Detritus
Issue #486
Week of January 19, 2009
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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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-Stay tuned for our special Year End 2008 report tomorrow. - Tim

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*** PRESS RELEASE #1 ***
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-HammerFall "Any Means Necessary" World Video Debut

On Saturday, January 17th, the very first performance of the new
single "Any Means Necessary" was scheduled for the P3 Guld event held
in at Scandinavium in Goteborg. HammerFall performed the song
throughout the program, which was aired live both on Swedish national
TV and radio.

The online world video premiere of said song took place exclusively at
MySpace the next day, January 18th.

"Any Means Necessary" is the first single off the band's eighth full-
length album, NO SACRIFICE, NO VICTORY, due on February 20, 2009 via
Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded in part at Andy La Rocque's
(King Diamond) Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden and includes an
instrumental written by the group's latest addition, guitarist Pontus
Norgren (The Poodles, Talisman, Great King Rat), as well as a song
entitled "One Of A Kind," which was composed as a collaboration
between HammerFall guitarist Oscar Dronjak and In Flames axe man
Jesper Strömblad (who was a member of HammerFall in the band's
earliest incarnation). The cover artwork was created by Sam Didier,
while Thomas Ewerhard was responsible for the CD layout.

NO SACRIFICE, NO VICTORY track list:

1. Any Means Necessary
2. Life Is Now
3. Punish And Enslave
4. Legion
5. Between Two Worlds
6. Hallowed Be My Name
7. Something For The Ages
8. No Sacrifice, No Victory
9. Bring The Hammer Down
10. One Of A Kind
11. My Sharona (The Knack cover)

Pontus Norgren joined HammerFall as the replacement for Stefan
Elmgren, who left the band in early April to focus on his new career
as a pilot.

HammerFall MySpace Video Channel
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=vids.channel&ChannelID=60273902

http://www.hammerfall.net/
http://www.myspace.com/hammerfall
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hammerfall/8674858026

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*** PRESS RELEASE #2 ***
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-Guitar Virtuoso Marty Friedman Performs Special Show @ Musicians
Institute In Hollywood On Saturday, January 31st

Free & Open To The Public -- Show Starts @ 4:00 p.m.

HOLLYWOOD, CA -- MI is proud to welcome back the incredible talents of
former Megadeth axe-slinger Marty Friedman for a 4:00 p.m. Saturday
afternoon clinic in MI's main concert hall "P100." Friedman will hold
a clinic, and then follow it up with a one song performance by the
girl band "Beppin San." "I have a TV show in Japan on NHK called
'Paphoo!' (Perform!)," explains Friedman. "Every episode is a
different theme, this time it is on location in L.A. where I will
produce a song for this band that I chose out of hundreds of entrants
from the entire country."
http://www.nhk.or.jp/paphooo/master/music/mst01.html

Get there early to ensure your entrance -- there are no tickets so
first come first serve! For more information or direction to get to
Musicians Institute go to http://www.mi.edu/ .

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*** PRESS RELEASE #3 ***
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-Nightmare Metal Fest II Update

[Note: This is a compilation of two separate press releases. - Tim]

Nightmare Metal Fest II
March 20 & 21, 2009!
San Antonio, TX at "The Warehouse"
Come join the underground Prog/Power Metal revolution!

Limited Platinum Member Passes On Sale

Platinum Member Passes go on sale today 1/15/09. LIMITED TO ONLY 30
tickets! Platinum Members will enjoy:

* Early entry for bands sound checks and first pick at Vendor tables
* V.I.P. grab bag of goodies
* Access to V.I.P. areas
* Eat and Greet luncheon
* Two FREE Drink coupons per night
* Pre-Party Access

General Admission Tickets go on sale January 27th at
http://www.NightmareMetalFest.com/ and key local metal music shops in
San Antonio.

Nightmare Metal Fest Announces More Confirmed Bands!

We are proud to announce these artists have now been added to the
lineup:

o Seven Witches (featuring James Rivera (Helstar), Mike LePond
(Symphony X), and of course Jack Frost on Guitar!)

o Futures End (featuring current and former members of Death, Autopsy,
Control Denied, Testament, Vintersorg, Iced Earth, Sadus, Dragonlord,
& Zero Hour)

o Imagika

The lineup is shaping up:

JAG PANZER
SEVEN WITCHES
FUTURES END
KRUCIBLE (featuring members of Pyramaze, Balance Of Power, Helstar,
Z-Lot-Z, Cea Serin, Six Minute Century)
SACRED DAWN
HALCYON WAY
IMAGIKA
MINDWARP CHAMBER

2008's version of the festival was held at Bourbon Street outside
Tampa, Florida.

For tickets and info visit:

http://www.NightmareMetalFest.com/
http://www.Myspace.com/NightmareMetalFestival

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*** PRESS RELEASE #4 ***
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-New Dreamland Album In March On Dockyard1!

The third album is usually labelled "make it or break it," but thank
God it's rarely meant this literally: Dreamland had to survive a car
crash to finish this album! The accident happened when three members
of the band were on their way to Andy LaRocque's new Sonic Train
Studios outside of Gothenburg, where they are almost finished
recording the follow-up to 2007's EYE FOR AN EYE.

Everything on Dreamland's third album is a notch "more" -- even more
powerful hook lines driven by more rhythm and by more good old times'
spirit. So stay tuned for the latest pulsating anthems that will make
you sing not only in the shower for days. Technically speaking,
Dreamland didn't change the well-tried work of the previous recordings
and stuck to well-known producer Andy LaRocque like they did for EYE
FOR AN EYE.

http://www.dockyard1.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #5 ***
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-Leaves' Eyes: WE CAME WITH THE NORTHERN WINDS / EN SAGA I BELGIA
Track List

On March 24th, the long-awaited Leaves' Eyes double-DVD and double-
live CD WE CAME WITH THE NORTHERN WINDS / EN SAGA I BELGIA will be
released in North America!!!

Guitarist Thorsten Bauer: "This DVD package definitely makes my day.
It contains the full EN SAGA I BELGIA show. Every fan of monumental
and spectacular stage shows will be enchanted! Additionally, one DVD
contains an extensively produced documentary about our band which
shows everything that we have done and what happened to us with the
band during the last five years. The viewers can watch all this within
two hours of entertainment and excitement. When I watched the final
version for the first time, with all the tour episodes from North
America and South America, Europe, Mexico and Australia, I got
goosebumps several times.

"With this movie, the viewer can get a very close experience with our
band -- he will be taken with us on our world tour!"

There will be video trailers for the DVD in the upcoming weeks -- stay
tuned!

Here's the track list for the whole hammer package:

VIDEO PART:

DVD1 - The movie

Leaves' Eyes - WE CAME WITH THE NORTHERN WINDS

Chapters:

1. The Story Of Leaves' Eyes
2. From Fjords And Myths
3. Ode To A Seamaid
4. Musical Nature
5. The Saga Of Vinland
6. Sounds Of Strings
7. Across European Borders
8. Dark Emotions
9. Mexican Tales
10. Strange Melodies
11. Viva South America
12. Angelique Voices
13. Going Down Under
14. The Beauty And The Beast
15. American Dreams
16. The Passage

Specials:

o Video clips:

1. Elegy
2. Into Your Light
3. Farewell Proud Men (From Mexico To Russia)
4. Legend Land
5. New Found Land
6. The Thorn (Live At Masters Of Rock)
7. The Crossing - America 2006 A.D. (Trailer)

o Photo gallery

DVD 2 - The concert (playing time 91 minutes):

Leaves' Eyes - EN SAGA I BELGIA

Special Show with Viking ship filmed 20th October 2007 at Wieze,
Belgium / Oktoberhallen, Metal Female Voices Fest

Chapters:

1. Intro - Vinland Saga
2. Farewell Proud Men
3. Ocean's Way
4. The Crossing
5. Into Your Light
6. The Thorn
7. Mourning Tree
8. For Amelie
9. Skraelings
10. Temptation
11. Tale Of The Seamaid
12. New Found Land
13. Leaves' Eyes
14. Solemn Sea
15. Amrhàn (Song Of The Winds)
16. Norwegian Lovesong
17. Lyset
18. Legend Land
19. Elegy
20. Outro - Mot Fjerne Land

Specials:

o Making of
o Photo gallery

Audio Part"

Double Live CD - EN SAGA I BELGIA

Recorded live 20th October 2007 at Wieze, Belgium / Oktoberhallen,
Metal Female Voices Fest

CD 1 Track list:

1. Intro - Vinland Saga
2. Farewell Proud Men
3. Ocean's Way
4. The Crossing
5. Into Your Light
6. The Thorn
7. Mourning Tree
8. For Amelie
9. Skraelings
10. Temptation

CD 2 Track list:

1. Tale Of The Seamaid
2. New Found Land
3. Leaves' Eyes
4. Solemn Sea
5. Amrhàn (Song Of The Winds)
6. Norwegian Lovesong
7. Lyset
8. Legend Land
9. Elegy
10. Outro - Mot Fjerne Land

http://www.leaveseyes.com/
http://www.myspace.com/leaveseyesusa

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*** PRESS RELEASE #6 ***
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-The Sweden Rock Cruise: New Bands Confirmed

Sweden Rock Festival
3-4-5-6 June 2009 Solvesborg

The Sweden Rock Cruise
Stockholm-Turku 2-3 April 2009

Entombed and Witchcraft are now confirmed for the Sweden Rock Cruise,
departing from Stockholm on April 2nd. Grave Digger and Dream Evil
will also be playing, and another two bands will be announced soon.

Tickets were released in December and pricing starts at 495 SEK per
person including space in a cabin. The ship departs from Stockholm at
19.15 on April 2nd and arrives back in Stockholm at around 18.15 April
3rd. The ship is the M/S Silja Galaxy, which holds more than 2,000
passengers, was built in 2006 and is 212 meters long and 12 stories
high. The ship holds several bars and restaurants, tax free shops,
pool, sauna, gaming room and lots more.

For booking, you can visit the Tallink Silja Web site (which is in
Swedish only, sorry!)
http://www.tallinksilja.com/sv/cruises/special/swedenRock.htm

You can also book by telephone by calling Tallink Silja at +46 8 666
3333.

Please reserve your tickets in time -- all six previous Sweden Rock
Cruises have been sold out!

Bands confirmed so far:

Grave Digger
Heavy metal doesn't get more real than when German veterans Grave
Digger play it. After a promising start in 1984 with the immortal
HEAVY METAL BREAKDOWN and two more LPs, their career fizzled out. In
1993 however, grunter/front man Chris Boltendahl made a glorious
comeback with THE REAPER and a mission to teach the world how true
heavy metal should sound. Since then, the group has released brilliant
heavy metal albums such as THE HEART OF DARKNESS, TUNES OF WAR,
KNIGHTS OF THE CROSS and THE GRAVE DIGGER. Their visits to Sweden have
been few and far between, but now the wait is over! Todays lineup also
comprises Boltendahl's longtime band mate and drummer Stefan Arnold as
well as keyboard player HP Katzenburg, former Running Wild bass player
Jens Becker, guitar wiz Manni Schmidt (ex-Rage) and second guitarist
Thilo Hermann, also of Running Wild fame.
http://www.grave-digger-clan.com/
http://www.myspace.com/gravediggerclan

Entombed
They made the Stockholm scene one of the most important in metal with
death metal classics LEFT HAND PATH and CLANDESTINE, invented death n'
roll with WOLVERINE BLUES and DCLXVI – TO RIDE, SHOOT STRAIGHT AND
SPEAK THE TRUTH and made one of the best albums of 2007 with SERPENT
SAINTS – THE TEN AMENDMENTS. In between, Entombed have released
countless albums, singles and EPs, toured endlessly around the world
and even played in a ballet at the Royal Opera in Stockholm. Unleashed
and Dismember have already graced the Sweden Rock Cruise with their
participation. Now it is time for the third, and perhaps most classic
Stockholm death metal band to come onboard!
http://www.entombed.com/
http://www.myspace.com/serpentsaints

Dream Evil
Many were confused when Dream Evil released their first album in 2002.
Could a band this side of the millennium with an album title such as
DRAGONSLAYER and cover art picturing a sword-swinging medieval warrior
really be serious? Well, as it turned out they weren't. Not really,
anyway. Lyrics like "Don't need no flashy house, no kids no ugly wife
/ The only thing I want is what my parents don't" have their tounges
placed firmly in their cheeks. The music, on the other hand, is very
serious indeed and as well composed, played and produced as it gets.
As icing on this melodic metal cake, the band features the
extraordinary vocal talents of one Niklas Isfeldt.
http://www.dreamevil.se/
http://www.myspace.com/dreamevil

Witchcraft
Witchcraft, founded in the Swedish town Örebro in 2000, have pushed
the international press into a frenzy of namedropping of artists like
Roky Erickson, Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Jethro Tull. But although
the quartets music sounds as if both written and recorded in the early
'70s, they reach far beyond any hype or retro trend. Witchcraft are
simply brilliant. But please, don't trust us -- listen yourself:
http://www.witchcrafthome.com/
http://www.myspace.com/witchcraftswe

Sweden Rock Festival
Norjebokevägen 2
294 76 Sölvesborg
Sweden

Tel: 0456-317 95
Fax: 0456-317 94
E-mail: info@...
http://www.swedenrock.com/

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*** PRESS RELEASE #7 ***
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-Death Angel Announces New Bassist: Sammy Diosdado

San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans Death Angel have announced the
addition of bassist Sammy Diosdado to the group's ranks. Sammy is a
Bay Area native who previously played with the San Francisco hardcore
band The Sick and is a member of the rock and roll outfit All Time
Highs which is fronted by Death Angel singer Mark Osegueda. With his
in-your-face punk assault on bass and on stage, he was the perfect fit
to fill the shoes of former bassist and founding member Dennis Pepa.

Commented Osegueda: "I could not be more thrilled! People in the Bay
Area who have seen Sammy on stage know what I'm talking about, and now
it is time for the rest of the world to see! Sammy just plain ROCKS!
So I urge all Death Angel fans to welcome Sammy to the Death Angel
family, and come see us live when we come to your town that will be
all the convincing you will need that we made the right choice!!!"

Diosdado joined Death Angel on stage for their performance at the
benefit concert for Deftones bassist Chi Cheng, which was held on
November 29 at Fat City in San Francisco, California.

According to photographer Alan Ralph, Death Angel had several
musicians handling bass duties during different parts of the show,
including Sammy, who was described by Osegueda as "the first white
dude to ever play in Death Angel." Sammy played almost the first half
of the set before Steev Esquivel (Skinlab) took over for one or two
songs, followed by a guy named Damien Sisson (from the San Francisco
band Scrarecrow), who played the rest of the show with the group.

Testament front man Chuck Billy joined Death Angel on stage for a
cover of Metallica's "Leper Messiah" during the concert, which also
included performances by Will Haven (with a special guest appearance
by original singer Grady Avenell), Phallucy (featuring Deftones
drummer Abe Cunningham), Eightfourseven and Death Valley High.

Check out photos from Alan Ralph at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanr666/sets/72157610490258347/ .

Dennis Pepa played his last show with Death Angel on October 28, 2008
at the Grand Ballroom in San Francisco, California. Fan-filmed video
footage of the performance can be viewed on YouTube. Photos of the
concert are available at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alanr666/sets/72157608573429520/ (all
pictures taken by Alan Ralph).

Released on February 26, 2008 (North America) and February 29, 2008
(Europe) via Nuclear Blast Records, Death Angel's latest album,
KILLING SEASON, was recorded at Studio 606 in Northridge, California
with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who has previously worked with Foo
Fighters, Rush, Velvet Revolver, Shadows Fall and Stone Sour, among
other acts.

http://www.deathangel.com/
http://www.myspace.com/deathangel
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Death-Angel/9938175758

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*** PRESS RELEASE #8 ***
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-Lazarus A.D. Releases Artwork And Track Listing For THE ONSLAUGHT

Southeastern Wisconsin thrashers Lazarus A.D. have just released the
cover art and track listing to their Metal Blade Records debut THE
ONSLAUGHT!

THE ONSLAUGHT was mixed by famed thrasher James Murphy of Testament
and contains 10 tracks with a supreme level of creativity and
musicianship. Have no doubt that Lazarus A.D. is a Thrash band, but
are not simply a throwback to the '80s Bay Area sound. They breathe a
breath of fresh air into modern thrash with intelligent and memorable
riffs, Thrash breakdowns, mid-tempo grooves, and high-flying solos.

"...the way it combines rapid-fire riffage, abrupt rhythm changes and
cutting guitar harmonies within double bass drumming is worthy of
praise... Their playing blazes, yet Lazarus A.D. guitarists Dan Gapen
and Alex Lackner are intuitive enough to know when to slow down or
insert melodic hooks." -- Guitar World from "The Next Metallica?"
article

Lazarus A.D. has revealed the first song off THE ONSLAUGHT! Click here
to check out "Thou Shall Not Fear":

http://www.myspace.com/lazarus1

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*** PRESS RELEASE #9 ***
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-New Album From The Trews Coming This April

New Album NO TIME FOR LATER In Stores 04/07/2009

New Single "Paranoid Freak" Out Now!

Colin MacDonald - Vocals, Guitar
John Angus MacDonald - Guitar, Vocals
Jack Syperek - Bass, Vocals
Sean Dalton - Drums, Vocals

You can hear it in the first four bars of the album. A meaty, beaty,
big and bouncy drum fill, followed by a glistening guitar line that
could have been ripped from an old Rockpile album, and a breathy
Hammond B3 so beautifully captured that it seems to conjure the
dimensions of the room it sits in. It's huge, but intimate. Heavy, but
airborne. And the hook is strong enough that you could hang a whale
from it.

"In the end, we made sort of a two sided record," says Trews guitarist
John Angus MacDonald, of the band's third album, NO TIME FOR LATER.
"It's some of the heaviest stuff we've done, but it's also some of the
most out there artistically that we've ever laid down."

Too true. The Trews' reputation is built on buffed and visceral rock
songs, but on NO TIME FOR LATER they cohere like never before. The
structures are more compelling, the playing is more articulate, and
the results more nourishing. And the group's musical breakthrough has
certainly been noticed by others, including shock rock legend Alice
Cooper, who christened The Trews "A great young band with a Zeppelin
feel," the Calgary Sun called the album "A regular masterpiece of rock
n' roll," while Creative Loafing raved, "Exciting, brash crunch
rockers who connect like prime Humble Pie."

If it's the shrewd marriage of new and classic rock that accounts for
the Trews' remarkable multi-generational appeal -- meaning they're as
welcome on MuchMusic as they are inside the pages of the U.K.'s
Classic Rock magazine -- then NO TIME FOR LATER finds the band
expanding at both ends of the spectrum.

"Ocean's End" clads Jack Syperek's willowy bassline in AC/DC's crunch,
and then breaks down into phosphene psychedelia. In the snakey single,
"Hold Me In Your Arms" (which hit #3 at rock radio in Canada, and
topped the chart at MuchMusic Canada), the Trews use a buzzsaw to
mediate between the re-tooled 21st Century radio rock of Velvet
Revolver, and the righteous groove of off-road, resin-stained
headbangers like Fu Manchu. Similarly, "Burning Wheels" is a Tom Petty
riff given a nitro injection and mag wheels. And that unhinged solo
about half way through? "That's Colin's only solo," confides John
Angus with a chuckle, referring to his brother, vocalist-guitarist
Colin MacDonald. "He wanted to do a solo, so we said, 'Okay, fine,'
and that's what came out. It's like Kurt Cobain or something. It's
just, like, unbridled f*cking craziness. It's totally animal."

Continues John Angus, "But you need places to go. So much as you'd
like to keep a somewhat consistent sound, if you want to keep making
records that are at all interesting or fun to listen to, you gotta go
places."

So where did the Trews go? According to Colin, "We were always big
fans of CCR and REM and stuff, and those influences had to come out
sooner or later. At one point we wanted to take everything off the
record that sounded remotely heavy. We wanted to make a total roots
rock album."

They didn't of course -- there's no "unbridled f*ckin' craziness" on
MURMUR or WILLY AND THE POOR BOYS -- but NO TIME FOR LATER is elevated
by a softer touch on tracks like the Fogerty-rooted "I Feel The Rain,"
or the inspired "Will You Wash Away," where melancholy meets uplift in
a chorus that seems to enter the song sideways. If anything on the
album points to their growth, it's this song. Colin can't say where it
came from. Maybe he did what Neil Young claims to do, and channeled
it.

"I can only hope," he says. "I just don't know, because I've spent a
lot of time working my ass off on songs that ended up being sh*tty,
and this one literally came out really, really quickly. Me and John
Angus were sitting around listening to Cat Stevens' TEA FOR THE
TILLERMAN, and we started jamming on this tune, and it literally came
in five minutes. Honestly, that's the most unconscious song I've ever
come up with. It literally just came out."

Colin name checks Randy Newman as another abiding influence, which
accounts for the sly sense of irony that pervades NO TIME FOR LATER.
"I Can't Stop Laughing" addresses grief with a manic Celtic romp,
propelled by Sean Dalton's mighty tom workout; the furious "Gun
Control" begins with a placid slide-guitar straight out of Ry Cooder's
"Paris, Texas" soundtrack; "Paranoid Freak" (which reached the Top 10
at rock radio in Canada) uses a skittery piano figure to capture the
prevailing mood of our time, derived from all the hours the band has
endured cooling its boots at U.S. border crossings. And in the
extraordinary "Man Of Two Minds" (which topped the Much More Music
chart), the Trews have produced a hymn to the worst corners of male
psychology, dressed up in a romantic waltz-time melody worthy of Burt
Bacharach.

"A scumbag song," claims Colin.

"I thought it was hilarious," adds John Angus. "It's so blatant, (but)
it's honest. That's the key."

In total, NO TIME FOR LATER represents a major graduation for the
band, right down to the Ralph Steadman-by-way-of-Warhol cover art
designed by Syperek. Incredibly, it was the counter-intuitive approach
of producers Gus Van Go and Werner F that the Trews credit for the
breakthrough. The first thing the team did was take one of the best
live rock acts on the planet, break it down to its constituent parts,
and -- starting with drummer Dalton -- record each member separately
in a painstaking exercise that Colin only half-jokingly describes as
"our RUMOURS."

Syperek admits to being out of his comfort zone. "To tell you the
truth, I wanted everybody in my headphones while I was playing," he
says. "I thought I would get more feeling. But as we got into it, it
allowed me to listen to my parts and make them better, and go back,
and improve things." The bassist is one of the best feel musicians out
there, but he's convinced by the results. "This is the next step," he
concludes.

Colin adds, "We wanted to go with younger guys who had a bit more to
prove. And they were as hungry as we are. Guys who were willing to
stay up for twenty-four hours to make sure a certain song didn't come
off cheesy."

"I don't think we've ever been worked so hard by producers," continues
John Angus, who was looking for "a general vibe that we haven't quite
nailed in the studio yet. It was kind of like the first time we worked
with Gordie (Johnson), where everything was new and a challenge. The
only difference is back then we kinda sucked."

His modesty aside, John Angus can rest assured that their efforts have
yielded the most fully formed work of the band's already impressive
career. All that remains is the listening. And this bio, of course;
custom-designed to make you hear the record.

"Bios are usually so embarrassingly flattering of the band," snorts
John Angus. "This band f*cking GETS RAWK! Then you listen to it, and
you're like, wha...?" Readers should be advised that in this case, the
praise couldn't be any more sincere, as the masses are quickly
discovering the truth about the Trews -- especially Stateside, where
the group won the "Hard Rock/Metal Song" category for "Hold Me In Your
Arms," at the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards Program.

Lastly, the Trews have some words specifically for their U.S. fans.

"We're very proud of this album and we can't wait to share it with our
American fans. We spent a good year touring our last album in the
U.S., and we really look forward to returning to those great American
cities and towns with our new sounds. We hope you will like this album
as much as we do!"

For more information, please visit http://www.thetrewsmusic.com/ .

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*** PRESS RELEASE #10 ***
*
-Desolate Ways' New Album Will Feature A Sorrowful Dream's Female
Vocalist

Desolate Ways is still working in the production of their third album,
which is being recorded in Nitro Sound Solutions studio and being
produced by Roger Fingle (a.k.a. "Earth"), vocalist and multi-
instrumentist of Blood Tears and Seduced By Suicide.

This new release will feature Josie, the female vocalist of the dark
metal band A Sorrowful Dream, who will sing in the track "Winter."

About the invitation to take part on this album Josie comments: "I
loved receiving the invitation to be part of Desolate Ways' new album.
It's a great honour. Both bands, A Sorrowful Dream and Desolate Ways,
are long time friends and already played together several times in
Brazil and we always admired their music. Having the opportunity to
contribute for their forthcoming album makes me feel very flattered
and anxious for the result. Even both bands playing similar genres,
there is a huge difference between our music, which makes everything
more interesting. I hope to give a good contribution to one of the
most important bands of the genre in our country, and which will
definitely present another work made with extreme competence and
quality."

More information of both bands are available at
http://www.myspace.com/des0lateways and
http://www.myspace.com/asorrowfuldream .

Desolate Ways
http://www.desolateways.com/
http://www.myspace.com/des0lateways

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*** PRESS RELEASE #11 ***
*
-PaganFest North America -- First Set Of Dates Revealed

PaganFest America has just released their first batch of dates for one
of this years most awaited tours!

04/28/09 The Opera House - Toronto, ON - CANADA
04/29/09 Medley - Montreal, QC - CANADA
04/30/09 Imperial - Quebec City, QC - CANADA
05/01/09 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
05/04/09 Irving Plaza - New York, NY
05/07/09 Chicago Powerfest - Chicago, IL
05/08/09 The Lab - St. Paul, MN
...plus many more to come!

Rock The Nation is proud to announce the tour lineup of PaganFest
America: Part II

The upcoming traveling spectacle will include: Finland's folk freaks
Korpiklaani as the headliners, Switzerland's Eluveitie, Ireland's
Primordial, Finland's Moonsorrow, Canada's Blackguard (formerly known
as Profugus Mortis) and straight off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean,
New Jersey's crazy Pirate Metal drunks, Swashbuckle as the opening
party starters throughout the tour!

Kataklysm front man and Rock The Nation USA's general manager Maurizio
Iacono recently commented:

"As 2008's Paganfest was a great discovery for many people and a HUGE
success, we are proud to bring it back again for 2009!

"The demand for the tour is growing and people are really excited. We
chose to bring the best and some new blood as well for the next run.
We hope (like this year) that all the pagan followers will come back
in big numbers and raise their drinks in the air and celebrate a
majestic evening not to be forgotten anytime soon!

"Cheers,
"Maurizio /RTN America"

Brave warriors of the metal world, it is once again time for all to
come together with your fist towards the sky and swords up high!
Commence your pagan conquest with a night of pure splendor! Your
journey continues at PaganFest America!

For more info on the tour, please visit:
http://www.myspace.com/paganfestusa

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #12 ***
*
-Battle Kommand And Candlelight Unite

Candlelight Records today confirms the extension of their cooperation
with Chicago-based Battle Kommand Records. Founded by Nachtmystium
vocalist/guitarist Blake Judd in 2004, Candlelight will now look after
the noted underground label's catalog around the globe; previously the
deal was in place for only England and the European continent.
Nachtmystium's highly regarded catalog will be the first to find
reissue under the new deal. In stores April 21, each of the band's
early recordings, namely REIGN OF THE MALICIOUS, NACHTMYSTIUM, THE
FIRST ATTACKS, DEMISE and the highly acclaimed INSTINCT: DECAY, will
again be available for the band's growing stateside fanbase. Reissues
from Krieg, Obscurus Advocam and Glorior Belli among others will
follow shortly thereafter. Bonus material is planned on many of the
reissues with specifics to be confirmed at a later date.

Judd says of the cooperation, "it is with much honor that we can
announce this collaboration. Music fans worldwide will now have much
easier access to older BKR releases." In addition to the reissue
series, the cooperation will see new signings that Judd notes, "will
maintain the unique brand identity of Battle Kommand Records." Judd
will retain control of the label's A&R while Candlelight's worldwide
team will handle marketing and distribution. "With Candlelight's
funding behind BKR's new signees," says Judd, "I anticipate that more
of our artists will be touring here and abroad. A more major push for
all of our artists marks a major step for the label, and we intend to
push forward with full force."

Since its launch in 2004, Battle Kommand Records has released nearly
30 albums. The roster's artists span black, doom, death, experimental
noise and ambient rock. The label has seen cooperation in the U.S.
previously with Los Angeles-based Southern Lord Records as well direct
relationships with numerous indie and underground distributors.
Candlelight Records with offices in London and Philadelphia has a
worldwide catalog containing over 400 titles including recordings from
Emperor, Opeth, 1349, Blut Aus Nord, Crowbar, Abigail Williams,
Obituary and many more. Candlelight is distributed in the United
States via Caroline Distribution, EMI Music is the label's new
distributor for Canada with England and European distribution handled
by Plastic Head Music.

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

*
*** PRESS RELEASE #13 ***
*
-Maegashira Update

[Note: This is a compilation of two separate press releases. - Tim]

Maegashira Post New Track To MySpace, Join Stoner Hands Of Doom Lineup

As part of their countdown to their album release, New Jersey doom 'n
rollers Maegashira have posted the song "Ammonia For Sweat" to their
MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/maegashira . The song comes off
their full-length debut, THE STARK ARCTIC, out on January 20, 2009.
The album is being distributed through CT's Spare Change Records and
is available for pre-order at
http://www.sparechangerecords.com/set.html .

In addition, the band has been confirmed as a part of the Stoner Hands
Of Doom X festival in Maryland, with the complete lineup to be
announced shortly. Maegashira will also be playing their first show
following the album's release January 30 at the Mill Creek Tavern in
Philadelphia, PA. Also set to appear are Sourvein, Rosetta and
Gwynbleidd.

Maegashira Releases THE STARK ARCTIC

Available now is the full-length debut from New Jersey-based doom
mongrels Maegashira, THE STARK ARCTIC. The six-track, hour-long album
was recorded and mixed by Lou Gorra (Halfway To Gone) at Redline
Archiving in Little Silver, NJ, and mastered by Mick Mullin (High On
Fire, Zodiak, Total F*cking Destruction) and sees distribution through
Connecticut's Spare Change Records. The band had this to say: "The day
we thought would never come finally has. THE STARK ARCTIC is for sale
now, right there on the MaegashiraSpace. We busted our collective ass
getting it together, are extremely proud of this album and happy to
see it come out. Thanks for your support and your patience. We hope
you enjoy it."

THE STARK ARCTIC Track Listing:

1. Ongoing Corneal Erosion (3:50)
2. Caribou Crossing (6:31)
3. Ammonia For Sweat (9:11)
4. Baggage Claim/Skin Slip (10:48)
5. Hi From Jersey (6:51)
6. Back To Muro (22:02)

"...You'll be lucky to escape alive at the end of it all." - Metal
Maniacs

"Their sound trims the fat and builds a muscular wall of southern-
fried EHG-styled hate-doom that unfolds majestic, psychedelic swirls
of sound..." - Hellride Music

"Not only bares its teeth but bites down hard and draws blood." -
StonerRock.com

"First and foremost this sh*t is heavy and frightening." -
MetalRevolution.com

"THE STARK ARCTIC has all of the virtues of doom but none of the
pitfalls..." - About.com

http://www.myspace.com/maegashira
http://www.sparechangerecords.com/

*
*** NEWS/RUMORS ***
*
-The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Cheap Trick is working on a
"headliner deal" to perform The Beatles' SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS
CLUB BAND live with an orchestra at the Las Vegas Hilton. The band
performed the album in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl in 2007, and
this new agreement could see the performances starting in March and
lasting "throughout 2009."

-Chickenfoot -- featuring Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony,
and Chad Smith -- has a new site at http://www.chickenfoot.us/ . Check
it out for a sample of a new song and the ability to sign up for the
band's newsletter.

-Former Crimson Glory vocalist Midnight has re-released his 2001 EP
entitled M and the original mix of 2005's SAKADA, which runs six
minutes longer than the prior release. See
http://www.myspace.com/t42midnight for more, where the blog section
has information about a ton of other releases, including the long-
delayed M2 album. One of the other releases, ALL SOULS MIDNIGHT, is a
collaboration with Matt LaPorte (Jon Oliva's Pain, Circle II Circle),
Lee Harrison (Monstrosity), and Phil Anderson (Jon Oliva's Pain), and
is meant only as a gift for the 112 fans who pre-ordered M2 but have
waited so long for its release. It features these tracks: "Lost
Reflection '08," "Painted Skies" (duet with Jon Oliva), "Far Away,"
"Transcendence," "Carnival 1," "The End," "Mermaids," "Carnival 2,"
"Midnight Mass," "What Child Is This?," "Story Of Lost Reflection."
The updated Crimson Glory songs "Lost Reflection" and "Painted Skies"
are streaming on the MySpace page.

-If you're a fan of fantasy-themed metal, check out "Elfcore" on
Pandora at http://www.pandora.com/?sc=sh169630278822637177 . [A 45-
minute trial yielded songs by HammerFall, Iron Fire, Primal Fear, Iron
Maiden, Nightwish, Saxon, Masterplan, and Dark Moor. - Tim]

-In Guns N' Roses news, former drummer Steven Adler is back with
Adler's Appetite -- featuring singer Sheldon Tarsha, guitarists Alex
Grossi (Hookers 'N' Blow, Quiet Riot) and Michael Tomas (Faster
Pussycat), and Chip Z'Nuff (Enuff Z'Nuff) -- and a "full U.S. tour"
will see the band performing APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION in its entirety,
among "other classics and some surprises." The tour is scheduled to
run from late February through early April.

-Check out a new interview with Kreator vocalist/guitarist Mille
Petrozza at http://glclk.about.com/?zi=1/6WYu .

-Dutch '80s metal band Martyr will release FEAR THE UNIVERSE, a double
digi-pak, on February 20 through Rusty Cage Records. The set includes
a re-mastered version of the band's debut album, FOR THE THE UNIVERSE,
and the new five-track FEAR EP. Track list: "I Am The Most Evil,"
"Fear," "Different Kind Of Rain," "Take Me Home," "Eaten Alive," "For
The Universe - Theme," "Speed Of Samurai," "The Elbon," "Four Walls,"
"The Awakening," "Black Sun," "For The Universe - Requiem."

-A partial track listing for the upcoming "Guitar Hero: Metallica" is
available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Hero_Metallica . The
game will reportedly feature 45 songs -- 28 by Metallica and 17 from
bands that are "[Metallica's] personal favorites and influences from
over the years." The game will be able to "detect and incorporate the
songs from the DEATH MAGNETIC downloadable content into the game's set
list." The partial track list is as follows: MSG - "Armed And Ready,"
The Sword - "Black River," Mastodon - "Blood And Thunder," Kyuss -
"Demon Cleaner," Metallica - "Enter Sandman," Metallica - "For Whom
The Bell Tolls," Metallica - "Fuel," Judas Priest - "Hell Bent For
Leather," Metallica - "Hit The Lights," Metallica - "King Nothing,"
Metallica - "Master Of Puppets," Samhain - "Mother Of Mercy," Alice In
Chains - "No Excuses," Metallica - "No Leaf Clover," Metallica -
"Nothing Else Matters," Metallica - "Sad But True," Lynyrd Skynyrd -
"Tuesday's Gone," Bob Seger - "Turn The Page," Metallica - "The
Unforgiven," Metallica - "Wherever I May Roam." Rumor has it songs
from Foo Fighters, Slayer, Machine Head, and Queen will also appear in
the game. Check out a "Guitar Hero: Metallica" trailer at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBTkCx8FGxc .

-Queensryche's upcoming tour for AMERICAN SOLDIER will feature
"extended suites" from the new album, EMPIRE, and RAGE FOR ORDER.

-Check out Rock Underground, a Brazilian metal magazine covering heavy
metal, hard rock, prog, trash, etc., at
http://www.rockunderground-mag.com/ .

-Sentinel Steel has a January "label closeout" sale going now,
featuring discounts on out-of-print titles from labels such as
Adrenaline/Steelheart, AFM, Arise, Black Mark, Century Media, LMP,
Massacre, Metal Blade, Metal Mayhem, and Nuclear Blast. Check it out
at http://www.sentinelsteel.com/LabelSalePages.html .

-Soilwork's new video for "20 More Miles" will debut January 27 at
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?
fuseaction=vids.channel&ChannelID=11970182
.

-Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes has a MySpace page at
http://www.myspace.com/chris_meanman_holmes . We're not sure how fresh
the content is, but there's a live video of Holmes, Robin McAuley, and
others performing Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" live, and a new
audio track called "Heartbeat," from a band called either
Ghettoblaster or Hard Drive that also features ex-Motorhead drummer
Philthy Animal Taylor.

-Upcoming releases on Z Records: 2/23 - Watchmen's s/t; 3/2 -
Britton's ROCK HARD + 10; 3/23 - Maychild's s/t (featuring Von
Groove's Michael Shotton). See http://www.zrecords.net/ ,
http://www.myspace.com/zrockrecordsuk , and
http://www.myspace.com/zrockfest for more.

Thanks to Bill "NM 156" Kotowski, Gerry "Legolas" Buldak, Wes Royer,
HeadbangerNYC.com, Chad Bowar, Mark Morton, and Júlio César Bocáter
for help gathering some of this information.

*
*** REVIEWS ***
*
GEORGE BELLAS - STEP INTO THE FUTURE (B-/C+) Lion Music, 2009
1 track, RT: 1:15:22
[ http://www.georgebellas.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/georgebellas ]
[ http://www.lionmusic.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/lionmusiclabel ]
Man this was a hard one to get through. You read the track info
correct -- one song totaling an hour and 15 minutes (!?). I'll say
right away that as I've gotten older my patience for long songs has
diminished considerably; in days past I could sit and listen to
classical, progressive and fusion works that went on for 20+ minutes,
but never have I had to sit through one unbroken piece for over an
hour. There is no doubt that George Bellas is a fantastic musician, as
not only is he quite adept at his instrument but he is also a living
compendium of theoretical knowledge -- the problem he has is with
composing works that can be appreciated by those who do not share his
deep understanding of complex musical arrangements. STEP INTO THE
FUTURE has its moments, however, sometimes breathtaking segments of
otherworldly themes played over tricky time changes courtesy of ace
drummer Marco Minnemann. Fans of Bellas' creative shred will find
plenty to digest here, with lots of advanced concepts and techniques
on display, but even hardcore followers of the maestro may find a song
this long too hard to take in, as the piece is not even segmented into
chapters that can be listened to individually -- you really have to
sit and absorb the whole thing! George is clearly doing exactly what
he wants to do and I respect his dedication to his personal vision,
but to gain a wider audience I think he would benefit from approaching
his music in a similar manner to artists such as Joe Satriani and
Vinnie Moore, as they are able to effectively parlay advanced theory
into approachable songs. So on this one I give it full marks for the
musicianship, not so much for accessibility...
- Neal Woodall (MysticX9@...)

SAXON - INTO THE LABYRINTH (B) SPV/Steamhammer, 2009
13 tracks, RT: 50:15
[ http://www.saxon747.com/ ]
[ http://www.youtube.com/planetsaxon ]
[ http://www.spv.de/ ]
[ http://www.spvusa.com/ ]
[ http://www.myspace.com/spvusa ]
Wow, this is Saxon's 27th official release (including six live
releases). That is a lot of history for one band dating back to 1979.
What impresses me about Saxon is that the last nine or 10 years have
seen the band produce some of the best albums of its career. The song
quality and production standards have never been better for the band.
The solid lineup of lead singer and front man extraordinaire, Biff
Byford, guitarists Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt, the animal of a bass
player, Nibbs Carter, and longtime drummer Nigel Glockler have
produced another solid release with INTO THE LABRYNTH. The production
is up to par with their last couple of releases thanks to Charlie
Bauerfeind. There are some good songs on this release: "Valley Of The
Kings," an epic up tempo number; "Demon Sweeney Todd," the heaviest
track on the CD with a real catchy riff; "Battalions Of Steel," the CD
opener with a majestic sounding chorus -- all of which will transition
well live. "Live To Rock" will surly be a staple in their upcoming
live shows although I think it is a fairly generic song and there are
better selections on the disc. In my opinion the overall combined
effort is not as strong as say 2001's KILLING GROUND or 2004's
LIONHEART. I do think it is a better collection of songs in compared
to their last offering, 2007's THE INNER SANCTUM. To sum it up, if you
have liked any thing the band has put out in the last decade then you
will most likely want to pick this one up.
- Sean P. Gahgan (spgahgan@...)

*
*** OUT ***
*