the best mainstream metal around at the moment. We really need to give the Scottish metal scene a boost! Anyone up for organising a Scottish metal fest? Any bands that know of venues, or venues that know of bands and want to do something like this, seriously get in touch with us to get it going! There's demand, all we need is the opportunity!

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet? Sweet.

What’s your favourite movie? Not sure. An interestin one I watched a while ago was 'Strings'. I generally like 'weird' movies. Thriller, horror, whatever. Amusement factor is a big one. A brilliant movie I've watched recently is the Scarlet Pimpenel. The acting is so ham-fisted that it makes it an absolute classic!

What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)? That would be Wishbone Ash in December of last year me thinks.

What do you have lined up next? We have a gig on November 8th, in Evanton. Just a small gig but we're happy to play anywhere! Also awaiting response on a series of support gigs for venues up here next year too.

Why should people check out your band?
1. We mix the best of classical music and metal into one melting pot, resulting in a unique and excellent sound.
2. We've got lots of inspiration left, currently got a 25 minute set perfected (5 songs) and working to expand our list of perfected songs to an hour or more.
3. I just wrote 2 new songs over the past week, which really gives you an idea of how much raw material we have to work with. Expect some fresh recordings at some point in December for sure!!
4. When everyone else finds us, you'll be able to say "Yeah, well I knew about them before you!" and own them. Which is always fun!

Blatherskite News

As the above flier states, Blatherskite will be playing a show on the 28th of November at The Live House with The Angel Affair (headlining), Hybrid Nightmares (VIC) and Seneki. $10 cover charge at the door, an the show starts at 9pm.

The band is also still in search for a full time drummer. Here's the message fromt he band.
Blatherskite (Rock/Metal/Industrial/Prog, Sydney) seeking committed drummer, good gear, own transport. Willingness to tour. Love playing loud, with a good sense of dynamics, range from fast metal to slow fat grooves to strange time signatures. Launching our 4th studio album this year. Contact Tim on 0412 233 628 or blatherskite.saves@gmail.com. www.myspace.com/blatherskite email for tracks and tabs. Love you long time!

Live Review - Skindred at Leeds Rio's - 31/10/08

Mishkin - 7.5/10 :

Local Leeds crew Mishkin kick off the main part of the proceedings tonight. With a sound reminiscent at times of System of a Down and ironically, Skindred (in their heavier moments), their avant-garde mixture of metal, funk and even a touch of jazz should be enough to take them further in the near future.



Forever Never - 7/10:
Next up are Londoners Forever Never. Suitably dressed in wizard's costumes for Halloween, they are warmly received by an ever-growing crowd. With some decent riffs and a singer very capable of knocking out a decent melodic chorus or two, they go down pretty well. However, being sandwiched in between two bands as musically diverse as Mishkin and Skindred, their overall impact seems somewhat limited tonight.



Skindred - 9/10:
So to headliners Skindred who, tonight, manage to further cement their reputation as one of the best live bands in the UK right now. With an award for best costume of the night, frontman Benji Webbe is on top form from the word go, constantly moving around the stage like a blur, with a commanding presence that resonates with the now standing-room only crowd. From opener 'Roots Rock Riot' right until 'Nobody', Skindred never let up and the rest of the band match Benji's enthusiasm and drive all the way through, not to mention playing as tightly as an emo's waistband with 'Ratrace' and 'Pressure' being particular highlights of the evening.
After tonight though, and whenever you see Skindred, one thing is always clear - you leave the gig knowing it was damn good but it's not just the quality of the songs, it's something else as well and that something else is honesty. Skindred have never been a band who are 'in it for the money', they do this because they love it and that feeling literally jumps off the stage at you. Give me an honest, hard working and down to earth band like Skindred any day over so many that seem to be more obsessed with their haircuts and their tight jeans than the quality of their performance.

Setlist:
Roots Rock Riot
Babylon
Ratrace
Selector
Rude Boy For Life
Pressure
?
Trouble
Destroy The Dancefloor
Bruises
Nobody

-AdamG.

Zimmers Hole drop out of Soilwork Euro Tour

Zimmmers Hole have had to pull out of the upcoming European Tour in support of Soilwork. They have released an official statement through their website http://www.legionofflames.com

AS OF TODAY ZIMMERS HOLE IS NO LONGER A PART OF THE UPCOMING EUROPEAN TOUR WITH SOILWORK.

DRUMMER GENE HOGLAN HAS SUFFERED A DEATH IN HIS FAMILY.
FROM OUR HEARTS, WE SEND GENE AND THE ENTIRE HOGLAN FAMILY ALL OF OUR LOVE, AND DEEPEST CONDOLENCES AT THIS DIFFICULT TIME.
THE HOGLAN FAMILY IS THE 'FIRST FAMILY OF METAL', AND WE ARE ALL DEEPLY SADDENED.

ALSO, BASSIST BYRON STROUD IS NURSING A BROKEN HAND.
BYRON IS NOT ONLY OUR BASSIST, HIS DUTIES ALSO INCLUDE BAND MANAGER, AND ROAD MANAGER. HE IS VITAL TO US.

WHILE BYRONS INJURY WAS UNTIMELY, HE FELT HE COULD BE READY IN TIME FOR THE TOUR.
WITH THE SAD NEWS FROM THE HOGLAN FAMILY, THERE WAS NO WAY WE COULD DO THIS AND BE FOCUSSED IN ANY WAY.

APOLOGIES GO OUT TO ALL OF OUR EUROPEAN FANS AND AGENTS. WE'LL MISS YOU.
WE ASK FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING AT A VERY TOUGH TIME FOR ALL OF US.

WITH LOVE

ZH

Soilwork are to dedicate the tour to Gene and his family in their time of grief.

New US Metal Releases for 10/28/08

Abigail Williams
In the Shadow of a Thousand Suns

Beneath The Massacre
Dystopia

Bloodbath
The Fathomless Mastery

Brutal Truth
For Drug Crazed Grind Freaks Only! Live At Noctum Studios 1

Burning The Masses
Mind Control

Carpathian
Isolation

Cradle of Filth
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder

Enslaved
Vertebrae

Exodus
Let There Be Blood (Re-Recording of classic Bonded by Blood)

Kill The Client
Cleptocracy

Landmine Marathon
Rusted Eyes Awake

Lord Belial
The Black Curse

Maruta
In Narcosis

Miseration
Your Demons, Their Angels

Omnium Gatherum
The Red Shift

Phobia
22 Random Acts Of Violence

Amon Amarth - Twilight Of The Thunder God CD Review

Amon Amarth are back with a powerful new album, Twilight Of The Thunder God. The bands 7th studio album was recorded at Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden, and was produced by Jen Borgen. The album features Johan Hegg on vocals, Olavi Mikkonen and Johan Söderberg on guitars, Ted Lundström on bass and Fredrik Andersson on drums. the album also features a few high profile guests including Lars Göran Petrov of Entombed doing some vocals on the track "Guardians of Asgaard", Roope Latvala of Children of Bodom adding some guitars on the title track and Apocalyptica adding some cellos on "Live for the Kill".

This yet another solid release for Amon Amarth, with 10 tracks of pure metal glory. Twilight Of The Thunder God, the title track, and the first song on the CD, is a great start for this record, with all the classic Amon Amarth style we've come to know and love. If you couldn't guess, they're still pushing the viking themes, which is great. They day they stop doing that is the day we'll mourn the loss of Amon Amarth, but if this album is any indication of the bands end, it's not for a very long time.

Highlights for me include Guardians of Asgard, Varyags of Miklagaard, The Hero, Live for the Kill and Embrace The Endless Ocean. The album also came with a live DVD that contains footage of the bands entire Summer Breeze 2007 show, which included a set of 13 songs, including Valhall Awaits Me, Asator, The Pursuit of Vikings, Fate Of Norns, and so forth. A great addition to an already awesome package.

The production on this album is really good, an improvement even on With Oden On our Side. The guitars are nice and heavy, and everything is in good balance with each other and sounds great. Jens has really outdone himself this time around. If you're a fan, or haven't heard this band before, get this album and give it a good listen, because it's bloody great! Worth it even just for the live DVD.

Twilight Of The Thunder God is now out through Metal Blade.

AC/DC banned on Scottish Radio

AC/DC BANNED ON SCOTTISH RADIO

David ‘The Captain’ Grant the drive time DJ on ‘96.3 Rock Radio’ In Scotland, has placed an indefinite ban on AC/DC on his show.
Why ban such an iconic band? The reason for this is simple, they have failed to add a Scottish gig to there new tour.
The captain has vowed not to play any AC/DC until they do. He has said this ban will continue until they decide to play in Scotland, and has started an online petition to let the fans show there support of his decision. The petition will then be forwarded to the record company to let them know how the fans feel about this.

It may seam petty to some, but when you consider the facts behind this decision, you can see the logic behind his decision.
Although the band are considered Australian, Both Angus and Malcolm Young were born In Glasgow Scotland, and many of there family still reside in or around the Glasgow area. Many fans feel this is a betrayal, as in there eyes they are missing out what is effectively a ‘home town’ gig.

I have heard the argument that its all about record sales that make the record company’s decide where the bands play on a tour. The more albums sold the more chance of a sell out gig. This doesn’t work for 2 reasons.
1. The new album wasn’t on sale when the gigs were announced.
2. A band the size of AC/DC can dictate to a record company where they play. They are guaranteed a sell out wherever they play.

This is a case of Fan Power. The fans are angry, and one of them happens to be in a place where he can make his feelings heard on a large scale. Not only has he voiced his opinion, but he has the backing, support, and praise of many AC/DC fans in Scotland.

If you want to join the petition simply log on to http://www.rockradioscotland.co.uk/ find the link and add your name.

96.3 Rock Radio is available in and around the Glasgow area on standard radio, Edinburgh on DAB, and on the web at the above link.
David ‘The Captain’ Grant is on daily from 2 until 6 Monday to Friday and 12 until 6 Saturdays

Wykked Wytch seek bassist.

Miami death/black metal band Wykked Wytch are searching for a new bassist.

Those interested in auditioning should contact the band through their myspace, and send along with a bio, photos, and links to examples of your playing (sound / video clips).

Contact them through http://www.myspace.com/wykkedwytch for more details. Their new album 'Memories of a Dying Whore' is out now.

Mental Interrogation with This Weary Hour

Who? Eamonn and Seán of This Weary Hour

Myspace: www.myspace.com/thiswearyhour

How long have you been playing together?
Eamonn: The band started over a year ago, but a full line-up hasn’t been secured until fairly recently.

How did you meet?
Eamonn: Seán and I are from a small town, so we always knew each other in some respect.

What kind of gear do you use?
Seán: I play an Aria (have to check the model). I find it has a deep, round sound ideal for the music I play. With regards to amplification I am currently using one of the Vox Valvetronix models which I can get some great tone out of, however the various effects built into the amp seem somewhat of a gimmick so I'm planning to move onto something more old-school. I feel a lot more comfortable controlling my sound using my feet. At the moment I use a BOSS DS-1 pedal, which to be honest I find isn't great by itself, but I recently acquired a RAT which when used in conjunction with the BOSS can bring fuller, thicker crunch or fuzz (or whatever you are into) to the overall tone. Nice and brutal is what I aim for in terms of distortion.

Eamonn: This is my first band, so I’m a little behind in the gear aspect of things. Until recently, I basically borrowed what I needed from friends. I did pick-up a lovely Shure SM58 vocal mic last weekend and I’m very happy with it so far. The rest of the lads are busy acquiring various gadgets and guitars, and it’s all pretty expensive, so I guess I’m lucky in that respect.

Is there an album that inspired you to join a band?
Seán: I think that music in general has inspired me to be in a band. It was after TWH was conceived that we discovered our common influences. Mastodon's Leviathan probably had the most crucial effect on both myself and Eamonn. It has totally transformed how we observe and write music.

Eamonn: I have to agree with Seán there. It was through Leviathan that we found how similar our beliefs about music were. From there we introduced each other to loads of bands and musicians we wouldn’t have been exposed to normally, and eventually we started thinking that it’d be great if we could write stuff of our own. I think that we initially focused on doom because there’s a lot of freedom there and it’s a very honest form of music.

What was the last album you bought?
Seán: Sick of it All - Scratch the Surface.

Eamonn: I actually picked-up a few LPs the last time I went music shopping. I think it went something like: Moss – Sub Templum, Esoteric – The Maniacal Vale, Jex Thoth’s self titled debut, NIN –The Slip, and Grand Magus – Iron Will. So yeah, a nice helping of doom - or doom inspired – stuff.

What do you think of downloading music?
Seán: As with most musical controversies, there are positives and negatives. For fans of actual physical releases, like me, the whole thing has totally forced designers to push the boundaries of artwork, packaging etc. so we are getting far more intriguing record sleeves and CD cases these days. I think fans of independent labels and smaller bands enjoy this artwork and are more willing to pay for the product.

Eamonn: For me it’s quite simple: I love buying CDs. I love buying records. I think people are really missing-out when they don’t have the whole package, not to mention the drop in bit-rate and all that. I have been guilty of downloading music, but mostly because it’s an incredibly easy way to preview a band I’ve never heard before. I always end-up buying the stuff I like eventually.

Who would you say was your personal biggest influence?
Seán: My strongest musical influence is and always will be Rory Gallagher. He has explored so much ground within his music, both lyric-wise and genre-wise. I will always think of his songs as the purest and most honest anyone can be exposed to. He never played the same song twice and he was all about feeling. That's real music and I'm all for it. He's greatly missed.

Eamonn: The first real band I saw live was My Dying Bride. I might have been young and impressionable, but the emotion that (front-man) Aaron Stainthorpe showed in his performance has had a lasting effect. I’ve encountered plenty of other amazing performers since, but Aaron originally set the standard for me.

If you could trade places with another musician for a day, who would it be and why?
Seán: This is quite a difficult question because most of the bands I would have really liked to have been a part of have broken up. If anyone is familiar with the hardcore punk group Minor Threat they will have heard the name, Ian McKaye, vocalist and founder of Discord Records. I would love to have been in his shoes for a day back at the beginning of the American hardcore scene. If not McKaye, then any member of Electric Wizard! A jam with the Wizard would be an honour.

Eamonn: This would probably change for me every month, but right now I’d say anyone in Neurosis. I’d imagine performing live with those guys would be a wonderfully intense experience.

If you weren’t playing in a band, what do you think you’d be doing instead?
Seán: If I wasn't in TWH I see myself spending more time as a solo musician. I would have various guises to facilitate my interest in the other genres of music which I would play.

Eamonn: I’m a Fine Art student, which is proving to be very time-consuming, so I definitely wouldn’t be idle. But then, it was while working on stuff for TWH that I re-discovered my interest in art ...so I’m a little unsure when I think about it.

Where do you think the best metal is coming from at the moment?
Seán: As a fan of both European and American heavy music, for me, there seems to be a bit more quality metal coming from the States lately. When I first heard Mastodon a few years ago I began to realise this. From there I discovered bands like Converge and Neurosis, and through them, found a wealth of other groups, each new one completely different to the last. However, I think it’s noticeable in TWH that we take influence from these bands as well as our European heroes like My Dying Bride, Electric Wizard and Cathedral, to name the most prominent.

Eamonn: Right now I’m looking to labels, rather than geography for good music. Rise Above, Profound Lore, etc, have been putting out some great releases over the last while. I also think Ireland has a great underground metal scene that is oft over-looked internationally. This is starting to change though, and I hope it continues.

If you could only eat one kind of food, would it be savoury or sweet?
Seán: Sweet.

Eamonn: I would never give up an entire kind of food! You can’t make me! (MI - Ah my plan has been foiled!)

What’s your favourite movie?
Seán: If I had to choose a favourite it would be Donnie Darko.

Eamonn: A tie between “4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days”, “Mulholland Dr.”, “Apocalypse Now” and “Aliens”. Special mention to Star Wars, of course! ...I like too many films!
What was the last live show you went to (not including your own)?
Seán: Buddy Guy. Blues will always be my favourite form of music.

Eamonn: My friend, James from Altar of Plagues, recently started a 2-piece noisecore side-project, called Snails, which I recently witnessed causing havoc in a local pub. In terms of big names, the Graspop festival would be the latest event I’ve been to.

What do you have lined up next?
Seán: We hope to begin playing shows very soon.
Right now, we are in the process of finishing new material, which should be released before the end of the year. I think the upcoming songs will be somewhat of a departure from what we did on 'The Shadow of Time'. Not only have our inspirations changed but we have been joined by three new members, each with a variety of styles that will definitely have an impact on our music.

Eamonn: Yeah, the demo was a bit of a shot in the dark for us. I’d never been in a band before, and Seán was relatively new to this sort of music, so we were kind-of sticking to tried-and-true patterns and basically playing it safe. Considering the circumstances, I’m quite proud of it and the response has been great. I’m highly critical of it too, though. I want us to go much further with the new stuff. Now that we’ve had some time to soak in everything and have a clearer idea of the direction we’d like to follow, I believe that we can just let loose and write material that feels natural to us. We’re definitely going to revisit and expand on some of the areas we’ve already flirted with, but I know we have the potential to go way beyond that as well. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

Why should people check out your band?
Seán: Behind all the dark and heavy aspects to our material, I think this band is about making honest and original music, qualities that is more and more lacking with metal bands today.

Eamonn: As Seán said, honesty is important to us. In the long run, we hope our material will be meaningful and somewhat cathartic. We try to take influences from everywhere. We’ve had an encouraging start, and we’ll definitely be striving to make the most of it in the future.