Detritus
Issue #274
Week of June 14, 2004
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*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
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Tim Wadzinski, Editor
tsw512@...

Steve Shumake
vongoober@...
http://listen.to/vongoober-radio/

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*** LET IT BE KNOWN ***
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-Gotta share this gem with you. After I sent out last Friday's special
mini-issue, which contained Sean P. Gahgan's lengthy write-up on the
BW&BK 6-Pack II festival, I got an e-mail from a reader that consisted
of two words: "fuk [sic] off." Nice. So how would you respond to that?
Was he jokingly jealous that Sean had gone to the festival? Was he
receiving Detritus by mistake? Was he just a punk? So I dropped him a
line and politely asked what was up, and it turns out he simply didn't
want to get Detritus anymore. Folks, c'mon... If you don't want to
read Detritus please follow the simple unsubscribe instructions that
have been posted FOR YEARS at the top of every issue. Don't be a
jackass. Thank you. (Sorry but I've been doing this for nearly a
decade now and that incident really pissed me off.)

-Mr. Patrick Brower is back this week with another installment of "At
The Altar" and a bonus album review...rejoice everyone! (Just picking
on Pat a little. Nice to have you back!) And don't be looking for John
Erigo anytime soon, as he's probably smarting from the L.A. Lakers'
BIG whuppin' at the hands of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals.
(Just picking on John a little.) :) - Tim

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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-Motorhead Set To Unleash Fiery Inferno On Metal-Is/Sanctuary Records
On June 22, 2004

Inferno To Be Enhanced CD Where Fans Can Sign Up For Motörhead
Internet Service

The Motörhead legend roars on in 2004 with the release of the new
studio album Inferno on June 22 on Metal-Is Records, a division of the
Sanctuary Records Group. It's the first album of new, skin-peeling
material from vocalist/bassist Lemmy, guitarist Philip Campbell and
drummer Mikkey Dee since 2002's Hammered and it's the first Motörhead
release since last year's critically acclaimed, five-disc,
career-spanning box set Stone Deaf Forever!

Guitar legend Steve Vai makes a guest appearance on two tracks.

Inferno is an appropriate title for Motorhead's latest skull-grinding,
internal-organ-liquefying album. The 12 tracks are: "Terminal Show,"
"Killers," "In the Name of Tragedy," "Suicide," "Life's a Bitch,"
"Down on Me," "In the Black," "Fight," "In the Year of the Wolf,"
"Keys to the Kingdom," "Smiling Like a Killer" and "Whorehouse Blues."

"This album is real musicians playing real music. There were no
rules," Lemmy says.

It's not easy for the hard-living, fun-loving rock icon to pick out
favorites on Inferno. Every song is special and important. "Music is
very personal. It's just like sex in that way," says Lemmy.

Vai's blazing guitar performances on "Terminal Show" and "Down on Me"
were the result of a casual social encounter with Lemmy at the famous
Rainbow Bar & Grill in Hollywood.

"I was going in and he was coming out and we ran into each other. I
told him we were recording and invited him down to sit in. He took me
up on the offer," Lemmy says.

Motörhead has a distinctive musical style -- nobody grinds out a
furious rock 'n' roll hybrid of heavy metal and punk like this band.
But Lemmy always has a few tricks up his sleeve, and Motörhead albums
tend to have a song or two that veer away from their trademark sound.
On Inferno the honor belongs to the slinky "Whorehouse Blues,"
appropriately drenched in bluesy acoustic guitar and harmonica. "I
like to surprise people," says Lemmy.

Motörhead's colorful history is well known. Lemmy -- born Ian
Kilmister -- was a former roadie for Jimi Hendrix and eventually
joined the space-rock band Hawkwind. Lemmy wrote and sang Hawkwind's
big 1972 U.K. hit "Silver Machine." Upon exiting Hawkwind after four
years, he formed Motörhead in 1975, naming the group after the last
song he wrote for Hawkwind.

Motörhead's aggressive, uncompromising, balls-out musical style (and
personal lifestyle philosophy) shook the music world. Let's be blunt
here: Motörhead invented speed metal. But the great thing about
Motörhead is that they appealed to both punks and head-banging
metalheads.

"We sounded like punk but looked like metal. I always felt we were
more punk than metal anyway. I call it rock 'n' roll, but if I had to
go down one side or the other I'd say we had more in common with punk
than we have in common with heavy metal. We came out at the same time
as the punks," Lemmy says.

The band's self-titled official debut album was released in 1977.
Motörhead quickly built a rabid following through killer live shows
and albums that were able to translate that power. 1981's legendary
live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith rocketed to # 1 on the U.K. album
charts. Another notable album in Motörhead's canon is 1991's
critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated 1916, which was nominated for
Best Metal Performance. Motörhead earned a second Grammy nomination in
2000 for Best Metal Performance with a tribute to Metallica's "Enter
Sandman" on the ECW: Extreme Music album.

As a live act, Motörhead is untouchable. Few scenes in heavy metal
match Lemmy on stage -- standing his ground, head tilted slightly
upward as he growls ferociously into his microphone and unleashes
thunder from his Rickenbacker. Campbell's screaming sonic overload
guitar completes the roaring string section, while Dee, surely one of
the most inventive and brutal drummers you ever heard, drives along
like a locomotive. Live, and on CD and on video, there is no one like
them.

Motörhead will promote Inferno with yet another world tour this year.
Ashes and rubble will be left in Lemmy, Cambell and Dee's wake.

Inferno is an enhanced CD. The enhancement will allow fans to sign up
for Motörhead Internet service at www.motorheadrules.com.

http://www.imotorhead.com/
http://www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
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-Megadeth To Simultaneously Release Eight Re-Mastered Albums On
Capitol/EMI July 27; New CD, The System Has Failed, Due Out September
14 On Sanctuary Records

Megadeth -- one of hard rock's most revered acts -- will reissue seven
of their gold-selling albums July 27 on Capitol Records. The CDs range
from the group's 1986 debut Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? to 1999's
Risk plus the 1996 side project MD.45. Founder, singer, guitarist and
primary songwriter Dave Mustaine spent months re-mixing, re-mastering,
restoring -- and in some cases reconstructing -- the band's catalog to
bring it as close to his original vision as possible. With each album
packed with unreleased tracks, demos and alternate mixes, along with
painfully honest liner notes from the iconoclastic Mustaine, these are
the definitive editions of Megadeth's musical legacy.

The results across the board on all eight albums are impressive. Later
efforts like Risk benefit from Mustaine's ruthless stripping of the
pop elements, giving the album a harder, truer sound, but it's the
earlier efforts like Peace Sells... and So Far, So Good...So What!
that benefit the most. There's no question, with the sounds
refurbished and maximized, that this was an undeniably powerful and
lethal band, fully deserving their status as one of the most
influential metal acts of the last 20 years. "Some of the songs just
didn't turn out the way that I wanted them to when they were first
made, due to money restrictions, technology limitations and so on,"
says Mustaine. "I believe now that there is nothing standing in the
way of what I felt when I wrote these songs and how you will be able
to hear them."

So Far... might have required the biggest overhaul, but every album
needed a fair amount of work and, in some cases, even some
re-recording. "You know, it wasn't really hard when I first opened up
the very first drive to roll up my sleeves and think, 'This is gonna
be great,'" Mustaine says now. "But as the project rolled on and the
difficulties started to accumulate, I began to get a little nervous.
When I got to stuff like 'Take No Prisoners' (from Rust In Peace), and
it was two o'clock in the morning and we find out that the vocal track
is gone, I was pretty freaked out."

In a New York Times live review (8/16/97), Ben Ratliff described
Megadeth's mix of speed-metal and straight-ahead rock and roll: "Dave
Mustaine, the band's singer, mastermind and one of its guitarists, has
augmented the repertory with songs that have dynamic developments and
emotional contours. Some proceed as pop songs, which would have been
heresy for a speed-metal band a decade ago. These new songs don't
depend on the suffocating rhetoric of speed, flash and chanted
quatrains about power and domination. They use riffs to different
ends, as melodic components rather than purely rhythmic spurs; they
don't fill spaces with long, virtuosic, thousand-note guitar solos."

These vital reissues will be followed by a new album from Megadeth
(due September 14 on Sanctuary Records), The System has Failed, which
is the first new music from Dave Mustaine since a freak arm injury
sidelined him in 2002. His arm healed, Mustaine -- along with drummer
Vinnie Colaiuta and bassist Jimmy Sloas -- recently completed work on
the first all-new Megadeth album in three years. A bruising sample
track, "Kick The Chair," leaked online by Mustaine, portends great
things. "I think that it has come full circle back to the aggressive,
political cynical lyrics and aggressive guitar riffing that I am
famous -- or infamous -- for," says Mustaine. "I feel something very
similar to when I first started out when I hear this new record...it's
exciting for me and I can't wait for the public to be able to have
this record in their hands."

Mustaine is currently planning to tour the US beginning in late
October, followed by dates in Europe. Check out www.megadeth.com for
the latest news.

The reissued CDs are as follows:

Album title (Original release date)
Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? (9/19/86)
So Far, So Good...So What! (1/13/88)
Rust In Peace (9/24/90)
Countdown To Extinction (7/6/92)
Youthanasia (11/1/94)
The Craving (MD.45, with Lee Ving) (1/1/96)
Cryptic Writings (7/17/97)
Risk (8/31/99)

http://www.megadeth.com/
http://www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com/

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-Dokken Returns With New Studio Album Hell To Pay Through Sanctuary
Records On July 13, 2004

Melodic Hard Rock On Hell To Pay Reminiscent Of Classic Sound

If the group Dokken ever heard the famous quote by Andy Warhol that
everybody gets 15 minutes of fame, it seems someone forgot to tell
them. After 20 years the group continues to have a major recording
contract as well as a loyal fan base allowing them to "still follow
their bliss and make a living at it" as singer and founder of the
group Don Dokken puts it. The group is slated for a July 13, 2004,
release for their latest recording Hell To Pay on Sanctuary Records.

"I used to think if you had talent that's all you needed to survive
the music business. After all these years I've come to realize you
need an equal amount of luck!" says Don. The 12 songs on Hell To Pay
include: "The Last Goodbye," "Don't Bring Me Down," "Escape,"
"Haunted," "Prozac Nation," "Care for You," "Better Off Before,"
"Still I'm Sad," "I Surrender," "Letter to Home," "Can You See" and
"Care for You (Unplugged Version)."

The group kicks off yet another world tour June 17 to promote their
new CD "and have some fun" as drummer "Wild" Mick Brown puts it.
Unlike some of their peers, the group has survived member changes,
drugs, alcohol and egos, almost! Qualities that seemed to be almost
mandatory during the '80s and '90s for a rock band. They have been
often lumped into the title of hair band, even though the group had
already been established as a multi-platinum arena act by 1983. Their
videos were a staple in the early days of the then fledgling MTV and
continued on into the late '80s.

"We've always taken our music very seriously. But I think it's healthy
when you can be self-deprecating," says Don, commenting about a recent
show. "We were headlining a concert last summer with a lot of other
'80s bands. When we arrived in town we heard a radio commercial that
the show was being promoted as a hair ball fest. We bought a can of
extra-hold Aqua Net and put our hair as high as we could get it. When
we hit the stage we were laughing so hard at each other we barely made
it through the first song. We've never considered ourselves a pop
band, we've had commercial hits but we've always prided ourselves for
our heavy edge."

Dokken has shared the stage with rock acts such as AC/DC, Metallica,
Aerosmith, Judas Priest, Van Halen, Kiss, Scorpions, as well as Bon
Jovi, just to name a few. "When people ask us who we've toured with we
just say EVERYBODY!" says Don.

The band hit stadium status in 1988, playing in front of over a
million fans in just five weeks. Their current LP at the time Back For
the Attack had sold over 1 million copies in just 21 days. It seemed
Dokken was on the verge of superstardom. But like so many other bands
that have come before and after them Dokken broke up in 1989. "It's
tough to go from nothing to everything and no one to guide you or say
stop. We made millions and spent millions but none of it on therapy,"
says Don dryly.

In 1994 the legendary A&R man John Kalodner moved to Sony Music.
Kalodner has been credited for reviving many groups' careers with
similar breakup problems most notably Aerosmith. Even though it was at
the height of the Seattle grunge sound phase and groups like Dokken
were out of vogue Kalodner offered Dokken a recording contract on the
condition the group had to be original members.

"I hadn't spoken to the other members in five years but I made the
call anyway to the other members. I figured we'd had five years to
grow up," says Don laughingly. The group released the appropriately
titled Dysfunctional in 1995 selling 250,000 copies which by the mid
'90s was considered by industry standards very respectable. Dokken was
really happy and excited, but just as they were on the verge of
releasing a second single, filming a video, starting a world tour and
"taking it all the way," as Don puts it, the baggage from their past
reared its ugly head, and again the group began to unravel. Soon after
guitarist George Lynch again left the group. "It was really a shame,"
says "Wild" Mick Brown. "We were on a roll! It seems lead singers and
guitarists are always at odds, it's been going on since before the
Beatles."

Don Dokken on surviving fame:

"I think it should be mandatory that all recording contracts have the
stipulation that their artists go to marriage counseling together at
least once a month."

The group signed to CMC International/Sanctuary Records in 1995 and
continued to forge forward. With new guitar wizard Jon Levin on board
the group has "gone back to their roots," as he puts it, with Hell To
Pay, their sixth CD for Sanctuary. "We just recorded what we liked not
what's in fashion musically this week," says Levin.

In the last year between recording their new CD Dokken has performed
with a crop of new groups such as Sevendust, Trapt, Eve 6 and Staind.
"It's really a trip when a new generation of fans knows all the words
to your songs even though some of them were written 15 years ago or
more. It puts a big smile on your face and reminds us that good songs
can stand the test of time," says Dokken bassist Barry Sparks on
performing with Staind to a soldout audience of 10,000.

Dokken exploded out of the boiling hard rock/heavy metal scene in Los
Angeles in the early 1980s. 1983's Breaking the Chains, with its
catchy title track, set the stage for Dokken becoming the most
dominant creative and commercial force in the world of melodic hard
rock. Tooth and Nail, Under Lock and Key and Back For the Attack all
became platinum selling smashes and the live Beast From the East went
gold. Songs like "Alone Again," "Just Got Lucky," "Into the Fire," "In
My Dreams," "Unchain the Night," "Dream Warriors," "Burning Like a
Flame" and "Heaven Sent" are among the genre's finest.

Not only has Dokken survived and kept their loyal fans in a time when
people's tastes change as fast as Britney Spears' wardrobe, they have
been embraced by a whole new generation of rock fans. They say a cat
has nine lives and it seems Dokken is enjoying more than a few as
well.

For all the latest Dokken news and up-to-date tour information, visit
http://www.dokken.net/ .

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*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
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-Scorpions To Sting Fans With New Studio Album Unbreakable On June 22,
2004

First Sanctuary Release For Germany's Heavy Metal Titans

Scorpions will release their new studio album Unbreakable on Sanctuary
Records on June 22, 2004. Unbreakable is the band's 20th album.

Vocalist Klaus Meine, guitarist Rudolf Schenker, guitarist Matthias
Jabs, drummer James Kottak and new bass guitarist Pawel Maciwoda have
created an album that's a return to form for the band. Unbreakable is,
quite simply, a lethal dose of Scorpions.

The 13 songs on Unbreakable include: "New Generation," "Love 'Em or
Leave 'Em," "Deep and Dark," "Borderline," "Blood Too Hot," "Maybe I
Maybe You," "Someday Is Now," "My City My Town," "Through My Eyes,"
"Can You Feel It," "This Time," "She Said" and "Remember the Good
Times."

For 30 years Scorpions have excited the music world with their
distinctive style of heavy metal. The band formed in Hannover,
Germany, and it remains the only German band to achieve worldwide
success. Early albums such as Lonesome Crow, Fly to the Rainbow, In
Trance, Virgin Killer, Taken By Force and the double live Tokyo Tapes
established a core fan base. Lovedrive and Animal Magnetism rumbled
toward mainstream consciousness but Blackout surged into the Top Ten
on the strength of the hit "No One Like You." It was the next album,
Love at First Sting, that shot Scorpions to superstar status; the
songs were remarkable. "Rock You Like a Hurricane" remains an all-time
classic anthem and other notable cuts include "Bad Boys Running Wild,"
"Coming Home," "Big City Nights" and "Still Loving You."

The gargantuan success of Love at First Sting was followed by the
double live World Wide Live and Savage Amusement. The next album,
Crazy World, yielded the massive global smash hit ballad "Wind of
Change," inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall. Subsequent albums
like Face the Heat, Pure Instinct, Eye II Eye and Moment of Glory
(with orchestral backing from the Berlin Philharmonic) and Acoustica
reinforced Scorpions' stature as one of the most important and
successful heavy metal bands of all time.

In addition to the Sanctuary release of Unbreakable this year, a
brand-new three-CD box set titled Box of Scorpions was just issued by
Hip-O/Mercury/UMe. The box set includes 51 digitally re-mastered songs
from 20 albums on multiple labels spanning the band's career from 1972
to 2002. All the major hits, fan favorites and lesser-known standouts
are included. Box of Scorpions features a photo-packed deluxe booklet
complete with an essay and song-by-song commentary from the band
members.

Scorpions will embark on yet another world tour in 2004 to promote
Unbreakable.

http://www.the-scorpions.com/
http://www.sanctuaryrecordsgroup.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
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-Nuclear Blast Update

Metal Videos Of The Millennium!
Dimmu Borgir's "Progenies Of The Great Apocalypse" video as well as In
Flames' "Cloud Connected" video are listed to be voted best Metal
Video of the new Millennium.

Please post your vote here:

http://www.mtv.com/onair/mtv2/headbangers_ball/best_metal/

*NEW RELEASES*
Destruction - Live Discharge DVD - June 1st
Therion - Lemuria / Sirius B - June 1st
Imperanon - Stained - June 15th
Orphanage - Driven - June 15th
HammerFall - One Crimson Night DVD - June 29th
Malevolent Creation - Warkult - July 29th

*RECENT RELEASES*
Death Angel - The Art Of Dying
Golem - Dreamweaver
Deathstars - Synthetic Generation
Farmer Boys - The Other Side
In Flames - Soundtrack To Your Escape
Kataklysm - Serenity In Fire
Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned
Disbelief - Spreading The Rage
Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon

*ON TOUR*
Dimmu Borgir - OZZFest 2004 - Main stage
Edguy - 9/18 - ProgPower V - Atlanta, GA

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*** PRESS RELEASE #6 ***
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-Lacuna Coil Update From Century Media

Contest - One grand prize winner will win a Sony Camcorder as well as
albums from P.O.D., Blindside, Lacuna Coil and Hazen Street! Click
here: http://www.epicrecords.com/win/hazenst/tourcontest/ .

The new Lacuna Coil video for "Swamped" shot by acclaimed director
Patric Ullaeus (Dimmu Borgir, In Flames) made its MTV2 debut on May
22nd to rave reviews. The track is the band's second hit single off of
their critically acclaimed Comalies album. Go to
http://www.mtv.com/onair/mtv2/rock_countdown/vote/ and vote for Lacuna
Coil on MTV2's Rock Countdown. Scroll down to the bottom to add in the
band's name and your contact information so we can break them into the
coveted top 20 list!

If you haven't seen this stellar video, click
http://mp4.centurymedia.com/swamped.ram .

Look for Lacuna Coil on Ozzfest all summer long!

Lacuna Coil (* = w/ P.O.D., Blindside, Hazen Street)
6/11 Croatian Cultural Centre – Vancouver, BC* venue change
6/12 Moore Theatre – Seattle, WA*
6/13 Roseland Theater – Portland, OR*
6/15 Warfield Theatre – San Francisco, CA*
6/16 Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA* (LC: 7 p.m.)
6/17 Amoeba Music – Los Angeles, CA (in-store performance, 7 p.m.)
6/18 The Joint – Las Vegas, NV*
6/19 Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ*
6/20 Soma – San Diego, CA*
7/10 Meadows Music Theater – Hartford, CT – OZZFEST
7/11 Hogs Trough Saloon – Manchester, NH (Lacuna headlines)
7/12 Tweeter Center – Boston, MA – OZZFEST
7/13 Club 125 – Bradford, MA (Lacuna headlines)
7/14 Jones Beach Amphitheatre – Wantagh, NY -- OZZFEST
7/16 PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ -- OZZFEST
7/18 Nissan Pavilion – Bristow, VA -- OZZFEST
7/20 Germain Amphitheater – Columbus, OH -- OZZFEST
7/22 Starwood Amphitheater – Nashville, TN -- OZZFEST
7/24 Fiddler's Green – Denver, CO -- OZZFEST
7/27 White River Amphitheater – Seattle, WA -- OZZFEST
7/29 Shoreline Amphitheater – San Francisco, CA -- OZZFEST
7/31 Hyundai Pavilion – San Bernardino, CA -- OZZFEST
8/3 Journal Pavilion –Albuquerque, NM -- OZZFEST
8/5 Smirnoff Music Center – Dallas, TX -- OZZFEST
8/7 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – San Antonio, TX -- OZZFEST
8/10 Verizon Wireless Amphitheater – Kansas City, KS -- OZZFEST
8/12 UMB Pavilion – St. Louis, MO – OZZFEST
8/13 Quad City Live – Davenport, IA w/ LOG, Dimmu, Atreyu, Unearth,
Bleeding Through, ETID
8/14 Alpine Valley Music Theater – East Troy, WI -- OZZFEST
8/17 DTE Energy Center – Detroit, MI -- OZZFEST
8/19 Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH -- OZZFEST
8/21 Tweeter Center—Tinley Park, IL -- OZZFEST
8/24 Verizon Wireless Music Center – Indianapolis, IN -- OZZFEST
8/26 Tweeter Waterfront – Camden, NJ -- OZZFEST
8/28 Post Gazette Pavilion – Pittsbugh, PA -- OZZFEST
8/31 Alltel Pavilion – Raleigh, NC -- OZZFEST
9/2 Tampa Bay Amphitheater – Tampa, FL -- OZZFEST
9/4 Sound Advice Amphitheater – West Palm, FL -- OZZFEST

Webshop Update

CONTEST: Order now the OZZFEST edition of Lacuna Coil's Comalies CD
and be one of 10 lucky winners to receive an autographed Lacuna Coil
photo. Celebrate Lacuna Coil's appearance on OZZFEST and be sure to
own the OZZFEST edition of Comalies, now reissued with 9 bonus tracks,
including live and acoustic tracks, as well as the videos for Heaven's
A Lie and Swamped. So order now, and on July 1st we will pick TEN
LUCKY WINNERS who bought the OZZFEST edition of Lacuna Coil's Comalies
CD. Be sure to catch Lacuna Coil on OZZFEST 2004's Second Stage, and
get ready to be rocked by the force that is Lacuna Coil.

- Orders must be received by June 30th, 11:59PM (Midnight) PST!
- Offer valid for Canadian & U.S. Residents ONLY!
- Offer valid for INTERNET ORDERS paid with CREDIT CARD ONLY!

Congratulations to May's contest winners:
Ryan Liedel from Lambertville, MI
Steven Connor from Chandler, AZ
Kyle Schroeder from Lynnwood, WA
Gail Caberto from Waipahu, HI
Richard Blask from Delhi, NY

http://www.centurymedia.com/

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-Mad Margritt News

Come celebrate Independence Day weekend with Great White and Mad
Margritt!!!

Mad Margritt will be opening the show for Great White July 3rd at The
Suncoast Grand Prix Festival in Sarasota, Florida!! There is also a
rumor of some special guests who may show up for an All-Star Jam!!! At
last years festival, Mad Margritt brought up on-stage Backstreet Boy
"Nick Carter" who sang a few songs with the band ("Man In The Box" by
Alice in Chains and a duet with Mad Margritt vocalist Eddie Smith on
the Journey song "Anyway You Want It").

For photos of last year's concert go to:
http://groups.msn.com/MadMargrittLikeHairMetalComeinandPlay/madmargrittbook1.msn\
w?albumlist=2

Mad Margritt will be featured on a brand new compilation CD called
Hollywood Hairspray - Volume 3!!

The CD will be released worldwide this summer on Perris Records and
will feature several well known bands including '80s glam sensation
Tiger Tailz!! Be sure to check out the Perris Records website for more
details: http://www.perrisrecords.com/

Upcoming Shows

Friday & Saturday, June 25-26
GIPSONS
Douglasville, Georgia

Saturday, July 3
Suncoast Grand Prix Festival
with Great White!!
Sarasota, Florida

Friday & Saturday, July 9-10
Marlenes
Austell, Georgia

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-Pretty Maids Update

[Note: This is taken from the band's Web site,
http://www.prettymaids.com/ . - Tim]

First of all we would like to state that, we the band do fully
understand that our fans and visitors of our homepage complain about
the lack of communication and information of what's going on.

For that there is no excuse and then again it's no secret that since
our management went bankrupt back in Aug. 2002 a lot of things
concerning this band has been a little unstructured since we still
haven't found the right management for the band. That means that we
are sort of managing ourselves so to speak for the time being and are
unfortunately forced to deal with a lot of legal stuff, copyrights,
etc. that we by all means rather would have been without.

Its needless to say that naturally it would have been quite a lot
easier if we just had to concentrate on writing new material as well
as playing a few gigs now and then.

But when it all comes down. We are still working on materiel for the
next studio album and what we've written so far is very promising but
the material has also been floating in various directions.

However we are very determined to come up with a good melodic hard
rock / heavy metal album that stands up to our own and our fans
expectations and also lives up to our normal standards, if not better.
In other words we're aiming for a killer !!!.

Since there's still a few things around the general organisation of
the band that has to be sorted out at first, we don't find ourselves
in no particular hurry to release a new album but we'll keep up the
work for it.

That means that the promise we made earlier this year about a new
album followed by a tour in the fall is no longer possible. The new
album and a full scale tour is now postponed until the spring 2005,
with recordings taking place during the fall and early winter this
year. This has partly to do with the above mentioned but also by
request from our record companies.

Anyway we the band are more than anxious to get this album done and
get out on the road and face all our fans as soon as possible, cause
that is what this band is all about.

Regarding the festival that we we're announced to play in the Borek
football stadium in Trinec Czech republic on the 25th of june, Pretty
Maids are NOT playing on the festival.

For reasons unknown to the band the promoter pulled out just recently
with some poor excuses even though the gig was confirmed a long time
ago.

Besides that we just played two gigs in Denmark some week ago and it
was great to be out there kicking a little ass again as well as seeing
a lot of familiar faces and fans.

At the gig we also checked out a new keyboard player (Jacob Troutner).
Jacob stood in when we suddenly a few weeks before the gigs found out
that our normal keyboardist (Jan Møller) couldn't do the job.

That's all for now, we will keep you updated (maybe)

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #9 ***
*
-Asia Scheduled To Issue New Studio Album 'Silent Nation' On August
31, 2004

First Release Since Signing With InsideOut Music

Asia will release its long-awaited new studio album 'Silent Nation' on
August 31, 2004, on Inside Out Music America. 'Silent Nation' is
Asia's first release for InsideOut under the band's exclusive deal
with the label covering all worldwide territories except Japan.

Vocalist/bass guitarist John Payne, keyboardist Geoff Downes,
guitarist Guthrie Govan and drummer Chris Slade will begin an
extensive world tour after the release of 'Silent Nation.' A few
select U.S. dates were scheduled for this summer.

'Silent Nation' marks a conscious return to the melody-rich, hard-rock
style of Asia's early albums, particularly 1982's self-titled
blockbuster and the 1983 follow-up 'Alpha.'

The cohesive band feel of 'Silent Nation' resulted from discarding the
practice of having all-star special guests sit in on recent albums
such as 2000's 'Aura,' the most recent studio record.

"We wanted to bring 'Silent Nation' back down to a much more contained
group feel. 'Aura' is a good album but it was hard to concentrate on a
direction with so many players involved," says Downes. "'Silent
Nation' is a much more 'up' and heavier album."

"'Aura' was a little bit coffee-table Asia, too steamy and too jazzy.
Albums we did with guitarist Al Pitrelli like 'Aura' sounded like '90s
rock. 'Silent Nation' is more of a band-sounding rock album -- a
classic-rock album," Payne says. "What makes it easier than working
with a plethora of musicians is the continuity of the sound through
the album. It's cohesive."

The lineup of Payne, Downes, Govan and Slade has been together for
more than four years, the longest of any version of Asia. Each one of
the quartet has astonishing musical gifts and the credits to match.
Founding member Downes is noted for his tenure in The Buggles and Yes.
Slade has been a member of AC/DC, The Firm and Manfred Mann's Earth
Band. Govan is, by all accounts, a guitarist of almost supernatural
abilities. Payne, a member of the band since 1992 and the 'Aqua'
album, is also a proficient guitarist and works with Govan on
arrangements.

"John and myself had a common goal with this album to return to our
rock sound and focus on the four members as a band," Downes says. "The
new songs are very melodic. They do have technical flourishes and they
occasionally venture into progressive areas but they are rock songs.
We started writing from scratch last September and then spent a couple
of months going through pieces. By Christmas, the building blocks of
the songs were in place."

"We wrote nearly 50 songs over seven months. I'll write on acoustic
guitar and Geoff will write on piano. If a song doesn't work when it's
played on an acoustic guitar or a piano, then it's not a song," Payne
says. "I never really write on bass. Well, riffs maybe. I never sang
and played bass in the bands I was in before Asia. I was either just
the singer or a singing guitarist. Both singing and playing bass in
Asia has been challenging and rewarding for me."

"The two of us co-produced 'Silent Nation' and John engineered it as
well," Downes says. "We roll ideas off each other and we're fairly
flexible. With a third-party producer it becomes a totally different
game."

Asia is thrilled to be part of InsideOut and have a strong label
committed to the band.

"Most of our post-'Aqua' albums never got a fair shot in North America
due to limited distribution and promotion. We're optimistic about
'Silent Nation' and it's great to be on a label that will help improve
our profile," says Downes. "The name Asia is buried into the psyche of
a certain age group in America because of how successful the first
album was. Perhaps our long-term impact would have been better if we
would have had a slow climb. We were an original band, but the music
business is an up-and-down game."

'Silent Nation' is the strongest musical statement Asia has made in
years. The band's vision for creating technically intricate songs
bursting with melodies and hooks is reinforced.

"What Asia is all about is this -- good songs that are well played,"
says Downes.

http://www.asiaworld.org/
http://www.insideoutmusic.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #10 ***
*
-Wacken Newsletter June 2004

Metal Hammer, EMP Rock Alarm & Metaltix present:

Wacken:Open:Air 2004 - 15th Anniversary - Newsletter June 2004

http://www.wacken.com/

05.08. - 07.08.2004

All confirmed bands so far (in alphabetical order):

AFTER FOREVER + AMON AMARTH + ANTHRAX + ARCH ENEMY + ASTRAL DOORS +
BAL-SAGOTH + BRAINSTORM + BOEHSE ONKELZ + CANNIBAL CORPSE + CATHEDRAL
+ CHILDREN OF BODOM + DEATH ANGEL + DEICIDE + DESTRUCTION + DIO +
DIONYSUS + DISBELIEF + DORO feat. Metal Classic Orchestra + special
guests Udo Dirkschneider & Blaze Bayley + DR. ROCK + EKTOMORF +
ELÄKELÄISET + EVERFEST + GRAVE DIGGER + GRIFFIN + GUTBUCKET +
HELLOWEEN with surprise guest + HYPOCRISY + J.B.O + KNORKATOR +
KOTIPELTO + MAYHEM + MISERY INDEX + MNEMIC + MOTÖRHEAD + MYSTIC
PROPHECY + NEVERMORE + ORPHANAGE + PARAGON + QUIREBOYS + RAUNCHY +
RECKLESS TIDE + SATAN + SATYRICON (last show forever!!) feat. special
set with Nocturno Culto from DARKTHRONE + SAXON + SCHANDMAUL +
SUPERSOMA + THORA + THUNDERSTONE + VOODOMA + WARLOCK (lineup from
1986) + WEINHOLD + ZODIAC MINDWARP and many more

The current Running Order you get here:
http://www.wacken.com/index_eng.php?Link=woa2004/woa2004-ro_eng.htm

Feinstein & The Rods + surprise guest in Wacken!!

We're proud to present the following: One more sensation will be the
show from: Feinstein - with The Rods Reunion show (the one and only
open air show in Europe 2004) plus surprise guest!!

Show day: Friday, Aug 6

A voting for the Rods songs with a big lottery will follow at
http://www.wacken.com/ .

More info about Feinstein/The Rods you get at the billing:
http://www.wacken.com/index_ro_eng.php

1. Wacken Metal Battle - first bands are confirmed!!

The first bands for the 1. Wacken Metal Battle are confirmed in
cooperation with Metal Hammer and the label Armageddon Music.

The following bands will play at the final contest on Saturday, the
7th of Aug. at the W.E.T. Stage:

Supersoma (Doom Rock from Mönchengladbach) - http://www.supersoma.de/
Everfest (Classic Heavy Metal) - http://www.everfest.de/
Thora (Rauere Rammstein from Aachen) - http://www.thora-fans.com/
Reckless Tide (Thrash from Hannover) - http://www.recklesstide.de/
Dr. Rock (Hardrock from Österreich) - http://www.dr-rock.at/
Voodoma (Melodic Metal from Düsseldorf) - http://www.voodoma.com/

We hope you'll enjoy & support the bands and you all will make a heavy
party. Thanx for your support!

"Armageddon Over Wacken 2003" Double DVD - confimed artists!!

The AOW double DVD will have Stereo sound AND 5.1 Surround Sound, so
it will be the very first Metal Festival Live DVD in this format
WORLDWIDE! Also the product contains a lot Material AROUND the
festival to display the unique atmosphere of this special Metal Event.
The "Armageddon Over Wacken 2003" Double DVD will be delivered in a
Digi-Pak package, but will offered at the international market for a
rate of a normal Jewel Case as usual for all Armageddon Music
releases: Value for Money!!

The Double DVD will be in store July 26th and contains following
Artists LIVE. 24 Bands and 30 songs confirmed so far:

- Die Apokalyptischen Reiter (Instinct)
- Caparthian Forest (Mask Of The Slave)
- Dark Age (Suicide Crew)
- Dew Sentenced (Cities Of The Dead)
- Diamond Head feat. Jess Cox (Am I Evil)
- Evidence One (In The Beginning There Was Fire)
- Gamma Ray (One With the World, Last Before The Storm)
- Holy Moses (World Chaos & Nothing For My Mum)
- In Flames (Only for The Weak & Watch Them Feed)
- Kataklysm (Where The Enemy Sleeps)
- Lordi (Would You Love A Monsterman)
- Metalium (Pain Crawls In The Night)
- Onkel Tom (Bon Scott)
- Primal Fear (Angel In Black)
- Running Wild (Welcome To Hell)
- Saxon (Princess Of The Night)
- Sentenced (Nepenthe)
- Seventh One (Hellowed Ground)
- Sinner (Born To Rock)
- Testament (Alone In The Dark & Over The Wall & Burned Offerings)
- The Crown (Under The Wip)
- Twisted Sister (Like A Knife In The Back & I Am, I'm Me)
- Vader (Reign For Ever World)
- Victory (Temples Of Gold)

Searching for News is easier now!

There's now a function at the news section which helps you search for
news. The news you're searching for will sort by dates so you can read
the latest news on the top of the list.

Adios Onkelz - See You In Wacken!!

The Onkelz will present their last album with the title "adios". Yes,
it's true: The Onkelz won't make more albums and won't play more
concerts in the future! The good news:

In Wacken they will give their very best once again!!!!!!

Warlock is calling for their song voting with lottery!

As a special for all fans Warlock will present a song voting with a
lottery. Here are some songs - 10 songs will be played at the W:O:A:

1) Burning the witches
2) Signs of Satan
3) Metal Racer
4) Midnight in China
5) No mercy for Mr. Gold
6) Hellbound
7) All Night
8) Out of Control
9) Evil
10) Earthshaker Rock
11) True As Steel
12) Lovesong
13) Fight For Rock
14) Without You
15) Time to die
16) Hateful Guy
17) Holding me
18) Shout it out

Please mail us the song numbers to: festival@...

These are the prizes from the lottery: 3 Meet & Greet with Warlock at
the W:O:A and 7 EPs.

The lottery will end on the 30th of June. On the first July we'll
announce the winners and the songs!

W:O:A Soccer Cup - looking for referees!!

The Organisers of the Soccer Cup are still looking for referees (also
for amateurs). If you're interested in helping, please contact
thordis@... .

All infos about the W:O:A Soccer Cup:
http://woa-soccercup.de/

W:O:A Warm Up Parties...

Also in the year 2004 of the Wacken Open Air we will present you the
"Warm Up Parties". These are the confirmed dates & locations so far:

17.06.2004 Osterode - Rock Harz Festival
26.06.2004 Detmold - Musikkneipe Dreierkrug
16.07.2004 Kiel - Pumpe
24.07.2004 Flensburg - Roxy Concerts
30.07.2004 Bochum - Matrix
30.07.2004 Hildesheim - Rock Club
31.07.2004 Adenau - Station Rock Club
01.08.2004 Lübeck - Body & Soul

Here you'll get all infos:
http://www.wacken.com/index_eng.php?Link=bestof/bestof_warmupparties_eng.htm

See you in wacken - rain or shine

Your W:O:A Team

http://www.wacken.com/

ICS GmbH
W:O:A Headquarter
Hauptstrasse 47
24869 Dörpstedt

phone: +49 - (0) 4627 - 18 38 38
fax: +49 - (0) 4627 - 18 38 80

headquarter@...

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #11 ***
*
-Metal Blade Germany / Summer Breeze

It's finally done: the festival billing has been completed over two
months in advance! Latest additions include DANZIG, LEAVES EYES and
IMMORTAL RITES:

This is the full list of the bands who will be playing in Abtsgmünd
between August 19 and 21:

DANZIG, SIX FEET UNDER, SENTENCED, HYPOCRISY, U.D.O., SONATA ARCTICA,
FINNTROLL, SCHANDMAUL, CREMATORY, DIE HAPPY, SODOM, BRAINSTORM,
TANKARD, KATATONIA, SIRENIA, LAKE OF TEARS, PRIMORDIAL, VINTERSORG,
PSYCHOPUNCH, XANDRIA, LEAVES EYES, VOMITORY, GREEN CARNATION, SALTATIO
MORTIS, ENSIFERUM, CATARACT, TOTENMOND, MÖRK GRYNING, FLESHCRAWL,
HATESPHERE, MNEMIC, GOREROTTED, EVERGREY, MENHIR, DEADSOUL TRIBE,
GODDESS OF DESIRE, DISILLUSION, SLEEPINGODSLIE, HONIGDIEB, CRIMINAL,
EQUILIBRIUM, IMMORTAL RITES, BESEECH, PARAGON, FRAGMENTS OF
UNBECOMING, RAWHEAD REXX, MENTAL AMPUTATION, ALEV, and BUSTA HOOTA

Only pending is the announcement of the winners of the Metal Hammer
band contest, who will be opening the festivities on the Thursday!

So now make sure you secure your tickets in advance or you might end
up empty-handed. If presales continue at their current pace, the
festival will be sold out in advance for the first time ever! Our
offer to newsletter recipients still stands: If you order tickets now
for Summer Breeze Open Air 2004, you will get a 15 track Metal Blade
compilation CD and a Summer Breeze 2004 poster free with each ticket!
Tickets are 39.- Euros including all applicable fees, plus a single
shipping charge of 5.- Euros inside of Germany and 10.- Euros for
orders from abroad, regardless of the number of tickets ordered. So if
you wish to purchase tickets, just send an e-mail to
mail@... with your order and address, and we will get back
to you with payment instructions. For orders over 10 tickets, you will
receive a free Summer Breeze 2003 T-shirt or girlie shirt of your
choice (over 20 tickets, 2 T-shirts, etc.).

There's also news from the Silverdust label.

The new album by PSYCHOPUNCH from Sweden, entitled "Smashed On
Arrival", will be released on 21.06.2004. The band were certainly the
surprise winners of last year's Summer Breeze Festival, prompting us
to sign them right away. The first reactions have been absolutely
euphoric, with rave reviews especially in the German press!

This is just a sample:

ROCK HARD – soundcheck position # 6 – rating: 8,5
METAL HAMMER – soundcheck position # 13
HEAVY, ODER WAS !? – soundcheck position # 13 – rating: 10
METAL HEART – soundcheck position # 3, rating: 9
VISIONS – rating: 9
STALKER – rating: 9

If you're still not convinced, go to http://www.silverdust.de/ , where
you will find 90-second snippets of all 12 songs for your listening
pleasure.

Now you know what to do! Visit your dealer of choice starting June 21!

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #12 ***
*
-Melodic Zones Update

Welcome to Melodic Zones email news bites.

http://www.aordreamzones.com/
http://www.melodiczones.com/
email: metal.news@...

New Interviews online for:
House Of Shakira, Stan Bush, House Of Mirrors, Bob Harris, Tears Of
Anger, TNT, Jeff Pilson, Missa Mecuria, Human Temple, Phil Vincent and
many more..

Coming coming up with:
Wig Wam, Kee Marcello, Ten, Evergrey, Richie Fontana, Dexter Freebish,
Dream Evil, Skyfire, Sylvan, Xandria, King Karma, Phye, Goran Kralj,
Stampede Queen and special Shawn Lane tribute feature.

New reviews for:
The Corrs, Cans, Evan And Jaron, Jetliner, Edge Of Forever, Gaiah,
Dead Heart Beating, Glen Burtnick, White Lion, Stage Dolls, Dexter
Freebish, House Of Mirrors, Metal Majesty, Panik, Hardreams, Richard
Marx, Dare, Vision, Nightwish, Alanis Morrissette, Frontline, Goran,
Stan Bush, Avril Lavigne, Wolf, Cryptic Vision, Kotipelto, Infinite
Dreams, Adriangale, Gene Simmons, Vision Divine, Predator, Knight
Area, Valensia, Proto-Kaw, Heart, Midnite Sky, Feinstein, Chastity,
Over The Edge, Hugo, 707, Liesgang, Mennen, TNA, Xoch, Coastland Ride,
Offroad, Dakota, Altaria, Dream Evil, Impellitteri, Razorback, Planet
3, Anastacia, The Outfield, War And Peace, Voyager, Joe Satriani,
Donnie Vie, Roxx, Steve Morse. Bang The Union, Firewind, Black Label
Society, Enuff Z' Nuff Tribute, Lionsheart, Dragonforce, Warrior,
Platitude, Dionysus, Evil Masquerade, Mother Mercy, Grandma Moses,
Snakeryder, Wicked Sensation, Astral Doors, Spin Gallery, Rick
Springfield, Deacon Street Project, Virtuocity and hundreds more...

Soundfiles:
Metal Majesty, Token, King Karma, Dare, Clearland, Stan Bush, Vision,
Tears Of Anger, House Of Shakira, London Calling, Edge Of Forever,
Genius, Shortino/Northrup, 707, Jimi Hendrix Tribute, Human Temple,
Token, Jorn, King Karma, War & Peace and many more new releases...

Unsigned Bands:
The new Unsigned Bands Contest is now online featuring 13 hot new
artists including :- PETER CARR - FROZEN RAIN - HARDWAY - INITATION -
PABLO GOMEZ - LEVI - JOANNA MCMEIKAN - GREG NICHOLSON - RENEGADE -
ROCKETS TO RUIN - TANKER - VAGH – WULFGANG... So log on and get voting
now for the band you want to see signed.

Forums:
New members forums now online, including chat rooms etc..

Free CD:
Still available our first 'Always On Rock' CD for only $3.50 postage,
which has had some good press from the melodic rock magazines and
webzines.

All reviews featured on AOR Dreamzones can be ordered from

http://www.rpm4music.com/
&
http://www.destinyrecords.uk.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #13 ***
*
-John Taglieri: GiG Alert! Eight Shows In A Week, New Interview, And
You've Been Tagged!!!

[This is an excerpt from John's latest Yahoo! Groups mailing list
newsletter. - Tim]

This week's shows...I am getting back into the swing of things, so get
yer butts ready to come on out!

Tuesday, June 15
The Cornerstone Inn
"Songwriters Tuesdays"
491Broad Street
Carlstadt, NJ 07072
201-460-7777
8:00pm
Solo Acoustic
Co-Bill with Edgar, Scott DeCarlo & Josh Rifkin
Definitely come on out to this new Songwriters night at The
Cornerstone. The first few weeks have been great from what I hear, so
let's keep that going!

Wednesday, June 16
The Goldhawk
936 Park Ave
Hoboken, NJ 07030
201-420-7989
8:00pm
Solo Acoustic
Co-Bill with Matt Mead
A killer venue in Hoboken with the incomparable Matt Mead! I'll be
performing first on this show, so make sure you get there early!

Friday, June 18
Uncommon Ground
An Evening Of Songs For Tyler's Fund
266 Myrtle Ave
Boonton, NJ 07005
973-316-0606
8:00pm
Solo Acoustic
Co-Bill w/Jason Didner
This is a fundraiser for Tyler Schicke, who is struggling to oust
leukemia from his young body. I'm am co-billing with my good friend
Jason Didner and we are going to make this a fun night in a great
venue and do some good in the process! So come on out if you can.

Saturday, June 19
Holman Stadium
Nashua Pride Baseball
67 Amherst Street
Nashua, NH 03055
603-883-2255
6:35pm
Performing the National Anthem
I'll be performing right before the game starts!

Then...
The Brick House
241 Union Square
Milford, NH 03055
603-672-2270
9:00pm
Solo Acoustic
w/Scooter Way opening
I was just there a couple of weeks back opening for Edwin McCain and
this is a room that you want to visit! This is my first headline show
there!! So come on out and have some fun and GREAT food. There is
going to be a pre-party starting at about 4:00pm and some prizes to be
given away, including 3 tickets to join me at the Nashua Pride Game
that same evening! So make sure you get there early, and join in on
all the fun!

Sunday, June 20
NYSEG Stadium
Binghamton Mets
211 Henry Street
Binghamton, NY 13901
607-723-METS
1:30pm
Performing the National Anthem
Fathers Day! I'm trekking over to Binghamton to perform the National
Anthem for the New York Mets farmclub, the Binghamton Mets!!! The
stadium should be packed for the holiday and it should be a great day!

Tuesday, June 22
The Nutty Irishman
60 East Main Street
Bay Shore, NY 11706
631-969-9700
8:00pm
Solo Acoustic
Back out on the Island! My first time in this venue. Should be good...
we are back in a few weeks with the full band, so I'm excited about
this one!

Whew...what a great week...need them all to be like that! LOL...
Links - Go Check'em out!!
http://www.edgarm.com/
http://www.MattMeadMusic.com/
http://www.JasonDidner.com/
http://www.ScottDeCarlo.com/

Street Team News...
We are going to actively be working on expanding and utilizing the Tag
Team more. There are incentive programs and prizes for those who help
spread the word! So head over the to the Fan Club page and check it
out. You can win prizes and even make money on the Street Team Sales
Program, so what are you waiting for! Head over and check it out now
and let Katie and Kyra know that you are interested.

You've Been Tagged!!
I've finally added the "You've Been Tagged" page to the Picture
section of the website! I will add any photo of anyone wearing a John
Taglieri sticker, shirt, button, or anything else on any part of your
body!! So get out there, Tag your friends and get pictures of it! The
more we can load that page, that means the more people are getting
Tagged and that's good for all of us!

New CD News...
The new CD is coming along. We've been in a bit of a holding pattern
while the studio's computer gets fixed, but it should all be resolved
this week and then we are back to business. The tracks that are
already cut are strong and I can't wait to get back to work on them.
I'll keep you all updated as to the status of the CD as we move along.
There is a cool theme developing in the songs that are being included
in this CD and I have a working title that I am really starting to
think will be the one...but for now we'll keep that a secret! LOL...

Milford Cabinet Article
An interview came out last week in the Milford Cabinet in NH to help
promo the show there! I'll have it up on the website as soon as I can
get it scanned and added!

Florida, Indiana, Rhode Island & New York State Shows Announced!!
Make sure you head over and check the GiGs page on the website!! A
bunch of shows have been added recently and a bunch are traveling
shows. So head over, check them out and if there are in your area,
make sure you mark your calendars and clear the night to come and hang
out with me!!

http://www.JohnTaglieri.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #14 ***
*
-Perris / Hollywood Hairspray III

Perris Records is proud to announce the complete track listing for
Hollywood Hairspray III. HH3 is jam packed with brand new and
unreleased tracks from some of today's favorites as well some new up
and coming artists. CD features over 70 mins of music. The HH III is
being mastered by Rodney Mills (Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd).

The complete track listing and running order is as follows:

1. Stampede Queen - "In It For The Money" (Amazing new studio
recording not found on the "Nights At The Cockfights" CD)
2. Funny Money - "Bad Luck" (Amazing new track featuring Steve
Whiteman, Jimmy & Ronnie of KIX)
3. Mad Margritt - "Straight Through the Heart" (New track from their
upcoming album)
4. Cherry St. - "Comes Around Goes Around" (Unreleased track) (First
time on CD)
5. Tigertailz - "King Of The World" (Steevi & Ace return with great
new track)
6. Shameless - "Realize" (Brand new recording from German Glam Band,
Features Steve Summers on vocals)
7. Gemini Five - "Babylon Rockets" (New glam kings of Sweden)
8. Machinegun Kelly - "White Line Offside" (Andy Pierce & co. amazing
sleaze band. The "White Line Offside" received an amazing KKKKK (5K's)
in Kerrang magazine)
9. Switchblade - "Switchblade Serenade" (Sleazy Dirty Rock from
Denmark, Ken Anthony on vocals)
10. Crazy Lixx - "Death Row" (Amazing dirty Rock 'N' Roll from Sweden)
11. Eat The Gun - "Welcome To The Show" (Great new hard hitting rock
band from Germany)
12. Nineteen88 - "Big Rawk" (Ballsy hard rock from the mid-west.
features Mick Rowe, brother of Jamie Rowe)
13. CRASHDÏET - "Riot In Everyone" (new Swedish glam band)
14. Schroeder - "Doesn't Do A Thing For Me" (Melodic hard rock band
from New Jersey.)
15. Tommy & The Love Tribe - "Million Times" (N.Y. sleaze band once
featured in Metal Edge)
16. Sleazy Dream - "Backslide" (Glam / Sleaze band from Finland)
17. Tracy Gang Pussy - "Play It Hard" (French Glam / Sleaze band)

Look for Hollywood Hairspray III on July 15th, 2004. Hollywood
Hairspray the DVD is coming in August 2004.

http://www.perrisrecords.com/

*
*** AT THE ALTAR ***
*
by Patrick Brower (patrickbrower@...)

-Welcome, parishioners, to a new dose of metal worship. I am ever your
humble reverend, pastor, priest, whatever, and I am here to help you
atone for your sins. And this time we have a whole new house of
worship to discuss, but it resides solely in Illinois, so some of you
must attend only in spirit. Neo. Not the Keanu Reeves Matrix
character, but the Chicago Goth club. Yes, dear followers, I said
"Goth," but not always. Every Monday night is an evening they have
christened "None Blacker." Heavy Metal Mondays are here and they are
exactly what you want them to be.

From the ashes of a punk-themed evening, several Neo employees
vocalized their desire for a metal-themed night. It was accepted and
starting back in February -- February 9, 2004 to be exact -- None
Blacker debuted. The official description is "The best of Glam, Thrash
and Heavy Rock from the '70s, '80s, '90s and beyond." And it is all of
those and more. Open from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m., that six-hour
window provides more than enough time for you to hear exactly what you
want to hear and to be surprised by songs and bands you may never have
expected. DJ Eleven is well-versed in all areas of metal and is more
than willing to take requests. Seriously, that is so rare I was in
awe. Usually most clubs have a cut-off time or a request limit and
they rarely get to what you want. DJ Eleven, however, actually walks
through the club and asks what people want to hear. And here's the
best part, if you mention a band that he may not be familiar with,
which is rare, he'll go out of his way to seek it out for next week,
or if you bring it in and he likes it, he'll play it. How cool is
that? Not only that, but he's as big an Armored Saint and Anthrax fan
as I. Okay, probably bigger...

While DJ Eleven helms the booth, your behind the bar hosts for the
evenings are Mr. Hate and Skinny Rabbit, two guys that both thrive in
this element. Mr. Hate lives it full-time and that's proven as he's
all over the recent Anthrax DVD release, MUSIC OF MASS DESTRUCTION. A
shaved-head goateed man, you see him at the front of the stage almost
every time you see Scott Ian. And while both he and Rabbit are regular
employees of Neo, Mondays are their night. Quite personable and polite
these guys are quick with the drinks and quicker with the attitude
that gives None Blacker its personality. Don't be fooled however; just
because these guys are down-to-Earth and friendly doesn't mean they
won't bust you up if need be. Trust me, stay on their good side and
everybody gets along.

Neo is located at 2350 N. Clark St., a half block south of Fullerton.
Look for the thin, pink neon sign and walk down the creepy alley. And
then prepare for a new addition to your weekly routine because you'll
keep coming back. Hey, did I mention that it's 21 and over?

-And now I will steal the closing feature that everyone else uses at
the end of their columns, What's Playing At The Altar: Pyramaze -
MELANCHOLY BEAST; Ayreon - THE HUMAN EQUATION; John Petrucci and
Jordan Rudess - AN EVENING WITH JOHN PETRUCCI AND JORDAN RUDESS; and
Jorn - OUT TO EVERY NATION. Until next time, keep on your knees with
your ears to the sky.

*
*** REALM OF SHRED ***
*
by Neal Woodall (MysticX10@...)

-Not much news in the Realm this week so I thought I would share with
you some of my all-time favorite guitar solos. This is not by any
means an exhaustive list and I may have to do numerous columns to come
even close to covering all of them but for now I'll give you some that
I consider exceptional. Hunt these down and check them out if you've
never heard them, and feel free to send me your list of shredding
favorites...

If no band is mentioned it is the artist's solo project, under his own
name. So, in no particular order of importance:

Yngwie Malmsteen: "Far Beyond The Sun" from RISING FORCE; "Soldier
Without Faith" from MARCHING OUT.

George Lynch: "Mr. Scary" and "Heaven Sent" from Dokken's BACK FOR THE
ATTACK.

Gary Moore: "End Of The World" from CORRIDORS OF POWER; "Murder In The
Skies" from VICTIMS OF THE FUTURE.

Michael Schenker: "Pack It Up And Go" from UFO's OBSESSION; "Rock
Bottom" from UFO's STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT.

Vinnie Moore: "Daydream" and "Hero Without Honor" from MIND'S EYE.

Tony MacAlpine: "Autumn Lords" and "Hundreds Of Thousands" from
MAXIMUM SECURITY.

Akira Takasaki: "Like Hell" from Loudness' THUNDER IN THE EAST;
"Esper" from Loudness' THE SOLDIER'S JUST CAME BACK.

Warren DeMartini: "Back For More" and "I'm Insane" from OUT OF THE
CELLAR.

Ronni Le Tekro: "Seven Seas" and "Ready To Leave" from KNIGHTS OF THE
NEW THUNDER.

John Sykes: "Thunder And Lighting" from Thin Lizzy's THUNDER AND
LIGHTNING; "Give Me All Your Love" from Whitesnake's s/t.

John Norum: "Wings Of Tomorrow" from Europe's WINGS OF TOMORROW;
"Distant Voices" from FACE THE TRUTH.

Darrell Abbott: (a.k.a. Diamond/Dimebag Darrell): "Onward We Rock" and
"Down Below" from Pantera's I AM THE NIGHT.

Joey Tafolla: "Eternity's End" and "The Summons" from OUT OF THE SUN.

Greg Howe: "Red Handed" from GREG HOWE; "Symphony V" from Vitalij
Kuprij's HIGH DEFINITION.

Jason Becker: "Altitudes" and "Opus Pocus" from PERPETUAL BURN.

Paul Gilbert: "Y.R.O." from Racer X's STREET LETHAL; "Zero Hour" from
Joey Tafolla's OUT OF THE SUN.

Uli Roth: "Sails Of Charon" from Scorpion's TAKEN BY FORCE; "I'll Be
There" from BEYOND THE ASTRAL SKIES.

Joe Satriani: "Memories" from DREAMING # 11; "The Bells Of Lal, Pt. 2"
from FLYING IN A BLUE DREAM.

John Petrucci: "A Fortune In Lies" From Dream Theater's WHEN DREAM AND
DAY UNITE; "Metropolis Pt. 1" From Dream Theater's IMAGES AND WORDS.

Alex Lifeson: "La Villa Stragiato" from Rush's HEMISPHERES;
"Limelight" from Rush's MOVING PICTURES.

R.I.P. on these last two, we miss you:

Shawn Lane: "Hey Tee Bone" From MVP's CENTRIFUGAL FUNK; "Gray Pianos
Flying" from POWERS OF TEN.

Criss Oliva: "Gutter Ballet" from Savatage's GUTTER BALLET; "24 Hours
Ago" from Savatage's GHOST IN THE RUINS.

There you go, some cool summer listening to get into. I know there are
a ton more, please don't write asking why Van Halen and Steve Vai were
not included... They will be on the next list! I left off Randy Rhoads
because I already discussed my favorites from him in my "Tribute To
Randy" column a few months back...

-Have a great week!

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*
MISSA MERCURIA (B+) Lion Music, 2004
16 tracks, RT: 60:00
[ http://www.missamercuria.com/ ]
[ mercuria@... ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
The Earth is destroyed. Are the four elementals to blame? And if not,
who is? What now is to become of the human race? And more importantly,
what of our protector Mercuria? This is the story of this "Killer
all-star progressive metal concept album." Killer and all-star,
indeed. The songs are written by D.C. Cooper (Silent Force), Günter
Werno and Stephan Lill (Vanden Plas), Alex Beyrodt (Silent Force) and
Alfred Koffler (Pink Cream 69). The music is performed by Vanden Plas
drummer Andreas Lill, Pink Cream 69 bassist Dennis Ward (who also
produced and engineered the album), guitarists Stephan Lill, Koffler,
and Beyrodt, Vanden Plas keyboardist Günter Werno, and session
percussionist Pedro Weiss. And if that wasn't enough big names for
you, here are the vocalists and the characters they play: Cooper:
Firegod, Sabine Edelsbacher (Edenbridge): Watergoddess, Lori Williams
(session soul singer): Earthgoddess, Andy Kuntz (Vanden Plas): Airgod,
Isolde Groß (classical opera singer): Mercuria, and David Readman
(Pink Cream 69): Narrator. Whew. Originally released on Generation
Records in September 2002, this review covers the 2004 Lion Music
version. The differences, as far as I can tell, are none. Nothing
added; nothing subtracted. The CD booklet tells us the story of the
album, written by Karin Forstner. And I'll be honest here; I couldn't
get through the whole story. It's long; it's really long, and it's
printed in this annoying font that makes reading it a chore. Suffice
to say the Gods must solve the mystery of the Earth's destruction and
find where to continue the human race. Thankfully, the story is
secondary to the music. I know, if not for the story there would be no
CD but my enjoyment of the music does not hinge on the reading of the
story. If anything I wanted to grade down because of it, but I didn't.
It's about the music, not necessarily the packaging. And the music is
good. The Earth is quickly dispatched in the appropriately named
"Earth's Destruction" and the consequences of that action begin to be
explored in "Requiem Mortale." These two instrumentals open the CD and
set the musical tone of what to expect throughout: searing guitars,
explosive drumming, fanciful keys and catchy, catchy hooks. For two of
the briefer pieces on the disc, there is a lot of energy and emotion
packed into the beginning of this album. The questioning of the
elemental suspects begins, as do our vocalists with "Divine Spark."
Fitting that D.C. Cooper play the Firegod as it's he who wrote all the
lyrics of this opus. This is the song that told me I was in for a
treat with this whole CD. It's straightforward, heavy and
groove-laden. And just as the temperature of fire raises, so does
Cooper's voice as the song continues. The subtle grace of Sabine
Edelsbacher brings us to "Whisper Of The Soul," where the Watergoddes
professes her innocence. It's a very elegant song and it flows as
easily as the water it represents. Next up is "Mother Earth." Soul
singer Lori Williams is probably the least-know of all the players
involved with MISSA MERCURIA but she handles her song very well. As
the Earth Elemental (hey, I thought that was Swamp Thing? Uh, I
digress...) her voice is full and resonant and the music is very solid
and almost tribal. A simple piano chord brings the beginning of
"Spirit Of Wisdom." As a huge Vanden Plas fan, the fact that Andy
Kuntz sings this song as the Airgod made it the one I most looked
forward to. And in the early listening of this CD, it's the song I
played the most. At the third line of the song the rhythm kicks in and
at the beginning of the second bar the whole band is in full sound.
And then the vocals start. Such a great song. Now we take a 2:59
instrumental break with "Illusion Of Time," setting the stage for the
middle act of the disc. "Illusion" slows the pace down and lets us
catch our collective breath with an airy piano piece and string
accompaniment. And now that we've recovered, it's time to meet our
main character, Mercuria herself in the eponymous "Missa Mercuria."
Opera soprano Isolde Groß lends her graceful voice to the story's
heroine. A tad overproduced, this track is almost out of place. It's
as if the music is toned down to not take away from Isolde's voice,
yet to compensate her voice seems to be recorded on several separate
tracks. Cool guitar solo, though. Halfway through the story we finally
meet our Narrator, in the form of David Readman. Readman has the
distinction of the most vocal tracks of any one given performer on
this disc. "Fairytale Of Truth" starts out with a simple piano
arrangement and quickly brings the rest of the band in. For this track
Readman's voice also seems multi-tracked but it adds to the story
content of the lyrics. And it's fairly far removed from what I'm used
to with Pink Cream 69 but I have yet to hear any Adagio. A simple,
catchy song. "Farewell For Love's Sake" is the ballad of the album and
the only duet. Here the Firegod teams up with Mercuria as they must
part in order for her to fulfill her mission. It's quite the tender
love song and Isolde's voice is far better suited for this type of
material. The next five tracks are all parts of "Journey To Hades."
And for some reason when David Readman sings it, it's pronounced
"hah-daze." Quick, someone tell Dan Lorenzo! "Departure To Fear's"
soft acoustic guitar and marching snare quickly segues into "Strange
Desert Walk." Both are instrumentals and both slow the pace down.
"Walk" has a very Eastern feel to it with chimes and a sitar-esque
sound. Readman returns with "Bursting Ego," a song that's almost eerie
in its subtle darkness. This is not a demon-infested, fire and
brimstone Hell, this is the Hell of your mind, subtle, almost hopeful,
but ultimately a worse prison. And it's a great showcase for his vocal
range. Quickly now we travel "Down To Hell" with a 32-second
conveyance of pounding despair. And finally Readman rounds out the
vocal portion of the CD with "Rectificando," a deliberately paced song
with very orchestral guitar and keyboards and deep, full vocals. Was
Mercuria successful? Will the human race survive, and if so, where?
Listen to "New Eon Arises" and decide for yourself. In all, the
diversity of the song writing is marvelous. To be able to convey each
God/Goddess/Elemental and every theme in this all-encompassing story
is nothing short of remarkable. In a time where half of the
progressive metal albums that come out are mega rock opera
collaborations, MISSA MERCURIA stands at the top of the pack. Or at
the forefront of a new plane of existence for the human race. I
haven't decided which yet... - Patrick Brower
(patrickbrower@...)

OHM - "LIVE" ON KPFK 90.7 FM (B+) Lion Music, 2004
11 tracks, RT: 40:13
[ http://www.chrispoland.com/ ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
Original (and apparently current) Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland is a
musician who clearly knows his way around a variety of styles;
throughout his career he has produced prototypical thrash metal with
Megadeth, alternative-tinged hard rock with his band Damn The Machine,
exceptional instrumental guitar shred on his solo outing RETURN TO
METALOPOLIS, and recently jazz-rock fusion with his band Ohm. Ohm
features 10 tracks recorded live at public radio station KPFK 90.7 FM
in Los Angeles for the specialty show "Travel Tips For Aztlan," with
one bonus track ("Jam For Tony") recorded for Tony Palcovic's show on
KSPC radio 88.7 FM. Delivering precise and hypnotic instrumental
fusion, Ohm will likely appeal more to those with an ear for jazz, as
the compositions prominently feature clean, complex chord arrangements
punctuated by some incredible bass playing (compliments of bassist
extraordinaire Robertino Pagliari) and masterful drumming (provided by
Ginger Baker's son, Kofi). Chris Poland is a unique and exciting
guitarist, mixing rock lines with jazz and blues to create a memorable
experience. Ohm starts off a bit relaxed and may seem a little
ponderous to those not familiar with jazz but give this a few spins
and the brilliance will become quite apparent -- check out "Icarus
Falls," "Iguana," "Id," or "Where's My Hat," to hear some really
inspired playing. This leans more towards the jazz side of Poland's
personality, so don't expect metal on this one; you can, however,
expect high-quality, innovative music. Don't miss it... - Neal Woodall
(MysticX10@...)

RAZORBACK - ANIMAL ANGER (B+) Massacre, 2004
10 tracks, RT: 43:06
[ http://www.razorback-online.com/ ]
[ http://www.rolfmunkes.com/ ]
Razorback was born when former Vanize trio Rolf Munkes (guitar),
Marcus Bielenberg (bass), and Pierre Fienhold (drums) left and hooked
up with vocalist Stefan Berggren (Snakes In Paradise, The Company Of
Snakes, M3) and guitarist Chris Heun (Shylock). I'm a fan of Vanize
and Munkes' work, both solo and with Empire, and I dug Berggren on a
couple Company Of Snakes releases, so I had high hopes for this new
venture...and despite being thrown for a bit of a loop I quite like
it! I'm not familiar with Heun's work with Shylock, but based on this
band's name and album title, and Vanize's crunchy pedigree, I expected
Razorback's music to be gritty German metal. Nope. ANIMAL ANGER is
chock full of slick, expertly-played melodic hard rock underneath
Berggren's Tony Martin/Ronnie Dio-styled vocals. (Strange, as I
thought he sounded a lot like Thunder's Danny Bowes on Company Of
Snakes' BURST THE BUBBLE...) I'm not sure how -- if at all -- the
guitarists divide soloing chores but whoever's playing the stuff is in
top form; the leads are pretty much spot-on with fitting the moods of
their songs, and they exhibit equal amounts of taste and flash. After
the first few spins I had ANIMAL ANGER pegged as sort of a throwback
to the excellent, underrated Martin-era Black Sabbath albums like THE
ETERNAL IDOL and HEADLESS CROSS, but repeat spins revealed more
diversity. Yes there are some ominous references in songs like "A New
King In Town" and "Kiss Of Death," but this is no mere Sabbath tribute
album. (Though I do find all this linkage quite interesting since 1)
Berggren stepped into M3 after Martin left that project, 2) Martin
sang on Empire's TRADING SOULS with Munkes and bassist Neil Murray,
and 3) Murray is/was part of Sabbath, M3, and The Company Of Snakes...
It's all one big glorious incestuous mess, eh?) Anyway, ANIMAL ANGER
is one of those albums that can be played from start to finish without
having to skip a single track, and it's over before you know it. The
songs are cohesive, tight and well-written, and colored nicely here
and there by guest keyboardist Joakim Svalberg (Yngwie Malmsteen). The
heat gets turned up occasionally, as in "Release Me" and "Bastard,"
and a few more such storming moments would've easily bumped this album
up to the "A" range. Here's hoping the fellas settle in on this
project and produce a ton more albums. - Tim

*
*** OUT ***
*

=====
Detritus Rock/Metal e-zine
"Rock Hard With A Purpose"
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/detritus/



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