Graspop Metal Meeting first bands announced

The names of the first 25 acts to play in Dessell, Belgium this year have been announced on the festivals official website.

Heaven & Hell, Disturbed, Volbeat, Papa Roach, Blind Guardian, Anthrax, Trivium, Sacred Reich, W.A.S.P., Devil Driver, Epica, Legion Of The Damned, Parkway Drive, God Forbid, Kataklysm, Firewind, Laaz Rockit', Keep Of Kalessin, Scar Symmetry, Samael, Dagoba, Negura Bunget, Taake, Eths and olves In The Throne Room

Note that none of these bands are headliners. So we should be in for another good one this year.

The festival will take place between June 26th and 28th, 2009.

CD Review: "Shogun" by Trivium

Trivium have been through a hard time since the release of The Crusade, which was in some peoples view a mish mash of James Hetfield vocals and rehashed Metallica riffs. I could argue the pros and cons of that, but let me get straight to the point here. Shogun is not a Metallica Tribute album. Gone is the overuse of the Hetfield vocals - mostly, ranging from crushing metal growl to Ember to Inferno-esque melodies. I would actually go as fat to say Heafy's vocals have inproved and the musicianship is a hell of a lot tighter.

Although Insurrection has a hint of Metallica to it, it is still Trivium at their best. While the delivery of the line "it is I that sponsers fury, Torches ignite" is classic Hetfield, I'm not gonna hold that against Heafy, it's one of the only places I spotted Hetfield creaping into the vocals again. We see Heafy getting back to what he did on Ascendancy, but with a little more control to his voice.

The solo work and fret massage that takes place on this album is amazing. Standout tracks for this are Insurrection, Of Prometheus And The Crucifix and the title track Shogun. 3 tracks that would have many a metal fan hungry for more. The latter being a little over long at times, but it showcases the bands full use of metal riffs and melody.

He who spawned the furies is another exmaple of classic Trivium. This track would not be out of place on Ascendency. It is such a catchy track that I can see the kids either go mental in the pit or press themsleves against the barrier screaming this one back in Heafy's face.

My main concern is the repetitiveness that appears in places on this album. For example, Throes Of Perdition, Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis & The Calamity have the same sounding intro. A little quick picking fretworked intro. Nice, but no need to overuse it. Still, this does not take away too much from the album as a whole.

Other than that I feel this album may actually win over some Trivium detractors and call some of the wayward old school fans back to the flock. It mixes the best bits from Ascendancy and The Crusade with the end result being a solid album. Almost a full return to form. (8/10)

Shogun is set for release in the UK on September 29th. Check http://www.trivium.org/ for other release dates.

For a limited time you can hear the whole album for free on the bands Myspace.

Unholy Alliance Adds Amon Amarth To Bill

Renowed Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth has been added to the "Unholy Alliance Tour, Chapter III" lineup, which features Slayer, Trivium, and Mastodon.

"All of us have been huge fans of Slayer since the mid 80's, and to be able to tour with this legendary thrash band is a dream come true. We are very proud and honored to be a part of this year's Unholy Alliance together with Trivium and Mastodon." "Slayer fans are die-hard and tough as true Vikings - we know as we are part of the same crowd - and it will be a great experience to be able to play in front of them."

Since 1992, Amon Amarth - Johan Hegg/vocals, Olavi Mikkonen/guitar, Johan Soderberg/guitar, Ted Lundstrom/bass, and Fredrik Andersson/drums - has managed to establish themselves as one of Europe's top death metal acts. What has set the band apart from the rest of the scene is their use of Viking mythology and imagery in their lyrics and artwork, as well as their talent for writing epic, memorable melodies, which underline their solemn yet barbaric approach to heavy music. The band's seventh studio album, as yet untitled, is due out this Fall on Metal Blade Records.

The UK/Euro run kicks off in Manchester, England on October 27 and will play nearly two dozen shows over a four-week period. This is the third installment of what has been hailed as "the heaviest, darkest tour of the year." With more dates to be announced, the initial itinerary for the European "Unholy Alliance Tour, Chapter III" is below:

10/27 - Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
10/28 - NEC, Birmingham, England
10/30 - Hammersmith Apollo, London, England
10/31 - Hammersmith Apollo, London, England

11/02 - CIA 7000, Cardiff, Wales
11/03 - SECC Hall 3, Glasgow, Scotland
11/05 - Stadthalle, Offenbach, Germany
11/06 - Palladium, Cologne, Germany
11/09 - Schleyerhalle, Stuttgart, Germany
11/10 - Eishallel Deutweg, Winterthur, Switzerland
11/11 - Zenith, Paris, France
11/16 - Gasometer, Vienna, Austria
11/18 - Zenith, Munich, Germany
11/19 - Columbia Hale, Berlin, Germany

Thanks to ultimate-guitar.com for the info.