Detritus
Issue #308
Week of March 14, 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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-Detritus would like to send out our condolences to Danny Joe Brown's
family. Danny Joe died on March 10th. He had an unmistakable voice and
a big heart. Molly Hatchet was the first southern rock band to really
kick it in the ass with a dose of Metal. Our best wishes go out to his
friends and families. -Sean

Whew! It's been almost exactly three years since I did my first big
interview for Detritus (Issue #162.5, March 22, 2002 with James
LaBrie) and three years later I gots me another one, also with JL!
Jani Lane, that is, as this is the first of our interviews for the new
Rush tribute CD SUBDIVISIONS. Upcoming is Neal interviewing guitar
legend Vinnie Moore! But don't get over-excited, there's still a
whole, brand new issue of Detritus for your immediate perusal! -Patrick

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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- SALEM TOPS RUSSIAN CHARTS
Salem has received an official report from the Russian TV channel
"Music Box" that states that the band video of their song "Act of War"
taken from their fourth album "Collective Demise" was chosen by
Russian viewers as the top video of January, the count in the Russian
video parade is daily and the video was number one the entire month.

During February the channel states that the video was among the top
ten videos of the month.

This achievement is astonishing as the channel features thousands of
videos by artists such as Britney Spears, Madonna, System of a Down
and Metallica.

More info and footage of the video : http://www.salemband.com/
The site has also been updated with 24 new pictures from the STRINGS
ATTACHED album recording sessions. The disc will feature the ICSQ
String Quartet and other "special guests."

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*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
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- NEW BRAINSTORM CD SINGLE
The new BRAINSTORM CD-single "All Those Words" was released on Monday,
March 7th! Besides being a great appetizer for the new album "Liquid
Monster" (rel. date 04.04.2005), it is jam packed with previously
unreleased material. The tracklist is:

1 . All those Words (album version)
2. Before The Dawn (exclusive non album track)
3. Shades And Shadows (exclusive non album track)
4. (E.o.C.) Cross God's Face (previously unreleased)
5. All Those Words (Single Edit) (non album version)
Bonus: Doorway To Survive (video clip)

"Liquid Monster" will be released in a limited first edition in deluxe
Digibook packaging with a bonus DVD. The CD is Album of the Month in
Rock Hard (Germany) and has been receiving excellent reviews
everywhere, so make sure you check it out. The track "All Those Words"
has been posted online in streaming audio at:
http://www.metalblade.de/mp3/Brainstorm_InsideTheMonsterEdit.ram

The album tracklist is:
1. Worlds Are Comin' Through
2. Inside The Monster
3. All those Words
4. Lifeline
5. Invisible Enemy
6. Heavenly
7. Painside
8. Despair To Drown
9. Mask of life
10. Even Higher
11. Burns my soul

The bonus DVD consists of a documentary entitled "Streets, Stages &
Studios", which showcases BRAINSTORM on the road, on stage and off,
and in the studio. The DVD also includes a surprise bonus audio track.

Fans have the possibility to check out the album before its street
date at release parties in Germany, Austria and France. In addition to
the listening session, there will be "Liquid Monster" competitions
with killer prices like limited shirts, limited radio singles,
posters, etc.! At a few selected locations, members of BRAINSTORM will
be in attendance for signing sessions and meet & greets!

This is the release party calendar:
24.03.05 D Karlsruhe @ Katakombe http://www.kombe.de + D. Bernert
(dr), A. Mailänder (b)
25.03.05 D Köln Valhalla @ http://www.valhalla-koeln.de
25.03.05 F St.Etienne @ La Clef De Voute
26.03.05 D Frankfurt @ Nachtleben http://www.batschkapp.de
26.03.05 D Berlin @ K 17 http://www.k17.de
27.03.05 D Regensburg @ Valhalla + D. Bernert (dr), M. Loncaric (g)
27.03.05 D Hamburg @ Headbangers Ballroom
http://www.headbangers-ballroom.com
01.04.05 D Ludwigsburg @ Rockfabrik
http://www.rockfabrik-ludwigsburg.de + M. Loncaric (g), A. Mailänder
(b), D. Bernert (dr), T. Ihlenfeld (g)
01.04.05 D Bochum @ Matrix http://www.matrix-bochum.de
01.04.05 D Ingolstadt @ U2 http://www.u2-musicbar.de
02.04.05 D Aalen @ Rock It http://www.rock-it-aalen.de/ + three band
members
02.04.05 D Innsbruck @ Abyss Bar http://www.abyssbar.com
08.04.05 D Kiel @ Pumpe http://www.diepumpe.de/

To top it all off, BRAINSTORM will embark on their first ever
hedlining tour of Europe starting April 19th. Support comes from AT
VANCE and MERCENARY. Be there when the Monster is unleashed live!

BRAINSTORM - "Inside The Monster - World Tour 2005/2006"
+ AT VANCE + MERCENARY
19.04.05 DK Copenhagen @ The Rock
20.04.05 D Hamburg @ Markthalle
21.04.05 D Essen @ Zeche Karl
22.04.05 B Vosselaar @ Biebob
23.04.05 D Andernach @ JUZ
24.04.05 NL Helmond @ Plato
26.04.05 F Paris @ La Locomotive
27.04.05 D Ludwigsburg @ Rockfabrik
28.04.05 I Milan @ Transylvania
29.04.05 SLO Ljubljana @ Metalkova
30.04.05 H Budapest @ Petöfi Hall (t.b.c.)
01.05.05 A Wien @ Prater Open Air
03.05.05 D München @ Backstage
04.05.05 CH Pratteln @ Z7
05.05.05 D Nürnberg @ Hirsch
06.05.05 D Langen @ Stadthalle
www.brainstorm-web.net

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*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
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- BEYOND THE FLESH To Release WHAT THE MIND PERCEIVES Through
Screaming Ferret Wreckords/Escapi Music
On March 29, 2005 the new breed of metal will arrive. Rocketing out of
New Jersey with a devastating sound and an impressive local fanbase,
Beyond The Flesh have quickly gained a foothold in the heavy music
scene of today. After their 2001 debut, Spawned From Flesh and Bone,
the band became legendary in the Garden State, drawing curious metal
fans from far and wide and leaving a trail of converted followers in
their wake. With a sound that not only borrows from all that is and
once was great in metal, while still standing well on their own eight
feet, Beyond The Flesh have carved an upwards swathe through the metal
scene.
The lineup of Justin Leary (vocals, guitar), Senen Solis (drums),
Rick Flanegan (lead guitar) and Brian Gawaski (bass) recently signed a
deal with Screaming Ferret Wreckords/Escapi Music. With a true metal
label behind them in 2005, Beyond The Flesh are now prepared to
release What the Mind Perceives, a brutal assault of original melodic
death/thrash.
The band's newest effort is already winning much fan and media praise.
BW&BK listed What the Mind Perceives as one of the Top 10 Indie albums
of the year. Expect to see the band on the road soon, tearing the roof
off of a venue near you.

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*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
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- GZR, FEATURING BLACK SABBATH'S GEEZER BUTLER, TO RELEASE 'OHMWORK'
ON MAY 10, 2005, VIA SANCTUARY RECORDS

GZR, the quartet led by legendary Black Sabbath bass guitarist and
lyricist Geezer Butler, will release its new studio album Ohmwork
through Sanctuary Records on May 10, 2005. Ohmwork is Butler's first
album in eight years.

The 10 songs on Ohmwork are "Misfit," "Pardon My Depression,"
"Prisoner 103," "I Believe," "Aural Sects," "Pseudocide," "Pull The
String," "Alone," "Dogs Of Whore" and "Don't You Know." "I Believe" is
the first single.

Butler is joined by vocalist Clark Brown and guitarist Pedro Howse,
his longtime collaborators, and new drummer Chad Smith. Ohmwork is
Butler's third solo band release. His first project under the GZR
banner was 1995's Plastic Planet while 1997's Black Science was
credited to Geezer. Howse has worked on all three albums. Brown
performed on Black Science.

"I feel that this album is more like our first album, Plastic Planet.
On this album I wanted to strip everything down to the bare
essentials, so every song would have a live band feel, which I think
we achieved."

The band went hurtling into the studio with a hectic 10-day recording
schedule. "There's a spirit of spontaneity and freshness that can
only be achieved when you approach a record in that manner," recalls
Geezer. "It's the way the first two Sabbath albums were done. Black
Sabbath was recorded in two days and Paranoid took a week and that's
what I wanted with my new record – 10 days done `n' dusted."
A potent, tangible band dynamic is crucial for Butler. He does not
ever want an album credited to "Geezer Butler" when it is a true band
effort.

"It's important to me that we have a band identity, because the album
is a band collaboration. Everyone brings their own specialties to the
songs, and we all know our capabilities, and we all work extremely
hard together," Butler says.

Butler is proud of the fact that GZR's music appeals to both young
metal fans as well as Black Sabbath fans. He attributes this fact
about cross-generational appeal to heavy metal's very essence.

GZR touring plans are being put together for Fall 2005.

www.gzrmusic.com
www.geezerbutler.com
www.sanctuaryrecords.com

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*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
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- JAMES LABRIE SCHEDULED TO RELEASE NEW SOLO ALBUM 'ELEMENTS OF
PERSUASION' THROUGH INSIDEOUT MUSIC AMERICA ON APRIL 5, 2005

The musical ideas percolating within vocalist James LaBrie are
endless. His new solo album, 'Elements Of Persuasion,' will be
released on April 5, 2005, via InsideOut Music America. Three East
Coast tour dates are scheduled shortly after. These are the only U.S.
dates planned at the moment.

'Elements Of Persuasion' is the first one the Dream Theater vocalist
is releasing under his own name. Using the moniker MullMuzzer, LaBrie
has actually released two previous solo albums, 1999's 'Keep It To
Yourself' and 2001's '2.'

The 12 songs on 'Elements Of Persuasion' are "Crucify," "Alone,"
"Freaks," "Invisible," "Lost," "Undecided," "Smashed," "Pretender,"
"Slightly Out Of Reach," "Oblivious," "In Too Deep" and "Drained."

LaBrie has earned worldwide success with Dream Theater's updated style
of progressive rock, but 'Elements Of Persuasion' finds him taking on
a more straightforward rock direction. The songs are challenging and
intricate while still allowing LaBrie to expand his musical vision.
His unmistakable, distinctive voice ties the songs together, making
'Elements Of Persuasion' a fully realized, cohesive work.

LaBrie is scheduled to perform a few select U.S. concerts in spring
2005 before embarking on an extensive European tour. Schedule
permitting, he will then return for more U.S. dates. LaBrie's touring
band includes keyboardist Matt Guillory and guitarist Marco Sfogli
(who both played on 'Elements Of Persuasion'), bass guitarist Andy
DeLuca (Symphony X) and drummer John Macaluso (Yngwie J. Malmsteen's
Rising Force, Ark).

For more information, visit www.jameslabrie.com and
www.insideoutmusic.com.

U.S. tour dates include:

DATE CITY VENUE
Thursday, April 14th Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
Friday, April 15th Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance
Saturday, April 16th Farmingdale, NY The Downtown

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*** PRESS RELEASE #6 ***
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- HEAVEN & EARTH NEWS
Heaven & Earth will be playing with the Blue Oyster Cult at the Canyon
Club in Agoura, CA on Saturday, March 19th. Heaven & Eart take the
stage at 8.00pm. For directions check out http://www.canyonclub.net/

Heaven & Earth will be appearing on Rockline with Bob Coburn on March
23rd and can be heard on affiliate stations throughout the States.
Click here to find the station near you.
http://www.rocklineradio.com/affiliates.html

Classic Rock Revisited has also featured an interview on Black Star
Records with Stuart Smith and Richie Onori which you can see at
http://www.classicrockrevisited.com/Interviews05/BlackStar.htm


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*** PRESS RELEASE #7 ***
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-Ryan Bartek On 101.1 WRIF FM Sunday 3/20 (Live Streaming)
On Sunday, March 20th at 9pm EST Ryan Bartek (PIT Magazine,
Live4Metal.com, Metal-Mayhem.co.uk, Real Detroit Weekly) will be guest
hosting the Motor City Riffs music program alongside Doug "The Doc of
Rock" Podell on 101.1 WRIF FM, Detroit's largest rock and metal
station. Says Bartek, "I intend on playing every deserving band that I
was unable to during my last few appearances due to time constraints.
The show will purely consist of the highest quality unsigned
entertainment Detroit has to offer in the area. Expect a hearty cross
section of world class metal and punk of all varieties -- every band
that has been ignored by the press in this town and abroad that are
just itching to get some long needed attention. Music fans, promoters,
writers be sure to check this out." Bartek will also debut the first
single from his new band FILTHPIMP, talk about the revitalization of
Real Detroit Weekly, the current state of the Detroit music scene and
the future of Anomie Inc in general. The broadcast will be available
for live streaming via http://www.WRIF.com/ . Any inquiries email
anomiepr@.... For more information on Ryan Bartek and Anomie
Inc, please visit myspace.com and search ryanbartek@....

http://www.filthpimp.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #8 ***
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- SUMMER BREEZE NEWS
We obviously haven't been just sitting around lately, so we can now
present you 41 of the final 50 bands to play at the festival!

The most important band newly booked is probably Lacuna Coil. The
charismatic band with the beautiful front lady Cristina Scabbia
returns to Summer Breeze after a four year absence, having last played
there in 2001. In the meantime they have risen to the forefront of the
Gothic Metal movement, a fact that is underlined by their ever-rising
ticket and album sales as well as tours all over the world. A few
other bands are still to be confirmed, but we are really busy
negotiating and will soon name another headliner!

This is the current billing:

LACUNA COIL - AMON AMARTH - J.B.O. - THERION - SCHANDMAUL - DARK
TRANQUILLITY - SUBWAY TO SALLY - TRISTANIA - SUCH A SURGE - DIE
APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER - HAGGARD - BEHEMOTH - CALIBAN - PINK CREAM 69
- MACABRE - EKTOMORF - ATROCITY - GOD DETHRONED - NORTHER - END OF
GREEN - LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE - SYMPHORCE - THE VISION BLEAK - DISBELIEF
- KRISIUN - ENDSTILLE - THE BONES - BORN FROM PAIN - IMPIOUS - KORODED
- ENTHRONED - ANOREXIA NERVOSA - DRACONIAN - POWERWOLF - KORPIKLAANI
-NOCTE OBDUCTA - MIDNATTSOL - SUIDAKRA - MAROON - FINAL BREATH - BARCODE

Some important decisions were also made apart from booking bands. So,
after talks with our business partners, we have decided to keep the
campsite tickets the same price as last year. The toilet situation on
the campsite will be significantly improved -- without raising the
ticket price for festival goers! Talking about prices, showers also
stay the same, and toilets are free as always. Last but not least: The
prices for drinks will remain stable, too!

At the moment we are planning something very special together with our
partners, which we will tell you about next time!

Tickets for SUMMER BREEZE Open Air 2005 can still be bought in our
online shop at http://www.summer-breeze.de/ . For each ticket ordered
you will receive a poster with our new logo design and a few more
treats, for example from last year's SUMMER BREEZE. Online orders over
100.- Euros, be it tickets or merchandise, will receive a free T-shirt
of our choice (from our online shop range). As always, it is only
possible to order paying in advance. The special offer is only valid
for our shop.

Tickets can obviously be ordered from our ticket hotline
(00-49-7457-91 393) or using the order form on our homepage, too. The
friendly people at HEAVY, ODER WAS!? Magazine will gladly take your
orders. When ordering through the hotline or using the form, you get
one poster per ticket, too, and it is also possible to order tickets
for BANG YOUR HEAD 2005 simultaneously in order to save on the
shipping.

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*** PRESS RELEASE #9 ***
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- Z RECORDS NEWS

SOUL SKINNER ARTWORK PREVIEW:
Soulskinners amazing debut will be released during late April.
Featuring Thomas Thorsen formerly of Damned Nation the bands debut
entitled Tomorrow Never Comes sound samples will be online here soon,
prepare to be impressed! The front cover artwork is currently
exclusively on display at www.zrecords.net

MITCH PERRY IS READY TO ROCK EUROPE!
Mitch Perry [Cher, MSG, War & Peace] is now ready to set Europe
alight. His all-new album featuring such names as Paul Shortino
[Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot] will be released shortly. Sound samples are
now online at http://www.zrecords.netcheck them out for yourself!

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*** PRESS RELEASE #10 ***
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- JOE DENINZON UPDATE
Joe Deninzon just won BEST INDEPENDENT JAM BAND AWARD in THE
MUSICIAN'S ATLAS' 4th Annual Independent Music Awards.
Celebrity judges included performers Delbert McClinton, Erykah Badu,
Loudon Wainwright III, William Ackerman, Victor L. Wooton and TRACKS
magazine editor Alan Light.

IMA winners will be on a compilation album available at all Borders
Music stores across the states and on http://www.Bordersstores.com/ .
The album will also be promoted to radio by the Planetary Group of
Boston. And all the tracks can be heard on the Musician's Atlas site
at the link for the winners' jukebox,
http://www.musiciansatlas.com/program.asp .

Joe's song "What's That Thing" which is on his third (and current)
album, LIVE WIRES, is on the IMA compilation album.

Deninzon has received significant acclaim this past year, LIVE WIRES
is on the top 20 list for XM Radio Host Russ Davis' Jazz and Beyond
list (Chick Corea Elektra Band's TO THE STARS was number one), and on
Sea of Tranquility's top ten for the year. The disc has been in top
ten playlists on stations including KDHX-St. Louis, WVOF-Fairfield,
CT, WBAR (Barnard College radio)-New York, and many others across the
U.S. and Canada, Italy, Australia, Romania, and Russia.

Writer Jedd Beaudoin says, "If there's a musician deserving of such
accolades today, Joe is definitely it. I feel like it's just a matter
of time before the larger industry sits up, takes notice and says,
'This is exactly the guy we need to reinvigorate the American music
scene.'" Jedd also named LIVE WIRES as one of his Top 10 albums at
http://www.f5wichita.com/ at the link "Best of 2004."

Read full interviews with Joe Deninzon at:
http://relix.com/cgi-bin/content_details.cgi?id=1238
http://www.seaoftranquility.org/article.php?sid=266
http://www.ytsejam.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=632

and look for features in THE AQUARIAN, INSIDE CONNECTION,
PAUSEANDPLAY.COM, MUSIC STREET JOURNAL, and more!

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*** PRESS RELEASE #11 ***
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-ALL HAIL MOUNTAIN
Guitarist Leslie West, drummer Corky Laing and bassist Richie Scarlet
are proving rock lives with active tour dates and successful
recordings. The band, which has been celebrating their 35th
Anniversary since August 2004, are getting exciting presents as Active
Rock and Rock radio is making the Ozzy Osbourne cover of their 1970
hit "Mississippi Queen" the number one most added track. For the
second week in a row, "Mississippi Queen" is still the most added
track and is also number #1 in increased airplay.

Leslie West is featured with his unique guitar power on the track,
"Ozzy and I go back almost 35 years. Everybody thought Black Sabbath
were too weird back then, but we dug 'em." So Mountain and Sabbath
played at least 40 dates together, and stayed friends since.

West and Mountain are also playing in support of their Fuel 2000
album, ERUPTION, which is still selling briskly and has a live version
of "Mississippi Queen" as well.

The band will be releasing a new album in time for their summer
festival tour called HARD ROCK CRUSADES with Savoy Brown and Uriah Heep.

In the meantime the group continues to play festivals in Europe and
club dates in the States.

Upcoming dates from Mountain include:

4/01/05 - Club 279 @ Hard Rock, Toronto
4/02/05 - The Park Plaza, Oshawa, Canada
4/03/05 - The Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI
4/06/05 - Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH
4/07/05 - Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, OH
4/08/05 - The Bull Run,Shirley, MA
4/09/05 - Magic City, Johnson City, NY
4/13/05 - Helen Hayes Theater, Nyack, NY
4/16/05 - Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA

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*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*

- From: http://www.celtic-legacy.com/ comes a statement from Dave
Morrissey (guitar), March 10th 2005

"Sincere apologies first of all for the lack of regular updates here.
In between work commitments and trying to sort out the next phase of
Celtic Legacy's career there hasn't been very much time to update the
site. Volunteers to look after the CL website would be MOST welcome
;-) For those of you wondering about the state of play with the new
line-up and album, let me bring you up to speed. The band are hard at
work writing new material for the next album which will be called THE
THIRD LEVEL. There is no definite release date yet as we are still
unsure as to what the actual start date will be. As we are still in
the writing phase, we don't want to rush things and put out a
substandard album...especially after we raised the bar considerably
with our last album. So we feel we have a standard to maintain. One
thing that has changed of course is the line-up (yet again). There's
no questioning the fact that it's been a particularly turbulent 12
months in the life of this band but we also felt that we couldn't just
leave things go and knock it on the head. So we've nursed our wounds
and got back into the swing of things, albeit at a much more leisurely
pace than before. The new album is beginning to take shape slowly as
new songs come together, but unlike our first two albums, this next
one will see a collective effort with the songwriting. It's no secret
that 95% of the material on the first two albums was written by only
two band members, so this time we're involving everyone from the word
go. And it seems to be paying off dividends as we hope you'll agree
when you hear the finished product. Another change this time is the
area of the album artwork. We have decided to do something a bit
different and get someone with a proven track record to design the new
album cover. That person is Mark Wilkinson, who has graced many an
album cover from Marillion right up to the new Judas Priest album.

As of this update, we are still short a second guitar player, but we
are hoping to have that problem nailed down very soon. We have tried
several guitarists over the past few weeks and none have been what
we're really looking for as they would have changed the sound of the
band far too drastically. So we'll hold on until we find someone who's
more in tune with the music. With luck they'll be on board by the time
recording starts. This will explain why there aren't any up to date
band shots on this site...the band isn't complete yet. As soon as it
is we'll get a photo shoot done as quickly as we can.

We've also invested heavily in technology for this album and have set
up our own recording studio, especially for Celtic Legacy material.
This new studio has been a great bonus to the songwriting as we now
have the means to do instant demo's rather than spend time and money
in a studio outside our control. It also means that we'll have direct
control over the recording process, right down to the mixes, so all
going well, the next album should be a step up from RESURRECTION in
terms of it's clarity and production.

For those who have been asking...yes, there WILL be a pre-ordering
campaign this time out again. Although we've sorted out the recording
budget without too much problem, we've still left ourselves with a gap
in the finances for the album's manufacture. So as soon as we know
what way the campaign will be going we'll let you know.

That's about it for now. There's not really a lot more news I can give
out at this juncture, until line-up and material news is resolved. But
if you want to catch up on events on a more frequent basis, the best
place to get all the up-to-the minute news, rumors and general gossip
is the forum! http://xsorbit26.com/users5/celticlegacy/index.php

Keep the faith,
Dave"

-Check out a brand new interview with Crimson Glory vocalist Midnight
at http://www.metal-temple.com/interview.asp?id=138.

- Dream Theater have completed work on their 8th full length studio
album entitled OCTAVARIUM which is tentatively set for release through
Atlantic Records on June 7th, 2005. The track listing is as follows:
The Root Of All Evil / The Answer Lies Within / These Walls / I Walk
Beside You / Panic Attack / Never Enough / Sacrificed Sons / Octavarium

Dream Theater's 2005/2006 World Tour will kick off on June 10th in
Sweden with a leg of European Festivals and select headlining shows
which will then be followed by a North American leg throughout
July/August as part of a "package" tour with several other bands TBA
very soon... check out www.dreamtheater.net for more info.

- Hanzel Und Gretyl will headline Gothicfest 2005, which will be held
on Saturday, September 17, at the Odeum Expo Center in Villa Park,
Ill. The festival will cater to the gothic subculture with an entire
day of music, tattoos, fashion, body art, and extreme exhibitions.
www.hanzelundgretyl.com

- HavocHate has lined up several New York-area dates. The New York
metal band will perform Tower Records in Nanuet, N.Y., on Friday,
March 18. HavocHate's sophomore effort, CYCLE OF PAIN is available
this month via Indecent Media. Early reviews of it have been
excellent. www.havochate.com.

- Hirax will make its Mexican debut on Saturday, April 30, at Box
Underground in Tijuana. The band will also appear on "Institintos" on
102.5 FM for an in-studio interview on Friday, April 29 at 10 p.m.
EST. HIRAX is currently gathering footage for a DVD titled "Masters
Of Metal." The DVD will include the band's entire performance at
Sweden Rock this past June. www.hirax.org

- From www.jonoliva.net comes the following update; JOP kicks off the
US tour on Saturday May 21st.Bourbon Street Nightclub on US 19 in New
Port Richey will play host to the official kick-off of the US tour/ CD
release party for the U.S. This is just the first show of a growing
itinerary for North America. The tour package is coming together and
we hope to announce more dates in the coming weeks. Bourbon Street is
a Class A venue with a capacity of 700. This is definitely one of the
nicest Live clubs in Florida. Tickets will be just $10.00 in advance
and $15.00 day of show. You can go to http://www.clubbourbonstreet.com
for advance ticket information. No service charge will be added to
advance tickets. CD's, posters and additional merchandise will be on
sale at the show, so if you haven't got your copy of 'Tage Mahal yet,
this will be your chance!

- Check out www.kamelot.com to see the new Kamelot video for "March of
Mephisto"

-Media mogul Anne Leighton is conducting workshops and having a
release party for her book "Using Your Art & The Media To Comfort
People" in the New York area. A party and a "performance of comforting
poems and a play" will be held March 21 Johnny O's on Westchester
Avenue in the Bronx; special guests will be Jann Klose and opera
singer Brad Hougham. Admission is free but there is a cash bar. A
workshop entitled "Using The Media To Spread Your Messasge" will be
held at 4 p.m. on April 1 at The Point in the Bronx. It's sponsored by
A.C.T.I.O.N. (Activists Coming To Inform Our Neighborhood) and will
feature Leighton, Klose, and Yo-el Cassell. Leighton says, "We'll show
people how to find media outlets, talk with them and convince them to
cover their work." Contact (718) 542-4139 x28 for more information.
Finally, Leighton will also lead a panel entitled "Using The Media To
Further Your Art" on either May 14 or 15 at the Global Entertainment
Network Summit at The Laugh Factory in New York City. See
http://www.globalentertainmentnetwork.com/ for more.

- Dave Mustaine gave the following update on this summers tour that is
in the works (check out the forums at www.megadeth.com for more
details); "Touring: Finally, we went over the last tour, which was
really refreshing, because he told me that every promoter made money,
that everyone was happy, that people want to do business with me
again, and that the summer tour is going to be bigger than what I
initially thought! So, now for the summer tour. We are going to make a
coordinated announcement with the other bands that are going to be on
this tour and what the name of it is going to be called. There are
five slots, and we have confirmed three of the slots; Megadeth; the
next super group on the bill; we have and idea about the next band;
still have the penultimate slot open; and have confirmed the opener.

"I was relieved to hear that what I thought was MAYBE going to be a
step up from the last tour in venue size is considerably more. We are
being offered places like the incomparable Red Rocks in Denver, and
other ultra-famous locations that I am sure we all know and love. This
came as a tremendous relief to me, because my ego wants to play the
biggest places that I can, now that you know I was willing to play any
stage with enough power to run our stuff on the last tour (kinda
giving the dog a really big bone).

- Mortiis: Norwegian goth-rockers Mortiis will be supported on a UK
tour by the UK's premier Digital Hardcore Industrial band Panic DHH
and then followed by NFD, featuring members of Goth legends Fields Of
The Nephilim. The tour will coincide with the release of the second
single "Decadent & Desperate" from Mortiis' critically acclaimed
album THE GRUDGE.www.mortiis.com

Live dates:
03/25/05 Fri. Inferno Festival, Oslo, Norway
04/19/05 Tue. Barfly, Cardiff, UK
04/20/05 Wed. The Junction, Cambridge, UK
04/21/05 Thu. The Charlotte, Leicester, UK
04/22/05 Fri. The Agincourt, Camberley, UK
04/23/05 Sat. The Corporation, Sheffield, UK
04/24/05 Sun. The Garage, London, UK
04/25/05 Mon. The Cockpit, Leeds, UK
04/26/05 Tue. Academy, Liverpool, UK
04/27/05 Wed. King Tuts, Glasgow, Scotland
04/28/05 Thu. The Reading Rooms, Dundee, UK
04/29/05 Fri. Academy 3, Manchester, UK
04/30/05 Sat. Academy 2, Birmingham, UK

- NEW ENGLAND METAL AND HARDCORE FESTIVAL
Decibel Magazine has signed on as presenting sponsor of the three-day
metal and hardcore extravaganza. 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. 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.
www.metalandhardcorefestival.com

- Paul Stanley checked in with www.kissonline.com and chatted briefly
about his upcoming solo album. The album should be done and ready to
mix by mid May. Drumming on all the tracks to date is Victor Indruzzo
who has toured and recorded with Macy Gray, toured with Beck and
appears on various recordings by the Matrix production team. Most of
the guitars have been handled by Corky James who also is heard on
various recordings by the Matrix team including Avril Lavigne. In
talking about their contributions Paul raved, "Victor is just an
amazing drummer who can bash with the best of them while keeping a
great groove going." As for James, he added "Corky just blows me away
with his parts and sounds." As far as bass..."I've always been a big
fan of Bruce Kulick's bass playing so it's great to have him on some
of the album." Keyboards have been handled by Russ Irwin who has
toured with both Sting and Aerosmith. "I've known Russ for over 15
years before the KISS/Aerosmith tour happened and his being a part of
the project seemed like a natural". Of course all the vocals are
handled by Paul. A few of the tracks recorded include "Wake Up
Screaming," "Second To None" and "Live To Win."

Paul has been collaborating with Andreas Carlsson and for the first
time in 15 or so years, Desmond Child and said, "It's magic." Paul
went on to add, "From the songs to the playing and singing, everything
about this album is consistent without compromise. The album is
exactly who I am now and what I want to be doing. It's got all the
sides of what I do, so it's not surprising that it's got elements of
everything I've done plus a leap into the 21st century. I don't need
to hype it. I'll leave that to everyone else who's heard it."

- From the JohnTaglieri news letter comes this update:
http://johntaglieri.com/ Hey all! How are you all doing?? I trust that
everyone is doing well. I spent the weekend finishing up the
recordings for the new Good Morning Chester CD. It's the first CD that
I've produced as an outside producer and I'm very proud of it! They
are a great band from NH. I'll keep you updated on when it will be
releasing.
Upcoming Gigs; Friday, March 10, 2004, The New Song Arts Center, 51
Maple Street, Rockland, MA 02370, 7:00pm with Tom Darby on Keys.
Trina Hamlin is also on the bill!! We will be filming this whole show
for use in the "How Will I Know" video and also for DVD usage. Once
again, I'll be working with award winning video director Tim Cook and
I know he'll have some good stuff for Friday! So make it out and be
part of the video!

- Thine Eyes Bleed will perform at The End Records' showcase at SXSW
on Friday, March 18 at the Backroom along with labelmates Lilitu,
Crisis, Novembers Doom, and Epoch of Unlight. Thine Eyes Bleed is
scheduled to go on at 12:10 a.m. Following SXSW, the group will begin
touring in support of its debut, IN THE WAKE OF SEPERATION.
www.thineeyesbleed.com

Live dates:
03/13/05 Sun. Independence-D @ Studio Coast, Tokyo, Japan
03/18/05 Fri. SXSW @ Backroom, Austin, TX
03/19/05 Sat. The Ballroom, Corpus Christi, TX
03/20/05 Sun. Studio 28, Lubbock, TX
With Vehemence:
03/21/05 Mon. Surges, El Paso, TX
03/22/05 Tue. Classics, Colorado Springs, CO
03/23/05 Wed. Eck's Saloon, Lakewood, CO
03/24/05 Thu. Starlight Theater, Ft. Collins, CO
03/25/05 Fri. The Venue, Boise, ID
03/26/05 Sat. The B-Side, Spokane, WA
03/27/05 Sun. Studio Seven, Seattle, WA
03/28/05 Mon. Sabala's Mt. Tabor, Portland, OR
03/31/05 Thu. The Pound, San Francisco, CA
04/02/05 Sat. Jerry's Pizza, Bakersfield, CA
04/03/05 Sun. Showcase Theater, Corona, CA

-TNA, featuring Pat Travers and Carmine Appice, is working on a new
album for Cleopatra Records. Tony Franklin (Blue Murder, The Firm),
Chuck Wright (Quiet Riot, House Of Lords), Bobby Kimball (Toto), and
Steve Lukather (Toto) will appear on the disc. TNA will be doing new
versions of Travers' "Snortin' Whiskey" and Beck Bogert Appice's
"Superstition," with the latter featuring Tim Bogert on vocals. Also,
a live DVD from Travers and Appice, recorded last September and
featuring T.M. Stevens, is due this spring from Escapi, and a "wild
interview" with Appice will appear soon in Talkers magazine.

- TYRANNY OF SOULS is Bruce Dickinson's new solo CD with Roy Z on
guitars and production. Should be out in mid May. Check out this
thread on his official website for more info
http://www.screamforme.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3129

Thanks to Anne Leighton for helping gather some of this information.

*
***FLAMES FROM THE LAKE***
*
by Sean P Gahgan (lof@...)

Very short column this week as most of my free time was spent watching
Enchant's new DVD LIVE AT LAST. Anyone who has read any of my reviews
over the last couple years knows I don't give out A grades very often
but this release definitely deserves it. Please check out the review.
Also I would like to apologize for misspelling Glen Harveston's
(ProgPower) name in my column last week. I am so used to seeing his
user name on the Ultimate Metal Forums that I get it embedded in my
head (Harvester is his user name, while Harveston is his real name).

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

-This Week: "ONE CRIMSON FLASHBACK"

This week in "From The Mega-Vault," I'd like to take you all on a
little trip in the Way-Bac Machine. Our destination: the late 1980s,
when all was right with the world. George Bush the First was President
of the United States, Heavy metal ruled the airwaves, Riki Rachtman
was still the host of the "Headbanger's Ball," and the Internet was
little more than a gleam in the eyes of a few thousand random computer
geeks. This trip backwards was inspired by an interesting discovery I
made over the weekend. The Wife and I are in the midst of preparing to
have a second floor added onto our home, so over the next few weeks I
have to sort through the heaps of miscellaneous stuff in my attic and
decide what to keep and what to chuck before the contractors come and
rip our roof off. While going through some boxes on Saturday I
discovered a bunch of my old college notebooks, and before finally
throwing them away (there's not much point in keeping 15-year-old
Economics notes and ramblings about Early American Novels anymore, is
there?) I spent some time flipping through them and chuckling at the
many hand-drawn band logos, perverse doodles, and Metallica song
lyrics I wrote throughout the pages to keep myself entertained during
boring classes. (Makes you wonder how I ever graduated, doesn't it? Me
too!) Anyway, tucked inside the pages of one notebook I found
something I'd completely forgotten about: an essay I'd written for an
English class called "Writing With Style" about my then-current heavy
metal heroes, Crimson Glory. Yes, believe it or not, I actually wrote
an article about a metal band and turned it in for a grade in a
serious academic class... I also once wrote a 15-page term paper on
Metallica's history up to 1990, complete with a discography that
included about 100 bootleg titles. Yup, I was THAT much of a geek even
back then. This essay isn't dated, but I estimate that it must've
been written in the Fall of 1989, when my mania for the Crimson Ones
was at its peak. I had just seen Crimson Glory live at a tiny club in
New York City called "Zone DK" (and had even spoken briefly to
Midnight!), TRANSCENDENCE was welded into my Walkman at all times and
I was constantly trying to spread the Crimson Gospel to anyone who
would listen to me. Yeah, I was pretty insufferable in those days. (So
in other words, nothing has changed.) After re-reading this essay
several times (and cringing at how cheesy it was!) I thought it might
be fun to share it with the "Mega-Vault" punters and have a few
laughs. It seems very appropriate in light of the recent reports I've
been hearing about renewed activity in the Crimson Glory camp. So here
it is in its entirety, exactly as it was written in 1989, with all the
amateurish gushing and occasional lapses in syntax left intact. Enjoy.
(P.S. if memory serves, I got a "B" on this essay. I think the Prof
went easy on me.)

*******************************************************************************

"FIVE VICTORS, ALL FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER FOR ONE
CAUSE. FOR THE FIGHT AND THE HONOR, FOR THE SWEAT OF BLOOD, FOR THE
GLORY."
- From the inner sleeve of "Crimson Glory," 1986

Crimson Glory are a band who have much more to offer the average heavy
metal fan than the usual "leather and studs, party all night" clichés.
From their powerful yet melodic musical attack to the unique silver
chrome masks each band member wears, everything they do is carefully
crafted to provide an air of fantasy, mystery, and majesty about them.
With two fantastic albums of premier progressive metal under their
belts, Crimson Glory are just beginning an ascent that will enable
them to become one of THE bands for the 1990s.

These five Florida rockers - Midnight (vocals), Jon Drenning (lead
guitar), Ben Jackson (guitar), Jeff Lords (guitar) and Dana Burnell
(drums) have had their share of record company problems and management
hassles while getting the band on its way towards conquering the
world. Now that they at last have a major label recording contract
(with Mechanic/MCA Records), however, and a world tour currently
underway, it looks as if nothing more will stand in their way.

The roots of Crimson Glory can be traced back as far as 1977, when Ben
Jackson, Dana Burnell and Jeff Lords came together in a band called
Pierced Arrow. At this time the ages of the band members were between
13 and 15, and their material consisted of covering other band's
songs. Pierced Arrow broke up in 1981, but Jackson, Lords, and Burnell
continued onward in a new band called Beowulf, performing all-original
material. Jon Drenning joined this lineup in 1983, after which the
band changed its name to Crimson Glory. The final piece was added a
year later, when then-vocalist Mark Ormes was replaced by the
enigmatic fellow known only as Midnight. Legend has it that the rest
of the band found Midnight on a Florida beach as he sat playing his
guitar and singing a Led Zeppelin song, and they were so impressed
that he was asked to join the band immediately.

Crimson Glory played the Florida rock-club circuit for several years
and in 1986 they released their self-titled debut album upon an
unsuspecting populace. There they encountered their first stumbling
block: although the album was warmly received throughout Europe, it
was all but ignored in their home country. This was due to the fact
that the album, released on the tiny PAR Records label in America, was
limited to a pressing of 10,000 copies, making it extremely hard to
find. However, the band had signed to the much larger Roadrunner
Records label in Europe, giving it better distribution there. Since
the band got such a chilly reception at home, most of the touring for
the album took place in England and throughout Europe.

Two years passed. Crimson Glory parted ways with PAR Records in the
States and signed a new deal with RoadRacer Records, the American
division of their European record company. In 1988, their second
full-length album, "Transcendence," was released, and was immediately
embraced by heavy metal press worldwide. England's "Kerrang!" magazine
referred to it as "An instant classic, a masterpiece," while Metal
Forces called it "Heavy Metal with the caress of a silk glove." Once
again America was slow in catching on to the band, so they returned to
Europe, touring as special guests of Anthrax and also playing the
prestigious "Metal Hammer Fest" in Germany, sharing the bill with
such luminaries as Ozzy Osbourne and Queensryche. The band finished
1988 on a high note, as "Transcendence" was elected "Best Album of the
Year" in the Dutch Metal Hammer Magazine's reader's poll.

Crimson Glory returned to their homeland in the middle of 1989 to a
heavy metal community that was slowly awakening to the phenomenon of
"Transcendence," helped along by a video for "Lonely" that was played
on MTV's "Headbanger's Ball." The band was signed to a worldwide
contract with MCA Records in Fall '89, and they began touring the
United States, headlining small rock clubs and opening for Japanese
metallists E-Z-O in larger venues.

With any luck, 1990 will bring a new album and worldwide success for
the Glory; they've spent enough years and logged enough miles slugging
it out for the recognition they so richly deserve. Gentlemen, I salute
you; here's to album number three, and to perhaps meeting you all one
day in the "Eternal World!"

********************************************************************************\
**********

...WHEW! What a fan-boy huh? Talk about laying it on thick! You'd
almost think I was on Jon Drenning's payroll when I wrote this thing!
"Beginning an ascent that will enable them to become one of THE bands
for the 1990s?" Wow, I sure called that one didn't I? Keep in mind
that over the years, I had also predicted that KISS were going to go
nowhere when they took their makeup off, that Van Halen were as good
as dead without David Lee Roth, and that Cinderella's HEARTBREAK
STATION album was going to kick off a whole new decade of blues-based
hard rock supremacy, so my musical crystal ball has historically
been less than accurate. :-) Though I obviously had high hopes for
Crimson Glory to become big time rock stars when this essay was
written, history has unfortunately shown that it was not in the cards
for them. We all know the rest of the story, of course; the big time
letdown of 1991's major-label flop STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL, Midnight's
departure from Crimson Glory that led to eight years of inactivity,
and the mixed reactions to 1999's ASTRONOMICA comeback attempt.
However, Crimson Glory are going to give it another shot in
2005, so perhaps some of these predictions will finally come true!
Writing has already begun on a new studio album tentatively titled
METATRON, LUCIFER AND THE DIVINE CHAOS, even though Midnight's
participation in the project remains up in the air at this time. The
band are also said to be planning a DVD of classic live performances
and a box set of rarities to celebrate their 20th anniversary. So
could this finally be Crimson Glory's year? Time will tell. It
would be nice to have some redemption fifteen years later. Bring it
on, Jon, I'll be waiting! :-) I hope you all enjoyed this little side
trip into an adolescent metalhead's geeky past and I will hopefully be
back soon with something a little more current, unless I unearth any
more past glories (pun not intended) during my attic cleanout. Till
then, remember: "Fear not the reaper's blade, it does not mean the end..."

-THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST: Corrosion Of Conformity - IN THE ARMS OF GOD;
Overkill - RELIXIV; HavocHate - CYCLE OF PAIN; Judas Priest - ANGEL OF
RETRIBUTION; Jag Panzer - CASTING THE STONES.

*
*** ROCK HARD RIDE FREE ***
*
by Tim Wadzinski (tsw512@...)

-Wayyyyy back when -- issue #123 in June of '01, to be exact -- a
reader wrote in asking for information on the band Anomaly, which
featured ex-Incite guitarist Jim Studnicki and vocalist Jim Dorian.
The band had one album out featuring guest spots from Cynic rhythm
section Sean Malone (bass) and Sean Reinert (drums), plus guitarist
Ralph Santolla (Eyewitness, Millenium). At the time I only had dead
links and e-mail addresses for some of the band members. I eventually
got hold of Mr. Dorian but the CD wasn't available anywhere. Well now,
nearly four years later, Jim Dorian contacted me again with
information on his Web site, http://www.jimdorian.com/ , and a page at
CD Baby where you can get the 1998 self-titled Anomaly disc for $10:
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/anomaly/ . The page has MP3 samples of each
song on the disc: "Ensnared," "Do you Believe?," "Iconoclast,"
"Seasons," "Wolves," "The Second Day," "The Art Of War," "The Rain
Song" (Led Zeppelin cover), "Pictures." Be sure to poke around
Dorian's site, too, where you'll find a career summary (he was up for
the Kamelot vocalist slot that eventually went to Roy Khan) and the
video for Tidal Force's "A Man Rides Through," in which he appears.

-Wow, am I ever the idiot! Last week I reviewed Arena's newie,
PEPPER'S GHOST, and I experienced a MAJOR BRAIN FART. Check this first
line from my review: "The press kit says Arena has been around for a
decade, has a bunch of releases out, and has gone through the
requisite number of lineup changes...but I'd never heard of the band."
So imagine my surprise when, as I was going through my archives, I
found my review of their album IMMORTAL?. It ran in Detritus back in
November of 2000. So, yeah, I guess I had heard of the band. :)

-Now in my current playlist: Masterplan - "Back For My Life" (AFM
Records), Various - HOLLYWOOD ROCKS! (Deadline/Cleopatra), Hollywood
Rose - THE ROOTS OF GUNS N' ROSES (Deadline), Dirty Americans -
STRANGE GENERATION (Liquor And Poker), Plastilinovy JiNN - WE ARE
(indie), Veni Domine - IIII: "THE ALBUM OF LABOUR" (Rivel Records).

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*

SPOCK'S BEARD: OCTANE (B-) InsideOut, 2005
12 Tracks, RT: 55:55
[http://www.spocksbeard.com]
[http://www.insideoutmusic.com]
Spock's Beard return with their second album since losing original
lead vocalist Neal Morse and to these ears it's a mixed bag of strong
musicianship, interesting concepts and average-to-good songwriting.
Spock's Beard reminds me of Pain Of Salvation in some ways, not so
much stylistically but in the way they bring together disparate
musical elements to realize their vision; where Pain Of Salvation use
rap and jarring heavy guitar interludes to throw the listener off
balance, Spock's Beard use often well-crafted pop songs juxtaposed
with progressive excursions to stimulate the listener, revealing
themselves to be fine musicians indeed. My reservations with OCTANE
are the vocals and the surplus of mellow material on the disc. Nick
D'Virgillio is an excellent drummer but his singing is not as
exciting, often sounding to me like Roger Waters and James LaBrie,
only not quite as convincing. Notable exceptions include the ballad
"She Is Everything," the radio friendly "Climbing Up That Hill," and
the swaggering "As Long As We Ride." Too many songs like "I Wouldn't
Let It Go" and "There Was A Time" bring the score of the album down
for me, as Spock's Beard are at their best when they are playing 70's
influenced progressive rock like "Of The Beauty Of It All" and "NWC."
If you like your progressive rock to cover a lot of territory, from
aggressive hard rock and intricate instrumental displays to ballads
and pop, have a listen to OCTANE, it may be right up your alley… Neal
Wodall(MysticX10@...)

ENCHANT - LIVE AT LAST (A) Inside Out Music, 2004 2 DVD Set,
Disc 1: 22 song concert in stereo Mae Dae / At Death's Door / Sinking
Sand / Under Fire / Broken Wave / Blindsided / Acquaintance / Monday /
Progtology / The Thirst / Paint The Picture / Under The Sun / What To
Say / My Enemy / Follow The Sun / Break / Seeds Of Hate / Comatose /
Black Eyes & Broken Glass / Colors Fade / Pure / Below Zero / Oasis13
Disc 2: Individual Band interviews and a group interview
http://www.theoasis.cc/
http://www.insideoutmusic.com/
Wow...was this DVD a treat to watch. If you are not familiar with
Enchant let me tell you that they are the Melodic Rock fan's answer to
Progressive Hard Rock! Combine the progressiveness of early Yes,
Genesis, Rush and Kansas with the melodies of Journey and Marillion,
all funneled through exceptional song writing with emotionally charged
performances and lyrics that really mean something and you have
Enchant. This band creates such great hooks and melodies throughout
the song that you don't even realize its 6 minutes long. Okay, still
with me? This particular 22 song set list takes the viewer/listener on
a rollercoaster ride throughout Enchants entire career that spans 7
albums. 22 songs is a lot, especially when their songs average 6 to 7
minutes long, the concert alone is over two and one half hours! The
mix is great and these guys are right on, the chemistry that they have
on stage and as a group is very unique, definitely their strongest
lineup yet. Doug Ott's guitar playing is the highlight here for me as
well as the incredible performance by singer Ted Leonard. Talk about
creating a mood, Ted's vocals are as good if not better live than on
the recordings. Just being able to watch his expressions and here him
talk about some of the songs makes them even more mesmerizing. Sean
Flanegan has an excellent sense of groove and Ed Platt is a monster on
bass. He gets a fabulous bass sound that sits so well in the mix. Bill
Jenkins colors in all around on the keyboards and the way he and Doug
do guitar/keyboard harmonies together really adds to the dynamics of
the music. I can't say enough about this DVD!!! Every time I think I
have a favorite, the next song comes on and I'm further blown away. I
would have to say my favorite song would have to be "Comatose" as this
is my overall favorite Enchant song. To see Ted's cringing face as he
closes his eyes and takes you to the place and mood in which the song
is set just gives me goose bumps! "What To Say" is also a personal
highlight as Ted briefly describes the songs circumstances to the
audience and really opens up with an incredibly emotional performance.
Doug Ott's background vocals compliment Ted so nicely especially on
the latter song.
I highly recommend watching the second disc first. In doing so I
believe you will have a greater appreciation when watching the
concert. This second disc is exactly what I wish more bands would do.
It includes interviews with each individual member and walks through
the particular instruments and equipment they use as well as their
influences and backgrounds. Then the entire band gets together and are
interviewed as a whole and that's when you can see the real magic and
chemistry as they discuss their influences and pasts and how that all
cumulates to where they are now and the DVD that you are about to
watch. This is spliced together by short clips of Enchant in their
practice studio. I can't help but feel a connection with these guys
while watching them talk about their love of music, recording, and
playing for people. It comes from such an honest and heartfelt place
that it makes you even more appreciative when you watch the live
performance. There is also a section where they interview fans on the
disc and it is apparent by their reaction that Enchant has some very
dedicated and loyal fans. My only negative I can say about the DVD is
that it is in the stereo format only, not 5.1, but this is such a
minor point that it couldn't begin to detract from the stellar
performance and value this DVD provides. I urge anyone who even
remotely likes this band to go out and buy this DVD; you won't be
disappointed. Sean P Gahgan (lof@...)

*
*** SPECIAL REPORT ***
*
by Patrick Brower (patrickbrower@...)

-Interview w/ JANI LANE
March 11, 2005

-Jani Lane is a busy, busy man. He currently appears on the brand new
Magna Carta Rush tribute album, SUBDIVISIONS (as mentioned in Detritus
#305). He's also on the VH1 Classic Metal Mania: STRIPPED acoustic
album (as mentioned in Detritus #302) and in the studio producing an
all-new band. He graciously took the time to give me a call directly
from the studio to talk about all things Rush.

DETRITUS: How did you come to be involved in SUBDIVISIONS, the Magna
Carta Rush tribute album (available right now!)?

JANI LANE: I came to be involved by Mike Varney from Shrapnel Records.
He asked me if I'd like to do it. I had no idea there was a Magna
Carta. My initial question was, "How is Warrant involved with Rush?"
It may seem like a stretch, but I was interested because long before
I was in Warrant I was in cover bands. I was the drummer. I've
played drums since I was six years old and I even played (drums) for
Warrant. Just recently I played on a session for a band I'm producing
in a studio called the Lava Room in Cleveland, OH. In the cover band
we always played Rush and I've been a huge Neal Peart fan my whole life.

D: He was a big influence on your playing?

JL: Oh yeah, man. I went in for the whole gigantic kit, y'know,
aquabans, eighteen toms, wind chimes, the whole bit. But he was the
guy who used the kit properly. But not only that, being that I like
to consider myself a well-read person, I was always intrigued by the
depth of their lyrics; they're not the "Oh, I love you baby" lyrics.
So I was always really into Rush and I can actually remember when I
got MOVING PICTURES, that record was a life-changing experience for me.

D: At any point when you were in those cover bands, did you ever stop
calling yourself a drummer and call yourself a `percussionist'?

JL: (Laughs) No, because that meant you had to play tambourines. No,
I understand what you mean. Neal Peart took it to a higher level. It
was cool to be from the School of Bohnam or from the School of Peart.
That was the dichotomy and between the two it was amazing. And to
say that you were a drummer that had that much influence on people, I
mean I don't care who you are, I don't care what bands you're from, if
you're a drummer you have to say that at some point in your career you
were influenced by Neal Peart.

D: The songs that you sang on (Bastille Day and 2112), did you get to
choose them or were they assigned to you?

JL: Man, I wish I got to choose because then I would've got to sing
"Spirit of Radio" but Kip Winger got that one, the bastard (laughs).
No we didn't get to pick them but I was really happy with getting to
sing "Bastille Day." That was cool. And "2112," we didn't know what
to do with so we just did a bunch of weird stuff with it and that's
the track that finishes the album. What I really liked, I just the
other day got to hear the finished product. When recording, the
musicians got to centrally locate but the singers satellited out and
the tracks were sent out to us. So I just got to hear the whole thing
and I really liked what Sebastian (Bach) did with "Lakeside Park." I
thought that was really cool.

D: So you were on your own while working on your parts? They sent you
the vocal-less tracks and you put the Jani Lane touch on them and sent
them back?

JL: Basically what happened is they asked me if I'd like to be a part
of it and my initial reaction was, having been involved in so many of
these things especially when I was out in LA, usually they're sub-par
and it's just a couple of guys who happen to be geographically close
to the studio and you throw it down. But with Rush, you can't do
that. Let me hear the tracks first and if it's not done well, I don't
want to be a part of it. So when I heard the tracks, it was, "Wow!"
Really good. And I had no idea Alex Skolnik was playing guitar on one
of the tracks I was singing so you can imagine my surprise when I
heard the track. When I heard it I was immediately like, "I'm in." I
was all for it. And having heard the finished product, I was blown
away; I had no idea it was gonna be that great.

D: Did you know of the other songs that Sebastian, Kip and Randy
Jackson were doing?

JL: I don't know if it was on purpose, but I had no idea. They did
not send a letter or anything saying what other singers or what other
people were involved except for the personal tracks you were doing.
All they said was this is the quality of the music going on the record
and this is the project you're gonna be involved it.

D: Since it was a set studio band for the most part (Vinnie Moore, Stu
Hamm, Mike Mangini) with virtually the same people working on all the
tracks save for the vocals, what are the chances of there being a
concert or even a tour to support this?

JL: Wow. I have no idea. Honestly I can say if they ever got that
band live together on stage to do these songs, I would absolutely fly
in to show up and sing. It would be well worth it.

D: If Magna Carta comes to you again with a similar project, are you in?

JL: As long as it's a band that I can honestly say influenced me. It
was a little weird initially because I felt that I was being
approached from the Warrant aspect, which I imagine I was to some
degree, otherwise I'm sure I wouldn't have been asked, but my decision
had really nothing to do with Warrant, it had to do with all my years
before Warrant and playing drums and Neal Peart and listening to Rush
lyrics and all that. It really didn't have anything to do with my
Warrant connection.

D: They probably had no idea how personal this was going to be to you,
Jani Lane, specifically when they asked.

JL: I'm sure they didn't. I'm positive they had no idea how personal
it was.

D: How long ago was this completed?

JL: I completed my part, probably a couple months ago. Three months
ago, I would say. I wasn't kept privy to the rest; I was basically
told, "You'll get it when it's done." And I was fine with that. I've
been really busy with other stuff, so that was fine.

D: And what is this `other stuff?'

JL: I'm in the studio right now, actually calling you from the studio,
producing a band called Eleven After. We're in Cleveland at the Lava
Room and it's an awesome studio, probably the best Pro Tools studio
between Chicago and New York. I'm also promoting VH1 Classic Metal
Mania: STRIPPED, the new metal classic acoustic record.

D: Also featuring Kip Winger, right?

JL: Yes. I can't get rid of him

D: He's stalking you, maybe… you better watch out…

JL: He loves me! …I love him, too.

JL: I'm out playing a few shows for myself and planning a few things
for summer that, well, I have some surprises in the works. We'll see
what happens. I may step outside of just performing. I'm doing some
writing and producing and some other stuff, too. That sounds really
ambiguous, I know, but I don't want to let the cat out of the bag too
early.

D: Ambiguity is good, it makes people wonder what you're really doing
and why should you be pigeonholed as one specific type of performer?

JL: Right, but the biggest question I get from people is, "Why did you
leave Warrant?" I did not necessarily leave Warrant. I want to make
sure all the fans know I did not intentionally leave Warrant. I was
very happy having a parallel solo career while being in Warrant. It
was a business thing that went awry. I'm very good friends with Jaime
St. James; I think he's a wonderful person. I wish none of the guys
in the band any ill luck. I was actually replaced before I knew it.
It was just a business thing that unfortunately did not get worked out
the way I would have liked to have seen it or I'm sure they would have
liked to have seen it and I hope down the road things work out between
us and possibly we get back and do one big shebang tour and do it the
right way.

D: Will it be weird to you to hear someone else regularly sing the
words that you wrote?

JL: (Pauses) I don't know. I suppose it will bother me, a little bit,
because they are so personal, they are my songs. To be honest if I
said, "No it won't bother me at all!" that would be a lie. If it were
something where I said, "Hey guys, I'm leaving, I'm gone! Take it
easy!" then it probably wouldn't bother me. But the fact that I
didn't really want to leave… I really didn't intend to leave. I
really didn't want it to happen that way. I didn't want there to be
any hard feelings.

D: Hopefully there aren't.

JL: Actually, I didn't want there to be a split so yeah, it would
bother me to see it. I probably won't go see it. I like Jaime too
much and I wouldn't want to think, "Dang it—that sucker shouldn't be
singing my songs." I'd rather stay friends and I'd rather stay
removed from the situation until it gets resolved.

D: That's a pretty diplomatic decision. Cool. Switching gears, it's
been a few years since you released BACK DOWN TO ONE and it took me a
little doing to find a copy of it. Did that disc have the impact you
were hoping for?

JL: You know what? I'm happy with it but it wasn't intended to sell.
It was an exercise in fun that I had with Kerry Kelli and it wasn't
intended to be released. Those songs started out as demos we wrote
for the fun of it and they got a little interest here and there and we
said' "Alright, we'll throw it out in Europe." And we released it in
Japan as well. I still to this day don't plan to put it out in the US
but of course because there's an Internet, it'll get out. It was
never intended to be a solo record, it was just one of those things;
it just happened.

D: You used the word `fun' to describe it and I have to agree with
you, the album is just a whole lot of fun.

JL: Cool. Exactly. That's what it was. It was written to be a bunch
of songs that kept me from not doing anything. It was like, `I can't
just sit here, I've got to do something.'

D: Well it was a lot of fun that I still enjoy listening to.

JL: In that case I can't wait for you to hear the new project I'm
working on now. An all-girl band that you have to check out.

D: You just upped my interest with the phrase `all-girl band.'

JL: They're called Eleven After. It's the Go-Go's meets the
Pretenders meets Garbage meets Tull meets a car wreck. And they look
good doing it! These girls are going to re-invent `grrl rock.'

D: Man, that is a kick ass description. Well thanks for taking the
time to talk to me and I can wait to get my hands on SUBDIVISIONS!

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