Detritus
Issue #305
Week of February 21, 2005
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*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
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Patrick Brower, Editor
patrickbrower@...

Sean P. Gahgan, Editor
lof@...

Tim Wadzinski, Owner
tsw512@...

Steve Shumake, Co-owner
vongoober@...
http://www.vongoober.com/

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*** LET IT BE KNOWN ***
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A column from Keith, a review from Neal, the usual from Sean & me
(with Tim & Steve) and the debut of a new regular review column, The
Clock Tower by Terry Gant! -Patrick

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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-SEVEN WITCHES DVD TAPING
The Seven Witches (www.sevenwitches.net) U.S. tour continues in
support of the band's latest release, Year of the Witch. The group
performed a special, free show on February 19th at the Crocodile Rock
Cafe in Allentown, Pa-which was recorded for an upcoming live DVD.
Fans from around the country, as well as special guests including Ted
Poley of Danger Danger and Eric Ragno of Vox Tempus, attended the
show. Eric also performed with the band. Pictures of this amazing
show can be found at http://chynablue.topcities.com/Witches_DVD.

The show began at 9pm. At 9:50pm, a club employee took the stage and
announced that anyone under 21 years old (pretty much half of the
audience) would have to leave. The club had billed this as an all-ages
event but did not mention that anyone under 21 would have to leave by
10:00! Jack Frost (guitars) was furious but there was nothing the
band could do. The crowd broke into a chant of "Bullshit! Bullshit!"
A few kids left but the majority stayed. The band came back out and
James Rivera [vocals] commented that "We are the children of metal and
they want to take that away from us! Fucking stick around. I'm not
making you go home." Two or three songs later, security started going
through the audience and removing people under 21 years old - in some
cases by physically picking them up by the shoulders and carrying them
out the door! Considering the circumstances, this situation could
easily have gotten out of control - but to the fan's credit they did
not react and handled it peacefully.

Many opponents of modern music claim that heavy metal brings out the
worst in today's youth and incites them into violent acts. This show
clearly proves that a group of young people can come together for a
loud concert of nasty metal music and still maintain decorum -
especially when provoked in a way as grievous as this. With the
band's stellar performances, the outrageous behavior by the venue, and
the cool demeanor of the fans, this special DVD event will be talked
about for some time. (Thanks to Eric Ragno)

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*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
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-LOUDNESS TO PLAY EARTHSHAKER?
Loudness vocalist Minoru Niihara recently informed www.BraveWords.com
that he has completed vocals for the English language version of the
band's new album, Racing. The Japanese language version was released
at the end of November 2004. The new one will be released on April 6th
through Tokuma Communications.

In other news, Loudness is rumored to be playing the Earthshaker
Festival in Geiselwind, Germany on the weekend of July 22nd and 23rd.
Niihara was unaware of this development, although he admits the band
was looking into the possibility a month ago. The band's management
claims it will be happening, but the festival organizers have yet to
confirm or deny it.

If this festival show does happen, it will be LOUDNESS' first European
performance with the original line-up since 1988.

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*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
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-EVERGREY DVD CLIP AVAILABLE
We have uploaded a preview of the upcoming DVD. Feel free to check it
out! Enjoy:
http://www.evergrey.net/media/vid-evergrey-more_than_ever.wmv (And
when it comes out, be sure to look for our own Sean P. Gahgan in the
crowd! ~Patrick)

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*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
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- DECIBEL MAGAZINE TO SPONSOR NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FESTIVAL
WORCESTER, Mass. – Decibel Magazine has signed on as presenting
sponsor of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival.

"Every year MassConcerts assembles the best metal and hardcore bands
on planet Earth, the same bands that fill the pages of Decibel
Magazine every month," said Decibel publisher Alex Mulcahy. "We
couldn't be happier with this affiliation - and we can't wait to meet
all of the current and future Decibel subscribers in person."

The seventh annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival will take
place at the Palladium in Worcester, Mass., on Friday, April 22,
Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24.

Hatebreed, Unearth and Obituary are confirmed as headliners for Friday
night. Saturday's headliners will include Chimaira and Cryptopsy.
Sunday's headliners are King Diamond, Nile and Soilwork. A
replacement for the previously announced Nightwish, who had to cancel
their North American tour, will be announced soon.

Also appearing are A Life Once Lost, All Shall Perish, All That
Remains, As I Lay Dying, Behemoth, Black Dahlia Murder, Blood Has Been
Shed, Bury Your Dead, Dark Tranquility, Darkest Hour, Evergreen
Terrace, Full Blown Chaos, Glass Casket, Hypocrisy, If Hope Dies,
Internal Bleeding, Ion Disonanance, It Dies Today, Kylesa, Maroon,
Misery Signals, Nimic, Premonitions Of War, Pro-Pain, Red Chord,
Reflux, Remembering Never, Scurvy, Sonatarctica, Stemm, Strapping
Young Lad, The Acacia Strain, The Agony Scene, The Esoteric, The
Killing, The Minor Times, Throwdown, Trivium, Winter Solstice, and
many more to be added. Talent is subject to change.

Single day tickets are $35 per day. Three-day passes are $99.
Tickets are on sale at all Strawberries Record Stores, online at
tickets.com, or by calling tickets.com at (800) 477-6849.

The show will once again take place on the two stages in the
Palladium. This year there will once again be a film crew recording
every second of action on the stage and behind the scenes for another
LIVE DVD. Record labels, vendors, and record distributors will set up
shop in the balcony of the upstairs room. Sponsors this year include
Decibel Magazine who is presenting this fest, Prosthetic Records who
is sponsoring the 2nd Stage upstairs, Metal Blade Records, Trustkill
Records, Fuse / Uranium, Metal Maniacs Magazine, Revolver Magazine,
Relapse Records, Mazur PR, The Syndicate, defyunlearn.com,
jeremysaffer.com, returntothepit.com, and theundergroundscene.net.
Vendors this year include Acrux Clothing / Deep Send Records, Century
Media / Nuclear Blast, Decibel Magazine, Eulogy Recordings, Ferret
Records, Lifeforce Records, Metal Blade Records, Metal Maniacs
Magazine, Prosthetic Records, Red Rocket Records, Relapse Records,
Revolver Magazine, Trustkill Records and Victory Records.

www.metalandhardcorefestival.com

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*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
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-CENTURY MEDIA RELEASE SCHEDULE

Out Now:
BEHEMOTH Demigod
DARK TRANQUILLITY Character
NIGHTWISH From Wishes To Eternity (live DVD)
BLIND GUARDIAN – Battalions of Fear, Follow The Blind and The
Forgotten Tales (reissues)
KRISIUN – The Bloodshed
MERCENARY – 11 Dreams
CHILDREN OF BODOM – Trashed, Lost & Strungout

March 8th
BLOODBATH – Nightmares Made Flesh
IMPALED – Death After Life
MORGOTH – 1987-1997 Best of Collection

March 22nd
STRAPPING YOUNG LAD – Alien

April 5th
DARK TRANQUILLITY – The Gallery (reissue) + 5 covers and The Mind's I
(reissue)
DARK TRANQUILLITY – Enter Suicidal Angels + 2 video CD Rom tracks
NIGHTRAGE – Decent Into Darkness

April 19th
NAPALM DEATH – The Code Is Red… Long Live The Code

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*** PRESS RELEASE #6 ***
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-SITTIN' IDOL CD RELEASE PARTIES

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Friday, Feb 18, STARLITE ROOM
Also featuring BREACH OF TRUST, and MERVYN ALBIN!!
$10 Admission, Free CD for first 200 guests
Starlite Room - 10030 102 St

Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Sunday, Feb 20, RUSTY CAGE
Also featuring BREACH OF TRUST and Phattoe!!
NO COVER, Free CD for first 200 guests
Rusty Cage - 1690 37 St SW
Monday is a holiday!!!!

OTHER SHOWS:
February 16, 2005 - Pete's on Patricia, Jasper AB
February 17, 2005 - The VAT, Red Deer AB
March 5, 2005 - The Roadhouse, Golden BC

Don't forget to check out Sittin' Idol on the web at
http://www.sittinidol.com
(I admit I had never heard of these guys but I liked what I heard at
their website, so check `em out if you're in Alberta! ~Patrick)

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*** PRESS RELEASE #7 ***
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-KERRANG! MAGAZINE's TOP 100 BRITISH ROCK ALBUMS OF ALL TIME
As voted by their readers. How many do YOU own?

1. Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
2. Iron Maiden - Number Of The Beast
3. Sex Pistols - Nevermind The Bullocks
4. Led Zeppelin - IV
5. Black Sabbath - Paranoid
6. Muse - Absolution
7. The Clash - London Calling
8. Queen - Sheer Heart Attack
9. Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
10. Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible
11. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
12. Judas Priest - British Steel
13. Def Leppard - Hysteria
14. Black Sabbath - Volume 4
15. The Darkness - Permission To Land
16. Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard Of Ozz
17. The Wildhearts - Earth vs The Wildhearts
18. Lostprophets - Start Something
19. Queen - A Night At The Opera
20. Muse - Origin Of Symmetry
21. Ash - Free All Angels
22. Motorhead - Ace Of Spades
23. Stereophonics - Performance And Cocktails
24. Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go
25. Feeder - Echo Park
26. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II
27. Cradle of Filth - Cruelty And The Beast
28. Iron Maiden - Brave New World
29. The Clash - The Clash
30. Funeral For A Friend - Casually Dressed And Deep In Conversation
31. Therapy? - Troublegum
32. Feeder - Comfort In Sound
33. Ozzy Osbourne - Diary Of A Madman
34. Deep Purple - Machine Head
35. The Damned - Machine Gun Etiquette
36. Def Leppard - Pyromania
37. Hundred Reasons - Ideas Above Our Station
38. Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon
39. The Prodigy - The Fat Of The Land
40. Muse- Showbiz
41. Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin
42. Manic Street Preachers - Generation Terroists
43. Ash - 1977
44. Iron Maiden - Killers
45. Pitchshifter - www.pitchshifter.com
46. Judas Priest - Screaming For Vengence
47. Idlewild - Hope Is Important
48. Biffy Clyro - Infinity Land
49. Reef - Glow
50. Napalm Death - Scum
51. Lost Prophets - The Fake Sound Of Progress
52. Saxon - Wheels of steel
53. The Cult - Electric
54. Skunk Anansie - Paranoid and Sunburnt
55. Bush - Sixteen Stone
56. Deep Purple - In Rock
57. A - Hi-Fi Serious
58. Hell Is For Heroes - The Neon Handshake
59. Whitesnake - 1987
60. Terrorvision - How To Make Friends And Influence People
61. Free - Fire And Water
62. Led Zeppelin - Houses Of The Holy
63. Black Sabbath - Master Of Reality
64. Judas Priest - Stained Class
65. Idlewild - 100 Broken Windows
66. Skunk Anansie - Stoosh
67. Killing Joke - Killing Joke
68. Venom - Black Metal
69. Iron Monkey - Iron Monkey
70. The Wildhearts - PHUQ
71. Motorhead - Overkill
72. Queen - Queen II
73. Feeder - Yesterday Went Too Soon
74. Rainbow - Rising
75. Sisters Of Mercy - Floodland
76. Therapy - Nurse
77. Biffy Clyro - Blackened Sky
78. Godflesh - Streetcleaner
79. Earthtone9 - Arc'tan'gent
80. Bush - Razorblade Suitcase
81. Stereophonics - Word Gets Around
82. 3 Colours Red - Pure
83. Cathedral - The Etheral Mirror
84. Thunder - Backstreet Symphony
85. Raging Speedhorn - Raging Speedhorn
86. Paradise Lost - Draconion Times
87. Feeder - Polythene
88. Stiff Little Fingers - Inflamable Material
89. A - A Vs The Monkey Kong
90. Discharge - Hear Nothing, See Nothing, Say Nothing
91. The Ruts - The Crack
92. Fudge Tunnel - Hate Songs In E Minor
93. Baby Chaos - Love Your Self Abuse
94. Carcass - Symphony Of Sickness
95. Gang Of Four - Entertainment
96. Orange Goblin - Tiem Travelling Blues
97. The Exploited - Troops Of Tomorrow
98. Cradle Of Filth - Dusk And Her Embrace
99. Anathema - A Fine Day To Exit
100. Therapy? - Infernal Love

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*** PRESS RELEASE #8 ***
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-"SUBDIVISIONS" NEW RUSH TRIBUTE CD ON MAGNA CARTA
Lee, Lifeson and Peart have provided an often obsessive lifetime
mission for countless of hopeful, thoughtful, ambitious musicians
through a wide scope of times and climes. The all-walks array of
musicians you see gathered here is testimony to that fact.
Rush were heavy when heavy was not cool, Rush comprised a clear and
clear-headed three guys playing their hearts and minds out on sleeve
and stage. Rush made you want to play better than that other guy in
class, also providing a reading list for mind-feeding while you
recovered from bleeding fingers, tender blood blisters and tendonitis.
And they did this in waves, to full currents of aspiring rockers,
beginning thereabouts with underground breakthrough 2112 in 1976, that
record combining science fiction with philosophy (Ayn Rand) and
literature (George Orwell), metal with progressive rock (Rush
single-handedly birthed progressive metal – a huge musical genre
today), also delivering one of the early concept albums.
Rush is one of the few bands to conquer the divide between the more
intimate progressive rock listener and FM rock radio. When bands like
Yes and ELP were having trouble staying on the airwaves, Rush
maintained their visibility. Always updating their sound but keeping
those familiar touches. Subdivisions is available March 15.

Track Listing:

Distant Early Warning
Lead Vocals: Randy Jackson, Guitar Solo: Daniel J.

Lakeside Park
Lead Vocals: Sebastian Bach, Guitar Solo: Daniel J.

Limelight
Lead Vocals: Kip Winger, Guitar Solo: Andreas Kisser

Subdivisions
Lead Vocals: Randy Jackson, Guitar Solo: Dominic Cifarelli, Keys: Jeff
Feldman

Different Strings
Lead Vocals & Guitar Solo: Robert Berry

Tom Sawyer
Lead Vocals: Sebastian Bach, Guitar Solo: Dominic Cifarelli, Keys:
Jeff Feldman

Bastille Day
Lead Vocals: Jani Lane with Dave Brooks, Guitar Solo: Alex Skolnick

A Farewell To Kings
Lead Vocals: Randy Jackson, Guitar Solo: Andreas Kisser

Spirit Of the Radio
Lead Vocals: Kip Winger, Guitar Solo: Jeff Stinco

Didacts and Narpets
Drums: Mike Mangini

2112 Overture/Temples Of Syrinx
Lead Vocals: Jani Lane with Dave Brooks , Guitar Solo: Vinnie Moore

Rhythm Guitars Tracks - Vinnie Moore, Bass Tracks - Stu Hamm, Drum
Tracks - Mike Mangini, Keyboards - Robert Berry, Keyboards - Jeff
Feldman, Keyboards - Trent Gardner

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*** PRESS RELEASE #9 ***
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-HOLLYWOOD HAIRSPRAY VOL. 4
It's that time of the year again!!!! Back by popular demand, Perris
Records is looking for bands for Hollywood Hairspray Vol.4. Volume 3
was our best selling Hollywood Hairspray to date. We are looking to
make Volume 4 even bigger!!!! Past Hollywood Hairspray releases
featured unreleased and new tracks from bands such as Pretty Boy
Floyd, Enuff Z Nuff, Tigertailz, Funny Money, Razamanaz, Stampede
Queen, Nasty Idols and many, many others. Hollywood Hairspray is great
way to expose your band to thousands of Hard Rock/Glam music buyers
worldwide. It's a perfect and free way to promote your band's new
material and upcoming releases. As usual, Hollywood Hairspray cost the
artists/bands no money to be on. Volume 4 will coincide with Perris
Record's first DVD title "Hollywood Hairspray The DVD" Look for the
DVD in April 2005. The deadline for material submission is May 1st,
2005. Please send a CD and BIO with Pictures to:

George Brautigam
c/o Perris Records A&R Dept.
530 Woodside Ave.
Berwyn, PA 19312 USA
Dept: Hollywood Hairspray

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*** PRESS RELEASE #10 ***
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-MITCH PERRY INKS DEAL FOR NEW PROJECT
Z Records are very proud to announce the signing of Mitch Perry for
the release of his new as yet unnamed project. The album will be
released during late March 05 and features Paul Shortino and Sean
McNabb amongst others.

Mitch is previously known for his work with The Michael Schenker
Group, Cher, Edgar Winter and most recently War & Peace. Sound samples
will be online for review at www.zrecords.net on February 28th with a
special preview at the Evolution Rock Night in England on February 25th!!!

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*** PRESS RELEASE #11 ***
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-ANTHRAX TWO-IN-ONE
Megaforce Records will re-release two classic ANTHRAX albums,
"Fistful of Metal" and "Armed And Dangerous" COMBINED on ONE CD this
Tuesday (22) in the USA.
Like Metallica and Megadeth, Anthrax was responsible for the emergence
of speed and thrash metal; combining the speed and fury of hardcore
with the guitars and vocals of heavy metal, they helped create a new
sub-genre of heavy metal. Unlike Metallica, they had the good sense to
temper their often-serious music with a healthy dose of humor and
realism.
Their first album, "Fistful of Metal," included original singer Neil
Turbin and featured the now classic song, "Metal Thrashing Mad." It
also introduced fans to this new brutal style of metal. Their second
album, "Armed And Dangerous," saw singer Joey Belladonna and bassist
Frank Bello join the lineup. Belladonna helped take the band farther
away from conventional metal clichés and was a catalyst in making
Anthrax arguably become the leaders of speed metal.
Fans can now have these first two Anthrax albums in one package
featuring new artwork and liner notes from the band. Anthrax is a band
that has sold over 10 million records worldwide.

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*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*

- From: http://www.bandtoband.com/
Welcome to BandToBand.com. Bands have a tendency to share band
members from time to time and as a result it is not difficult to
construct a simple "family tree" based upon the interrelationship of
band members. We at BandToBand.com decided to find out how large this
extended tree is and the following list of bands is that result. Each
band listed below is connected to every other band listed based upon
this family tree principle....

- There's a new STEVE (Lillian Axe) BLAZE interview up at
http://www.newdiamondent.com/mag/interviews/lillianaxe.html It's a
good interview about his current career and his current 60+ bands, or so.

- Century Media released three of BLIND GUARDIAN's early albums
Battalions Of Fear, Follow The Blind, and The Forgotten Tales,
previously unavailable in the U.S. on February 8th. Both Battalions…
and Follow… have a bonus track to celebrate the domestic release.
Forgotten Tales doesn't contain any extras, however the 13 cover tunes
are an exceptional compilation that includes the band's rendition of
"Surfin' USA."

Additionally Century Media released Blind Guardian's epic double DVD
Stateside in November 2004, the mighty German Powerhouse have received
a round of outstanding reviews from press. And you can register for
your chance to win a copy from the Ferrante Power Equipment website
http://www.f-p-e.com/contest.php

- Announcing plans to make their first-ever live appearance,
BLOOODBATH shocked fans with the news that they will be playing
Germany 's gargantuan Wacken Open Air . Although the line-up for this
performance is not yet set, they have announced that they will exit
the crypt for this only appearance in 2005… and perhaps forever. To
read the full announcement, visit the BLOODBATH website.

- From: http://www.crystaleyes.net/
Daniel Heiman will sing on the entire new CRYSTAL EYES album. After
twelve years, Mikael Dahl will now hand over the job as lead vocalist
on the new album CONFESSIONS OF THE MAKER to former Lost Horizon
vocalist Daniel Heiman. Of course, Mikael still remains Crystal Eyes'
driving force as guitarist and songwriter. Finally we have some great
news about Crystal Eyes' first two albums WORLD OF BLACK AND SILVER
and IN SILENCE THEY MARCH. We've gotten so many questions about why
these albums are so hard to get, and the simple answer is that they've
been sold out at Crazy Life Music, who released them back in 1999 and
2000. Our new record company, Heavy Fidelity, has now purchased all
the rights for both albums, and will re-release them at the same time
as the new album in the beginning of 2005.

- Sweden 's heavy metal mammoths DREAM EVIL make their way to Japan
this month for three shows with German metal warriors Metalium. They
will play Feb. 10, 12 and 13.

- InsideOut Music has sent out a press release stating that DREAM
THEATER front man James LaBrie has no intention of performing any
DREAM THEATER material during his upcoming solo tour. "I want to keep
those two worlds separated," LaBrie is quoted as saying. "DREAM
THEATER are still a very lively and strong band, so there's no reason
to play their songs on my solo tour."

Upcoming James LaBrie solo dates:
Apr. 19 - Treviso, ITA - New Age
Apr. 20 - Rome, ITA - Qube
Apr. 22 - Milan, ITA - Transilvania
Apr. 23 - Pratteln, SWI - Z 7
Apr. 24 - München, GER - Elser Zusatzhalle
Apr. 26 - Tilburg, NETH - 013
Apr. 27 - Hamburg, GER - Markthalle
Apr. 28 - Düsseldorf, GER - Tor 3
Apr. 30 - London, UK - Mean Fiddler
May 01 - Paris, FRA - Elysee Montmartre
May 02 - Aschaffenburg, GER - Colos-Saal

- Brother Routa of the mighty Finnish Trollhorde has sent this message
to fans, "FINNTROLL can be seen across Europe during their second
headlining tour, with Scandinavian brothers Naglfar and Amoral. Tour
starts in Sweden and ends in the United Kingdom. The Trollhorde will
raid countries like Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, Czech Rep.,
Hungary, Slovakia, Belgium, France and even Denmark for the very first
time. More tour info can be found from either www.finntroll.net or
www.metallysee.com. Finntroll also hopes that we get a chance to visit
the States later this year, but nothing is confirmed. You will just
have to wait, or we look forward to seeing some of you guys at our
European gigs. Stay metal, people."

- FORCE OF EVIL will be releasing their second album next month. March
21st in Europe and here in the States March 28th. The album's entitled
"Black Empire". Check out www.forceofevil.net for more info.

- Check out http://www.nuclearblast.de/events/hammerfall/ to hear
samples of HAMMERFALL's new CD.

- Oakland's medical malpractitioners IMPALED take to the road with a
slew of shows unwinding through the west and east coasts. Medical
Deviant Sean McGrath passed along this infection, " IMPALED will be
rocking the faces of everyone at the Arizona Death Fest in April as
well as playing dates before and after the fest along the West Coast
with Engorged and Lord Gore. We'll also crush the Maryland Death Fest
(no relation to the Arizona Death Fest) and we'll be plundering towns
on the East Coast with Rotten Sound and Aborted." Stay tuned to the
IMPALED website for surgical updates.

- Canada 's INTO ETERNITY is preparing for their first U.S. tour in 3
years, and their first supporting their acclaimed 2004 release, Buried
In Oblivion. The band will be supporting Finnish metal veterans
Amorphis. The band's 2004 ProgPower V USA appearance has been the only
taste the U.S. has gotten of this band live for quite a while, and
after a remarkable 15 country run across Europe with country mates
Kataklysm, the band are primed to conquer American fans with their
technical wizardry.

- Colorado 's heavy metal masters, JAG PANZER, will be performing at
Cleveland, Ohio 's BW&BK Fest. The two-day festival will include one
of the only North American performances by the band. (Which is too bad
because they really need to come back to Chicago. On their last trip
here, Sean, Tim & I all went and they only had time for 3 songs (!!)
due to Cubs postseason traffic! ~Patrick)

- ProgPower USA previously announced that TIMO KOTIPELTO's main band,
Stratovarius, will be headlining this year's festival on Sept. 16,
2005. KOTIPELTO, whose 2004 album Coldness was released by Century
Media, was the festival's 2004 Special Guest and performed with German
heavy metal band Edguy. ProgPower USA V was Timo's first visit to the
United States, and the festival left him with a very favorable
impression. "I had a really nice visit to Atlanta, and found the
festival very well organized. I thought I'd be coming back this year
with my band, KOTIPELTO, but as it turns out I'll be returning with my
`other' band. I look forward to seeing all of you in September!" Look
for KOTIPELTO on tour in Europe with Kamelot throughout March and into
early April.

- Brazilian precision-mounted death metal monsters KRISIUN have
announced several South American dates where they will be supporting
their new release entitled The Bloodshed. Additionally the brothers in
KRISIUN have scheduled European festival appearances including Germany
's Party San Open Air and Summer Breeze Festivals. Dates for both
festivals are available at the bands website.

- Two members of the band LOST HORIZON, Daniel Heiman (singer) and
Fredrik Olsson (Guitarist) decided to walk their own path in exploring
the metal scene. With new material written together with drummer Mats
Karlsson, known for his stand in drumming on Lost Horizon's Spain
tour, they encountered with producer Tobias Lindell and Dragan
Tanaskovic of Bohus Entertainment. They immediately fell for the
material and Heed was born! Now the band is working on the upcoming
album and two songs have been recorded, produced, mixed and mastered
at Bohus studio as a taste of what is to come! Soon this website will
be updated with more info and other cool stuff. Meanwhile, heed the
samples!
http://holstein.oderland.com/~musicsto/1minutTearsofProdigy02.mp3
http://holstein.oderland.com/~musicsto/1minutMoments.mp3

- Dave Mustaine has put a little teaser out on the official MEGADETH
Forums as to who will be touring with them during their summer tour in
the U.S.; "[The European] tour is going great and we have confirmed
our start of summer festivals in Europe and are working on our summer
festivals in the U.S. and Canada. "I wanted to tell you that we have
been considering many bands, and although it is not 100% official yet,
we have agreed to take the spectacular ***** ******* out as our very
special guests and friends. We have also agreed with the mighty band
**** *******. This will be awesome!!!!! "This is going to be part of a
5-6 band 'personal favorites of mine' type tour, and we are securing
the last 2-3 bands as we speak. And although this will not be an
outdoor or arena size festival in all of the markets, we will be
playing stadiums in our heads "So, keep your fingers crossed and I
will keep you better informed as the Summer U.S. tour develops."

- The Danish metal megalith MERCENARY's new album 11 Dreams, continues
to receive near perfect reviews from worldwide press. Celebrated metal
critic Martin Popoff writing for BW&BK gave 11 Dreams a 10/10 calling
it "a masterpiece." The U.S. version of the album contains 2 bonus
tracks, both remixes of the title track.
On Friday February 4, the band were supposed to headline the Århus,
Denmark Midnight Metal Festival when halfway into the day a
belligerent fan spilled his beer into the soundboard. In a quick fix
the monitor board replaced the main and subsequently the power for the
venue went out. However, after attempting to fix the power for 2
hours, the festival was called off for the day. MERCENARY have offered
to anyone who brings their red wristband from the Århus show a 50%
discount on a ticket to the Aalborg Rocks Festival. This festival is
in MERCENARY'S hometown, and will feature seven bands: Evergrey,
Mercenary, Comunic, and four others.

- Violating the studio once again, Century Media artist NAGLFAR is
hard at work recording their forthcoming full-length album, Pariah,
during the full onslaught of Swedish winter. Vocalist/bassist
Kristoffer Olivius sends his darkest regards to fans, and promises
violence unending with the new release. The band can be seen on tour
throughout Europe with label mates Finntroll and Amoral.

- April 19, 2005 grows closer, and with it the release of Birmingham ,
England 's Fathers of Grindcore NAPALM DEATH's new album The Code Is
Red… Long Live The Code. In anticipation of the albums release the
band will play two dates in the former Soviet Union, and a date in
Poland, and later this spring they will head out on a short tour of
Europe , and festival appearances are being added daily. Keep your
eyes peeled for U.S. dates as NAPALM is making every effort to get
back here taking The Code… to new heights.

- NEVERMORE's upcoming Andy Sneap produced new record This Godless
Endeavor, will be released in late 2005.

- The great news from the Israeli progressive metal band, ORPHANED
LAND, continues. Vocalist Kobi Farhi checked in with this update: " We
have just finished the `Flooding the Balkans tour', where we had five
dates in Israel, Greece, Turkey & Bulgaria . Most of the shows were
sold out!!! We hope to confirm our Latin American tour a.s.a.p.,
meanwhile one Mexican date has been confirmed: March 26 we will play
with Kreator & Tristania in Mexico , more dates to be announced soon."

- OVERKILL will be out touring in support of their new album,
RELIXIV, due on March 22 via Eagle Rock/Spitfire Records:

Feb. 25 - Atarfe Vega Rock - Grenada, SPA
Apr. 08 - Jaxx - Springfield, VA
Apr. 09 - Thunderdome - Baltimore, MD
Apr. 10 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
Apr. 13 - Club 125 - Bradford, MA
Apr. 14 - BB Kings - New York, NY
Apr. 15 - Alrosa Villa - Columbus, OH
Apr. 16 - Harpos - Detroit, MI
Apr. 17 - Joe's - Chicago, IL
Apr. 18 - Madison Theater - Cincinatti, OH
Apr. 19 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
Apr. 20 - Rex Theater - Pittsburgh, PA
Apr. 21 - Crocodile Rock - Allentown, PA
Apr. 22 - Penny Arcade - Rochester, NY
Apr. 23 - Starland Ballroom - Sayerville, NJ
Apr. 24 - Webster Theater - Hartford, CT
May 06 - Beibob - Vosselaar Belgium
May 07 - Alte Spinnerei - Glauchau GER
May 08 - Rock Café – Prague, CZR
May 09 - Planet Music – Vienna, AUT
May 11 - Live Arena – Münster, GER
May 13 - Z7 – Pratteln, SWI
May 14 - Andernach JUZ Live Club – Andernach, GER
May 15 - Rock Hard - Dortmund, GER
Jun. 11 - Sweden Rock - Solvesborg, SWE
Jul. 02 - Open Air Festival - Istanbul, TUR
Jul. 03 - Bospop 2005 - Weert, NETH
Jul. 08 - Rock Harz - Osterode, GER
Jul. 22 - Earthshaker - Geiselwind, GER
Aug. 01 - Open Air - Sofia, BUL
Aug. 02 - Open Air - Belgrade, SER
Aug. 03 - Pepsi Island - Budapest, HUN
Aug. 04 - Open Air - Prague, CZR
Aug. 06 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, GER

- Confirmed to headline Chicago's Powerfest, Sweden's TAD MORSE are
excited to be returning to the U.S. and guitarist Krunt has sent this
note to fans, "Hey there everybody! For you who don't already know, we
are coming back to the U.S. in April! Yihaaa! We will headline the
Chicago Powerfest on April 9. We have heard that there will be a lot
of you who saw us at ProgPower in Atlanta last September coming to
join us in Chicago, so watch out, there will be a BIG party `Swedish
style'. (you know Vikings, beer and God/Satan knows what...;-) We are
working on some `special things' for this show so it should be
`interesting'.

"Apart from that we have started to work on our next album Chicks In
High Heels `n Leather. So far we got a few killer songs ready like
"Lipstick And Steel" and "Sludge Hovering In Hell." No, honestly, not
that much has been done yet, but we are working hard on it."

- UNLEASHED are currently booked for Germany 's Rock Hard and With
Full Force festivals, and Sweden 's 2000 Decibel Festival. The band
had an amazing time on the first part of the European tour in 2004 and
are looking forward to further touring in support of their latest
Century Media release Sworn Allegiance.

Thanks to Steve Shumake for helping compile this info.

*
*** THE CLOCK TOWER ***
*
by Terry Gant (docmidnight@...) "I'm not sayin, I'm just sayin."

-Hello all and welcome to the first installment of The Clock Tower.
Here I sit in a nice leather covered easy chair with a few good books,
a bowl of Thai food and a squeeze bottle full of my favorite adult
beverage, the Rusty Nail. While I'm up here, I'm going to look out for
the best the World of Metal <makes the horns> has to offer. Why?
Because if you had a clock tower, puffy chair, bottle of scotch and a
High Speed Internet connection, I'd expect no less.

So dig it. It's 1AM and I have the newest offering from Virginia based
Lamb of God spinning in the drive. Here's how I see it.

LAMB OF GOD - ASHES OF THE WAKE (A) Epic Records, 2004
11 Tracks, RT "Hell Man, I lost count"
[ www.lamb-of-god.com ]
[ www.lambofgod.tv ]

Lamb of God were paying attention to the lessons Slayer has taught us.
"Laid To Rest" starts of out and it crunches like Murphy era Testament
but Chuck Billy doesn't have a voice like Randy Blythe. I don't always
dig the "growly" vocal thing because most times it's just "growly"
with no vocal style IMO. Blythe uses his voice like he knows you were
listening to some other CD before this one and he needs to break you
of that habit.
Next up is "Hourglass" and Guitarists Mark Morton and Willie Adler
don't let up. It's all about the Crunch here and Bass player John
Campbell keeps it heavy especially during the middle.
"Now you've Got Something To Die For" has that buzz saw sound that has
been missing since Pantera released The Great Southern Trendkill. It
starts there and reaches further back to South of Heaven and this is a
very good thing. Drummer Chris Adler doesn't give his drums a moment
to breathe. It's like his toms owe him money. Very Nice!
"Faded Line" is up next and Chris Adler is going after the family
members of his drums. These boys are not playing. They do not want you
listening to anything else for a while.
"Omerta" begins with a nice samurai narrative that is very F'N metal
then it's mid tempo crunch time with Morton and W. Adler providing
nice harmonics. St. Peter gets a mention in the lyrics. This isn't
something you do lightly while having more chug than two chuggers with
a chugging machine.
"Blood of the Scribe" Picks the pace up again and I feel like I've
come home to vintage era Vio-Lence again. This is beautiful stuff.
Folks by the end of the year, this CD should be on a lot of best of
lists, especially if you are fans of this style of metal. I only
mention these other band so you people know who Lamb of God had for
breakfast.
"One Gun" is next and these guys are now standing in your backyard
trying to make your neighbor sell his house. Aww Yeah and this song
has dueling solos in it. They are pissed and evil. I normally carry a
strong dislike for bands that don't play solos but I do not miss them
on this disk. Screw a solo. Give me more crunch. Oh wait, here's…
"Break You". Randy Blythe is now getting a bit extra from his voice.
Like when you can't believe that the beer is all gone and you start
looking through the crisper drawers in the neighbor's fridge and dare
him to say something. It's like that. He's getting a few for his
buddies too. Dammit.
"What I've Become" has that Damage Inc. pace right from the start. It
has a feel like recent Testament but with a bottom end thicker than
frozen Guinness. Do not listen to this disk drinking some crap light
beer. Down some stout or an ESB or something. Show some respect.
"Ashes Of The Wake" is our title track and it beats much ass. Aside
from a bit of military narrative, it's instrumental. These guys are
not hitting you over the head with their politic. It is possible to be
an intelligent patriot and not have your head up your ginky. Do you
know what I mean? There is true metal guitar beauty here because the
solos are done by Mark Morton, Alex Skolnik, Chris Poland, and Willie
Adler in turn. That's what I call paying respect people. Have you
ordered it yet? Well move already.
Final track is "Remorse For The Dead" and I like it when a band wants
to send you home happy. This song is heavy and full of what you have
been begging a band to give you. Lamb of God are thanking you for
listening. To show their thanks, they are going into your closet and
burning all of the shirts they find there that are not their own. They
are making sandwiches. They are getting comfortably angry in your
house. They will break stuff. You will bring them more stuff to break.
You will ask your mom to not visit. It is not safe for her to be
there. I give this one an "A". Get it.

Crap, look at the time. It's 2AM and I'm outta scotch.
Gotta roll.

*
*** FROM THE MEGA-VAULT ***
*
by Keith Abt (Keithabt@... )

Hello again my fiendish friends, and welcome to another installment of
FROM THE MEGA-VAULT, the only metal column that's been rated yummy AND
nutritious by the FDA! It's been a while since I last ranted (other
than my three stand-alone album reviews that appeared last issue), but
since I really don't have much to yap about this will likely be a
shorter installment than usual. (Readers: "Whew!") One thing I would
like to announce is the fact that I have a new e-mail address, which
you will find at the top of this column. I have jumped ship from
Hotmail and am now residing among the Yahoo crowd. When I decided to
change e-mail addresses I briefly considered changing my screen name
to something cool like "LordOfAllCheezMettle" or "MetalGeek05"as well,
but in the end I decided to stick with my real name (how boring huh?)
simply because it's easier than trying to explain a new screen name to
certain members of my family. ("Lord of all WHAT? And that's all one
word? What the hell is that supposed to mean?") So if anybody feels a
burning desire to e-mail me any comments, threats, offers of bribes,
or other information, please use the above Yahoo address from here on
in. I look forward to hearing from you!

...Corrections department: I apparently suffered a minor brain fart
while writing my review of Annihilator's ALL FOR YOU that appeared in
last week's edition, because I erred when I wrote "If you count the
two albums where [Jeff] Waters filled the vocal slot himself, [Dave]
Padden is now the band's sixth singer." I know full well that Waters
actually sang on three - repeat, THREE Annihilator CDs (KING OF THE
KILL, REFRESH THE DEMON, and REMAINS), because I own all three of'em,
but for some odd reason I had "two" in my head (I was probably
confusing it with the two-album tenure of former vocalist Joe Comeau)
but by the time the error was pointed out to me, it was too late to
change the review before the issue got mailed out. Therefore, I am now
throwing myself on the mercy of the Metal Court so I don't get
bombarded with e-mails from angry Canadians saying, "Hey you hoser,
Jeff Waters sang on three Annihilator CDs, eh? Take off, you suck!"

...As long as we're talking about corrections, I hate to take issue
with a metal authority like VH1 Classic's Eddie Trunk, but a few
Saturdays ago he made an error regarding Raven during his "Metal
Mania" show, and as Raven Lunatic Numero Uno around here I simply
can't let him slide. He introduced Raven's video for "On And On" (from
1985's classic STAY HARD) with news that the band is currently working
on new material (woo hoo!), and explained that the reason they've been
out of commission for the last several years is because
bassist/vocalist John Gallagher was severely injured when a wall
fell on him while he was remodeling his home. Actually, it was John's
guitarist brother MARK who was injured, and who has had to endure
several surgeries and lots of physical therapy to repair damage to his
leg. Sorry, Eddie, but I had to call you out on that one. I have to
give Eddie major props for dusting off that video, though! I hadn't
seen "On And On" in nearly 20 years, when STAY HARD was originally
released (and even then, I think I saw it once on MTV and then never
again) so when I heard Eddie say, "Some of you old timers may remember
the Newcastle trio Raven..." I damn near fell off my couch! Thankfully
I had a tape in my VCR so I was able to record it! The video hadn't
aged very well at all, of course (not only was it cheap looking but
silly as hell to boot), and I had to laugh at the band's stage
costumes (Remember, this was back in the days when Raven were wearing
black eyeliner and silver sports padding that made 'em look like gay
astronauts) but it was simply a blast to FINALLY see "On And On" again
after all these years! It also prompted me to pull my STAY HARD CD off
the shelf for the first time in a while and blast it during my drive
to and from work for about a week straight, so all's well that ends
well, I guess...!

That'll do it for me for this week, but fear not faithful acolytes,
for I have a few CD reviews in the works that should be ready soon so
I'll be back before you know it. Till next time, "We watch the
children pray... save us God today.... Come whatever may...."

THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST: Sacred Warrior - WICKED GENERATION (thanks Tim;
you ROCK); Jag Panzer - CASTING THE STONES; Cathedral - THE ETHEREAL
MIRROR; Zion - THUNDER FROM THE MOUNTAIN; Overkill - HORRORSCOPE

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*

METAL MAJESTY - 2005, (B-), Lion, 2005
10 Tracks, RT: 46:48
[http://www.valensia.com]
[http://www.lionmusic.com]

I have mixed feelings about stuff like this, perfectly well played
hard rock but damn do these guys wear their influences on their
sleeves! Imagine Freddie Mercury fronting 1987 era Whitesnake or Blue
Murder and you get a good idea of what you'll find here. The
songwriting is actually pretty good on most tracks but so derivative
in several cases it detracts from the enjoyment.
Guitarist/vocalist/band leader Valensia has certainly listened to a
lot of John Sykes as you hear that influence in his playing almost
exclusively. Check out "Hold On To The Night" for a good example, as
this one sounds like it was pieced together straight from "Cryin' In
The Rain;" "Burying Heather" is rather odd, as Metal Majesty drop the
Snake influences temporarily in favor of the Beatles (!?), returning
to the classic hard rock sound with "Hell Hounds On My Trail"
(channeling "Still Of The Night" this time). "Aurelia's Night" is
pretty much a throwaway piece of maudlin AOR while "Ready To Roar"
closes the album with a well-executed instrumental. I'd like to give
METAL MAJESTY 2005 a higher score but they simply need to work on
increasing their originality. If you are a hardcore fan of
Whitesnake, Queen, Blue Murder and Europe you may enjoy this for the
nostalgia trip, as it will definitely take you back to the glory days
of those bands. I'm hoping these guys can transcend their influences
on the next album and create a sound they can call their own... Neal
Woodall
(MysticX10@...)

*
*** OUT ***
*