Detritus
Issue #401
Week of March 5, 2007
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*** CAST OF CHARACTERS ***
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Patrick Brower, Editor
patrickbrower@...

Sean P. Gahgan, Editor
lof@...
http://www.lakeoffire.net/

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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-Greetings and salutations. Keith Abt is in the hizz-ouse this week.
Keep your eyes open for a mini-issue later today with a Michael Harris
interview. - Tim

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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-Saxon Newsletter: INNER SANCTUM Released

New album THE INNER SANCTUM out on March 5th

Single "If I Was You" (single mix) available for download now

Major European tour to start end of February

The rolling thunder can be heard from afar: British metal legends,
Saxon, are scheduled to release their latest album, THE INNER SANCTUM,
on March 5, 2007, proving that they have succeeded yet again in
keeping that special place between traditional and contemporary music.
"THE INNER SANCTUM is a typical Saxon recording that kicks off with
gargatum heavy metal tracks, followed by classic rock 'n' roll
numbers, returning to Metal towards at the end," vocalist Biff Byford
describes his group's new offering, which features two near 10 Minutes
songs, rating the release in Saxon's history as follows: "I'd say the
album is in the style of LIONHEART and METALHEAD, a number of tracks
have a SOLID BALL OF ROCK touch, but at the same time the production
is very modern." THE INNER SANCTUM will be available in a digi-pak
with Bonus DVD or in a jewel case, including bonus track.

Charlie Bauerfeind was in charge of the driving sound, keeping the
typical Saxon elements of each song to incorporate them in a
contemporary production. All those who have known Saxon since the
Eighties and followed their amazing development will love THE INNER
SANCTUM. The first single lifted from the album will be "If I Was
You," available for download: a driving metal track that fits in
seamlessly among the long list of Saxon classics, increasing still the
anticipation of the album.

Five days before the album arrives at the stores, Saxon will embark on
their extensive European tour, scheduled to last until mid-May, which
will take Biff Byford, Paul Quinn (guitar), Doug Scarratt (guitar),
Nibbs Carter (bass) and Nigel Glockler (drums) through England,
Ireland, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands,
Italy, Greece, Croatia, Poland, Russia, Austria, Sweden and Finland,
among others. Byford has already hinted at his band's live show, which
has been updated as usual: "All those who know us are aware that we
always include six to seven new numbers in our track listing when we
have a new album to promote." So all Saxon fans had better mark in
their calendars the show nearest them!

http://www.saxon747.com/

Track listing - THE INNER SANCTUM Limited Editon:

1. State Of Grace
2. Need For Speed
3. Let Me Feel Your Power
4. Red Star Falling
5. I've Got To Rock (To Stay Alive)
6. If I Was You (album version)
7. Going Nowhere Fast
8. Ashes To Ashes
9. Empire Rising
10. Atila The Hun

Content Bonus DVD:

A Night Out With The Boys:

1. To Hell And Back Again
2. A Night Out With The Boys - The Idea
3. A Night Out With The Boys - Not really
4. See The Light Shining
5. A Night Out With The Boys - Now It Started
6. Redline
7. Suzie Hold On
8. Stand Up And Be Counted
9. Frozen Rainbow
10. Never Surrender

DVD 5
2.0 Dolby Digital & 5.1 Audio
16:9
Duration approx. 50 min
Code free
Subtitles: German

Saxon - "The Inner Sanctum" Tour 2007

10.03.2007 - B - Antwerpen - Hof Ter Loo
11.03.2007 - NL - Amsterdam - Paradiso
13.03.2007 - GER - Köln - Live Music Hall *
14.03.2007 - GER - Oberhausen - Turbinenhalle *
15.03.2007 - GER - Hamburg - Markthalle §
16.03.2007 - GER - Berlin - Huxleys Neue Welt * / §
17.03.2007 - GER - Leipzig - Haus Auensee * / §
18.03.2007 - GER - Lichtenfels - Stadthalle *
20.03.2007 - GER - Stuttgart - Longhorn / LKA
21.03.2007 - SWI - Pratteln - Z7
22.03.2007 - F - Toulouse - Havana Cafe
23.03.2007 - ES - Madrid - Macumba
24.03.2007 - ES - Bergara - Sala Jam
25.03.2007 - ES - Barcelona - Razzmatazz 2
26.03.2007 - ES - Valencia - Heineken Greenspace
29.03.2007 - F - Lyon - Transbordeur
30.03.2007 - F - Paris - Elysee Montmartre
12.04.2007 - GER - Saarbrücken - Garage #
13.04.2007 - GER - Langen - Stadthalle #
14.04.2007 - GER - München - Große Elser Halle #
15.04.2007 - ITA - Milano - Live Club #
16.04.2007 - ITA - Firenze - Viper #
17.04.2007 - ITA - Rome - Alpheus #
20.04.2007 - GRE - Athen - Gagarin 205
21.04.2007 - GRE - Thessaloniki - Ydrogeios
22.04.2007 - MAZ - Skopje - MKC
24.04.2007 - SER - Beograd - SKC
25.04.2007 - CRO - Zagreb - Boogaloo Club
26.04.2007 - HUN - Budapest - Petofi Hall
27.04.2007 - AUT - Wien - Planet Music
28.04.2007 - CZ - Zlin - Hala Novesta
29.04.2007 - PL - Krakow - Club Studio
30.04.2007 - PL - Warszawa - Stodola
03.05.2007 - EE - Tallinn - Rock Cafe
05.05.2007 - FIN - Helsinki - Tavastia #
06.05.2007 - FIN - Oulu - Teatria #
08.05.2007 - SWE - Stockholm - Arenan #
09.05.2007 - N - Oslo - Rockefeller #
10.05.2007 - SWE - Göteborg - Trädgarn #
11.05.2007 - SWE - Malmö - KB #
12.05.2007 - GER - Osnabrück - Halle Gartlage #
13.05.2007 - NL - Hardenberg - Podium #
14.05.2007 - UK - Manchester - Academy 2
15.05.2007 - UK - London - Astoria
16.05.2007 - UK - Nottingham - Rock City
17.05.2007 - IRL - Dublin - Temple Bar Music Centre
19.05.2007 - SCO - Glasgow - Garage
20.05.2007 - UK - Wolverhampton - Civic Hall
21.05.2007 - UK - Cardiff - Coal Exchange
23.05.2007 - UK - Belfast - Spring & Airbrake
02.06.2007 - SWI - Winterthur - Spirit Of Rock Festival
02.08.2007 - GER - Wacken - Wacken Open Air
11.08.2007 - GER - Balve - Rock am Schloß

special guest: MASTERPLAN
very special guest: ROSE TATTOO (*), HELLFUELED (#) & PHARAO (§)

For German dates go to: http://www.metaltix.com/

Saxon
http://www.saxon747.com/

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-Krucible To Bring Their Progressive Assault To Texas Madfest

Houston progressive metal act Krucible is confirmed to take part in
Houston's Texas Madfest. This will mark one of the first live
appearances of the band's new lineup, which now includes renowned
vocal legend Lance King.

"We're so excited to have Lance in Krucible now, I can't even describe
it," states Shane DuBose, the band's bassist. Shane, who has
previously been in established metal acts such as Outworld, Stride and
Cea Serin has known Lance for a while and sees him as the perfect
front man for Krucible. "We all are big fans of Lance's previous work
on his projects and having him in the band means the world to us," he
adds.

Krucible's members also include Eric Halpern (ex-Leatherwolf/Helstar)
and ProgPower Showcase promoter Shane Dubose (ex-Outworld/Cea Serin/
Stride), Don LaFon (6 Minute Century/ex-Mystic Cross), Adam Rawlings
(Victim/ex-Tyton) and Jeff Baniak will make their debut appearance
with Lance early this summer. Additional dates to be announced soon.

Lance King has been the voice in many bands, progressive and power
alike. His previous work with acts such as Avian, Balance Of Power,
Pyramaze and many others has gained stellar reviews from respected
publications around the world, RockHard and BW&BK included. "I've
known Eric and Shane since the days of ZLOTZ, and I love the stuff
they did with Chris Salinas (Zero Hour). It'll be great to record
those old songs and write new material alongside the band," says
Lance. "At Madfest we'll be doing both old and new Krucible material
and we're planning a very special surprise that everyone will love."

Krucible is in the process of composing new material that should be
performed in the upcoming shows in the summer, followed by tentative
recording sessions of their album. The band plans to have their debut
released by early to mid-2008. "Our new material is much more mature
than before, heavier and a little more proggy. I'm sure Lance will
contribute to make the songs the best we've written yet," explains
Shane DuBose regarding the direction of Krucible's new material.

Texas Madfest is schedule to take place on July 13-14, 2007 at club
FBI in Houston. To check out samples from the confirmed bands as well
as other info on the festival, visit http://www.myspace.com/madfest .

Krucible can be found at http://www.krucibleband.com /
http://www.myspace.com/krucible .

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*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
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-Z Records News

[Notes: This is a compilation of two separate Z Records News updates.
- Tim]

TOBY JEPSON [LITTLE ANGELS ] & WARRIOR SOUL CONFIRM NW SHOWS

TICKET INFORMATION FOR WARRIOR SOUL AND TOBY JEPSON

Sunday March 18th - Warrior Soul + Crimes Of Passion - Hotel
California, Birkenhead [other side of river to Liverpool]

Saturday March 24th - Toby Jepson [ex-Little Angels] + Lost Weekend -
Hotel California, Birkenhead [other side of river to Liverpool]

Tickets for both shows are priced at £10 each in advance and will go
on sale on February 12th from Skeleton Records, Birkenhead / Probe
Records Liverpool and X Records, Bolton. For mail order enquiries
please contact us via midas.ent@... or visit
http://www.myspace.com/midasentertainment.com .

SANCHEZ ALBUM ARTWORK PREVIEW

Swedish act Sanchez will release their debut on May 21, it is our
pleasure to be able to preview their album artwork at
http://www.zrecords.net/ .

RELEASE SCHEDULE APRIL / MAY

April 16: Snow - s/t

May 21: Sanchez - s/t

LOST WEEKEND TO SUPPORT TOBY JEPSON

Lost Weekend have been confirmed as support to Toby Jepson ex-Little
Angels on Saturday March 24th at the hotel California Birkenhead.
Details re the show can be found at
http://www.myspace.com/midasentertainment .

Z ROCK 07 ON HOLD

Due to a major festival featuring Aerosmith that has been announced on
the same date as our planned Z Rock 07 show, we have been forced to
put Z Rock 07 on hold. We are however looking at possibly staging the
show during September / October. Stay tuned!

BREAKING NEWS: Z ROCK 07 DATE CONFIRMED!!!!!

We have now confirmed that Z Rock 07 will now take place on Sunday
October 7th at Maximes, Wigan England. To date the lineup is not
changed and two further high profile acts are hoped to confirm in the
next few days watch this space!

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-Heaven And Hell Descends On The States

Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny Appice Reunite
For U.S. Tour Spotlighting Black Sabbath's Dio Years

The Newly Recorded Single "The Devil Cried" Takes Radio By Storm

Tickets For All Dates Go On Sale The Weekend Of March 9

LOS ANGELES -- Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Vinny
Appice will reunite for the first time in 15 years as Heaven And Hell
Live to cast a dark spell over spring as the quartet tours the U.S.
Tickets will go on sale the weekend of March 9 for all 20 stops of the
American leg (except Houston, on sale March 17), which is set to
launch in Phoenix on April 22. There will also be a special fan
presale for all dates beginning Wednesday, March 7 at 12 Noon EST. The
tour will follow in the wake of the band's highly anticipated Radio
City Music Hall concert in New York City on March 30, which sold out
in a matter of minutes.

Last year, the hard-rocking quartet convened to record three new songs
for Rhino Records' era-spanning collection, Black Sabbath: THE DIO
YEARS, due out April 3 on Rhino/Warner Bros. Records. One of the newly
recorded tracks -- "The Devil Cried" -- is the first single. Bristling
with the trademark Sabbath sound, the song is being well received by
fans and critics alike.

The sessions for Black Sabbath: THE DIO YEARS went so well that the
band agreed to satisfy longstanding demands for a reunion tour. Set to
launch in Canada on March 11, the Heaven And Hell World Tour will
spotlight Dio's tenure with Sabbath and will feature selections from
all three of the group's studio albums, HEAVEN AND HELL (1980), MOB
RULES (1981) and DEHUMANIZER (1992), as well as the newly recorded
tracks.

Multi-platinum recording artist Megadeth will join the tour and
preview never before heard material from the group's new CD, UNITED
ABOMINATIONS, due out May 8 on Roadrunner Records. All dates will also
feature Roadrunner label mates Machine Head who are supporting their
latest album, THE BLACKENING, set for release on March 27.

For more information about Heaven And Hell Live, please go to
http://www.heavenandhelllive.com/ .

For more information about the Heaven and Hell Live fan presale,
please go to http://heavenandhell.frontgatetickets.com .

The Heaven And Hell Tour 2007 U.S. Tour will include the following
stops:

APRIL
22 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre
24 - San Jose, CA - HP Pavilion
25 - Los Angeles, CA - Forum
26 - San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheatre
28 - Albuquerque, NM - Journal Pavilion
29 - Denver, CO - Broomfield Events Center

MAY
1 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
2 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Pavillion
3 - Dallas, TX - Nokia Theater
5 - Chicago, IL - All State Arena
6 - Minneapolis, MN - Theatre @ Target Center
8 - Cincinnati, OH - US Bank Arena
10 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Arena
11 - Cleveland, OH - Tower City Amphitheatre
12 - Detroit, MI - Cobo Hall
14 - Albany, NY - Times Union Center
15 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
17 - Lowell, MA - Tsongas Arena
18 - Baltimore, MD - Merriweather Pavilion
19 - Holmdell, NJ - PNC Arts Center

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-Scorpions To Sweden Rock Festival 2007

We can now confirm our third and final headliner for Sweden Rock 2007.

Scorpions have visited Sweden Rock two times before, but never with
their legendary guitar player Uli Jon Roth as a special guest. This
time we can look forward to hear alot of classic songs from the
seventies. You bet!

We also present two band confirmed for our tent stage: Swedish sleaze
of highest quality from Crashdiet and a new star rising, Finnish Sturm
Und Drang. We can also present this year's only band from the Faraoe
Islands, Tyr!

These are the confirmed dates for our four headliners:

WEDNESDAY 6 JUNE: THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW
THURSDAY 7 JUNE: HEAVEN AND HELL
FRIDAY 8 JUNE: AEROSMITH
SATURDAY 9 JUNE: SCORPIONS with Uli Jon Roth

The festival area will open 3PM on June 6 and 11AM the other three
days!

Complete running order in early or mid-April!

CONFIRMED BANDS SO FAR. OUT OF TOTALLY 70!

AEROSMITH (US)
HEAVEN AND HELL (UK) - Ronnie James Dio - Tony Iommi - Geezer Butler -
Vinnie Appice
SCORPIONS (D) with special guest ULI JON ROTH
MEAT LOAF (US)
BLIND GUARDIAN (D)
MOTÖRHEAD (UK)
ICED EARTH (US)
REO SPEEDWAGON (US)
DIMMU BORGIR (N)
SYMPHONY X (US)
THE AUSTRALIAN PINK FLOYD SHOW (AUS)
NOVEMBER (S)
FASTWAY (UK)
TROUBLE (US)
KREATOR (D)
U.D.O. (D)
SUZI QUATRO (UK)
GOV'T MULE (US)
SKID ROW (US)
ANNIHILATOR (CAN)
NOCTURNAL RITES (S)
POINT BLANK (US)
PRETTY MAIDS (DK)
QUIET RIOT (US)
AMON AMARTH (S)
HARDCORE SUPERSTAR (S)
BLACK OAK ARKANSAS (US)
THUNDER (UK)
THE ANSWER (UK)
AXEL RUDI PELL (D/US)
CIRCUS MAXIMUS (N)
TIAMAT (S)
MCQUEEN (UK)
RANDY PIPER'S ANIMAL (US)
TOKYO DRAGONS (UK)
TYR (FAR)
ELDRITCH (I)
LION'S SHARE (S)
FALCONER (S)
TRAIL OF TEARS (S)
ALL ENDS (S)
CRASHDÏET (S)
STURM UND DRANG (FIN)
KORPIKLAANI (FIN)
MEMFIS (S)

http://www.swedenrock.com/

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-Steve Unger Announced As Touring Bassist For Temple Of Brutality

TRENTON, N.J. -- The touring bass player for Temple Of Brutality's
U.S. tour will be Metal Church bassist Steve Unger. David Ellefson
will not be able to participate due to family commitments.

"Steve is a great friend of Stet's," said guitarist Peter Scheithauer.
"When the situation with Dave came up, we asked Steve because if
anyone could pull off the tour with such a short notice, it would be
him. He's a very easy going guy, a true metal head and road warrior
that fits the band's mentality perfectly."

Temple Of Brutality's debut album, LETHAL AGENDA, was released on
February 27 on Demolition Records.

"We just found out the East Coast leg will be even longer and we have
more shows being booked after Easter for another run," said
Scheithauer. "We're stoked to get out on the road and get our record
into the stores."

U.S. Tour Dates (Updated)

03/07/07 Wed. Mr. G's, West Palm Beach, FL
03/09/07 Fri. Bourbon Street, New Port Richie, FL
03/10/07 Sat. Zakk's Coffee House, Murfreesboro, NC
03/13/07 Tue. The Ugly Monkey, Indianapolis, IN
03/15/07 Thu. The Monkey Bar, Huntington, WV
03/16/07 Fri. Jaxx, West Springfield, VA
03/17/07 Sat. The Downtown QB, Endicott, NY
03/18/07 Sun. CC Charlie's, Vineland, NJ
03/21/07 Wed. Crocodile Rock's, Allentown, PA
03/22/07 Thu. Coconuts, Middletown, OH
03/23/07 Fri. Sudsy Malones, Cincinnati, OH
03/24/07 Sat. City Side, Wapakoneta, OH
03/30/07 Fri. Mark's Showplace, Bedford, NH
03/31/07 Sat. The Chance, Poughkeepsie, NY
04/01/07 Sun. Don Hill's, New York, NY
04/02/07 Mon. Club Loaded, Long Island, NY

http://www.templeofbrutality.com/
http://www.demolitionrecords.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #7 ***
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-Generation Beautiful To Issue Self-titled Live Album On Interline
Records - April 6th, 2007

Los Angeles-based rock band, Generation Beautiful, possesses a sound
that seems tailor-made for modern day radio, as evidenced by any
number of tracks from their self-titled live debut album, on Interline
Records. The band was formed when Beautiful Creatures guitarist
Anthony Focx began writing music with female singer Shelby Goff. As
the project progressed, lead guitarist Fred Nilsson, drummer Jerry
Vidal, and bassist Jamie Zimlin came aboard with their own, unique
musical backgrounds to complete the dynamic quintet.

The upcoming eight-song release is sure to please any rock fan.
Generation Beautiful's music combines heartfelt ballads ("Father,"
"Freedom") with harder hitting rock songs ("Everything," "This Is Me,"
and "Rowdy"). The album was recorded live on stage in front of a high-
energy audience, and it faithfully captures the excitement of
Generation Beautiful live.

Generation Beautiful - LIVE was mixed by Focx, whose other production
work consists of projects such as Beautiful Creatures' DEUCE,
Aerosmith's recent remake of "Back In The Saddle" for NASCAR on ESPN,
Cinder Road's new album on EMI, and also has worked on the Katherine
McPhee track "Home."

The multi-talented Focx has certainly met his musical match with Goff,
whose vocal style encompasses raw aggressive strength yet is soulful
at the same time. A dynamic live performer, Goff was nominated for
"Female Vocalist Of The Year" and won the award for "Rock Single Of
The Year" at the 2005 Los Angeles Music Awards. As a result, the
singer is considered by many to be one of the most promising and
upcoming women in rock today.

In addition to playing traditional Southern California rock venues,
Generation Beautiful has also taken a unique route towards perfecting
their music and stage act. They have performed for the troops in Iraq,
Afghanistan, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. As a result the group
has received a number of accolades including a write up in the largest
international military newspaper Stars and Stripes.

Generation Beautiful – LIVE will be released April 6, 2007
exclusively in all the major on-line music stores, including iTunes,
Napster, and Rhapsody. The band plans to follow up with a full-length
studio record due out Summer 2007. In August 2007 they will embark on
yet another tour, this time for the troops in Korea and Japan, to be
followed by a U.S. tour.

For more information on the band visit
http://www.generationbeautiful.com/ and
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=22107876
.

GENERATION BEAUTIFUL - LIVE TRACK LISTING:

1. Intro
2. This Is Me
3. Borrowed Time
4. Freedom
5. Breathe
6. Sweet Caroline
7. Father
8. Everything
9. Rowdy

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*** PRESS RELEASE #8 ***
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-Burning Star Newsletter

Kinetic: Opening the gates of ROCKWAVE FESTIVAL!

And what better way to start the summer holidays that having one of
our bands kick-starting legendary Greek ROCKWAVE festival. Kinetic
will appear on stage on July 1st opening the day for the following
amazing bands!!!

Anathema
Iced Earth
Dream Theater
Heaven And Hell (Headliners)

Ticket prices have not been announced yet. We will keep you posted on
this matter. Check also the site of the organizer at
http://www.didimusic.gr/ .

BURNING STAR RECORDS FORTHCOMING MARCH 2007 RELEASES

BSRCD0015 : DEATHFALL - REBORN
http://burning-star.net/burning/promo/promo___deathfall_reborn.pdf

BSRCD0016 : X-PIRAL - HUNTERS
http://burning-star.net/burning/promo/promo___x_piral_hunters.pdf

BSRCD0017 : GRIFFIN - THE ULTIMATE DEMISE
http://burning-
star.net/burning/promo/promo___griffin_the_ultimate_demise.pdf

BSRCD0018 : PROJECT: FAILING FLESH - THE CONJOINED
http://burning-star.net/burning/promo/promo___pff_the_conjoined.pdf

BSRCD0020 : ZENITH - EVILUTION
http://burning-star.net/burning/promo/promo___zenith_evilution.pdf

EMPYRIOS: Interview posted on Metal-Nose

Dying to learn all about Empyrios? A very interesting interview is
posted on Metal-Nose, the metal subdivision for ProgNose webzine. Simo
answered all the questions! So check the following hyperlink...

http://www.prog-nose.org/metal-
nose/engels/interviews/empyrios_interview.htm

The band's debut album ...AND THE REST IS SILENCE is keep gaining
stunning reviews all around the world!!!

THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS: Inking a deal with Burning Star Records

We are very proud to announce you that one of Sweden's cult metal acts
is now part of our family. The Equinox Ov The Gods is one of the long
running teams from Sweden (formed in 1990). Their new album is
scheduled for an early summer release date. There is really no words
to describe how we feel having such a band on our roster.

Whispering Gallery: TUBED!

Dutch doom death metalers Whispering Gallery are now featured in
YouTube. Just check on http://youtube.com/watch?v=plzcsY9zLxc and see
a live version of "Soul Sacrifice" shot back in 2001 in Amerfoort,
Holland.

Everwood: NEW VIDEO CLIP SHOOT IN FEBRUARY

"We will shoot our second video clip in the begining of February. The
video clip will be recorded and the mixed by FlashFilms. We hope our
brend new video clip will be on the shows of the biggest Hungarian
music TV channels in march."

ART OF SIMPLICITY: Aris Markogiannakis departed

We are very sad to inform everyone that the following statement came
from the band... "Just after our performance in the 1st Burning Star
fest, Aris [Guitars] announced his departing from the group. This was
due to a personal debate that had been around for some time and made
Aris feel that this would be the best solution. art of simplicity want
to thank Aris Markogiannakis for all he has offered all these years
and wish him the best in his musical career. At the time, we are
talking with a few guitarists to take Aris' place and hopefully, we'll
soon be ready to perform live once again."

VISIT OUR ONLINE STORE
http://www.burning-star.net/store

Burning Star
http://www.burning-star.net/

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-The Acacia Strain Featured On Metal Injection TV

The Acacia Strain is featured on the latest installment of Metal
Injection TV ( http://www.metalinjection.net/tv/ )! Check it out on-
line here for exclusive performances and an interview with the guys
from their recently completed headlining tour with Job For A Cowboy,
Psyopus, See You Next Tuesday, and Daath.

Currently at home in Massachusetts, The Acacia Strain is gearing up
for a handful of shows with Shadows Fall and regional shows headlining
in the northeast before joining up with Hatebreed for a tour
throughout the United Kingdom.

The Acacia Strain on tour
(with Shadows Fall, Still Remains, The Showdown)
3/19 Binghamton, NY – Magic City Music Hall
3/20 Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theatre
3/21 Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection

3/22 Eerie, PA - Lake Shore Social Hall
3/24 Brockton, MA – Roman's
3/25 Chicopee, MA – Cabot St.

(with Necro, DJ Starscream, Freddy Madball)
4/4 Farmingdale, NY – The Crazy Donkey
4/5 Philadelphia, PA – The Trocadero

4/6 Utica, NY – Skate O Rama
4/7 Hooksett, NH – Hooksett Elks Lodge (with Always And Forever)
4/8 Bucksport, ME – The Kave

(Destroy Everything Tour, with Hatebreed)
16/4 Dublin, Ireland – Ambassador
18/4 Exeter, UK – Lemon Grove
19/4 Northampton, UK – Soundhaus
20/4 Colchester, UK – Arts Centre
21/4 Liverpool, UK – Carling Academy 2
22/4 Oxford, UK – Zodiac
23/4 Brighton, UK – Concorde 2
24/4 Portsmouth, UK – Wedgewood Rooms
25/4 Stoke, UK – Sugarmill
26/4 Newport, UK - TJs

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-Byzantine Makes SALVATION DVD Available For Pre-order, Offers Trailer

West Virginia's forward thinking thrash band Byzantine has now made
the forthcoming DVD SALVATION available for pre-order (available here:
http://www.prostheticrecords.com/bands/Byzantine/4.php?
product_type_id=2
.

Scheduled for an April 17 release through Prosthetic Records,
SALVATION will feature live performances, bootleg performances,
interviews, tutorials and an extended version of the "Jeremiad" music
video among other offerings. A trailer for the DVD is available at the
band's MySpace page ( http://www.myspace.com/Byzantine ) or directly
on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce80sHhInQQ&eurl= .

Re-entering the studio, after completing a leg of dates alongside God
Forbid, Arsis, Goatwhore and Mnemic, Byzantine is currently continuing
to record OBLIVION BECKONS, the forthcoming new full-length with
producer Charles A. Fisher in Sissonville, WV. Mixing will take place
at Highview Studios by Drew Mazurek and the album will be mastered by
Alan Douches at West West Side Music.

Byzantine on tour
4/7 Teays Valley, WV – Sneekers
4/21 Huntington, WV – Hyamp
4/22 Morgantown, WV – 123 Pleasant St

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #11 ***
*
-Infernaeon Announces CD Release Show, Support Dates

Florida's blackened death metallers Infernaeon have confirmed a
handful of dates in Miami in support of the band's forthcoming debut,
A SYMPHONY OF SUFFERING. Featuring ex-members of Monstrosity,
Infernaeon's debut features guest vocals from Ben Falgoust (Goatwhore,
Soilent Green) and Keith DeVito (Catastrophic), while the band with
play dates in Miami as direct support to Deicide and Atheist before
heading up to Milwaukee Metalfest later this year.

A SYMPHONY OF SUFFERING will see a March 6 release through Prosthetic
Records.

Infernaeon on tour

3/9 Miami, FL – Churchill's (CD Release Show)
4/7 Miami, FL – Club Flavour (with Deicide)
4/28 Miami, FL – Club Flavour (with Atheist)
5/13 Waukesha, WI – Waukesha County Expo Center (Milwaukee
Metalfest)

###

"Infernaeon are an interesting mix of old influences dragged bleeding
into the light of a new day, and with this as their debut, they stand
poised to make one helluva mark on a scene that may not realize how
much it needs them." - Blabbermouth

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #12 ***
*
-Los Angeles Murderfest 2007

Presented by The Church Of The 8th Day & Decibel Magazine
March 24 and March 25, 2007

The Los Angeles Murderfest will be celebrating its second consecutive
year as well as its third year in existence with Version 3.0.

Originally the brainchild of Church Of The 8th Day founder Daniel
Dismal, the Los Angeles Murderfest was born out of the idea that L.A.
needed a fest that embraced the various styles of metal, hardcore and
punk. Borrowing the initial formula from the highly successful New
England Metal And Hardcore Festival, the Murderfest has began to carve
out its own niche within the festival circuit in an amazingly short
amount of time.

With an ultimate goal to incorporate the feel of a European style
festival in an American setting, the Los Angeles Murderfest will once
again prove to be the staging ground for rare and exclusive Los
Angeles appearances and reunions from some of the best outfits in each
genre.

Cutting back from the three-day structure to a more concise two-day
formation, Version 3.0 will feature 40-plus bands on two stages within
a 48-hour period while playing host to some of the industry's top
vendors and record labels in what is being labeled as an underground
flea market.

2007 Murderfest lineup
Saturday March 24, 2007

FRONT STAGE

ROTT 3:00 - 3:20
VESUVIUS 3:35 - 3:55
RUIDO 4:10 - 4:30
ANEMOSITY 4:45 - 5:05
WATCH ME BURN 5:20 - 5:40
KYLESA 5:55 - 6:20
GENGHIS TRON 6:35 - 7:00
ABYSMAL DAWN 7:15 - 7:40
DEKAPITATOR 7:55 - 8:20
SEPSISM 8:35 - 9:00
PROFECIA 9:15 - 9:40
DECEASED 10:20 - 11:00

MAIN STAGE

DEPTHS OF CHAOS 3:10 - 3:30
DIABOLOS 3:45 - 4:05
NIGHT TERROR 4:20 - 4:40
THE CAUTERIZED 4:55 - 5:15
WINTERTHRALL 5:30 - 5:50
BOOK OF BLACK EARTH 6:05 - 6:30
LAIR OF MINOTAUR 6:45 - 7:10
LETUM ASCENSUS 7:25 - 7:50
COFFIN TEXTS 8:05 - 8:35
INSANITY 8:50 - 9:20
REPULSION 9:40 - 10:20
ATHEIST 11:00 - 11:50
OBITUARY 12:15 - 1:25

2007 Murderfest lineup
Sunday March 25, 2007

FRONT STAGE

CRYPTICGALLBLADDERSPLATTER 1:30 - 1:50
EMBRYONIC DEVOURMENT 2:05 - 2:25
JUDAS 2:40 - 3:00
WORHORSE 3:15 - 3:35
PROGERIA 3:50 - 4:10
OBSCENE GESTURE 4:25 - 4:50
NAUSEA 5:05 - 5:30
KILL THE CLIENT 5:45 - 6:10
STRONG INTENTION 6:25 - 6:50
CRETIN 7:05 - 7:35
LACK OF INTEREST 7:50 - 8:20
DESPISE YOU 8:35 - 9:05
THE ACCUSED 9:20 - 10:55
ANAL CUNT 11:35 - 12:10

MAIN STAGE

DIVARICATE 1:40 - 2:00
SELF INFLICTED 2:15 - 2:35
HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE 2:50 - 3:10
GRAVE DESECRATION 3:25 - 3:45
IVEBEENSHOT 4:00 - 4:20
THE DOLEMITE PROJECT 4:35 - 5:00
FETUS EATERS 5:15 - 5:40
MELTDOWN 5:55 - 6:20
BAD ACID TRIP 6:35 - 7:00
7000 DYING RATS 7:15 - 7:45
ROTTENNESS 8:00 - 8:30
WACO JESUS 8:45 - 9:20
PIG DESTROYER 10:55 - 11:35
BRUTAL TRUTH 12:10 - 1:20

Los Angeles Murderfest 2007
Dates: March 24 & March 25, 2007
Times: Sat. 2:30pm doors Sun. 1pm doors

Location:
Knitting Factory 7021 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028

Single Day - $33 Advance / $36 @ door

Two Day Pass - $60 (advance only)

You can also purchase tickets from the Knitting Factory box office, at
most Church of the 8th Day shows as well as from some of the local
bands on the fest.

The Los Angeles Murderfest
http://www.losangelesmurderfest.com/

Church of the 8th Day
http://www.churchofthe8thday.com/

Decibel Magazine
http://www.decibelmagazine.com/

Knitting Factory Los Angeles
http://www.knittingfactory.com/index_switch.php?dest=/404.php

SMNnews
http://www.smnnews.com/

Die Crawling Media
http://www.diecrawlingmedia.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #13 ***
*
-Gojira Offers Update From The Road

France's Gojira have posted multiple video clips of the band's live
performances on the road with Lamb Of God, Trivium and Machine Head
while on the band's second-ever North American tour. Select video
clips and photos from the road can be found at
http://prostheticrecords.com/Gojiranatour.html , including a clip with
a cameo from Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe, while clips from each night's
performance can be found on YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/results?
search_query=Gojira+usa+tour&search=Search
.

Currently supporting the North American release of FROM MARS TO SIRIUS
through Prosthetic Records, Gojira will stay out on the road with the
tour through April 5. Released in North America in August 2006, the
record has met with critical acclaim and will be followed by re-
releases of Gojira's THE LINK album and THE LINK ALIVE DVD through
Listenable Records later this spring, previously only available in
Europe.

Gojira on tour
(with Lamb of God, Trivium, Machine Head)
3/3 Edmonton, AB - ED'S - The Venue
3/4 Calgary, AB - Macewan Hall
3/6 Winnipeg, MB - Burton Cummings Theatre
3/7 Fargo, ND - Playmakers Pavilion
3/8 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
3/9 Tulsa, OK - Cains Ballroom
3/10 Kansas City, MO - Beaumont Club
3/11 Sioux Falls, SD - Empire Expo Hall
3/12 Minneapolis, MN – Station 4
3/13 Cedar Rapids, IA - Hawkeye Downs
3/14 Milwaukee, WI - The Rave
3/15 Ft. Wayne, IN - Pierres
3/16 Toledo, OH - Headliners
3/17 Grand Rapids, MI - Orbit Room
3/18 Guelph, ON - Cowboys Bar
3/20 Montreal, QC - Medley
3/21 Providence, RI - Lupos At The Strand
3/22 New York, NY - Roseland
3/23 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
3/24 Albany, NY - Northern Lights
3/25 Rochester NY - Harro East
3/26 Washington DC - 9:30 Club
3/28 Norfolk VA - Norva Theatre
3/29 Myrtle Beach, SC - House Of Blues
3/30 Jacksonville, FL - Plush
3/31 St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
4/1 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution
4/3 Nashville, TN - City Hall
4/4 Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theatre
4/5 Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #14 ***
*
-Through The Eyes Of The Dead In-studio Update

South Carolina's Through The Eyes Of The Dead has issued a brief in-
studio update on-line at
http://www.prostheticrecords.com/tteotd-instudio.html , featuring
photos from the first few days of recording the forthcoming album,
MALICE. Recording with producer Erik Rutan (Hate Eternal, ex-Morbid
Angel) at Mana Studios in Florida, MALICE is currently slated for a
summer release through Prosthetic Records and will again feature
artwork from Paul Romano (Mastodon, The Red Chord) who also supplied
the eery visuals for 2005's BLOODLUST. Scheduled to complete recording
in mid-March, Alan Douches (Unearth, Shadows Fall) will master the
album while Through The Eyes Of The Dead gears up for the band's
inaugural European tour later this spring.

Through The Eyes Of The Dead
(European tour with Dead To Fall, Ion Dissonance)
04.05 Germany Karlsruhe - Substage (with Dying Fetus, Skinless)
05.05 Germany Essen - Turock (with Dying Fetus, Skinless)
07.05 UK Hull - The Welly Club (Hull Metal Fest)
09.05 UK Liverpool - Roadkill
11.05 UK Swindon - Furnace
12.05 UK Kingston - The Peel
14.05 UK Newport - TJs
16.05 Denmark Copenhagen - Lades
18.05 Germany Chemnitz - AJZ
19.05 Poland Lodz - Demode
21.05 Croatia Varazdin - Gimnet
22.05 Germany München - Feierwerk
24.05 Germany Trier - Exhaus
25.05 Belgium Antwerp - Hof Ter Lo (with Dying Fetus, Skinless)

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #15 ***
*
-Kylesa Gears Up For Tour With Genghis Tron

Savannah sludge-rockers Kylesa are set to embark on a six-week tour
with like-minded Genghis Tron later this week, including appearances
at Los Angeles Murderfest 3.0, South By Southwest Music Festival and a
late April appearance at the ninth annual New England Metal And
Hardcore Festival. A tour poster is available online at
http://www.prostheticrecords.com/Kylesatour.html .

Currently supporting the acclaimed release TIME WILL FUSE ITS WORTH,
Kylesa returns to the road after supporting The Hidden Hand last
month.

Kylesa on tour
3/6 Spartanburg, SC – Ground Zero (with Leftover Crack, Citizen
Fish, Witch Hunt)

(with Genghis Tron)
3/8 Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church (with Ultradolphins)
3/9 Buffalo, NY - Soundlab
3/10 Oberlin, OH - Oberlin College
3/11 Louisville, KY - Keswick Democratic Club
3/12 Memphis, TN - Rally Point
3/13 New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks (with Stinking Lizaveta, Child
Abuse)
3/15 Houston, TX - Rudyard's (with Stinking Lizaveta, Weedeater)
3/16 Austin, TX - Emo's (Tone Deaf Touring Showcase with Hammers Of
Misfortune, Weedeater)
3/17 Austin, TX - Snake Eyes Vinyl (with Akimbo – early show)
3/17 Corpus Christi, TX - Zero's (late show)
3/18 San Antonio, TX - Sanctuary
3/20 Phoenix, AZ - Modified Arts
3/21 Riverside, CA - Parkview
3/22 San Diego, CA - Che Cafe
3/24 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory (Murderfest 3.0 with Athiest,
Obituary, Repulsion, and more)
3/25 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
3/27 Oakland, CA - Hazmat (early show with Monotonix)
3/27 Oakland, CA - Uptown (21+ late show with Monotonix, Totimoshi)
3/28 Eureka, CA – Ink People
3/29 Portland, OR - Satyricon
3/30 Seattle, WA - Vera Project
4/1 Spokane, WA - BLVD
4/2 Boise, ID - The Venue
4/4 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
4/5 Wichita, KS - Headway Park
4/6 Lawrence, KS - Replay Lounge
4/7 St. Louis, MO - Creepy Crawl
4/8 Chicago, IL - Beat Kitchen (with Yakuza)
4/9 Traverse City, MI - American Legion Hall
4/10 Grand Rapids, MI - DAAC
4/11 Southgate, MI - Modern Exchange
4/12 Pittsburgh, PA - Lawrenceville Moose (with Microwaves)
4/13 Raleigh, NC – Volume 11 Tavern

4/27 Worcester, MA - Palladium (New England Metalfest)

*
*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*
-About Heavy Metal's Top 10 Heavy Metal Albums Of 1990 list is
availble at http://glclk.about.com/?zi=1/3N3s .

-There's a new Vinny Appice interview on-line at
http://glclk.about.com/?zi=1/3N3u .

-Chris Caffery has updated http://www.myspace.com/chriscaffery with
the lead track fron his latest album PINS AND NEEDLES.

-The Classic Rock Newswire forum is now live at
http://www.atfreeforum.com/crnewswire .

-King Diamond's new album, GIMMIE YOUR SOUL...PLEASE, will contain 13
songs and is due out this summer. See http://www.covenworldwide.org/
for all the details.

-The first single from Megadeth's UNITED ABOMINATIONS will be a re-
recorded version of "A Tout Le Monde," originally from YOUTHANASIA,
that is a duet between Dave Mustaine and Lacuna Coil's Cristina
Scabbia.

-Paul Nelson (Liege Lord) is interviewed and pictured performing live
on tour in the March issue of Classic Rock Magazine in the U.K. and
the May issue of Guitar World Magazine in the U.S. See
http://www.paulnelsonguitar.com/ and
http://www.myspace.com/paulnelsonguitar for more.

-Dakota Pictures will start filming the "Randy Rhoads Documentary" on
March 19. Filming will take place at Mountain View Cemetery in San
Bernardino, CA, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and "as many of Randy's
fans as possible" will be interviewed "to fully capture the
significance of the 25th anniversary of Randy's passing." See
http://www.myspace.com/randyrhoadsfilm for more.

-The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's induction ceremony will air live at
8:30 p.m. Eastern on VH1 Classic on Monday, March 12. Then a two-hour
highlight edition will premiere on VH1 on March 17 at 9 p.m. Eastern.
The ceremony itself takes place at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New
York City. Tune in to see what's up with Van Halen...

-MusicBuyMail.com has a "hot spot" feature on Saxon's THE INNER
SANCTUM at http://www.musicbuymail.com/?r=40 . It includes a photo
slide show and album review.

-Shameless, featuring Alexx "Skunk" Michael, will release FAMOUS 4
MADNESS on April 27. A European tour will follow:

4/18 - London, U.K.
4/20 - Dudley, U.K.
4/21 - Nottingham, U.K.
4/22 - Sheffield, U.K.
4/23 - Bradford, U.K.
4/27 - Barcelona, Spain
4/28 - Bilbao, Spain
4/29 - Madrid, Spain
5/1 - Uster, Switzerland
5/3 - Munich, Germany (w/ Lustfinger, Wagner, & 24 Feet)
5/4 - Lichtenfels, Germany

-ProgPower USA VIII headliner Sonata Arctica will release its latest
album, UNIA, on May 25 via Nuclear Blast Records.

-Stratovarius lead singer Timo Kotipelto will release his third solo
album entitled SERENITY on April 20 via AFM Records. A link to the
video has been posted for the first single at
http://www.kotipelto.com/ .

-Check out http://johntaglieri.com/presale.htm for information on John
Taglieri's pre-sale for WIDE AWAKE & DREAMING, which is due in stored
April 10. Upcoming shows:

3/10 - Cafe Arabica, Morristown, NJ
3/22 - TBA, Boston, MA
4/13 - Kenny's Castaways, New York City, NY (album release party)

See http://johntaglieri.com/ and http://myspace.com/johntaglierimusic
for more.

Thanks to HeadbangerNYC.com, Jason Ritchie, and Chad Bowar for help
gathering some of this information.

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

-This Week: "DVD FOR ME, SEE!"

Greetings and welcome to the first "Mega-Vault" column in... well,
let's just say that it's been a while. :) This will be the first of
several columns in which I will attempt to finally get caught up on
the heap of "to be reviewed" stuff I've had piling up on my desk since
the last quarter of 2006... and I wish to hereby officially apologize
to Tim, to the readers, and to the P.R. and promotions people who were
nice enough to send me these items for my lateness, laziness, and
outright lameness. On with the festivities, then!!

Screaming Ferret Wreckords sent me their two latest DVD releases,
Nuclear Assault's LOUDER, HARDER, FASTER and Seven Witches' YEARS OF
THE WITCH, a while back, but since I rarely have time to watch DVDs,
they sat on a shelf for over a month before I even peeled off the
shrink wrap. (I have a four year old son who has a larger DVD
collection than I do and who monopolizes the TV most of the time!)
When I finally had a chance to sit and check them out, I preferred the
Seven Witches DVD, but then I'm a bigger fan of Seven Witches than I
am of Nuclear Assault anyway. If I'm not mistaken, both of these
videos were shot at the same venue (the "Crocodile Rock" nightclub in
Allentown, PA) during the "Louder Harder Faster" festival in 2004, so
the Seven Witches video was already out of date before it was even
released, since it features the James Rivera lineup of the band.
(Rivera is now fronting Vicious Rumors and his slot has been occupied
by ex-Hades vocalist Alan Tecchio for over a year now.) I've never
seen Seven Witches in concert but it looks like they'd be a lot of fun
in the live setting. On YEARS OF THE WITCH, Rivera (arguably the best
vocalist the band has ever had) leads Jack Frost and the rest of the
troop through a fun set of fist-banging favorites in front of an
appreciative crowd. Rivera's stage antics bring Halford and Dio
comparisons to mind, though his stage patter occasionally dips into
power-metal cheesiness (as when he tells the crowd "I salute you in
the NAME of METAL!" Hahaha!). The highlights of the live set for me
were the tracks from the then-current YEAR OF THE WITCH disc (which
included a cool detour into part of Priest's "Victim Of Changes"
during the excellent "Metal Messiah"), but the DVD is also packed with
a ton of bonus features focusing mainly on Witches guitarist/main man
Jack Frost, who seems like a genuinely cool dude. His enthusiasm for
his band (and metal in general) shines through as he takes us on a
"Behind The Music" style overview of the band's history (lots of neat
clips here), introduces us to the guy who owns Mix-O-Lydian Studios
(where all of the Witches' output has been recorded), and sits down
for an interview conducted by Mark Gromen of Metal Maniacs magazine.
You'll also find a selection of live clips featuring previous band
lineups (where we see former vocalists Wade Black and Bobby Lucas in
action... some of these clips have better sound quality than the main
program, too!), making for an occasionally flawed, but mostly
interesting program.

Meanwhile, Nuclear Assault's LOUDER, HARDER, FASTER video has its
moments, but it does have its share of let-downs as well. First, the
good news is that the N.A. guys seem to have aged pretty gracefully
(bassist Danny Lilker, a true metal road dog if ever there was one,
STILL looks exactly the same as he did back in the day!), and John
Connelly's gravelly voice has held up fairly well. On the other hand,
guitarist Anthony Bramante doesn't even look like he wants to be there
during this performance (he is basically nailed to the stage during
the entire set), and the crowd is a little on the lame side as well.
Back in the olden days, thrash classics like "Brainwashed" and
"Critical Mass" would've absolutely PULVERIZED an audience but the
people in attendance on this particular night seem a little too
reserved. Are Nuclear Assault fans getting too old to mosh? We see
some brief circle pit action during the more popular songs but even
those aren't as intense as you'd expect. It almost makes me wish
they'd released a vintage performance on this DVD instead (say, from
L'amour in Brooklyn, circa the GAME OVER or SURVIVE eras?) so we could
relive the days when these guys could really whip an audience into a
frenzy!! Still, it's funny to hear the semi-classic "Buttf**k/You
Figure It Out" performed live (especially when Connelly wades into the
crowd for the "blues spot" in the midsection, and rants about then-
current events like Terri Schiavo, the Michael Jackson trial, and the
"Runaway Bride") and even though Connelly seems a little embarrassed
to have to make an announcement at the beginning of the set that
whoever owns the "white Nissan" outside needs to move his car before
it gets towed (couldn't a roadie have done that instead of a band
member?), he eventually turns that into a running gag, asking "White
Nissan?" before the start of nearly every song. This DVD also has its
share of interesting bonus features, including an interview segment, a
photo gallery, two music videos (the vid for the country flavored joke
song "Long Haired Asshole" is hilarious), and tons of vintage live
stuff, most of which is pretty awful in terms of sound quality, but
which shows what a lethal live unit these guys were during their
heyday. Though I wasn't overly interested in Nuclear Assault back in
the late '80s, watching this DVD did prompt me to go track down the
bulk of their classic catalog (GAME OVER, THE PLAGUE, and SURVIVE all
totally rule, by the way!) so if nothing else this video helped me to
rediscover one heckuva killer old-school thrash unit.

Overall, it didn't take long for me to decide that it was probably
more fun to be present during the filming of these DVDs than it was to
actually watch most of them. If you're expecting slick, pro-shot,
multi-camera angle programs, I suggest you look elsewhere, because for
the most part the video on both of these DVDs is pretty bare bones,
shot with two or three different camera angles at most (the wide shot
from the back of the club, close up of the lead singer, close up of
the guitarist during solos, etc.), so neither of them are exactly Iron
Maiden's ROCK IN RIO, technologically speaking. I guess they're better
than an average bootleg video, however, and I'm sure fans and
collectors of both bands will find something to enjoy on each of them.

Check out http://www.sevenwitches.net/ ,
http://www.myspace.com/jackfrostsevenwitches , and
http://www.truemetal.org/jackfrost for more on Seven Witches,
http://nuclearassault.us/ for more on Nuclear Assault, and
http://www.screamingferret.com/ and
http://www.myspace.com/screamingferretwreckords for more on Screaming
Ferret Wreckords.

Join me next time when I dig into the pile of promo CDs that have been
screaming for my attention for longer than I care to admit... stay
tuned!!

-THIS WEEK'S PLAYLIST: Hibria – DEFYING THE RULES; Loudness – s/t
(1992), Exodus – PLEASURES OF THE FLESH; D.A.D - NO FUEL LEFT FOR
THE PILGRIMS; Riot – THUNDERSTEEL.

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

-For some reason we started watching "American Idol" this season. I
know, I know. At least in the last two weeks a couple of the women
sang Pat Benatar and Evanescence songs, and during the audition
episodes a dude tried singing the Badlands song "In A Dream" that
former contestant Bo Bice nailed a couple years ago... I understand
Paula Abdul's basic role is to be cute and keep people smiling, and
Simon Cowell offers biting commentary, but just what exactly is Randy
Jackson's purpose? For the most part he either says "tsk tsk, I don't
know, it didn't work for me," "It wasn't your *best* performance,
dawg," or "You were pitchy in spots" -- what does "pitchy" mean,
anyway? -- and he usually tells people not to attempt covering songs
by legendary/blockbuster artists such as like Stevie Wonder, Aretha
Franklin, and Celine Dion. This dude's an acclaimed record producer
and this is all he can come up with? I've only watched this show for a
few weeks now and I'm already frustrated with him. I can't imagine if
I was a "true fan" of this show and had been watching for the last
five or six years or whatever it's been on. Geesh...

-Now in my current playlist: Blue Murder - s/t (Geffen), Book Of
Reflections - CHAPTER II - UNFOLD THE FUTURE (Lion Music), James
Christian - MEET THE MAN (Locomotive Records), Daryl Stuermer - GO
(Inside Out Music America), Alex Masi - LATE NIGHTS AT DESERT'S
RIMROCK (Lion Music).

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*
BOOK OF REFLECTIONS - CHAPTER II - UNFOLD THE FUTURE (B-/C+) Lion
Music, 2006
11 tracks, RT: 55:29
[ http://www.larsericmattsson.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/bookofreflections ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/book2.htm ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
Lars Eric Mattsson's supergroup project Book Of Reflections returns
with release number two, an energetic but inconsistent affair known as
UNFOLD THE FUTURE. The album begins with the hyperactive title track,
the type of power metal song that will either have you headbanging
furiously or reaching for the "next" button depending on your taste.
"Bringer Of The Torch" follows and is one of the better offerings on
the disc, with a nice atmospheric riff and effective vocals by Martin
LeMar. Lars Eric Mattsson never lets you forget that this is his baby,
however, as there are plenty of ear bending solos to keep the guitar
fanatics interested. "Uncover The Lie" uses a sly Middle Eastern idea
as intro but then turns into a somewhat standard power metal offering
in the Yngwie style, as do several of the other pieces. Lars does
allow fellow shredder Anand Mahangoe to cut loose on several tracks,
most notably on "Deep Inside" although Anand's tone suffers as it is
too thin and sounds unbalanced when compared to Lars'. I guess for me
the main drawback are the vocals, as they never seem to really take
the music to that next level. Still, there is some excellent
musicianship going on here, with standout performances by keyboardist
Mistheria and drummer Eddie Sledgehammer in addition to Lars' precise,
pointy lead playing and solid bass work. In the future it would be
nice to hear more material like the unusual "Got To Get Low," with its
strange funky groove mixing with a slightly progressive structure.
Fans of Lars' unique playing and writing style will want to check into
UNFOLD THE FUTURE but I'm afraid that ultimately this release is going
to appeal to a rather small niche audience of power metal faithfuls...
- Neal Woodall (MysticX9@...)

*
*** OUT ***
*