Detritus
Issue #453
Week of April 7, 2008
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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.myspace.com/kdsteve

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*** LET IT BE KNOWN ***
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-Ah, baseball season is back in full swing. Love it. - Tim

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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-Leverty News: FireHouse Tour Dates / Clinics / SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

[Note: This is the latest installment of FireHouse guitarist Bill
Leverty's newsletter. - Tim]

Hey Everybody -

I've got some FireHouse tour dates to let you know about:

04/05/2008 - Charlotte, NC Amos' Southend 1423 South Tryon Street /
Tel: 704.377.6874
04/19/2008 - Tokyo, Japan *Akasaka Blitz* With Night Ranger
04/20/2008 - Tokyo, Japan *Akasaka Blitz* With Night Ranger
04/22/2008 - Shibuya, Japan *Lemon Hall* With Night Ranger
04/23/2008 - Nagoya, Japan *Aichi Kinro Kaikan* With Night Ranger
04/24/2008 - Osaka, Japan *IMP Hall* With Night Ranger

05/02/2008 - Raliegh, NC *The Twisted Fork* 3751 Sumner Blvd. / Tel:
919.792.2535
05/03/2008 - New Port Richey, FL *Bourbon Street* 4331 US Hwy. 19 /
727.843.0686
05/10/2008 - Henderson, NV *Club Madrid / Sunset Station Hotel and
Casino* 1301 West Sunset Road / Tel: 702.547.7777
05/17/2008 - Richardson, TX *Wildflower Arts and Music Festival* 2351
Performance Dr. (Galatyn Parkway & US 75)
05/29/2008 - Rochester, MN *Whiskey Bones* 3820 Hwy. 63 N. Broadway /
tel: 507.287.8017
05/30/2008 - Amery, WI *The Tac Entertainment Center*
05/31/2008 - Fridley, MN *G.B. Leighton's Pickle Park* 7820 University
Ave.

06/01/2008 - Maplewood, MN *Myth* PRIVATE EVENT
06/14/2008 - Decatur, IL *Macon County Fair* 3700 N West Lawn / Tel:
217.433.8531
06/28/2008 - Cedar Falls, IA *Tourist Park - Sturgis Falls
Celebration* 400 Center Street / Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613

07/12/2008 - New Richmond, WI *New Richmond Fun Fest*
http://www.newrichmondfunfest.com/
07/13/2008 - Boerne, TX *Javelina Harley Davidson* 29078 IH - 10 West
/ Tel: 210.336.0619
07/18/2008 - Chicago, IL *Joe's* 940 W. Weed Street / Tel:
312.337.3486
07/20/2008 - Newton, IA *Iowa Speedway* Showtime: 2:30pm / Tickets:
Free w/ admission to race.
07/25/2008 - Sioux Falls, SD *Dakota Rock Festival * 4000 W. 12th
Street / Tel: 605.360.8274
07/26/2008 - Eagle River, WI *High Pines Camp Ground* 1919 Highway 45N
/Pre order tickets: Tel: 920.336.8920

08/09/2008 - Glendive, MT *Dawson County Fair* w/ LA Guns / 2200 North
Merrill Ave.
08/31/2008 - Montpelier, IN *Montpelier Jamboree - Downtown* Main
Street - Free Show!!

10/26/2008 - Nottingham, UK *Firefest / Nottingham Rock City*

There are more coming in every day, so please check my Web site, or
the FireHouse Web site, for the latest.

I'm doing some clinics for Randall Amps where I'll be playing songs
from my SOUTHERN EXPOSURE Album and demo'ing their AMAZING MTS Amps.

Here are the details of the clinics:

April, 8 2008 at CLINIC: Funky Munky Music
10709 Shawnee Mission Parkway, Shawnee, Kansas 66203
Cost: Free
Tel: 913.268.5555

April, 9 2008 at CLINIC: David's Guitar Loft
38 West Lockwood Ave, Webster Groves, Missouri
Cost: Free
Tel: 314.962.9536

Check out Randall MTS Amps here:

http://www.randallamplifiers.com/

More clinics to come. Stay tuned...

Also, I just got a deal going where you can download my entire solo
albums for only $5 each. Here are the links:

BILL LEVERTY - SOUTHERN EXPOSURE: http://cdbaby.com/cd/leverty2
BILL LEVERTY - WANDERLUST: http://cdbaby.com/cd/leverty

Of course, if you want to get the CD, you can get it from my website
for $9.95.

http://www.leverty.com/

If you're not ready to buy the album yet, you can always listen to a
few of the songs on my myspace page:

http://www.myspace.com/billleverty

That's all for now.

Thanks so much for your support.

Hope to see you on tour... Bill

http://www.leverty.com/
http://www.firehousemusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/billleverty

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*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
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-U.D.O. Update

[Note: This is from http://www.udo-online.de/ . - Tim]

U.D.O. has invented on the occasion of the band's 20th anniversary a
special thank you to the fans. Because of the loyalty of the German
fans, U.D.O. will play two special shows in Germany:

April 30 - D-Solingen - Cobra (special club show)
May 03 - D-Tuttlingen - Stadthalle

There is a special club show in Solingen on April 30th with a very
interesting support act, Fallen From Frame. This is the band of Udo
Dirkschneider's son Sven Dirkschneider (on drums). This is the first
time that father and son will play a show together (after Sven was on
stage with U.D.O. for one song in Dusseldorf at the Phillipshalle
around Christmas). After the show, the band will party together with
the fans and all merchandise article prices are 50% reduced!!!!

But there will be an absolute highlight at Tuttlingen's Stadthalle on
May 3rd. U.D.O. will play there (without support act) a nearly three-
hour set including a special Accept part. And this will be the first
time with the MASTERCUTOR personally on stage!!! This is the full
service for each banger by all means. Last but not least, the show
will be recorded for DVD and live album which will be released this
year, too (through ZYX Music). If want to immortalize yourself then
you have to be there.

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*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
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-Shred Guitar Pioneer Paul Gilbert Releases New Guitar Instrumental CD

SILENCE FOLLOWED BY A DEAFENING ROAR on Shrapnel Records April 8th

HOLLYWOOD -- On April 8, Paul Gilbert will unleash yet another
instrumental masterpiece on Shrapnel Records. SILENCE FOLLOWED BY A
DEAFENING ROAR comes out on the tail end of his successful and very
first instrumental CD, 2006's GET OUT OF MY YARD.

SILENCE FOLLOWED BY A DEAFENING ROAR's title is inspired by a recent
move that Gilbert and his wife made from one house to another. "After
two long months of packing, moving, and learning about the vast
sciences of plumbing and electrical house wiring, I was very much
looking forward to becoming a GUITARIST again," explains Gilbert. This
CD is the result of that desire. "I suppose those two months without
my guitar is the 'Silence,' and the sound of me happily reuniting with
my favorite musical instrument could be the 'Deafening Roar.'"

Gilbert's extraordinary talent of arranging/composing lends to the new
music's fresh melodies for songs that show his true diversity. Gilbert
discusses some of the songs and how they came to light: "The first
three songs on the album are sort of a bridge from the riff-and-solo
style of GET OUT OF MY YARD to my new discoveries in melody writing
that come in the songs that follow. 'Silence,' 'Eudaimonia Overture'
and 'The Rhino' certainly have melodic elements, but from 'Norwegian
Cowbell' until the end of the record, I use pure melody more and more.
Many of these melodies were actually composed with my singing voice."

Paul Gilbert, regarded internationally as one of the greatest players
in the industry, started his recording career with Shrapnel Records as
a teenager in the late Eighties. He remains one of the most active
guitarists from the original shred guitar scene. Hi rise to Platinum
success includes a number one song with Mr. Big (1991's "To Be With
You") and cult status as founding member of the legendary and highly
successful underground progressive metal band Racer X.

Gilbert's celebrity draws from nearly 20 albums and more than two
decades as a recording artist and touring musician. Last year Gilbert
toured on the legendary G3 tour in support of Joe Satriani, and his
performances confirmed to a younger audience what Gilbert fans have
known for more than 20 years; that Paul Gilbert is simply one of the
greatest guitar players on the planet today.

Gilbert follows the release of SILENCE FOLLOWED BY A DEAFENING ROAR
with a record release show at the House Of Blues Sunset Strip in
Hollywood on Wednesday, May 7th, Gilbert will then tour the U.K. with
Joe Satriani, with many more headlining shows to follow all around the
world.

Don't miss Paul Gilbert and his amazing band as they rock across the
globe!

For more information click on http://www.paulgilbert.com/ .

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*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
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-Lion Music: Latest Releases

MIND'S EYE - 1994: THE AFTERGLOW
Released April 18th 2008
LMC231
EAN6419922002315

1994: THE AFTERGLOW is a slice of history from one of the most
critically acclaimed progressive bands of recent years -- Mind's Eye.
The Swedish progressive rock / metal masters in conjunction with Lion
Music offer up their little heard 1994 debut album THE AFTERGLOW.

Re-mastered by Daniel Flores and re-packaged with all new artwork by
artist Carl-André Beckston (Monowasp), the album is wrapped up with a
variety of bonus features (including the band's debut video, "Castle
Of Eternity"), all showing the humble beginnings of the band who
released arguably 2007's most critically acclaimed progressive metal
masterpiece and world first triple pack release (CD/DVD/comic) in A
GENTLEMAN'S HURRICANE.

Being the first ever release by Mind's Eye, this is a genuine chance
to get to know the band as they started their career. Back then the
band's core of Daniel Flores and Johan Niemann, along with original
singer German Pascual and guitarist Fredrik Grunberger, proved they
already knew that they wanted to show the world that good music CAN be
created with discipline and emotion. Sounds like a paradox? Not for
Mind's Eye.

The musicianship and song writing on 1994: THE AFTERGLOW belies the
band's tender years at the time -- Daniel and Fredrik where 18, German
was 20 and Johan was only 15. Musically the band had the same goal as
they do today. What they didn't have back then was the experience and
knowledge they have today, yet this album shows the unique seeds for
future works and any listener will be hard pressed not to appreciate
the talent on offer even today some 14 years on from original release.

1994: THE AFTERGLOW is the start of the musical adventure of Mind's
Eye.

Track Listing
1. Blind Justice [5.35]
2. Castle Of Eternity [6.05]
3. Red Storm Rising [4.22]
4. Beyond Endurance [4.03]
5. With These Eyes [6.42]
6. Andromeda [5.34]
7. Ending A Story [2.42]
8. A Thousand Nights After The Last Sundown [9.57]

Video: "Castle Of Eternity," Directed by Pierre Lingre

Musicians
Germán Pascual – Lead/Backing Vocals
Johan Niemann – Bass
Fredrik Grünberger – Lead/Rhythm Guitars
Daniel Flores – Drums

Additional Musicians
Keyboards on "Ending A Story" by Peter Csifarry, arranged by Niemann,
Grünberger

Credits
Produced by Mind's Eye.
Digitally re-mastered by Daniel Flores at Sound vs. Science studio.
Mixed by Jörgen Svensson at Sheepvalley studio 1993.
All songs and arrangements written by Mind's Eye.
All lyrics written by Mind's Eye
All music and vocals recorded at Sheepvalley studio.
Engineers: Svensson, Niemann, Grünberger, Flores and Pascual.
Cover concept, artwork, and design layout by Carl-André Beckston.
Photos by: Mind's Eye.

Web Links
http://www.danielflores.net/ (official band Web site)
http://www.myspace.com/eyeofthemind

JENNIFER BATTEN - WHATEVER
April 18th 2008
LMC235
EAN6419922002353

Critically acclaimed as one of the most creative, imaginative and
talented guitarists on the planet and always at the forefront of
technology Jennifer Batten returns for her third solo album in the
captivating sonic tapestry of WHATEVER. Released as a dual pack of CD
& DVD the album is described in style by Jennifer herself as
"guitronica." The album possesses plenty of guitar, but WHATEVER is
heavily multi-textured with a plethora of sounds and vocal samples,
and has a humorous thread throughout. The music is also influenced by
various ethnic cultures such as the African vibe in "Off The Deep
End."

On the album's creation Jennifer comments, "Originally I started
writing a lot of these tracks for Jeff Beck when I was in his band. My
third CD has been long over due so in the end I'm happy to have these
tracks for myself! He got me interested in electronica and I'm very
happy to have that as a new direction with all the amazing inspiring
sounds available today."

The included DVD breaks down each video track with a commentary track
by Jennifer which has formed the brief synopsis of each track below.
Jennifer descrives the album as "'sort of' instrumental. There are
vocal samples telling stories in most songs, but not the standard song
type lyrics and melodies. I played and programmed most of the CD with
the exception of having a few guests."

TRACK BY TRACK FROM JENNIFER

"Ass Whoopin'" is a hip hop track featuring the other guitarist (Jon
Clark) on Michael Jackson's BAD Tour, using a comedic spoken word
character that he often used in 1988 during the tour I was on with
him. He tells a story of the frustrations of buying electronics in the
modern age. For the second solo I trigger an organ sound with the
guitar synth which came out very jazz flavoured just due to the sound
I used. The melody is very bendy and snakey.

"Ricochet" is an experimental soundscape starting with distorted drums
and a multitude of guitar sounds, techniques, and textures. It's a
quirky love song.

"Off The Deep End" is a very African influenced flavor with a vocal
chant from a tribe of little kids in the intro. It's a mix of tribal
groove and dreamy breathy synth with Andre Berry's "Jaco-esque" bass
feel. The breakdown goes into a story spoken by Debbie Schepp (I'm a
sucker for the British accent). I purposely left the story a little
vague so the listener could imagine any of a variety of situations
that she was describing.

"Whatever" brings the record back to Los Angeles and gives a pathetic
tribute to the cultural degradation in the language of the modern
youth. They use the word "whatever" to replace most words in the
language, due to laziness. The song makes use of various samples of
people and accents saying "whatever." The focus is on total nonsense
surrounded by melody and a whacky guitar solo.

"Fearless" is my first endeavour back to the acoustic guitar after
many years exclusively with electric only. The guitar is in an odd
tuning and I have no idea what any of the notes are. It was just
written from sound, which is very freeing.

"Hooligan's Holiday" is a lyric-less conversation between the guitar
and the vocal riffs from the singer. It's a sonic experiment starting
with samples of the horrible ground buzz I was having in the studio at
the time. I decided to just use the noise and make it musical and
percussive in the intro rather than just give up until I could get an
engineer in to fix it!

"In The Aftermath" is the CD's compositional highlight for me and the
first ballad I've written. It feels like a spiritual adventure that
takes you on a sensual journey.

"Run With It" is focused on samples from Herman Begay, a Native
American singer. It begins with native flute and also blends
instruments from East Indians as well.

"Cupid's Arrow" is the story of my best friend getting married while I
was on tour. I sampled his story of the wedding after my return and
used the best bits for this love story. There are lots of quirky
sounds with a surprise ending.

"Inner Journey" may well be the launching pad for this record. The
percussion is based on body noise samples. This is the comedic
highlight of the CD with a whacky video to match. Though the title
"Inner Journey" sounds like a spiritual endeavour, it's more like the
inner journey your body takes in digestion. Most female recording
artists use body parts to promote their music, which has been done to
death, and I find that's quite lacking in imagination! I prefer a more
creative shocking attention grabbing angle.

ARTIST BIO

Rising from the guitar underground in the late 1980s Jennifer Batten
is arguably the most visible female guitarist on the scene today.
Setting her apart from her peers at the beginning of her career was
her absolute mastery of the two handed tapping style made popular by
Eddie Van Halen. The guitar press began championing her from the start
and she ended up writing an instructional column for Guitar Player
magazine and appearing on Guitar For The Practicing Musician's first
compilation CD. In 1987 she received her biggest break. Hand picked
out of a pool of over 100 guitarists, Jennifer was tapped to be the
featured guitarist in Michael Jackson's touring band. Jennifer toured
the world several times over with Mr. Jackson playing to over 4.5
million people. She appeared with Jackson on the halftime show of
Super Bowl XXVII which was viewed by 1.5 billion people, the largest
television audience in history. Respect from her peers continued to
grow. In 1998 Jennifer was asked by none other than Jeff Beck to join
her HIS touring band. She appeared on Beck's releases WHO ELSE, and
YOU HAD IT COMING contributing song ideas, guitar and guitar
synthesizer. As part of Jeff Beck's band she toured Europe, Japan,
South America and twice in the United States.

Track Listing
1. Ass Whoopin'
2. Ricochet
3. Off The Deep End
4. Whatever
5. Fearless
6. Hooligan's Holiday
7. In The Aftermath
8. Run With It
9. Cupid's Arrow
10. Inner Journey

Musicians
Jennifer Batten - all Guitars, keyboards, and programming.
Sandin Wilson (Gino Vanelli band) - Bass.
Andre Berry (David Sanborn, Dave Koz, Chris Botti) - Bass.
Jon Clark, Debbie Schepp, Bret and Kari Helm, Ann Marie Crouch, Nel
Gerome, Leah Santos, Sean Dailey - vocal samples.
Skip Vonkuske - Cello.
Nelly Kovalev - Violin.
Betsy Hamilton - Native American flute
Michael Jordan - Drums on "Inner Journey."

Credits
Produced by Jennifer Batten
Mixed by Nick Moon
Mastered by Chris Bellman
All tracks written by Jennifer except "Inner Journey" written by
Jennifer and Michael Jordan

Web Links
http://www.batten.com/ (official Jennifer Batten Web site)
http://www.myspace.com/jenniferbatten (official MySpace profile)

COSMICS - THE COSMIC YEAR
Released April 18th 2008
LMC233
EAN6419922002339

Daniele Liverani's new project Cosmics mark their debut with the
instrumental / experimental concept album THE COSMIC YEAR. The album,
a collection of 10 tracks within a melodic and progressive metal
setting are based around the keyboard wizardry of Daniele Liverani
(Twinspirits, Genius, Khymera), along with "special guest" drummer
Virgil Donati (Steve Vai, Planet X, Ring Of Fire), young guitar
hotshot Tommy Ermolli (Twinspirits, Khymera) and respected bassist
Rufus Philpot (Planet X) show that progressive music can be both
accessible and intelligently written.

Each track contains various movements given a sonic reference to
specific moments in the evolution of the universe which maintain both
a progressive outlook yet work cohesively as a sonic unit and as
single entities. Daniele Liverani showcases immense skill in this his
most complex, visionary and progressive work to date. Guitarist Tommy
Ermolli's performance will only go to further the reputation this 20
year old has earned so far. This musical vision is extended further
with the stunning rhythm section interaction between Rufus Philpot and
Virgil Donati that the listener will have come to expect from their
work together in Planet X.

Story Concept

THE COSMIC YEAR is an instrumental tour-de-force influenced by the
evolution of the universe from big bang to present day. The concept
taken from concept idea, taken from Carl Sagan "The Dragons Of Eden"
book, is based on the theory of 15.000.000.000 years of universe's
evolution compared to one solar year, approximately 365 days, 8760
hours, 31.536.000 seconds...

...THE WORLD is very old, and human beings are very young. Significant
events in our personal lives are measured in years or less; our
lifetimes in decades; our family genealogies in centuries; and all of
recorded history in millennia. But we have been preceded by an awesome
vista of time, extending for prodigious periods into the past, about
which we know little, both because there are no written records and
because we have real difficulty in grasping the immensity of the
intervals involved. Yet we are able to date events in the remote past.
Geological stratification and radioactive dating provide information
on archaeological, palenotological and geological events; and
astrophysical theory provides data on the ages of planetary surfaces,
stars, and the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as an estimate of the time
that has elapsed since that extraordinary event called the Big Bang,
an explosion that involved all of the matter and energy in the present
universe. The Big Bang may be the beginning of the universe, or it may
be a discontinuity in which information about the earlier history of
the universe was destroyed. But it is certainly the earliest event
about which we have any record. The most instructive way I know to
express this cosmic chronology is to imagine the fifteen-billion-year
lifetime of the universe (or at least its present incarnation since
the Big Bang) compressed into the span of a single year. Then every
billion years of Earth history would correspond to about twenty-four
days of our cosmic year, and one second of that year to 475 real
revolutions of the Earth about the sun. I present the cosmic
chronology in three forms: a list of some representative pre-December
dates; a calendar for the month of December; and a closer look at the
late evening of New Year's Eve. On this scale, the events of our
history books are so compressed that it is necessary to give a second-
by-second recounting of the last seconds of the cosmic year. In the
history of life, an equally rich tapestry must have been woven in
other periods, for example, between 10:02 and 10:03 on the morning of
April 6th or September 16th. But we have detailed records only for the
very end of the cosmic year. The chronology corresponds to the best
evidence now available. But some of it is rather shaky. No one would
be astounded if, for example, it turns out that plants colonised the
land in the Ordovician rather than the Silurian Period; or that
segmented worms appeared earlier in the Precambrian Period than
indicated. Also in the chronology of the last ten seconds of the
cosmic year, it was obviously impossible for me to include all
significant events; I hope I may be excused for not having explicitly
mentioned advances in art, music and literature or the historically
significant American, French, Russian and Chinese revolutions. The
construction of such tables and calendars is inevitably humbling. It
is disconcerting to find that in such a cosmic year the Earth does not
condense out of interstellar matter until early September; dinosaurs
emerge on Christmas Eve; flowers arise on December 28th; and men and
women originate at 10:30 P.M. on New Year's Eve. All of recorded
history occupies the last ten seconds of December 31st; and the time
from the waning of the Middle Ages to the present occupies little more
than one second. But because I have arranged it that way, the first
cosmic year has just ended. And despite the insignificance of the
instant we have so far occupied in cosmic time, it is clear that what
happens on and near Earth at the beginning of the second cosmic ear
will depend very much on the scientific wisdom and the distinctly
human sensitivity of mankind...
Reference: by Carl Sagan / "The Dragons of Eden" (1977)

01 BIG BANG
01 January Big Bang.
01 May Milky Way Galaxy.
09 September Solar System.
14 September Earth.
25 September Oldest rocks known on Earth.

02 LIFE BIRTH
02 October Life on Earth.
09 October Oldest fossils.
01 November Invention of sex..
12 November Oldest fossil of photosynthetic plants..
15 November Eukaryotes flourish..
1 December Oxygen atmosphere begins to develop..
17 December Invertebrates flourish. .
18 December First oceanic plankton..
19 December Fish..Vertebrates. .
20 December Vascular plants. Plants begin colonisation of land..
21 December Insects.Animals begin colonisation of land..

03 GIANTS DOMINATION .
22 December Amphibians. Winged insects..
23 December Trees. Reptiles.
24 December Dinosaurs appears and dominated for over 160 milion
years..
26 December First mammals..
27 December First birds. First Flowers. .

04 CHICXULUB.
28 December Worst day of planet Earth: A big asteroid slammes into
Yucatan..

05 GLOBAL EXTINCTION.
28 December K-T mass extinction, many forms of life perished,
including dinosaurs..

06 OMINATION.
29 December First primates..
30 December Early brain evolution of primates. First hominids..
31 December Time 13.30.00: Ancestors of apes and men..
31 December Time 22.30.00: First humans..
31 December Time 23.00.00: Use of stone tools..
31 December Time 23.46.00: Domestication of fire..
31 December Time 23.56.00: Most recent glacial period..
31 December Time 23.59.00: Rupestral painting in Europe..
31 December Time 23.59.20: Agriculture. .
31 December Time 23.59.35: Neolithic civilisation. .

07 HISTORY BEGINS.
31 December Time 23.59.50:
End of prehistory and beginning of history..
Dynasties in Sumer..
Ebla and Egypt..
Astronomy..
31 December Time 23.59.51:
Alphabet..
Akkadian Empire..
Wheel is invented..
The Great Deluge.
31 December Time 23.59.52:
Hammurabic legal codes in Babylon..
Middle Kingdom in Egypt.
31 December Time 23.59.53:
Bronze metallurgy..
Mycenaean culture..
Trojan War..
Olmec culture..
31 December Time 23.59.54:
Iron metallurgy.
Assyrian Empire..
Kingdom of Israel..
Founding of Carthage..

08 EMPERORS AND GODS.
31 December Time 23.59.55:
Birth of Buddha and Confucio..
Ch'in Dynasty China..
Periclean Athens..
Asokan Indian empire..
Indian Veda holy scriptures are completed.
31 December Time 23.59.56:
Euclidean geometry..
Archimedean physics..
Ptolemaic astronomy..
Greek olympic games..
Roman Empire..
Birth of Christ..
31 December Time 23.59.57:
Birth of Maometto..
Zero and decimals invented in Indian arithmetic..
Rome falls..
Moslem conquests..
31 December Time 23.59.58:
Mayan civilisation. .
Sung Dynasty China..
Byzantine empire..
Mongol invasion..
Crusades.

09 VOYAGES OF DISCOVERY.
31 December Time 23.59.59:
Voyages of discovery from Europe and from Ming Dynasty China..
Colombo discovers America..
Renaissance in Europe..

10 THE LAST SECOND.
31 December Time 24.00.00:
Beginning of modern culture, science and technology development. .
French revolution.
First world war.
Second world war.
Apollo lands on the moon..
Spacecraft planetary exploration. .
Search for extraterrestrial intelligence forms of life..

The last second of the cosmic year equals to approximately 475 years,
and we're still living it!

Track Listing
1. Big Bang
2. Life Birth
3. Giants Domination
4. Chicxulub
5. Global Extinction
6. Omination
7. History Begins
8. Emperors & Gods
9. Voyages Of Discovery
10 The Last Second

Musicians:
Daniele Liverani - Keyboards
Tommy Ermolli - Guitars
Rufus Philpot - Bass

SPECIAL GUEST:
Virgil Donati - Drums

Credits
All music composed by Daniele Liverani
Production and post production by Daniele Liverani
Mixed and mastered at Fear studios, Alfonsine, Italy by Simone
Mularoni and Gabriele Ravaglia
Executive producer: Lars Eric Mattsson
Cover and artwork by Dario Ciccioni

Web Links
Cosmics MySpace profile
http://www.myspace.com/cosmicsproject

Daniele Liverani official Web sites
http://www.danieleliverani.com/
http://www.myspace.com/liverani

Tommy Ermolli official Web site:
http://www.tommyermolli.com/
http://www.myspace.com/tommyermolli

Rufus Philpot official Web sites:
http://www.rufusbass.com/
http://www.myspace.com/rufusbass

Virgil Donati official Web sites:
http://www.virgildonati.com/
http://www.myspace.com/virgildonati

http://www.lionmusic.com/cd/cosmics.html

Lion Music
http://www.lionmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/lionmusiclabel

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
*
-First-Ever Metal Summit To Unite Metal Industry, Fans

Gathering To Take Place At The 10th Annual New England Metal And
Hardcore Festival On April 25, 2008

New England Metal And Hardcore Festival, Crimson Management and The
Syndicate are proud to announce the first-ever Metal Summit on April
25. The Metal Summit is an interactive and educational conference
where fans and the metal music industry can engage, share ideas and
help further the scene. The Metal Summit will give labels, managers,
agents, endorsers, publishers, media promoters, bands and more the
chance to interact with the people who buy albums, tickets and
merchandise. This is also an opportunity for fans to ask key members
in the industry how they got started and gain advice on starting their
own careers. After all, everyone in the music industry started out as
a fan.

The Metal Summit is brought to you by The Syndicate's "The Believers
In The Power Of Metal" (BITPOM) network. BITPOM is the world's first
interactive forum for fans, bands and the metal music industry to
interact. Through the BITPOM Network, fans can have their say. It's
free to join and anyone who is a Believer in the Power of Metal can
sign up, create their own profile and participate in all discussions.
BITPOM is located at http://www.bitpom.com/ . Admission to the Metal
Summit is free with sign-up to the BITPOM network.

METAL SUMMIT LOCATION:
Hilton Garden Inn
35 Major Taylor Blvd
Worcester, MA 01608
http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/hotels/index.jhtml?
ctyhocn=BEDWOGI

The Summit will consist of two 60-minute seminars -- "Ask The
Industry" and "Ask The Fans" -- comprised of industry professionals
and fans. Admission is free with sign-up to BITPOM network.

Session One: Ask The Industry (1:30 -2:30)

Panel of industry professionals includes:
Brian Slagel, Chairman/CEO of Metal Blade Records (Moderator)
Vaughn Lewis, Co-Owner of Strong Management
Jesse Brust, Owner of 518 Prints and All in Merch
Kelly Kapp, Vice President of Theater and Club Programming for Live
Nation
Matt Pike, Owner/Agent of The Kenmore Agency
Mike Gitter, Senior Director of A&R of Roadrunner Records
Allen Steelgrave - Director of Marketing/Artist Relations ESP Guitars
Izzy Zivkovic, Founder/CEO of Split Media

Session Two: Ask The Fans (3:00 – 4:00)

Rev. David Ciancio, Owner of The Syndicate (Moderator)

Panel to consist of members of BITPOM.com. Panel to be selected based
on highest level of activity of members within BITPOM that subscribe
to Summit profile and would like to participate in the Summit.

Sign up as a member of BITPOM at http://www.bitpom.com/ to gain
admittance to the Metal Summit at this year's New England Metal And
Hardcore Festival. The seven BITPOM members with the most friends
added on BITPOM.com by 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, April 23rd will be
selected as panelists for the Metal Summit. Panelists will receive a
prize pack from the NEMHF sponsors. Prizes will also be given away
during the Metal Summit including access to a VIP post-Metal Summit
party, hosted by The Syndicate (details TBA).

"We are very proud to be part of a scene where people can share ideas,
communicate and see those ideas turn into something great," New
England Metal And Hardcore Festival and Crimson Management's Leah
Urbano says. "We believe the Metal Summit will provide an outlet to
bring people together to achieve this."

"I am honored and excited to moderate a panel at the first Metal
Summit," Metal Blade Records Chairman/CEO Brian Slagel says. "I think
this is a great way for all of us to communicate and am looking
forward to seeing everyone there."

"For more than 10 years The Syndicate has worked behind the scenes to
help market and promote metal and hardcore to the masses," The
Syndicate owner Rev. David Ciancio says. "We wanted to devise a way to
put the power in the hands of the people who love the music the most
-- and that is where we came up with the idea of the BITPOM Network."

The New England Metal And Hardcore Festival is proudly sponsored by:
ESP, Randall & EMG, 518 Prints, Fuse TV, Heavy Hitter, Mazur PR, Metal
Blade Records, Metal Edge, Monster Energy, MTV2, Return To The Pit,
Roadrunner Records, Scott Lee Clothing, Sumerian and TKO Booking,
Metal Maniacs, The Syndicate, WAAF, www.Defyunlearn.com,
www.Killertours.com, www.jeremysaffer.com, www.metalinjection.net,
www.Jeremysafer.com and Zildjian.

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #6 ***
*
-Epica In North America With Touring Vocalist

Epica lead singer Simone Simons -- who was recently infected with
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), also known as the
hospital bacteria -- has issued the following update:

"One of the four tests was positive and we all decided that we
shouldn't take any risks regarding my health and that Amanda
[Somerville] should replace me [for the upcoming North American tour].

"It is already a big improvement that only one of the test results is
still positive, this means that the MRSA is almost out of my system!"

A Michigan native, Amanda has resided and worked mainly in Germany and
the Netherlands since 1999. She has collaborated with several bands in
the metal scene (Edguy, After Forever, Epica, Kamelot, etc.) along
with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro, and co-wrote the rock opera
AINA. Her own music is of the pop-rock genre and she is currently
focusing on her solo career.

Amanda Somerville -- the American singer-songwriter and vocal coach
who has been tapped to replace Epica vocalist Simone Simons on the
band's North American tour with Symphony X due to Simons' ongoing
health issues -- has posted the following video tour diaries:

Day 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjcWQPjMgms
Day 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwbj0kk9P34
Day 3.5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxIOAcf9pRg
Day 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkfpQ8VRdBY
Day 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXDgXb55cLs
Day 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H1hYGwrTqk

Epica will take part in a signing session on Friday, April 18 at
Rasputin Records in Mountain View, California between 3:00 p.m. and
4:00 p.m. The address is as follows:

630 San Antonio Ave.
Mountain View, California 94070

Epica are currently on tour in North America. To see if the band will
be dropping by a city near you, please visit the Web sites below.

Epica MySpace Page
http://www.myspace.com/epica

Epica Official Web site
http://www.epica.nl/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #7 ***
*
-Matt Mercado Goes Kinda Country, Sorta Pop On First Solo Release

TRENTON, N.J. -- KINDA SORTA, the first solo album from accomplished
musician Matt Mercado, will be released April 22 on Dark Star Records.

Along with his backing band the Amazing Devils, KINDA SORTA explores
the repertoire of a versatile musician through an acoustic pop/rock/
country blend that defies simple classification.

"I liked the album name KINDA SORTA because it fit the music," Mercado
said. "Kinda rock, sorta acoustic, country... If you enjoy different
genres of music then this record is for you."

Mercado is most well-known for his work with heavier bands, starting
with Mercury recording artists Mindbomb in the early '90s, which was
honored with the prestigious "Most Under Rated Artist Of The Last 20
Years" award in the 20th anniversary issue of Metal Edge magazine,
followed by Pivot Man (signed to the Warner subsidiary Mystic
Records), then most recently with Supermercado, which was featured on
the Gold-certified "Flat Out Ultimate Carnage" soundtrack. Despite
this, Mercado's roots lay in the acoustic base on which he began
writing songs in his teens. KINDA SORTA, his first solo album of
Mercado's seven national releases, allowed him to explore those roots
without boundaries.

"I've learned that not everyone is going to enjoy the music that you
create, so I stopped pandering to the masses and just make music that
moves me," he said. "If I'm feeling agitated, I'll probably write
something abrasive. To me, this is a very happy record, and when I
wrote it I was miserable. Not much would bring a smile to my face but
almost every time I listened to the tunes I would light up. I started
this as a release, I suppose. When I first started playing music as a
kid, acoustic guitar was one of my first instruments. I've always been
in love with the sound of it. There's no hiding behind layers of
distorted guitars and vocal processing."

Mercado and the Amazing Devils will play a rare live show at the
record release party for KINDA SORTA at the Elbo Room in Chicago on
April 25, the weekend following its release.

"There will be more shows with a full band like the record, but they
will be few and far between," Mercado said. "With my obligations to
produce artists in my recording studio Sonicpalace, I really have to
steal time for myself these days. I would like to work up a set just
with just me and acoustic guitar so I can randomly show up to open
mics, on the street corner -- anywhere -- just as a surprise!"

http://www.mattmercado.com/
http://www.myspace.com/mattmercadosolo
http://www.darkstarrecords.com/
http://www.myspace.com/darkstarrecords
http://www.elboroomchicago.com/
http://www.myspace.com/elboroomchicago

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #8 ***
*
-Into Eternity Reveals Concept Behind New Record

Band founder and guitarist Tim Roth has been through a set of
tragedies that could have put anyone out for a long while. Two of
Roth's best friends succumbed to a rare form of cancer within two
months of one another last year, the tragedy made all the worse by the
fact that his father was diagnosed with cancer as the band was demoing
new material. He passed away just 10 days before Christmas. Quite
miraculously, Roth was able to channel his emotions into a new album,
THE INCURABLE TRAGEDY. As the title would suggest, the concept behind
the record is cancer and the ways in which it affects society today.
The album is scheduled for a summer release.

Into Eternity is currently touring North America with the equally epic
and progressive shredders Symphony X and Century Family affiliates
Epica. While this will be their last tour in support of THE SCATTERING
OF ASHES, the band does plan on playing the new song they uploaded to
their MySpace page, "Diagnosis Terminal." To preview an unmastered
version you can visit the link below.

"'Diagnosis Terminal' is one of the heaviest songs on the new record,"
Roth says. "The song started with a chorus I had written. Justin
(Bender, guitars) then sent me a MP3 demo of a few killer riffs he
had, and the song was born. The key I had my chorus in didn't match
the pitch of his new riffs, so that's how we came up with the idea of
having the same chorus, but in two different keys. I think it sounds
clever now, but it was actually just a mistake!"

http://www.myspace.com/officialintoeternity

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #9 ***
*
-The Debut Of The Nuclear Blast USA Web Shop!!

Nuclear Blast USA proudly presents the debut of the Nuclear Blast
America ONLINE WEB SHOP!

Since 1987, Nuclear Blast Records has been the home to some of the
most prominent metal/rock acts from around the world. Now fans in the
United States and Canada can celebrate the launch of the web shop by
purchasing ANY Nuclear Blast release in one simple location.

So what are you waiting for?!

Start adding to your music collections and buy some items today!

Any customer questions can be answered by clicking on the following
link:
https://store.nuclearblastusa.com/faq.aspx

NOTE:

Any non Nuclear Blast Records release can be found at CMDistro. You
may easily switch between the two shops using the icon on the top
right corner of the page.

Items in shopping cart will NOT be affected when customers switch
between Nuclear Blast USA and CM Distro Shops. Checkout process can be
completed on either site.

Nuclear Blast USA - Vist Online Web Shop!
https://store.nuclearblastusa.com/

Nuclear Blast USA - Visit Web site!
http://www.nuclearblastusa.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #10 ***
*
-Online Music Retailer Celebrates 10 Years!

Diskery, the online music retail division of Emperor Multimedia,
celebrates 10 years in business! The celebration kicks off April 8,
2008 and continues until further notice at the Diskery Web site. All
CDs are $5 (excluding S&H and taxes).

When Diskery was founded it was said to be the most technologically
advanced music retailer on earth. But things have changed and Diskery
is aggressively pricing CDs. CEO Derek McDonald explains, "Long before
all the other online music shops, or any of the large box stores made
it profitable to sell online, we had already generated our first
profitable year. Things are different today the world of music retail
has changed considerably since we first started; now we are all lucky
to sell half of what we did 10 years ago. Diskery has always stuck to
our roots, and that has been the backbone of our success. We treat the
independent labels and artists we are selling like human beings, not
as products for sale, and we do it with very aggressive pricing!
Furthermore, unlike most of our competition we still list all CDs for
sale for free; that means NO insertion fee or administration fees to
the artists/label. We are an old fashioned record store with new
fashion technology."

And that technology was home grown: programmed in their own lab.

This constitutes the first full-scale sale by Diskery, and its most
aggressive pricing move yet. The store's 10th year is actually in
November, but they are kicking it off early. Emperor Multimedia, its
parent company, started only a month before the store was opened and
will have its own celebrations later in the year.

The public and wholesalers are welcome to visit Diskery.

Diskery
http://www.diskery.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #11 ***
*
-"All Things Digital Hard Rock / Heavy Metal" Artist Contest 2008

[Note: This press release also indicated last year's winner,
Shadowside from Brazil, already has a U.S. deal, tours, and a debut
record. - Tim]

Throughout the month of April, AirPlay Direct will be running our FREE
to enter "All Things Digital Hard Rock / Heavy Metal" artist contest.
The Grand Prize package will include:

* A professional microphone package from SHURE Microphones (a $1,600
value)
* A PRS-SE Paul Allender model guitar from Paul Reed Smith Guitars (a
$930 value)
* An Ibanez EDB700TK Ergodyne bass plus case from Sam Ash Music (a
$1,030 value)
* A Trademark 60, 1x12 guitar combo amplifier and Double Drive 3X
distortion pedal from Tech 21 NYC (a $980 value)
* A 12-week European PR / media campaign from Vigilante Music (an
$8,000 value)
* A "Feature Interview," advertising and merchandise package from
KNAC.COM (a $7,500 value)
* An eight-week global digital advertising and marketing campaign from
Fixion Media (a $2,500 value)
* A "Feature Interview" and advertising package from All Access
Magazine (a $400 value)
* A main stage, prime time live performance slot at Indianapolis Metal
Fest 2 this year (priceless...!)
* A live performance slot / sponsorship on the second (side) stage at
the South Texas Rock Fest (a $5,000 value)
* A "Featured Artist" advertising package from AirPlay Direct (a
$1,500 value)

The Grand Prize Package is valued at over $30,000...!

This contest is FREE TO ENTER and very simple. The only three
requirements to enter are that you must be an AirPlay Direct artist /
label member (free to join), your music must fall into the Hard Rock /
Heavy Metal genre and you must submit your AirPlay Direct DPK to
office@... prior to the official entry deadline of April
25th. Whether you are an indie artist or a well established record
label with a roster, pick your best songs, you can submit from one to
three tracks per artist. Please make sure to note that you are
submitting for the Hard Rock / Heavy Metal artist contest. Deadline
for submissions is April 25th. The winner will be announced and
"Featured" in the May Radio Programmers Newsletter, as well as in a
company press release to all media outlets.

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #12 ***
*
-Headhunter's PARASITE OF SOCIETY American Release Date Confirmed

Candlelight Records in cooperation with AFM Records confirms June 10
as the U.S. release date for PARASITE OF SOCIETY, the new album from
reformed German trio Headhunter. Featuring the famed lineup of Schmier
(Destruction), Schmuddel (Talon), and Jorg Michael (Saxon,
Stratovarius), PARASITE OF SOCIETY is an instant throwback to classic
German metal. It is the band's first new recording in nearly 13 years.

Schmier (vocalist/bassist) is the man behind the engine. His persona
and drive is what has made Destruction the musical force it has come
to be appreciated for nearing two decades. With Headhunter, the metal
icon is given opportunity to reach outside his normal musical
environment; more "power" than "thrash" and adding an immediately
identifiable dash of humor. PARASITE OF SOCIETY is a classic good time
in waiting.

Headhunter are a confirmed a special performer at this summer's Wacken
Open Air Festival. Track listing for PARASITE OF SOCIETY includes:
"3rd Man Introduction," "Parasite Of Society," "Silverskull,"
"Remission," "Doomsday For The Prayer," "18 And Life," "Read My Lips,"
"Backs To The Wall," "Egomaniac," "The Calling," "Payback Time."

http://www.candlelightrecordsusa.com/
http://www.myspace.com/candlelightrecordsusa

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #13 ***
*
-Amaseffer Sign With Inside Out + Album Release Dates

Hello to you Holy friend,

We are extremely excited to announce that Amaseffer has joined the
Inside Out Music Family!

We could not be happier to work with such visionary people that
running this label and we are looking forward to a great future with
them.

Release dates also announced at the bottom of this page.

Read their statement as posted earlier today:

"Inside Out Music is proud to announce the signing of the Israeli band
Amaseffer.

"Their first album entitled SLAVES FOR LIFE is the first in a trilogy
about the history of the people of Israel as portrayed in the Old
Testament.

"Hanan Avramovich (Guitars), Yuval Kramer (Guitars) and Erez Yohanan
(Drums) offer a unique mixture of Progressive Metal and epic Middle
East influenced orchestral film score parts played by a full Symphony
Orchestra. All lead vocals were sung by Mats Leven (Therion, Yngwie
Malmsteen). Special guest is Angela Gossow (Arch Enemy).

"The album was recorded and mixed by Markus Teske (Vanden Plas,
Abydos, Saga live) and the artwork was done by Mattias Norén
(Evergrey, Kamelot, Epica).

"SLAVES FOR LIFE will be released on June 6th in Germany, Austria,
Switzerland, June 9th in Europe, and June 24th in North America."

KEEP IT HOLY

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #14 ***
*
-Denmark's Volbeat Delivers American Debut In June

ROCK THE REBEL/METAL THE DEVIL on Mascot Records USA

HOLLYWOOD -- Elvis metal 'n' rollers Volbeat, who combine '50s rock
with modern metal, will unleash their trademark rockabilly sound on
unsuspecting Americans come June 10th via their first ever U.S.
release, ROCK THE REBEL/METAL THE DEVIL on Mascot Records USA. Expect
to hear the first single "Sad Man's Tongue" on radio nationwide in
May.

Original and different, classic and cutting edge, Volbeat is comprised
of vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen, guitarist Thomas Bredahl,
bassist Anders Kjřlholm and drummer Jon Larsen. Already endorsed by
Vans, Eastpak, Gibson, In Tune Guitar Picks, De Palma and Dean
Markley, Volbeat is intent on earning the adoration of American fans
from coast to coast.

In their native Denmark, ROCK THE REBEL/METAL THE DEVIL has been
certified platinum. Further solidifying their success, Volbeat was
nominated once at the 2007 MTV European Music Awards and four times at
this year's annual Danish Music Awards (the Danish Grammy Awards
equivalent) -- where ROCK THE REBEL/METAL THE DEVIL was named album of
the year.

When it comes to performing live, Volbeat has taken the stage at
numerous prestigious European festivals including, but not limited to:
Wacken Open Air, Roskilde, With Full Force, Summer Breeze and Graspop.
In July 2007, Volbeat opened for Metallica on their Sick Of The Studio
tour when it stopped in Denmark.

America is about to learn what Europe is already well aware of --
Volbeat rocks! ROCK THE REBEL/METAL THE DEVIL releases June 10th, 2008
on Mascot Records U.S.A. Expect their U.S. tour in the fall, dates
TBA.

For more information visit http://www.volbeat.dk/ or
http://www.myspace.com/volbeat or watch Volbeat's new video "Sad Man's
Tongue" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mV_HHL-h6g .

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #15 ***
*
-Immortal Dominion And Horror/Comedy "Teeth" Continue To Take Off

Renowned Producer Sterling Winfield To Man Boards Of Next Studio
Recordings

With extreme metal being one of the more "theatrical sounding" types
of rock music out there, it's a bit puzzling why more of these types
of bands don't pop up in movie soundtracks. But perhaps the tide is
changing, as evidenced by the presence of Immortal Dominion throughout
the movie, "Teeth." After the band's distributor, Fist Music/Hapi
Skratch Entertainment, hooked them up with the filmmakers, Immortal
Dominion was asked to contribute a total of five songs to the
soundtrack. The film won a juror's award for best actress at the
Sundance Film Festival, and was then purchased by Lionsgate/The
Weinstein Company. The film was released nationwide in February via
Roadside Attractions (and will be released on DVD on May 6th, via
Dimension Extreme), and has created a buzz around Immortal Dominion,
on the strength of the instantly memorable song, "Sold My Soul."

Formed in 1992 in Fort Collins, Colorado, Immortal Dominion is
comprised of members Ray Smith (guitars/lead vocals), Brian Villers
(guitars/vocals), Bryan (Edward) Schmidt (bass), and Ben Huntwork
(drums/vocals). The group has issued two full-lengths (ENDURE and
AWAKENING - THE REVELATION) and an EP (BIRTH), and are hard at work on
a new studio album, set to be released later this year. Additionally,
Immortal Dominion are in talks with music video director Frank Nasso
(who has previously worked with Mudvayne, Hatebreed, All That Remains
for the "Saw III" soundtrack) about working on some clips for the
songs that appear in "Teeth."

With all these simultaneous projects, 2008 is quickly shaping up to be
the year that Immortal Dominion break through to the metal masses,
while AWAKENING - THE REVELATION is also still contributing to the
buzz. "This album is a soundtrack to one of the darkest periods we
have ever been through as a band," recalls Villers, "Yet as we stayed
tight with each other, and found new ways to collaborate in the
songwriting process, we experienced an 'Awakening' as far as who we
are as a band. We hope the listener feels the wide range of emotions
we were experiencing as we compiled this material." The masses are
certainly agreeing with Villers, as Immortal Dominion's distributor
has joined forces with CBUJ entertainment distribution (
http://www.cbuj.com/ ) which has led to in-store distribution with Hot
Topic in the 15 Colorado stores, Alliance Entertianment, Baker and
Taylor and Super D Distribution stocking title for retail consumption.
Additionally, the group was recently the # 3 most added on FMQB, and #
4 most added on CMJ for Loud Rock radio charts.

Immortal Dominion is also about to get started on their next album,
and have lined up renowned producer Sterling Winfield (who has worked
with Pantera, Damage Plan, Nickelback, and Hellyeah, among others) to
man the boards. "I am very much looking forward to recording this
summer with Immortal Dominion, after hearing their brand of metal and
seeing their enthusiasm for what they do," says Winfield. "As the
recording industry undergoes such a radical and much needed change it
is refreshing to see a band such as them, pull together in a very
professional manner to adapt to this new and exciting time."

Track listing for AWAKENING - THE REVELATION:

1. Punishment
2. Will To Survive
3. Eat Your Flesh
4. Sold My Soul
5. World
6. Something To Change
7. Fear Free
8. Not Good
9. Awakening
10. Christian Witchcraft
11. Blasphemy
12. Untouchable
13. Shallows In The Vatican Darkness
14. The Other Side Of Pain

For more information, visit:

http://www.myspace.com/immortaldominion
http://www.mileghighmusicstore.com/ [to order the AWAKENING CD, or
visit iTunes.com, Rhapsody.com, and Napster.com to purchase downloads]

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #16 ***
*
-New MeteorCity Expeditions... Behold Farflung And Dead Man

Farflung - A WOUND IN ETERNITY

Like an apocalyptic beacon from the dark cosmos, Farflung awake from
the cryogenic tubes with warped sensibilities and cosmic wrath... This
is the heaviest and most tripped-out offering from these musicnauts to
date. Dive bombing moogs, crushing riffs, and mind numbing cataclysmic
overtures. This is A WOUND IN ETERNITY. Spacewarped by the various
crew members voyages with Chrome, Nik Turner's Hawkwind, Damo Suzuki
Network, and Pressurehed. They set off in this new year to bring
spacerock to your mental galaxy bathed in infrared, shuddering under
the strobes, and warping the eyes. Look to the skies for a touchdown
near you. Deluxe Double Gatefold Vinyl coming in April, 2008! Standard
Edition and Deluxe Edition CDs coming in May, 2008!!

Check out "Endless Drifting Wreck" from A WOUND IN ETERNITY here:

http://www.stonerrock.com/jukebox/Farflung-Endless_Drifting_Wreck.mp3

http://www.myspace.com/farflung

Dead Man - EUPHORIA

EUPHORIA is much darker and heavier than their first album while
maintaining a thoroughly vintage vibe. There are bluesy up-tempo
rockers alongside melodic folk-pop masterpieces and an unexpected turn
into dark and psyched-out heavy rock. While their debut Self Titled
album made a huge impact on the stoner/prog rock fanatics, EUPHORIA
will establish Dead Man with cult-status like their contemporaries
Witchcraft and Black Mountain have achieved. CD coming in June, 2008!

Check out the track "Today" from EUPHORIA here:

http://www.stonerrock.com/jukebox/Dead_Man-Today.mp3

http://www.myspace.com/deadmansweden

MeteorCity has been releasing the highest quality heavy music since
1998. We are the official in-house record label of StonerRock.com, one
of the biggest and best heavy music communities in the universe.

http://www.meteorcity.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #17 ***
*
-Marc Rizzo Of Cavalera Conspiracy & Soulfly On Tour

Rizzo Going On U.S. Solo Tour Then Joins Cavalera Conspiracy On World
Tour

Rizzo's Solo CDs THE UTLTIMATE DEVOTION & COLOASSAL MYOPIA On Shrapnel
Records Now!

HOLLYWOOD -- Marc Rizzo is one of the new breed of young guitarists in
contemporary bands and has built a substantial following through his
years of touring and recording with Il Nino, Soulfly and now breaking
Metal History with shredding for Metal Icons Max & Igor Cavalera in
Cavalera Conspiracy.

Rizzo has stepped out with solo projects that reveal a phenomenal
command of the guitar. Both solo albums unveils Rizzo to be a master
musician with deep musical roots in metal, classical and flamenco
guitar.

COLOSSAL MYOPIA is a mixture of all the music that Rizzo listens to.
It's a combination of Metal Nuevo Flamenco and Jazz. "I don't really
listen to one type of music and I think my record showcases that,"
explains Rizzo. "It's an all instrumental CD for music lovers that
want to enjoy pure music without all the politics and negative lyrical
content."

THE ULTIMATE DEVOTION is Marc Rizzo's solo sophomore release on
Shrapnel Records. This newly mastered work of shred-art comes on the
coat-tails of his critically acclaimed debut album COLASSAL MYOPIA in
2006.

THE ULTIMATE DEVOTION is a myriad of Rizzo's amazing talent to also
combine flamenco and pure unadulterated shred mastery. "THE ULTIMATE
DEVOTION is a total representation of where I am at musically right
now," explains Rizzo. "I feel I really pushed myself on this record to
the next level of my playing. This music, for me, is the ultimate
devotion."

Rizzo's raw energy combined with the talent of a new-generation
shred-master is a much needed breath of fresh air to the instrumental
rock genre.

Marc Rizzo - Solo Tour 2008

3-Apr - Battle Creek, MI - Plant Rock
5-Apr - Sydney, OH - Sydney Theater
6-Apr - Berwyn, IL - Tiger O'Stylies
8-Apr - Green Bay, WI - Toxic
9-Apr - Davenport, IA - River Music
11-Apr - Sioux Falls, SD - Nutty's North
12-Apr - East Peoria, IL - Tails And Tops
14-Apr - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
15-Apr - Springfield, MO - Outland Ballroom
16-Apr - Mulberry, KS - Foxtown City Limits
20-Apr - Tempe, AZ - The Sets
21-Apr - Hollywood, CA - The Knitting Factory
22-Apr - Salt Lake City, UT - Club Vegas
23-Apr - Billings, MT - Foe
24-Apr - Denver, CO - 3 Kings Tavern
25-Apr - Lincoln, NE - Kinckerbockers
27-Apr - Chicago, IL - Red Line Tap

http://www.myspace.com/marcrizzo

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #18 ***
*
-An Update From Dark Funeral

Ave everyone!

I guess it's about time to let you guys know what's going on here.
Well, we are currently working on material for a new full-length
album. We're in the very early stages of the writing process though.
There's still a lot of work before we're ready to hit the studio, but
we're on the right course at least!

Plan is, however, to be ready to record a new album sometime during
2008, with a possible early 2009 release (but it all depends on when
we're ready to record and so on, of course). We will keep you posted
on the writing progress and what kind of time plan we'll put up for
the new album.

We have also renewed our contract with Regain Records. So we will be
releasing the next album through them too.

In the meantime, and during the wait for our new studio album, I'd
suggest that you check out two killer DVDs that we have released,
ATTERA ORBIS TERRARUM parts 1 & 2 (part two will be released on May
22). Also, keep your eyes open for the date when we'll launch our
webstore "DIABOLISWEAR!"

http://www.darkfuneral.se/
http://www.myspace.com/darkfuneral
http://www.diaboliswear.com/
http://www.myspace.com/diaboliswear
http://www.regainrecords.com/

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #19 ***
*
-Nachtmystium: WORLDFALL And ASSASSINS Release Dates Confirmed

The U.S. release date for Nachtmystium's WORLDFALL EP is approaching,
hitting stores on April 22nd, but available now via CM Distro and
iTunes. CM Distro is offering the EP at a super low cost with a coupon
towards the highly anticipated full-length ASSASSINS: BLACK MEDDLE
PART I, to be officially released in North America on June 10th.

http://www.myspace.com/nachtmystium
http://www.centurymedia.com

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #20 ***
*
-October Falls: Album Details Disclosed

The title and artwork of Finnish artist October Falls' forthcoming
second album have been unveiled. The vast vistas and lycanthropic
landscapes encountered during the four epic tracks of THE WOMB OF
PRIMORDIAL NATURE are tragic, morose and discomforting.

There is no track listing; instead, the prevailing theme -- centered
around the primal beast within man -- is divided into four "tales." An
edited version of the third part has been uploaded and can be heard
here:

http://www.debemur-morti.com/samples/October_Falls-IIIEdit.mp3

Release date is foreseen for this coming June through Debemur Morti
Productions.

Small cover:
http://www.debemur-morti.com/img/dmp0036-48_1.jpg

Big cover:
http://www.debemur-morti.com/img/dmp0036-48_4.jpg

*
*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*
-HeadbangerNYC.com reported Sam Ash will stage a grand reopening in
Huntington, NY, on April 24. Randall, Washburn, Samson, Zoom "have
joined the festivities," and Anthrax will be on hand to "sign some
autographs and mingle with the customers" starting at 7 p.m.

-Evergrey has a new trailer up for its new album TORN at
http://evergrey.net/blog .

-In Extreme news, Nuno Bettencourt has a bunch of new original music
on the soundtrack to the upcoming indie film "Smart People," starring
Ellen Page, Thomas Haden Church, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Dennis
Quaid. The digital-only soundtrack is due out April 11 and also
features Bettencourt's wife's band, Baby Animals. Check out
http://idolator.com/377477/is-nuno-the-next-juno for more.

-Flight Of The Valkyries -- "The only U.S. metal festival devoted to
metal bands with female lead vocalists!" -- is set for Saturday, June
28, at Station 4 in St. Paul, MN. This is the second annual festival
from by SwordLord Productions and will feature Unexpect, Shadowside,
Benedictum, Visideon, Dendura, Earthen, Something To Fear, and Aria
Sharp, with more bands to be announced. The show is 18+ and doors open
at 3 p.m. See http://www.femalemetalfest.com/ and
http://www.myspace.com/femalemetalfest for more.

-Check out a new In Flames Interview at
http://glclk.about.com/?zi=1/55BK .

-Kamelot/Edguy tour dates:

10/14 - Middle East, Cambridge, MA
10/15 - B.B. King's Blues Club & Grill, New York City, NY
10/16 - Jaxx, West Springfield, VA
10/17 - Peabody's, Cleveland, OH
10/18 - Pearl Room, Mokena, IL
10/20 - Station 4, St. Paul, MN
10/23 - El Corazon, Seattle, WA
10/24 - Hawthorne Theater, Portland, OR
10/25 - Slim's, San Francisco, CA
10/26 - Key Club, Los Angeles, CA
10/27 - El Jardin Silencio, Mexicali, MX

-In Kiss-related news, there are more "Gene Simmons Family Jewels"
videos:

"Nickspeare"
http://newsletters.aetv.com/cgi-bin15/DM/y/hby20LaPaA0DuT0jwZ0Ed

"Gene On Sex"
http://newsletters.aetv.com/cgi-bin15/DM/y/hby20LaPaA0DuT0jwa0Ek

"Monkey See, Monkey Do"
http://newsletters.aetv.com/cgi-bin15/DM/y/hby20LaPaA0DuT0jwb0El

"Gollum Simmons"
http://newsletters.aetv.com/cgi-bin15/DM/y/hby20LaPaA0DuT0jwc0Em

"Geneisms Bloopers"
http://newsletters.aetv.com/cgi-bin15/DM/y/hby20LaPaA0DuT0jwd0En

"Birds And The Bees"
http://newsletters.aetv.com/cgi-bin15/DM/y/hby20LaPaA0DuT0jwe0Eo

In band news, check out KissOnline.com for coverage of the ongoing
"Alive/35 World Tour," including a review of the gig in Brisbane,
Australia. There's a new three-disc box set called PLAYLIST PLUS due
out April 29. Track list: CD #1 - "Strutter," "Deuce," "Hotter Than
Hell," "C'mon And Love Me," "Rock And Roll All Nite," "Detroit Rock
City," "Beth," "Hard Luck Woman," "Calling Dr. Love," "Love Gun,"
"Christeen Sixteen," "I Was Made For Lovin' You." CD #2 - "Creatures
Of The Night," "I Love It Loud," "Lick It Up," "All Hell's Breakin'
Loose," "Heaven's On Fire," "Thrills In The Night," "Tears Are
Falling," "Uh! All Night," "Crazy Crazy Nights," "Reason To Live,"
"Hide Your Heart," "Forever." CD #3 - "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You
II," "Unholy," "Domino," "Hate," "Childhood's End," "I Will Be There,"
"Comin' Home (unplugged)," "Got To Choose (unplugged)," "Psycho
Circus," "Into The Void," "I Pledge Allegiance To The State Of Rock
And Roll," "Nothing Can Keep Me From You." These songs -- no "Shout It
Out Loud"!!! -- are the same ones that were featured on the three
separate 20TH CENTURY MASTERS: THE MILLENNIUM COLLECTION discs that
were released since 2003. For a funny take on all this, check out
http://idolator.com/375761/awwwright-kiss-slaps-three-budget-comps-
together-and-calls-it-a-new-box
.

-Nightwish/Sonata Arctica tour dates:

8/29 - The Trocadero, Philadelphia, PA
8/30 - The Palladium, Worcester, MA
9/4 - The Agora Theater, Cleveland, OH
9/5 - Harpo's Concert Theater, Detroit, MI
9/9 - Showbox So Do, Seattle, WA
9/10 - Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
9/12 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
9/13 - The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA
9/14 - Marquee Theater, Tempe, AZ
9/16 - The Palladium, Dallas, TX
9/17 - La Zona Rosa, Austin, TX
9/19 - Meridian, Houston, TX
9/20 - House Of Blues, New Orleans, LA
9/21 - Jannus Landing, St. Petersburg, FL
9/23 - Valarium, Knoxville, TN
9/24 - Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, NC
9/26 - Rams Head Live, Baltimore, MD

-Pagan's Mind singer Nils K. Rue has a new side project called Shadows
Spell with guitarist Aldo Lonobile (Secret Sphere, Civilization One)
and drummer Daniel Flores (Mind's Eye). Check out some demos they have
up at http://www.myspace.com/shadowsspellband .

-In Poison news, Metal Sludge has a new "20 Questions" feature with
Daisy De La Hoya from "Rock Of Love 2," with a second part coming next
week. Check out Pt. 1 at
http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=1444&Itemid=1
.

-ProgPower USA IX news: The Swedish Grammy Award winning band Mustasch
has officially been confirmed as the replacement for the recently
canceled Volbeat. For more, see the official forums at
http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/progpower-usa/383879-say-hello-new-
confirmation.html
.

-Rocklahoma update: According to Eddie Trunk, Living Colour and UFO
have both been added to the Sunday lineup. MelodicRock.com recently
reported Sammy Hager, Extreme, and The Other Half (Hagar and Michael
Anthony) may team up for a U.S. tour this summer, and there's
speculation the tour might make a stop at Rocklahoma. And there's
another rumor about a new band featuring Hagar, Anthony, and Joe
Satriani... Our heads are spinning.

-John Taglieri recently did a live interview and performance --
featuring songs from all his albums plus one new track -- for
Woozyfly.com's "Live At The Loft" series; check it all out at
http://www.woozyfly.com/JohnTaglieri . The weekly 90-minute "On The
Road With John & Rick LIVE!" radio show -- with John and Rick Williams
-- debuted this past Tuesday at http://blogtalkradio.com/ontheroad .
It is set to air every Tuesday at 6 p.m. Eastern. The YouTube version
of the show -- now up to episode #4 -- is still up and running at
http://youtube.com/ontheroadjr . Upcoming tour dates:

4/10 - 4/12 - Rock By The Sea, St. Georges Island, FL
4/30 - East Stroudsburg University, East Stroundsburg, PA
5/1 - The Richboro Pub, Richboro, PA
5/3 - The Sand Bar, Brielle, NJ
5/5 - The 8x10, Baltimore, MD
5/6 - The Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, NY
5/7 - Delaneys Tap Room, New Haven, CT
5/8 - TBA (watch the Web site for details)
5/9 - Mighty Joe Youngs, White Plains, NY
5/10 - Kennedy's Midtown, Boston, MA
5/12 - Sullivan Hall, NYC, NY
5/13 - Blend, Ridgewood, NJ
5/14 - The Goldhawk, Hoboken, NJ
5/15 - The Acoustic Cafe, Rockaway, NJ

(Note: The dates starting May 5 are part of a tour with Gareth Asher
and Akiva.)

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

-The new Testament song "More Than Meets The Eye" is available at
http://www.myspace.com/testamentlegions . It's from the upcoming album
THE FORMATION OF DAMNATION, due April 29 in North America from Nuclear
Blast Records. Full track list: "For The Glory Of," "More Than Meets
The Eye," "The Evil Has Landed," "Formation Of Damnation," "Dangers Of
The Faithless," "The Persecuted Won't Forget," "Henchmen Ride,"
"Killing Season," "Afterlife," "F.E.A.R.," "Leave Me Forever." In tour
news, singer Chuck Billy reportedly announced on stage in New York
City that the band has been confirmed to open for Heaven & Hell, Judas
Priest, and Motorhead later this summer. The tour hasn't officially
been announced but Pollstar has these August dates listed for
Testament:

8/7 - Nissan Pavilion At Stone Ridge, Bristow, VA
8/9 - PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, NJ
8/10 - Nikon At Jones Beach Theater, Wantagh, NY
8/13 - The Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, ON
8/15 - Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, CT
8/16 - Post-Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA
8/18 - DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI
8/19 - First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park, IL

See http://www.testamentlegions.com/ for more.

-Vanilla Fudge, featuring singer/keyboardist Mark Stein, guitarist
Vince Martell, bassist Tim Bogert, and drummer Carmine Appice, will
release an album of Led Zeppelin covers called OUT THROUGH THE IN DOOR
this year.

-The Woodsmen's latest album RUBBISH -- as well as the rest of the
band's extensive discography -- is available for free at
http://www.thewoodsmen.net/archive.html .

-X-World/5, featuring singer Nils K. Rue (Pagan's Mind), gutarist Andy
La Rocque (King Diamond), and bassist Magnus Rosen (ex-HammerFall),
will release its debut album NEW UNIVERSAL ORDER on May 16 via AFM
Records. For sound samples check out the band's official Web site at
http://www.x-world5.com/ .

Thanks to Chad Bowar, HeadbangerNYC.com, Bobbie Dickerson, Wes Royer,
Jeff "Newswire" Adee, and Bill "Always Poised To Rip On Kiss" Kotowski
for help gathering some of this information.

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

-Don't ask how this all got started, but a big e-mail discussion
erupted this week among my friends, and one of the topics was Blue
Oyster Cult's song "Veteran Of The Psychic Wars," from 1981's FIRE OF
UNKNOWN ORIGIN and the film "Heavy Metal." My buddy Arnie even found a
Wikipedia entry for the song at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veteran_of_the_Psychic_Wars . After
reading that I discovered the track -- written by BOC singer Eric
Bloom and British author Michael Moorcock -- has its title taken from
the Hawkwind song "Standing At The Edge," which was also co-written by
Moorcock. And I knew about Tarot's recent cover of the song (on the
"You" single and the limited edition version of CROWS FLY BLACK), but
Wiki also said Metallica and Ozzy Osbourne have both covered it.
Didn't know that! All in all, the discussion and ensuing research
session were a fine waste of time. God bless the Internet.

-So it looks like that Heaven & Hell/Judas Priest/Motorhead/Testament
tour is gonna happen, eh? The odd thing to me is I've seen the first
two band listed as both "Heaven & Hell/Judas Priest" and "Judas
Priest/Heaven & Hell." Who would really headline this thing? If it was
"Black Sabbath" you know Priest would defer the headlining status, but
since Dio, Iommi, Butler, and Appice are still using the "Heaven &
Hell" moniker I wonder if they'd take the second slot. I'm sure all
these guys are old enough that egos won't be bruised one way or the
other, but this is the kind of thing that used to cause fights in the
'70s and '80s. :)

-Recent weird things I've seen during my morning walk across downtown
Chicago:

o A coffee mug stuffed with a napkin, covered in dried, spattered
blood and sitting on the sidewalk.

o Two hippie types dodging traffic, trying to hang a "Profiteer"
banner on a traffic light outside Boeing headquarters.

o A newspaper machine with the "FREE" decal on each side strategically
altered to now say "I PEE."

There's a song about city life in there somewhere...

-Now in my current playlist: Dominici - O3 A TRILOGY - PART 3 (Inside
Out Music), Hardingrock - GRIMEN (Candlelight USA), Heidevolk -
WALHALLA WACHT (Napalm Records), Dimension - EGO (Nightmare Records),
Kreator - AT THE PULSE OF KAPITULATION (DVD) (SPV/Steamhammer).

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*
ERRORHEAD - MODERN HIPPIE (B+) Lion Music, 2008
13 tracks, RT: 41:36
[ http://www.errorhead.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/errorhead ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/marcusdeml ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/cd/errorhead_hippie.html ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/lionmusiclabel ]
The title says it all in summing up this excellent album by in-demand
session artist Marcus Deml. You may not instantly recognize the name
but you've probably heard Marcus' playing, as he has been featured on
numerous releases and toured with artists ranging from Kingdom Come
and Saga to Nena and Rick Astley. On MODERN HIPPIE, Marcus brings an
early '70s blues rock vibe forcefully into 2008 with help from
vocalist Robbie Smith, bassist Frank Itt, and drummer Zacky Tsoukas.
Robbie Smith really conjures Glenn Hughes on vocal tracks such as
"Connected," "Watch My Cloud" and "Heaven," while Marcus' tasty solos
on "Dave," "Temporary Impression," "We Came In Peace" and "Follow Your
Dream" reveal Gary Moore, David Gilmore, Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck
influences. There are some modern sound effects mixed into the
proceedings which may be a distraction to purists but overall MODERN
HIPPIE is a very well produced and actualized dose of vintage rock,
updated for our times...
- Neal Woodall (MysticX9@...)

*
*** OUT ***
*